WIP Questions Tag
Rules : Answer as many (or as few) of the questions about your WIP as you can.
Tagged by @drawnecromancy! Read their answers for Le Prix du Sang here.
1. What was the first part of your WIP that you created?
Apophenia was originally a short story called "Dysthanasia" I wrote for an event on Ao3. Now Dysthanasia is the name of the series overall, and the story's a novel-length rough draft in the process of being rewritten.
2. If your story was a TV show, what would the intro song be?
Something short, instrumental, and spooky but with a touch of whimsy. Gotta have that little spark of fun or it'd wind up taking itself too seriously.
3. Who are your favourite character(s) and why?
I'm in love with all of them, but I have to stand by my protagonist, Isaac. He's a squishy human nerd, with no supernatural powers to speak of, but through being resourceful and more than a little lucky manages to survive awful situations. A lot of his characterization has to do with principles and compassion, but not quite in the soft or naive way readers might expect. His enemies repeatedly try to buy or break him, punishing him every time he does what he feels is right, but Isaac remains defiant, refusing to become jaded or take the easy way out. Is he destined to become a martyr? A monster? Stay tuned.
4. What other pieces of media could share a fan base with your WIP?
I'd hope The Vampire Chronicles fans would get into it. Maybe The Witcher fans, as far as characters relying on each other in an unjust world goes? Possibly readers of Octavia Butler, whose work I enjoy. I guess anyone who likes fictional organizations and the paranormal might see the appeal.
5. What has been your biggest struggle while writing your WIP?
Juggling all the backstory and worldbuilding that influences the characters and plot. So much happens before the actual story even starts. The death of Isaac's family. Renato becoming a bloodborn and his eroding loyalty to his sire. A cataclysm that reshaped the map. I'm doing my best to make these come through the text without hitting the reader with a wall of exposition.
6. Are there any animals in your story?
Living and undead! There's Renato's beloved goldfish, Tesoro. The elk, coyote, and bear Motley transforms into. Likewise the species of sharks that some of the good people of Eureka, Nevada can turn into. Or the livestock they raise, mainly sheep, goats, and chickens.
7. How do your characters get around?
Electric cars, horses, trains, or by turning into a much quicker animal.
8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?
I think I'm almost halfway through the outline for the rewrite? Isaac is getting to know the supernatural locals of America's friendliest town on its loneliest road, and they him.
9. What aspects of your WIP do you think will draw people in?
Renato being a hot vampire, and there being different factions to identify with will probably lure some in. Hopefully they decide to stay for the characters, emotional arcs, and end of the world too.
Dysthanasia Taglist (Sign up or ask to be +/-): @thecyrulik @thatndginger @sunset-a-story @space-writes @scoundrelwithboba (feel free to consider this a tag for the game itself too)
Additionally @izzyspussy @wintherlywords @authoralexharvey @chauceryfairytales @autumnalwalker @revenantlore @captain-kraken @angsty-prompt-hole
Blank questions beneath the cut
1. What was the first part of your WIP that you created?
2. If your story was a TV show, what would the intro song be?
3. Who are your favourite character(s) and why?
4. What other pieces of media could share a fan base with your WIP?
5. What has been your biggest struggle while writing your WIP?
6. Are there any animals in your story?
7. How do your characters get around?
8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?
9. What aspects of your WIP do you think will draw people in?
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So with FFXIV FanFest coming up, I wanted to give a bit of a rundown of what to expect in terms of being in Las Vegas in July as well as my experience with the last in-person FanFest in 2018. I’ll also wrap up with some fun things to do and see in Vegas for those who might be staying an extra day to experience the city.
It’s a dry heat.
Las Vegas is squarely in the Mojave Desert, and at the end of July, expect temperatures at or above 100 F, but with potentially very low humidity. Sit right down and let this desert lizard tell you about surviving in this sort of climate.
Hydrate. Even if you’re in the air conditioning of the convention center or the casinos, hydrate. The air is very dry and you with dehydrate faster than you realize. Even at night, you can run the risk of dehydration.
Limit your time outside during the day. If you do spend any time outdoors, please wear sunscreen. Light colors and loose fitting clothing will also does wonders.
Learn the signs of heat cramps, exhaustion and stroke. The National Weather Service has this great infographic and site of how to recognize and treat the symptoms.
