The
Shitennou multiplication table is finished, and reposted
here with a shiny new reading order.
This was a super-fun exercise, and I recommend it for anyone who needs to challenge themselves with some variety and has got a pile of characters who are all sleeping together. (Edit: Or not. It only just occurred to me that these could be gen fics. Silly sex-crazed brain!) Draw up a table and write a drabble/ficlet for each combination on it. I could even have taken it a step further and written
two ficlets for each pairing, alternating who's on top, but that assumes a pile of characters who are not only all sleeping together but reasonably switchy. (I don't know if even
I could come up with a situation in which Jadeite could top Kunzite.) I deliberately went for maximum range of moods, sexual activities, and time periods (before, during, and after series), while keeping it all third-person-present-limited (trying to vary narrators as much as possible) for consistency. But whatever.
Things I've learned about these characters:
- Jadeite is
so bloody fun to write. I ignored him for most of the series, and didn't expect to find him this interesting, but he has unexpected depths, and yet can still be adorable and fluffy in-between the angst.
- Zoisite is a bit harder to write than some of the others, despite my boundless dorky love for him. I can't entirely put my finger on why.
- I do not have a particularly good handle on or as much interest in Endymion (not using other names for spoiler protection). Mrr.
- Writing Kunzite gives me the urge to laugh maniacally and do evil things to my girlfriend. Not unsurprising, but again bloody fun. (Sometimes literally.)
- I love torturing Nephrite.
- Everybody loves torturing Nephrite.
- Why? Why is it so fun? What is it about Nephrite that cries out for character torture?
- Poor Nephrite!
Things I've learned about me:
- I'M WRITING AGAIN YAY.
- I'm still pretty slow and rusty, but there were some things in here I was reasonably proud of. They mostly involved Jadeite. I think he's my new muse. Puppyyyy!
- I consciously stole a metaphor from Bruno Schulz. I don't normally do that kind of shit.
- But, dude, I'm writing. I've been thinking about these constantly over the past few days. I've been bunnying in the car and scribbling porn in the laundromat. It's like the good old days!
- I find it harder and more unsettling to write painful or triggery stuff than I used to. I feel like this should be a good thing, but instead it rather bothers me. Kinda like when I started actually getting creeped out by Lovecraft, instead of doing the whole "ichor yay!" thing.
- I put way too much effort into a drabble collection that started as an exercise. Hell, I'm doing a
postmortem on a drabble collection that started as an exercise.
- This is the biggest thing since Arcana Viscera.
- That's fucking depressing.
- It's 5 AM, WTF?!
- Writing Kunzite makes me horny. Did I say that already?
- I plan ficlets more than I used to. I go in with a specific emotional goal for the characters. Again, I feel like this should be a good thing, but it bothers me. My process seems to be changing somewhat, and I'm not sure if it's for the better or not.
- Yawny!