Poll: When the time comes, which group of supporting characters do you want to see more of first? All choices will receive an arc where they will play a major role alongside the main characters, but the order of appearance will depend on the poll results. Poll ends after the next arc (at least 5 or 6 chapters more). Choose up to two. Vote Now!
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Author has written 2 stories for Persona Series, Code Geass, and RWBY. About me:Yeah, I'll fill this in later when I decide what to share about me. My Rules of Writing The following are rules that I follow when I write and/plan a story. Others may do things differently but these are things that I find are absolute necessities when writing. Don't take it as me telling you that you HAVE to do the same things, but I highly recommend you at least try them out. My stories and writing grew in quality when I tried these out years ago and started incorporating them into my writing. 1) Plan your stories from the bottom up. Many of you would be surprised to know - or maybe not - that the most common reasons why a story is never finished is either writer's block, lack of inspiration, lack of motivation to write, or a combination of any of the three. There isn't much that can be done for lack of motivation since that is usually a personal thing. But writer's block and poor inspiration is easy enough to fix for the most part. A common trend when people start writing is that they come up with an idea of what they want in a story and work from there. Their thought process often goes like this, 'I want this and that to happen', 'I don't like this in canon so let's make it go this way instead', or 'I want these people to be like this'. From there they go, 'After that let's make things go this way.' And then again, 'Let's make things go this way.' And then inspiration dries up and they can't think of what should happen next. Or perhaps they no longer want to write the story, since writing it feels more and more like a chore as time passes. It's normal, it happens, but it's something that can be avoided quite easily in truth. Rather than going from point A, to point B, to point C, and so on, try doing it this way. Think, not write, but think and plan of point A. Then think about point Z. That's right, think about the end after thinking of how the story starts. Personally I think of Z first before A, but the end result is the same either way. This way you have a starting point, and a visible end goal. The next step is to plan the major points in the story that will lead you to the ending you want. Start from point Y, that's right, point Y, the closest to the ending. Y you ask? (Yeah, I made a pun, sue me) The simplest answer is just that WHY. Why did the events of point Z happen? The answer to that is 'Because the events of point Y happened, that's why.' Sometimes the answer is 'Because the events of point D, J, T, and Y, happened' but that's more complicated. The next question is, 'Why did point Y happen?' Answer? You guessed it, 'Because point X happened.' And so on and so forth until you reach point A. If you need to, adjust point A a bit if it doesn't fit in with what happens in point B onwards. By doing this, you have a clear line of events that will lead from the start to the end. And because each leading event was planned to reach a specific result, all the events SHOULD be consistent and logical. By doing this you minimize the possibility of someone saying, 'Why did R happen when in J this and that happened? It doesn't make sense' Don't write out entire scenes just yet. Just write out specific events that NEED to happen. This gives you a lot of leeway to write minor/supporting events, as well as on-the-spot ideas that come to you as you write. And since you have a clear outline, you can always double check if those on-the-spot ideas will contradict something in the future of your story. It's much like driving a car. You think of where you want to go (Point Z), you consider where you are (Point A), and from there you plan your route (Points B-Y). Once that's done, once all your planning is complete, all that's left is to drive (Write). By having planned events, you'll also never run out of ideas. You just need to look at your notes and you'll see what comes next. It's not foolproof but this way you're less likely to be scratching your head wondering what to write next. The same thing goes for characters. The characters are part of the story, but each character has their own personal story. So you need to plan out how they develop into the person they are at the end of the story. If Person A starts out as an innocent, happy-go-lucky person when they were young, became a hardened assassin by the start of the story, and then became a politician at the end of the story, then you have to plan out what happened to them so that nobody questions you on how such a thing was possible. If things properly flow from start to finish then you're not likely to receive complaints about how the character/story growth is unbelievable (in a bad way) and inconsistent. And to make it all go smoothly, you have to plan out the path through which things will flow through. After all, you can't just dump an ocean's worth of water down one side of a mountain and expect it to flow in the direction you want like a river. But if you dig a trench following the path you want and pour the water down the right side of the mountain rather than just dumping it at the top, then you're likely to see the river you wanted at the beginning. 