💭 If you could wish into creation a transformative piece for your story, made by a real human who isn’t you, what would it be? Art, video, sequel, podfic, etc.
🙏 Was there anything your character(s) really really really wanted to do? Did you let them?
🔎 What detail(s) in the story are you particularly captivated with? Is there any behind the scenes info or backstory?
for the holy gosh darn comic:
🥇 What scene were you most excited to write? Did it end up being the one you enjoyed writing the most?
💭 If you could wish into creation a transformative piece for your story, made by a real human who isn’t you, what would it be? Art, video, sequel, podfic, etc.
The straightforward answer is animated series. Classic animation. I don't want CGI. Ideally with the expectation that this is the kind of show that would use the old format of 20+ episodes per season instead of the standard being more 8-10 episodes on a streaming site.
The Dandy Robot would ideally have aired like a full decade back considering the bullshit standard for episode count nowadays. Fillers is important. I would want some breather space in-between the important stuff for Marine and co. to explore how they would react with each other and whatever they bump into as grounds for character exploration.
The radical, impossible answer: Takarazuka revue. God, I think The Dandy Robot would look amazing and beautiful and sparkly and glittery performed by an all-female Japanese theater musical troupe. It would be glamorous.
🙏 Was there anything your character(s) really really really wanted to do? Did you let them?
For the longest time, during the script/storywriting process of Chapter 7, Marine was going to end up taking Prima's advice after dealing with so much shit and go sleep with whatever random fuck happened to be in his way. ...And he asked Prima. Who would have agreed.
I think Marine wished this happened, but while I did settle on this for a while, I ultimately decided it was way too early for the two of them to do so, if not because they're reaching a point where Prima is starting to let Marine Perceive Him, and Marine is starting to really like Prima beyond a crush, and knows just sleeping with him would not produce any emotional connections they're currently making.
Sorry, Marine, but you can go fuck someone else instead, there's plenty of fish in the sea. I'm not saying I won't revisit this suggestion! ;D
🔎 What detail(s) in the story are you particularly captivated with? Is there any behind the scenes info or backstory?
I think the thing I'm most particular is the need to add specific details and foreshadowing in ways that doesn't sound like much or maybe will do much until it's relevant. And the thing is, sometimes this is kind of a 50/50 process.
What I mean is, I may add some very important background detail (or add a certain sentence or term) that is blatantly obvious to the viewers with metaphorically giant neon signs that indicate this will come up again; I legitimately have plans for it. But I might also have a specific background detail that is blatantly obvious and not do anything with it, either because it's mostly there as only a specific background thing (if not pretentiously symbolic) that enhances the visuals or characters, or because I maaaaay or maaaaay not have an idea for it in the future when I've since further tweaked it to what I need it for.
The process of my writing is, I know how the story ends. I know the general path from Point A to Point B. I know specific scenes and moments and paths that will occur Here and Here and Here. It's the in-between during all of those I fill in as I go. I need a bit of looseness in order to give myself room to squeeze what I need to add while also, essentially, save myself from a possible plot hole or something I established that I ultimately will never get to and/or contradict. Which I think will end up fine depending on how I do it, not everything has to be answered.
It's why I'm actually not a fan of Greg Wiseman's writing style. He's great at keeping up with the minutiae of his intricacies in his shows, but I find them overwhelming to keep track of, as if I need to keep a notepad handy. There's simply no space for me to pause and take it in, every single dialogue or foreshadowing or narrative has to be paid close attention to. I'm not saying his shows are hard to follow (they're not), but, as an example, he puts actual dates on Young Justice to indicate the passage of time on each episode and I'm just like, yeah, yeah, okay, that's fine, but I don't and can't micromanage this much.
I'm also saying this because I'm getting more and more fascinated on how I will slowly unravel both Marine and Prima's past. A lot of their behavior and especially their romantic interaction with each other is due to outcomes of their past. I like the idea that maybe they've suffered some injustice that they're trying to fix or get over. Or maybe they were the one who caused problems and they haven't yet apologized or fully recognize it yet. I'm really into the latter nowadays. I want to write a story where maybe this nice person wasn't always so nice and it's an issue that hasn't been resolved yet. And even if it was resolved, will it be satisfactory? What will you do?
for the holy gosh darn comic:
🥇 What scene were you most excited to write? Did it end up being the one you enjoyed writing the most?
I have desperately wanted to draw some artwork where I got a character to say my favorite insult (Futurama or otherwise), and having it come out of Pesto's mouth felt appropriate.
I'm also fond of Azrael explaining his mini-adventure with Gerald Way. I don't remember why I specifically chose My Chemical Romance, but it was somehow funny in my head that Az made a deal with Gerald in order to scam him for Hell money.
Because no matter how much they argue, Cass and Azrael has too much history, friendship, and familiarity to ever stay mad at each other for too long. ...Only to inevitably go back to arguing again because they got Big Problems they need to fix, but, well, spoiler spoiler spoiler. I think it's more like, even the closest person you know and love and want to be around, still needs to deal with each other's shit. The question is how and is it worth it?
There is also two Big Scenes coming up a bit further down the comic that I've been dying to write and draw. Both of them are the ones where once you read both sides, it will contextualize and recontextualize a looooooooooot of why Cassiel and Azrael are Like That with each other. It's a doozy. And it also conflates a lot with the comic's theme of Gods and higher beings with their arrogance and petulance, and how this creates severe consequences that ends up ruining so many lives because of it.
Yes, in my The Holy Gosh Darn fancomic where Pathos Happens and Characters Get Serious and Cries a Lot, based on the funny video game where in the same universe, you control a rich human who does the splits because he can't move his legs automatically and also Death can't do a kickflip.
(Ask me about my comics, Prince Marine: The Dandy Robot, or my The Holy Gosh Darn fancomic: https://www.tumblr.com/disarmd/796875418447839232/fic-ask-game-pick-a-story-and-a-question)
