#lux-aurea

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💛 : )))))))

Elliot Honeysett-Seed is the only person Cora would don overalls for, hands-down.

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1, 27, 48 for my wifey please 💖

HEY ASH MY LOVE I HOPE YOU’RE READY FOR THIS STEAMING DUMP <3 <3 <3  As usual, under the cut thanks to length!

  1. How does your character think of their father? What do they hate and love about him? What influence - literal or imagined - did the father have?

- Cora is NOT fond of her father -Gabriel Stamos was an exceptionally proud man; stubborn and set in his ways, and of course, he had to go and pass these traits on to his eldest daughter. - He took great pride in upholding family and religious traditions, and while little expectation for achievement was aimed at his kids, Gabriel found great importance in contributing to ones community. As the oldest, Kore (because he’d have a STROKE if he found out she changed her name) was expected to take on a matriarchal role, and inherit the corner store that her grandfather had opened after moving to the US. Becoming one of the pillars of a hyper-social Greek Orthodox community was NOT on his daughter’s list, however, and the two of them were unable to find a compromise.  - Gabriel didn’t believe in things like mental illness and never quite came to terms with hearing suggestions that his daughter showed traits of autism and ADHD. Therapy and medication was replaced by “just showing her more love”, which, without working out how to communicate this on her terms, had a tendency to make things a whole lot worse. He knew his children best, and he knew what was best FOR them. - I’m sure you can guess that a religious cult driven by “the will of the Father” doesn’t have the greatest effect on Cora. Neither does their expectation that she’ll join their family after having spent so much effort detangling herself from her own. Shame that it’s either that, or step into the matriarchal role of leading the Resistance against said cult.  - Cora would claim that she is indifferent to Joseph, but there’s a little reminder in his demeanour that terrifies her. All his pre-laid out plans for her future, all his weird, loving touches. - She left religion behind and maintains staunch atheism, but sometimes, a tiny thought will nag in the back of her mind that being swept up in Joseph Seed’s bullshit might just be divine intervention.

- Note: As much as she can’t stand having any similarity to her family members, Cora is most similar to Gabriel. - Mostly in their complete lack of common sense. - Cora isn’t clever enough to have assumed that Kore Stamos --> Cora Stammos might not be enough of a drastic change in identity, but Gabriel sure as shit isn’t clever enough to see that name in a phone book and put two and two together. 

27. How do they relate to their appearance? How do they wear their clothing? Style? Quality?

- In terms of grooming, Cora takes great care of her hair and skin.  - She’s not a makeup person; sunscreen is already uncomfortable enough. - Before the Collapse, Cora would have cycled through the same 2 outfits like a cartoon character. If she didn’t have to wash it, she’d be wearing her work uniform to bed.  - Since getting into the habit of being drenched in gore on the daily, however, Cora can’t be so picky. She’ll still go for the functionality of cargo pants when she can, but in terms of preference, anything oversized or baggy works fine for her. - No matter what, Cora tucks her shirt in. - High-waisted pants are easier to work with because she has a smaller waist. - Almost everything she wears requires alteration or multiple cuffs thanks to her height. 

48. How are your character’s gestures? Vigorous? Weak? Controlled? Compulsive? Energetic? Sluggish?

- Cora’s gestures will change with her engagement! She fidgets a lot when she’s stuck in mundane conversation, but when she’s interested, she’ll be noticeably more still. - In the odd moment of excitement, Cora’s gestures become sharp and energetic.  - No matter what, Cora is highly aware of the space she takes up, and her movements are highly controlled. 

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red, yellow, and gray for the writer's asks! thanks kisses !!!

Oh my god, Ash, you are quick. THANK YOU FOR GETTING MY MUSE JUICE FLOWING! HERE’S AN INFO DUMP <3 

Red: What type of writer’s block do you experience the most?

- Psychological and distraction block are my main baddies. Mostly thanks to Rejection sensitivity dysphoria and my attention span being about the width of a pen. I’ll either sit down totally inspired and then run into a sudden invitation that pulls me away, or I’ll start thinking about something totally unrelated. Rejection sensitivity rears its head in the “No one wants to read your writing” dialogue. I’m constantly in fear of ridicule for what I write.

Yellow: What’s a common writing tip that you mostly ignore?

- “Make your protagonist likeable.”

Fuck that shit. This is some of the most positively discriminatory advice I’ve ever seen come from character design, and the wording of it is catered toward a lot of minority writers/characters, especially when being used as an excuse not to utilise the stories of minorities. White, male, neurotypical characters are allowed to be absolute GARBAGE people, but its their engagement and complexity and the unknown territory of their growth that makes an audience stick around. This isn’t nearly common enough for literally any other character, and it paves the way for continued lack of diversity.  This phrase is a very thinly veiled way of saying: “If your character is a minority, they better be an angel.”  A much better way of wording this would be “Make your character entertaining/complex/engaging”.  When I like a character, I like them for their flaws and their growth and the shitty decisions they make that force them to either 1) develop, or 2) get worse.  Why wouldn’t I write according to that? 

Grey: What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

There’s a few of these that I follow pretty closely, so I’ll write a couple! - Change up your writing space. If you have a laptop, move it around the house.  Write at the library. Jot down thoughts and pieces of dialogue on paper while you’re on the move. Use your notes app while you’re taking the dog for a walk. New stimulus helps with boredom and mind-chatter. It can really help make you focus on the story.

