Tag: nanowrimo 2017

We did it, Reddit!

I finished NaNoWriMo and well, this was certainly one of the most interesting years I’ve done. Not counting the first two because I really had no fucking idea what I was doing, this is the least amount of words I wrote in a year, according to the NaNoWriMo official counter: 111,195.

I started out with a story I had outlined and thought through several times for months by the start of November. It was a more personal story which I haven’t done before but I was confident. Ten days and almost 22k words later I was done. I didn’t like any of what I wrote, I didn’t feel the drive to go on and I knew that if I were to keep pushing I would ruin the story for myself.

That’s one of my bad habits, that if I feel like a story is ruined I can never get back to it. So I abandoned Lucid with a heavy heart and switched to plan B which wasn’t even a plan up until then.

I picked up another story, one I started last December after my semi-successful NaNoWriMo 2016, and have been writing for the better parts of 2017. I called it my comfort project, something I would only write if I felt like it, something I would put no deadlines on, and wouldn’t force until I grow to hate it, like I’ve done so many times before.

I didn’t like breaking these not-so-strict rules of NaNo, that you’re supposed to start a new story and whatever but I had been missing Vale already and I felt like jumping back into it. That’s when this year’s NaNo became fun for me.

I started with patching up the holes I’d previously left, then continued from where I left off, with only a few chapters to go until the end. And I never wavered. And I finished the story. And I was satisfied with it.

For a few hot moments I was thinking whether I should try to get on top of NaNo Faces which I’ve done for two years now, or reach 150k or 200k, but then I remembered it would just make me rush the story (cause after I finished I started editing, lol) and that would betray everything I’ve worked on. So I didn’t do that. And that’s partially me destroying my OCD which is also a victory in itself.

I set out to do something I haven’t done before and even though I failed I ended up achieving even more things I haven’t done before. Vale is a one of a kind story in my life and I’m proud of what I did with it. I’m sure editing it will be a bit of a struggle and I’ll flip my opinion on it upside down but just the fact that I managed to stick with it for a YEAR which I’ve never done before makes me really happy.

Every year NaNoWriMo, including the first two, shows me something about myself I didn’t know before. I may not have written 27k words in a day like last year, I may not have had a smooth journey from start to finish like in 2014, or pulled a pretty creepy story literally out of my bumhole and finished it in two weeks like in 2015, but I am proud.

Let’s do it again next year ^^

if vale found out im fighting my ocd and giving up being first on nano faces and im not forcing writing more because i actually care too much about the story to ruin it by competing with people that dont even know im competing with them shed think it was dope and thats all that matters,

Vale: *thinks she’s a piece of shit and covers it up by always talking about how awesome she is*
Cephas: *thinks he’s a piece of shit and covers it up by always talking about how awesome his friends are*

I finished Vale, whoooooooooooooooooooooo
Weird fucking feeling. First story I didn’t finish within a month but actually worked on for a year. I mean it’s now time to edit it but you know… I still finished the first draft. I started it outside NaNoWriMo, I wrote it in my own time, through Camp NaNo too, then I kinda abandoned it then I chose another story for this NaNo that didn’t work out so I returned to it and it worked and now we have it, Vale officially joined the series of now three stories I actually finished.

Ok that’s not true. Leaper, The Rains Come, In Static, Vale. Four. Ok July 14th but it’s a bit of a mess even though I love it. Five. WHOOPPPPPP

First of all I want everyone to know that even though Vale’s time-slow-y powers sound like they’re the same as Daud’s blink in the Dishonored DLC’s it’s actually much closer to the game mechanics in Superhot so jot that down.

BOIIIIIII

Uh, this year is a NaNo and a half…. I’m not gonna lie. I only enjoy it since I swiched to Vale and… well I’ll talk about this when the event is over but… I’m doing well right now. Writing-wise, I mean.

Hnnynhnyhnyhnnnynyyyyyyhhhh… this week’s over yaaaay?

All day I couldn’t wait to come home and be able to write and be online and play games and stuff but now I’m just too tired to do anything. But I don’t want to get discouraged especially from writing so I’ll go over Vale and write down some of my favourite bits to keep myself enthusiastic until I can write again hopefully after I had a powernap.

