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>>19019
>The home for a god is a shrine
Most shrines serve as dwelling for gods and a place where they are always symbolically present in the inner chamber through the sacred object. The absence of this object makes the shrine little more than just a building. The Omiwa shrine, one of Japan's oldest (possibly the oldest), does not house any kami. All of this to say that not all gods are enshrined nor that shrines are necessarily a god's (only) home. (We haven't even gotten into cosmological things like the plane of high heaven.) The 8 million (read: infinite) kami are everywhere and live everywhere. Shrines largely make it convenient for humans to interact with and worship gods.
We know for a fact that Minoriko doesn't have a shrine (https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Symposium_of_Post-mysticism/Minoriko_Aki) and most minor gods would likewise find themselves in similar circumstances.
>>19020
I'll add as a corollary to all that that there are a number of statue-like figures and other things representative of long-gone hyper-local folk religions in Nagano, where Gensokyo is generally implied to be. (I can't remember what the statues are called, unfortunately, even though I've seen them in person.) The point is that folk gods are a thing, and figures like the Akis could be a similar sort of existence. And then you've got folks like the Yorigamis or Hina, who are kinda-sorta gods but not in the same sense as the others...
>>19017
Heh, a flophouse, huh? I like your thinking. And it'd probably be about right if Kutaka is more or less a Ministry wage slave.
>>19021
I don't expect the ministry's financial situation has improved much over the years. Staff are probably forced to live fairly frugal existences. No real retirement plan (after all, you're working there basically forever), lousy hours, and possibly no meal tickets/no lunchroom. Of course that's fine for true believers like Eiki but I wonder about the rest of them.
But back to housing: thinking about it, I could see some of the more enterprising mountain dwellers offering accommodation on the cheap. Lodging houses and the like used to be where many poorer (and not-so-poor) people lived. Japan was no exception and there's a lot written about this common practice in the Edo, Meiji, and later eras until housing and small apartments became plentiful/affordable enough in the postwar era. We don't know much about the tengu but I could see (especially) the wolf tengu living in those sorts of places. Could also see someone like Sannyo being a landlady on top of running the gambling hall—she has the capital and maybe the space.
Maybe more animal-like youkai are fine with warrens, burrows, trees, and the like but I think that other kinds and gods will almost always prefer proper buildings. So there's got to be some sort of supply and demand even if it's for more basic stuff like small shacks and lodging houses.
The previous thread (>>16503) is necro-locked, so I guess it's time to make a new one. Same deal as last time: Talk about writing, but keep idea solicitations and unsolicited pronouncements of writing orthodoxy to a minimum.
That out of the way, I wanted to talk about something that might be valuable to some. There's a certain orthodoxy around the shape of narratives resembling an arc, needing to be divided in certain ways, etc. that gets bandied about on the internet and elsewhere a lot. It may help some to adopt that thinking, but I've felt over the years that it hindered just as much. Some narratives really just can't be force-fit into that sort of shape, or trying to do so may constrain things to uncomfortable degrees.
Along these lines, I encountered a book by chance called Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Alison (https://search.worldcat.org/title/1049791446). It's less writing advice and more a light examination of pieces of literature and how their narratives take on shapes that depart from the supposedly prototypical arc, mimicking patterns found in nature. To some, it may not be wholly convincing, and certain examples do feel slightly contrived, but I think it's still valuable for consideration. For those who struggle with the idea of the narrative arc, this may well be a godsend.
I was drawn into the ideas presented in Meander, Spiral, Explode enough to try and apply them in some of my own writing. If you can get hold of a copy, I recommend giving it a read.
Not looking for advice, to be clear. Just a bit of talk.
My experience of CYOAs is that they're hard to plan. I've seen back and forth in the past that they're not meant to be planned, but I can't work like that. I think the hardest part beyond just having a story worth telling is figuring out how to divide that into multiple possibilities and maintain a cohesive sense of the story, especially when the story itself isn't necessarily thought out fully. You could theoretically make a giant tree of possible directions, but that seems generally inflexible and difficult to actually implement; I tried it one time and gave up minutes in because it was too much to handle.