- Following the want/need/fear system is a formula that I stick to like glue.  - It’s a great way imo to have a solid basis for a protagonist before building other traits. It’s like the rules they’re governed by. - A character has something they desire. Typically, this informs an avoidance of their fear. The need is what lies beyond these two, and is usually unknown/unwanted by the character, but it’s something they NEED in order to become better, or whole, or to win, or to survive. Sometimes, obtaining the need is what grants the character their want in the end. Sometimes, the want is superficial.  - Eg. Cora’s want is to be alone. Her fear is vulnerability. Her need is to open herself up to others and appreciate the people around her. She’s constantly clashing against what the plot requires of her, because she can’t be an effective leader without compromising her want and facing her fear. Similarly with John, she cannot allow herself to be interested in him, because he represents such a huge compromise, and because his own want to be loved directly clashes with her fear (not to mention he’s also probably one of the most dangerous people she could possibly open up to). Without Cora obtaining her need, she’s incapable of maintaining a relationship with him. 

I HOPE THAT MAKES SOME AMOUNT OF SENSE.

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1, 2, 8, and 9 for the fic writer asks!!!

OOOOOOOO THANK YOU ASH ILY ! !

1. do be floating around here somewhere! 2. has a comment someone left on a fic of yours ever made you cry?

- Yeah, every single time you and Jess breathe a word around my work. Seriously though, I do get pretty overwhelmed when really any comment comes in. Folks dropping in on tumblr as well to make comments is like...wow...emotion... Real life tears were definitely shed over @hootsmon on Ao3 commenting on how they enjoy Cora's story and development because she sucks. It feels like a big achievement to see a reader pointing out how unlikable she is, and still liking her progression.

8. if you got a computer virus that deleted all your fics but had just enough time to save one before they were wiped out, which fic would you pick and why?

- This one's gonna be like the answer below, but Pomegranate - only because it's the one I'm currently working on.

9. the “you got kudos“ e-mail is usually much appreciated, but is there a fic you wish you didn’t get these e-mails for? if so, which one and why?

- Literally any fic that I'm not currently writing, lmao. If I'm not currently fixated on it, it's dead to me and does not deserve to exist.

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4, 6, 12, and 14 for dealer's choice THANK YOUUUUUU LOVE U

HELLO ASH THANK YOU I LOVE YOU Here’s Jacob x Cora bc I be thinking about the crack ship again today.  Under the cut for NSFW.

4. If your OTPs were going to swing, what other pair would they do it with?

- I always HC’d that Jacob has a small unspoken crush on Dr. Sarah Perkins, and this is something he’d share with Cora. There isn’t any particular COUPLE I can imagine them swinging with, because they both have similar taste and would likely end up going after the same person.

6. What are your OTPs favorite positions and why?

- Jacob’s 6′3″ and Cora’s 5′0, so positions can get a little bit tricky. Most of the time, their go-to is cowgirl because the Soldier is an old man with sore joints and the Deputy is a control freak + could also get crushed to death, but whose love language mainly revolves around acts of service.  (It’s also a handy way to exact revenge on a partner who annoys you, knowing their stamina isn’t what it used to be).

12. Who has the higher sex drive?

- Cora. 100%. Jacob will embrace the moment when it comes along organically, while Cora actively seeks it out. 

14. Does your OTP dirty talk? Who has the filthier mouth?

- This one’s on Jacob. Is he totally at-ease using filthy language? No way. Is he always at least a little scandalised by what he says? Definitely.  But Cora is always MORE scandalised, MORE flustered, MORE visibly tilted, and there’s nothing Jacob loves more than breaking her façade of a well-put-together, no nonsense professional.  Cora gave it a go, once; but she’s notoriously bad with words and too straightforward to get creative. 

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🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 GIVE

ASH! <3 <3 

“Jacob’s always been a mean prick.” Jess agreed. When Cora failed to respond, however, the woman exchanged a look with Sharky. “Come to think of it, that’s just your type, ain’t it sis.”

“I do not have a ‘type’.” The Deputy defended in an instant, not bothering to acknowledge either of them over her shoulder while they walked. A moment passed, and she clicked her tongue in thought. “Wouldn’t consider him mean.”

“Not much of a statement, coming from you.”

Cora’s mouth scrunched up at that. “He wanted a rundown on local ecosystems so he could show the Summer Camp kids how to live off the land without tools and shelter-”

“Add nerdy to that criteria, Jess.”

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6-9 pls and thank u <3 <3 <3 <3

I would rob a bank for u Ash 6. If you’re really concentrating, how many words can you write in a day?

- IT DEPENDS ! Sometimes I'll be concentrating as hard as I can and only get 200 words out. Other times I'll manage to breeze through a couple thousand. When I get too in my own head about it, I write really fucking slow.

7. Which part of writing do you struggle with most?

- Serious scenes. Character development. As soon as I start to get in my feels about writing, I self-sabotage and deviate. It sucks, because this is one of the things that makes me write slowly and avoid character development. Something about taking my own writing seriously makes me want to cry lmao.

8. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, share a song that’s been inspiring you lately.

- Sometimes there's no beating Lo-fi hip hop beats. Other times, a podcast that I know won't be overly engaging works! If it beckons too much attention, though, I'll abandon writing and focus on the sound instead.

9. Do you prefer to write AUs, canon divergence, or canon-compliant fic?

- Canon-compliant is my typical go to. I've never written an AU as far as I know. Do OC inserts count as divergence? For so, then I've never written canon-compliant in my life.

[confoundedminds]

voted #17 and #123 :-)

thanks 8.9 for a vertical blog

Vote for claefer here and here then TA both her and me with the number of votes for promos! It would rly mean a lot :)