So, this happened.

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 Why in Dende's name do I have a blog? As though I don't have enough crap to write? Well, I think that the way I come up with stories is pretty interesting. Of course, I could add an Author's Note to the end of my stories...but frankly 99% of my readers don't care what music I listened to, or what scene specifically made me think this plot was good. So, this thing is probably mostly just to give me a place to pretend to talk about the creative process. Maybe, unlikely but possible, it's to write something interesting about how I write. If that sounds interesting, enjoy!

Through the Seven Gates Ch 6

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Chase Soundtrack! (hope you like fast-paced electronica)

I'm posting this a little early because Valentine's Day is going to be an avalanche of new stories.

This chapter was weird for me to write, because some parts (the dream, the GP) were super easy and actually written quite some time ago, but other parts (the ship, the chase) were incredibly hard.  

I figured out that for the chase scene, what I needed to do was figure out what exciting things were going to happen, shoot the whole thing as a movie scene in my head, and then try to describe it. Once I did that, it all came out in one sitting! Probably the most I've ever written at once.

For the scene, the biggest inspiration was the show "The Expanse". It's quite good at science, and it's where the focus on the acceleration forces came from. As a biologist, I try to be at least somewhat scientifically realistic, though people who know either biology or physics will certainly spot some inconsistencies.

Some of the biggest influences: Battle at Thoth Station, Flip & Burn, and This One from season 5 (potential spoiler). I also took some things from Star Wars and a video game called Elite Dangerous.

One thing I did learn while researching the movement of spaceships, though--corners are a real weak spot when it comes to angular forces, so the rounder you can make stuff, the more force it can take. So it turns out the weird-ass spherical shape of Capsule Corp spaceships actually make them crazy good in a dogfight like this one! (I couldn't include that detail in the story without breaking the flow.)

Anyway, it feels nice to write a straight-up action scene after so much emotional turmoil.

Although, I loved writing the dream, so I guess I couldn't let it go without a little emotional turmoil! My favorite part, though, might be the little exchange between the boys just before the repair. Vegeta was obviously trying to calm Goku down...but I also think he was telling him the truth.


And then there's the crack...


(Careful readers might notice something about this ball...)