~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library
Welcome to PSL: Hatate's Writer's Lounge ~ Rules, info and general discussion!
Sixten:
@Iced Fairy: Thanks a lot for your feedback. Just like with the art feedback, it's too late to fix the book because it's been sent to the publisher, but your advice is definitely something to keep in mind for my future works. When I finish the script for my next book, I'll be sure to link to it on the workshop thread before I start any drawing. Hopefully I can achieve the proper level of expression and the differentiation of character voice that my new book is missing.
I'm aiming for a much shorter book (~20 pages instead of 40) so hopefully that will give me time to make both the art and writing much better.
On a side note, the modern setting of "Use Your Illusion" (and the use of the Youmu/Reisen/Sanae trio) have led to the doujin creator Gensoukoumuten (of the "Days Woven With Illusion" series) to follow me on pixiv. (My friend from Osaka has translated my books for Japanese audiences.) While this is obviously an honor, I'm embarrassed to think what an expert writer like Gensoukoumuten would think of my unrefined works.
Dead Princess Sakana:
So I just wanna point out that today is officially the 4th anniversary of Patchouli's Scarlet Library.
:toot: :flowerpower: :dragonforce: :* 8) :toot:
It was on February 1st 2010 that the Great Library Catalogue got started, the project that marked the beginning of a fanfiction board as a result of the old Community Fanworks being split.
Lookin at how big PSL has grown since that time makes me proud. It assures me that all the work was worth it. We started out as a small group, but we've grown considerably. People have come and gone, there's just as many seasoned writing veterans as there's newcomers wanting to bring in their works and ideas.
Sure, there's still work to be done, there's always something. We don't have as much reader-feedback as we'd like, the comment sections of many a fic are quite barren despite many people reading and enjoying it. Maybe this will change someday, maybe it won't. For now, I look forward to seeing how this community, and the rest of MotK, will develop during yet another year.
Oh and while we won't know for certain what the future will hold, we do know *one* thing: The Library Catalogue is kind of outdated right now, many new fics are lying around unsummarized and a good few have been finished but not yet been moved into Kosuzu's care.
So Iced has offered to take care of starting a new LIBRARY CLEANUP! Make sure to post if you wanna help out!
Iced Fairy:
So, in writing my latest story on gods I ran into a few things which might be useful for those working on the more mythological side of the Touhou fandom.
When I was looking up Aztec myths I ran into a lot of stories that were straight up contradictory. There are at least two versions of the sun myth for example. Similarly, when looking up rituals I blundered into one or two versions of many of the major ones. This as you can imagine made setting up a "correct" story or ritual somewhat difficult.
It clicked when I started looking into Aztec poetry to try to get an idea of the language's flow. One of the biggest collections of poetry still existing is from a noble from a vassal city who was trying to reform the religion, which he believed had been corrupted by the expanding influence of the warriors. There wasn't a 'true' version of the myths even when it was active. Everyone picked the one they liked best and worked around the rest of the stories to make sense of things. (Kinda like Touhou fanfiction...)
So yeah, it's important to remember that myths and legends were (and in many cases are) often changing. Even religious truths shift constantly, though today's changes are harder to see under the many flavors of the dominant religions. So while it might make research more painful, it's important to remember that older sources are necessarily "the true legend," though it might reflect an archaic culture better. And variant sources might be equally valid as a resource, though again, a modern American retelling will carry modern American values to some degree.
Teewee:
I've been wondering, what would writing that is "dark for the sake of dark" be like? The mere description "for the sake of" isn't really descriptive enough for me.
Joveus Molai:
--- Quote from: TEspeon on March 07, 2014, 08:04:52 PM ---I've been wondering, what would writing that is "dark for the sake of dark" be like? The mere description "for the sake of" isn't really descriptive enough for me.
--- End quote ---
"Dark for the sake of dark" is when character personalities, plot events, tone, etc. are dark not because the creator seems to write things that way for no other reason save he/she likes it, or wants to seem cool and edgy, etc. Rather than dark for a purpose.
Examples:
Bob murders Alice in cold blood. The creator did this because...
Dark for a purpose: the creator wishes to convey the idea that human beings, when pressed, can become truly monstrous
Dark for for being dark: because it's not a cool story if someone doesn't get murdered for no reason.
Dark for.being dark often happens when the creator mistakes being dark as inherently being "cool".