How about 3, 5, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17, 18, and 20? For the fanfic ask meme?
:DD Friend, you are wonderful. Thank you for the ask!
3. What part was most difficult?
For Civilian Pianist, what always gets to me is writing any angst scenes, just because of how my heart really empathizes with all the tension and so on. The second half of Kannabi was especially hard for me to write at the time, because the fan in me really wanted Team Minato to come out all okay, no injuries aside from the faint grazes for the sake of everyone being happy. This is also why I was so sensitive during the Satoru Arc, because some of the feedback that came back, especially after writing such an emotionally difficult arc, was so negative and upsetting to the point I ended up nearly snapping with the Announcement.Â
This is why Chapter 52 of CP is taking so long, because writing Tomokoâs long-awaited confession to her loved ones about her vow of silence is hard, more so with college weighing on me as always.
The same can be said for The Sea and Stars, since the differences between Tomoko and Kei really become more obvious in later chapters and how they react to things.Â
5. What do you like best about this fic?
I always love writing fluff and teenage floundering when it comes to CP, because the hugs and eventual kisses between the main couple really warm my heart when I have bad days. It just kinda shows that the ninja world has its soft side too.
For S&S though, I just enjoy being able to work with Lang and Os when brainstorming for this fic. Catch Your Breath already has so much crammed into each chapter, whether itâs character development and worldbuilding, and trying to put my own twist to it with Tomokoâs civilian perspective really is a nice challenge. Not to mention, giving the CYB cast some well-deserved love and appreciation.Â
Not that Lang and the other fans have been doing so already, but still. :) Iâll always see S&S as my letter of appreciation to Lang and Os, and to fans of CYB and CP.Â
7. Whatâs a reference you made no one has picked up on yet?
What really gets to me in general is how barely anyone really comments on the humor, fluff and other emotional twists I put in The Sea and Stars, or comments in general, aside from some nice people, sob, because thereâs just so many sides of kid!Tomoko I get to show off that wasnât shown in CP originally. Example being her large duffle bag in Chapter 16, since that was an obscure reference to K-On! and how Ui, Yuiâs younger sister, tried to carry tea to the main characters despite suffering from a fever. The girls at the time naturally panicked, and I drew from that scene when writing the duffle bag, because I know Tomoko would be more than willing to do the same thing.
9.)Â Favorite line(s) of dialogue?
For CP, taken from Chapter 49. Itâs more mental feedback than dialogue, but I think it counts:
What in all heck are you supposed to do when your best friend and apparent love interest asks to kiss you?!
Past memories donât prepare you for the absolute real thing!
Tomoko-chan, just say it, or Iâm taking control here.
Youâre seriously tempting me, though. Just letting you know.
Dear lord, someone save me now.
For S&S thoughâŚChapter 9:
The civilian in front of her blinked. ââŚUm, did I say something wrong?â
ââŚNo,â Kei said flatly, leaning back on her cushion with a sigh. âIâm just⌠surprised? Shocked? All of that?â
âUhhhhâŚâ Tomoko responded, lowering her hand.
âThen again, if it worked in MacrossâŚâ Kei muttered, putting a hand on her chin. âIt could workâŚâ
âUmmmmâŚâ the civilian started turning an embarrassed pink while inclining her head. âWhatâs Macross, Kei?â
The ninja blinked while glancing over at her. âMecha anime where the universe is saved through singing, I think.â
Tomoko turned a bit redder as she shook her head. âW-Well, Iâm not trying to save the universe, and I donât have a mech, Kei,â â and then a lightbulb seemed to go off in her head â âThough if mechs existed in the Narutoverse, how many missiles would it take to blow up the Ten Tails statue and MadaraâŚ?â
Tomo does have a morbidly curious side. :>
13. How many drafts did the work go through?Â
Hm. I donât really count off drafts because I try to write as much as I can for a chapter, then if I hit a block, I consult someone, and then keep writing. Usually once I finish a chapter, I read it over, put it into Microsoft Word to check grammar, call up either Leo or Josh on phone, or Lang on Tumblr, as well as Os and Abalisk occasionally, and then just post it up on FFN without thinking on it too much. Usually end up going to class or sleeping after that.
16. If you used a beta, what did you agree or disagree on?
Itâs interesting that you say that because to be honest, almost every close friend Iâve talked to has been a beta in my mind. I donât have an official beta, like how Lang can count on Os, but the people I interact with help a lot. Leo, Josh, another friend who Iâll call âAshâ, since Iâm not sure if sheâs okay with me mentioning another name and so on, Lang, Os, and Abalisk. Those 6 people really help me out when Iâm floundering. Most of the time, they give suggestions, and I end up taking them into consideration. Iâve never had full arguments for this kind of stuff.
But in terms of agreeing or disagreeing, I donât know what I can say to that. Leo is the closest person to me that disagrees with me on things, but itâs really on the brainstorming of the Danganronpa Crossover Iâve been planning for S&S, and heâs the self-proclaimed Danganronpa/Sci-Fi expert. Said disagreements donât last that long though, since theyâre more of things to consider and not force.Â
17. Did anything surprise you during the writing?
Really, the fan reception and reviews. I was not expecting CP to nearly overshadow S&S, nor how reviewers overall were really nice to me with the longer time intervals between updates. I guess the past Announcement and reception to the Satoru Arc were really the only negative things, and even then, the CP and S&S fanbases have been kind overall. Thatâs the nice thing. I canât help but feel touched every single time someone says they felt happy or some other emotion from my writing, because it shows my floundering is paying off and Iâm helping someone!
18. Were there any alternate versions of this fic?
Of CP? Look no further than The Sea and Stars!Â
Aside from that⌠Well, there is the Danganronpa crossover Iâm still brainstorming/working on. And what I mentioned in a previous ask. There was a time where I considered writing Tomoko as an actual ninja, paired with a nicer, more Leo-like version of Satoru and Joshâs own ninja going by the name of Sho, but since it required all three of us to work on it, and Leoâs own apathy to it, we never really did finish. But the ideas stayed. :)
20. What did you learn from writing this fic?
For both stories mentioned above? Emotional reactions to various situations, including those of war (including PTSD and how one might approach it); how to properly respond to feedback and criticisms (especially when it comes to mean reviewers); and how to avoid ableism. The last one I attribute specifically to Os, since writing the aftermath of CPâs Kannabi meant addressing that issue, and their advice really helped.Â