#Like what is it some sort of beta from Nopes ? A draft that was used as toilet paper ?

[randomnameless]

ALERT FEH GOES SOMEWHERE NO FODLAN GAME EVER WENT

From the video on the Feh channel on how to use the new heroes, they explain a bit of background about the units :

@renisfan watched the jp subtitles and of course the "heartless" part isn't in the jp subtitles because this is Fodlan content !

WHAT

What the fuck ???

SOTHIS GIVES A FUCK ABOUT HER DEAD CHILDREN AND WANTS TO TERMINATE THE ONES WHO KILLED THEM ??????

Note who is fielded with her (Flayn didn't get the memo grandma needs to be alone to gain more stats !)

PROTECT THOSE ALLIES LIKE HER KIDS AND GRANDKID ????

Of course this Sothis is a fallen hero, she gives fucks about her kin ! /s

Funny how this alt is supposed to be from the Nopes part where Sothis hijacks Billy's body to get revenge for Jerry ; Nopes Sothis never mentions her dead kids (save for AG) and never expresses a desire to avenge them, she wishes to terminate Agarthans (Barney) for what they did to Jerry, but not for slaughtering her own children.

In Feh proper (her quotes + forging bonds) Sothis is pissed and fights against perceived threats to both her and Billy, but we don't know why she is pissed. It could be from the same Nopes's scene when she wants to avenge Jerry, bcs Billy's accessories are Jerry related.

But in this video of Feh ??? They explain why Sothis is pissed, it's not because Jerry died, but because Nabateans, her very own children, were genocided ?

The one reason/motivation both Fe16, Nopes and even Feh work their hardest to ignore (it's just an infodump with no consequences in VW !), now this video gives it some light and thoughts ????

Like, rip to Jerry, but for the people who made this video, the only reason why Sothis could be totally pissed and willing to off the first peon who looks at her wrong is her ire at the loss of her children ?

They completely retconned the non-character she was in the Fodlan games, to make her react in a more logical way, Rhea BaD or not BaD, the second Sothis has her memories she destroys the Agarthans and their allies, to avenge the children, her children, who were massacred.

By making this video, IS first shows that Sothis genuinely cared about her children and maybe Rhea wasn't completely delusional when she called her a loving mother, second, and more importantly, they just shat on 3/7th of the combined games. Tru Piss!Sothis wouldn't marry Billy after siding with Thales to finish the massacre of Zanado, and Supreme Leader would have also been terminated, even if Sothis had to take over Billy at that point. Ditto for Clout in Golden Shower, if Sothis!Billy is from around, he dies the second the plot arrow crits Rhea. Jury's out on Supreme Bullshit, but I doubt Sothis would be A OK to work for Supreme Leader whose aim is, at times, to make Garreg Mach Rhea's tomb.

And third, only for the lols, where plot reasons prevented them to meet and interact in the Fodlan games and when Sothis being a piece of crap prevented an interaction in the halloween event, Retcon!Sothis finally meets her daughter in this video ! It's a nice nod to last year, F!Rhea believing and wishing she would meet her mother again in Askr, and the video delivers - Sothis, through Billy, protects her !

Of course this content only pops up in a video bcs even Feh in its main game cannot drop such a heavy dump on Fodlan's writing and plotholes, but I wonder what prompted IS to release this video, with this explanation as to why Sothis is angry.

[muzanswaifu]

Fanfic Writer Emoji Ask (Answered)

I"m not even gonna wait for anyone to ask bcuz this bitch is gonna answer them NOW

I wait for no one 😤

Keep reading if you wanna see my answers!

I nominate @xxsabitoxx, @magoliaomega, @yurmomsawh0r, and all my other writer moots to answer all these as well, CUZ I WANNA KNOW WAT YALL HAVE TO SAY

😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

All of my old Doushino fics lmao, I like the base storyline I did for all of them, but my writing was so shitty back then and I cringe looking back at them now. Ireally really wish I could just rewrite them but Ik some people would literally shit their pants if i deleted them so im stuck

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

I have a kink for apology/angst scenes haha, if couldn't already tell from my past works. It's just something that I feel everyone thrives for, especially myself, where the love interest apologizes for all their wrong doings and admits that they long for yn's forgiveness and love. Mama is a heart throb

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

Any scene with shinobu in my Gamer Giyu fic "The Perfect Date". I tried to make her as funny as possible in that one, and believe me, there were plenty more funny moments of her in my draft for that fic that I ended up having to cut out bcuz I felt it drew away from the plot too much. Oh how I wish to make a fic just for her lol

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

I like to make the love interests assholes sometimes, just to piss you guys off hehe, everytime they do something shitty that makes you hella sad, just know that it was me 😈

✍ Do you have a beta reader?

I don't unfortunately, I kinda just go read over it myself a couple times to check for mistakes but thats pretty much it. Ngl lie though, I am kinda interested in having someone else proofread for spelling mistakes and plot holes, any takers 👀 preferrably someone who's talented with that sort of thing haha

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

I always enjoy a good simile and metaphor here and there, not really sure about themes... love at first sight maybe? enemies to lovers? tsundere? I like sad fics as well that have happy endings, I will never, ever do a completely sad ending, i just don't like them and they leave a bad taste in my mouth

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Dog, I dont even knooooooooooow, i think all of my fics are pretty straight forward and tame. Maybe Regrettable? All of my super crazy fics are still in production so we'll just wait and see, but for drafts rn, my "No Escape" (Sanemi x Reader) series is gonna be hella crazy, so just you wait

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

My fav thing about my writing is probably my dialogue, i think I write pretty appropriate dialogue. I try my damn hardest not to make the characters cringe and to make them relatable so I hope I've done a good job with that

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

Ngl, I kinda hate them. Kissing is nice and all but i write smut yall, i got bigger things to worry about than smooching. Now virginity loss fics are a whole nother story, bcuz i can actually make it enjoyable unlike real life 😭 Shitty first time gang arise ✊

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

Nope, I bask in silence, maybe some white noise in the background sometimes? Music distracts me too much

🛠What tools/programs/apps do you use to write?

I use my notes app on my phone to make my outlines, google for thesaurus, and an online word counter for the final word count

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

Yup, for those who remember, I was working on a fic called Night and Day about Kyo x stepsister reader who was living with him. Originally I had him as a yandere, obsessive person with reader being uninterested in him and the fic being non-con, but I ended up scrapping the whole thing and changing it to be a fluff fic with reader living with kyo, reader having a crush on him, and slowly the two grow closer, with tons and tons of angst and sadness. The original outline for the non-con fic is on my patreon if anyone would like to see the poor thing, it had 8 chapters outlined too haha. what a waste.

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

Only 1 ☝️ I'm pretty sure i've mention her before, my friend sam? We used to read a ton of fanfics and watch anime growing up so she's the only person i've ever told since she understands the field, and i am never gonna tell anyone else 😭I would literally die, my group at college doesn't even watch anime

🍦 What's the sweetest fic you've created so far?

Either Perfect Date or Regrettable

🍷 Do you drink and write?

Hehe no, I do smoke and write sometimes though

🍆 Do you write the spicy stuffs? If so, what's your most popular nsfw fic?

My Little One if I remember correctly

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

I usually like to write at night after I've finished all of my hw, right before bedtime :)

💖 What made you start writing?

I had a ton of idea for fics but didn't want to spend my days requesting all of them so I just wrote them myself, I write so much shit already for school, so I just said fuck it, lets ball

💌 How do you feel about comments and feedback?

I thrive off of them ❤️‍🔥 I frame every single comment on my wall ngl

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

Cheating. Not sure if thats a trope but i kinda feel it is in some fics where reader or love interest cheats, the one who got cheated on gets revenge sex with another party, and then they get back together. I just hate it and it hurts my feeling and turns me off

💲 Would you ever open commissions?

Of course! After I finish all of my requests I'm gonna get that started hopefully and use the money to buy hot figurines 🥵

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

Sometimes, it depends on the fic. I usually just look up time period stuff so that things are close to accurate

🏆 What's your most popular fic?

My Little One

🎃 Do you write fics for certain holidays? Which is your favorite holiday inspired fic?

I love halloween fics, they are scarily hot

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

YUP, @magoliaomega has perfectly written part 2 for two of my fics, reading her gifts is so eerie bcuz they were exactly wat i would've wanted for the sequel and I love her for for it, she is literally god

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories?

I've never gotten any but I would love to, fan art is awesome

📈 How many fics do you have?

Uhhhh like 20 I think?

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

I usually outline but I'm kinda thinking ab stopping bcuz my best fics were written without any preparations so well see.

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

Girl Imma talk about I'm Yours, my upcoming series ab alpha kyo and omega fem reader. I am sosososoosososossosos excited for this one yall have no idea. I've already mapped out the chapters and plot and everything. Im currently working on chapter two and just cant wait to get this shit done so i can post everything. I'm just excited to add to the very small pile of kny omegaverse fics and hopefully the series will inspire more abo creations for demon slayer. Another work I'm excited ab is a collab im doing with a fellow bestie 😏 I wont name any names or say wat the fic is ab but hopefully well get the fic done sometime next year, really excited to work with her on this!

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

I would start off with headcannons, then short scenes, then one-shots, then multi-chapter. I went backwords from this list and i wish i didnt haha. theres nothing wrong with doing it out of that order of course, I just think its the best way to build up skill and get a hang of things. Also dont be afraid to take breaks! burning urself out will lead to depression babes

💞 Who's your comfort character?

Shinobu ❤️ she was the first girl I wrote for in demon slayer and she's always held a special place in my heart

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

Can't really answer this one lmaoooooo, so ill choose a random headcannon I have, Shizu taught Sanemi how to cook and he always helped her make meals for the family

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

Kyojuro, my love. He is so pure, I wanna suck the soul outta him

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Mitsuri was obviously upset.

One day was fine. Two was pushing it. Three was a little concerning. Four was a lite search. Five was thorough detective work. And six was a breakdown. By day seven, today, she was still bawling in her pillow, wondering where-oh-where you’d gone. 

