For the ask meme, pick your favorite(s)! All, some, one, or none: 19, 20, 21, 26
2023 in review: fic writer asks
19. Share your favorite opening line
Going through my fics looking for the best opening line made me realise my opening lines are rather bland lmao. Something to work on in the new year ig! My favourite one is probably one of these two:
"At Harimaya Bridge in Kōchi, Tosa, two figures stand drenched in red." (Red Tide)
"Fire bursts across the sky like the flames that burned his memories away, and even the distant cheers of his siblings cannot ease the chill that grips his heart." (What Begins)
Both are from Touken Ranbu fics. The first one references both a Toumyu song and the Yosakoi Naruko Dance's 「土佐のー高知の はりまや橋で」 lyric. It also parallels the opening line of its companion fic, as it is the same scene but a different character's perspective.
The second line I just like for the imagery lmao. The character, Honebami Toushirou, is watching fireworks at what should be a joyous festival but since he lost his memories after being burnt in a fire, well...he doesn't do well with fire-anything.
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20. Share your favorite ending line
Despite my trouble with ending off fics I think my ending line selection was stronger than the opening lines. I had a couple choices here and found it harder to narrow down so I am going to cheat and put two again...
"His mind is blissfully, terrifyingly silent." (Ab Initio)
"Falcon laughs, sun-sharp challenge and the bright spark of mischief, pressing close as the smell of sandalwood and eucalyptus envelops them once more." (Slow March)
The first one is for how short and snappy it is. It gets the point across succinctly, that Blood Falcon is 1) for now free of Black Shadow's mental voice influencing his thoughts, 2) relieved at this, 3) really fucking weirded out and even unmoored by this because his whole life he's known nothing else.
The second one is again for the imagery. It's not nearly as succinct but I do like how Rob as the POV chara is characterising everything about Falcon as this brilliant, shining presence that he can't help but be drawn to. There is also of course the ~symbolism~ of the smell of Rob's bath products surrounding them both. At this point in the series neither of them will admit their true feelings for each other, but the fact that they smell the same now from sharing the bath products, allowing each other to mark and be marked...it's just another way they've insidiously crept their way into each others' lives despite not talking about any gross scary feelings ever (idiots).
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21. Share your favorite piece of dialogue
There were a lot of moments from Thousand Five I wanted to put in here LMAO. I really like the dialogue in the first three chapters in particular, that's where I feel it was the snappiest (possibly because they were doing nothing but talking in the bar there so it had to be snappy). But my favourite bit of dialogue in the fic atm is this one:
“You would forfeit the chance to properly best your rival?” Stewart lifts his chin. “You’d kill the surgeon who’s the reason you’re even alive to begin with?” (chapter 6)
I'm very fond of this scene. It's the first time Stewart quite literally puts his neck on the line for Falcon. He doesn't have the combat skill or brute force to get out of this by fighting, so he uses what he does have at his disposal: his knowledge of the other person's background and personality, as well as drawing on what relation they share and any debts that might be owed. It's a gamble, but it's all he's got. The bold way it's stated, like he already knows the conclusion, is both calculated and just his natural adrenaline kicking in. Stewart is not one to bow in the face of danger and is in fact unfortunately drawn to it, but in this case he was afraid for someone else's life (Falcon) and was perhaps not quite as blasé as he'd normally be.
Because I am indecisive here is another fave bit of dialogue...this time from Creatures With Wings:
“Do you regret it?” Ryu asks suddenly, sliding a hand behind his head. “Taking on your role as Captain Falcon, or bringing me into this. Is that why you asked?”
The back of his neck prickles, helmet still trapped under Ryu’s arm. But Captain Falcon is as much an ideal as he’s a man in a costume, and when he speaks, his voice is strong.
“Creatures with wings are born to take to the skies someday. To fear falling is natural. But sometimes, all you can do is take that leap and fly.”
Besides being a title drop, Andy's dialogue here is a modified version of what he says to Ryu in Lap 50 of the anime. It still serves as reassurance and motivation to Ryu, but it also contains a veiled message about his feelings on his own situation. Andy isn't one to outwardly display struggles or regrets, or to ask for help because he's supposed to be the one helping. But I like to think about a more vulnerable side to him. He's only human, even if Captain Falcon needs to be so much more than that.
