3 and 9 for the ask game! ❤️
(Yet Another) Fanfic Writer Ask Game!
3. What’s a fic idea that you have but haven’t written yet?
Crowe's backstory. There are few fics for her on AO3 that focus solely on her. I have some ideas for it that I have always wanted to play around with. I want to do more writing for her and try to write more for canon characters. But I got caught up in a huge revision project for the rest of the year.
9. What’s your favorite line(s) or scene(s) that you have written?
I will always stand by the military ball scene in Etro's Blessing: Andromeda. I have talked about it way too much and approached it from different angles. I suppose in the grand scheme of things, it's not as significant as I claim it is. I will post the revised chapters soon; it was originally one whole chapter, but I split it into two for easier reading. To me, it is one giant scene: Andromeda meets the Nox Fleurets.
First, there's Andromeda floundering through Imperial high society. Then she learns who Ravus really is, because somehow she didn't know about him before and he quickly becomes her most hated enemy. But what was supposed to be most important in that scene was her first encounter with Luna, because Andromeda is meant to be her foil. I had to revise that a bit, and I don't think it comes across as significant as I wanted it to be.
It concludes with Andromeda being mouthy and Ravus nearly backhands her. It's a very tense and revealing moment. It shows Ravus's inner struggle to be the Deputy High Commander of the Imperial Army without becoming a ruthless monster (there's a scene in the novel where Caligo backhands Luna across the room or something; it was probably one of the reasons Ravus joined the Imperial Army). Andromeda finally speaks some of her darker, destructive thoughts that she has had since arriving in Gralea (they first started elsewhere in Niflheim, but became more poignant in Gralea). In that moment, the good girl from Lucis doesn't care who she hurts. I guess the big takeaway from this is that Gralea turns people into monsters, metaphorically and literally.
All the while, Ardyn, who orchestrated this whole thing, is gleefully drinking it all in. He loves military balls for their drama. It's not romantic in any way and by the end, everyone is very angry. I relate to Ardyn a lot for this scene.
A more recent scene that I'm proud of is when Etro helps Andromeda escape captivity in the First Magitek Production Facility (they should have given it a shorter name; I hate typing it every time). I rewrote the original escape so that Etro plays a larger part. Before, Etro asked a lot of Andromeda, but did the bare minimum in return. So she does more, but it's still not enough for Andromeda, who pitches a hysterical fit that Etro won't destroy the whole base. It's a very jarring moment for the goddess: she starts to realize that her special Blessed One might have become too corrupt during her imprisonment, that she might be becoming a monster after all. It prompts Etro to Bless others in the sequel, in case Andromeda doesn't correct her ways. As is Etro's way of handling her mistakes.
What's also so significant with that scene is that Andromeda might be a foil for another character. In their first encounter, Ardyn tells her that they are kindred spirits. Perhaps they do have more in common than at first glance (although she will most definitely die like anyone else if filled with Scourge).
Andromeda does go on to fight for a good cause, but makes morally questionable decisions while doing it.
My favorite scenes seem to involve her being put down.
