#diebytheshield

[coeluvr]

You're so wonderfully devious. Your IF is so well written. I've played through it once several months ago, lost track of it, then found it again 🤗 but seriously, the complex emotions you pull out of me is what makes me keep coming back.

There's no time to not grieve for the MC. And your time jumps make it so no matter how much time has passed for MC, we don't get that relief. It makes me wonder if the MC feels that way all the time for the last 9 years if the grief we experience is just as intense. So I absolutely adore how you give MCs the ability to name a journal Alistair and to have a tattoo to keep them with you.

I don't know what to do with Rosea. I think the only way to hurt Luceris is by hurting the ones they love, Lancelot and Helios. But then this cycle of revenge continues and warps, and it's this massive spiders web because when you hurt Lancelot and Helios, then you hurt Farah, Vincent, and Hunter. It makes even more people want to put a stop to MC's machinations.

I know we're going to see it in writing, but the generational guilt on these kids [cause fuck they are basically still kids] heads is crushing.

The adults trying to alleviate guilt by saying "Mc is protected as consort" and has the "freedom to do what they want" is a poor consolation prize. They can't get rid of how they were complicit in MCs trauma.

Somehow, you have me litterally insane, tinfoil hat and all, do you play a kind MC so everyone can see how unhinged Luceris idea was? Because I'd love to play this game as quiet and kind MC, one who's forgive and try to move on, but when MCs twin died, I became just as crazy as Luceris. Now I have to be okay with the fact that I'm playing the long game of revenge and whatever that looks like.

Anyway, thank you for your work. It's amazing and I can't wait to see what happens next.

My toxic trait is I like being called evil or devious or anything insane. 🥰 Thank you for your kind words! 💗

Honestly, the time jumps do serve that purpose. Mainly because I think MC gets a little better each time jump but then something happens and it brings back what they felt that night in Vesphire.

For example, the time jump to meeting Fadiya is kind of supposed to be like "well at least someone wants to be friends with our baby" and that feeling is kind of hopeful, at least to me. With the 1st short story, I wanted to cement that feeling since it's like "world against MC but this little kid is here!!" and again it's hopeful. Chapter 2 is softer too with Fadiya, there isn't much angst until the very end where it's like "ah right, shit still sucks." and a part of the healing that the player might have felt just dies lol.

Chapter 3 is kind of different but technically MC is doing "better" or well coping better so there has been some progress on their part albeit it can be unhealthy.

I've gotten the "Oh this is kinda rushed" comment a few times but I don't think I could've taken these first few chapters more slowly since it is supposed to be kind of like a blur to MC. In my head, chapter 3 is when things are more slow for them but now they're leaving on a trip so...

I think revenge (that isn't like "get power throw him into jail") will always come with the loss of people. The only reason Luceris didn't lose people is because he didn't really have anyone to lose except for Lancelot and we all know how that's going. (Ikram doesn't count, if she refused he could just get another military general and been like okay. Don't be friends with your boss people. /j)

A Luceris that had Farah wouldn't have done that ever because she would have left him so yeah! It's normal to be stuck between what to do when you have people you care about who actually have somewhat of a normal moral compass.

Easiest way is to simply not have anyone (unless they're 100% in love with you and would throw away all their morals just for you ofc) and well maybe I can help with that! 🤭

The adults are insane and the kids are burdened with the problems that their parents are to blame for. I love the whole "burdened by the sins of your parents" trope. ✨️

God this got a bit too long lmao 😭 it was fun discussing some of the points. 🤝

[stonewall-if]

This is such a great concept for an IF! I have butterflies thinking about the school and ROs already. What influences led you to make this IF, and if I could ask, what theme or tropes apply to each of the ROs? R, I, M, and E are going to have their work cut out for them once they see how hardworking MC is 😘

Thank you! I saw that you mentioned Fourth Wing and I haven’t read it yet but I heard of it. This may be a bit funny but Red Rising by Pierce Brown and JJK were small influences. Mostly just the school setting interested me. I wanted to write in the setting of a college that was like college but…deadly.