  • fucking…… assassin grandparents, hell yeah, Vale’s grandparents are so much cooler than yours
  • “Well,
    this motherfucker’s going to die.“
  • Cephas’ reaction to Vale not knowing who hired her. “Were you looking away or…?”
  • immediately, the first (technically second) job we see Vale do where she’s supposed to kill someone who’s already in prison awaiting execution she just breaks him out because she’s curious why someone wants him dead so much. Worst. Assassin. Ever.
  • Vale’s complete hatred for the nickname the people of Caelmoor gave her, best running gag in the whole story.
  • “Are you sure this isn’t a kidnapping?”
     “I am but for you it’s going to be a
    surprise.”
  • “Can
    you climb?”
    “Can
    you shut up?”
  • Vale’s reaction to Cephas getting abducted is just her repeating “UMM” at gradually increasing volume.
  • “Why is my whole body pain?”
    “Bandits broke your leg.”
    “Did bandits break that house too?”
    “No,
    that was me.”
  • Vale trying to subtly flex her muscles when she’s about to meet Morlene to look more Buff™ and Cephas totally busting her for it
  • just the whole first time Morlene and Vale interact with each other. you just know they been fuckin
  • the other running gag of Vale hating the guts of Morlene’s new girlfriend. just… it’s glorious.
  • “You are an asshole.”
    “Speaking of, how’s Lourdes?”
  • thinking back to [spoiler] killing Vale’s employer with a soul-stealing blade so Vale couldn’t use magic to talk to the corpse and ask him who hired him to hire Vale knowing Vale was too stupid to even think of doing that. glorious. her damn ex girlfriend is a witch and it never occurred to her! x)
  • even when they’re not close enough to unlock each other’s tragic pasts there’s no sulking between Cephas and Vale, they’re open and honest about their emotions and boundaries and that maKEs Me SoH apPy???
  • Vale is actually an amazing conman it’s being stealthy that she sucks at!
  • “Do I look… fucking invisible… to you?”
  • (but for real they have capes that are essentially the perception filters from Doctor Who and I HAVE NO SHAME! TIME LORDS EXIST IN THIS UNIVERSE DO I GIVE A FUQQQQQ)
  • the introduction of Guard Commander Mason aka is there anyone on this damn island Vale didn’t have a relationship with that went horribly? fun fact: I don’t actually know Mason’s first name. She’s just Mason.
  • when Vera Talbot sends the infected guards to Downtown Caelmoor and the guards don’t know they’re infected and Vale and Cephas have to kill them before they exploooode and infect everybody eeeeeeeeeeeeeee intense
  • “I’m quite the cool assassin. People like me. I tell
    jokes.”
  • Vale slowly bleeding out because Cephas starts to open up to her and she doesn’t want to interrupt him by revealing that she was severely injured. my stupid daughter ♥
  • it’s cool what’s happening to Vale and Cephas and their little missions and all but Caelmoor is slowly falling apart in the background due to political unrest, the blight infestation, the underpaid civic guards and the corrupt fire squads. it’s cool how that’s first just the backdrop to the Vale and Cephas’ story and then the two slowly meld together, I did a good job there
  • 100% heterosexual Cephas analysing a woman’s beauty: “Strong calves.”
  • Vale having to point out the jokes she makes because Cephas refuses to laugh at them
  • when Vale calls Cephas “buddy” the first time as a joke and then when she does it fifteen chapters later u cry forever
  • “Vale?!”
     “Yep.”
    “Was
    all that just real?”
    “Yep.“
    “How
    are you here?”
    “Yep.”
    “Can
    you stand?”
    “Yep.”
  • The base area couldn’t be bigger than Morlene’s
    house’s but the building goes two storeys high with traditional parapet gable
    roof. That’s right, parapet gable.
    “That’s
    a parapet gable roof,” I mention nonchalantly while we crawl in through one of
    the windows. It doesn’t seem too dusty which gives me hope that the house actually
    served Crane some purpose like holding very detailed documentations about her
    orders.
     “Oh
    really? Is that like, your favourite roof type?”
    “Why,
    yes of course.”
    “I’m
    partial towards bonnet roofs myself.”
    “Quite,
    quite.”
    (nerd babies x))
  • Cephas gets fucking infected yooooooooo
  • Vale dragging Talbot’s dismembered body through the snowy Caelmoor to drop her on the castle’s doorsteps screaming for Mason to honour their deal only for her to betray her is just bhfjdlnafjldaf bone chilling ngl and then you want her to get back to Morlene’s and stay there for the winter, together with the whole family but then she don’t cause she sucks!
  • “Lourdes is tutoring Leo in the bedroom.”
    “Oh yeah, cause Lourdes is so smart.”
  •  “I remember you were much nicer before I left.
    Everybody was crying. You were all worried
    about me, don’t even deny it.”
  • the whole part when Vale and Cephas get back the firewood from Zavier, it’s glorious. 
  • “What are you planning to do? And can we help? And why don’t you just leave
    through the door like a normal person?”
  • Vale reluctantly being head of security for the Festival of Flowers because she owes Morlene so much
  • “You’re fascinated by
    those pinwheels, Cephas.”
    “Yeah, I just… want to check them to
    see if there are like… bombs in them…”
    “You’re not checking the pinwheels you’re staring at them.”
    “Uh…”
    “Cephas, do you want a pinwheel?”
    “No, of course not, they’re for kids.”
    “I can get you a pinwheel if you
    want.”
    “…maybe later…”
  • big-ass reveal scene when it turns out Cephas isn’t affected by Vale’s time-stoppy powers
  • just the whole dancing scene aND THEN THE BREAKUP SCENE OUCH MY HEART CEPHAS FEELS SO BETRAYED
  • Finally, Vale, the Fearless
    Bloodslinger, alone once again.
    [chapter 21 end]
    [chapter 22 start]
    On second thought, fuck that. I’m
    doing just fine on my own.
  • Morlene flavouring the story a little bit to slightly manipulate Vale into helping her as sHE SHOULD
  • sudden and unexpected POV CHANGE BITCHESSSSS
  • the Iron Slayer’s double execution is like whaaaat biiiiiitch. i kinda want her to have more scenes in the story but idk if it could work. ill figure it out
  • Morlene having to give Cephas three times the normal dose of sedatives for his panic attack cause he’s a fucking mountain of a dude
  • “Vale can handle herself. This is more important.”
    “Not to me.”
    (LIKE WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?! I CRY?!?!?!?!!)
  • Morlene and Cephas breaking into the castle to break Vale out and Morlene doing cool magic shit and protecting Cephas while he’s killing some fools
  •           Another
    crack.            

