“Talk about...” MiroSanta Edition
From @lady-griddlebone, regarding @mirsan ‘s request.
1. What made you pick the prompt that you based your gift on?
I'd never done an AU before and thought this particular prompt seemed like a good time to try it. As well, I thought it was a lot more clear to me in terms of coming up with an idea; the other prompts were either crossover AU (bleh!) or more stream-of-consciousness ideas that didn't really aggregate into anything solid in my head. The AU prompt with the modeling class was a perfect prompt for the way I write: the most basic elements of a single scene, with Sango's internal thoughts, and that's plenty for me to write out the full scene and know it should be from Sango's perspective and she should be uncharacteristically flustered and I love writing Sango like that.
2. What inspired you to create your gift the way you did?
@mirsan was kind enough to spend a lot of time in Picarto streams for me to stalk her and take notes on her particular fanfic interests. I knew from the prompt it had to be a "first meeting" sort of fic. In earlier outlines I had Miroku being this suave, sophisticated guy, but I realized can't write that sort of character because I can't actually put myself in the mind of a female character who would find it attractive. I like my romantic leads to have the chemistry between them that comes from mutual respect and shared values and interests, and that doesn't work when one is just swooning over the other, or one is just looking for a sexual conquest.
Doing that for basically "new" characters in an AU is a little tough, particularly when I still have to give them similar personalities as in the original work. Originally I had a scene very much like the Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone interaction in Crazy Stupid Love, but I realized what I wanted wasn't that scene so much as the tone - Sango has to be at least a little intimidated by him sexually, but also confident enough to call the shots. Miroku has to be smooth and sensual but also completely aware and receptive of Sango's feelings and needs.
The easy, obvious way to write the fic would be for this mysterious stranger to find her after class and coitus ensues, because hey, he's naked already and she's into him. But I could never write screwing-the-cable-guy level smut; it just bores me.
I inferred @mirsan wanted actual romance and that means chemistry, and that means having them spend some time together, share some sort of common adversity (if very brief) and prove they had each others' backs.
@starzki and I spent at least a few nights cooking dinner with me bouncing ideas off her, which helped this fic become longer and more streamlined than it otherwise would have been.
@mirsan, through @inukikfanfluff 's artwork stream, made it quite clear that her preferred version of Miroku goes downtown at the slightest provocation, as well he should.
3. What frustrated you the most?
I wanted a much longer Naraku and Kohaku plot but the story was getting too long and I wasn't actually that interested in writing them in great detail. Likewise I wanted the romance to be more drawn out, with Inuyasha actually being a co-instructor with her at a local judo school, but all that was cut for lack of time. The basic point of the scenes are still there - Inuyasha is someone who can vouch for Miroku while being protective of Sango, Naraku is kind of an asshole for the fun of it, and Kohaku is Sir Not Appearing In This Film.
4. What did you have the most fun working on?
In case it's not obvious I enjoyed writing the Naraku scenes way too much.
When I got near the end of the fic I realized I had two problems: (1) I wasn’t sure how to end it, and (2) I couldn’t figure out where or if I should establish any relationship between Kagome and Inuyasha. I felt very pleased with myself when I realized I could solve both problems at once with just a few lines.
Most of all, I liked writing stuff that made @starzki laugh as she reviewed, and @mirsan absolutely losing her shit.
5. If you could make something for any of the requests, with no time limit or other rules, which one would it be and why? What would you make?
@lady-griddlebone's collection of texts from the taijiya village is intriguing, although that sort of idea I'd probably hold off to use as a minor plot point in a longer snippets-of-married-life fic for the two of them.
I also really like @narqueen ‘s SanMirNar idea, and I have at least a concept about Naraku corrupting their marriage, and there’s cuckolding and forced voyerism and everything about their love for each other is just turned into something so filthy they cannot bear it. But that is some seriously dark stuff that I don’t much feel like writing right now, so that’s sitting on the shelf for a long, long time.
6. What inspired the requests you made?
I have no clue; I didn't think too much about them and I'm surprised and very pleased Griddlebone actually got two great stories out of them.
7. Anything else you want to tell me or talk about.
I solemnly swear I was up to no good. I’m certain I would not have put in anywhere near this level of work if I wasn’t totally sure the recipient would really enjoy it and tell me so.
