Writers' Workshop General Chat Thread

[MisheardWhisper]

I'm with Beth, can't stand live trees. They're itchy, they smell and they shed everywhere. Unfortunately my mother and sister are Christmas fanatics, so the tree goes up no later than two weekends before Christmas (so the 10th this year), and the 1st of December is when they consider it officially Christmas for the purpose of blasting carols through the house.

 

[Misfit Angel]

Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world who can tolerate christmas and the atmosphere around it anymore. For me, personal little changes I can make usually start the first week of December, though I can't quite get into the spirit as much as I'd like.

 

[Instrutilus]

Eh, I'm against the whole presents thing, love the time with your loved ones part though. There should be Bulba Christmas Bashes, where some members can meet up and enjoy the time.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Also one of the stupid times of the year when everyone insists on doing things nobody really likes just because

 

[Misfit Angel]

You will take this fruit cake that I bought at a gas station spent countless hours making, and you will LIKE IT

 

[MisheardWhisper]

I hate so many things about Christmas, but I don't hate Christmas itself. I feel like that's an important distinction to make. I hate itchy trees, I hate gaudy decorations,I hate hearing the same songs year after year, I reluctantly buy presents for people I don't like, people giving me presents makes me awkward (and I am terribly hard to buy for), Christmas cake tastes like woodchips and suffering, I can't go out anywhere because of the crowds, rampant commercialism is an irritation at best, and did I mention I'm allergic to pine trees? Not enough to be a health hazard, just enough to be constantly irritated for the month.

But yeah Christmas is all g. I'm not religious so it has no significance to me other than some extra time with my family. Which is a tad redundant because I've been living at home this year . . . eh.

I'm currently setting up a box full of Kadabra (Synchronize duplicates) to Wonder Trade + evolve away on Christmas Day, though. That'll be fun. They're all holding Premier Balls and have a bunch of random TM moves. I hear Delibird is the popular choice, but let's be real, who wants a Delibird?

E: It's 3pm and I've written two lines total today. So much for getting a chapter up before work.

 

[diamondpearl876]

The holidays used to be spent traveling an hour out to family and spending my entire month-long school break with them, but now... I'm way too far away from them to justify doing that - not to mention poor. This year, it'll be small gift exchanging with my boyfriend's family and a movie night. I can deal with that.

 

[Constellation]

For those who feel obligated to decorate for Christmas (and are lazy about these things), I recommend a small, potted rosemary bush in the shape of a tree. You can get these at Home Depot/etc. It can go on a dinner table or whatever. Then, all you do is buy mini ornaments and a tree topper (or find a red ribbon). And after Christmas is over, you've got a great little plant for cooking herbs. Voilà!

 

[MisheardWhisper]

I sat down to do some writing half an hour ago. It seemed as if I blinked, and suddenly I'd written . . . fifty words, and opened seven browser tabs on the intricacies and differences of climate between northern France and southern Japan. I'm not ADD or anything, but I'm forced to admit that sometimes I have severe focusing issues. @.@

 

[Tophat Dragoneye]

We always take the Christmas tree indoor on the 24th, the day we Scandinavians celebrate Christmas, or Jul (Yule) as we like to call it. It's pretty much tradition me and my older brother decorate the tree together. That, and we always watch Disney's Christmas Show. The one year they didn't show it on television... let's just say the studio was lucky we Danes didn't bring out the pitchforks against them. it was Ragnarok.

Funny story about the danish Christmas tree though. Apparently, back in WW2, we Danes weren't allowed to show our Danish flag, Dannebrog, in the public while occupied by the Germans. So we decorated our Christmas tree with tiny flags in protest and since then, it's practically tradition to decorate trees with small, danish flags. For the record, our flag is used as a symbol of celebration rather than patriotism.

 

[Instrutilus]

I sat down to do some writing half an hour ago. It seemed as if I blinked, and suddenly I'd written . . . fifty words, and opened seven browser tabs on the intricacies and differences of climate between northern France and southern Japan. I'm not ADD or anything, but I'm forced to admit that sometimes I have severe focusing issues. @.@

Well, you might have been researching southern Japan and northern France for a trainer who moved from Kanto/Johto to Kalos?

