I'm sure it's possible to automate it, but I'm not really all that keen on that. Links have to be updated, images uploaded, and it turns out that the idea of hand-writing an entire story for National Handwriting Week and uploading the scans was only a great idea for as long as it took to do on one blog. Doing it on a second was just painful.
I lost all will to live about halfway through, I realised I really don't like Wordpress, and the best part of it was that right when I finished, I discovered that Google had reversed their decision while I was working so it was all for nothing.
Sigh.
Still, it can't hurt to have a backup, right? It's over at https://wetakeitdownwithfire.wordpress.com and features my favourite image of RQ (in Fayth's old clothes) as the header. Mostly favourite because it took forever to do, admittedly. I ought to do more pictures of him...
All of which, of course, meant I did no writing. I think I'm just going to consider it as having February off, even if it is now the fourth of March and I still haven't actually written anything. This is partially because I bought Train Simulator 2015 as well as being halfway through Dangan Ronpa 2, though I did accidentally write an entire smut scene in my head the other day and I rearranged a couple of sentences in The Rose Queen while I worked out how to approach some of the changes I want to make before I continue with it.
All of which leads me nicely on to...
WiPpet Wednesday
WiPpet Wednesday is a blog hop where participants share excerpts from their current projects, and it's kindly hosted by the awesome K. L. Schwengel. All excerpts should relate to the date in some way, and you can find out more, read other posts and add your own over heeere. Do it. You know you want to.
Today is the 4th March 2015, so today's maths is 4 (day) + 3 (month) = 7, 7 + 5 (from the year) = 12 paragraphs to finish at a neat(ish) point
Today is the 4th March 2015, so today's maths is 4 (day) + 3 (month) = 7, 7 + 5 (from the year) = 12 paragraphs to finish at a neat(ish) point
Last week saw Fayth and RQ confronted with That Bloody Crewman—I suppose at this rate he might actually need a name—and RQ decided to be flippant. In the interests of everyone who wanted something to happen to him (so, uh, pretty much everyone...), here's the next unedited section.
For the record, it does indeed look like he'll be coming back, so I'm sure Fayth can get properly creative on him later, when anonymity isn't quite so important.
For the record, it does indeed look like he'll be coming back, so I'm sure Fayth can get properly creative on him later, when anonymity isn't quite so important.
The man’s expression darkened. “What?”“I don’t talk to strangers,” he repeated, still without looking around. “And they don’t get much stranger than you.”Before Fayth could intervene, the crewman lunged forward and seized a handful of the Rose Queen’s hair. He gasped soundlessly, but even then twisted and tried to free himself while the crewman hissed in his face, “you upstart glorified gardener, who do you think you’re talking to? So high and mighty, when all you really need is a good seeing-to—”The crewman’s words were cut off by Fayth grabbing a handful of his trimmed and gelled brown hair, yanking him backwards and away from the object of his frustration. “Stop.”The crewman stared at him, as shocked as if Fayth had slapped him across the face.Ah, hell... After all his efforts to not broadcast his presence too. “You think the Captain wants to see him damaged after all the effort he went to to get him?” He shook his head in mock despair and hoped, prayed, dear God please, that it’d work as an excuse.Reluctantly, the crewman untangled the Rose Queen’s hair from his fingers and smiled at Fayth as if he hadn’t just been dragged away from a defenseless man. “Yeah. I suppose you’re right. Still, if you swing back this way when you’re done, I can make it worth your while.”“You betcha,” Fayth said, taking hold of the Rose Queen’s arm and ignoring the way he tensed beneath his touch. “Won’t be too long, hopefully.”“Hopefully,” the crewman echoed. His smirk as Fayth led the Rose Queen away made Fayth’s skin creep.Five minutes and several long corridors passed before the Rose Queen’s quiet voice broke the silence. “Are you going to take me back to him after you’re done?”Fayth snorted. “I don’t intend on letting you go until you’re back with Pynes.”There was no response to that, but he felt the tension drain from the other man’s body. He’d really believed that Fayth had been lying all along, that he’d leave him with such a disgusting example of humanity as that crewman just for money. Bile rose in the back of Fayth’s throat and his stomach twisted; he resisted the urge to say anything. Anger, however righteous, would get neither of them anywhere except in trouble.
Ugh. Why would Google need to "take action" against NSFW blogs anyway? There's already a content warning. Seems unnecessary. I'm glad they reversed their decision.
ReplyDeleteI love this sentence: "His smirk as Fayth led the Rose Queen away made Fayth’s skin creep." I feel like skin *creeping* is different from skin *crawling* in a not-small way, and not just because it's a different word. It's a whole different sensation.
It's weird, isn't it? They already say that if they find blogs with NSFW content that doesn't already carry a content warning then they'll add it themselves. The uncharitable part of me wonders if they thought that by caving into the "won't someone think of the children" brigade, it might deflect from their recent tax issues, heh. I'm glad they changed their mind too, and not just because it affected me too.
