Talking with Characters (Patreon)

So this is maybe an odd behind the scenes thing, but sometimes when we get stuck with a story we'll just try and talk directly with the people in the story. Sometimes they have ideas or suggestions, or sometimes there's a reason why they're dragging their feet about some particular scene or plot point.

That happened with Mara, book 4 of her saga was held up a couple months because she really didn't want to do what I had planned. I didn't know that until I tried to talk with her directly, then we figured out an alternative & got her story rolling again.

(on that note I really need to speak with Amanda, Rebecca, and the rest of the Demeter crew some time soon...)

Anyways, this happened with Curses! too. I got up to about chapter 13 or 14 maybe, and the story just kind of ran out of steam. I didn't know what direction to take it, I had three chapters of Tabby's fanfiction written but didn't know what to do with that either, and was just kind of at a loss on where to go with the whole thing.

So I invited the main cast of Curses (at that time there were only 3 of them) to meet with me so we could discuss their story & find out what they wanted from it. Normally I don't have a lot of notes from those sorts of meetings, just a few bullet points, but this time I actually took detailed minutes.

And I figured, why not share this with my patrons? So you all get some insight into one of the (strange?) ways our stories come together.

(Note: there are some vague spoilers for chapters 15 & 16 if you haven't read that far, but if you're up to date on Curses then there's nothing spoilery in here for the rest of the story.)

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Minutes from a staff meeting with the cast of Curses!

viola: ok thank you folks for coming. the agenda for today's meeting is to find out where your story is going and what you all want to achieve in it. so lets go around the room and see what we all think?

Cheryl: i dunno. i'm kind of just along for the ride? i'm up for some smut and i'm having fun with the way this is heading. hit me up with some more of those sexy curses right?

Avery: (sighs) as much as I want to be the mature voice of reason i also still want to give Holly a taste of what this book can do. she was incredibly irresponsible and could have seriously hurt Cheryl.

Cheryl: aww thanks sis. i still dont want anyone to get hurt though, i don't want my story to turn dark or evil

Avery: your tutor mind-controlled you then left you that way for a full day while she buggered off! that seems pretty dark and evil to me

Cheryl: but nothing bad happened, and it all worked out right?

viola: i can see we have a bit of a stalemate there. Tabby what do you think?

Tabby: i was pissed off with Holly as well, and i wouldn't complain if some curse accidentally went her way. Cheryl asked me not to do it though, and i respect my friend's wishes so i won't do it. i might secretly cheer though if someone else did

viola: lets actually move on from the whole Holly situation. Tabby, anything else you're interested in seeing? or what's your opinion going forward?

Tabby: i'm excited for Cheryl to read that story i wrote but i'm also terrified she'll judge me for it. especially considering i basically turned myself into the main character? and if she reads the story she's going to find out about the deal with my collar. i nearly fainted when she said there was a qr code on the tag. i want her to scan it with her phone, i'm curious to find out if the book's magic will actually replicate the functions and make it work. i'm also terrified of those things happening, because it's basically admitting all my kinks and stuff to my best friend.

viola: are you into Cheryl?

Tabby: of course. i've known, or suspected anyways, she was an egg for the last year or two. we're best friends, soulmates or whatever. and now she's cute and happy and starting to open up and getting more confident with her body. we might have had sex already, if i didn't get side-tracked with the pets and ear scritches.

viola: Cheryl how about you? into Tabby? want to be girlfriends with her?

Cheryl: (flustered sputtering) yes. yes i am, and yes i do. 

viola: Avery how about you? 

Avery: what about me? i'm not looking to get involved with my sister, if that's what you're asking. i mean, i can appreciate that Cheryl's attractive. same with Tabby. i'm bi, i'm ok being with a girl. but not my sister.

Cheryl: yeah, ew. that would be weird.

viola: understood. so far Tabby's the only one who seems to have any sort of direction or drive for this story. she wants / doesn't want Cheryl to read her story. she wants / doesn't want Cheryl to learn about the collar and tag. i assume that gives Cheryl some kind of control over you?

Tabby: (blushing) um, yeah. i got the idea from some other smutty stories, and wrote it into my own thing. it's um, i don't know. embarrassing, but hot.

viola: cute. and you want your best friend to have the keys

Tabby: yes. no. i don't know.

viola: of course. the problem i can see is Cheryl's too much of a bottom to actually do any of that stuff. like the meme, oh no they're both bottoms! or however it goes. unless you can get the cursebook and curse Cheryl to be more in charge? i don't think anyone wants that though. unfortunately she's nothing like the Cheryl in your story

Tabby: yeah. maybe i should rewrite the story so we're both bottoms, and add another character to be the captain?

viola: that's up to you, it's your story. and we're supposed to be discussing my story, actually. the one you three are in

Tabby: i guess. maybe i can base a top in my story on Avery. she seems like a top

viola: she's got that big sister energy

Tabby: yeah

viola: but she doesn't want to be part of whatever you and Cheryl have going on

Tabby: no... maybe she can order us to get together tho? like she sees how we're both useless disaster lesbians and takes things into her own hands?

viola: maybe? this would be a lot easier if it was smut

Cheryl: yeah!

(long pause)

viola: so we still don't have any idea where this is going huh?

Avery: not really. you're trying to cover too many bases. you and Cheryl and Tabby all seem to be leaning towards smut and stuff? and i can tell at least two of you want to drag me into it as well. but you already did something like that with Alchemy. what about the sentient book angle? you should explore that. maybe the damn book takes charge. maybe it rebels against Cheryl, after she told it she was boss?

viola: interesting. how do you see that happening? without getting too dark or smuttty?

Avery: the book can start to communicate. there's some blank pages at the front right? have messages appear there. we already know it can change its contents, so why not have it get interactive? maybe it'll even get a name? personality? maybe it'll be the top for those two useless disaster lesbian bottoms.

viola: then what'll your role be?

Avery: foil? voice of reason? or i guess i could also be the fallgirl, take a hit or two for the team. like if the book wanted to prove it was serious, it could start cursing me and Tabby as well as Cheryl. or try and turn us all against each other? 

viola: no. i don't like that. no infighting. you three versus the book might work tho?

Cheryl: i told it not to hurt my friend or my sister

Avery: right. so it could rebel and do exactly what you said not to, to show you its serious

viola: all right, i'll think on that. i still dont want this to get too dark tho

Cheryl: can it get smutty?

viola: innuendo & fade to black only. maybe some smut for a special chapter or something idk

Cheryl: awww

(long pause)

viola: ok i gues thats it for now? thanks for coming out

Cheryl: i thought this thing was going to be catered?

viola: it was. i had noms. see ya!