Downal Wyth Bluddy Clichés: Prompt 3

[manniness]

Guess what?  Yup, another Thursday.

If you were thinking about writing something for one of the previous prompts, please feel free to do so!  There's no expiration date on these!

Right, so what's the next cliché?

Alice wants to be a businesswoman.

Or some similar variations: 
Alice eagerly accepts Lord Ascot's job offer.
Alice wants to go to China.

Many fics show Alice as a competent businesswoman (my own included) but I wonder if there might be more to that story.

Copy and paste the relevant fields below in your comment on this post if you have a contribution.  Let's have fun with this one!

Title: I think this is pretty self-explanatory.
Author/Artist/Creator Name: Please use this if you are posting for someone else or recommending someone else's story!
Media: Fic / Art / Fanmix / etc.
Worksafe:  Yes / No
Rating: K / K+ / T / M / M+
Warnings:  Violence, Sex, Non-consensual Sex, and other Objectionable material
File size:  1,000 words / 2 MB / etc.
Summary/Notes:  Tell us a little more about your contribution or recommendation!
Link to story: Link to the author's homepage or story.
Comments: Why are you recommending this to others?  Or your general impressions of it are fine, too.

More recommendations and contributions may be posted HERE at the alice_tarrant community.

An introduction to Downal Wyth Bluddy Clichés and a list of links to previous clichés can be found HERE.

Comments

[manniness.livejournal.com]

Of course this wasn't "too long"! Don't be silly! (And, hello, by the way! I don't think we've met before.)

This is a fantastic point and I totally agree with you. People often choose a career based on who they think they want to be or (in this case) who they want to be like.

I very much like your take on this issue as the whole "duty" thing wasn't sitting well with me, either. You're quite right: she fights with that throughout the movie. (And I find it odd that, in Underland, the right thing to do is to accept her duty/fate and fight the Jabberwocky, but Above, she doesn't accept her duty/fate to be a member/participant of Society. I mean, Society = the Jabberwocky? That's a bit of a stretch, for me. Yes, fighting the Jabberwocky gives her confidence in herself, which she needs to find her own way, but, as just_a_dram mentioned, why must that path take to a "man's world"? I, too, am baffled.)

Now I wonder exactly what Alice was thinking when she put that armor on. We only see that she realizes Underland is real and that she has gained confidence in herself, but it doesn't necessarily follow that she's going to happily risk her life fighting a monster... Hm. *more thinky-thoughts*

[just-a-dram.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, yes! This is one of my main problems with it.

If she accepts her duty in Underland, why does she reject it above? Society doesn't equate with the Jabberwocky as far as I can tell.

[prismdropz.livejournal.com]

(No, we haven't met yet. Although with how many times I've reread your fics I probably should have commented before now.)

Yes, that "duty" issue is a bit perplexing... hmm... I'm not sure that Alice is the type of person that is attached to the *concept* of duty. I don't think that she would be attached to doing something simply because she considers it a duty. (Of course, that gets kind of complicated to think about because at what point does duty and responsibility intersect? They're not exactly the same after all because you can refuse to accept a duty but that's not necessarily the same as being irresponsible... right, tangent, sorry...) I think that if she fulfilled a "duty" it wouldn't be because that's the right thing to do, so much as that she had more concrete reasons for those actions. ((which just pinged on my radar as a perfect description for Ichigo - thanks! You just helped me with my BigBang!))

Anyhow, perhaps the point of equating the Jabberwocky with Society was to demonstrate that there are always going to be people expecting and pushing you towards things you don't necessarily want to do. The situation, people, and circumstances can change completely (as in Underland) but that pressure to do what other people consider your "duty" can always be present.

The point of having confidence, knowing your own mind and being capable of "muchness" isn't so much that you do whatever you want or you do the "right thing". The point is that you decide for yourself what your duties are. And whether you decide to go along with the masses or to defy convention and expectation, you have to accept that decision and the consequences that follow.

Maybe the reason we see Alice change her mind in the movie and become champion was because (upon realizing it wasn't a dream) she decided that the consequences of not acting were worse than facing down her demon.

And then that relates back to what she does Above. Because I think that part of muchness is being willing to confront decisions. Your not supposed to just take the back seat in your life and just hesitate until it's too late to do anything one way or another. I've done that before and I've never been satisfied with myself. Regardless of whether I decided to do what I was supposed to or to refuse, I was always happier if I had made the choice instead of getting pressured into it or being swept along by events (and the phrasing of that suddenly reminds me of "What You Choose").

So... maybe there's not so much of a conflict between her decision Above and Under. We're not supporting her because she did what was objectively right (by society's standards). We're supporting Alice because she decided what she thought was right and then *committed* to it.

^.^ And I guess this long ramble covered your last paragraph too. Although considering that I've **just now** thought of all this. There might be some contradictions between this comment and what I said earlier. I've only written short drabbles before so I'm not so good at sticking to one interpretation of anything. ((which... could be a problem when I try to write my Big Bang fic...))

Also, I blame you and just_a_dram completely for the fact that I've watched AiW AT LEAST 3 times today (maybe more).

Double also, I will NEVER be able to watch the movie in quite the same way again. And I now understand how my English teacher went to watch Inception and came back with a pad full of notes. There really ARE more layers to things than what you first see.

Although, I'm really amused by the fact that I've gone into more in depth character analysis here than I have for some of my English college papers. (Though this is a lot more fun than those are.)

