words words words
I just got a very nice story review - it contained my favourite things, like 'feasible relationship progression' and 'delicate turns of phrase' and now I'm oddly pleased. It makes a nice change from 'I am very angry that these stories suddenly got sad' or, more commonly, 'why the fuck won't you write hot dickings' or 'did you write yourself into a corner with Doctor, Doctor?'
(For the record: yes.)
Which got me thinking about the 'feasible relationship' comment, which is something I get a surprising amount. I put that down to absolutely nothing to do with being a capable writer - something that, haha, I could never be accused of - and more the fact that I mash out small, intimate moments spread across a long span of story time.
Boone falling onto Arcade's dick the first time they met = wildly improbable.
Boone slowly convincing himself over quite a long period of time* that it might be worth taking advantage of an opportunity to fill a very basic human need and get his dick wet on a semi-regular basis with someone who could never, ever trigger any sad sweet memories or terrible associations with his much loved late wife, and this person telegraphs loud and clear that they don't want any messy romantic entanglements = hmmm.
(There were initially about six paragraphs here discussing Boone the canon character and how I'd worked within the framework of his brokenass pile of mental bugfuckery to marry this all together, but it read too much like a character primer and frankly I don't think I'm capable of writing a character primer on anyone.)
On the flip side, somehow I don't think people would be quite so complimentary about what I see as a weird, sad, big snarled mess of two people taking advantage of each of other if I ever mentioned one key turning point beyond the scope of what's been posted so far: if you follow canon for one of Arcade's endings, Julie kicks his big blond ass out of the Followers and he's forced to split east.
Though Arcade had not hoped for an NCR victory, he was proud of his role in the defense of Hoover Dam against the forces of Caesar's Legion. Unfortunately, when word spread that Arcade was once a member of the Enclave, he was forced out of the Followers of the Apocalypse. Pursued by bounty hunters, NCR rangers, and the Brotherhood of Steel, Arcade pushed deep into the eastern plains and was never heard from again.
Word spread, huh. I wonder how they made their way into Julie Farkas's shell-like ear.
After Arcade laid his personal shit bare by rolling up to the dam in a big clanky suit of Tesla armour and knocked Boone's perception of the past few months totally off its axis by essentially going, 'hey, guess which bit of genetically pure, shadow military, post-fascist dick has been taking advantage of your scrambled head and charmingly naive world-view and totally railing your ass for the past month or so?', I guess that naivety and black and white outlook fired up in the most simple, blunt way possible: Boone tattled.
There ain't no revenge like a confused and messed up boy scorned.
* off the top of my head there's at least two or three months between a bit of impromptu semi-drunken suck-n-tug in Take Your Shot and Boone slowly piecing together that he can actually get that on a regular basis in Schoolboy Latin. Also SL is when Arcade fully realised Boone is as dumb as a box of hair and he can, in turn, spin this discovery to his own advantage. They might be stupid stories full of cheap jokes, but I do occasionally put some thought into them ;)
(For the record: yes.)
Which got me thinking about the 'feasible relationship' comment, which is something I get a surprising amount. I put that down to absolutely nothing to do with being a capable writer - something that, haha, I could never be accused of - and more the fact that I mash out small, intimate moments spread across a long span of story time.
Boone falling onto Arcade's dick the first time they met = wildly improbable.
Boone slowly convincing himself over quite a long period of time* that it might be worth taking advantage of an opportunity to fill a very basic human need and get his dick wet on a semi-regular basis with someone who could never, ever trigger any sad sweet memories or terrible associations with his much loved late wife, and this person telegraphs loud and clear that they don't want any messy romantic entanglements = hmmm.
(There were initially about six paragraphs here discussing Boone the canon character and how I'd worked within the framework of his brokenass pile of mental bugfuckery to marry this all together, but it read too much like a character primer and frankly I don't think I'm capable of writing a character primer on anyone.)
On the flip side, somehow I don't think people would be quite so complimentary about what I see as a weird, sad, big snarled mess of two people taking advantage of each of other if I ever mentioned one key turning point beyond the scope of what's been posted so far: if you follow canon for one of Arcade's endings, Julie kicks his big blond ass out of the Followers and he's forced to split east.
Though Arcade had not hoped for an NCR victory, he was proud of his role in the defense of Hoover Dam against the forces of Caesar's Legion. Unfortunately, when word spread that Arcade was once a member of the Enclave, he was forced out of the Followers of the Apocalypse. Pursued by bounty hunters, NCR rangers, and the Brotherhood of Steel, Arcade pushed deep into the eastern plains and was never heard from again.
Word spread, huh. I wonder how they made their way into Julie Farkas's shell-like ear.
After Arcade laid his personal shit bare by rolling up to the dam in a big clanky suit of Tesla armour and knocked Boone's perception of the past few months totally off its axis by essentially going, 'hey, guess which bit of genetically pure, shadow military, post-fascist dick has been taking advantage of your scrambled head and charmingly naive world-view and totally railing your ass for the past month or so?', I guess that naivety and black and white outlook fired up in the most simple, blunt way possible: Boone tattled.
There ain't no revenge like a confused and messed up boy scorned.
* off the top of my head there's at least two or three months between a bit of impromptu semi-drunken suck-n-tug in Take Your Shot and Boone slowly piecing together that he can actually get that on a regular basis in Schoolboy Latin. Also SL is when Arcade fully realised Boone is as dumb as a box of hair and he can, in turn, spin this discovery to his own advantage. They might be stupid stories full of cheap jokes, but I do occasionally put some thought into them ;)