#talysnovel: malefacta
Text
talys’s great nanowrimo 2019 debacle: the post
i felt like being grandiose, just not grandiose enough that I’d properly capitalize things. bear with me.
So I’ve had a bit of a time figuring out what to do for NaNoWriMo this year. So it’s venting time.
I’m also using this to do like, a status report on all my writing endeavors.
Okay so I haven’t had any new novel idea in a while now. I mean, that’s fine. I have a massive pile of WIPs anyway. But (and I think I already made a post about it earlier) the problem for nanowrimo was this:
I didn’t want to do a rewrite of any of the existing drafts:
FEITS v3 was paused at about halfway done in 2017, and while I’ve had a bunch of ideas for it, I haven’t really taken the time to work on them.
Psychopomp’s first draft is complete, but it could use a rewrite
Tangled Stars and Dragged to the Underworld are about 50k each with a missing third act
Eloped in the Night is a 15k word mess that needs major rewriting because it was still Brooding Lust when I wrote those)
Of these five books, four have planned sequels, but: I didn’t want to write a sequel, since none of them anywhere near a final stage. That being
FTEITS (for which I wrote like 30k of a first draft of book 2, most of which is good for the trash what with all the changes I’ve made),
Psychopomp, whose sequel would have been the best candidate in this category honestly because I don’t think the rewrites would be super structural
Eloped/Dragged are part of the same universe though mostly standalones, but each of the subsequent books in that series would draw from one or both of these, and like I said, neither are even a complete first draft.
While I have a bunch of fic ideas, I didn’t want to do a fic for nanowrimo because it felt like cheating.
Which left me with um…like, nothing. Well, not quite.
So you may or may not know this (I kind of forget where I put information online) but my first draw to storytelling was actually video games. In broad strokes, here’s a quick history of that:
As a very young child (we’re talking 4-8 years old here), I’d play pretend with my plushies
When I got Crash Bandicoot 2 (one of my first video games I was really into), I started to imagine various games where my plushies would be the protagonists. Inspired by Crash, Zelda, other games…I remember once outlining a 15-part series of games around my favorite plushy, each of which was basically subdivided into chunks of different genres. I even invented a “dark age of the franchise”.
When I got Final Fantasy X and then got another gaming magazine with a walkthrough of Final Fantasy X, I started inventing a self-insert game based heavily on it, and wrote most of my ideas in the format of a walkthrough. I even parroted the editing style because I was like nine.
That story was iterated upon several times, and eventually yielded the character of Talys Alankil (well, sort of—the name actually originated in Guild Wars and was then repurposed. Somewhere in the lore, the two of them are like, extremely distant relatives, or were until I decided all copyrighted works were purged from canon). Thanks for creating my brand, 13 and 15-year-old mes.
I actually got into computer engineering because of games, except I then realized the storytelling was what interested me. Oops. I mean I like programming but I’d never want to work as a programmer in a game.
That tangent was completely pointless but whatever, this is the state of the talys post.
Anyway. Point is. I got a new idea for a game earlier this year. Life Is Strange 2 meets Octopath Traveler by way of Vanitas from Kingdom Hearts as the protagonist. This is the first time I have an idea that I can phrase in this kind of pitch so I’ll indulge. Fight me.
Working title is just “The Road” though obviously it needs some work, and over the past few months I’ve actually done some pretty good prep work, so I thought, hey, why not challenge myself this nanowrimo and write a script for a game instead of a novel!
And like, there’s no reason why not. I’m actually feeling pretty attached to the protagonist already, I’ve been wanting to try scrivener’s script writing tool, it could be fun. Of course, the problem is that a script for a game (especially this one) is inerently nonlinear and requires thorough planning, which I have not done. And nanowrimo starts…technically tomorrow night if I can still stay up past midnight.
[Second tangent time: I’ve been going for a teaching degree, which has forced me to reset my sleep schedule extremely hard and I hate it]
So that brings me option 2. Well, technically there are two options here, but only one that’s remotely viable.
I may have mentioned it before but in FTEITS, Adam and Cell bond over (among other things) a shared favorite book/author. Well, mostly a book. There is also a scene of Adam finding that author’s new book and experiencing nostalgia over his lost life, which may or may not survive the rewrites. The author, incidentally, is my self-insert in that world, and will also not be an active character in the plot of the books, but I just felt like mentioning it. And yes, that means my protagonists are fans of my work. Sue me.
