While thinking about how to carry my Napoli story onward, I looked over what I've actually written this weekend and if I'm feeling a little bit fatigued, I can totally see why! OMG, what a spurt. I've written almost two scenes every day since Thursday, much more than I had first anticipated and planned on. So, since I know what a burnout feels like, seeing as I went through a major one on the Omina project, I'll try not to do that again. We're going a little slower, I think, curbing the intensity just a bit from here on out. I have enough time.

And maybe have some side projects to relax with? I've never been particularly good at dividing my focus in terms of my writing, but if I have no real "ambition" with the side projects, maybe it won't feel like I'm taking away from the main one.

I tried it out a little yesterday, sitting down with my copy of A Woman Appeared to Me by Renée Vivien and doing some RP-related character analysis stuff for Vally. Mainly looking through her dialogue in the book. And it kinda rekindled an old idea I had a long time ago of writing a story that takes place within the universe portrayed in Vivien's book, but inviting the character of Lilith from Takarazuka's Lucifer's Tears into it. Lucifer's Tears takes place, like, a couple decades, maybe, after the events of A Woman Appeared to Me, but this is what we have AU's for and honestly, for Lilith's character in particular, it makes no great difference. At the point in canon I'm considering taking her from, she is removed enough from society that whether she lives (or dies) in 1904 or 1924, it should be no biggie, really.



That means, I'm probably gonna take a small break from the Napoli project today, either until I feel so inclined to pick it up again or if not before, then tomorrow.

Instead, I'll be rewatching Lucifer's Tears this morning (well, later this morning, it's 6am here) and see what interesting ideas I might get for the x-over from a revisit. The two canons both deal heavily in symbolism and metaphorical "good and evil" debates, so I think they'll be a natural fit. Not to mention, one of the recurrent themes of A Woman Appeared to Me is snakes and how "the eyes of Lilith can bring them to life again" which would be interesting to explore with a blind Lilith as part of that tale.

I'm imagining this will be another very atmospheric, quiet, sitting around talking a lot story, which just seems to be my style, so what can I do? If it ain't broken, don't fix it.



Made myself a new icon of one of the pages from the original edition of Renée Vivien's A Woman Appeared to Me with her own handwritten edits for the second print. Both because I felt it was fitting with a writing-inspired icon and just because, this book matters so much to me on a personal level that it seemed inevitable I'd eventually get myself an icon relating to it. The icon is made from an image I found on Tumblr, someone had uploaded three pages of the book with Vivien's own notes in ink from the National Library of France and it just looked so pretty...



returntomytilene

I also really, really need to get my hands on the new translation of this work that was published in recent years. Christmas, this time, I promise.



The general idea for this fic, I guess, is Vally - the love interest of the narrator of A Woman Appareared to Me, a cold, calculating woman who herself claims not to be able to love which is undoubtedly a lie for her own protection, but you know - finds Lilith in the streets and, having just been dumped by the narrator, decides to take her in, because the girl catches her fancy. Lilith actually gets proper medical care thanks to Vally's funds and survives her ordeal and the two, while she recovers, strike up a friendship that should, hopefully, end with Vally having been touched by Lilith's beautiful soul and opening herself up to love. Hurt/comfort, but you're not totally sure who's the hurt one and who's doing the comforting. Thinking this could work well as a series of micro-scenes. Depending on how long it gets, could be for tinyfandomflash. There are some good prompts from this year to work with, like Paradise Lost, for example.



Also, listening to this right now (Cécile Chaminade: Arabesque no. 1), for inspiration, because this piece of music will always remind me of the characters in that book, especially Vally.



I guess those were some very early morning thoughts?