Meanwhile, you hardly had time to worry about your concerning absence with a dragon on you at all times of the day. During the rare moments you weren’t getting knotted or eaten out, you were getting bathed, fed, or hushed to sleep. Similar to Kanroji, you too were sobbing into your bedding - but your reason being your cunt getting ravaged hourly. The pleasure was still incredibly mind-blowing, but your pussy was so fucked raw and puffy that you were sore beyond belief from the mating session. You had misunderstood that section in the book. You’d thought a week-long initial rut meant only occasional couplings, like a sort of honeymoon phase.Nope. Every waking moment was spent hanging off his knot and getting filled to the brim with his seed. Hereallywanted babies. And he was likely going to get them, even if it wasn’t your fertile week. You doubted his sperm would take no for an answer, honestly...

“Are you tired, my love?”

You moaned as he pulled on the lock and replied in a cracked voice. “Ye-eess.”

With one more tug, his knot was pulled free. You came painfully one final time before a flood of spunk gushed down your legs. Kyojuro flipped you over to your back and set you down onto the part of the nest that wasn’t caked in sin.

He kissed your forehead as you panted. “Our rut is done, little one. You did wonderfully, I’m so proud - you may rest now,” he whispered and laid next to you. You sighed and groaned, “Finaallyyyy.” He chuckled.

“Tomorrow we will bring your things here and anything else you may need. Your friends and family will understand, I’m sure.” You eyes shot open and you remembered them.

“Oh my god!”

Lil snippet from My Sweet Kitten (Mitsuri x Dragon Iguro) My Little One Part 2 hehe

😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon?

Any of my non-con lmao, I think they would kill me tbh, but I heard that kinks were hereditary so this is their fault

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

If people ask for a part 2, even though I wont write one hehe

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

Breeding kink, I have needs. Also pet names (baby, sweetheart, my love, darling, princess, ect)

📚 Would you ever want to turn writing into a career?

Maybe as a side career, I'm not getting a degree in my field of study just to write smut all day lmaooo, i enjoy having writing as my hobby and dont want to have it bare the burden of being my main source of income, it would stress me too much

⌛ How long does it take you to write a fic, or a chapter?

It depends honestly, if I'm really inspired and horny, it takes less time. My Little One took me only 3 days to write cuz i was so pent up haha, requests take longer tho bc i have a specific plot and terms to stick to, along with anxieties about whether or not the requester will approve wat i've produced, so those usually take me a couple weeks to a month

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

Action. That shit is hard. I don't think i could ever write a fight scene ever

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

Not the ones i have currently but the ones i have in the works are extremely heartbreaking, i cried a little writing some of them

💥 How do you feel about criticism?

It depends on the type of criticism. I appreciate it if its about errors in my writing since i still have some growing to do in that department. But there has been some drama ab the things I write ab that people find...distasteful. If you don't like what I write ab, leave, dont waste my time pretending to be a mutual, I write for me not you. Some of yall have some real mean girl mentalities and need to grow tf up, this isn't fucking highschool. Im glad for thei experience tho bcuz it's taught me how to deal with negative people better. On the more constructive side of things tho, if you see errors like plotholes, devices, or grammar in my fics, please tell me! I miss shit sometimes and appreciate the help to better my work

🤭 Do you have a favorite tag to use when posting your works?

#Smut. LMFAOOO

🥰 How do you feel about reader interaction? Are you open to receiving questions about your fics?

I looooove reader interactions! I wanna know what people think and what they would like to see next. I also love requests but I've learned that they are harder than they look lmao. I just worry ab disappointing readers sometimes. I want you guys to enjoy it too!

[futureseaempress]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

hi so my sweetheart tagged me in this @hypnostheory so thank u bb

1. How many works do you have in Ao3?

27 (teehee that's my fave number) (i also have like two more on a google drive that are wips,,, some princes don't become kings & first date which is called nastygum in like all my notes)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 163,308 which is like longer than twilight i think

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Homestuck, AFTG, SK8 the Infinity, TMA, Stardew Valley, RWRB, and uhhh law and order svu

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

honey, why're you calling me so late? (matchablossom)

about to bloom (matchablossom)

baby kiss it better (first prince)

i only want what i can't have (first prince)

as certain dark things are to be loved (jonmartin)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i would love to but sometimes i just don't have anything to say

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

uhhhhh i don't think any of my fics have super angsty endings-- fanning the flame was supposed to end with a super sad chapter about agnes and jack but i never wrote it lmao maybe i'll get back to her in november

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

ummmm i try to end everything on a loving/happy note bc that's what i like to read most

i think asking you to stay has like the cheesiest last line

8. Do you get hate on fics?

uh not yet thank goodness. i used to back in my wattpad days though and i did have someone say something kinda off color to me in a writing exchange but that worked itself out

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

because it's most of what i read i try to include like a horny scene in most if not all of my stuff but i like anything rlly i sort by ship, explicit, and go from there I think "Coming In Pants" is a frequent flyer.

10. Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s your craziest one?

Nope. Not my cup of tea. OH MY GOD ACTUALLY I'M A LIAR IN 2012 I HAD A ONE DIRECTION RPF TWILIGHT FANFIC? THAT I NEVER POSTED AND SOLELY EXISTED IN MY NOTES APP THAT MY FRIEND AND I WOULD LIKE ROLEPLAY???? seventh grade was wild for me

11. Have you ever had your fic stolen?

YEP! both my current fanfic and my older stuff like i had a terrible homestuck fanfic on wattpad that someone reposted saying mine was too smutty and then on ao3 there is a fic,,, that,,, very heavily seems to draw from baby kiss it better but idk maybe henry wearing alex's white t shirt and a taylor swift cardigan while sick before alex blows him is just reaaally common

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

so other than some garbage i was writing in middle school no, but i do for sure like let my partner beta everything and we run ideas by each other all the time and like work out how to block stuff and what seems interesting they keep me from going to melodramatic and i help them know what sex sounds fun

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

oh god i can't choose. i love davekat, but i love alex and henry a lot. like a lot. like wow i loved the book last year and the movie has given me brain worms and there's other karkat ships i rlly like. hmmm okay i have two hands and i hold my sons Crabapple and Firstprince.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably never will?

so many davekat wips

the sweet home alabama fic for sure.

the nanny au. uh the other davekat band au that's just a draft... probably fanning the flame. there's also a coda for more silver paint that haunts me.

16. What are your writing strengths?

uhhhhh i think i'm good at banter? (see echoed through my mind) i think i'm good at like making stuff fit into canon and comply with it in fun ways (see this hope is). i think i'm good at writing characters having break downs (see chapter 3 of silver paint or going with the flow)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I SUCK SO BAD AT FINISHING THINGS AND I GET STUCK ON MY PORN EVERY TIME

also commas

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

bafhehasdk so like it's kinda a pet peeve a lot of the times i feel like spanish especially ends up reading kind of like Law and Order dialogue like "he trabajo'ed here last week" but i eat that shit up in theory. like people would probs do better throwing random french in shit bc my ass would be like SOUNDS RIGHT TO ME. it's also like cultural references get lost and i know just enough spanish to know when something is "off" so i prefer like "This is a line of dialogue," they said in Spanish.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Homestuck! on wattpad! in 2012! it was bad mpreg! i was 13!!

TMA on ao3! in like 2020

but i did once write a one direction rpf with my friend that we posted on instagram in 2011

20. Favorite fic that you’ve written?

oh god i don't know. i think it's gotta be glory just bc i spent so long with it and i'm hoping to finish it during november (i do nanowrimo in a crazy bass ackwards way) but tire trouble is like the one everyone else loves best??? and i have a sequel in the works for it im just super into rwrb rn

I’m tagging @wardenhawke bc i feel like you might like talking about your ocs at least and i like u

[lilly-white]

Like I said, first years are a BUMPY-ASS RIDE lmao so my own “system” is still largely in the making. I suck at this quite a bit compared to other more streamlined & successful authors lmao.

> My financial situation

Your situation will inform all your choices; hence I think it’s important to state where I started out from. I got fired because of Covid in 2020; up till then I had been writing a sort of “magnum opus” fantasy novel around my job. But I’d been lurking on those self-publishing communities, so when I got fired I got to thinking more seriously about it. Since I live in France, we had cushy benefits for Covid reasons that year so I could write while still getting the equivalent of my pay. Then after Covid pay was up, we have “worker benefits” specifically for when you get fired, which are a % of your old salary. I had those for basically all of 2021.

I’m a frugal-ass person. I have a flat that is cheap, I don’t have a lot of expenses really. And I live with my partner who has a full-time job. So I made the decision to commit to self-publishing because I knew I’d have stability for about a year. I committed to romance because that’s meant to be lucrative. (Never mind the genre aberration I ended up actually writing lol)

> My genre & subgenres Genre: Historical fantasy Niche: Reverse Harem, Omegaverse, and monsterfucking (all popular, trending romance/erotica niches right now)

My books are 100-200k. This was NOT the plan lol. I wanted to do historical romance but I’ve ended up writing historical fantasy because I didn’t read enough romance (and also I discovered I don’t really like romance? now that I’ve read enough to decide lol), hence why I harp on about “knowing your genre”.

> System I’m going with right now

Main 6-book series As each book is 150k-200k, in 2021 I only managed to publish 2 of them. (I initially planned to publish an entire 6-book romance series in a year like other romance authors... nope that’s not what happened lol.) Therefore I’m going to try and go with that; 2 fat books per year until it’s done (aka 2023 finish line). It’s a squeeze tbh; a year per book would be better, but I want to get it out of the way, and it’s what pays my rent so that’s great. But I definitely don’t want to do 150k+ books, going forward with this penname which was SUPPOSED to be more lucrative. :’D It’s been really messy but this is what I’ve settled on now, going forward: - Writing process: 3-4 months - Beta-reading & editing: 1 month - Cover art & “extra last minute edits”: 1 month

Short standalone series This year I’m starting a new series of short novels/novellas (still in the same genre). Because honestly novellas are so great. You get them out fast, you can do promotions with them, they don’t take so much time & personal commitment, people can “sample” your work via a novella so you’re not asking THEM to commit too much... it’s generally a great thing to get into. It’s actually a much more intelligent thing to START with than fucking 200k books lol. I know two authors (CM Nacosta & Aveda Vice) who’re doing SUPER well with monsterfucking novellas. - Writing process: 2-3 weeks - Beta-reading & editing: 1 week - Cover art: 1 week

Bear in mind, at this rhythm the whole process really trains you to try and produce the best & cleanest first draft as possible. I end up always having to redraft halfway through for some reason, even if I outline, therefore I publish my 2nd or 3rd drafts.

