Periphery + untitled original novel by firewhiskey_ginger

[firewhiskey_ginger]

hello!

with some extra time now on my hands, i'm attempting to finish my years-long WIP as well as complete a fleshed-out synopsis for my original fiction.

PERIPHERY

 graphic by clearplastic at TDA

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Chloe is content with her quiet life amid her Muggle parents' fear of magic.  But after suffering a brutal attack at the hands of would-be Death Eaters, Chloe is thrust into a world both exhilarating and terrifying.  Marlene McKinnon and her friends, the Marauders, are rule-breakers.  They leave laughter and chaos in their wake.  They are everything that Chloe thought she never wanted, least of all Sirius Black: cavalier, reckless and so strangely alluring.  As the years pass, Chloe's infatuation with Marlene and Sirius forces her to question where her loyalties lie in the shadow of a rising war.

Golden Chalice Awards winner - Best Drama, Best Original Character

• Current word count: 91K and 25.5 chapters
• Goals: To complete a rough draft of the entire fic (no idea how ridiculously long this thing will be)

UNTITLED / ORIGINAL FICTION

image by me

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Joni had an unconventional upbringing, to say the least.  Not everyone grew up gossiping with friendly spirits or casting love spells for money.  Though Joni left Washington to lead a normal life, magic runs in her blood, and a family death means she must return to her hometown.  Joni reunites with friends and family--those who left and those who remained--just in time for the controversial summer celebration, a time for tourists to ogle their magical lifestyle (and maybe purchase a few overpriced crystals).  But a troubling spiritual presence tugs at her: that of a little girl who should have passed into the afterlife long ago.  What's keeping her?  Possibly more vexing is the presence of Milo, who's determined to learn everything about the town's history, and for Joni to help him.  As she revisits her craft, Joni uncovers hidden truths about the town--and her own family--that perhaps were best kept a secret.

Think Miyazaki meets Practical Magic.

• Current word count: 0
• Goal: A detailed plot and timeline--actual writing would be nice, too!

[Guest Tanda]

I miss Chloe. Though my RL prevented me from reading your story since you twittered about it, I still remember the first few chapters, so impressive. So questions:

1 What motivated you to begin writing Chloe?

2 Is it harder for you to write Harry Potter than Sirius Black?

3 Is your story autobiographical partly or rather fictional entirely?

[firewhiskey_ginger]

Oh hey! Thanks so much for the questions. Chloe misses you too but I totally get it about the real life preventing reading... It seems any time I have to devote to fic is solely spent writing, these days :c But it's better than nothing!
 

On 4/12/2020 at 7:54 AM, Tanda said:

What motivated you to begin writing Chloe?

There were a couple of Marauders-era tropes that I wanted to turn on their heads. Firstly, and foremost, the idea of a girl who's best friends with Lily and gets sort of adopted into the Marauders. In my mind, James/Sirius/Peter/Remus were so close to each other, and so absorbed in their own world and their own friendships, that there wouldn't be room for others. I wanted to write a character who eschewed these stereotypes and hung on the edges--the periphery, even???--of their group, never fully fitting in. That led me to considering what would make her stand apart from the others, and the most significant thing would be her bravery. Chloe is loyal to a fault and cares deeply for her friends, but she's afraid of the war and also trying to keep her parents safely oblivious to its goings-on. I wanted to write a character who didn't run headfirst into the battle, because I know that I personally wouldn't be able to do that, and it seemed unrealistic that all of these 18-20 year-olds to be doing it, too. 
 

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Is it harder for you to write Harry Potter than Sirius Black?

Yes, totally! I'm not sure why Harry is so difficult to write, but I feel like I know Sirius more--probably because I was able to make his younger self up in my head, for the most part. I'm actually dreading the parts of Periphery with Harry in them, haha.
 

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Is your story autobiographical partly or rather fictional entirely?

A lot of it is autobiographical, which is pretty natural for writers to do! Namely, the way Chloe is a bit of an outsider at Hogwarts (I moved to a new state in 9th grade and didn't know anyone entering high school, and so there are a lot of parallels for me there.) Also her parents' paranoia and smothering nature is, erm, more than a bit biographical, haha. 

If you're talking about Joni in my OF--yes, very much. Not so much her story but I feel like she's more myself. I'm chattier and a bit more foot-in-mouth than Chloe, and more sarcastic too. That really comes out in Joni. But her personal life and experiences, other than the part of the U.S. where she lives, aren't similar to mine.

Thank you for these questions, they were fun to answer! I hope your writing is coming along nicely, and that you're staying safe and healthy.

Here's a bonus picspam I created for Periphery, for the part of the story I'm really really really excited to get to!  Chirius in their thirties, set in the Isle of Skye (one of my favorite places I've visited).

[firewhiskey_ginger]

I wrote 400 words for my original fiction! It's the absolute first draft phase, but even getting to this point is a huge deal for me.  I'm thinking the story will jump in time, back to the year 1999 when the narrator is 12--I'm really excited about all the early 2000s references and how she struggles to be a normal preteen and a witch.