The one they’re both a fan of is titled Snow to Ashes (I remember way way back, when I randomly picked a title “The Brain is Out”, before I had any idea what it was about). It is, incidentally, a chance to analyze Adam and Cell’s character arc by proxy and in a microcosm, which is good because I feel that sometimes their arcs are still kind of ill-defined. Basically the story has two protagonist and it is canon that Adam and Cell each relate more to one of them.
The problem with that is that now I’m getting a lot of ideas for Snow to Ashes, and I don’t know if I have the time to work all of these ideas and iron them out before nanowrimo starts.
So that’s where I’m at. Either way I will be pantsing it. I was hoping to get to do some outlining this week before Friday, but it turns out that being tired, having a pretty big spike of executive dysfunction, final fantasy 14, and my parents deciding to watch the TV again after years of not doing it (thus making noise at the time of day that would be perfect for me to write), is not fertile grounds for productivity. I am, incidentally, out of a FF14 subscription in four days, which is very fine by me since that game would also ruin nanowrimo itself, not just the pre-nano prep.
This isn’t really a request for feedback tbh, just, like I said, venting. Hoping to straighten my thoughts and figure out which choice is best.
As a PS i should mention that yes, the Talys Alankil game is also technically a writing option, and I could write a script for that. I mean it’s almost a rewrite because that one has a pretty rigid outline already, but. Yeah. It’s an option too.
Edited: I didn’t mention Malefacta. I didn’t forget about malefacta. I just don’t know what to do with Malefacta. It’s annoying.
Edited2: Remember when I almost wrote a superhero book for nanowrimo 2017? yeah that’s still a project I have somewhere. I’m no feeling it though. Sorry, superhero project. You were never meant to be, I guess.
#talys liveblogs nanowrimo#nanowrimo 19#talysnovel: fteits#talysnovel: psychopomp#talysnovel: tangled stars#talysnovel: eloped#talysnovel: dragged#talysnovel: snow to ashes#talysnovel: the road#i'm using a talysnovel: tag even though it's not a novel idc#talys reboots a universe#I think that's my tag for the Talys game#talysnovel: malefacta#talysnovel: tpe
0 notes
Note
your oc's + coffee shop au named 'a shop named liberTEA'
Guys you need to realize that “my ocs” encompasses something like three hundred people across several universes. I mean not all of them are of the same importance obviously but still. specifics.
So I’ll just make a coffeeshop au about all the characters i feel like including. because…libertea! So have a massive crossover thing with multiple subplots.
Talys is the barista who just can’t get the job done right. The only reason he works here is because Liera (his gf) is the manager and she’s indulging him. Tian is the new employee who’s basically a coffee artist with the perfect blend of hipster aesthetics and aloofness to be irresistible (he probably just came into the Big City™ and doesn’t realize how amazing he is). At first Talys is super jealous and then he’s super in love. Poly shenanigans ensue (is it wrong of me to want this guy when i have an amazing gf; oh no my gf is into him she’ll leave me for the obnoxiously amazing hot guy; oh god is he flirting with me; oh god is he flirting with her????; then some kind of honest discussions to settle things).[side-note: at some point I should 1) cement the latest version of this project and 2) talk about it on tumblr because i don’t even think i ever mentioned Tian before except off-handedly. Hell, I still don’t have a tag for this. Sigh.]
Vals is the regular who just loves hanging out here. Pietro just wanted to have coffee but there’s no free table and/or he sits at Vals’s table (like…maybe Vals was in the bathroom or something). Shenanigans ensue. Probably in relation to Pietro’s depression, since that’s the only aspect of canon I could keep in this AU.
Aveline and Robert are also employees (Aveline could be Liera’s co-manager, if that’s a thing?). They’re the Gay BFFs everyone who doesn’t know them well thinks are dating for some reason, even though Tommy (Robert’s bf) is literally there whenever Robert’s shift ends so they can head home together?? And no one picks up on it??? Especially not the girl with a major crush on Aveline. Obviously.