2) Don't start more than you can finish. In short, don't go starting dozens of stories just because you came up with a new idea. This is the fastest way to send your story/stories to the grave. I understand that inspiration often strikes out of the blue but if you start writing a story just because you were inspired to then you're already breaking Rule 1 above. Stories written like that are often the least likely to be finished. And if it ended up being popular, you end up less popular because people will start thinking of you as someone who doesn't finish their stories. More so if you have dozens of unfinished stories and almost no finished ones. Personally I only like to have two, MAYBE three, active stories at most. And among those, I focus heavily on one while the other two have slower updates. My reasons for this are simple. One, I don't have to keep track of too many story details in my head. And two, I can alternate between them if needed, usually when my brain needs a break from one specific story. But when I do have more than one active story, I make sure that all of them are planned out start to finish, following Rule 1. Some people might work better by having just one active story. That's fine as well as long as you don't start too many. Otherwise it will be like cooking eight different meals in eight different ways all at the same time. You'll have to choose to save one or two or risk burning them all. 3) Be open-minded but not to the point that your brain falls out Reviews are important. We all know that. It's what lets us know if we're going a good job or not, if we wrote things properly or if we made a mistake somewhere. The problem here is two-fold. A) Some authors don't take what their reviewers say into consideration. They just go 'It's my story, I'll write it how I want to write it.' Though sometimes they aren't that kind when responding to a review. Point is, authors who have this way of thinking are ignoring the point of reviews in the first place. Reviewers REVIEW, they go over the author's work and give them feedback. If you're going to ignore what the reviewers say then there was no point in getting the review in the first place. You wanted the reviews so others know your story is popular? Well, that's your prerogative. The reviewers don't know what they're talking about? I hope you at least responded calmly and respectfully regardless of how they worded their reviews. You don't like others telling you how to write your story? It's one thing if they're ordering you around but for the most part, reviews are suggestions and recommendations on how to be better, not commands that MUST be followed. You don't care if they think your story is poorly written? Well then, at least don't rant/rave/complain/whatever the hell you do when these people leave reviews. If you can't respond nicely then don't respond at all. But consider this. Not everyone who tells you that what you're doing is bad/wrong is trying to put you down. I know for a fact that many people here give reviews to not only encourage the writer but also to help them improve. And they want you to improve because 1) they believe you can deliver higher quality work and/or 2) they believe that you, as a fellow writer, also want to deliver higher quality work. If you feel that your work is good enough that you can disregard those people then be my guest. But if you are someone who wants to improve, who wants to be better, then at the very least consider each and every review. Those people took the time to let you know what they think, took the time to examine your story and style so that they could let you know what you could work on or what you are good at. The least you could do is spend time reading their reviews and honestly consider what they have to say. If you need more convincing, look at your story's stats. Specifically, look at how many visitors read a chapter by clicking on 'Traffic Graph' and scrolling down. Yes, Visitors, now Views. Views show how many times the chapter page was opened, regardless of whether or not it was the same person. Visitors show how many times the page was viewed from a different source. So if I open the page five times, that's five views. But unless I use five different computers (not sure if just changing my access point to the internet will count) it will only add one to the Visitor count. Now compare the number of visitors to how many of them reviewed. My chapter with the most number of reviews to date (Nov. 27, 2016) is 21 reviews for a little over 1000 visitors within a period of 1 month (I uploaded it Oct 29, 2016). That's roughly 2% of the Visitor count. Small percentage, isn't it? An older chapter, one that was uploaded two weeks before that one) has 6 reviews and had roughly the same number of visitors, a little over 1000. That's less than 1%. That's how valuable a review is to me. How valuable is it to you? B) Some authors, on the other hand, listen too much. So much so that the reviewers are practically directing the story while using the author to put what they want into words. I understand that you want more people to read your story, we all do. But when we let reviewers dictate how the story goes then it's no longer our story, is it? Write the story you want, the story you envisioned, and don't let anyone push you off course just because you want to cater to their needs. It's one thing if it's your grammar/spelling/characterization or some other aspect of your writing style that's the problem. That can be fixed. But if people don't like the story itself, if the story doesn't fit their needs/wants, then it'll be their problem to look for something else. It shouldn't become your problem in any way at all. As I mentioned above, reviews regarding the story/writing style should be taken as suggestions and recommendations, because that is what they are. Nobody is forcing you to obey them. But since we are writers, since writing and posting here is an open invitation for people to review our stories, we have to at least consider them. From there, we decide which ones to listen to and which ones to decline. Which ones are honestly trying to help us, and which ones simply want their own wishes for the story fulfilled regardless of the author's own plan? That's up to us as the writer to determine. The same thing applies when you ask people for suggestions, especially in forum discussions and such. Unless you plan to turn it into a collaboration, rather than just you asking for suggestions, then remember that YOU are the author and that all you are asking