(no subject)
I am bored and avoiding homework, so here's a little something I prepared earlier; that is, a cross-section of how my apps are written. Exciting, I know. But it's okay, there'll be illustrated diagrams. So without further ado:
A COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO APPING MOTOSUWA HIDEKI*
1. DECIDING TO APP
Usually the easiest part, but sometimes, not easy at all. In Hideki's case, I decided to app after finally finishing Chobits.
I don't like apping if I haven't finished canon, unless it's one of those pesky continuing ones. Anyway, I finished volume 8 and I said to myself, "My, I should certainly like to app that fellow." That's the easy part - next came the more difficult part. I then said to myself, "But how shall I app Hideki? Will I still want him in a month's time? Can I assemble a winning app? Is it really a good idea to write an app when I have 12,000 words worth of actual uni essays to be writing?"
The answer to all these questions ended up being yes, so I proceeded.
2. CHECKING WITH CANONMATES
I kind of fail at this. Mostly because... I rarely app into established canons /o/. And technically Chobits isn't an established canon. But because CLAMP is silly and has it's magical fun crossover time with Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, I pinged Fay and checked to see if he was in it. Which he wasn't. Damn you, CLAMP.
3. MAKING ICONS
...making icons motivates me, okay. I had to get raws for Hideki because the translated scans were RUBBISH. And so I plugged away at those over a few weeks in between other things, and ended up not really finishing until after I'd apped him.
--> also at this point I come up with a username. If I am struck with a username for a character I am almost certainly doomed and will app them. I knew Rick's username 2 years in advance.
4. APP: WRITING THE CANON
Canon tends to go the same way with me every time. I write it first, I keep it roughly at 250 words max. Here is how it looks:
Sexy, no? I generally don't change canon much, writing it in one shot tends to be enough. As the picture shows, I keep plot to one section and character to another. It works for me and it separates out what people need/want to know into obvious areas.
5. APP: FIRST DRAFT, GO!
Maybe you're wondering why I'm using Hideki's app for this. It's because his is the only one I saved a few copies of along the way. In fact I had an even earlier draft that I, uh, saved over with Asuka's accidentally. But that's okay, because it was pretty much five sentences and some placeholders that said [ONE] [TWO] [THREE] [PUNCHLINE]. I'm sure you can imagine that for yourselves. Anyway, here is the first draft:
Not quite as sexy as the canon because it's... unfinished. And terrible. So I left this "draft" alone for a few days (while I worked on my academic things instead, like a pseudo-good student). I then returned to the app the day before apps opened.
6. APP: SECOND DRAFT, FIGHT!!
Written in between essays, the second draft is where I enter the Panic Zone. It is exactly what it sounds like, only because I was on hiatus this particular Panic Zone didn't include me whining at other poor souls about how I wasn't finished yet. Here is the first half:
It looks better than before. Second half:
Notice all the persistent annoying-as-hell gaps still in this version. When I write apps these days, this is what ends up happening in ALL of them right up until the last minute, which is the next section.
7. APP: FINISH HIM!!!
Generally this stage happens less than 24 hours before apps open! Because, being Australian, apps open at either 8 or 10am on a Saturday morning for me, so I can't "work on it all day leading up to it". Since I am asleep. And if I am being anal and attempting to send it THE INSTANT APPS OPEN then this is the crunch hour. Crunch hour deals with those gaps still left in the app.
Gaps, for me, indicate that I'm missing either a) a connecting sentence or b) something funny, damn it. Since I'm pretty desperate by this point I end up literally chucking in the most retarded things that come to mind JUST so I can plug those damn empty holes. I honestly don't care! Other people will often hear about this as I go:
Wolfwood: QUICK, IS THIS JOKE FUNNY?
Emiri: WELL I LIKE IT?
Wolfwood: GOOD, IT'S IN.
This can go on for ages, punctuated by "AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING FUNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYY". But I will end up finishing it eventually.
8. BETAS
...betas are good. I can't discuss them with Hideki's app though because I finished it 15 minutes before apps closed and just fired it off without anyone seeing it. But betas are useful. Use them. Even just a once-over and a thumbs up will do wonders (for your confidence).
9. THE WAITING GAME
Assuming you send the app in (apping doesn't tend to work if you don't), then comes that period between sending it and seeing it go up. Me, I like to GTFO the computer the instant I see my apps go up so I don't have to watch the voting. Not until it evens out, anyway. I'm a wuss. Other people might do this differently!
10. ????
11. PROFIT
And there you have it.