What are your experiences?
>>19014
Well, you have to have a general idea of how the characters and the world would react to each choice, but planning it in detail isn't very viable, unless you make each choice secretly actually completely inconsequential or something (which is harder than it sounds)
>>19014
>I've seen back and forth in the past that they're not meant to be planned
Whoever truly believes this is a moron. I'd wager that one of the top reasons why so many stories have died is because the writers ran out of road; they may have written themselves into a corner or lost sight of what it was that they originally felt like doing and the story sprawled, strayed, or otherwise slipped away and became too difficult to set right.
Stories evolve and change even when they're not CYOAs. And when they are CYOAs reader input can have a weight that's significant even if the choices themselves are limited. So it's important to have things that serve as anchors and restrain you from straying too far. I'm not talking about a clear-cut structure, necessarily, but I find that I work better having key points and an understanding of how I want to portray the kind of things that I do keeps me tethered. I'm not even in the camp of "you need to have an ending in mind when starting out and work backwards from there" as I've seen it argued as well but just sort of things that are at the heart of what you're writing and a good idea of how to get to those parts. A lot of times when I've written I've attempted to keep what the next thing I want to cover in mind and how far away we are and how the potential forks are still going to lead towards there. It doesn't have to be a specific or set-in-stone event either, mind—could just as easily be something like characters taking stock of things or making decisions under the circumstances that have arisen.
The amount of flexibility depends on the type and length of the story and what it is I mean to do with it. But structure is needed at some level and deciding what that should be from the onset is one of the most important parts when it comes to writing serialized works that can't be edited at leisure after the fact.
Since the last thread (>>18276) has reached bump limit, let's continue the customary character discussions in a new thread. Just like before, every week, everyone will vote for a new Touhou character to discuss. If you have anything at all to say, or just enjoy thinking and talking about Touhou, by all means, share your thoughts. If you want to comment on a character that has been discussed previously, you can use >>17770 The Irregular Character Discussions Thread.
You can comment with your interpretation of the character's personality and outlook, your opinion on what they stand for, story ideas you have for them — anything goes. This is a writing-focused board, but no specific angle or approach is mandatory. You don't have to write a lot either — a small message is just as good, just make sure it's something fellow participants can latch onto or expand upon. As well as just sharing your thoughts, please don't forget to engage with other posters. It's fun to read what others have to say, and starting a conversation helps you shape and enrich your own view.
Apart from the obvious, here are some things you might want to consider:
The boss fight, if there is one — there can be a lot of personality to things like spellcard names and bullet patterns.
The music theme — to help you set the mood, at least!
The character design — visuals are the first thing you see and what you remember them by, after all.
The mythological/cultural inspiration — it can fill in a lot of blanks in an interesting way.
Changes over time — whether in the source material or the fandom.
That's just to get you thinking.
But either way, don't be afraid to speak up. Happy discussing!
When it comes to characters whose stories revolve around a particular goal, I tend to be more interested in who they were before they were motivated by said goal or in the scenario they do accomplish it.
Who was Junko before she became the Furious Lunarian-hating Spirit? Was she an unassuming person who dearly loved her child? Or was she always hotheaded and spiteful towards those she doesn't trust? Also, I wonder why why does Junko target All Lunarians, especially Chang'e for something her Ex Spouse did. I'm not sure it was stated in canon (I forgot but I will correct myself if I do get stuff wrong) but Is it because the Lunarians ordered Houyi to shoot down the Suns which is why Junko is extremely hateful towards them? If Im not mistaken, Houyi was also in a relationship with Chang'e so and the act of Shooting down one of the suns - who happens to be Junko's child - can be seen as an act of Betrayal.
It is said that Junko resides in Senkai. Would she know or have talked to figures like Miko or Kasen who too reside there? What does she live a mundane life there? Also, has she always been a Resident of Senkai? How did she meet Houyi?
I do enjoy her relationship with Hecatia and it got me wondering: If one of the suns that got shot down belonged to Hecatia, does that mean Hecatia is also the Mother of Junko's child or is she distantly related to them? (Again If I get things wrong I'll correct them). I do like the idea of the two bonding over their hatred for the Lunarians.