DeleteI'm glad you like that sentence. I think you explain it a lot better than I can, too! (For me, crawling is a kind of all-over prickling like ants under the flesh, while creeping feels more like a movement, like your skin is trying to extract itself from you...)
Evil Crewman #1 deserves worse! But, that's a good start. :) I like the fine line Fayth has to walk in this scene. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure Evil Crewman #1 will be getting worse. I have a sneaking suspicion he's going to make another appearance later on, and I'm sure the others will just love to deal with him then. ;)
DeleteI love that you accidentally wrote an entire scene in your head. That happens to me all of the time. My story will pop into my head and my characters will just start talking away. The creative process is like that sometimes.
ReplyDeleteGreat line: “I don’t talk to strangers,” he repeated, still without looking around. “And they don’t get much stranger than you.”
Do you find that the problem with writing the scene in your head is that you don't feel the need to write it down any more? I do love it when they just start talking though, it's like getting to watch a movie no one else has seen before, isn't it?
DeleteThat line was possibly more fun to write than it had any right to be, haha.
I really like the last line about righteous anger. So true sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThat's the awkwardness with having to rely on someone you don't know, I think, and they're having to rely on each other quite heavily right now... Not that it'll get easier once they *do* know each other. :p
DeleteUgh, the crewman is gross. I really love that last paragraph, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely going to ensure the crewman gets all he deserves in the future. *grin*
DeleteHAHA OMFG, I know... I was flipping out for a second there cuz I would have lost tons of Blogs I follow, I don't actually have NSFW stuff on my own, but.. ugh! I would have been so pissed!
ReplyDeleteAnd well, For a back-up you could always go to Livejournal! I love Livejournal aside from blogger for NSFW stuff cuz you can put the warning and it's all censored and stuff for anyone not able to prove they're over 18 and you can still comment even if you have no account. Other than that there is also Tumblr. Or.. dreamwidth. yeah.. I don't like wordpress cuz they actually already have rules against NSFW blogs. They were the first to actually take action against mature blogs.
But in the end I'm glad google decided not to. They better have!! D:<
I have an LJ account (permanent, back when those were on sale a few years ago), but ever since they've been taken over by a Russian company I'm not so comfortable with them--particularly given the Russian laws banning expressions of homosexuality. I'm a little concerned it's all going to go belly-up at some point, and not in the fun way...
DeleteI've got a Tumblr too (well, two, one personal and one for writing), but that's basically dead, haha. It's a bit dangerous when it comes to being productive... and I'm already not productive as it is, lol. I've got a Dreamwidth too, where I put most of my writing 'cause Dreamwidth are brilliant. Wordpress are... funny about NSFW. They allow it, but they're even stricter than Blogger about it and basically you can host your stuff there, but they're not going to touch it with a ten-foot bargepole and they're going to do their best to make sure no one else sees it too. Not... exactly ideal. :/
If Google go back on their word again now, I think people are going to be *really* pissed off with them, haha.
I find it very amusing sometimes how Blogger people are with Wordpress and Wordpress people are with Blogger. I guess it's sort of like the Mac versus PC argument. I just wish Blogger made it easier for us to comment ;-)
ReplyDeleteLOVE the scene! Gah. Fayth. I adore him. I love how he handles the situation, and I love how he reacts to things, the bits we get of his thinking and feeling. I genuinely like him as a person from what I've read so far. And the last line is fantastic.
It's odd because I actually started out with Wordpress first, with my 3D stuff and with using it to host comics (waaay back in 2009), but they feel like they've become a lot more restrictive since then. Also, with Blogger, I have total control over things like column widths, individual element colours and HTML rather than having to stick to someone's design unless I pay. I do love Wordpress's commenting ability though and that it shows that someone's replied... I need the best of both worlds! Haha.
DeleteAhhh I'm really glad you like him so far! He's a lot of fun to write and is pretty rapidly becoming one of my favourite characters. *grins*
Great scene. So much tension and interactions. What a shame about the lost time - at least writing in our heads helps.
ReplyDeleteDo you find that once you've written it in your head, you sometimes find yourself forgetting to write it down as well? I hope I can actually manage to start writing something again soon... I'm glad you liked the scene though. :)
DeleteLovely segue away from that nasty crewman -- and how sad that the RQ didn't realize Fayth was protecting him. The ending has just the right snap of suppressed anger. And so the story develops, maybe slowly this week, but very well.
ReplyDeleteAh, poor Fayth. That realization that RQ honestly thought he was up to no good, when he's really doing all he can to protect him... that was like a punch to the guts. :( Well done.
ReplyDeleteSome weeks are productive with word count - others with plot changes, research - or when scenes write themselves in your head. Tense scene - very nice.
ReplyDelete