#empathandaugur — Public Fediverse posts

The astute eyed would recognize this tree showin up all over the place on https://nebulos.space but that's more of an #EmpathAndAugur thing.

I generally go for ice and fog as my motif. I think if I were to go for an object it would probably be a glass knife, with a lens in the blade. And or a white dandelion.

#ScribesAndMakers #AmWriting

ScribesAndMakers Has your art/craft/writing changed over the years? If so, how?

I'm writing a lot about stuff more external to myself these days. #EmpathAndAugur is very much a story about "who/what/why am I", and most of my short stories from that time are as well. Lately though I've been finding a lot of stories drawn from the external world and how I relate to it, the tech industry especially - sometimes explicitly, sometimes in the attitudes that are common within it. Now that I have my shit (mostly) figured out, those are the things that draw my attention - how we can survive/fight/deprogram/liberate ourselves from the ideas that got us into this mess.

How accessible is your work?

All my work (at the moment) is available for free on my website (which I've done my darndest to follow web accessibility best practices (if you have accessibility suggestions I'm always looking for em!)). Previously two stories have been unavailable because they were accepted at anthologies, which I have somewhat mixed feelings about - they come back eventually so it's fine, but it's odd to have stories in a place where nobody can find em unless they have the physical object. When my books are out, I will be charging money for em, but mostly because not charging money isnt something every author can afford. But there'll almost certainly be some way to get em for free - eg messaging me and asking for it lmao.

#ScribesAndMakers #AmWriting #WritersCoffeeClub

#ScribesAndMakers 24. Do you have a favorite pen, pencil, or other writing implement? What's special about it?

Embarassingly, I am the kind of person that a really nice pen inspires to write. Specifically a flexy vintage fountain pen that I got at the latest fountain pen show in san francisco. I'd post a pic but I think our image uploading is misbehaving at the moment.

#WritersCoffeeClub 25: Does 'destiny' have a role in modern fiction?

A major theme in #EmpathAndAugur - but not played straight. The eponymous Augur has a bone to pick with it. Not quite sure why it might be passe in the modern era? I suppose that "it's destined" just doesn't hit the same as a motivation anymore, which yeah, true. You'd think "chosen one" woulda died with it, but no such luck, eh? Any ideas why not?

#AmWriting #WritingDiscussion

#WordWeavers Could you imagine a story in the same world where your MC is the antagonist?

Who's to say they aren't? hahaha

Nah, Sebastian's morals and behaviors are pretty protagonist-consistent, even if he jumps into the puppet-master arena at times, which is a very villain-coded sorta role in our western story telling tradition. But it's funny that you mention this MC/antagonist reversal. If I were to write a sequel...

#WritersCoffeeClub Talk about the influence folklore has on your work.

There's remarkably little existing folklore in #EmpathAndAugur considering it's a paranormal book. Mostly made up my own super-normal situations, while borrowing a tad from egyptian mythology. But I do think folklore is a much better description of the "metaphysics" of the world, much more so than "fantasy".

#AmWriting

Deus Ex Machina reminds me of my deep love for Gainax Endings, which are kind of like DEMs but instead of a happily ever after you confuse the shit out of em. Aggressive symbolism, unclear interpretations, yessss. I wonder if I should've leaned in harder to this for #EmpathAndAugur, as opposed to trying to actually help people follow it... Well, there's always the possibility it doesn't make sense at all lmao.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GainaxEnding

#WritersCoffeeClub

I suppose that #EmpathAndAugur is basically one big "Sebastian misunderstands Erika" plot. But it doesn't really fit the picture of what people think of as "misunderstanding plot", maybe because "who Erika is and why" is a pretty big question, one that Erika doesn't necessarily know the answer to herself.

#witchpunk might fit the bill a little better, as there is a lot of "Ash does not see Lucine's intentions", but Lucine is not always upfront with them, in addition to Ash having to work through her own shit in order to be in a position to understand.

perhaps, all this is to say, I often hinge plots on "understanding", mis- optional.

#WritersCoffeeClub

Winter is A Thing in #EmpathAndAugur. I think it's represented in its entirety -- beauty, stillness, danger, coziness, isolation, anticipation of spring. I really like winter.

Winter is a thing in #witchpunk, but San Francisco winters: rain, green hills, not so much the cold.

#WritersCoffeeClub #AmWriting

I'm very open that the first drafts of my books are hot garbage. plot holes, inconsistencies, threads that go nowhere, half developed themes and characters who are still figuring themselves out. I'm just pleased that there's nothing in #witchpunk that makes me outright cringe, unlike the first draft of #EmpathAndAugur. There truly is some anime cringe shit in there.

#WritersCoffeeClub #AmWriting

Hm, what is my first book? On one hand, we could interpret this as "the first book I finished writing", in which case that's #EmpathAndAugur. Or maybe the first book-length thing I endeavored to write, which was some naruto-aesthetics ported over to generic medieval fantasy in the 4th grade... But it might be overstating it to consider the idea "developed". Honestly, most of the time the idea develops as I write the book. The only time I "developed an idea *for* a book" is probably my most recent one, #witchpunk, the initial impetus was the interesting intersection of witchcraft which often incorporates bodily components, and the tech industry's inquest into genetics and its attitude towards user data....

