Mafia Days, Post-mission

what’s your writing process like? (how do you plan, do you outline, etc.)

also, hope you’re feeling better soon!! :] 🫶

Hi!! Great question! Okay, I have a lot of thoughts but I’ll try to keep this short and coherent lol

So I start off with a scene or dialogue and think to myself how did this character get here and why? Everything that comes to mind I type into a doc, even if it’s just a word or two. Then that evolves into writing down what I would like to see play out like character interactions, certain settings, themes I’d like to explore, conflicts, etc. Once I have enough information down, I start piecing together a story and outlining it with bullet points of major plot points. I also make a chart with character information (their personalities, backstory, connections, etc.) Only after this is set up can I finally begin to write. (The brainstorming doc can get messy and I constantly add more things to it).

Sometimes a bullet point from the main outline can span a few chapters, so I break it up into more detailed sections and assign a chapter to it. Whenever I sit down to write a new chapter I make sure that I have at least a general outline for it and rough estimate of the word count. The next step is what takes me the most time because I tend to overthink a lot and end up rewriting scenes or deleting them altogether. However, it’s also the step I enjoy the most because even adding a sentence means I’m pushing the story forward! This is when the chapter outline comes in handy because if I ever get stuck on a scene or piece of dialogue, I can just skip ahead and come back to it later. My first drafts are always full of notes I leave as I write for future me to use as a reference for an unfinished scene.

I’d like to add that I also like listening to ambience music while I work but I always end up zoning it out or shutting it off when I get in the zone lol

Then comes the editing which I also love doing because it means I’m in the home stretch! By this point, if the chapter doesn’t already have a title, I make it a goal to come up with one as I read through it (this can be inspired by a scene or theme but it has to be important to the chapter. Oh and I also like to sneak in double meanings for them). After this is done comes the tedious part of converting everything into the format Ao3 uses, but again, doing this means I’m almost done :D and all that’s left is to copy it into the Archive and type up an author’s note (which by then it could be anywhere between 1am-3am because nothing beats late night writing!!).

Hitting the “Post” button never fails to make me nervous but it’s a feeling I look forward to!

Ohhhhh political science? That’s so cool! I actually thought you were a literature major lol. To be honest, I was planning to choose it too, but after seeing my sister struggle with it—she’s majoring in it as well—I changed my mind. I was like, Nah bro, I’m not doing that ദ്ദി(ㅠ﹏ㅠ) But she’s really passionate about it, so at least that’s good for her. It is a really interesting major though.

Also, I hope you don’t overwork yourself—make sure to take breaks. Take care!

⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

Literature was my first option! But after I discovered this field, I decided to go down this path instead.

Sending positive vibes to your sister because I know the struggle lol

I'm done for now though! I'll be sure to make the best of this break :D

Take care too <3!

Not to be creepy but can I ask what country/time zone you’re in? Just so I can know when “tonight” is so I can plan my day around reading the new chapter as soon as it drops 😂

I’m in Pacific Standard Time!!

don't want to write I want to think very hard about my fic until it emerges from my head fully formed like athena

Hey honeybumi!!

I hope the AO3 curse will fade away asap (jokes aside I really do wish you all the best and I'm manifesting that you will feel better)

Hopefully you had wonderful holidays!!

Happy new year too!! 🌠🎇

Can't wait for the new chapter, no matter when it comes out i WILL be there for it, just finished re-reading the fic for the 4th time. I love you for writing this<3

Thank you :)

Hi! I’m SO sorry I missed this but tysm!! This made me so happy :)

I’m also so, so sorry this hiatus is dragging out this long… but the wait is almost over!! The update is over 10k so I’m finding myself rewriting and editing things I wrote weeks ago (hence why the word count just keeps growing lol) and it feels like I’m stuck in a never ending cycle but it’s coming together bit by bit.

Omg pls do fully flesh out the deleted scene! Or you could perhaps just post a drabble about it on tumblr, if you can’t find a place for it in the main fic. Just a thought! Lmao so Dazai was crawling into bed with Chuuya even during the middle of their Cold War after chapter 10? Awwwwkward!!! Or hmm in chapter 11, when they finally talk again Chuuya notes that Dazai looked more sleep deprived than usual. Maybe he HADN’T been sharing his bed then, and at Chuuya’s insistence that he get some sleep before their next big mission, he did that again and that’s why he looked better rested… aww Dazai sleeps better with Chuuya 💕 that’s really cute

I will!! I've been thinking about writing some extras once the main story concludes, which will cover side stories that didn't fit into the main storyline or that happen after. So far I have one that I know I want to write and if I can't fit the deleted scene, I'll either post it here or as an extra as well.

Also, aside from everything else Dazai had going on in his head, the fight with Chuuya was definitely an added factor to his lack on sleep. His pride also kept him from giving in and joining Chuuya on the bed, and when he would, it would be for as little time as possible. So when they "made up," that night he received the most sleep he'd had in days (which probably still wasn't enough under any sane person's standards lol).

Subconsciously, I'm sure he does sleep better with Chuuya next to him, though good luck getting him to realize that

like falling asleep

i checked my email today because i was busy trying to fix something, and although i didnt get anything fixed i DID find an email feom ao3 that you updated the tides pull us closer🎉🎉🎉

i'm so glad you're back!!!! that was genuinely the last thing ive been expecting, i am unbelievably happy ^^

Hi!! I'm glad you checked your email :D welcome back to you too!

I still can't believe I was gone for so long...it's all a blur to me now :0

I think about ur fic so much I literally dreamt about it

Ahh that's so cool!! I'm flattered! And lowkey jealous too lol I wish these two would haunt my dreams

fake ass idgafer. I saw you gazing off into the distance like you were looking at something far away, something no one else could see but you