Nov 09, 2023
To:Steward McOy
I did some self-reflection for these chapters and the smoking/drug use was a pattern that stuck out to me. On a technical level, it does serve the purpose of breaking up dialogue and stopping it from being a bunch of talking heads in a blank space. On a thematic level, I usually try to make the most emotionally-negative characters the smokers (Masako, Lucille). On the flip side, sometimes it's me just wanting to replicate how cool Cowboy Bebop makes it look. I feel like Shun straddles the line between the two. And fun fact, Masako smoking was originally just a reference to a gag in His and Her Circumstances before I decided to connect it to the larger theme.
And good point about Lucille's problems following her no matter where she ends up. That's one of the themes in Letter From Yokohama. If she had money, I could see the Japanese fantasy version of herself becoming a chain-smoking gacha whale.
Destiny Marine is more of a Royalroad thing, perhaps when the contest is over I'll post the rest of it here. Boundary Scramble was written for a Royalroad contest as well, and certainly fits in with *my* Eva fandom.
Writing is a good hobby for someone like Lucille who needs something constructive to ground her. For the first time since the story started in April, she might have finally gotten past the starting line. Only time will tell. As for the pandemic - I still remember the first days of the lockdown like it was yesterday.
And as always, thanks for reading and commenting!