Now I mentioned earlier that the humidity would be potentially low. There is a chance that afternoon thunderstorms could develop during this time of year, raising the humidity on top of the heat.
Not heat related, but worth mentioning that Nevada is a legal state for weed and yes if you’re over 21 you can get some. But please, please, if you don’t have experience, take it low and slow. Don’t pop a 10mg gummy before the keynote at FanFest if you’ve never had an edible before, you’re gonna have a bad time.
Things I learned from 2018 FanFest
Now, I recognize that this year’s FanFest is not only larger, but in an entirely new venue, so some things I might say may not be necessarily true. But so far, this FanFest looks like it will have the same basic structure.
First thing’s first, while basic convention survival tips will apply, keep in mind this isn’t your typical convention. There isn’t a dealer’s room, artist alley, etc., so please don’t go in expecting something like that. But still exercise the same sort of precautions you would for any other large gathering of people. Stay aware of your surroundings, know the exits, keep a hold of your belongings, etc.
If you can, either catch a ride or get an Uber to a grocery store when you first get there. Get things like granola bars, easy breakfasts, snack packs to fit in your bag, bottled water, etc. If you’re someone who drinks, get a bottle of your preferred poison and mixer, and nab a cup with a lid and straw. Trust me, you’re not going to want to pay casino prices for booze and you can walk around the strip with your cup, you won’t get stopped for open container. Seriously, they sell yards of margaritas on the sidewalks.
FanFest is held over two days, with several different kinds of panels, a gaming room, and a concert to send off the evening each day. The first event will be the keynote speech, which will very much most likely be the teaser and announcement for the next expansion. Other panels include, but are not limited to, a live letter, Q&A, developer panels, cosplay show, and PvP championship.
The gaming room during 2018 FanFest was a big hall with a bunch of PCs set up that were hosting several different events. They already teased we’re going to get a brand new trial we can try out, so that will be one thing. Last FanFest they also had a trial roulette, but with a twist. A group of 8 would spin a big wheel to see which trial you had to do, but you would have some sort of IRL nerf. For example, I got to do Susano, but every 30 seconds, I had to get up and swap PCs with the person next to me. Tsukuyomi, you could only play with half a screen. So on and so forth. They also had a PvP arena where you could fight someone else, the Eureka challenge where you had to run through Pagos as level 1 and try to survive, and a Kugane tower race.
For the gameplay stuff, you have a few minutes to choose your class and adjust your hotbars. You have the option of game controller or keyboard and mouse. My biggest tip? Take a picture of your hotbars before you go. That will make setting them up SO much faster.
In the package with our badge, we also got a stamp card and Cactpot ticket. You got stamps for doing the challenges in the game room, as well as doing things like their mini Gold Saucer games and Fashion Report game. At the end when you showed all your stamps, we got some posters. The Cactpot ticket had a site and ever so often they would draw numbers. If your number got drawn, you won a prize. Friend of mine got one of the Taito Krile figures.
Each day ends relatively early, but trust me when I say that you’re going to need the rest at the end of the night. No shame in turning in early.
Alright, that’s a lot of stuff, right? One of the biggest things I learned is take your time. There is a lot of things going on and it really helped to find a place to sit and just...take it all in. Listen to your body, eat through the day, take both mental and physical breaks. Find a place to sit and chill for a while between panels. You’ll be able to get through all of it and there’s no need to rush. Take tons of pictures, make memories and have fun.
Fun and some free things to do while in Las Vegas
Some of you might have some free time before or after FanFest to take in the city. There are plenty of fun, non-gambling activities you can do in and around the Strip. Some of them are free, some of them aren’t. But I hope this helps give some ideas of what to do.
Disclaimer: Many of this locations are inside or adjacent to casinos. You might have to walk through the gambling areas themselves. If you’re under 21, as long as you keep walking as you pass through, you won’t be stopped.
Exercise the same caution you would in any other large city. Travel with a group, keep an eye on your belongings, stay aware of your surroundings, that sort of thing. Vegas isn’t any more dangerous or safe than any other city in the US. With a healthy vigilance, you’ll be able to have fun safely.
Circus Circus Midway and Adventure Dome - Both of these are in the Circus Circus casino, but are pretty fun if you’re not into gambling. The Midway has carnival games and is near a stage where they do free circus acts.