As with Reisen, I don't think these two would have an actual relationship with each other and even if they did, it'd be one-sided at best. I do think that Junko would at least attempt to get contact with Reisen but fails most of the time due to the fact Reisen to me is the type to avoid socializing with others unless its necessary and Reisen doesn't seem to be interested in Assasinating Chang'e. Ive seen people say the two would bond over their hatred towards the Moon but I cant really see it. If the Lunar Apollo landing wasn't interpreted as a War, Reisen wouldve still been serving the Lunar Capital and Junko would see her as a Threat. Though I think the id
>"I don't think it's really important if it's one sided, as Junko herself doesn't seem to care. Although a more Yandere Junko who wants Chang'e to more openly acknowledge her does sound funny"
I wonder if Chang'e not acknowledging Junko is done intentionally, cause if thats the case, then it's a funny scenario to think about, but if not, Then it makes me think that Junko attacking the Lunar Capital in the hopes of getting Chang'e attentions has become her only purpose, I mean, she literally became the embodiment of her own purified fury. I dont think Junko would ponder what actually happens After she assasinates Chang'e, but given that Lolk wasnt the first time Junko terrorized a civilization (and failing), I don't think a day where Junko kills Chang'e would actually come.
>>19010
I like to believe she was an unassuming person, but it's a common misconception she targets all Lunarians. She just ends up fighting all of them due to them not wanting to turn over Chang'e. This is unlike Hecatia who disagrees with them philosophically as well as having a personal grudge. And while I don't believe it's directly stated I have the same assumption about one of the other nine suns being Junko's child with Chang'e being the one who ordered the death of the other nine suns.
I don't think that's too much of an assumption, much of the Lunarian history we know of is the history of them consolidating their power and removing people and things they perceive as threats.
>I do enjoy her relationship with Hecatia and it got me wondering: If one of the suns that got shot down belonged to Hecatia, does that mean Hecatia is also the Mother of Junko's child or is she distantly related to them? (Again If I get things wrong I'll correct them). I do like the idea of the two bonding over their hatred for the Lunarians.
The questions of who the suns were is interesting, in Chinese myth the ten suns were the children of the Jade Emperor but when taking Japanese myth into account there's Amaterasu and her avatar Yatagarasu we probably have to take into account as well.
For one thing, as Touhou is a more Japanese based work I have the feeling the Lunarians and the Moon are supposed to represent the Chinese heavenly bureaucracy. So the remaining sun would probably be Amatarasu as she's the sister Lord Tsukuyomi, the Lunar Capital's Founder. And now that I think of it she's kind of like Okuu's grandma by virtue of Yatagarasu being one of her Avatars.
But I don't think all the Suns belonged the Heca, she says
>And the wife of the guy who killed one of my stars!
When talking about Houyi. She could mean another planet, since 星 can also mean a non-earth non-the-sun celestial body, but In context of a myth she's probably talking
A few people in the discussion thread and/or the discord have mentioned either having hoping to say more about characters once their week was over, or due to circumstances were not able to participate in the discussion of the week. So I decided to create a thread for people to be able to continue those discussions without taking up the main thread!
Here’s Teruyo’s link to the characters discussed so far (as well as for the character that is currently being talked about, but discussion for that character should be reserved for the main thread!): https://www.thp.moe/discussion
A thought about Remilia comes to mind that might support her having her ability to manipulate fate that she claims to have.
Namely how despite how a few characters involved in incidents being new to gensokyo or just running into the characters from gensokyo going to the other realms that are connected to gensomyo but not in contact. (See former hell, animal hell, the moon heck Sumireiko counts too!) That the fights still manage to be fought under spellcard rules. Which makes Remilia's part with the formation of the spellcard system interesting. Perhaps she isn't just spouting off some false boastto make herself look more powerful, but has been using her power to manipulate fate to ensure that incidents of gensokyo are resolved using the spellcard system? Even when the incident causers didn't know about it before or other similar things?