I only really “figured out” that this works for me because I blundered through my first year and went through a lot of stress lol. This is why “doing” is so, so eye-opening compared to just gathering a whole bunch of ressources. I lurked on self-publishing communities for like 2 years but doing it really taught me how I work and how I should structure my time, going forward.

Lots of authors use the “rapid release strategy” (aka 1 book every few months) and it is indeed the best way to quickly earn a living wage. I want to try that with novella-length stuff in future; but I love to write epic emotional stuff, which is why I played myself lol. Having a “main serious series” and “short series to rapid release” is my way of trying to find how to combine what’s lucrative & what I love to write.

Publishing schedule in 2021 Q1 - Jan-Feb: implement beta feedback - Feb 28th: publish book 1 - March: learn & implement marketing Q2 - April, May: finish Book 2 - June: panic-rewrite Book 2 Q3 -July: publish Book 2 - August: break & outlining Book 3 - September: speed-write Book 3 Q4 - October: speed-write Book 3 - November: hiatus due to HEALTH REASONS yay (I spent all year being so hard on myself my body broke lol) - December: teach myself marketing, finish & publish two 10k novellas, do cover art for one of them (the other was an anthology)

Publishing schedule in 2022 Q1 - Jan, Feb: Write Book 3 - March: Finish Book 3 + get beta feedback + write 30k novella Q2 - April: Edit Book 3 - May: Publish Book 3 + do up paperbacks (my books are ebook-only) - June: 30k novella comes out in anthology; continue paperbacks & merch, outline Book 4 Q3 - July: Write Book 4, do 30k novella cover - August: Write Book 4 - September Write Book 4, republish novella once rights are reverted Q4 - October: Beta edits for Book 4 + cover art - November: Beta edits for Book 4 - December Publish Book 4

> The MONEYY

What mostly informs “when to publish” is your income. I don’t know how I’ve managed to stay afloat on only 2 books & 1 novella lol, but unless you are a marketing beast, your income will dip over the course of the 3-4 months following publication. Each significant bump you see here corresponds to a book launch: except for Febuary, which is a fluke due to my series getting reviewed by some popular Tiktokers lol.

To be honest, for all the lurking & ressource gathering I did, I am still super shit at marketing. I had a big boost in December/January because I finally got my shit together and studied marketing, and put together a promo to boost my novella launch. Which is probably how I got noticed by Tiktokers in the first place, but you can’t control “going viral” so best not to count on it. My March was shit because I am off social media & not doing any promotions right now & the Tiktok viralness-effect has faded. So I NEED to revive my platform in April & to launch that book in May to give my finances a kick.

> Organisational tools

Physical planners are your best friend man. That and organisational apps. I’ve been lucky enough to be gifted 2 gorgeous “author planners” by lovely readers and they are amazing to stay on track and indulge yourself a bit (they are expensive though lol but hey, the goal is to make enough moolah to splurge on these myself next year xD).

 Golden coil planners  

Purpose Action planners

(yeah their marketing schtick is cheesy as fuck lmao but they’re great!)

Online apps I love:

Trello (virtual pinboard)

Pacemaker (writing tracker)

Google calendar (I’m married to it at this point)

SO THERE YOU GO, I am a mess who needs to get better but we all start somewhere!! :’D

TL;DR: you will not know what works best for you until you commit to it & do it, whether self-publishing or trad-publishing. And even then it’ll probably take time to figure out how you work & how to be kind to yourself. <3

[katyobsesses]

I've decided to do that fic ask thing that's been floating around even though I haven't been tagged <3

how many works do you have on AO3?

22... apparently? three of those are fic book covers though.

what’s your total AO3 word count?

139,883 words

how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

On AO3? 3. In general? 4 or 5 i think? I currently write for Glee and Marvel on my AO3 (there's also one Yuri On Ice fic) and I've previously written (and published) for Harry Potter on FF.Net. I do also have a few outlines/ideas for Merlin fics floating around my google docs but I've never posted any, and I used to write Twilight fics back in the day.

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Ain't No Grave (Can Keep My Body Down) Book Cover with 222 kudos (Marvel published 2016) --A book cover for a popular Stucky fic

A Punch In The Face with 101 kudos (Marvel published 2014) --A Young Avengers drabble of sorts, Teddy/Billy meet cute

Express Your Love with 81 kudos (Marvel published 2014) --I cannot remember what this is, I think it's Stony? Something about Tony never saying 'I Love You' to steve but instead showing his love through actions?

In A Previous Life with 77 kudos (Marvel published 2014) --A drabble of sorts. Billy and Tommy talk to Wanda about their life with her before they were reincarnated.

Putting a Punching Bag in the Workshop was Tony's Best Idea Ever with 64 kudos (Marvel published 2014) --Basically what it says on the tin. Stony. Tony is distracted by Steve's arse as he boxes.

Annoyingly these are all fics I'm not that proud of, but they're older so the kudos amounts make sense i guess 🙄 the next most Kudos'd is one I am proud of though - “You took EVERYTHING from me.” with 58 Kudos (2019) - Basically a little oneshot of what I thought could have happened in the 5 years everyone was dusted and how I thought they might have introduced Billy and Tommy into the MCU, it was going to create a whole 'verse but then we got confirmation on things like Kate Bishop and Cassie Lang and Spiderman Far From Home came out and I dropped the ideas. But I still like this fic.

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

most of the time, yes, though sometimes I leave them sitting for too long and then feel awkward about replying to them and i don't (*cough* most of my comments on WTNY(ibwfy) *cough*)

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

probably In Paris With You which I'd forgotten about until scrolling through my fics! I wrote this, orginally, way back in like... 2011 based on a poem of the same name that got stuck in my head as i studied it for my English GCSE. but it's been updated and changed like 3 times since then.

Also my fic As long as I'm here as I am, so are you is rather angsty. Basically Kurt is listening to Ben Platt's album Sing to Me Instead and one song reminds him of Finn. (because it reminded me of them)

do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I've never written a crossover, though I think I once toyed around with some sort of Harry Potter crossover that never made the light of day, I can't remember what it was with though... maybe Merlin?

have you ever received hate on a fic?

not on AO3! But I did have someone call my OC in One More New Direction a Mary Sue on FF.net which wasn't nice, and someone else said they hated my characterisation of Mercedes in a chapter which was weird because Mercedes wasn't even in the chapter it was just my OC talking about her and her impression of her.

do you write smut? if so what kind?

I've tried, multiple times, in my 10+ years of fic writing, but i just can't do it. Maybe it's because I'm Asexual? it just always feels weird even after I've read smut as, like, revision. I feel like a lot of the characters are, like, ace by proxy because i don't know how to write characters being motivated by sex.

have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope! Not that I know of anyway

have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

have you ever co-written a fic before?

not that I remember? I vaguely remember being a Beta for someone like 10 years ago though.

what’s your all time favourite ship?

I honestly don't know! I've definately written mostly Klaine, but I'm such a multishipper that I have no clue. I'm really loving writing Hevans rn mostly because we are lacking Hevans content which is criminal. actually, fun fact, my fic Welcome To New York (it's been waiting for you) was originally going to be Klaine, but as i was writing the outline I fell back into the Hevans hole and decided to switch it up. I'm glad i did because it would have gotten nowhere as a Klaine fic!

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

If i don't think I'll finish something I don't post it. I have a graveyard of fics half drafted.

what are your writing strengths?

I honestly don't know. I like writing dialogue and I know I'm good at portraying something with a small amount of words but you'll have to ask my readers 😊 (in fact, if you've read my stuff please let me know what you think my strengths are! I'm honestly curious!)

what are your writing weaknesses?

I'm terrible at stretching a scene into something bigger if it warrents it. Like i said I'm good at portraying something with few words but sometimes I feel like that throws the pacing off. I use a lot of paragraphs because of that, to make the reader pause and reflect until the next line or to show that the character is pausing and reflecting. idk man. I also hate writing dates, which is annoying because WYNY(ibwfy) is mostly dates. I've been on one in my life and it was shit so i have no idea how to write one lol.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think that, unless you don't want the reader to know what is being said or the words used are obvious in context, that you should write it in english EG: --"Merci!" Kurt said.-- is fine but if you want to write something longer I would do something like --"hello my name is Kurt Hummel and I love scarfs" Kurt said in french-- or something, it depends on the context.

Actually, going back to In Paris With You. Kurt is french in that, and it's from Blaine's POV so when Kurt speaks french it's in french with Blaine translating what he can in the narration. He's not meant to be able to understand Kurt perfectly, so the audience doesn't either. But if I was writing, say, Kurt and Sebastian talking to each other in French from Kurt's POV I'd write it in english so that audience can also understand that Kurt understands.

(does that make sense?)

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter. definately Harry Potter! It was how i got into fanfiction, and how i got into glee <3 JKR is a horrible person, but her books - and especially the fandom surrounding them - mean a lot to me.

what’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

I have no idea. I'm really liking my Love and Friendship series right now, and I love One More New Direction because it got me through - is getting me through - this crazy couple of years. so probably them? I also really love (that makes you) The Scarlet Witch which is kind of like a character analysis of Wanda that I wrote after watching WandaVision.

[do-it-with-style-events]

Interest Check FAQ!