Showcase Mall with M&M World and the Coca-Cola store - Both really neat places close to each other. This is my go-to place for souvenirs.
The Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace - While a lot of these are high end shops, the mall and casino itself is really cool. There’s also a free show that starts on the hour starting at 11am with talking Greek god statues that’s really corny but very fun.
The Bellagio water show and botanical garden - Both of these are free and are simply incredible. The water show can be seen outside in front of the casino, times vary so check the site. The garden is inside the casino and very much worth the visit.
The Stratosphere (now called The STRAT I guess?? lol) - The tallest building this side of the Mississippi. If you’re not afraid of heights, it’s got a great view of the strip and surrounding areas. There’s also a couple of thrill rides that aren’t for the faint of heart.
There are a TON more things to do so it’s well worth the research to find more, but these were things I’ve done before that I found to be worth the visit.
EDIT: Two good suggestions in the comments.
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On to Round 2!
This is a wrap-up of the current standings. Polls for round 2 will be published starting this Saturday (12/16).
Congratulations to all the counties that progressed!
The state that is standing the strongest is New York, with 39 counties progressing to round 2! Albany, Allegany, Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Jefferson, Kings, Livingston, Nassau, New York, Niagara, Oneida, Orange, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Schuyler, Steuben, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westchester, and Wyoming.
Next most powerful state is Virginia, which has 36 winning counties. Alleghany, Alleghany, Amherst, Augusta, Bedford, Brunswick, Caroline, Carroll, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Gloucester, Goochland, Grayson, Halifax, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lee, Louisa, Montgomery, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, Pulaski, Rockingham, Scott, Smyth, Southampton, Tazewell, Warren, and Wise.
Ohio is also standing strong with 27 advancing counties. Brown, Butler, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Geauga, Holmes, Jackson, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Madison, Mahoning, Medina, Mercer, Monroe, Muskingum, Perry, Pickaway, Ross, Scioto, Seneca, Trumbull, and Van Wert.
North Carolina is up next with a solid 24 wins. Beaufort, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Camden, Carteret, Craven, Currituck, Granville, Harnett, Henderson, Hoke, Jackson, Johnson, Lenoir, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Onslow, Person, Robeson, Tyrrell, and Wake.
Only 1 more state has over 20 counties that made won their match-ups and that's my wonderful Washington. Adams, Asotin, Chelan, Clallam, Cowlitz, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman, Yakima. Stay strong my soldiers.
A much higher number of states are comfortably in the middle of the pack. They are as follows:
Texas: 19 counties. Bosque, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Fort Bend, Goliad, Hockley, Jones, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, McMullen, Milam, Ochiltree, Orange, Panola, Parker, San Patricio, and Travis.
California: 17 counties. Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Imperial, Lake, Mariposa, Monterey, Orange, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yolo.
Pennsylvania: 16 counties. Allegheny, Blair, Butler, Carbon, Dauphin, Franklin, Greene, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montgomery, Perry, Potter, Venango, and York.
Tennessee: 15 counties. Blount, Campbell, Carter, Cumberland, Hardin, Houston, Johnson, Knox, Madison, Maury, McNairy, Obion, Union, Williamson, and Wilson.
Nebraska: 13 counties. Adams, Buffalo, Cass, Cherry, Dakota, Keith, Knox, Nuckolls, Platte, Saunders, Stanton, Thayer, and Webster.
Nevada: 13 counties. Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Esmeralda, Eureka, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Pershing, Storey, Washoe, and White Pine.
Illinois: 12 counties. Cook, DeKalb, Franklin, Jasper, Kane, Marion, McDonough, McHenry, Morgan, Peoria, St Clair, and Winnebago.
Maryland: 12 counties. Anne Arundel, Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Washington, and Worcester.
Michigan: 12 counties. Barry, Berrien, Clinton, Genesee, Gogebic, Kalamazoo, Lake, Oceana, Ottawa, Rocommon, Sanilac, and Wexford.
Iowa: 11 counties. Dickinson, Fayette, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Humboldt, Jefferson, Jones, Polk, Pottawattamie, and Wright.
Louisiana: 11 parishes. Ascension, Bossier, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia, Jefferson, Lincoln, Natchitoches, St Bernard, St James, and St Tammany.