>>18917
At this point you're just using Remilia as a convenient handwave. You can swap her to any sufficiently powerful and vague person or ability - Yukari/Okina/Keine/Dragon God/lunarians/myriad gods/secret outside world government are somehow ontologically upholding spellcard system with their vague but totally very powerful abilities - and nothing will change in your logic.
>That the fights still manage to be fought under spellcard rules.
We don't have any in-universe evidence that that's the case, do we? I personally think it's simply a game-mechanical convention and in-universe at least in the LoLK and WBaWC incidents danmaku rules weren't used. Anyway, even if somebody will present evidence to the contrary - your theory immediately runs into the classic brick wall of such theories - "why is [she] doing only this with that vague basically omnipotent ability of hers and not that?"
Execpt that Remilia is one of the few involved with the formation of the spellcard system. Leaving it between her, Reimu or Yukari. But there may be a little point that it could be a handwave.
LoLK won't really count since we do know for sure the moon was introduced to the spellcard system during the events of SSiB years before so we know that they did have spellcards.
Furthermore we know it isn't just game convention as not only do they have the whole spellcircle spellcard start up and the same naming convention for both LoLK and WBaWC, but many of those same spellcards showed up for Reimu's spellcard competition in Grimoire of Usami. (Though i think that was before WBaWC... But many of those spellcards also showed for UDoALG which were going on the spellcard system.)
Waaaah…!
Hello everyone. Welcome to the second Spooky Month Writing Contest. I’m your Mascot, Hata no Kokoro… I’m so happy to meet you all.
Welcome everyone. I’m the host for this contest, Gooboi. Last year’s Spooky Month contest was quite a lot of fun, with a nice variety of entries. I always hoped I might be able to make it a yearly thing; so here we are again, giving it another round.
I’m taking over from Kogasa this year. Halloween… it’s really fun, isn’t it? It’s a time of fear, and joy, and so many others… every emotion I can think of, and more! I joined because I wanted all the feelings you could put into your stories.
Indeed, there’s few times better than halloween to run the full gamut of emotions and experiences. From the horror of the unknown to the simple joys of getting and eating candy… Halloween has it all.
THEME
This year, I spoke to a few members of the audience to get their opinions. And they chose from a small list of options I provided. Kokoro, would you do the honours?
This years theme is… Harvest Fest. So it’s festivals this time? Mamizou took me to one of those last year, in the Human Village - wait.
Is something wrong, Kokoro?
…Wasn’t last year’s theme about masks?
It was, but we’re gonna mix it up every year.
…Then why was Kogasa the host that year? Why not me?
I just couldn’t imagine starting a spooky month contest without her as the host, you know? …Don’t look at me like that.
A-anyway, this contest has two main themes, both themed around fall. One is the idea of Harvesting - both in the literal sense of gathering crops, but the fruits of one
>>18886
For character's past I think that since the fandom has mostly made up its mind on certain characters' past, that most just find it easy to go along with the current of what's understood. Especially if the character's backstory isn't a main focus.
Although it's not like alternate ideas don't exist for that sort of thing. Renko = three fairies of light, Junko = Change, everything going on in Suwako and Kanko's past, Okina (who's hard to decode), Seija's questionable relationship to Sagume (I think I see this one played around with most of all), I guess there's also Nue.
>>18886
>Ah, to have actual Japanese uni library access…
Yeah, that'd be nice! Sadly, my time as an exchange student is over, so the only library I still have access to is on the other side of the pond...
Ah yeah, I forgot to mention, but I keep up with both of your stories here, they're super fun! Funny that they both star cynics who wear a lot of red...
Nice music! I'm always looking for more music for reading and writing. Also glad for your comments - hopefully next time I can kick the habit of meandering and CARVE DIRECTLY THROUGH THE GRANITE TOPSTONE RIGHT INTO THE OCEAN!!!!
>>18441
>>18439
You've made a good effort in your reply. Perhaps you could expand your attempt for an extra-credit and longer form assignment on the scentscape of Gensokyo. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to highlight how specific stories would be improved by the inclusion of such considerations in their text.
>>18400
What typifies autumn besides falling leaves? I feel like that's a harder one to capture in any ready shorthand. Summer's hot, yeah. Spring's green, yeah. Winter's cold, yeah. What even is autumn, though?
Maybe it's just because I've lived in a place that doesn't have very "fall" kind of weather or scenery, but I don't have too much emotional connection with it beyond the calendar months of the year.
A few ways. One is that the transition between summer and winter can itself be a good indicator; someone dressing for a warm day that turns out a colder and more miserable is a good one.
Setting it during certain events is also a good way to do it, like a festival or the like.
But a subtle way to do it is through food. Pretty much any place with strong seasons will have seasonal meals, where the availability of goods ebbs and flows with the year. Showing people having certain sorts of foods - like September pumpkins - can do well to set the time subtly.
Let's continue the customary character discussions thread. Just like before, every week, everyone will have a new Touhou character to discuss. If you have anything at all to say, or just enjoy thinking and talking about Touhou, by all means, share your thoughts.
You can comment with your interpretation of the character's personality and outlook, your opinion on what they stand for, story ideas you have for them — anything goes. This is a writing-focused board, but no specific angle or approach is mandatory. You don't have to write a lot either — a small message is just as good, just make sure it's something fellow participants can latch onto or expand upon. As well as just sharing your thoughts, please don't forget to engage with other posters. It's fun to read what others have to say, and starting a conversation helps you shape and enrich your own view.
Apart from the obvious, here are some things you might want to consider:
The boss fight, if there is one — there can be a lot of personality to things like spellcard names and bullet patterns.
The music theme — to help you set the mood, at least!
The character design — visuals are the first thing you see and what you remember them by, after all.
The mythological/cultural inspiration — it can fill in a lot of blanks in an interesting way.
Changes over time — whether in the source material or the fandom.
That's just to get you thinking.
But either way, don't be afraid to speak up. Happy discussing!
>>18650
>I wanted to comment on your argument, maybe even dive in... now that I've read it — we're thinking in such different paradigms it's nearly pointless. Simply look at this:
>two? three?
Three I think. Me, my usual conversation partner, and some other guy.
The quota you were responding too isn't from me, but I don't think you, me, or my usual partner have all that different a perspective. Incidents are largely theater, Gensokyo is a dark setting, everybody is a hypocrite. Although I do believe outsiders do die unlike what you and others say, so they die alongside the people who break the rules/law.
Neither do I really think Reimu is a good or evil person, the situation is more complicated than that and boiling down to good and evil is boring and isn't something I'd want to write in a story. Which is why I don't argue for Reimu being a good person, I don't think she is and the idea of Reimu being a good person without any moral complexity, questionable decision, or moral grayness doesn't interest me. At the same time, Reimu have no internal conflict us equally unappealing to me.
But to answer your question, is such a peace worth it?
I don't know and I'm not sure Reimu is entirely confident in her answer either and I think that's interesting. It's something interesting to explore in a story. So to jump off of that really metal idea of Reimu becoming the little living shrine of the Hakurei god. I think that would be a good place to explore that idea.
For instance, maybe as Reimu undergoes physical and mental changes, she comes to believe it isn't worth it. So in order to repent for her crimes and ensure Gensokyo is destroyed she kills herself at the perfect moment, right in the middle of her transformation. When the Hakurei god is mortal enough to be killed and Reimu is godly enough to make sure she can drag it down to hell with her. Of course her friends and self interested Youkai try to keep her from committing suicide but Reimu succedes anyways and ends up
>>17987
Speaking as a collaborator on that one, it would have been hard for Kinu to finish since the writer, uh, didn't plan much and lost interest in figuring it out after a while. Rural Concord ended up being something like a spiritual continuation, even if it wasn't strictly the same.
Here's another story I haven't seen anyone bring up:
>>/border/31609
The premise is pretty interesting as far as "walk around and survey Gensokyo" stories go, and it's short and sweet. No need to artificially heighten stakes for the sake of a forced plot or neatly tie up everything with a comprehensive conclusion, just a quick, cozy stroll with some fun character interactions. There's not too many stories that (tangentially) touch on the gyrations of the afterlife, so there's that too. Reading it shouldn't take that long for most considering it's pretty short, so there's not much reason to not. More CYOAs ought to be as small-scale and focused. Maybe more would finish like this one.
It looks like the old thread (>>16402) has passed away into obscurity, never again to be bumped. Oh, well! In lieu of repeating the premise of the previous thread, I'll index the previous posts but otherwise rely on the title to be self-explanatory enough:
>>16403 The Tengu a broad-ranging academic overview of tengu-related myths over the centuries
>>16408 Kojiki, the oldest surviving written work from Japan, which details its ancient mythology and the history of its earliest emperors
But I'm going to start this thread off with a different kind of background influence on Touhou, which many of you will already know about but which some of you might not! The illustrated oeuvre of Takemoto Izumi was an early, maybe even formative, influence on ZUN's aesthetic sensibilities, and their influence can be seen very strongly in the earlier games, extending as far as an entire character—pic related—being imported wholesale into the third game of the series. While the overt borrowings may have tapered off over the years, you can still witness the cute, bubbly, but also earnest and at times seriously reflective sensibility in the tone and approach of Touhou today. So, even though the majority of us may be readers and writers and thus might incline more towards textual aspects of the setting or the lore or the characters' personalities and backgrounds, I think it's worth taking a second look at the "silly outfits" of our favourite girls with a finer and more appreciative eye for what non-textual sentiments might have compelled ZUN to design them that way, beyond the two extremes of "obscure mythological reference" and "unqualified whimsy".
>>18374
If you come across any Japanese goblins, give them a sniff for good measure, too. Report back on that.
On a slightly tangential matter, I wonder what humie scent is like to non-humans. Do they find it offensive? Intoxicating? Attractive? At the very least, distinctive? Can they tell us apart by smell, or is it relatively constant? Is there a fairly consistent value ascribed, or is there wide variance?
I think I've seen matter of the sort pop up once or twice in THP stories, but it seems like something not often paid much heed.
Any good recent academic papers out there on miko? I read a few some years ago that I unfortunately never saved. Not having academic database access anymore sucks...
I don't think I have anything to add to the tengu scent discussion (other than maybe that I suspect Hatate's habits overcome whatever scent tengu naturally have or prefer to apply, and she smells like anyone else who shuts themselves in their room 364 days/year. Personally that makes me want to dunk her into the nearest bathtub, but somebody in this thread probably finds it attractive), I'm just dropping by to drop off some tales of necromancy from the journal article I used as a resource for my exhibition entry last month.
Specifically: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10371397.2015.1007120
I have access through my university, but I suspect most other people are going to be out of luck, so if anyone wants I can at least summarise the myths mentioned within (it's mainly focused on one in particular, but it details several others for cultural and historical context). Or just copy them out, if that doesn't violate the site's rules on piracy? Just the summaries of old stories, I mean, not the whole article.
>>18395
I can try and take a look if I have time, though with classes starting up again soon, I don't expect I'll have much.
It’s time for another site event, this time around with a change of format. Something compact but no less fun to read and write!
Participating
Anyone can participate as a writer and/or a reader, and all skill levels and types of interests are encouraged. Prospective writers are to submit a piece by the end of the submission date and everyone, both writers and readers alike, are encouraged to comment about the stories and discuss them. Feedback and critique is always appreciated! As with most site events, the idea is to have the community participate and make things lively.
The tradition is to have people submit entries anonymously, so as to not taint perceptions and color feedback, but this is just a suggestion. The main goal of these events remains to encourage the community to create and for everyone involved to have fun.
Duration
Writers will have a month to prepare their entries and a thread will be created for submissions. The deadline for submissions will be 2025-07-24. Any late entries might not get commented upon by your fellow THP users, so make sure to do your best to have everything ready by the deadline!
Format
This time around, instead of going by themes, I thought it would be interesting interesting to experiment with format. This exhibition is centered around the concept of flash fiction. There’s a few different takes on what that means exactly but for our purpose it means that the entries for this event ought to seek to tell a story within a 1000 word limit. It’s a change of pace from the usual and I think that not only is it useful for writers to attempt different sorts of stories as an exercise but that constraints can make for all sorts of creative solutions.
Below you'll find a few examples of stories that can be considered flash fiction. These authors are all ones whose works I have enjoyed and are not necessarily known for the format. There's a range of styles and approaches on display in the pieces:
Last bit, and then I'll talk a bit about my story!
22. just ignore this one
- It reads like an interesting creepypasta but okay!
23. Cyberpunk: Lunatic Red (Reinsen in Cyberpunk 2077)
- I'm not familiar with this franchise either. I wonder why Reisen took so many pills too, I thought she'd probably be more careful with those
24. (Unnamed Alice Short)
- I like the interview format, since you can imply so much about the interviewer and the interviewee.
- I like the interpretation that Alice is from Makai and that she was sort of made there, that when she went over to Gensokyo she was essentially already set as a person. I also like how Alice here is a bit fogged up with her memories, which suggests something magical
- The ellipsis use here is a little too much for me, but I like how it's used to show the significant pauses in the story, like the pause before 'big things'
- The characterization of Alice as having a bit of a mimetic desire is interesting. Her explicit denial of loneliness at the start is really nice as it shows she's probably very worried about being lonely. I get the impression that Alice is still very much seeking, and that's a nice melancholic feeling to evoke
- Overall an enjoyable melancholic short about Alice
25. Would you like to know more?
- I think this is the Starship Troopers style? I see the irony in it. I've never played Helldivers either, so I can't speak to that game, nor have I read any Warhammer 40K books
- I like the bits about recommended usage, since it evokes scarcity
- I'm not sure about the bits of speech interspersed since that makes me a little confused about the format. Is this some sort of propaganda broadcast being interrupted by a drill instructor? Also, I'm not sure why some terms are italicized and some aren't
- I like the recursive promotion of Reisen into infiltrator
- Overall, I'm not sure about this one.
26. One Shell Too Many
Sen here! Before anything else, 'tom' in the context of my entry is related to 'tomboy', so a 'tom outfit' is an outfit emphasizing more masculine, angular stylings. In my headcanon, it's the equivalent here of a woman with her hair cut short and wearing a turtleneck with pants, sort of the Audrey Hepburn look. Rabbit fashions!
I hope that clears up the mystery and I apologize for confusing everyone.
I vaguely promised a self-review somewhere up-thread. There's not terribly much to say since I've gassed on about thematic matter in responses to others, but I suppose I can make a quick remark about the writing process.
Unlived was a fairly deliberately written piece in a way that I feel other works of mine haven't been. I started from a fairly basic core conceit — someone looking up at the summer sky and feeling wistful — and tried to derive a narrative from that. The choice of Youmu as a central character came from a slightly murky place, but it was a sort of process of elimination of characters I felt could feel wistful about anything; I was also deliberately avoiding Mountain characters this time, as I hew rather close to them in writing. I perceive something of a purity and simplicity of feeling in someone like Youmu, and the starting place was that simplicity in drawing on the longing felt gazing up at the nighttime sky in summer. The rest was a question of what she would long for and how that would manifest, not to mention how to practically tie that up in a thousand words. I feel the construction of it was like an essay in some ways, and I wasn't very sure of it as a story as I was writing. As I've said elsewhere, I felt I may have been beating the audience over the head with thematic ties like the strings, cords, and so on, not to mention the endless severings and cuttings. There were certain bits where I fell victim to trying to be too economical with words in service to the word count, and I ended up being a little awkward in terms of wording. In some ways, I also feel I might have been a bit too simplistic in my approach to portraying things, but I also believe it was suited to the format. Anything more involved would have called for a longer story, so there was little I could really do in that regard.
Ultimately, I'm not sure of my prowess at flash fiction, nor do I feel an especial affinity for the medium, but I did have fun with it on some level. Being able to keep a certain strong focus on a single idea made writing, something rarely simple for me on a certain basic level, straightfo