So here, he's also expressing that Ryu is quite possibly the only person who could fully understand him, as someone who was destined to be a saviour in this universal battle. Maybe he, just like Ryu, had (still has) fears and insecurities and regrets. And maybe despite that, he still did it anyway because there was no other choice. But Andy...doesn't actually directly answer the questions Ryu asked. He can't. Falcon can never be anything less than a paragon. To express weakness, to waver now at the end of all things...that's not who he is. But at the end of all things...maybe he can be Andy one last time. Andy trusts Ryu enough to reveal here just the tiniest hint of weakness, reciprocating the trust Ryu has constantly shown confiding in him.
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26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?
Hmm every time I get a comment is very satisfying (especially the ones that go into detail) and crunching the numbers about how much I wrote this year compared to previous years was also fulfilling-feeling. I have a checklist of character's I've written/have yet to write in this series and it felt good to tick off a bunch and try writing so many different themes and perspectives this year. Thousand Five is perhaps the predictable answer to this question, as it is still my baby my beloved my first gameverse and longest fic. I'm happy to have published 12 chapters of it this year!
But I think the most satisfying moment was getting this comment on Rush:
This awoke something in me.
Never played or watched F-Zero anything in all my life and yet these two give me life.
How gratifying is it to know that you've managed to captivate someone who doesn't know anything about the fandom with the power of your writing alone? How wonderful is it to know that you've managed to capture someone's interest based on the choice, order, artistry of the scenes your words have woven? Without any pre-existing interest in the characters and franchise doing some of the work of grabbing the reader for you? I really, truly would love to know if this anon looked more into the series after or went on to read other F-Zero fics. Getting people into the series and ship I like because of something I created is living the dream, I tell you. And it all happened because I wrote about Falcon and Stewart [redacted] in a rivals with benefits situationship LMAO.
@theyrezi Thanks! I find it super cathartic and I’m glad you enjoy seeing them!
@gher-bear Thanks a lot! I like some of the older ones, but the redos always feel like a breath of fresh air.
@arachcobra Thank you! Often the different angle is an attempt at capturing the midpoint between the different poses, to make for a smoother transition between stages in the line up :)
@foolishly-snowy lol thank you 😂 The feedback on the Feebas post was great because half of the comments were like “beautiful!” “it looks so good now!” and the other were like “good job, now it’s even more hideous!”.
@tiredkravitz (great name) Thank you for the kind words! <3 It’s nice to hear that some people check out the old designs when I post a redo.
@hashkivenu Thank you!! I feel like the new one has a really good personality to it.
@asklyra Thanks! A lot of them were from a while ago, but I’d be happy to see what I remember from working on them. This post is getting a bit long as it is, but are there any lines in particular you’d like to hear about? Redos from other comparison posts are fine to ask about as well.
Anon, that's so sweet, thank you for sharing it with me :') I think it's really helpful and important for any kind of artist or creative to look back at past work to see how much they've grown. I'm really happy my post inspired you to take a look at your own work and see how far you've come!!
gher-bear replied to your post “Jughead not realizing he was on a date when he
Jughead's alarmed flailing when he realizes it IS a date is ace and aro culture, too. "This is not what I thought I signed up for! I signed up for food with a friend!"
There have been many a time when I signed up for food with a friend, and it turned out to be a Date™ so that’s very much an Ace and Aro Culture Thing.
Sometimes, I’ll call getting food with a friend, movies with a friend, concerts with a friend, etc. a “date” but it is not a Date™
A Date™ is “We are bonding romantically” which is not my goal, but it’s unfortunately lead to me almost being kissed by the end of the night.
"How do they feel about their current faction leader?" and "How do they feel about the opposite faction leader?" Pick a character =P. And "Favorite village" for Rii.
Telurin doesn’t really feel anything for Varian, but Velen thinks they should keep hanging out with the alliance so that’s what he’ll do.
Rii’s favorite village is Nighthaven in Moonglade, oddly enough. All that time she spends babysitting Cylerea and Beanca’s kids. Favorite city is definitely Dalaran, she likes the neutral cities the best.