for is suggestions. Suggestions, as the word implies, are suggested. They are put forward for consideration. And as the receiver of the suggestion, it's your job to consider them. Considering them means taking into account what it would mean if it was accepted. And if you don't feel that it is a good idea to use it, then don't. Simple as that. They aren't absolute orders that you have to follow. They are there for your consideration. And if someone gives you a suggestion and expects you to follow it, then perhaps you should think twice about listening to them. Just be sure to be polite when turning down suggestions. Even if the one offering advice is rude about it. And yes, that goes for this little bit of advice you're reading. I don't expect you to follow it if it doesn't suit you. But hopefully you consider the points of my advice as well as the intent behind my giving it. 4) Details please It might just be a big headache to many, both readers and writers, but those little details are quite important. I'm not just talking about the details of the story, but of the people and settings as well. This is a big problem when it comes to crossovers especially. You're writing a crossover between A and B, maybe even a mega-crossover between five different series. In that case, ask yourself this. Is everyone who is going to read this going to know who all the major characters are? A lot of the time the answer is a big, resounding, NO. Even if you're writing a crossover between two of Jump's big three (Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece), there is no guarantee that everyone reading it is knowledgeable of all three. Not even Harry Potter crossovers can claim that every reader is knowledgeable about the books' various characters. When I write fanfiction, crossover or no, I find it's best to always assume that the reader knows nothing about the series. As such, whenever a new character makes an appearance, I try to describe them in detail to give readers a clear idea. 'Standing there was a girl. She had brown hair and was wearing plain clothing.' How does that sound? Are you able to visualize the same image as I was? I doubt it because I'm sure her hairstyle and the specifics of her clothing appear differently in our imaginations. Some may be thinking long hair while others think short. And what constitutes plain clothing? A t-shirt? A sleeveless shirt? A blouse? Pants? Skirt? Shorts? I'm sure we aren't even imagining her with the same age. Let's try it this way. 'Standing there was a girl who looked to be in her mid-teens. She had long brown hair, braided and draped over her left shoulder with a bright yellow ribbon at the end. She wore a plain white shirt with black lining, and faded, loose-fitting jeans.' Now tell me, which one sounded better? Which one painted a better picture in your heads? The same thing applies to the setting such as the room, the building, the city, and even the events in the story. Details are the difference between a stick drawing and a masterpiece on display in a museum. The stick drawings may be enough to bring your point across, but the painting conveys a more complete picture. Admittedly I'm not the best at this. But I try my best regardless of how good (or bad) I am because I want my readers to be able to visualize the same thing I am, to visualize what I want them to visualize. And I can only do that if I can provide the proper details. 5) Everything in moderation, even moderation No, I didn't add the second half on my own. Much like what I meant with the open-mindedness, there's such a thing as too much and too little. Even details, yes. There's no need to describe a person's appearance down to the number of eye lashes, or that their coat has six buttons and that the thread holding two of those buttons in place is coming apart while one button is already literally hanging on by a thread. Not unless, of course, such specific details are important to the story or to the image of the character you are describing. Pointing out those two buttons may help paint the image of a character who doesn't care for appearance. But if you wrote it just because you wanted them to look different, then maybe something... different would work better. But there are also times when you need to go to an extreme if you need to make a point, whether it's too much of something or even too little. The absence of something can be just as telling as its presence. It's up to each individual writer to judge what is needed and how much or how little of it to use. Don't always be too high up on the spectrum or always too low. And don't always be in the middle. There are a lot of ways to interpret this when it comes to writing but I'll leave it to you to find out how it applies to your style. My style of writing is very different from yours and anyone elses. Even if there are similarities, they still aren't exactly the same. What works for me won't work exactly the same way for anyone else. 6) Smile I'm Sirius. Just smile. Writing fanfiction isn't a job. Not unless someone out there actually pays people to write fanfiction. If there is someone out there doing that, point me their way or point them my way. XD But seriously, I'm just saying that writing fanfiction isn't something we should feel obligated to do. I'm not saying our career choices can't be fun, but that's what writing should be. Fun. Now and then I actually start laughing at a scene I wrote, even if it was my second, third, or even tenth time reading it. Sometimes my roommate's there and starts giving me these strange looks even though I've told them before that it's something I was writing. And when you're having fun, things seem so much easier. As long as you're having fun writing, it will never feel like a chore. You're less likely to lose motivation since having fun is motivating. And if you're motivated and inspired you might just start pumping out one chapter after another so fast that the readers can't keep up anymore. So try not to get stressed out over your stories and what's going on with