Here's a little snippet:

Spoiler

Before my Buttermilk Moon ceremony, I lived like many other twelve-year-olds. My scrawny legs carried me through the forests where twigs snapped underfoot. I wore braces and the stubborn clasps of overalls. I had crushes on neighbors and cried when I got my first period, huddled in the school bathroom. Hours were spent dancing in front of the mirror and memorizing the lyrics to Summertime Girls on clunky computers.

After the Buttermilk Moon, my twelfth year was as cluttered and haphazard as the backpack I carried, an impossible balance of two worlds. Magic hummed in my fingertips like I’d stuck them in an electrical outlet. Glittery lip gloss leaked and hardened onto my mother’s mortar and pestle, stolen to cast love spells behind the school gym. Our classmates’ crumpled dollar bills—with Allie luvs Kevin scrawled on them in scented marker—bought us gas station candy that turned my tongue purple and green and tested my mother’s patience.

How many other kids could say that they were grounded for casting fake love spells? And on more than one occasion.

 

[grumpy cat]

12 hours ago, firewhiskey said:

stolen to cast love spells behind the school gym

ahaha this is gold

i really love the sort of whimsical and nostalgic feel of the snippet you posted, it honestly seems like it'll be such a wonderful story!

[beyond the rain]

I love me some Sirius x OC!! What are some of Chloe's best and worst traits? Also I've never been to the Isle of Skye before, what brought them there? 

 

I see a lot of young sirius x oc fics, what are some of the challenges, if any, in writing them older? I do prefer reading ships that are explored outside of hogwarts (she says...whilst writing a hogs based romance) - so I'll have to give this a read!! 

I hope the writing's going well!

[firewhiskey_ginger]

hi hi! thanks so much for popping by and for the questions. 

chloe's best/worst traits are mostly double-edged swords. she's fiercely loyal (in her own quiet way) but to a fault. she convinces herself that marlene and sirius are in love and won't allow herself to even speak to him. she is nurturing and a caretaker, but to the point that she lets her muggle parents control her (they're afraid of the magical world.) she's also extremely secretive, which can be a good thing with keeping others' secrets safe, yet she refuses to talk about her own traumas, like a violent attack she suffered at hogwarts, and won't accept help. depending on who you ask, her refusal to become involved with the First War is a bad trait.

actually, the older sirius/chloe scenes are going to be much easier to write! young sirius wasn't supposed to be likable , so it was hard writing about chloe's infatuation with a character that genuinely annoyed me, haha. but now that he's wiser and more humble, i think it'll be super easy. 

as for Skye, it's one of my favorite places, and... (spoilers for anyone who's currently reading this fic!)

Spoiler

...after sirius's arrest, chloe is loathed for the way the media painted her as a "murderer's girlfriend." she leaves england for Skye, and lives in either A) a voluntarily magic-free community created by other outcasts or B) a Muggle town--haven't decided yet, haha. she's hiding from the world and Skye can be really remote. plus it's absolutely gorgeous and has tons of dramatic, moody seaside and mountains, which is just perfect for this moody af fic.

thank you again for the questions!! i hope your writing is coming along. the snippets you've shared are very witty and so fun to read!

[Guest Noelle Zingarella]

Hi Sarah! 

How's your drafting on Periphery going? I love what I've read of it so far, and I really look forward to reading more of it soon. And Kudos to you for writing a character that sometimes annoys you

The snippet you posted of your OF work is wonderful! How much of this idea do you have fleshed out so far?

[firewhiskey_ginger]

Hey hey, thanks @Noelle Zingarella!

Periphery is coming along nicely. I surprised myself by writing most of the next chapter in one go, and literally just need to write the next scene(s) that I have perfectly planned out, haha. It's coming along--just need to M O T I V A T E and all.

Urgh, yes, Hogwarts-age Sirius annoys me, and tbh so does Ben Barnes, who is his face claim haha. Chloe is perplexed by her crush, at first, because he embodies everything she strives to not be. School is incredibly important to her, as are following the rules, having a five-year plan, not partying, etc. But I quite love post-Hogwarts and especially post-Azkaban Sirius (and Ben Barnes just gets hotter as he ages, so it works lol.)

As for the OF, I'm reworking an idea that was pretty fleshed out to begin with in terms of tone/character development/narration, but lacked plot. Now that I redid the plot entirely and added the element of magic, I've got to do a bit of world building. It all feels elusive right now--I'm hoping to knock Periphery out soon and then devote all my time to it and not write a modern day fluff AU of Periphery what is wrong with me

Thank you for the thoughtful questions! I'm really loving Moonlight, by the way, and will drop another review when I read chapter three

 

[grumpy cat]

31 minutes ago, firewhiskey said:

post-Azkaban Sirius

damnation all my hopes down the drain

(just kidding a lil bit, i've loved the first two chapters..will be back for more )