Open Thread: Oracle Hotline

[mithen]

--What calms your most recent POV character?

Oh dear, that's Kevin Owens again, and there's no doubt that's eating. He's actually talked about how when he's stressed and unhappy he falls back on eating as a way to cope, and has definitely implied that he's struggled with some kind of eating disorder. One of my personal theories about his character is that his occasional binges of violence are based on the actor's experiences with dealing with binges of food--when he gets on a jag of attacking people he seems dazed and disoriented and just keeps doing the behavior that he clearly knows is a bad idea, as if he feels completely out of control of his own reactions. It feels very harrowing and real...

I've gotten very little fiction writing done, but a lot of nonfiction writing done! I'm very proud of the essay I wrote this week, it's one of my favorites, but now I have to deal with the letdown and the fact that it's unlikely the next one will have that kind of emotional "high" since I can't keep upping the emotional stakes indefinitely... (I also am unsure I can finish it in two weeks, this is a brutally busy time of year!)

How about you? What calms your character down--or you, because goodness knows we could all use some calm right now...

Comments

[ecto_gammat]

How fortuitous this post came now, because I'm trying to write a missing scene for a fic I wrote a while ago, and it's all argument so far, but it's a much needed, long time coming, argument. And I have no idea where I want this thing to go. I just know that it needs to be written, and I'm completely stalled lol

Easiest way to calm myself down is to drive out to the water's edge, climb up on my hood, light a cigarette and listen to Sólstafir, especially the song Náttfari, over and over and over

[mithen]

How fortuitous this post came now, because I'm trying to write a missing scene for a fic I wrote a while ago, and it's all argument so far, but it's a much needed, long time coming, argument. And I have no idea where I want this thing to go. I just know that it needs to be written, and I'm completely stalled lol

I hope it got unstalled! I've had so little luck with writing lately--canon has simply become too involving for me lately! I have to sit down and buckle in again... *sigh*

[me_ya_ri]

*snickers* Not dying of hypothermia.

Yes, really. I just finished a short story, fantasy, where the POV character almost dies of hypothermia due to winter and a really dangerous spell lying around loose. But she and her best friend fixed it so they're all fine now. Cuddled up resting while they recuperate from their adventure.

I've done pretty well on the writing this week. I got a couple of short stories done which means that I've finished all the short stories I wanted to get pre-written for next year's publishing schedule. :D

I want to publish at least 12 short stories and 12 novels next year. I've got 2 novels done and one started so that's good. Now I've got the short stories done so that's great. Plus I finally got all the Muirin stories reformatted so I can refresh them and then do some advertising for the series. Not shabby for November, I think.

Good luck with your writing next week!

[mithen]

But she and her best friend fixed it so they're all fine now. Cuddled up resting while they recuperate from their adventure.

Recovering from hypothermia is an excellent way to relax, I think!

Congrats on the progress, though I'm obviously soooooo far behind that your progress is far in the past and you've moved on to other kinds of progress! :D

[bradygirl_12]

The glittering Dick Grayson calms Bruce down. He excites Bruce, but knows when to gentle him like a thoroughbred and bring him down from his anxiety and rage. Dick handles his own anger better. He always has, and he helps Bruce with his fits, even when it appears Batman is being completely cold and emotionless. Dick knows better.

Too much going on this week for much writing, but I have some holiday ideas and am still just coasting along with my Clex Halloween story, which is amusing me in the middle of the Yuletide season. The Muses muse when they want to. :)

[mithen]

Ah, I love the incongruity that someone so sparkling and active would calm someone like Bruce down! But it makes perfect sense!

[navaan]

Oh, yay for feeling proud of your essay! But that is so true about the emotional stakes. I've had that with fic output - it's inevitable that the next thing after the thing you're so proud of won't be the same level and key is to not let yourself be bothered by it. But easier said than done.

I'm for once not sitting on a started draft. (Last week I finished another BB story. It's been a good year in terms of wordcount for me, and I have no idea how I did it, when I look at my calendar and all the things I had to do this year.) But, yeah, right now I'm blissfully between stories. :) I do have exchange things to write, that I can't disclose, but one of the next things I'm planning is, of course, Steve/Tony as a small coda to the BB I posted. It's going to tie up some loose ends about their getting together.

In the story Steve has figured out that what - ehm - clams him down is not being alone, haha. And Tony seems like the solution to that problem, but Tony is really not that interested in having another complicated relationship after he and Pepper broke up before "The Avengers". So in this coda, Steve will maybe have to learn more about what helps Tony relax. And they'll bot discover that quiet, domestic moments help calm them down, even though they are not really made for those.

I claimed art for the superbat RBB and now I'm nervously waiting for the contact information. \o/

[mithen]

I've had that with fic output - it's inevitable that the next thing after the thing you're so proud of won't be the same level and key is to not let yourself be bothered by it. But easier said than done.

It's definitely one of those intellectual things that's very hard to process emotionally! But I did soldier on and--somewhat ironically--I've gotten better response to essays after that one, reminding me that sometimes your own image of quality isn't the most unbiased, either!

In the story Steve has figured out that what - ehm - clams him down is not being alone, haha. And Tony seems like the solution to that problem, but Tony is really not that interested in having another complicated relationship after he and Pepper broke up before "The Avengers". So in this coda, Steve will maybe have to learn more about what helps Tony relax. And they'll bot discover that quiet, domestic moments help calm them down, even though they are not really made for those.

Oh, that sounds lovely and sweet, and a really interesting psychological study in both of them! I hope it turned out well for you?

[luciferxdamien]

Aah... Loki. What calms Loki down... Nothing really. XD I think he is more the type to focus his unrest into some sort of a scheme, or to just... outright do something to work out his frustrations, like... Attack Earth. Again. Ruin Thor's day, that probably calms him down, to see that pretty little blonde brother of his all upset and flustered, torn between his desire to save Loki from himself, and his need to save Earth from Loki... If Loki can't make himself feel better, why not make someone feel worse! So healthy~

Ah well... I did write over 50k last month, but... I wasn't able to finish either the Marvel or the DC BigBangs, even with amnesty. Since my wife and I signed up together and withdrew together, I won't be punished for next year and I plan to get a start on things right away! I started out strong on my BBs but... Ended up fairly depressed most of the summer and that wrecked everything. Then I had to push aside my creative writing for doing kimono research. I can't hardly be mad about that because the kimono panel went so well. Ah well! Live and learn. I'm really proud at how far my BBs came along though and I got SO CLOSE to finishing. They would have been my longest fics that I ever finished to date. XD At least I have been left with the motivation to finally finish things, which is like. The thing I never do.

[mithen]

Aah... Loki. What calms Loki down... Nothing really.

Truer words have probably never been spoken. :) Though I do like your eventual answer, that ruining other people's days helps!

Then I had to push aside my creative writing for doing kimono research. I can't hardly be mad about that because the kimono panel went so well.

Totally worth it then, really. Those kinds of real-world things do tend to get precedence! It's been ages (since I am so unable to finish anything myself), have you gotten any closure on the BBs?

[prince0froses]

Rorden is pretty slow to overt anger in the first place, but Tover is very good at calming him down. He's as much a therapy animal as a hunting companion.

Sian is calmed down by a bit of time alone to stew. Surrounded by family, he doesn't get that terribly often.

Mary is calmed down by the company of friends.

[mithen]

He's as much a therapy animal as a hunting companion.

Awww, I've definitely gotten that impression!

And the image of Sian just brooding over stuff for a while seems just about right...