How I "Organise" This Blog

You've probably figured out that updates come every three days, but have you noticed them alternating? Well, not really back and forth... at least not the way I see the posts. I don't know about you, but here's how I classify my posts, to keep from repeating the same kind of stuff post after post.

• Standard Format Posts
• New Story Ideas
• New Fiction Ideas
• Ex:  New Fiction Idea #1, New Fiction Idea #49
• New Fan Fiction Ideas
• Ex: New Fan Fiction Idea #7,  New Fan Fiction Idea #24
• New Manga Ideas
• Ex: New Manga Idea #1,  New Manga Idea #5
• New Short Story Ideas
• Ex: New Short Story Idea #1, New Short Story Idea #4
• New Short Film Ideas
• Ex: New Short Film Idea #1, New Short Film Idea #2
• Dream Journals
• Ex: Dream Journal #6, Dream Journal #19
• Potpourri
• Fragments
• Ex: Fragments III, Fragments IX
• Word Collections
• Ex: Words to Use and Love, Words, Words, Words
• Writing Samples
• Excerpts
• Ex: Macbay Transportation Services Excerpt, Piracy Cruise Lines (NF#28) Excerpt
• Prompt Writings
•  Ex: Prompt Writing #5, Prompt Writing #8
• Rambly Posts
• The Craft
• Blathering About Things
• Ex: From Me to You, Put a Face on It
• Offering Advice 
• Ex: Do You Really, Truly, Actually Need That Adverb?, Making a Character Kernel in Three Easy Steps
• Specials
• New Fiction Idea #-- Anniversary Specials
• Ex: Tally It Up, Yet Another Prioritising Special
• Old Writing
• Ex: Lee's Island, Nick Richards
• Other
• Ex: "30 Days of Character Building," Part 1, No One's Really Sure What Became of Waldo

No One's Really Sure What Became of Waldo

(Title from the "Hot for Teacher" music video.)

So, what's the point of coming to love my characters or story ideas here if you never get to find out what happened to them? I've decided to post an update of what (little) progress I've made with these.

Most have been untouched, unfortunately. There's just not enough time to toy with them.

The stories that have at least been elaborated upon in my mind:

• Worldbuilding progress: New Fiction Idea #34, New Fiction Idea #17, Macbay Transportation Services
• Plotting progress: Storm Clouds Rise, Wanderers, Mount, Entrapped
• Characterisation progress: Storm Clouds Rise, New Fiction Idea #17

The stories that have received extra attention through prompts: New Fiction Idea #27 (Promptness), Roughhouse (Prompt Writing #3), Bloom (Prompt Writing #4), Macbay Transportation Services (Prompt Writing #2)

The stories that have begun:

• Recently: I'm With the Band (12 words), Piracy Cruise Lines (1,149 words), Figments (124 words), Chasers (981 words)
• In days past [documents lost]: Special, Chemists

The stories that have made serious progress: Mayflies (14,872 words), The Long and Winding Road (107,529 words; 90,286 words in original fiction version)

It feels slow, but it's at least nice to know I have been going somewhere with some of these. What kind of progress do you expect—for me, or yourself?

Yet Another Prioritising Special

Another 20 new fiction ideas have come, so here's the special.

Top of the List:
These are stories that I really want to write (or at least plot out/world-build, etc.) as soon as humanly possible.

1. Piracy Cruise Lines (have begun writing, but barely)
2. I'm with the Band (sounds terribly fun if I can decide on an adventure/enemy; actually started writing but got distracted by finding the perfect format for chapter numbers)
3. Blood, Brain, Body (it's just fun and epic, for lack of a better term)
4. Roughhouse (after the writing prompt, I'm really starting to appreciate these characters, and I love a good fight or two)
5. Contestant Zero (game shows are overdone, but this just seems like a lovely fiction to work with)

Almost Top of the List:

These are stories that really interest me but aren't yet demanding to be written.

1. Dead Man's Hand (it really seems interesting; it just doesn't particularly speak to me)
2. Bloom (the plot is hazy at best, but I do like this one)
3. Four Walls (mostly turned off by the research I'd have to do and the overall seriousness; the worldbuilding also needs adjustment)
4. Figments (I like the story, and the main character, although I'm really not sure that this could end up novel-length)
5. New Fiction Idea #33 (I love the characters, but the plot just doesn't want to cooperate)

In the Middle:

These are stories I may or may not write, depending on whether some discovery about the story suddenly makes it more appealing.

1. Portalmancy (I love the magic system and I think the story could work overall; not sure why I don't like it more)
2. Dynblaidd (it seems like it could be cool, although I'm still not sure about the basic worldbuilding)
3. The Piper (not sure about the ambiguous time period or main mystery, but it could still work out)
4. Storm Clouds Rise (it's interesting, but the plot isn't clear and it's too easy to see as racist)
5. New Fiction Idea #27 (it's okay, and I feel like Cayman's organisation is pretty original, but I'm really not feeling attached to it at this point)

Just Meh:

These are stories that really don't particularly appeal to me yet. I may not feel capable of handling the material or style, or it was just a passing whimsy I wanted to note.