[manniness.livejournal.com]

Hey! Glad this helped with your Big Bang! (^__^) Always happy to be of service, paving the way for bigger and better fangirl flailing. Whoo yeah!

[prismdropz.livejournal.com]

Hahaha ^.^ Fangirling is always fun!

Speaking of Big Bangs though, are either of you planning on writing one for this year's AiW:BB? I was thinking of maybe trying one this year except that I can't think of any plots to write.

... well that and the fact that I won't have internet access for almost all of June. Kinda puts a dent in my plans...

[manniness.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll be writing for the AiW Big Bang. I've got several ideas that, if they can be corralled and properly introduced to one another, will be very Fun.

Why not scribble in a notebook during June? I alternate between keeping notes and writing on my computer and scribbling in my notebook. I even alternate where I write (physically) in my home. Oddly enough, it works for me. (But, then again, I am a bit odd, anyway.)

I replied a bit further down this comment thread about writing production styles, if you're interested. Mostly, I just rambled, which entertained me Greatly. (^__~)

[prismdropz.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I suppose I could try that. Writing by hand takes me longer but that doesn't mean I couldn't do it. I'll just have to make sure to print off all the notes for my stories before I lose access to my laptop.

Not to mention it'll give me something to do on the two 15+ hour plane rides I have to sit through.

[manniness.livejournal.com]

Plus, there's the added benefit of the inevitable Revision of Awesomeness as you transfer written words to typed. (^__~)

Long flights... oh, how I hate long flights. Why can't America be a little closer to Japan? That's all I ask!

[prismdropz.livejournal.com]

I know right! I can think of very few things that sound more appealing than being stuck in a gigantic metal box for a day with dozens of strangers.

And I haven't even been on a plane yet!

[just-a-dram.livejournal.com]

*English papers can be fun too* says the professor. I'll feel professional guilt if I don't, but it is also true. Promise. :) You just have to sink your teeth into something super layered and complex that draws you in the same way a good film does.

I think it's pretty cool you have a different take on the film now. Doesn't mean you'll struggle with your big bang. It just means it will be really fresh for you.

[prismdropz.livejournal.com]

Well, that's true. Papers can be fun if you luck out on a good topic. Luckily though, I've finished all the English classes I'll need to take. The rest is Linguistics and Foreign Lang. classes.

And thanks for the encouragement. I've never written a piece of fiction longer than 4K so I'm a bit insecure about it at the moment. What I've got so far (it's a Bleach Big Bang) is a rough idea of what I want to happen and then a lot of disconnected scenes written out.

I'm not sure if I should try to keep those scenes as is and write the parts that are missing between them, or just start from the beginning and use those scenes as inspiration. Any suggestions?

[just-a-dram.livejournal.com]

I write one of two ways. I either write the scenes that have sort of come to me through inspiration and then construct a story around them, connecting the scenes together. Or, I write more organically from beginning to end with maybe some notes along the way of dialog or images I want to be sure find their way into the scenes.

For me, the organic style is easier. It feels less like work, plotting to bring aspects together. However, I don't think the quality suffers either way. About half of my fics are written one way, half the other, and I don't think anyone would be able to tell which were which.

I would say go with whatever feels right to you. If you love the scenes you've got, by all means don't throw them out. Use those as your pivot points and sew the whole thing up using your outline to guide you.

Manny might have useful advice for you as well.

[prismdropz.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice, I definitely appreciate it.

I guess when I finally get time I'll just have to sit down and organize what I've got so far and see how to go from there.

[manniness.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, Dramie, on which style of writing feels less like "work". The AiW fics that I patch-worked together are "Right Where She Needs Him" and "The Champion's Hatter". With OPK and "Choosing the Path", I had a very vivid idea for the climax (and notes on the turning points which included bits of dialog to "capture the moment") and wrote from beginning to end. Sometimes I couldn't use the dialog I had planned, but in those cases I was even happier with what ended up coming out. With Wanderamaranth, our joint fics were always patch-worked. Sometimes one of us would write waaaaay ahead (plot-wise) of the other and then we'd have to go back and futz with the transitions and characterization to make it all flow.

For a first novella, I'd say it's easier to write from beginning to end (keeping your Awesome Ideas in mind) and just be open to adjusting them if you have to. It's also easier to edit from beginning-to-end because if your characters develop or change over the course of the story, then patch-working it can really throw a spanner in the works and mix everything all up. I use the patchwork style when I know precisely what tone and direction I need to go in (like with "The Champion's Hatter" I knew I wanted more than a ghost story - I wanted something very philosophical and pertaining to the cost of happiness), but I'm not sure how to bridge my Big Moments (the Mally moment on the balcony, Chessur's POV, Mirana's revelation at the end, and Alice's interaction with the Tweedles and Nivens were all LATE additions). The patchwork style usually ends with me printing out the story, cutting up sections and laying them out on my living room floor as I try to organize my thoughts coherently.

Linear writing can be irritating because you get stuck sometimes on how you want one part to flow into the next, but the rewards are great: FINALLY writing the scenes that you've been plunny'd by. (^__~) It was such a Moment of Awesome when I could FINALLY write Alice's proposal to Tarrant in "Choosing the Path". OMG. Epic moment for me.

[prismdropz.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice. I really, really do appreciate it, and at least it'll give me somewhere to start instead of procrastinating endlessly.