Kaiden Alderling

Nice! I think for me, it's all about keeping up the momentum and the volume.

They've all brought me to tears at one point or another. In Ruin in particular, I can really spot the callbacks to previous albums.

And there's always a line in there somewhere that hits SO hard. "The saint of never getting it right" will haunt me forever.

"Becoming" has been stuck in my brain for six months, and it might be what finally kicked me into gear on writing a novel (which is SO close to the end now).

The cost might be going to sleep early on a Friday night 🤔

I have so many feelings about that whole album, but the first track is just... yes. It's yes.

I feel that. It feels less escapable when it's like that.

Hm... might be "The Horror and the Wild" by The Amazing Devil

Thinking again about Rakesfall (by Vajra Chandrasekara) again and the idea of becoming more of who/what you are.

The protagonist in this horror novel is way too relatable for comfort (complimentary).

"So you might be wondering why, as a patient, I didn't ask more questions as I faced the overwhelming dread of checking into a medical institution..."

Not at all. I would be right there with you, my friend.

I might need to be caught up on that one 👀

100%. It not only draws us into the story, but how the character feels, thinks, and reacts to those circumstances tells us so much about who that character is.

I don't think tropes would be a good way to describe books with hard-to-describe central concepts. Although, in fairness, sometimes a combination of tropes will make me take a second look, especially in romance.

You've got me - that sounds like a very cool read!

Yeah, it's almost like an anchor for the character's perspective, whether it's sensory or the focus is on the physical.

Absolutely - the cultural emphasis on specific elements is a big part of that. Do you play with senses a lot?

I love playing with language like that.

Oh wow, that draws me right in. I love how much the blue pops, even when it isn't the focus

But at this point, I feel a lot more confidence in taking the scenes that jumped out at me during the idea phase and linking them together in a way that feels satisfying to me, when I get to the ending.

I think I made the right call, doing what I did then and just working on whatever pieces moved me. Yes, I still have a lot more started pieces than finished pieces.

In some of my private notes from early last year, I talked about increasing the amount that I wrote by writing whatever my mind's eye felt like catching on at the time, to the point that I didn't know what was going to happen next.

Absolutely, and WHO HAS THE TIME is probably my first thought there. I suppose that personal message of what they liked also has me thinking of them fondly the next time the stars align on potentially working together.

I got a really nice one recently on a short story submission where the editor took the time to point out specific things that they liked in my application, and that was lovely. They didn't have to do that at all, and I really appreciated it.

Congrats! And that sounds super intriguing

I'd love a book rec!

That also makes me think of the way... the sensory details are often the most grounding and memorable parts of a scene, you know?

I have been meaning to catch up (although I struggle with TV and movie watching) as I've been noodling with some self-portraits that are basically him. Gender goals, 100%, although I'm more on the fluid side.

One little bit at a time, if we can swing it.

Witches are good. I like witches.

Goals, honestly.

Normal waking up experience. 🙂‍↕️