1. A Job to Do (the emotions in it would be fun to write, and the world may be cool, but it just isn't calling to me, and it doesn't seem terribly original)
2. Home By the Sea (just isn't as appealing as I originally wanted)
3. The Adventures of Donny Quigley from Smudgen, Kansas (Could be kind of fun, but long and not quite silly enough to sustain)
4. Check (the original concept was kind of fun, but it just doesn't interest me)
5. New Fiction Idea #34 (way too close to the source material to seem original)

What do you think? Disappointed or encouraged? Had a different list of what you wanted to see first?

I may try to splice this with my previous prioritising post if anyone's interested.

Prioritising a Lower Priority

Since I've reached 20 New Fan Fiction Ideas, I thought I might as well try another one of these specials ordering those ideas.

Top of the List:

These are stories that I want to write (or at least plot out) once I find enough time left over from my original fictions.

1. The Bard Games (I promise I will do this once I've established a solid character list, although I'm going to need to do more reading for that)
2. Eat Your Heart Out (it has already kept me up nights plotting; as long as I can find the original fan fiction and get permission to use the premise, this will happen eventually)
3. Never-Ending Girls' Alliance (short, sweet, and to the point, and a break from all the Hetalia fan fiction)
4. "England Ruins America's Life Forever" (short enough not to worry much about, but hilarious; why haven't I written this one yet?)
5. The Loony Bin (tentative due to my lack of psychological knowledge, but this has certainly kept me up nights)

Almost Top of the List:

These are stories that interest me but aren't yet demanding to be written.

1. Weird New World (still not sure where it's heading, but I would like to play with it eventually; it also seems like one of the more popular fan fiction ideas)
2. My Cup of Tea (I'm not sure how it's going to go, but a main role for pirate!England definitely boosts it up the list)
3. Send Me an Angel (while it's more of a shipping and humour fic, I really do feel like I could have some fun with it)
4. Disaster (could be fun for establishing headcanons and writing all the gory details, but it works with some pretty sensitive material)
5. When Fangirls Attack (it seems like it would be hilarious, but I'm not sure how many would be laughing with me)

In the Middle:

These are stories I may or may not write, depending on whether some discovery about the story suddenly makes it more appealing.

1. What Would You Do (while I love the idea and have already hacked out a beginning, I just can't figure out how most of it works)
2. "My Name is Aragon" (I might have to do actual research, but I at least know the general story)
3. "Chibi Rental Services" (it's just a bunch of cutesy stuff, so I'm really not sure yet)
4. Past and Future (don't know where it's going nor where it's been)
5. "The Drinking Contest" (so short it doesn't draw me much, but it would be easy to write)

Just Meh:

These are stories that really don't particularly appeal to me. I may not plan on writing these at all, or I would really rather just read it.

1. Operatics (it sounds funny, but it might be a lot of trouble to put together for a cheap, comedic payoff)
2. This, That, and Rock and Roll (it really does interest me, but it's just not the type of story I would write)
3. +Anima (haven't done a retelling before, and I'm afraid it would bore me even when I love both of the series in the crossover)
4. Skates (I really don't plan on doing this, but it's still more attractive than the last on the list)
5. The Runaways (has a strange premise and nothing particularly interesting going on)

What do you think? Disappointed or encouraged? Had a different list of what you wanted to see first?

The Action Girls

Somehow I got it into my head that I should rank my fighter girls in order of badbuttery. So here we are.

(Spot number one should probably belong to Rin, but her story hasn't been posted yet, so we'll skip over her for now. Ena should also be on here, but she has so little characterisation at this point it's hard to rank her.)