Remember, this is just how I do things. Any opinions on apping are my own and quite possibly hilariously dumb.
A COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO APPING MOTOSUWA HIDEKI*
1. DECIDING TO APP
Usually the easiest part, but sometimes, not easy at all. In Hideki's case, I decided to app after finally finishing Chobits.
I don't like apping if I haven't finished canon, unless it's one of those pesky continuing ones. Anyway, I finished volume 8 and I said to myself, "My, I should certainly like to app that fellow." That's the easy part - next came the more difficult part. I then said to myself, "But how shall I app Hideki? Will I still want him in a month's time? Can I assemble a winning app? Is it really a good idea to write an app when I have 12,000 words worth of actual uni essays to be writing?"
The answer to all these questions ended up being yes, so I proceeded.
2. CHECKING WITH CANONMATES
I kind of fail at this. Mostly because... I rarely app into established canons /o/. And technically Chobits isn't an established canon. But because CLAMP is silly and has it's magical fun crossover time with Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, I pinged Fay and checked to see if he was in it. Which he wasn't. Damn you, CLAMP.
3. MAKING ICONS
...making icons motivates me, okay. I had to get raws for Hideki because the translated scans were RUBBISH. And so I plugged away at those over a few weeks in between other things, and ended up not really finishing until after I'd apped him.
--> also at this point I come up with a username. If I am struck with a username for a character I am almost certainly doomed and will app them. I knew Rick's username 2 years in advance.
4. APP: WRITING THE CANON
Canon tends to go the same way with me every time. I write it first, I keep it roughly at 250 words max. Here is how it looks:
Sexy, no? I generally don't change canon much, writing it in one shot tends to be enough. As the picture shows, I keep plot to one section and character to another. It works for me and it separates out what people need/want to know into obvious areas.
5. APP: FIRST DRAFT, GO!
Maybe you're wondering why I'm using Hideki's app for this. It's because his is the only one I saved a few copies of along the way. In fact I had an even earlier draft that I, uh, saved over with Asuka's accidentally. But that's okay, because it was pretty much five sentences and some placeholders that said [ONE] [TWO] [THREE] [PUNCHLINE]. I'm sure you can imagine that for yourselves. Anyway, here is the first draft:
Not quite as sexy as the canon because it's... unfinished. And terrible. So I left this "draft" alone for a few days (while I worked on my academic things instead, like a pseudo-good student). I then returned to the app the day before apps opened.
6. APP: SECOND DRAFT, FIGHT!!
Written in between essays, the second draft is where I enter the Panic Zone. It is exactly what it sounds like, only because I was on hiatus this particular Panic Zone didn't include me whining at other poor souls about how I wasn't finished yet. Here is the first half:
It looks better than before. Second half:
Notice all the persistent annoying-as-hell gaps still in this version. When I write apps these days, this is what ends up happening in ALL of them right up until the last minute, which is the next section.
7. APP: FINISH HIM!!!
Generally this stage happens less than 24 hours before apps open! Because, being Australian, apps open at either 8 or 10am on a Saturday morning for me, so I can't "work on it all day leading up to it". Since I am asleep. And if I am being anal and attempting to send it THE INSTANT APPS OPEN then this is the crunch hour. Crunch hour deals with those gaps still left in the app.
Gaps, for me, indicate that I'm missing either a) a connecting sentence or b) something funny, damn it. Since I'm pretty desperate by this point I end up literally chucking in the most retarded things that come to mind JUST so I can plug those damn empty holes. I honestly don't care! Other people will often hear about this as I go:
Wolfwood: QUICK, IS THIS JOKE FUNNY?
Emiri: WELL I LIKE IT?
Wolfwood: GOOD, IT'S IN.
This can go on for ages, punctuated by "AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING FUNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYY". But I will end up finishing it eventually.
8. BETAS
...betas are good. I can't discuss them with Hideki's app though because I finished it 15 minutes before apps closed and just fired it off without anyone seeing it. But betas are useful. Use them. Even just a once-over and a thumbs up will do wonders (for your confidence).
9. THE WAITING GAME
Assuming you send the app in (apping doesn't tend to work if you don't), then comes that period between sending it and seeing it go up. Me, I like to GTFO the computer the instant I see my apps go up so I don't have to watch the voting. Not until it evens out, anyway. I'm a wuss. Other people might do this differently!
10. ????
11. PROFIT
And there you have it.
Remember, this is just how I do things. Any opinions on apping are my own and quite possibly hilariously dumb.