Regular readers will recall me mentioning leogrl19 in last month's post. She's one of the authors I met through my Horizon Zero Dawn (HZD) fanficiton 'Looking into the Sun'. After I'd finished the story she proposed a combined project where each of us wrote from the perspective of a character in the HZD universe. Nervous yet intrigued, I agreed to participate.

I've had a lot of friends and acquaintances who are writers over the years but have never engaged in a true collaboration with any of them. Edited their work, yes. Contributed to silly role-play exchanges? Definitely. Constructing a story using two different styles and minds – never.

Those who take the time to read leogrl19's work will immediately see that her style is not conventional. Her storytelling structure is more akin to poetry, using a combination of punctuation, font and words to form the narrative. It can be challenging to understand at first but after a while you move beyond the technical hurtles and begin seeing the raw feeling in the tapestry.

Her unique style intermixed with mine forces readers to slow down their reading. While it's generally easy to pinpoint which character perspective is active thanks to the differing styles, meshing them into one cohesive narrative requires readers to actively engage with the story.

Writing a collaboration with any author presents challenges. Even setting aside style, plot progression, character development and pacing are all topics that must be handled in crafting a shared piece. In many ways the collaboration I'm writing with leogrl19 is made easier because it's a fanfiction inspired by a video game. We're following existing an plot so the only aspects we need to focus on are characterisation and pacing.

How two authors navigate a collaboration will depend on the authors involved. Although leogrl19 and I are publicly posting the story so others can read it, the work is ultimately for our enjoyment. This means we don't need to spend so much time on formatting. If we were intending to market the narrative we'd have to dedicate a lot more time to ensuring seamless flow for maximum legibility.

Engaging in the experience has offered me insight into my writing style, preferences and even interpersonal dynamics. While I'm one hundred percent enjoying the adventure, I've also discovered a renewed appreciation for solitary authorship. Getting to craft a story that's completely my own is not always pleasant. I often struggle with stubborn characters, meandering words and unfocused plots but I also get to make all the final decisions.

Collaborating is a worthwhile experiment for any author. I've also personally found the experience incredibly rewarding. If you're interested in checking out my shared project, it can be found at Archive of Our Own: 'Before I Wake (Mountains to Climb)'.

Anthy as charity case and Kouga having the hots for Utena.  That pretty much sums up this episode.  Although darker themes still exist (Anthy gets bullied by other girls for supposedly humiliating Saionji since he won't leave his kendo room) the atmosphere is more fun.  The central focus is a ball to which Anthy is invited, supposedly because she's been nominated as a possible dance queen by admiring boys.

In her bid to make Anthy more friends, Utena tells Anthy that they will go and, despite Anthy stating that she doesn't like large crowds, she gives in to Utena.  Since Utena thinks she has the other woman's best interests at heart this doesn't feel like a bad thing but it's a clear example of others forcing their beliefs onto the Rose Bride.

Kouga is interested in the aloof Utena and quickly figures out that playing up the potential that he might be the prince from her childhood is the way to entice her towards him.  Kouga's playboy nature conflicts with the ideals embodied by her prince so Utena is not blindly accepting of his advances.  The man buys her a dress for the dance and this is the first time we see Utena in stereotypical girl clothing.  She is obviously uncomfortable with the outfit which negatively affects her ability to keep Kouga at a distance, almost as if the dress compels her to be more submissive.

She rediscovers the role she's most comfortable with when Anthy is once more the focus of humiliating pranks.  Nanami, a character who initially appeared to be befriending Anthy, reveals that she's intent on hurting the woman she thinks Touga (her brother) fancies since she wants to be the only woman in his life (kind of creepy, can't lie).  She ensures that the dress the Rose Bride is wearing will disintegrate when touched by champagne which she then has one of the servants spill on the victim.

While Anthy is paralysed with fear at being surrounded by people and embarrassed at her state of undress, Utena assumes her boy's uniform and fashions a tablecloth into a dress for Anthy.  The two then enjoy a romantic dance on the ballroom floor.

Nothing really grand happens in this installment but it does further add to the characters.  I have to admit that it provides me with great amusement, mostly because I have a side-narrative running simultaneously in my mind thanks to Naji Minkin.  Their spoof video of this episode is one of the funniest things I've ever seen!  Unfortunately it no longer appears to be available on the internet.

Images courtesy of  http://ohtori.nu/

In this era we spend a lot of our time online. There's now an electronic component in most occupations and the inter-connectivity of our society dictates access to nearly all goods, services and supports. Socialising is no exception. Humans desire interaction, the amount varies from person to person, but everyone likes to feel part of something, whether it's a hobby group, role-playing team or support forum.

One of the perks to writing fanfiction that is shared online is the near instant gratification for an author. Responses can vary widely yet a good storyteller will generally find an enthusiastic and supportive audience. This has certainly been my experience. Until recently, my romance pairing Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast' with Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid' was the fanfiction that had received the most positive reception ('Land and Sea: A Belle and Ariel Fanfiction'). I corresponded with some excellent people while posting that story yet those interactions ended once the story was complete.

In March I began posting a story based in the 'Horizon Zero Dawn' universe. Since the fandom is still very young (the game came out in February 2017) there's a lot of interest in stories with not too many to choose from. I decided to write from the first person perspective of an original character, a decision which does not usually result in a lot of fandom interest (this story is called 'Looking into the Sun'.). People tend to prefer stories that focus on canon characters.

Despite this fact, the response I've received from readers has been enormously positive. When I was about halfway through my own story, a new tale featuring an original character debuted and I began reading it. The promising premise expanded into an intriguing, well-written and deep story. I was so impressed that I gave enthusiastic, lengthy comments for each added chapter.

The author, Kitewalker, responded to each comment and we exchanged engaging points about the story as well as writing in general. As I was reading other people's comments on her story, 'Out of Cryo', I discovered I wasn't the only one leaving detailed comments. leogrl19, an author whose work features stream of consciousness storytelling with poetic language, was also conducting discussions with Kitewalker through comments. I recommend leogrl19's 'Sunrise', 'Nightfall' and 'Aurora'. Soon those conversations were nearly as interesting as the chapters themselves.

Soon the three of us were commenting on each other's work and regularly corresponding. Our mutual interests in writing and 'Horizon Zero Dawn' spurred us to set-up a space where we could chat more comfortably (and less publicly). I'm pleased to say that this enhanced interaction has worked out beautifully. Both are amazingly talented and kind people who I'm lucky to have met.

I wanted to reflect on this encounter since I have never had this experience before and it's made me appreciate the connections that can be fostered through mutual interest. While it's true that relationships forged between people who've never met can fade, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to get to know people I would otherwise never encounter. Safety must always be a consideration when meeting strangers, yet fear is too often the primary response in our society. Had I not been willing to take a chance with these two authors I would have been denied the chance to expand my awareness and robbed myself of many laughs.