sotp

[gripyfish]

Taking a break from, uh, reading about the CIA doing atrocities (it's actually a really interesting book, though) to throw together a SOTP because why not!

State of Me: Hanging in there. The start of the year is always my busiest time at work, and once again I have a huge deadline looming next week for one of my programs. Last year, we got easily 60% of our applications right at the deadline (and last year that meant, like, 175 new apps in one day) so I am officially Not Excited about the near future. I'll get through it, it'll just be a pain. Otherwise feeling pretty okay, though, so that's nice.

Rosie: Ahaha, what didn't fall apart for her since the last time I wrote one of these? She's been having a really hard time since Nick vanished, but I've been...super impressed with myself and the arc I've been doing with it (though I'm probably the only one who's followed every single beat of it since, you know, I'm the one writing it in the first place). It's led to a lot of really great character exploration, a lot of her realizing the cracks in things that already existed even before last summer, and because of that trying to define what it is she needs and wants (and what she doesn't any more). I think she's in a much better place than I might have anticipated when I first started thinking about how I wanted all of it to go.

A while back I got the idea to kind of...close everything out with a canon update, the results of which I think are going to make her a lot more centered and sure of herself. I'd been hoping to get that apped and the post written this month, which obviously didn't happen, so now I'm shooting for either February or March depending how soon work calms down. Nothing like realizing you end up as two different people back home (look, her canon is weird and that's not even the weirdest part of the canon update) to give you perspective on how your life is going in Darrow.

ALSO I got a terrible idea for one final salvo in the "the children of Petros High are little shits and no one should love them" subplot that's always somewhere in the background when it comes to Rosie, so that might be happening closer to graduation. Which, she's graduating! Finally! This fall she'll be at Barton and everything will be...different, hopefully? Yay for college.

Darlington: In a remarkably good place right now. He got his ancestral manse as a gift from Darrow (that's not hyperbole, it's very much a manse and it was built by his great-great-grandpa), he and Alex are ridiculously happy, things are good. Because of when he arrived and transferred in to Barton, he graduated at the end of the fall term this year, so now he's working more at the museum and probably taking on a full-time role this spring--probably some kind of research position, maaaaybe curatorial, but I'll have to consult with my resident museum professional to figure out a plausible role for him.

He also very much still has the remaining vials from the batch of Orozcerio he made last fall, but after fighting with Alex about using it in East Hallow without permission, it's safe to say it's been locked up and he's not allowed anywhere near whatever cabinet it's stored in. At least until the next spooky Darrow emergency. Maybe.

Ruth and I have a plot for Alex and Danny that we're already putting into gear, which I'm very excited about--it should be a big change for them both, but in a way that works, I think. I'm still trying to decide if doing a small canon update for him now is better than waiting to see what the second book brings me, but I'm not feeling pulled in one direction over the other, at least right now. Ruth and I are also planning a joint reread of Ninth House next month, which should help to reinforce his voice for me, and that'll be great.

State of the Queue: Harrow from the Locked Tomb books has been kicking around in my head for ages, and I'm very slowly rereading her canon and hoping to get my ass in gear with an actual app in the next little bit. I have the journal, the PB, the theme song (I know I'm sold on a character when I figure out their theme song, and I don't know why), I just need to do the app already. SOON.

I also keep going back and forth on Scarlett Clark from They Never Learn, who would be...a bit of a departure from my usual, but kind of delightfully so? She might work best as a temp character, though it's not like she doesn't have staying power in a place like Darrow. Having an actual queue is weird, guys, I just want to have enough time and space to play everybody.

Comments

[bsafemydeers]

Oh no what terrible idea

[gripyfish]

One that will be both terrible AND give Rosie the chance for vengeance, it'll be good

[campraeden]

First of all, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ROSIE!!!!

Second of all, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ALEX AND DANNY!!!!

That's... that's it, that's the comment.

[gripyfish]

To the first: schemes
To the second: also schemes

[dsneyvoice]

Octavia is looking forward to taking Rosie under her wing when she starts up at Barton. Maybe they could have a class together!

