#writing ask

What is this aiming at, I wonder? (though I suspect the "featuring Kallen" bit means Code Geass is a major case study/the initial prompt for that post.)

So this is an idea that I'm admittedly still feelings out a bit, but it basically it's exploring the trope of the ambiguous 'is this character actually seeing/experiencing a bunch of weird, fantastical stuff or are they just going crazy?' that we see in a lot of trippy, psychological thriller/horror stories.

Well the first I am happy to say is already posted :D

And 'Greek Bees' would be the aforementioned next chapter draft of that fic. As you can probably guess, it's where Blake and Yang get a turn with Pyrrha. And it's quite a bit more spicy XD

--

“Now Yang, I don’t think Pyrrha likes being teased that much.” Blake spoke up, even as she gave Pyrrha a coy half-smile.

‘Yes I do!’ It took ALL of Pyrrha’s willpower to clamp her mouth shut to avoid blurting that thought out. Instead she managed to simply look away awkwardly in a futile attempt to hide her blush, even as her brain was still trying to reconcile all the conflicting thoughts in her head without shorting out.

Thoughts like ‘These are two of my best friends, I don’t want to make things weird for them’ and ‘They’ve got each other, what do they need me for?’ and ‘Could Yang hold me AND Blake at the same time?’ and ‘I want them both to rail me until I can’t think straight’ and WHERE THE FUCK DID THAT COME FROM?!

--

It's rather fun :D

(Earthbound Beginnings)

From what Ninten has learned, he’s just been transported to a place called Magicant. He’s never heard of such a place, and certainly not one so pink, and it doesn’t seem to be on his map. But how is he here? All he did was answer the question that entered his mind when he saw that shell-shaped rock in that cave…

Regardless, he’s found this place to be quite friendly. The people are jovial, smiling sunnily when Ninten approaches them, and they even let him stay for free! Some ways away from this little village(?), he’s noticed, is a magnificent castle, pinker than the cotton candy-like ground beneath his feet. Who lives there?

Filled to the brim with curiosity, Ninten approaches the three guards at the castle’s entrance, each wearing a matching uniform and a matching hat. They stare at him.

“Suspicious fellow… I will let you pass if you answer my riddle,” one of the guards states.

When the guard fails to even say his riddle, Ninten takes a mental peek. “Two alligators…?”

“That’s right,” the guard replies, now smiling. “Of course, I haven’t actually come up with the riddle yet.” And with that, he and the other two guards cheerfully make way for Ninten.

Hello there @tremblingturtle123 💜

So sorry for my late response, luv! I was so chuffed to find your message today. Firstly, thank you so much for your warm and supportive words regarding my BtB stories and my writing. 🥰 Aww!

You're so kind. It never ceases to move me that people revisit the series and still find it enjoyable and worth investing their energy in again. That's just such an incredible feeling that always hits with the same impact, so thank you for letting me know. I appreciate you taking the time! 🤗💜

How are your writing projects going?

Oh Lord. They are going, my dear, they are just going in a different direction from the series I was working on prior to the Big Bastard Burnout.

To my shock and joy, I've re-engaged with a massive project (to be fair, this massive project re-engaged with me) that's actually an old series I began way back when, around the early 2000s, only it's coming alive in a whole new way now, almost two decades later.

Apparently I don't understand the value of baby steps.

The wisdom of temperance.

Or the stupid simple basics of self-preservation.

My inner masochist is like...

But it's come at the right time, given the leaps in technology and science in our world, it fits with what's been playing on my creative airwaves for a long time. I love how synchronicity operates that way. It's the right project to be working on at this moment. All the magical happenings are happening, which lets me know I'm running with the right story while the other one rests.

So, it's super exciting but also super overwhelming given everything this world and these characters demand. Jesus-Take-The-Wheel-Challenging, but absolutely Blessed-Art-Thou-Delightful at the same time to be back in my creative works and worlds after wandering in the god damned desert for so, so long.

Again, thank you so much for your interest and support, luv. It helps me more than I've ever been capable of expressing...no matter how much I try to articulate it, it just falls short. I hope you can feel the vibes coming your way.

You're appreciated.

Okay, now that I've got that crazy shit out of the way, you're the Frankie expert and I'm curious to know your thoughts on canon compliance stuff and TF timeline. I know it's never explicitly stated in the film, but how old do you think Frankie is in the movie's timeline? It seems pretty clearly implied Benny is the youngest, Tom is eldest, other remaining three land somewhere in between. But where does he land in your opinion? I'm thinking early 40s. I know ultimately with fic it does not matter, you can do whatever the fuck you want, but there is a dumb and annoying thing in my brain that feels it needs to either stay compliant to particular "important" canon details because if you manipulate those details, they just do alter the character? If you do choose to manipulate them, that can be very interesting and compelling and it's not like you're not allowed to or something stupid like that, but my brain needs to stay consistent with how that would influence the character? Kind of similar to controversial opinions and feelings people have about Joel and fatherhood and the way that informs the character (e.g., Would a bereaved father or a man who is committed senseless violence actually be into certain kinks? How would that same man feel about an age gap? Without fatherhood, who would he actually be? Who would he be without insurmountable loss?). Interesting questions, I think, although I'm sure many people's response would be like "*crickets*.................... shut up and write the smut dude" hahahaha which... okay, real. BUT I THINK IT WOULD IMPACT THE SMUT EVEN. ANYWAY, DO NOT EVEN ACTUALLY WANT TO GO DOWN THAT RABBIT HOLE BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO ENGAGE IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH GOOD FAITH AND THAT IS NOT WHY I CAME HERE lmao. But hopefully it demonstrates what I mean.