 

[Beth Pavell]

I've found myself revising forms of address for half an hour while playing with one small detail. Or reading about fiddler crabs. Or the Kingdom of Norway, the Cerne Abbas Giant, beer ...

 

[MisheardWhisper]

Well, you might have been researching southern Japan and northern France for a trainer who moved from Kanto/Johto to Kalos?

Hoenn (Kyushu) to Kalos, but yes, you're pretty much right on the money. I found myself thinking 'hang on, how would he react to the weather here? It's the same season, but is it colder? What's the difference in latitude? Are there any wind systems I need to be aware of? Is it more or less humid? He's walking on the seafront in the morning with a northerly breeze and hills partially blocking the sun, will he need a jacket?'.

Then I promptly filed it all away and never used any of it. OTL

 

[Instrutilus]

Hoenn (Kyushu) to Kalos, but yes, you're pretty much right on the money. I found myself thinking 'hang on, how would he react to the weather here? It's the same season, but is it colder? What's the difference in latitude? Are there any wind systems I need to be aware of? Is it more or less humid? He's walking on the seafront in the morning with a northerly breeze and hills partially blocking the sun, will he need a jacket?'.

Then I promptly filed it all away and never used any of it. OTL

Isn't Hoenn more tropical than it's actual counterpart Kyūshū, though? Are you taking that into account?

 

[Beth Pavell]

Really depends on what you want to do with the regions, really. I'm a great believer in the phrase "inspired by" rather than "based on", and taking details from the real world when they're convenient

 

[chaos_Leader]

Hoenn (Kyushu) to Kalos, but yes, you're pretty much right on the money. I found myself thinking 'hang on, how would he react to the weather here? It's the same season, but is it colder? What's the difference in latitude? Are there any wind systems I need to be aware of? Is it more or less humid? He's walking on the seafront in the morning with a northerly breeze and hills partially blocking the sun, will he need a jacket?'.

Then I promptly filed it all away and never used any of it. OTL

Having visited both northern France and southern Japan, there are a few climate differences. Both locations have a fairly normal temperate marine climate (warm summers, mild winters, significant precipitation from the ocean, subject to quick changes). Honestly they'd be predtty similar, with the most significant noticeable change mostly being average temperature. Southern Japan is generally a good bit warmer than northern France/Normandy, the latter having quite a lot in common with southern England climate wise, while Southern Japan can sometimes feel almost tropical, especially in the fiendishly humid summer.

 

[MisheardWhisper]

Isn't Hoenn more tropical than it's actual counterpart Kyūshū, though? Are you taking that into account?

Really depends on what you want to do with the regions, really. I'm a great believer in the phrase "inspired by" rather than "based on", and taking details from the real world when they're convenient

This is largely why I abandoned that line of inquiry. Hoenn and Kalos are loosely inspired at best (more culturally than anything, really); I just wanted a reference point but in the end I just went with 'heck, it's probably vaguely similar'. Not like he moved to Snowpoint in Sinnoh or anything.

 

[diamondpearl876]

Welp, my town got hit by a huge amount of snow for the first time this year so far, so I guess I'm stuck inside for the weekend. Perfect time to get writing done, or to just take a nap. z_z

 

[Beth Pavell]

Well, there I was slogging through what would have been a usual obnoxious shift - this time punctuated by a guy who thought it would be funny to thrust his crotch near my face as I swept up the remnants of a glass his mate broke - but this time, at the end of shift a couple decide to tip everyone, including the fellow who spends his whole shift collecting glasses and never normally gets a chance to be tipped. All in the name of fairness

 

[Instrutilus]

That was rather nice of them.

I wonder if, in a Gen VI+ Whitney battle, she would keep the Clefairy? I mean, so long as the thing keeps it's moveset Normal-typed, I can't see it being any different to the Viridian Gym, where the Ground-type Gym had Arbok, Machop line members and Tauros, which barring the Machop line were in the Ground Egg Group, later changed to Field.