Cerulean Mornings

I am doing okay so far in Camp, but it's mostly because of the habit I formed last month of writing at least an hour everyday. I have been so busy that I basically only have the hour between 11 and 12 midnight at night to write. Thought it was going to amount to a miniscule amount of writing, but so far, it's working out better than I expected? Now that I have some kind of time management locked down maybe I can work more. Like, for example, today. It's my b-day, and I'm taking it easy, so the only thing I'm going to do is write.

I think I can definitely finish the Nachi Interlude this month. I have no idea what to work on after that, though, because the main story bores me now ahaha, but the side story plot line is still a giant mess soooooo, well, one step at a time, I guess. We can worry about the next one after I finish the current section. I swear to god the Nachi Interlude is going to be 10k on its own. I mean, hey, it's not my fault he's so compelling and I have motivation and plot points pretty much all figured out for him, eh? Need to work on his voice better, and all the 'lesser' Bronze saints all need to have their own voice, but I ain't got time to figure out 5 more people, so I'm just going to designate some as "more" or "less" informal sounding. Also, this is the first time I'm actually writing Shiryu, so....well, that will need to be figured out too.

First, I have made some adjustment to the Cygnus icon so it looks better. Just a simple rotation makes such a big difference! Though the image quality has decreased, however, you can't really tell with this tiny 100x100 dimension. Good enough.

Second, I have never listened to this much gangsta rap and hiphop in my life until I started writing this story haha. Yes, I realize that in late 90s and early 00s Japan there are 1) no gangsta rap, 2) no drugs, and 3) no one in those tiny, not-sound-proof Shinjuku flats will blast loud music because they're friggin' Japanese. BUT, but but but, I really like the idea of, say, Hyoga and Nachi just cramming linear algebra problem sets the day before they're due while 2Pac is playing in the background. Or the Bronze Saints are all in Jabu's substantially bigger apartment drinking and chatting and smoking weed on a Friday night (Miho can be there too if she wants). Or that Nachi's getting comfortable on the floor of his flat while sipping some lean, while behind him on the couch (it's a really small flat) Hyoga and Shiryu are just making out (while both are on some kind of substance let's say they're mostly sober because they're just that kind of responsible (???) people). And Nachi looks over in the haze of weed smoke, with of course some hiphop song about smoking blasting from his shitty-ass boombox, and be like, yo, dudes, this is NOT how you do friends-with-benefits okay?? Like you're just setting yourselves up for utter failure kissing like that! Etc. Etc.

I may have to add that last bit into one of Nachi's Interlude scenes. Because it's too good to pass up haha. I'm not sure how many Nachi stories I want to include but there are at least two now. If I never post it it's okay, at least I've written it out, so I have it somewhere in my file.

Pretty much what the title said. Also, I've been talking a heck lot about this, so maybe I should actually make an icon? Definitely NOT using any official Saint Seiya art because they are fugly lol. But maybe something to do with either the Cygnus constellation itself or a giant gothic cross? We'll see.

I have been putting off starting to write because I suck, but today, I am determined to actually put words on paper. I think starting a new file is always daunting, no matter how much I prepare for it. Anyway, I have been ruminating over a scene that doesn't come until waaaaaay later in the side fic. I haven't even begun the main fic yet! But because I just really want to get that part out of the way (there's a high chance I might throw this scene out later or completely change, but, eh). So I'm going to write the prologue. Then write the introduction scene so Ikki can describe everyone and how they changed at least physically. Then we're jumping straight to this other scene. What scene is it, you ask? It's an interlude, from Nachi's POV, showing what exactly went down when he figured out Hyoga and Shiryu's, ahem, situation. 

I told you that I have been putting a lot of thought into Nachi because he has become such a good side character, with personality and purpose! I also want to involve the other neglected 5 Bronze Saints and put a little more into them. (No one writes them, but I'm gonna make them interesting to read for once. You watch!). I also need practice with group dynamics and, hey, here's a scene where there's like six guys drunk in an apartment talking smack about each other and, yeah, dialogue practice bitches! If this were in America there'd be rap music blaring and all kinds of substance being passed around (probably not weed, because these guys would definitely go for uppers like meth or crack or something) and the talk would involve fucking hoes and shit. Unfortunately this is allegedly in Japan sooooo we're gonna have to dial down the drug abuse. Drinks though. That can do. Maybe some cigarettes. I will have to plan this scene a little bit further, but boy, I'm just too excited I have to get this out of the way before I can move on thinking about other things lol.