Cause I'm messing around with ideas of a younger Frankie somewhere in his 30s, going back and forth on fatherhood. It feels like it switches things up entirely. If canon is Frankie in his early 40s with a toddler, then an AU with Frankie in his 30s with a baby means a future Frankie in his 40s with a kid and like... where is that Frankie in terms of his career? Would it shorten his time in service? Would that Frankie, the one who would go on to be responsible for like a nine- or ten-year-old in his early 40s, actually risk a cocaine offense, even if it is a minor possession charge? Would he agree to go on the mission years later? I don't even know if a self-respecting OFC/insert would be OKAY with that in the least because she'd be making huge concessions to permit something like that and if she were not to know, it would be an enormous betrayal of trust?! You can probably tell how self-doubt is not the only thing that cripples me, and Self-Doubt's bestie, Overthinking. Anyway... no need to sound off on my spiral there, but I do wonder how old you think he is in the film, what your canon is so to speak because ofc there's a lot open to interpretation, and any other thoughts you do have. Because PTMY Frankie is not a dad, and I think that makes a lot of sense. TYBTM Frankie is, and he is a father, so it's much more "canon compliant" so to speak, and it makes a lot of sense! And with the way NLL Frankie is acting, he is one cheeky motherfucker. Unless he's some very critical information that we've yet to find out, it also makes sense that he's not a dad so far. Dad isn't the central issue here, I think it's more so like the various positions one occupies and the position of parenthood for sure alters priorities, or it should at least and if it doesn't them there's a whole other slew of issues. Well, I'd apologize for this essay I'm about to click "Ask" on but I think you can probably imagine how sorry I am that I'm subjecting you to this wall of text lmao. Hope you're having an excellent week Maddie!

Hey Nonnie 🧡

Next-level-horny, driven-by-a-passion girlies (gn) are the backbone of most fandoms, if you'll ask me!

WRITE THE FICS!!! OMG NONNIE, that's the best news ever!!! Ever since I've received your ask, it has brought the largest smile on my face every time I've thought about it 🧡🥹🧡 I understand your fears and can relate to them in some measure, and if the fact that trolls have shrunk the fandom to a heap of tumbleweed lifts off some of the anxiety for you, good! But ultimately, you do write for yourself, you give it your best for yourself, and you do not care whether the final product is perfect, perfection is boring and in this case, irrelevant. The point is: DO THE THING. Writing, cross-stitching, singing, etc... Life is short, so fucking short, I spent most of mine trying to smother who I was, or berating myself for imaginary flaws, or truly harmless ones, so let me be your cautionary tale: DO THE THING. Live while you're still alive. Carpe fucking diem. I hope that you're 10k deep in the doc by now! And if you ever doubt yourself, come find me in my DMs, I will cheer you on. DO THE THING!!!

before I get to your Frankie/TF questions, a foreword: you want to write canon compliant? Do it. You don't have to justify yourself. You want to alter the character to the point that they'll become utterly unrecognizable? Do it. You don't have to justify yourself. No one, absolutely no one, has the right to censure you, not even you. You're god in the doc. Enjoy the ride, for once you're (almost entirely) in control of the situation.

As for Frankie's age, I cannot for the life of me remember how I first came to calculate it in TYBTM, which is my most canon-compliant fic, since it picks up right after the TF events. But I decided he was 42. I know I did a ton of research on the American military, and how long you can enroll for, etc., when I set up to write PTMY, and I think I ultimately decided on canon Frankie serving 20 years. Yes, I consider Benny to be the youngest, and Will and Santi to land somewhere in between, closer to Frankie. While I think Tom is the oldest, I don't believe that's relevant. He is the highest-ranking of them, and that's what matters.

You make some very good points about fatherhood defining Frankie. TF is about showing us how five different personalities in five different life circumstances deal with PTSD and civilian life after serving in one of the most, mmh... brutal? demanding? idk, branch of the US military. So Frankie risking a drug offense with one or more kids at home is actually a very efficient narrative way to drive the point home: the military destroys lives, and not only those of the men and women who serve, but their families' too (think about the opening scene and Will's story). I've always thought Frankie might have more than one kid. "I got the new baby now" sort of implies there's a not-new kid already. So write the 9-year-old! Explore younger Frankie! That's one of the most delicious things to write about, the origins of a beloved character! Write the betrayal to the OFC/insert, when he prioritizes his friends and feels guilty about it, but still does it!! That's where your fic is! That hurt! Hers and his!! Frankie is very flawed, and he's entirely self-aware, and that's why he's such a brilliant, endearing, beautifully complex and compelling character. God I love this movie. I love this Man.

Anyway. Sorry, I got carried away! Did I answer your questions? Because it feels like I mostly told you to do whatever feels right and whatever you want to explore. And I have no business telling you what you should or shouldn't do, but pleaaaaaaaase do whatever feels right and whatever you want!!!!

I would like to end by thanking you for calling me a Frankie expert. In all honesty, I don't think I am, or at least I'm not the only one, but that felt really good, and I selfishly decided to take the compliment, for once 😌 And another heartfelt thanks for calling NLL Frankie a cheeky motherfucker! He decidedly is! But he's not a dad, lol.

Don't apologize about the wall of text. I'm giving a wall of answer, and I'm always more than happy to discuss this movie, those men, and our Pilot™. I really hope you write the fic 🧡🧡🧡

May the Force be with you in all your creative endeavors, Nonnie 🧡🌠

Your Pilot™ tax: