The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Listen to our podcast on Anchor (links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

The characters we mention here are from the following works: 

Ardalion is from "Sam in New York" by Fortunus Games

Yngvar, Aidan, and Eyolf are from "Lucky Wolf" by Helevorn

Read Fortunus Games' "Sam in New York" graphic novel here: 

https://tapas.io/series/Sam-in-New-York/info

Also on Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948

READ Helevorn's Lucky Wolf here on Tapas: https://tapas.io/series/Lucky-Wolf/info

Questions for THE UNCENSORED PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY: 

1. Intro: Today we’re talking about The Picture of Dorian Gray, the uncensored version published in 2012 for the first time, more than 120 years after Oscar Wilde submitted his controversial novel for publication. The book was considered so outrageous that it was used as evidence in the trial against Oscar Wilde, for which he was sentenced to prison for homosexuality, which was a crime at the time.

2. Let’s start with a short summary of the plot.

3. In order to understand why the book was so controversial, we need first to talk about the context in which it was written back, about the Victorian society of 1890, its morality and laws, which are notoriously strict in certain respects. What can you tell us about Victorian morality?

4. What about laws? How was homosexuality viewed at the time?

5. Let’s talk now about the life of Oscar Wilde (emphasis on his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, which was disastrous for him.)

6. What was the public’s reaction towards the book? Why was it so controversial?

7. What is the difference between the censored and the uncensored versions of The Picture of Dorian Gray?

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Listen to our podcast on Anchor (links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

Read Fortunus Games' "Sam in New York" graphic novel here: 

https://tapas.io/series/Sam-in-New-York/info

Also on Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948

Art in thumbnail featuring Sam blushing is by Fortunus Games.

We cover the following and more: 

1. What are Sam's views on sex? How do they compare with Frankie's views? Joel's? Ardalion's? His parents'?

2. Sam likes to sound "bigger" than he really is, no pun intended. Does this obsession with projecting a confident attitude apply to his sexual life as well?

3. Sam and Eyolf have a lot of similarities - both are "showmen" who can sell anything and are very flashy and confident (at least on the surface). How do their views on sex differ?

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Listen to our podcast on Anchor (links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

Read Fortunus Games' "Sam in New York" graphic novel here: 

https://tapas.io/series/Sam-in-New-York/info

Also on Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948

Buy Tete's "70 Fierce Years" here on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GZWJR89/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=70+fierce+years&qid=1605999879&sr=8-1

1) Our achievements this year - 

Tete: Andrei's story for the Amazon contest ("70 Fierce Years", which is on Amazon Kindle, and you can get it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GZWJR89/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=70+fierce+years&qid=1605999879&sr=8-1) and Senka's story

Fortunus: as mentioned in the wrapup episode (EP 48) with Helevorn, "Finding Sam" and "Sam in New York"

2) Crossovers! Sam in NYC/Gerda and Kai crossover, in particular, the new pairing of Senka and Joel

3) Podcast goals - more literary discussions, including Claudia discussing Latino literature, and we can talk more about the books that have inspired us - for example, the Cossack books Tete's read for Andrei's story, and the inspirations for Kai and Gerda 

4) Other projects, such as Tete's cards, paper crafting, and Medieval Calligraphy, and also Gleb and how he was reinvented this year

5) What we plan for next year - "Book of Joel" and "Sam's Guide to Cold-Calling" for Fortunus, and for Tete, OC-training and more stuff about Gerda and Kai, and all of the others

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Listen to our podcast on Anchor (links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

Read Fortunus Games' "Sam in New York" graphic novel here: 

https://tapas.io/series/Sam-in-New-York/info

Also on Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948

Read Helevorn's "Lucky Wolf" here: https://tapas.io/series/Lucky-Wolf/info

Read Helevorn's "Tales of the North" here: https://tapas.io/series/Tales-from-the-North1/info

In this episode, Helevorn and Fortunus talk about the goals they've achieved this year on Tapas with their novels and comics and as well as on this podcast. The following will be discussed:

1) Talk about what we've achieved this year - Helevorn (Lucky Wolf, started Tales of the North, which revisited old stories)

Me (Finding Sam in the summer and Sam in NYC starting in late August - which was a huge step forward since I'd never made a series for real before and I had thought making comics was too time consuming)

2) Talk about how Tapas has really helped us to expand our audience - and for me, help create a schedule which has really helped me to get the motivation I need to work on Sam in NYC. Before, I just uploaded whenever I liked, so I had no schedule, hence, I had no motivation to really work on my series.

3) Talk about what we've achieved this year with the podcast - started in August, and the themes we've covered - writing/brainstorming about our main series, various characters, themes (sexuality, romance, introvertedness, etc.) and writing short stories - what themes will we cover next year? Will potentially make short courses - will they be on Patreon? Skillshare? Some free ones on YouTube/Anchor?

4) Talk about what we want to achieve next year with our work - Helevorn - Outlaws, "Trolls" story that is starting next week for Tales of the North, and Valdis' story as well as any others you may want to revisit (Merwyn's story/novella). 