I know nothing about the canon aside from what Ruth's told me but I am super excited for Harrow. SKELETON ASSASSIN DRAMA

[gripyfish]

As I've said to Ruth, insofar as Harrow will be pleased about anything in Darrow, she'll appreciate a) having an immediate enemy to hate for reasons she won't admit to herself and b) that Octavia is a formidable opponent.

SHE'LL ONLY SEND HER BEST SKELETONS TO KILL HER, IT'S A COMPLIMENT

[underthefloor]

I think given where she comes from, Octavia will weirdly recognize the compliment LMAO

[wildefae]

omg why is Harrow assassinating Octavia maybe I WILL make Eponine antagonize her

(are Octavia and Gideon flirting now? WHAT AM I MISSING)

[gripyfish]

I think it's early days in the thread yet, based on when I last stalked it, but I believe Octavia and Gideon are on track to have A Moment on NYE? So yes, Harrow will have to do murders when she finally gets here XD

[wildefae]

ooh A Moment

Eponine, who has definitely done the I Still Have Eyes look at Gideon, would like to thumbs up Octavia and, at some point, give Harrow a glare of You DARE Threaten My Co-MurderTeen/BFF?? Bring It Bitch We Fight As One and also a still-grumpy but somewhat sympathetic you...you do know this is jealousy, right? THIS IS WHAT JEALOUSY FEELS LIKE, though personally i chose NOT to murder the girl my beautiful, stupid crush was gazing at and instead ...died dramatically to save him, apparently

(oh
oh NO
i've just realized why she Gets Gideon so much lol
there are two types of murder!teens in the world, I guess, and one of them sacrifices themselves dramatically on tall barrier-like objects
and all of them need like...a LOT of therapy, god bless)

and then later she will probably just have to admit that she's INCREDIBLY impressed but look, friends don't let friends get killed by skeleton armies and also maybe don't be weird you weren't even here.

[edit: how DARE replying by email not maintain my line breaks they are very Important to the Tone]

[wildefae]

She ends up as two people?? Well, that should make the "there's a different version of you just living back home" aspect of Darrow retroactively not such a big deal, really :P

Eponine is here for any and all help with Rosie plot arcs; you know I love her and this arc. And also for destroying any Petros High kids that need destroying or, you know, emotionally supporting Rosie in it, or whatever. She doesn't love Darrow High, but somehow she hates Petros High kids even MORE.

I AM INTRIGUED ABOUT PLOTS FOR DANNY? What are you two up to :O My girls are concern.

Bring me the pointy war crime! Ugh I love Harrow so much and I want to give her a hug but she'd probably stab me. I need to reread HTN so I can figure out the timeline/plot and not just the pure feelings of it, sometime when I'm NOT running on three days of alternating blinding migraine and terrible insomnia (although if you ever want to really, really empathize with Harrow, I...well I can't in good conscience recommend that, but it's sure an interesting way to do it: I ended up having a really interesting conversation on r/TheNinthHouse with someone who read it for the first time while coming out of a psychotic episode and we both ended up with a lot of the same feelings??). I promise not to have Eponine annoy her as much in real life as I do in TD. I think. >___>

[gripyfish]

Ha, yes, spoiler alert for her canon! The exit point I chose for her is also where her storyline splits into two in canon--one version of her makes it through the portal and back to Oxford, while the other one is still stuck in Anterwold (and...winds up engaged to a Robin Hood knockoff, don't ask questions, it's a whole thing). If I can, I want her to get both sets of memories, which will really throw her but might actually be a good thing once she sorts it all out? Basically, she'll know she ends up okay twice over, with lives that are just as interesting as what she has in Darrow, and I think that'll be good for her.

Yes, Eponine should definitely be around when I do the EP I'm thinking of this summer! It'll at least START at Petros itself, the way I'm planning it in my head right now, but there will definitely be a way for Eponine to happen across her once she goes storming out of the building.

SO MANY PLOTS FOR DANNY & ALEX or at least just one right now, but it's a good one. :D

Yeah, I need to comb through HTN really closely to get the timeline right for the app--I'm committed to bringing her from there rather than the first book for lots of reasons, but it'd definitely be a simpler proposition to pull her from Gideon, ha.