David is the employee who can actually fix the equipment when it breaks. He’s also the barista who flirts with literally everyone, even though (being aroace) they don’t actually stand a chance or anything. Apsis is the foreign exchange student with strict parents who imposed a chaperone on him while he was doing his semester abroad. He comes to the shop to work because the place his parents rented are so far off-campus that going to the library is too much of a hassle. David flirts, Apsis doesn’t really care, (queerplatonic) friendship ensues.
Adam being a coffee addict is literally canon, so I can keep that in this au. Cell is the only employee who can get his Super Specific Order™ right, so Adam ends up memorizing his shifts to get his dose of caffeine as he likes it. Totally for pragmatic reasons.
As for the rest of the casts…man I could probably do every single character, let’s be real. Not everyone could be tied to the coffee shop, though, and a lot of the subplots already don’t really intersect beyond being in the same place.
Also I guess I sort of didn’t use the title except to justify using all of my characters at once? Sorry not sorry anon.
On the other hand I kind of want to write that. Someday.
#ask meme#but really this was fun#talysnovel: fteits#talysnovel: malefacta#talysnovel: psychopomp#talysnovel: sitr#talys reboots a universe#Anonymous#ask
2 notes
·
View notes
Note
For the OC meme: A-J + P
So many :o (I’ll be using the characters from my books so feel free to read more over here)
A: is the most attractive.
Matthias from FTEITS is canonically meant to be gorgeous, so I’ll go with him. Totally not because he’s my husbando. I don’t know what you mean.
B: gets bored the fastest.
Vals from Psychopomp without a doubt.
C: is the most open to cuddling.
I mean I’m very partial to cuddling so this is kind of a rough competition because I’d say everybody? But I’d say Cell from FTEITS gets the cake.
D: fears death the most.
Not the guys from Psychopomp, since death is a pretty chill nonbinary entity in that ‘verse. Beyond that, I’m not really sure?
E: is the most emotive.
Adam from FTEITS is probably the single character for whom I’ve written the most angst, but that’s probably just because he’s the main character/PoV of the longest book I’ve written yet and his story is pretty angsty (and he is prone to angst more than, say, Vals). I’m not sure if he really counts though, since he’s actually able to get over it and remain logical…most of the time.
I feel like David from Tangled Stars might be emotive? It would be an interesting challenge for me to write such a character as a protagonist. To be determined.
F: is my favorite.
Nope. Not choosing my favorite child. Sorry :P
G: has the greenest thumb.
Probably someone from Malefacta, since we have a fairy (albeit a dark one), a fairytale princess, and a guy whose family is tied to fairies as part of the main characters.
There’s also a main character from Tangled Stars named Asher. And yes, his affinity to plants is definitely inspired by intergalactic-ashkenazi (even though I picked the name independently ^^). Also, it works out because solarpunk aesthetic and plant aliens are involved.
H: trusts their horoscope the most.
??¿¿¿???¿??? No one? I rarely write characters who are deeply spiritual to begin with, let alone superstitious. I might at some point in the future, but I’ve got no one yet.
I: tends to idolize people they shouldn't.
I try to avoid it as much as I can because it’s hard to convey that they’re wrong for idolizing people and still make it believable, but I’d say Cell and/or Pietro from Psychopomp would be the most qualified, though they quickly get over it.
J: tells the most dad jokes.
I feel like a broken record, but I guess Cell would be that too. If he ever were a dad. Ahem.
P: is the purest, most perfect cinnamon roll.
Cell is my precious baby, but I’m not sure he fully qualifies? I guess it depends at which point of his character development you look at him.
Also, Aveline is technically a fairytale princess. I think that could count too.
#talysnovel: fteits#talysnovel: malefacta#talysnovel: psychopomp#talysnovel: tangled stars#ask meme#babyairnymph#ask
3 notes
·
View notes
Note
1,10,20 and 36?
1. Your first OC ever?
…That is a very good question. Do the personalities I gave my plushies count? I did invent a fake video game series with one of them as the protagonist. There’s a lot of story going on with that little cat plushie. (Also a few Zelda ripoffs but they don’t count)
10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design?
I—am not sure what that means? Generally my complicated designs are saved for species, not characters. Even then, I’m not 100% sure any of them counts as “complicated”.
…I was really happy with my take on fairies from Malefacta (my 2013 nanowrimo). Larval state, parallel dimension, complicated stuff with magic and good and evil. Also I think they were spawned from trees or something? Man I need to go back to that story.
20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)?
