#corvidfeathers

you must learn to give ground, her first fencing instructor had told her. years later and it’s still something she cannot quite master. she is...grateful, for that now.

the new cannon configuration is an unwieldy thing, and requires a charging time. the General attempts to use it twice more before he becomes frustrated with only dealing glancing blows while she closes in for direct strikes, and reverts back to his typical dual pistol style. something in the mechanism catches, and he curses as he steps back, desperate for breathing room that Winter will not give him. his Aura has already flickered twice. another strike will break it. the next--

Oz likes to talk about it in terms of compassion, he’d said to her once, during one of his doomed attempts to make her less pitiable marksman. he’d raised his practice rifle then, and fired: a perfect bullseye. i’ve...learned to think of it more like a hope. what a life could be, if we only...

her main sword strikes true, the General’s Aura shattering as expected, but at the last second her grip on her dagger--wavers--

BOOM.

his guns really are beastly things, even without the recent upgrade. at her Aura level a round at point-blank should kill her, but instead Winter feels herself skidding back as something more like a brick slams into the sternum. she looks down, and--

oh.

the bullet has lodged into the front plate of the brace. her brace.

(thank you, Winter. i don’t know what i would do without you.)

it saves her life, but only just. breaks everything else: Aura, still-healing ribs, collarbone, heart.

when she looks up again she catches the General’s eye. on his face is such a look of--

she does not have time to decipher it. she does not give ground, so she surges forward again, closes the gap between them, does not waver

Part of me wants to take it inside and clean it, the other half thinks I should leave it but it's only a matter of time before the dogs destroy it.

8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

I think so, mostly! I often write things because I crave that very specific thing, and no one else has written it yet. I do often go back and read my own writing for entertainment!

But I also enjoy reading some things I wouldn’t have the patience to write myself. Overall, I like angst, emotional hurt, redemption stories, the messier the better. Messy, flawed characters with just enough humanity to make them interesting. Hurting villains, unlikely but profound relationships.

So yeah, mostly the stuff I write myself! Sometimes I just like some fluff, though, and with fanfic especially it can be interesting to see other people’s take on the characters, offering possible new ideas or insights (or even further noping out and cementing your own...)

25. What part of writing is the most fun? 

I wish I had a suitable gif for laughing+crying here... 😂

I really don’t like the process of writing itself. It’s such a struggle! Sometimes I hit a flow and it kinda works, but most of the time it takes so much effort, it’s one of the most spoon-intensive labours I know of. So the writing itself, not a lot of fun. XD

I like the having written aspect, though! To suddenly have scenes put into existence, the sense of accomplishment, I can be very pleased with certain turns of phrase, the same way I can appreciate a certain sweep of lines or mix of colours in a finished drawing.

Mostly, though? The feedback and interaction, absolutely. It’s not about pats on the back or affirmation of me (though of course, that’s very nice and welcome, too!) but more about connecting with people over a shared interest, being able to talk about those new scenes put into existence, the characters, what they’re doing and why... That’s the best part, hands down. I love that. It’s what makes all that struggle and effort worth it. ♥♥♥

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@corvidfeathers descending into kh hell highlights