Open Thread: Oracle Hotline

[mithen]

--Who are the main characters of your current WiP, and what motivates them at the point you're at in the story?

My main characters are Kevin and Sami, two pro wrestlers. Their motivations shift a little bit across the years, but at the point I'm at I think they're mostly motivated by wanting to prove to the world that they're where they deserve to be--they finally have gotten to the place I call the base camp of Everest and they're about to start to head for the peak (they reached one of the peaks last year and that will be the end of my book!)

Have your main characters' motivations shifted across the story or from earlier drafts?

Comments

[bradygirl_12]

Bruce and Dick are on the outs in my Edwardian AU, due to Bruce manipulations. Dick is angry but we all know that won't be permanent! ☺️

Wow, the end for your book is in sight! Bet that's a relief! 😎

[mithen]

Bruce! Why you gotta be so manipulative? I kind of love how that's basically an eternal theme in any relationship with Bruce.

I'm making good progress! I'm putting aside an hour or two every day at this point and I think that will get me to the end in the next couple of months. If it weren't for having to do research, even faster!

[svgurl]

Wow, you're so close to the finish line! That's awesome! :D

The main character of my role reversal fic is Lois, since the whole story is in her POV and doesn't shift. Clark is a top secondary character, but he was really sparse in the first chapter and he's not in every scene, like she is. Lois is still working out who she is and her dual identity, so she's motivated to save the world and be top reporter. Clark wants to continue to make his own name and then do what's right. Someone once asked me if Clark would be a Green Lantern in this story and while I didn't have any plans to give him a costumed role, I feel like he definitely has the right traits to get a ring.

The only thing that changed from my first draft was the setting - I initially started with Lois's childhood and was going to write various, significant moments of her life until she reached adulthood/got to the Planet. Then I realized it was dragging and changed it up to start it off when she's being interviewed for a position at the Planet and squeezed some of those scenes as flashbacks instead.

[mithen]

I love AUs where Clark is a Green Lantern, because I feel like it suits him really well!

I initially started with Lois's childhood and was going to write various, significant moments of her life until she reached adulthood/got to the Planet.

Those must be so fun to write, but I can see why you decided to trim them and incorporate them into the main story, to get things moving (and Clark on the scene and their relationship sparking) as soon as possible! Although, wait, if this is a Smallville AU did she know Clark before coming to Metropolis?

[svgurl]

I've never actually read one before, but you are right that it does suit him! When they made the suggestion, I had a real "OH, that really works".

Exactly, it just felt like it was taking too long and the words flowed faster once I changed the scene, which made it feel it was the right decision.

Although, wait, if this is a Smallville AU did she know Clark before coming to Metropolis?
No, I kinda handwaved canon around a lot, so that while Lois visited Smallville once or twice due to Chloe being her cousin, she never ran into Clark. I thought about having a scene where they met once as children and lowkey forgot about it, but it didn't fit the theme of the story. You know, now that I think about it, I had Lois save Lex instead of Clark, but now I wish I had both of them do it and she just disappeared while he was giving Lex CPR. Oh, the regrets! It's funny, I accidentally ended up making myself more interested in Clark's backstory because in my head, he had to deal with the meteor mutants and the like without powers.

[mithen]

It's funny, I accidentally ended up making myself more interested in Clark's backstory because in my head, he had to deal with the meteor mutants and the like without powers.

Oh, you're right, that's super-interesting! How does well-meaning decent normal guy Clark handle all the insanity happening around him when he's relatively helpless is a fascinating question...