Ummmmmm…I can’t think of any.
Strictly speaking I think in at least one version of his story Talys Alankil (you know my url’s namesake) had a card that gave him singing-related magic? It makes sense in context. I appear to have scrapped it.
If any of my characters in particular would love to sing, it’s probably Vals. But I haven’t really thought about it before. Also, Aveline is technically a fairytale princess, so I guess she’d sing too.
36. Do you have OC pairs where the other part belongs to someone else (siblings, lovers, friends etc)?
Nope! Sorry. Unless you count some of the Brewdening Love Expanded Universe characters.
#ask meme#terresdebrume#ask#talysnovel: malefacta#talys reboots a universe#(it's my tag for the talys alankil story sorry)
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
kind of want to write a retelling of cassandra’s story…
oh
oh my god
i can totally add it to malefacta
0 notes
Text
ah yes I wanted to finish the first draft of my 2014 nano so I could start the last stage of editing my 2012 nano.
instead I started planning a rewrite of my 2013 nano.
Good job, me.
1 note
·
View note
Text
NaNoWriMo challenge — Day 26
Day 26 - Was any research involved (historical or otherwise) in your NaNo prep?
Not much, but yes! I tried to research what was a possible location for each of the Disney stories that I'm using. Also, I tried to find something in Indian culture that could be my villain (and ended up with a devi).
0 notes
Text
NaNoWriMo challenge — Day 25
Day 25 - What are the names of at least two of your main characters? How did you choose their names?
Aveline is the original princess for this story. Her name is blatantly stolen from the protagonist of Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, although that's about it in the way of resemblance. It works well because it's a French name, and the story takes place in Brussels.
I guess Maleficent herself doesn't count, so let's move to the third main character, Robert. His name is actually derived from my high school crush (oops, I seem to keep doing that ^^). Or, rather, from his last name.
1 note
·
View note
Text
NaNoWriMo challenge — Day 24
Day 24 - Is religion featured in your novel at all? If so, which ones? If it’s/they’re your own creations, describe it/them and how it/they play(s) a part in your characters’ lives.
As I mentioned, one of the antagonist is a devi, which comes from Hinduism, but the religion itself isn't really important. This story is based on Disney movies, which are generally areligious, after all.
0 notes
Text
NaNoWriMo challenge — Day 23
Day 23 - Do animals play any part in your story? If so, how do they add to it?
I wanted Aveline to have an animal sidekick — preferably a cat — but it just sort of never happened.
In more general sense, all the other Princesses' animal sidekicks are in the service of the fairies in this story, consciously or not. So they may not have a huge role, but they still have one.
0 notes
Text
Well, there. Finished Malefacta.
It's pretty short at 47,185 words. But oh well.
Now to decide what I'll work on for the remainder of NaNoWriMo.
1 note
·
View note
Text
NaNoWriMo challenge — Day 19
Day 19 - Which authors or books have inspired your own writing the most, and why?
I'll refer to last year's answer. Also, writing advice from Whitley has become very handy, and helped me develop a more critical view of writing in general, both of my writing and other people's.
Finally, while she didn't influence my writing, Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles did sort of inspire me to write this at all. Sort of.
0 notes
Text
"Are you sure about that? Because I feel very corrupted right now," she said.
THIS SOUNDS SO MUCH MORE PERVERTED THAN INTENDED I'M SORRY ._.
Obviously I have to keep that line :P
1 note
·
View note
Text
NaNoWriMo challenge — Day 18
Day 18 - Who is the antagonist in your novel? What drives their actions?
There are two antagonists. The first is named Versika (courtesy of Chey). She's a devi (a female deity from Hindu mythology, although, not being very knowledgeable on the subject, it probably doesn't really match what a real devi is ^^) and wants an infinite source of magic that another character made.
The second is Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty. Why her? Eh, spoilers :D (the fact that she is an antagonist isn't a spoiler because it's revealed in the prologue ^^)
1 note
·
View note
Text
It's funny because my main princess is actually taking a backseat to Giselle of all people.
0 notes
Text
I almost misspelled spell as smell oops.
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
divyanshi
Untitled
data-personal-log
Study Report
heygorgeouswoman
Female Body Perfection
xlockscreennsx
layouts
hermionegranger15
🖤Harmione🤎 also lives in my head rent freee