(Hyoga you beautiful bastard. I've never tried to write you before, and I'm not sure I know how to write you convincingly, but I will try.)

Okay, here's another long entry where I want to talk about my current fic. So first of all, I have started a small Notion project for it. See, I wanted to try out Notion's functions for writers, because I've seen people use it as a writing project tool, not just for database or daily life managing. (My s.o. said his company just use it as a wiki.) So what better chance to get familiar with it than planning this fic in detail? I have to say I've gotten the hang of it now, and appreciate it for its mobile possibilities. No, it will not replace my Scrivener, but I think maybe have a space where I can write some ideas on the go and syncing it seamlessly into what's already written, is a pretty good draw. I have no idea why people would pay for templates, though, unless they're a large company. Certainly did not need one for my writing projects, that's for sure.

Right, the fic. I have to say that by this point it has morphed into a respectable (well, relatively lol) story with a proper plotline and character growth and etc. It started with me wanting to write a Hyoga/Shun story, seen through the eyes of Ikki. Ikki, in order to avoid his grief about the end of the Hades war, decides to wander the world instead of staying in Japan with the wounded. After 5 years he's finally ready to face his past, so he comes home to Tokyo, and finds that everyone he knew has, of course, also changed. Some beyond his recognition, like Saori, others seemingly familiar on the surface, but whatever lies beneath is anyone's guess. He is my narrator but also my way of telling everyone's trials and tribulations to the audience, because Ikki will find out everything on the same pace as us, the readers. Kind of like Watson with Holmes in Sherlock.

Now I want to talk about Hyoga/Shun in general. So, unlike the majority (?) of the people that shipped this, I did NOT think that scene in the Libra Temple is indication that they're into each other. At all. Granted, I watched it first when I was like, 8, so my idea of romance was practically nonexistent, but I did re-read it when I was older and lurked in fandom. And I vehemently did NOT see Shun sacrificing himself to save Hyoga as anything more than nakama power, you know, the drive behind a lot of shonen manga friendships. They did not interact much in the rest of the storyline anyway, so I thought in order to write a convincing Hyoga/Shun (mostly to convince myself lol) it needs to be built from after everything's over. And you know, this series' fanfic authors just doesn't address PTSD enough, from all the fighting and death and all, especially with the Bronze Saints. So what's better than combining the two to make a 'cause' for the pairing to get to like each other, eh? Shun could not get over everything Hades had done, therefore becoming mentally unstable, and Hyoga, being the overly emotional Saint born under a cross as he is (geez, Kurumada, lighten up on the symbolism a bit, would you?), could not let Shun fall. Voilà! Relationship status achieved. The story is showing this whole process. Maybe they had mild feelings for each other before (at least maybe from Shun's perspective), but the aftermath is what truly cemented the outcome.

I also wanted to have some fun with some of these characters with less screen time. Ikki, for example, I want him to get ragged on a lot. I mean, everyone who survived surmised that he had run away due to cowardice (pretty much!) and left Shun in hell while Hyoga (and Shiryu, to an extent) picked up his slack. So of course they wouldn't talk to him about what happened at first, because they were all more or less pissed at him, and didn't trust him to not run away again. (Super convenient for story-telling purposes when I need to slowly reveal the past!) With Shiryu I made him more sarcastic, told off-colored jokes, and took on a 'smile in the face of adversity' kind of attitude, because I imagine the dude at this point just doesn't give a fuck anymore. (You know, Saint Seiya really doesn't have anyone like this, except maybe Kanon, a little bit, but he's dead so, what's a girl to do?) I added in Wolf Nachi because he's so minor that no one remembers he's around, and therefore also a blank canvas, but I think Hyoga needed more friends. Nachi hates Ikki's guts, not just from the very first time he got defeated by Illusion Demon Fist, but he also saw the shit Hyoga went through with Shun because they (Nachi and Hyoga) attended the same university. I think a couple more side characters like this is what makes the story more alive, and drives the plot forward (because having literally 2 people to converse with tend to get stagnant), and yeah, I can shit on Ikki a bit more lol. (Shiryu's on Hyoga's side, too, btw, just, a little bit more diplomatic than some of the more hotheaded people, but hey, that's when the biting sarcasm comes in!)

And Athena is above it all because she's a god now. She just wants to make sure nothing too crazy happens, because when you have supernaturally powered people living under your roof, a wild card (Ikki) thrown in is bound to cause more problems. 

I'm going to stop here, because again, this entry has ballooned massively. Can't you tell I'm kind of excited to write this? Still working on getting all the details down for now, but I'll get cracking in the actual prose soon.