#juxtaposed

[mylifeinthemoshofghosts]

A trip down the time tunnel with Super Furry Animals in Dublin last night.

[squigglysquidd]

A Song from Juxtaposed Playlist

I'd rather be heartless Than to lose you Than to give you up I'll try my hardest Not to lose you Not to fuck it up Baby, I want this And I promise I would give you all my love I'd be heartless As long as you're the only one

[squigglysquidd]

hi squigglysquidd! I was just wondering - what is your process for rewriting? Do you give the whole thing a read and make notes? Do you rewrite chapter by chapter? How do you decide what changes to make?

Hi westernlarch!! Thanks for the lively question, my friend!

So, rewriting, let me tell you, is really different from writing a first draft and editing that draft until you like it. It's really quite a strange experience.

At least, for me it is.

Juxtaposed is a bit different than Genesis is turning out to be in that Jux didn't take a whole lot of different directions, unlike how Genesis will be. For Jux, I went in with the idea of 'I'm just going to buff up chapters,' so I went in chapter by chapter, reread it and then started writing my new ideas along the same lines as what was already there. On occasion, if I had a new idea but didn't have that chapter directly in front of me, I'd jot that idea down in a journal.

Now, for Genesis, I plan to make quite a few changes and additions. For that, the journals are my friends. I don't plan on rereading the whole thing first because I know it follows the main plot of the games and, quite frankly, I'm changing that in what I hope is a big way. I'll be taking it chapter by chapter and using my random ideas from my notebooks along the way.

As for the changes, I think I'm mostly trying to see what would better fit the vision in my head of what I want to say now that it's been years since I've written these stories. Some ideas were inspired by other fics I've read that have brought up questions about the original plots of the games as well as some meta posts here on Tumblr. Nothing too specific, but things like criticisms and what ifs that caught my attention and begged to be thought up in my own way. If they seem to fit my idea of rewrites, then I go for it.

Overall, I'm kinda winging it most times but having done Jux - which I see as the easier of the fics to start rewriting - I think I have at least some idea how to start to tackle things.

[squigglysquidd]

Juxtaposed Amended, Chapter 21: Under Your Scars

Jane has another nightmare. This time, she tries to explain the reason but it's her sketchbook that truly enlightens Garrus.

Unfailingly, Garrus steps into the aura of her biotics with a soothing rumble. He reaches out but hesitates to cover the very last distance and touch her.

Finally coming to a decision, the first thing he does is grab her hands and wretch them away from her bleeding skin, holding them still and away from punching out at him in response. He ignores the burning in his hide from the close contact with her biotics, gritting his teeth, and rides the high of adrenaline pumping through his veins as he leans on the bed to hold her legs still with his knee.

She cries out inherently and he nods, starting to babble sounds of comfort that make no sense but seem to slowly be working. Even he doesn't know what he's saying in this moment of turmoil.

He’s extra careful to hold his talons off of her skin so that, even buffed, they don’t cause her even the slightest bit of harm. One of her legs manages to break out of his pin, though, and kicks out, landing right at his unplated abdomen which has little protection from his sleepwear. He doubles over with a pained grunt but tries to maintain composure.

When added to the punch to his nose from a few nights ago, he realizes with an ironic amusement that she has a knack for finding all the weak spots on a turian even when in the throes of a nightmare.

He’s able to keep her hands within his grasp, but it has the unintended side effect of dragging her down off the bed with him when he loses his balance and falls. They both hit with a loud, painful thump but it does little to still her thrashing.

Growling, he quickly sees that passivity isn’t going to get her to snap out of it so he straddles her, pinning her properly. This gives him more control of her but he can’t control the biotic energy pulsing off her in waves, engulfing them in a glowing blue that causes the painful sensation of a blazing fire burning beneath his plates.

“Jane,” he says sternly. “Snap out of it.”

Her only response is more flailing, but either the fall or his efforts have managed to soften her screams down to weak, withered moaning.

He knows he’s not hurting her in this position despite her whining moan and squirming, so he doesn’t relent. Moving both of her hands into one of his, he leans down on the other to hover over her.

Staring into her blank eyes, he says demandingly, “Wake up.”

She cries out and her biotics flare strong enough that he has to grit his teeth against the numbing burn.

Growling again, he scrapes his free talons against the wood of his bedroom floor, leaving behind long, white scratches on its surface. He can’t physically withstand it if it takes the rest of the night for her to snap out of it but he’s definitely not leaving her to scream it out alone.

If talking isn’t helping, he can only think of one other thing he can possibly do.

Sitting up completely, he takes a deep breath and lifts his hand.

He hesitates, not sure if he should.

Can he really do it?

His question is answered for him when she wails and burns so bright that he’s not only blinded by the brightness of her biotics but now feels his muscles spasm uncontrollably from her force.

Rearing back, he slaps her hard across the face and cringes at the sound.

By the Spirits, it worked!

Her biotics fade almost immediately and it takes just a second more before her eyes brighten with life. As realization hits her, her gaze sweeps over him and their position.

Both are panting heavily from the struggle. Although he still feels the tingling of fire in his veins, he shakes his head sternly when he sees the moment guilt fills her eyes. She moves her mouth to speak but under his gaze, her voice fails her.

“Don’t bother, Jane. We both did things while you were out that neither of us would feel particularly good about.”

Still, she frowns and sighs. “That bad, huh?”

All of the joy from earlier has completely faded, just like the alcohol that’s weakened to a mere simmer in their minds. He can’t imagine that coming down from some strong drinks the night before has helped with her nightmares.

Maybe that was a bad idea after all …

“You okay?” is all he says in answer.

Rumbling when she reluctantly nods, he releases her hands and stands. He offers a hand up and she waits a moment as if lost in thought before nodding and taking it, letting him pull her to her feet.

Once up, she takes in the state of the room and hugs herself, her frown deepening as she rubs her palms against her upper arms.

“Shit,” she swears, running a hand through her tousled hair. “I really fucked this place up … Shit …”

“Hey … It’s okay.” Garrus holds up a hand. “It’s just a room. We can clean it up later.”

Letting out a deep breath, she laughs weakly, forcibly. It hurts him to hear it.

“Think your neighbors are going to complain?” she asks with a sad smile.

He huffs and thrums reassuringly. “Trust me. The walls are built thick in this place. At least, I’ve never heard my neighbors and no one’s ever complained to me.”

[squigglysquidd]

Turian OC from Juxtaposed Amended, Chapter 10: Discovering Macendonyia's - Macendonyia. I think I got the cracks (turian wrinkles) down pretty well. It was definitely a learning experience!

[squigglysquidd]

When I have turian characters in Juxtaposed that I've drawn a portrait of, should I include it in the chapter on Ao3? Would y'all be interested in that?

[squigglysquidd]

Just got my first AI comment on Juxtaposed Amended today. Is that a milestone???

Fuck AI, btw

[squigglysquidd]

Juxtaposed Rewrite Update

44 of 51 chapters completed