Hey everyone! We were absolutely blown away with the response to our Reverse Bang interest check—we can’t wait to get signups open tomorrow! There were some great questions asked on the interest form, so below the cut you’ll find some answers and explanations about things people have been confused about, plus a full explanation of how we’ll be running writer claims at the very bottom.

What happens if I don’t get claimed / get a piece during claims?

The DIWS mod team is committed to making sure everyone gets a match during claims. If you sign up, you’ll be able to participate. All writers will be given a piece of art, and all artists are guaranteed that at least one of their submitted pieces will be claimed. There’s a detailed explanation about the claims process at the bottom of this post, but rest assured, we will get everyone matched up.

Can I submit more than one piece as an artist?

Short answer: YES!

Longer answer: Yes, but with some specifications. Since we won’t know the exact balance of artists to writers until sign ups close, we’ve created a system that allows us a fair amount of flexibility, so we can adjust with the numbers.

Artists may submit up to 2 pieces which will be guaranteed to go onto the claims slides for the writers to look at. We only guarantee that one piece per artist will be claimed, but it is likely that any piece on the claims slides will be claimed.

In addition, artists may submit up to 2 pieces which will not be guaranteed to go onto the claims slides. Depending on how many art submissions we get and how many writers sign up, we will dip into this list of extra pieces at random to make sure we have enough art to go around. If you submit 2 extra pieces, you’ll be able to rank them, and we’ll go through everyone’s first extra piece before we start adding second ones.

We know this is a bit complicated, and as always please ask questions if you’re not sure about something. It all comes down to a matter of numbers. There’s no way for us to ensure there is exactly the same number of art pieces as there are writers, so we need this flexibility to make sure everyone ends up happily on a team.

What if I’m an artist and a writer?

If you’re signing up as both an artist and a writer, you may submit one initial art piece and one extra.

Is there a theme?

Nope! As long as it’s a Good Omens fanwork and does not include RPF (Real Person Fiction) or one of the Archive of Our Own major archive warning tags without prior approval from the mod team you’re golden!

Are crossovers allowed?

To a certain extent. Fusions, where you take another source material’s setting or aesthetic or inspiration from the plot are allowed, but full crossovers involving characters from other sources are not. A good rule of thumb is if someone could understand the piece fully without knowing anything about the non-Good Omens source material.

What’s the required word count for fics?

Minimum word count for all fics is 5k. There is not a maximum, BUT we strongly encourage you to plan a piece which you can complete in five chapters or less. This isn’t a hard limit, especially since once you’re working with an artist both works may grow from the collaboration, but please base your initial plans around keeping your work relatively small.

Are languages other than English allowed for fics?

Unfortunately no. We can’t guarantee matches for non-English works, and on the moderation side we won’t be able to do check-ins or claims effectively, so all fics must be written in English for this event.

How can I help out as a beta?

Because we don’t require beta readers or do beta claims, we won’t have beta signups for this event. We did for the Mini Bang and then didn’t use the list of signups much, so have decided to forgo it this time. However, we do have pingable beta roles for both fic and art in our discord server, so if you’d like to help out as a beta for the Reverse Bang we suggest you join us over there so writers and artists can contact you if they want help!

What does the timeline for working on event pieces look like?

You can check out our schedule right here!

Also, keep in mind that while posting begins on January 17th, it will go on for several weeks, likely until the end of February. And we don’t require the entire piece to go up on your posting day, so it doesn’t have to be completely finished by then, either.

If you aren’t sure that you’ll be able to commit to this timeline right now, you can also consider joining us as a pinch hitter, for either writing or art, and jump in to help a group that’s lost a member later on.

Claims

We’ve had a lot of really good questions about claims, which makes sense! Claims are complicated, and we totally get that they can be a bit anxiety inducing, so we decided to just give you a walkthrough of exactly how we do claims from start to finish. We’ll be using essentially the same system we did for the Mini Bang.

Before claims, artists will submit a draft of their piece along with some extra info: a working title, tags, warnings, the rating(s) they’re comfortable with, and, if they’d like, a loose summary or concept for a fic they imagine relating to their piece. The mods will collect this info, anonymize it by assigning each work a number, and then put them all into a doc. That doc will be shared with the writers, who will have about a week to peruse them and decide which pieces catch their eye the most.

(A note on anonymity: it isn’t going to be perfect this time. Art styles are much more immediately recognizable than written ones, even in a drafting stage. We are confident though that the randomization element of our claims system should solve any issues recognizing artists could cause.)

During claims, all writers will be sent a google form to fill out. On this form, we ask for a ranked list of the artworks the writer is interested in working on. Last time we asked for a minimum of 7; we’ll decide what this event’s minimum will be after signups have closed and we know what our artist to writer ratio is.

Once the claims form has closed (after 48 hours), the mods will get to work pairing people up. Our system has a lot of moving parts, so bear with us while we go through this.

To start off, we assign every writer a random number. We do not do claims first come first serve, so this random number gives us our sorting order. Writers who are under 18 are given the first numbers, to make sure they can be paired with SFW only artwork.

Our first goal is to make sure everyone gets paired. To facilitate that, we start off by pairing up any art piece which was only claimed by one writer. We continue to pair solitary matches throughout the process when new ones appear as matched pairs are removed from the list.

Once there are no more solitary matches, we start at the top of our randomized writer list and give them the first artwork listed in their claims form. Then that writer and that art piece are removed from the list, and we continue on. As works are removed from the list, new solitary pairs may occur, and we pair them as soon as they show up, then continue down the numbered list.

As an example:

Writer #1 listed arts: 6, 4, 18, 22, 94, 38, 2, 71, 64, and 40 Writer #2 listed arts: 71, 83, 49, 22, 41, 17, 46, 60, 81, and 3 Writer #3 listed arts: 6, 71, 38, 94, 71, 62, 6, 18, 30, and 13

Writer #1 gets art 6; Writer #2 gets art 71; Writer #3 gets art 38, because the first two on their list are already assigned.

As an extra precaution to make sure everyone gets a pair, we’ll be offering writers the option to act as a wild card instead of giving us a ranked list of art pieces. Wild card writers will be assigned wherever we need to fill in once the main process is done. Wild card writers will still be allowed to tell us which ratings they are comfortable with and to give us a no-go list of things they would not like to be paired with, which we will respect when giving them their assignments.

This is a complicated process, we know. It took us about 3 days to figure out how to make all the moving pieces work last time, but in the end it went fantastically, and we’re confident it will work just as well this time. If you have any questions about it please don’t hesitate to reach out; we want everyone to feel comfortable with the game plan before we dive into it!

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

🏰👑👑🐲⚔️ DMODT 68 - full draft? Feedback appreciated

Levi wasn't expecting Eren to stay away for longer than a day. He definitely didn't expect a week to pass with Eren refusing to see him. Armin had sought him out two days after Eren's disastrous birthday to inform him that Eren had requested space and time. Then again the following day to inform him that Eren had met with Willy, and though the beta had been present, he refused to discuss what had transpired at the during the meeting, stating that it was Eren's business to share. He did mention Willy had extended his visit for an extra week, and that Eren would be meeting with him again before the alpha left for Marley. Armin's loyalty to Eren was admirable, but Levi fucking hated it. Eren was hurting, having never allowed himself the proper time to sit down and think through Zeke's death. Maybe they'd rushed things. No. They'd definitely rushed things. The last few weeks of Eren's pregnancy had essentially been like a heat for his mate. While he'd pushed to get things done, he'd also used sex to escape reality. Levi knew it. He knew it and he still let it happened because Eren had come back to him. He'd chosen him. After everything, his omega had come to him for assistance, and he'd offered up his dick. Perhaps this fight was a blessing in disguise. A spacer between them before things could grow worse... So why the fuck was it so fucking hard to function without his omega by his side? Having nothing but time to think, Levi knew he'd pushed Eren too hard on his birthday, and deeply regretted snapping as Eren was preparing to leave, yet now he also had a new perspective on their relationship given the space. He'd been trying too hard. He'd been trying to force his love on Eren, and accepting every bit of abuse hurled his way because of it. That wasn't the kind of relationship he wanted. Nor was it healthy for either of them. He knew Eren was physically well with his magic having not returned. He'd stopped asking over every spiked fever, and every prolonged bathroom trip. He didn't understand what it was like to give birth, though he did understand that now their child was there, Eren felt lacking in every single way... and he had long before the birth. His mate couldn't figure himself out when he was being consumed by misery, that Levi unknowingly piled on top of. Leaving Eren in Armin's care wasn't ideal. Neither of them could care for themselves if battle was to erupt within the castle. Eren may be able to swing a sword thanks to his dragon strength, but that all depended on if he even thought to raise said sword in the first place... Yet, he also couldn't deny that leaving Eren by Armin's side might just be what the omega needed. Armin needed training on being a prince, Eren needed a project to distract his mind and lift his spirit. It... was... it was hard. He missed Eren, and he missed his sons. He missed holding Viren, bathtimes, change times, feedings and cuddles. He missed watching him sleep, or watching Eren holding him. He missed Luca's attempts at stealing food. He missed the dragon curling up in bed with them. He missed the way he played with his rocking horse and the sound of his nasally snoring. He missed bath times with Luca chasing bubbles. And he missed Obsydin being content enough with everything that he didn't provide a running commentary of all Levi's greatest fuckups to date. At least he could take some small comfort in not being the only one Eren wasn't talking to. Telling Armin he'd needed space from alphas, that meant Mikasa was also on the outside for now. He'd left his chambers less than a handful of times since Eren left him, and only once he'd seen the female alpha. She'd looked about as happy as he felt over everything, but if Eren was distancing himself from her too, he really must have a fair amount to sort through. 9 days after their fight, Levi received his first peace offering from his mate. An invitation to dinner, just the two of them, in Armin's chambers. He assumed it was just the two of them... Eren had written that "he'd be having dinner at 7 and invited him to join if he felt so inclined"... Having decided that it was time for new order in the kingdom, Armin had taken the royal bedroom for his chambers. The beta didn't have the same issues with the space that Erwin had. He didn't want to sit as some kind of shrine to people he'd never known. The little prince had more balls than his brother in that department. Uncharacteristically nervous, Levi triple checked himself in the mirror before making the walk through the castle to Armin's chambers. The guards at the door were enjoying their own dinner a few metres down the hall, Levi giving them a wave before knocking on Armin's door and waiting. It was still weird to even be in the part of the castle. Like he was breaking some great taboo... because Erwin would have fucking hated it. Forced to wait for a few very long moments, Armin opened the door for him, sighing as he did. The beta looked exhausted, causing Levi to wonder if Eren had been just as emotional and moody with him "Eren said you were coming, come on in. He's... probably still working and hasn't realised what time it is yet" "Working?" Armin shook his head, hand going to Levi's shoulder to push him along in front of him "I'll let him explain. He'd through here, I have no idea why my the royal chambers needed chambers off of them. Seriously. Luca, Viren, Eren, and half the army could have their own rooms here. It's stupid" "Has he... been ok?" "Nope. I'm not getting involved" "Armin, I asked if he was ok. Not his every move" "I know" Lead through into the chambers Eren was using, Luca leapt off the bed to come running at him, before launching himself up and leaving Levi to scramble to catch him "Hello, Handsome Boy, did you miss me? Daddy missed you" Granting him a particularly wet kiss in the form of his running his tongue up his face, Levi took that as a yes from Luca "I have a dinner arrangement of my own, mostly involving cake in bed with some serious reading. They hid all the best books in here. I'll let you know what the food arrives" Armin retreated, Levi moving Luca to bundle him up in his arms and against his chest. His son a mess of tail and feet as he trilled happily. Carrying the young dragon over to the bed, Levi dropped down on the edge. Eren hadn't even acknowledged him yet, the omega sitting at the desk opposite the bed, Viren on his shoulder as he scrawled down something on the pile of papers in front of him. There was a heavy silence on the room while Levi was forced to wait. Luca had gotten impatient, wanting more pats, while Eren was still yet to look his way. Sighing to himself, he hadn't realised he'd sighed loudly enough to get Eren's attention "Sorry. I need to finish this proposal for tomorrow. I thought it would be finished by now, yet... here we are" Armin really had put Eren to work. Levi paused a moment, not sure whether to ask of not, before deciding he should "Proposal?" "Armin wants to replace people, and mess with customs. I have to figure out who to replace and with who. He also wanted to change the way vows are taken, and get rid of some of the sanctuaries for omegas. He seemed to think if things weren't the way they were, I wouldn't have been on the streets for two years. It's not like I was hiding it from him, and Mikasa, with the hopes they wouldn't figure it out. Now we're intending on employing nurses and doctors in sanctuaries. Masters are to be vetted before they take up that role too... He's got no idea" "Ah..." "Ah" what? How long were things going to remain this awkward? And was Eren alright working with magic? He didn't have his back "It shouldn't take too much longer. I want to get this out my head before I forget" "No. No, I remember too well what it's like" Should he have offered to help? But he didn't know anything about magic... Eren fell back into silence, other than the scratch of the nib against the paper. Luca was more than happy to lap up his attention... Viren must still be sleeping, as he hadn't uttered a noise since. Maybe he should go? But he wanted to talk with Eren. It'd been days since they spoke. He had so much to ask "I think I'm done, at least for now. By the sounds of it, Armin is about to knock on the door" Pushing his chair back, Eren walked over to the bedrooms door, opening it to reveal Armin with his hand raised to knock, and for some reason Willy was standing there with a tray of food. In his lap, Luca abandoned him for food "Those dragon senses of yours are as sharp as ever. Though you look even more exhausted than you did yesterday. I was hoping we could talk?" Why the fuck was Willy there? And what did he mean that Eren "looked even more exhausted that yesterday?", since when did Eren meet with Willy? No wonder Armin didn't want to say anything to him "I'm actually planning on having dinner with my m-Levi tonight" "I understand. I simply hoped I would be able to send word back to Marley that you've at least read through the papers Zeke left for you" Eren looked to the pile of paper on the desk "Not yet" "Then let us talk over dinner? Armin, won't you join us? There is still much I would like to talk to you about" At least Armin was kind enough to shoot Levi a sympathetic look "Willy, tonight really isn't a good night. I already have plans" "Then the three of us?" Eren looked over to the loaded desk "Lunch tomorrow? I still need to review those papers" Willy's face lost it smooth facade for a second, Eren not facing him missed it "Lunch it is then. Enjoy your dinner" Passing the tray to Armin, Willy gave a funny kind of half bow before leaving. His steps slow and stunted, as if expecting what Eren to tell him to wait, only for Eren not to. Placing Luca down, Levi took the tray of food from Armin "Thank you, Armin" "Good luck... and if you're staying the night, I don't want to hear anything" "You're about a decade too young to be lecturing me" "Hey. You get to go back to your chambers, I don't want to look at that door and think about you two... doing that" "Armin, relax. Levi made it clear about that. I was simply thinking dinner, but if he wants to go, then I'll go back to work" Levi hadn't made it clear. He'd tried to make it clear, but Eren had stormed off and left the argument hanging "No. You're having dinner with him, and I'm having dinner too. Enjoy the cake" "I swear you're just as stubborn as Nicollo is. He has to be onto you by now" "Yet, he keeps sending cake up. You're the one who said not to let the staff push me around" "I know I did. I wouldn't put it past him to send up just cake for lunch tomorrow" "I'm lucky you're here. Anyway, I'm going to leave you two to talk. I'll be reading if you need me" "Thanks, Armin" With the desk space taken Eren settled himself down on the bed, leaving Levi to carry the dinner tray over. At least with Armin and Willy there, Eren had been willing to talk. Laying Viren down on his pillow, their son yawned widely, before starting to cry. Sighing, Eren picked Viren back up "Has he been crying..." "He hasn't been settled if he isn't held" "Do you want me to?" "You want to?" What kind of question was that? He'd missed all three of his boys. Though Luca had abandoned him for food, his son had climbed up to rest his head on Levi's thigh. It seemed like his son's had "forgiven" him, but Eren was keeping a deliberate distance "I've missed him" "Here, take him then" Passing their pup over, his son was adorable. His eyes widened as they met Levi's, his cry cut mid-grizzle. Patting his swaddled bottom, Levi's whole face was filled affection for Viren. He didn't want to put him back down, and he definitely didn't want to return to his quarters alone again "Hello, baby boy. Hello. Look at you. I swear you've grown again. Knowing you, you've been happily drinking all your milk down" "They've both been fine. Luca has learned that too much sugar isn't as fun as he'd thought it would be, and Armin learned not to leave the bathroom door closed" "Oh?" "Luca used his bed. It was both funny and revolting" As long as Luca had access to a drain, their son was pretty well trained "I bet Armin loved that" "Loved is a strong word" Silence fell again. Since when was it so hard for them to talk... about anything. He didn't like this. He didn't like the way things felt "You mentioned something about cake?" Yawning deeply, Eren nodded "It's become a battle of wills. Armin requested cake for dinner as a joke, so Nicollo came up in person to see if he seriously wanted cake. As a joke, I told Armin to say he did. Nicollo insisted that Armin couldn't have cake for dinner, so it's been dinner for the last 5 nights. Armin's tired of cake, given he never really wanted it anyway, but he isn't backing down. Luca has even gone off of cake, he found too much of a good thing wound up with him vomiting and being very sorry for himself" "I truly thought he could stomach anything" "Dragons are not invincible, he also lacks magic" "I