             

    Screaming.

             

    Hit.

             

    Crack.

             

    Scream.

             

    Hit.

             

    Blood.

             

    Blood.

             

    Blood.
    (daaayyym)

  • “Mum told me to tell you to stay put.”
    “Was it Lourdes? You know you can’t
    trust her, right?”
  • “I didn’t think you’d come back for me.”
    “What
    do you even mean, dumbo?” I laugh again. “You came back for me or did you hit
    your head that badly?”
    “No,
    I meant before,” Cephas nudges me. “When you caught me climbing up that fence,
    I thought you were leaving with that boat. I didn’t expect you to come back.”
    “I
    know.”
    “Is
    that why you did it?”
    “To
    prove you wrong? No.”
    “Then
    why?”
    “Because
    I like it when you’re around. And when you’re not around I wish you were. It’s that simple. I tried to make
    it more complicated but that’s just about it.”
  • the Golden Trio having a heart to heart about all that’s been going on then Cephas sleeping next to Vale on the floor and him getting up in the middle of the night and calling out for Vale to make sure she’s there hahahahhaha i’M OKAY
  • the Big Reveal followed by Big Betrayal
  • when Vale’s time stoppy power DOES THE THINGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
  • the whole part where they’re listening to the tapes. I know that it’s so much infodump but there’s literally no other practical way to tell what happened and I just love that Celia and Eamon get to be in the story way more than they should be since they’re dead parents and stuff
  • the little glimpse of Downtown Caelmoor we get once things completely fall apart. by now we know the rich people of Caelmoor fucking suck on average and their needs control everything on the island so seeing them in the midst of chaos is still interesting.
  • Vale being a big boy and refusing a hug then running straight to Mason for a hug like idiot, grow up and accept hugs when you need them, like a normal person
  • the last message to Cephas OW
  • “Yeah, big-fucking-whoop, Vale has feelings! I didn’t think I was fooling anyone either.”
  • (about Lourdes, Leo’s mother) “Leo, run, she’s right behind you.”
  • I give a teary-eyed goodbye speech to
    the population of the Atrium- SYKE, I don’t do shit.
  • “You go find Tulip you
    ask him to help. He help you. Ask him to no questions, he will no question. You
    aren’t lonely.”
    (Tulip the hidden MVP)
  • UMM LEO CALLS VALE AUNT VALE?!?!?!?! RUDE?!?!?!??!?!?!?!
  • “I can’t believe they hired other assassins to do the job. I’m offended.”
    “What did you expect? You weren’t around to-”
    “…to be the objectively superior
    choice?”

I don’t do self-inserts but they say you always put some of yourself in all of your characters and well, Vale unfortunately inherited my inability to stay serious during dramatic moments.

“I only ask for one last leap of faith. You don’t
even have to do the jumping, I’ll do it for you. All you gotta do is brace
yourself for the fall. And let me be the… pile of mattresses at the bottom…? But then I wouldn’t be jumping cause I need to be there when you land- wait. This metaphor got away from me.”