#WritersCoffeeClub #AmWriting

#witchpunk is unusual in which I think it will be the first story I've written where the characters *do* come out, and even then, only in the epilogue (so I haven't even written it yet, haha)

in #EmpathAndAugur, *I* think Erika has extremely agender vibes, and Sebastian definitely enjoys his femme side, but the story takes place in the nineties, so coming out isn't something they would do. Heck, Erika's sexuality isn't even a thing in the first book because she's got too many other problems in her life to think about her sexuality. There are lots of reasons people don't come out---it might not be hashtag OwnVoices-suitable but it doesn't make them less queer.

(though also that said, the author's interpretation is not definitive, so if you read my books and don't agree, that's also legit!)

#EngenderedWriting #AmWriting

All the time. #EmpathAndAugur has several scene's from side character's POV, and then we introduce another POV in a fairly dramatic way. Sebastian's POV is still around though so maybe it doesn't quite count in the spirit of the question?

Similarly, #witchpunk we introduce a few new POVs, and often there are scenes that make more sense to tell from someone other than the main-er characters' POV as well, but Ash's POV gets quite scarce in the last third of the story, even though she's still around.

#AmWriting #WritersCoffeeClub

I asked my partner since I have a poor barometer for these things, he says the Sculpture, which makes sense since (they? she? it?) presents the longest and most obvious physical danger to our protagonists. Incidentally, we are introduced to it via a story, and then the act (used to) end with yet another, mildly contradictory story. I'd link you to said story but I'm anxiously awaiting its publication so I can then put it back on my website to share lol.

I don't really find any of the creatures/monsters in my story particularly frightening, though. I think, in #EmpathAndAugur, it's the human organizations that are more worrisome...

#PennedPossibilities

Late on this, as I was ruminating on it.

#EmpathAndAugur seems to be somewhat unique, if my inability to find comps for it says anything (it might not). The genre seems a little sparser in books than in television and comics. What is there seems to either be from the cops' POV or urban fantasy, which has more elements of fantasy and also pulls more from established mythos. I like to think I'm also finding an unusual balance between practical and literary in terms of the writing. But I may be high on my own supply lol.

#WitchPunk is easier. I've got a lot of domain knowledge and also I think an approach to both magic and code/science that I think only comes from a sort of genuine love of both sides...

#WritersCoffeeClub #AmWriting

#witchpunk has several! seemed only appropriate, given both the seasonality of magic and college partying. One of the first few scenes is a halloween party: https://nebulos.space/witchpunk_halloween.html, and then one of the climactic ones at Imbolg, which features milk themed cocktails lmao.

#EmpathAndAugur is much more somber, but this counts, I think.

"They fried the best cuts of deer on a pan over an open fire, then washed them down with the cheap beer Sebastian had bought at the town’s general store. Halfway through the evening, the power died, but their bellies were too full with warm food to venture out into the cold to fix it."

#AmWriting #WritersCoffeeClub

Been trying to remember exactly how much of #EmpathAndAugur happened in the edit while I write #witchpunk. Almost all the best parts. Need to stop stressing out about whether witchpunk is good and just get the bones out. The magic can come later.

#WritersCoffeeClub #AmWriting

Bold of you to assume I'm not already writing outside my specialty!

Honestly not really sure what my specialty is. I read almost exclusively sci fi, but I've been informed that #EmpathAndAugur is not actually science fiction (though it smells like it), and #witchpunk is only half sci-fi. I suspect the genre in my heart is actually horror, though it's rare that the main intent of a story is to scare, which you know, is kind of the genre definition of horror. I also write a lot of "supernatural" stuff, but it feels extremely wrong to call it fantasy, since other than the metaphysics I don't engage with any of the other fantasy genre fixtures.

So I guess if we're gonna give up and say my main thing is "speculative", then I guess I'd next most likely be writing contemporary. Though in fact I have already and it leans hard into the horror/supernatural, but in an extremely ambiguous way. After that, I'll be honest, I'd probably go for non-fiction lmao. Sorry, historical (and romance feels like cheating, since there are romantic elements in all of the above)..

#WritersCoffeeClub #AmWriting

For some reason I'm really struggling with this. A lot of anime, but none of it really in specific? When I was younger I'd write shitty clones of whatever I was watching at the time (naruto, FMA, trinity blood), but these days I have no idea. #EmpathAndAugur is from a dream (and also SCP), #witchpunk was kind of a de-novo high concept thing, my short stories kind of the same. I don't understand my imagination lol.

#AmWriting #WriterMagic

It was extremely flattering when my friend told me she had to put down the book and take a break after reading this scene.

Personally I find this bit of sequential storytelling from last year's #RomanceWonders somehow sadder than the actual book (also spoilers)

https://comicscamp.club/@nebulos/109881763355968250

#AmWriting #WritersCoffeeClub #EmpathAndAugur

This is a little cheating, but I love this comic from when I did #RomanceWonders. The original prompt was "How was your first date?"

Erika: "Terrible. Some kid screamed the whole way through."
Sebastian: "Also you told me you didn't think you were a person!"
Erika: "Burgers were shit too."

#microprompt #EmpathAndAugur