know..." He wasn't getting anywhere like this. Not with Eren being so distant. Perhaps he was just as nervous as Levi was? Or perhaps he'd decided their relationship had run its course. Eren was giving him nothing, seemingly happier to talk of Armin than to ask him about them "None of this is what I want to speak about. How are you?" "Working. Things are better working. Armin's arranged a small allowance for both of us. You for your knowledge on how this kingdom works, me for dealing with the magic side and such" "We're employed now?" What happened to leaving the royal court? Eren hadn't wanted to be here, and yet he'd taken a job? "For a time. We can't leave at the moment, you said as much" So it wasn't permanent? "Then for how long?" "A while. Things are complicated. We'll be leaving for Europe at the end of the month, there's also official throne business to jump through in order to abdicate, which I legally cannot do until Dina is imprisoned or hung. There are also other things to consider, such as my next heat. Armin isn't ready to lead alone. Despite Erwin's wishes, he wishes for you to be his advisor" "You're better suited. You know him far more personally than I do" "It's because I know him that personally that I shouldn't be his advisor. You can be impassive over decisions. I can't. Armin and I have discussed this at length. I also have Marley to consider, I cannot be his advisors when I have to clean the mess left up by Queen Dina. Please Levi, I didn't ask you to join me simply so we may fight again. Our sons miss their father" Marley... Eren was screaming he didn't wish to be prince, and now... He'd accepted that he was for the time being because of Willy. None of that should stand as valid. Not before Zeke's death, and not after like it did. Yet, it still didn't answer his question "I asked you how you were. Not Marley, Willy or Armin. You're acting distant from me, which leads me to believe either you're nervous or you've decided we're over and you don't know what to say. I didn't come here to fight. I came here because I don't know how you are, not when I'm in my chambers and you're here with Armin" "Nervous. Armin brought in a doctor to assess me because... well... the castle's healers don't exactly like that I'm part dragon. Upon completion of his assessment, he narrowly missed being punched in the face when he told Armin that omegas frequently come down with melancholy and that I seem to have caught the illness" "A doctor?" "Armin felt a second opinion was necessary. He refused to let me work until I was cleared. All we did was simply talk" "Wh-why didn't you tell me?" "Because I felt we both needed space. We were basically living on top of each other, and I felt we both needed a breather" That made sense. He knew how stir crazy it could get when you're trapped with a limited group of people nonstop. Still, he couldn't deny it hurt deep. He wanted to be Eren's foundation. He wanted the omega to be able to be open and honest with him. Instead, he found himself back on the outside of his own family unit "So you're doing better?" "A bit. Work and having something do helps. Should I take Viren back so you can eat?" "No, I've got him. You're the one who looks like you need to eat. Have you been getting enough sleep?" "I've been sleeping" "That doesn't mean much. A half hour nap can still count as sleeping. I know how you get when you have something on your mind" Eren let out a small snort "You know me far too well. I have been sleeping though" "Not enough. Your complexion is pale, and the bags under your eyes are bigger than saddle bags" "I didn't ask you to dinner so you could pick my choices apart" "I'm not picking them apart, I'm worrying about the father of my children and making sure you're not working too hard" "I'm not. Viren has been unsettled, that's all" "And it has nothing to do with the papers Zeke left for you?" Eren looked down to his lap, taking a deep breath before looking back up "Those are complicated. Zeke left instructions for my safety and wellbeing, and that of what he thought to be his son at the time of signing the forms. If something was to happen to him, I was to return to Eldia. The raising of the child left to me, and if something were to happen to Dina, I was to rule Marley. The stupid man said I was the kind of ruler Marley needed, because I was far too kind for my own good. He also left me some inheritance, and money for the child to be paid upon their 21st birthday. I've already put into motion rejecting the inheritance, for both myself and Viren. It's clear to everyone that Viren could only be your son, given the strong resemblance, but it's still complicated. The people of Marley believed the child that of their beloved prince. Dina trashed my name and blamed me for the death of Zeke in the Marley newspapers. She still has loyal supporters, but she also has even bigger debts. She promised shares of the resources of Eldia for military support, and now that she's been arrested and failed to pay, Marley is on the brink of being invaded. Given their royal family bloodline has come to an end, they'll be dissolving the royal household depending on Dina's outcome, and handing control to the military, which have already appointed Willy as their representative as the Tybur family is well travelled and friendly with a number of countries. A new peace treaty between Marley, Draecia and Eldia is also being drafted. The royal advisors keep insisting on changing various things, but they don't know that Armin and I submitted our own proposal with the help of Historia. She'll be joining us in Europe, but Ymir won't. That depends of course on whether she goes into labour between now and then. Given she's carrying a small clutch, and such. At the trial, I'll be presenting my story of how I was imprisoned, as well as my part in the war. Even though the dragons had been driven to insanity, I still attacked. I also need to testify as Zeke's widow, and just how I became prince. It's all ridiculous farce, and now I'm talking far too much about work. You should eat. I know you've barely been eating, or touching your tea, or leaving your chambers for that matter" That was a lot... and Eren really did seem to be doing better without him. With all this happening, where did he fit into Eren's busy schedule? When it was just the two of them, it was a given that Eren would be on his arm... and how did Eren know what he'd been up to? Forcing a joking tone, Levi moved Viren to his shoulder. The tea on the tray was probably cold by now "Are you spying on me?" Without hesitation, Eren replied "Yes. Just because I need space, doesn't mean I don't care for you. I can't keep fighting with you, or being selfish" "Selfish?" "Being constantly afraid. Relying on you for constant reassurance. Self destructing, and leaving you to pick the pieces up. Running to you for comfort because the world feels too hard for me to cope with at the moment. I'm selfish. I need the pat on the head. The gentle whispers. The constant affections of my alpha because I loathe myself. I'm tired and afraid. Not having my magic makes me feel as if I've been stripped and shackled again. Like I'm a prisoner in my own skin. I can't stand to look at my body. And I can't stand to look at you as I take my frustrations out on you. I'm not ok. Lesser omegas would have been institutionalised by now. I miss Zeke. I miss you. I feel as if I'm cheating of him with you, despite not being in that kind of relationship. I feel his life was cut short far too soon, and that he is yet another person I have killed. I feel like I killed everyone who died in this war personally. It's a heavy burden. I never thought I would become the devil, yet I have. But at the same time, I can't act like a military commander. I can't send people to their deaths for the greater good of the kingdom. So I run. When I'm working, I don't have time to deal with the loathsome being I am. I can just be a name on paper, then pass it on to be signed with no recognition of me and my work. I can be a normal castle employee. I think I did love Zeke towards the end, but it's very different being "in love with someone", and "loving someone". I love Armin as a brother, but I'm not in love with him. Once again, I'm talking far too much. To answer your question, I need to keep working. I can't sit still. That's why we're staying longer, though I will understand if you decline the position. I have been checking up on you, and asking over your activities. Space doesn't mean I don't care. Space means I care about you enough that I know things aren't working between us. I'll be staying in Armin's quarters longer, most probably until we leave for Draecia. There's simply too much to do" Levi sat in stunned and pained silence. He didn't want Eren out of his reach. He didn't want him staying here and working himself until the sun rose, or until he collapsed from exhaustion. He loved him, and needed space, but things weren't working. Wasn't that the same as breaking up? His alpha roared his pain in his mind, even Obsydin's pain could be felt cold and heavy in the back of his mind. His heart was racing, his throat constricted as if wrapped in thorns while his lungs couldn't remember what air was. He didn't want Eren to leave him. He didn't want to lose their family over a stupid fight "Levi? You're crying?" He hadn't noticed he was. Wiping at his face angrily with his free hand, he held Viren tighter to him with the other one "What am I supposed to say to my mate telling me he wants to break up?" "I... what? No. That's not what I said" "That's what it sounds like" "I'm not saying that" "You've made preparations for the next month without me in the equation. You don't want to be prince, yet you've bent your knee to Willy. You refuse to come back to our chambers, yet say our sons missed me. While sounding as if you, personally, didn't miss me at all. You were barely functioning in our quarters. You tried to, like the party. Like the dinner party. You tried so hard, but a week apart... you don't even need me now" "I'm not saying that!" "Then what are you saying?" "I'm saying we were on top of each other all the time. When's the last time you did anything for yourself?" "I was" "Looking after me, isn't doing something for yourself. When's the last time you went for a horse ride? Or for a run? Or spoke to Isabel and Farlan face to face? I was smothering you" "You weren't smothering me" "I was. I am. I'm clingy and I'm needy. I need you and your reassurance" "Then why won't you come back to our chambers?" "Because that's not a healthy relationship" "Did you decide this? Or that doctor of yours?" Eren blinked at him "Why would you ask that?" "Because you're my mate. My omega. And I fucking miss you. I miss you. You're here, even right in front of me, but I still feel like I'm on the opposite side of the castle. I don't know what you want me to do?" "I don't want you to do anything. This is about what I need to do" "And what? I just wait? Stand on the sidelines while you run off jumping into another drama?! You didn't tell me anything! The doctor? You couldn't have asked me to be there? In case I had my own questions over how I should be helping you? I love you, and you're planning this whole other life without me" "A whole other life? I asked that you be Armin's advisor! Which means we would be working together, while I still have space to work my head out. I never said I wanted to break up. I said we both needed a breather!" "I don't want a breather! I want you by my side where you belong!" "I'm useless at your side until I sort myself out" "Which you don't have to do alone! I know our bond is fucked to hell, but I still thought you knew the affections behind the mark. That I care about you and I want to help you!" "And I'm telling you, how I'm feeling isn't fair on you. I'm not the omega I was, and you're not the alpha you were. This is the fourth year since this thing between us started, and in that time, we've spent 20 months apart. 20. That's a huge amount of time, with the last 8 months of that being a complete and total... catastrophe. Do you want a mate who wants to hurt himself when he sees his own black scales? I can't even remember the shade of green they used to be! I hate how I am, and I need to figure stuff out! I... I just need me time" Their yelling upset both Viren and Luca. Luca letting out a sad trill as he tried to hide his face under Levi's leg. Viren starting to scream. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Levi felt almost punched in the face by the anger in his scent. He didn't want to be angry. But the thought of losing Eren... having him walk away... he'd rather die than be without his mate "This was a mistake. I should go" "Levi..." "No. Just... no. We both have things we need to work out, and I stupidly thought that that meant we worked them out together as we're mates. I was wrong. Here, take Viren. Heavens knows you're a better parent that I am" Passing Viren on, Levi was quick to exit Eren's bedroom, slamming the door as he went. Looking up from his bed, Armin placed his book down with a sigh "Levi? Are you alright?" "No. I'm pretty sure Eren just dumped my pathetic alpha arse" Opening his mouth, Armin was probably intending to offer words of comfort, Levi didn't want to hear it. Quick to flee the room, he had no idea what happened, only that he seemed to be the only one not to understand. * Sitting on the bed, Eren had Luca half in his lap with Viren on his shoulder. He had no idea what the fuck had happened. He'd heard what Levi had just told Armin. Levi thought he'd ended things with him. That wasn't it at all. He was trying to work on himself. Or he would have if he wasn't swamped with paperwork, and crying pup who hadn't settled for longer than two or three hours a night. He honestly hadn't meant for so long to slip through his fingers, his disastrous birthday still felt so raw, as if it'd only happened the day before. None of his decisions had been made lightly. He'd been a balling mess when he'd arrived on Armin's "doorstep", convinced that things with Levi were done after how mad he'd been at him. It wasn't like Eren could control the dark thoughts that flooded his mind, and he'd cried so hard that night he'd made himself physically sick. Right now, he felt just as pained as he had then. All he'd wanted was too cool their relationship a little until his magic came back, or his mind wasn't such a mess. Armin didn't speak as he let himself in. The beta simply moving to climb up on Eren's bed, to guide him into his hold. Melting into Armin's arm, Eren's tears finally spilled from his eyes "I didn't break up with him... I asked for space" "Oh, Eren. I didn't think you had" "He... was so mad" "Did you tell him you'd talk to the doctor?" "It made it worse! He thinks I don't want to rely on him! Not that I want space to work my head out... ugh..." He was going to be sick. After the other night, Armin knew all the signs as the took Viren into his arms so Eren could run for the bathroom. None of this was what he wanted. He'd been nervous as hell when Levi had shown up, then Willy had tried to invite himself to dinner. It wasn't a great feeling throwing his guts up. He'd thrown up more than he'd ever imagined during his pregnancy, and had prayed that would be the quota for the rest of his life. Having not eaten dinner, and having had a skint lunch, even once he'd thrown up everything he had in his stomach, his body kept trying to bring up more. Slumped over the toilet, Armin found him in his disheveled state given Eren wasn't able to gather his feet under him. With the patience of a god, his best friend got him up and cleaned up, before guiding him to his bed where Luca and Viren waited for them. Sitting him down on the edge of the bed, Armin wrapped his arm around his shoulder as he joined him "Should I talk with Levi?" Shaking his head, he didn't want his alpha feeling like he was being ganged up on "Ok... did you get to tell him about taking the job? So you'd have money for when you got your house?" "N-no... he yelled at me for making plans without him" Food, clothes, toys, books, seeds, furniture, bedding, soap, blankets, all of it costed money. He was hoping by having some kind of actual income, they'd have something more then just themselves when they finally moved out the castle. Everything in the world cost money, and he needed raw materials to mould with his magic. He could have the most magnificent orchard in the world, but it'd only be a figment of his mind without the seeds to plant first "I really think I should talk to him" "He wouldn't listen! I told him I don't want to break up! I want... I want to work on me. My stupid mouth ruined everything! You know how I get and I was so nervous... now I've lost my mate" Those words left him feeling like his heart had been physically torn out. He'd told himself he wouldn't place all his trust in Levi so easily after he'd left him, and now his heart was broken all over again "You haven't lost him" "I have. He was crying, Armin. He thought me needing space was a permanent thing..." Sucking in a deep breath, he started coughing immediately. Somewhat surprised he hadn't started coughing when he'd started crying "Ok... ok, shhh. I'm sorry" "I wanted... to be... the omega he deserved... you know what... I've been through... I want to be better... and work makes it better... and now I'm alphaless with a pup that's only three weeks old. I can't... I..." "Eren, shhh. Ok. It was just a fight. Couples fight all the time" "I can't... lose him..." "You won't. You won't lose him. I think right now you should get some rest. I know you've been working hard on that proposal, but it's not worth your health. If anyone says anything, I'll have them banished from the kingdom" "You can't do that" "You tell me to be more "princey", this is the price you pay. Here, sleep in my bed tonight. I've got the fireplace in my room, it'll help keep you warm. Especially with the storm you said was coming" "I don't want to... bother you. All I do is bother people" "You're not bothering me. We're brothers, remember?" "O-okay... this wasn't how tonight... was supposed to go" "I know. Here, let me move Viren for you. Luca's already climbing under the covers and waiting for you" "My baby boy... baby boys... I don't know how to be a mum without him" "You're not a mum without him... hey, can I ask you something?" God. No. He couldn't do the think, so why was he nodding "Why do you male omegas call yourselves mothers? Not fathers?" "We... don't all. Alphas used to call us that to degrade us... but... I loved my mum... I want to be like her. Not all male omegas use "mum" or "mother"... and I don't see it as an insult. They should try pushing a baby out" Armin winced "I'm so glad I'm not an omega. I thought I might like to be, but the birth thing... it's scary" "It's worth it... or it was... I ruined everything" "You didn't ruin everything. You're going to wind up making yourself sicker. You need sleep. Especially with lunch tomorrow" He'd forgotten about Willy... "The papers. I need to read the papers" "I'll wake you up early. Come on, don't make me order you to sleep. I'll get the tray from your room and make sure your papers are ready to read" "I'm being a burden" "No you're not. We've all been pushed to our limits. Everything has just been one think after another" Armin helped him up and under the blankets before laying Viren atop, between him and Luca. His son's soft hair against his nose. Being separated from Levi, he'd noticed over the last few days that their pup smelt more like his father than of him. It was just something more to love. Laying a thinner blanket over the pup's lower body, Armin put on a stern face "I expect you to allow your mother at least 4 hours solid sleep before your next feed" "It doesn't work that way" "I can still try. I'm just going to get that tray. You sleep" Even feeling as shitty as a giants loincloth, Eren barely lasted five more minutes before passing out, his pillow already soaked from his tears, as the sheets muffled his thick scent of distress. * Sitting on the end of his bed, Levi felt numb. He didn't know what to do or what to say... or who to even speak to. Hanji hadn't treated Eren with any of the respect he deserved, effectively burning that bridge. Armin would be with Eren, Mikasa hated him and Moblit would probably piss himself with fear if Levi told him he wished to talk about Eren. Isabel and Farlan... no. He loved them dearly, but that just wasn't the kind of thing you talked to them about. He didn't want to hear someone bad mouthing Eren, despite having been just dumped by him... How had this even happened? Roused from his thoughts by the cry of a baby, Levi blinked away the fog in his mind as he cast his gaze towards the bedroom door. Leaning against it, Armin was standing there with Viren bundled up in his arms. From the expression of Armin's face, it was safe to say that Eren didn't know he was there. The kid had balls to come here after what had happened "Shouldn't you be with Eren?" "He cried himself to sleep. I thought we should talk. Eren said he'd stuffed it all up, and while I promised him I'd let him explain everything and keep out of it, I don't particularly enjoy knowing you're both suffering over a misunderstanding" "He doesn't want me. What's to misunderstand there?" "He does..." There was a screaming "but" to follow, yet Armin let the sentence hang "But?" "It's really complicated. Do you maybe want to hold Viren? Babies still scare me. I'm afraid I'm going to drop him or hurt him, given how small he is" "Eren won't be mad?" "That I'm here, or that I stole the baby? Eren hasn't slept more than a few hours at a time since he came to see me. That's why I have Viren with me. He probably won't wake until mid-morning tomorrow. Though I did promise I'd wake in time for lunch" That was right. Eren was best friends with Willy now... Bringing Viren over to him, Levi was more than happy to take his pup into his arms "Eren had death threats" That got Levi's attention, his brow wrinkling in a way that would have Eren teasing him "Death threats?" "In Marley. That's what Willy wanted to talk about. Someone even cut off their tongue and sealed in a package saying "dead men tell no lies". He's not friends with Willy, and he doesn't trust him" "How did you know I had problem with Willy?" "The look on your face when I mentioned lunch. I know you think Eren suddenly wants to break up, but he really doesn't. He's trying to prevent war from sparking in Marley given the factions wanting to go to war want out resources..." Armin was apparently in a talkative mood. Yet, Levi didn't want to hear it "Good for him. If that's all..." "That's not all at all. No wonder you two ended up upsetting each other. He doesn't want to break up with you, nor does he want to lose you" "So taking a job without telling me is what you expect from your partner? Making plans to stay even longer after asking me to run away with him, that doesn't make any sense. He didn't want to be here, now he doesn't want to leave" "Eren would run away with you in a heartbeat. He really would if he didn't think he would be endangering you" Levi scoffed "Right. That's why I'm supposed to advise you, and he's buried himself under a mountain of paperwork with no consolation" "Everyone knows Eren always has to be on the move, that he doesn't handle sitting still. He was upset over how much everything would cost once you two left the castle and no longer had everything provided for you. And that you both fought, and that he couldn't seem to make you happy. He wanted to work for free to begin with, and I had to force a wage upon him. He wants to save up for when you two leave. For that house with the vegetable garden and space for your boys" Levi was shocked, now bitterly wishing he hadn't lost his temper. He thought Eren's work ethic was built out of his desire not to be with him... "I... he said he didn't wish to return to our chambers" "Probably because he took what the doctor said far too close to heart. The man essentially said that omegas were weaker beings who always came down with melancholy, and couldn't accomplish much of anything. He no longer has a medical licence. That, on top of death threats from Marley and fears of Dina's revenge has him scrambling in an attempt to keep his three most precious people safe. I know you're mad at him, and we both know he tends to get snippy when pushed too far by people he doesn't particularly like. Tonight his nerves got the better of him. He does love you. He was going to tell you everything, that's why I wasn't getting involved, but this is the second night he's sobbed himself to sleep in my bed after being violently ill. He seriously thinks he's lost you forever, all over again. Part of the reason he asked for you to be my advisor was to also protect me. People aren't exactly open to me actually being of royal blood. He's scared that if someone does make an attempt on my life, that he won't be able to protect either of us. He's put a lot of thought into his actions" "Actions he didn't discuss with me. We're supposed to be mates" Armin sighed in an exaggerated manner "I never would have guessed. You're both convinced the other one is mad at you. You both jump to the worse case scenarios, and your both obsessive about not hurting each other. Everyone hurts everyone else. People fight. People also need space to calm down. Eren wants space because he wants to figure out how to process everything that has happened. Especially fucking Marley. That was... horrible. He was so scared after seeing Luca hurt, then with bars on his windows..." Armin stopped to shake his head "He doesn't love you any less. He doesn't want to break up. Now stop being a stupid jerk. Your omega needs you to accept he needs space. He doesn't want to be away from you. He's not running away. He's not leaving the castle. You still get to see him every day. He'd just prefer to get his head back on straight, you stupid face" Levi