1. Michelle (The Long and Winding Road): She's not a part of the main story, and, at this point, I'm not entirely sure if she'll actually come up in discussions, but I would really like her to. My head-image of her is some sort of cross between Joan Jett and Pat Benatar. While she would qualify as "Most Likely to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse," she somehow seems to have, um, died in it a lot sooner than 5 or 6 on this list. Anyway, she was Emile's fiancee and kicked some serious rear in her time. She has the survival skills and combat skills necessary to get up this high on the list, and the calm and faithful way she handled her upcoming death (although she kind of got burnt alive by paranoid villagers before she could be zombie-fied as she expected) gets her the top spot.
2. Kaliause: Scatterbrained is certainly her normal mode, but thankfully her muscle memory doesn't seem to have been hit by her brain injury. Surviving on her own on a wartorn planet certainly isn't easy, nor is trying to keep Tommy alive when he stumbles across her path, but she handles it with the kind of ease that cements her spot in second place.
3. Loretta May: She may be a city girl, so she's not so experienced with wilderness survival, but she still hasn't had it easy. Surviving an abusive father and a bunch of other experiences with misogynists (although she does tend to think of all men as women-haters), she can handle herself just fine, whether she's executing a flawless robbery or striking and knifing her way out of a dark alleyway.
4. Cerise: A dark mistress of magic, she has to "mask" herself just to prevent her aura from attracting everyone's attention. She may not have skill with weapons, but when she can detonate an area in a snap, why bother tossing knives?
5. Rachel: Up against zombies and vampires alike and still having a blast with it, she plows herself across America with nothing but an RV and a good attitude. And a gun (which is why she's a bit lower than some of the close-combat users) and some friends, of course.
6. Charlotte: While her older brother and a few kindhearted villagers may be how she got through the worst part of the apocalypse, by the beginning of her story, she can hold her own against zombies and humans alike. A bit handicapped in total wilderness survival but an expert in scrounging through the remains of civilized areas, she's been through a lot but has come out rather bright and cheery. She's also very goal-driven, and not too terrible a shot.
7. Andromache: Although she could easily be called a pampered princess, that hasn't stopped her from getting a feel for the soldier's life. She may not be that tough physically, but she's got a good handle on magic and more than enough heart and loyalty to make up for it. She will be knocked down, but she will get back up.
8. Darla: Fearless in battle (perhaps not so much with real life), she can take a hit and deal one, too. She's not so hot once she's swordless, but she'll find a way to get her (or her opponent's) weapon back, and she's not afraid to take a few wounds in the meantime.
9. Pink: With a determination that can rip up mountains and cast them into the sea, she will not stop or take a detour. She's an average fighter and hasn't much experience with weapons, but she can run like nobody's business and, in her story, that's the only physical strength she really needs.
10. Scarlet: Fierce and proud, she'll whatever she has to to help her loved ones, even if that means bristling under the enemy's control until she can find a way out. She's not very tough physically, but she can figure out how to put a Cyber suit to good use, and she's not afraid to do so, either.
11. Michelle (Crime or Punishment): She may be quiet and a drug addict, but she's still a trained policewoman in an urban area, and she will kick rear by hand, gun, or nightstick. Only her fluctuating mental status keeps her down on the list.
12. Danielle: She's been trained as an assassin from a young age and can handle her job. Unfortunately, her story gets around to breaking her down more than 11.
13. Vanessa: She may be young and untrained, but she has a killer instinct and a pretty good trigger finger. Beware all who challenge her.
14. Athena: Being cast out from civilization, she's tough and knows how to survive. She's combative to a fault, but she'll still expend some of her strength to lend a hand.
15. Kori: A bit paranoid and bewildered, but she can use her brain, and she has excellent endurance. The whole bit about launching her corrosive blood at others or at inhuman barriers doesn't hurt her status.
16. M: She really has no idea what's going on, and she's not in terribly good condition physically. She does, however, have an astounding magical ability that only continues to grow stronger, along with her will, in the course of her story.
17. Josephine: She's rather frail and too lost to be very determined, but she's a swift runner and can be surprisingly strong when it comes to helping her allies. 
18. Helen: More stubborn than determined, she still has guts and isn't afraid to chuck a stiletto heel hard at somebody.
19. Sophia: Although she's a bit timid at the beginning of her story, she still develops and is fiercely devoted to her friends and getting them out of the cage alongside her.

New Fiction Idea #9

This is one I started a while ago. It was very strictly structured—I had to end each chapter with a cliffhanger within three pages—but hardly planned out at all. One of my friends read some chapters and liked it (though I didn't give a good enough impression of the main characters' ages), but I sort of ran out of steam somewhere in the teen chapters. I doubt I'll come back to it, but there's somewhat of a chance.

Title: Special

Genre: Science Fiction

Protagonist: Kori, a 15-year-old thin girl with long, dark hair. She's good at running and of above average intelligence. She comes to the story as an amnesiac, but she comes to find out that she is a Special—in her case, her blood is highly corrosive to anything but her insides, including her skin.

Other Main Characters: Victor, a 17-year-old boy of Russian heritage with platinum blonde hair. He has a good build. He tends to be grave and not that chatty, and he also doesn't remember being a Special, but he's the first to find out from the Black Suits' computers. If his hands are uncovered (he wears gloves), he quickly becomes encoated in ice, with frozen claws, and will destroy everything he can until his hands are covered again.
Josephine, a 15-year-old blonde with twin low ponytails. She's quite small in stature. She is also a Special—she exhales large amounts of carbon monoxide, and she has an increased tolerance for it.

Antagonists: The Black Suits (at least, Kori names them this after their formal dress), members of a private agency seeking to contain the Specials, or at least those committed to their facility. They're normally armed, and their preferred vehicles are black Jeeps.

Setting: Modern day America, Nevada as far as I can remember. Specials live among humans, including their parents, but many of their abilities are more trouble than they're worth, or more trouble than their loved ones think they're worth. There exists a facility to which several Specials are committed, where the agency experiments on them in search of cures.

Plot: Kori is on the run from some very unfriendly, gun-pointing Black Suits. She's also trying to figure out who, what, where, and why she is. Her only clue is the melted-looking knife in her shoulder bag until Victor finds her. Both of them continue running, defeating the Black Suits when necessary, and befriending Josephine. I didn't write much past that point, but they go on to figure out the facility, meet with Price (the Special responsible for freeing them), find the corruption in the system, and somehow correct it.

Point of View: First person (Kori).

This was originally a  complete rip-off of X-Men, and it's still quite a bit like that. Overall, it just doesn't feel that original to me, so it'll need some spicing up if I plan to get back to it.