New Jersey: 11 counties. Bergen, Cumberland, Essex, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren.
Kentucky: 10 counties. Boone, Boyle, Breckinridge, Daviess, Leslie, Logan, Pike, Shelby, Trimble, Woodford.
Many of these poor cute states are barely hanging on. Please wish them luck.
Florida: 8 counties. Alachua, Bay, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okaloosa, Osceola, Palm Beach, and St Johns.
New Mexico: 8 counties. Colfax, Curry, Doña Ana, Lincoln, Mora, Otero, Roosevelt, and Socorro.
Georgia: 6 counties. Bartow, Cherokee, Floyd, Fulton, Pierce, and Rockdale.
Indiana: 6 counties. Benton, Elkhart, Jennings, Marion, Marshall, and Starke.
Minnesota: 6 counties. Aitkin, Clearwater, Hennepin, Hubbard, McLeod, and Pipestone.
Wisconsin: 6 counties. Calumet, Fond du Lac, Osaukee, Portage, Racine, and Sheboygan.
Wyoming: 6 counties. Big Horn, Converse, Lincoln, Natrona, Park, and Teton.
Missouri: 5 counties. Clay, Gentry, Greene, Newton, and St Louis.
South Carolina: 5 counties. Anderson, Calhoun, Dillon, Dorchester, and Lexington.
Utah: 5 counties. Beaver, Summit, Utah, Washington, and Wayne.
Alaska: 4 boroughs. Anchorage, Juneau, Matanuska-Susitna, and Wrangell.
Arkansas: 4 counties. Cross, Searcy, Washington, and White.
Colorado: 4 counties. Douglas, El Paso, Fremont, and La Plata.
Oklahoma: 4 counties. Bryan, Payne, Rogers, and Washington.
West Virginia: 4 counties. Fayette, Marion, Monongalia, and Roane.
Alabama: 3 counties. Bullock, Cleburne, and Mobile.
Arizona: 3 counties. Coconino, Maricopa, and Yavapai.
Maine: 3 counties. Androscoggin, Hancock, and Washington.
Idaho: 2 counties. Bannock and Bonner.
Kansas: 2 counties. Atchinson and Johnson.
Massachusetts: 2 counties. Barnstable and Berkshire.
Montana: 2 counties. Gallatin and Silver Bow.
North Dakota: 2 counties. Benson and LaMoure.
Some states only have 1 county that progressed. They are: Delaware (Kent County), Hawaii (Maui County), Mississippi (Adams County), New Hampshire (Hillsborough County), Oregon (Linn County), and South Dakota (Bennet County).
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In addition to all the winning counties above, there will be 83 new county flags folded into round 2!!! (Because of math reasoning this had to happen) Get hyped
They are as follows:
Alexander NC, Allen OH, Alpena MI, Alpena MI, Alpine CA, Arapahoe CO, Ashe NC, Avery NC, Baldwin AL, Baltimore MD, Bell KY, Benzie MI, Bernalillo NM, Black Hawk IA, Brevard FL, Camden NJ, Campbell WY, Canyon ID, Centre PA, Charles City VA, Cheatham TN, Chester PA, Clark WA, Clarke VA, Cleveland OK, Cochise AZ, Columbus NC, Coweta GA, Darke OH, Davidson NC, Elko NV, Erie PA, Florence SC, Garrett MD, Goshen WY, Greene VA, Grundy IL, Gwinnett GA, Hidalgo TX, Highland OH, Hocking OH, Holt NE, Hot Springs WY, Howard MD, Huntingdon PA, Ingham MI, Island WA, Kankakee IL, Lackawanna PA, Lawrence PA, Leelanau MI, Lehigh PA, Leon FL, Liberty TX, Lucas OH, Madera CA, Mahaska IA, Manitowoc WI, McLennan TX, Meigs OH, Milwaukee WI, Nashville and Davidson TN, Northumberland VA, Orleans NY, Page VA, Porter IN, Sacramento CA, Salt Lake UT, San Diego CA, Sangamon IL, Sevier TN, Shelby TN, Skamania WA, Spotsylvania VA, Stafford VA, Sussex VA, Terrell TX, Trinity CA, Tulsa OK, Tuscarawas OH, Ventura CA, Wahkiakum WA, Yuma AZ
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