[wildefae]

I AM SO INTRIGUED?! I really have meant to read these books/book/?? but maybe I ought to actually do it. Although poor Rosie, getting two whole lifetimes at once! But that IS a good thing to know, and to not have to just -- wonder about, especially because I feel like she's been stuck on this idea of herself or on the idea of other people sort of dictating who she gets to be, and knowing she has two fantastic, adventurous lives back at home and also is just okay sounds like a good thing for her.

Awesome, I'll keep an eye out! Let me know if you want to plan anything in advance.

So mysterious~~~ haha.

Oh, man. Yeah. I was excited to see how you were going to do it immediately, like, is she going to appear and just hear everyone saying "Ortus" for like a good several days and/or see Gideon and have a whole anime nosebleed and have to like, reset her brain? Which would be dramatically appropriate, I feel like! But also possibly very difficult. LATER in the book might actually be easier, once things start fitting themselves together (and oh god, now I'm just remembering all the AUs and Abigail like ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOT and I really, really wish we had a whole cast here. I need to re-read if only just to remember who the hell is in what body at what points in time -- oh god, so many spoilers, I'll shut up in case anyone's reading this)

OH BUT, if you're working with the timeline and don't want to do a thorough reread just to figure out basic things, someone on the Reddit did a chronological timeline of EVERYTHING in the series from the Resurrection onward, so I can link you if you need references.

[gripyfish]

Arcadia's just the one book, but considering it's 500-some pages and there's about ten different storylines going on all at once, it definitely feels like an entire series. But yes! It's excellent, I highly recommend it (obvs), it's the best Shakespeare adaptation/spy novel/time travel dystopia/way of being mean to both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien's ideas of fantasy at the same time/coming of age novel you'll ever read. XD

I'm thinking of taking her from, like...the late middle-ish of the book, so she won't be quite as bad off as she could be but not totally okay! It'll give her and ORTUS Gideon plenty to work on, ha. And honestly, if you can link me to the timeline that would be great! I feel like I'll need all the references I can get to keep everything straight both for the app and once she's (hopefully) in the city.

[wildefae]

That's a fantastic genre description and I also didn't quite realize THAT MUCH was going on. Which, as you can probably tell by ...well, my characters, for one thing, but also me enjoying the rapid genre switch between GTN and HTN, I am more encouraged than discouraged by.

Ooh and it looks like it's available via etext at the library...>_>

Here you go!

Both Reddit and Tumblr are veritable explosions of fan meta and mostly really good fanworks for these books, and of course, Taz Muir's (currently very quiet) tumblr is ridiculous and often informative and if you have not taken her What House Are You Test you should (I got Fourth and Sixth which satisfies me wrt my choices).

[intheenditslove]

I have two very different friendships to offer Rosie, but you know they would both do a murder for her, in entirely different ways. XD

I also need someone to throw properly at Darlington. We did Maeve, but she clicked SOOOOO much better with Rosie and I really want to find SOMEONE for him. Hopper just sees him as "the boyfriend", so his opinion is probably not the one we're looking for either lmaoooooo HELP ME DECIDE.

[gripyfish]

I think I've said it before, but it bears repeating: I love that easily the sweetest and most gentle character I've ever played is also the one who's got a teen murder squad at her beck and call. It's perfect, and Maeve and Jamie should definitely be around to witness some part of what I have planned for the end of the school year.

Yes, we need to find someone for Darlington! I know we tried him and David once before, so we could always attempt that again? Maybe there's something going on at the store that's not related to the ley line but David's being David about it, idk.

I'm also thinking a bit about him and Marcus, and not just for the supernatural aspect they're both aware of/involved with in their respective canons, though that's absolutely something they could talk about (and Darlington's already struck up a friendship with Kat). In the book, it's established that Darlington goes to church (he's the WASP-iest WASP to ever live, so it's not the Catholic church, but still) every week, partially out of faith but largely because his grandfather impressed on him that it's just What You Do, and while I haven't done as much with that in Darrow as I could/should be doing, it might make for an interesting point of discussion between them somehow?

[intheenditslove]

Ooooh, yes, I really like the thought of Marcus and Darlington! David, too, although he will probably always just be super dramatic lmaooooo