For my work - continue with Sam in NYC, and the Ink goals I've just uncovered - Book of Joel and Sam's Guide to Cold-Calling as well as the artbook featuring essays about the themes and setting of Sam in NYC

5) Talk about what we want to achieve with our podcast next year - more interviews with creators, more themes (talking about books we've read and their influence on us, character comparisons, etc.) and maybe more audiobook previews?

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Listen to our podcast on Anchor (links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

in this episode, to close off the year of 2020, me and Tete have decided to talk about anime and manga - we talk about our childhood favorites from the 2000s and 2010s, including but not limited to:

-InuYasha

-Naruto

-Bleach

-DragonBall Z

-Digimon

-Revolutionary Girl Utena

-Sailor Moon

and many more...

Thanks for your support this year! We could've never come this far without you guys supporting our podcast :D

Fortunus Games reads out "What Hangs in Between," a short story Tete wrote about the first time Senka met Kai. The artwork of Senka in the thumbnail is done by Fortunus Games.

Set to free music from Anchor.fm. 

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Listen to our podcast on Anchor (links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

READ Helevorn's Lucky Wolf here on Tapas: https://tapas.io/series/Lucky-Wolf/info

Read Fortunus Games' "Sam in New York" graphic novel here: 

https://tapas.io/series/Sam-in-New-York/info

Also on Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948

Thumbnail features the Sims 4 versions of (left to right) Sam, medieval AU Ardalion, and Helevorn's Yngvar.

In this second holiday special, get ready to learn about:

Midwinter celebrations in medieval Scandinavia (Jol)

Parties, alcohol, oaths, horses&boars 

and the alternative universe (AU) versions of the "Sam in NYC" characters in Helevorn's medieval Scandinavian setting: 

ARDALION - merchant from Kievan Rus’. Yngvar met him when he was 20 and they had an affair. He comes to trade in Nordland.

SAM - a lawyer; he is always at the marketplace telling people his stories.

JOEL - a monk from Aidan’s monastery, also a slave; he ran away from abusive parents and decided to enter the monastery since no other place took him in. the Dean like him a lot because Joel sucks up to him and takes a special interest in apologetics

FRANKIE - Sicilian merchant, trading wine

THE DEAN -  is an Anglo-Saxon priest. Aedgar’s and Aidan’s former teacher.  Eyolf would try to help him to make him feel less frustrated and try to heal his impotence

TOM - Tom and his family would be part Greenlandic Inuit instead of Aleut, whale hunters, a Russian trader in his genealogy

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Listen to our podcast on Anchor (links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

Read Fortunus Games' "Sam in New York" graphic novel here: 

https://tapas.io/series/Sam-in-New-York/info

Also on Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sam-in-new-york/list?title_no=501948

In this holiday special, get ready to learn about:

1) @tete.depunk’s Kai and Gerda celebrating #Yuletide in their universe, with magic! Small cameo of the fantasy AU version of Sam and his friends and family.

2) How my “Sam in New York” characters will celebrate the holiday season, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the New Years. Cameos of @tete.depunk’s Andrei, Dasha, and other characters from Andrei’s story as well as the AU versions of Kai and Gerda and the others.

3) Finally, a short section about how @tete.depunk’s Andrei will celebrate Christmas and New Years in the USSR.

The thumbnail features the Sims 4 version of Sam (left) dressed in a virgin killer sweater with Tete's Gerda next to him.

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Listen to our podcast on Anchor (links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

READ Helevorn's Lucky Wolf here on Tapas: https://tapas.io/series/Lucky-Wolf/info

In this episode, Helevorn and I talk about our approaches to writing about sexuality in our works. 

In General:

1. What are some main points that a writer should keep in mind when creating a sex scene? 

2. How can erotic scenes be used as a part of establishing a character?

3. How do you decide how explicit a scene is going to be?

4. How can you depict an unhealthy sexual relationship?

5. Erotic fiction

About Helevorn's characters specifically:

1. How are Eyolf's attitudes towards sex like? Do his attitudes change depend on who he's attracted to at a particular moment?

2. What does the scene between Eyolf and Geirr tell us about Eyolf's views on sex?

3. How does the Midsummer scene between Eyolf and Yngvar contrast and compare with that of Eyolf and Geirr? How does Eyolf's attraction towards these two men differ?

PODCAST TWITTER: https://twitter.com/nuts_writing

PODCAST INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nutsboltswriting.podcast/

Listen to our podcast on Anchor (links to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.): https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

In this episode, me and Tete talk about my character, Joel, from "Sam in New York." We talk about his desire for self-improvement, his various complexes, and what I want to explore in the future with him.  We also go off topic (as usual) and talk about our favorite childhood shounen manga and anime, such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto, InuYasha, and others (and compare some of these characters to Joel and Sam).

Thumbnail art of Joel is by me, Fortunus Games.

You can read more about him here: https://www.fortunusgames.com/post/joel-farber

We also discuss the following: 

1. What prompted you to revisit Joel and delve deep into his character and background?

2. How do his parents and family life influence Joel's personality, views and social life? Are these influences long-lasting?

3. How does Joel recognize his need for improvement? How does he go about achieving this goal? Does he attain this goal eventually after much trial and error?