I will make sure to pick up Fourth Wing! R is a mentor, so that falls under a forbidden romance since that’s not allowed. There is a bit of a power imbalance which R is aware of. R will do their best to remain detached and keep their distance. They're a bit weird, since they give off the impression that they dislike the recruit but that’s not the case. They tend to be a bit of a mixed bag. I is a bully romance and not for the faint of heart. They are a red flag romance through and through. Standard enemies to lovers, a bit Romeo and Juliet esque since I and MC’s families are rivals. M is the typical friends to lovers and they are a breath of fresh air since they are probably the only kind character there is ha.

E is the child of the High Commander and that is also a forbidden romance (sort of). I can’t say much on their tropes since it would be spoilery :)

[embersofhope-if]

My sister and I have had many discussions on the way the hunger games operate, and its love story is to make it more palatable to the audience. Sort of a way to gloss over the child murder because "Oh, look over there! They're holding hands!" Is better than "Oh, well, district 3 used poison to off someone from district 5 womp womp."

So if in this IF, the romance is not the main point do you forsee the same voyeuristic qualities in the capital if MC were to be in a romance with their partner or someone very openly outside of the games.

Or how sensationalized will the players in the games be viewed by the capital/districts?

You have me in the palm of your hands with this IF. 🙌 I can and will totally wait for anything and everything you throw our way!

I think if Mc was in an open relationship with someone outside of the games the Capitol wouldn't think of it as an actual relationship. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes makes it obvious how the capitol views those from the Districts. To them, if your District you're an animal who is worth less than dirt, and Mc being in any type of relationship back home wouldn't change that point of view too much.

In this story, the romance with Aurel isn't anything like the one that Katniss and Peeta have. If Aurel and Mc did play the love story like Katniss and Peeta did I'm sure they'd have a very similar response, but Aurel would never agree to that. They have their own goal for these games and playing Lover is not part of it.

This is going a bit off-topic but Creon has a very clear role that they want Mc to play and to make the Capitol believe. The way they plan on presenting Mc to the public is kind of similar to the way Coriolanus portrayed Lucy Gray in her games. Mc is attractive, charming, and they have a softness about them that the public is very drawn to. And people of the Capitol already know Mcs face because they were interviewed in Asher's games. Its all very nicely set up for Creon they've just got to use and manipulate it properly if they want to save Mcs life

[absentia-if]

7. 20. And 25?

When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

Annoyingly enthusiastic, I’d say. It’s part of the reason I love coming on here so much because I get to share what I create— it’s not the only reason I do what I do, but it’s such a nice feeling to get to share my ideas with people and have an actual response to it.

Do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

It entirely depends. If I’m feeling inspired then I usually do long sessions, but if I’m just feeling like I’d like to write I usually just fiddle with certain things. The one thing I’ve always maintained, and I won’t ever change my mind about it, is that you should never force yourself to write— unless there’s certain circumstances involved— because if you do then something that’s supposed to be fun will start feeling like a chore.

Something that will undoubtedly showcase within your writing too. So, I just usually do whatever I feel like is best for me in that moment in time.

Copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of.

Everything and nothing at all.

How were you supposed to quantify all the things that ran through your mind? How were you supposed to showcase just how much your thoughts could spiral if given the opportunity to do so? You know that ${b_name} would understand— ${b_he} was never one to judge anyone— but you couldn't bring yourself to do so. Not because you didn't trust ${b_him}; that wasn't it at all.

You didn't trust yourself. Didn't trust that your thoughts, what you were feeling at any given moment, were true. It's a fear that had taken a hold of you for longer than you'd ever like to admit, but it wasn't one that you could see letting go of you anytime soon.

[ataleofcrowns]

I have just started playing ATOC and I can not get over how well you have used the second-person narration. The way you write the MC is absolutely magical and I feel so tied to the story and character. I adore the tone and prose you've established. I really can not rave enough. Do you have any pointers or guides that you use, or does it come to you naturally? I am always intrigued by other authors' processes, so thank you for sharing if you feel inclined :).

Thanks so much!! 💖

To be honest, I can't really point you to any guides or resources on this as I haven't used any myself. My approach to 2nd person narration was actually very similar to how I write in the 3rd person - I think this comes across if you compare my LI bonus stories to the main story.

Even in 3rd person I really like being very close to the character and having the reader experience as much as possible through their eyes, especially in terms of conveying the characters' emotions, so I think that naturally lends itself well to 2nd person haha

[absentia-if]

Gasp, we were a teacher?! So staff at school, parents, more people have entered the kidnapping pool. Intriguing!

Precisely!!!