them. Don't let hateful reviews/flames put you down. Don't let a promised update make you panic over not making the deadline you promised your readers. Just relax and have fun. WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! Possible spoilers ahead. Skip this section if you do not want to risk any spoilers. Stories: The Messiah's Legeacy (Persona 3 x RWBY) Summary: He was supposed to be the Seal that saved mankind. The one who ensured that people would still have the chance to find happiness in life. But instead, he cursed the world. And now, people spend every moment fearing for their lives. It is now up to eight special individuals to discover the truth behind the Messiah's final act and, perhaps, save the world in the process. This story is my attempt at adding a more concrete history to Remnant. At the end of Persona 3, on January 31st, the protagonist attempts to seal away Nyx. Instead, something goes wrong. Rather than Nyx being sealed away, the Dark Hour and the real world were instead combined. Though night and day still comes, Shadows now roam the planet as freely as any human. But since only those with the potential to awaken a Persona can experience the Dark Hour, this merging also forced all of humanity to awaken that potential. To me, the similarities between the two worlds just made things fall into place. When Nyx's Avatar called to Nyx herself, Nyx appeared as the moon during the Dark Hour, which opened up like a machine. In the world of Remnant, the moon is shattered. The opening of the mechanical moon in the Dark Hour, combined with the whole, real moon of the real world. Persona's are born from the soul. It is the physical manifestation of one's soul, their inner being. Aura is the physical manifestation of the soul, and a Semblance is an extension of a person's Aura, unique to themselves but possibly affected by parentage as well. Shadows are born from humans and carry their negative emotions. Grimm are attracted to negative emotions. There's more to it than that though, especially once you consider the explanation on Shadows found in the Persona 3 Club Book's Q&A portion. Through that, I may just incorporate Salem due to the true nature of Shadows, and thus Grimm, revealed in the book. Future Story Ideas (If anyone wants to try their hand at it then go for it. Send me a message too so I can read it when it comes out or if you wanna bounce off ideas) 1) Code Geass x Eien no Aselia Crossover Basically, for this one, I plan to replace Takamine Yuuto and his sister Kaori with Lelouch and Nunnally. I'm still undecided as to which point in the Code Geass story line they will be taken from. It will most likely be from R2, but it will definitely be after the SAZ incident in R1. This is because I need the enmity between Suzaku and Lelouch, which only escalated after Euphemia's death, since I plan to have Suzaku replace Akitsuki Shun. Of course, unlike Shun who lusts after Kaori, Suzaku will simply want to take Nunnally away from Lelouch due to his being Zero, either to 'save' her from 'Zero' or in an attempt to hurt Lelouch for killing Euphemia. As for Kouin and Kyoko, Yuuto's friends, I plan to replace them with Kallen and, MAYBE, C.C.. C.C. is a huge maybe because I have no idea how to I would have her Code react with an Eternity Sword. Admittedly this is not likely to be written any time soon. Despite both Eien no Aselia and Seinarukana having English translations now, details on Eternity Swords and a few other key details are scarce, especially regarding the war between the Chaos and Law Eternals (which is only briefly covered in Eien no Aselia despite it being a major part of the plot near the end). The wiki is greatly lacking and, even if I play through the game for details, it takes quite a while to get to scenes because of the battles. Even when I play on Normal with character levels from Super Hard. So if I do decide to write this, it will be when I have a lot more free time so I can play through the game (multiple times since some scenes with needed information only appears on specific routes and it is VERY difficult to switch routes) and write down any necessary information. 2) Persona 3 - Mitsuru/Minato in Strega Minato Shortly after Aigis seals away death, the Kirijo group sends some people to the Moonlight Bridge to recover Aigis as well as to search for any survivors. While the survivors, Minato included of course, are recovering in Tatsumi Memorial under the Kirijo's watchful eye, Ikutsuki discovers that Minato has the Potential. He falsifies hospital records and takes him away for further study. While doing so, he discovers that Minato also has a Persona. He proceeds to collect children from the streets, using Minato as a baseline to try and artificially awaken the other children's Persona. When they make their escape, Takaya, Jin, and Chidori, take him with them. Mitsuru If I decide to do it with Mitsuru instead, the background would be something like this. After awakening her Persona, Takeharu agrees, very reluctantly, to allow the scientists to run tests on Mitsuru to see if they could determine how a Persona is awakened. None of the tests are invasive or immoral in nature, as none of the scientists want to risk angering the Kirijo head. But seeing the lack of results, Ikutsuki decides to take matters into his own hands. He submits to Takeharu the details of an experiment he wants to run to see if Mitsuru's Persona could be used to awaken someone else's. The downside was that Mitsuru would need to spend a long amount of time with the other 'volunteers', which makes Takeharu hesitate. But because Ikutsuki has shown to be trustworthy, he receives permission and he takes Mitsuru away into a different laboratory along with Kirijo volunteers. A little over a month later, the laboratory is destroyed in an explosion and only Ikutsuki survives, but just barely. Everyone else is believed to be dead. Including Mitsuru. Links: Class Schedule for any of my RWBY stories ko-fi. com /leiciel |
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