let out a laugh before he could stop himself. Both men surprised at the sound "You're right. Not bad for a brat, it simply hurts when you find yourself pushed back to the outside after working hard to get back on the inside. I know Eren has issues, yet everything I tried seemed to only make it worse. The more I told him I loved him, the less he seemed to believe it" "That's because when you say it all the time, it just becomes casual. But what do I know? The only relationship I've seen around here is yours and Eren's, and that's... disfunctional at best. You're both frustrating. I hope you know that" "Eren may have mentioned it, one or twice before" "Levi, when you left him behind, it fucking broke him. He barely functioned for two weeks, then he had to marry Zeke to keep the peace. Marley was essentially a gilded jail, Eren not allowed to use magic or shift into a dragon because that was an act of war. He was then imprisoned by Marley in this castle, where all his friends and family were. He was waiting for us, and we didn't even find him. They kept him under control with magic cuffs and threatening to kill Luca up, then hang his body up so Eren could see. And don't even get me started on the whole baby thing. He nearly got rid of it because it "wasn't" yours. He'd be happy if he left, yet he's scared that would make you all open to attack. Once Dina is dealt with, his service ends. I told him he could leave, but he wants to stay until his first heat has passed given it'll be safer to have it here where he can be protected, and you won't have to race to have everything ready in time for it" He got the message. He'd fucked up good, and now Armin was rubbing salt into the raw wounds "Ok. I understand..." "I'm not saying you're not good for him. I know you love him. This is something he needs to do for himself. Now, I have to go back up to my chambers and make sure Eren hasn't noticed I've snuck out. I've got another spare room up there, for god only knows what reason. Do you want to stay there so you can be with your boys? He's been quite upset over you not being able to see them" "How mad will he be?" "Not too mad. I'm open to creative truth telling, of me not telling you what time to arrive for lunch, and Eren oversleeping" Levi's lips twitched as the corners rose slightly "If you keep that up, you might just be the best prince this kingdom ever had" "By lying to the people?" "No, with your creative truth telling. I'd like to spend more time with the boys" "Then get a move on. The longer we wait, the higher the chance we'll be sprung" Armin was a scheming little shit. His bright blue eyes, and soft blond hair, hid the mind of a criminal mastermind. If anyone was to make an enemy of the prince, he had a feeling they'd be royally fucked over in every single legal way, before they knew what hit him. For Armin, his words were his weapons. His tongue was shrewder than a shrew "I need to grab a change of clothes and my swords" "Now you're sounding like Eren... I should probably grab some of his clothes too... Now all I need is Mikasa to move in... God. Why does this place need so many rooms?!" "Ask the mages, they're the ones who keep the castle expanded with their spells" "I don't want to ask the mages. I thought it would be cool to learn magic, but they're all kind of weird" "Even Eren?" "Yep. But I can say that. Now stop procrastinating, and give me the baby. It'll be safer than you playing around with your sword and holding him. Mikasa gave Eren a sword for his birthday. Eren pulled out the knife you gave him and said he didn't need a sword. You should have seen the look on his her face. She told him that size mattered, so he told her only if you don't know what you're doing, and he liked the size of your one, now they're not talking again. But it was pretty funny at the time. Sorry. I'm kind of nervous you're going to yell at me or something, I don't think I've ever talked to you this much in my whole life. I might just take Viren and wait outside" Levi was sure he wasn't that scary. Certainly not since Eren had become his... Maybe he should work on that? Though, that would have to wait until after he and Eren had spoken... again, and hopefully he wouldn't fuck it up again... He'd like to think those closest to him and his mate knew well enough that he was placid provide Eren or their children weren't in danger. Maybe it was just Armin's clear nervousness over the situation? There seemed to be a lot of nervousness going around at the moment. Nerves. It was better than fear. Passing Viren up to Armin, Levi went about gathering everything including clothes for Eren. He didn't like that his mate needed space, but it was a better outcome than them breaking up. * Watching over Armin and Eren sleep, Levi felt like a stalker. Luca was spooned into Eren's hold, both of them snoring loudly while Levi sat across from them with Viren in his arms. Armin had been forced to wake Eren to let him know Viren needed to be fed, and his omega had been so dopey with sleep deprivation, he hadn't even realised Levi was in the room. This had resulted with Armin telling Levi to stay put with a hand gesture as he soothed Eren back to sleep. The young beta had tried to usher Levi into the guest bedroom, but his alpha and Obsydin wouldn't settle with Eren so clearly distressed. Besides, it wasn't like he hadn't had sleepless nights before. Quite unintentionally Levi fell asleep in the padded armchair with Viren on his shoulder. His wake up seemingly timed with the rising of the sun and of Eren, his mate was trying to lay a blanket over him without waking him, only for him to do just that when he stepped on Levi's toe by accident. With the world an uncomfortable grey from the hour of the morning, Eren looked even more fatigued than the previous night. The moment he realised he'd woke Levi, he jerked back as if he'd committed some great sin "Eren?" "I... sorry, I thought you might be cold" The fire in the hearth looked to have been recently stoked, the room did hold a slight chill, but that may also have been his nerves over being caught by his mate "I didn't mean to fall asleep" "Armin went and talked to you, didn't he?" "Apparently I didn't hear you out completely, so he came to scold me" "I... I never meant to hurt you..." "You were just being a stubborn brat" "What did he tell you?" "Enough. I can't say I like you being away from me, but if you are, I'd rather you be here with him" "I don't want to break up" "I know. But you also need to realise that it's hard for me to let you out of my sight. Not just for my alpha and Obsydin, but for me as me. I worry for you. What I wanted for us was to face things together, and to be equals. I didn't want to hurt you" "You're not the problem here. The problem is me. I don't feel like myself anymore" "And being with Armin is helping?" "He lets me work. It's nice... I'm not saying you didn't let me work, but I like trying to have a routine. Something more than sleep" "You're supposed to rest as you recover. I've been that you're still healing, and worry that you're pushing too hard too fast" "I could make a shit joke right now... but I'll restrain from it. This isn't forever, you know that now, right?" "Us or this job for Armin?" "This job... I was kind of hoping "us" could be forever, or whatever forever actually is. I don't do well with free time" "I know. But you do know that if we move, all you're going to have is free time" "Maybe. Maybe not. At least everything here will be in order when we do" So Eren didn't want to break up, and he still wanted to move. It wasn't like he didn't believe Armin, but he needed to hear Eren say the words for himself. Patting his lap, Eren raised an eyebrow down at him. Yes, he wanted to hold his omega now that he seemed to be forgive, or whatever it was, before he could put his foot in it again "No cuddling?" "You want to cuddle? I thought you wanted to watch Armin sleep" "I was watching the three of you sleep..." "With your eyes closed" "I'm an alpha. It's an alpha thing" "I'm sure it is, but wouldn't the bed be more comfortable?" "I... I don't know the boundaries to this space thing" "Well, it's ridiculous o'clock. Viren will probably need feeding. I'm assuming you changed him?" "You needed the sleep" "Let me use the bathroom, then we'll feed him and settle down. I'm still too tired to read Willy's stupid papers" Immediately Levi wanted to ask about the death threats, buuuut, a warm bed with Eren and the kids won out "Alright. You go to the bathroom, and I'll just sit around and wait while you take a shit" "That's the Levi I know and love... you do that right, that I love you?" He wasn't entirely sure... he still felt like this conversation was on a knifes edge with one wrong move costing him his leg, or the whole other half his being in this case "I do. I think I'm going to need some time to adjust, so I may end up making you mad" "Thank you for at least trying to understand... I... really don't want to lose you. God. Do you remember when we used to be able to feel each other so clearly we couldn't hide, or those times we both literally coughed stuff up... we're closer than ever, but our bond is so mess up... I really miss it. I miss feeling you close without feeling smothered... and oh, there I go again. I'm just going to go to the bathroom before my mouth decides it needs to keep moving on it's own" "Armin had the same problem earlier" "There's seems to be a lot of that going around..." "I was thinking the same thing..." Armin's bed was significantly larger than Levi's already overly large one. It was an easy fit for three adult males, a dragon, and a pup. To hold Eren in his arms again, felt amazing. His omega so warm and soft against him. His brown hair smelling of whatever herbal remedy his mate had been using, with hints of lingering distress. Levi could feel how wet the pillow they were sharing was. Sleep came easy to both him and Eren, Eren's body moulding perfectly against his, as if made that way by some higher power. Sleeping a few more hours, Levi woke to find Eren still fast asleep. Not completely sure why he woke, he found Armin staring at him. Whoops "Eren found me" "I gathered. Though I don't remember inviting you into my bed" "He did. He needed to use the toilet and Viren was hungry" "Did you talk?" "A little" There was too much blood in his tea-stream, and no will to do much of anything other than to hold Eren "And?" ""And", what?" "Are you two ok? Are you talking?" Whining, Eren wriggled back against him as he pulled the blanket back up over his shoulders "Shhh... sleepy" "We have to get up soon. We've probably over slept as it is" "Still sleeping" Armin sighed, while Levi's hand snaked up to find Eren's. Intertwining their fingers, he kissed his mate's shoulder "Despite the fact I am perfectly fine with having lunch in Armin's bed like this, I think Willy might have a problem" Eren made a noise of disgust, then burrowed down against his pillow "I'm awake" "Says you as you try to hide" "It's warm. And Luca's so cuddly, aren't you my baby boy" Lifting his head at his name, Luca quickly lowered it so as to not disturb Viren. The action was too late, Viren unhappy about his warm bedding moving as he started wailing "I'll take him" "He's probably hungry and needs a bath and a change..." Eren sounded absolutely exhausted "Let me take care of him while you get up? I can at least start cleaning him up" "No... it's ok... I'm trying to do that routine thing" "Why doesn't Levi help you, while I find those papers. I didn't actually look last night" "I gathered by the fact Levi is here" "Are you mad?" "Not as mad as Viren. Alright, it's up time" Levi had missed bath time, Viren was happy to wiggle and kick in the sink space. He'd missed his pup's chubby little legs and arms, and the way his lips pursed up before a yawn. While Eren washed Viren down, Levi knew he was being a pain by hovering so close... yet didn't make a move to move away. He loved them both so much, and there wasn't exactly anything he could do. Armin's bathroom had the shower head over the bath, where Armin was currently bathing with Luca. It's started out as Armin bathing Luca, after finding up Eren's paperwork for him, until the little dragon had gotten a tad too enthusiastic and Armin had been soaked. He was completely not jealous in the slightest that Armin showered and bathed in front Eren... not in the slightest... not after Eren assured him that all he felt when he saw Armin naked was limp. For a scrawny bookworm, he wasn't quite as scrawny as his clothes would have on believe. Coming out of his growth spurt, much of the baby fat that had clung to his frame was now lost, and Levi was forced to endure an eyeful of Armin's ugly arse junk... Definitely a beta... and a game beta to bathe with Luca's razor sharp claws so close. By the time the three of them were ready, there wasn't enough time for breakfast or for reviewing papers. Eren hadn't brought his clothes into the bathroom with him, then refused to walk around naked in front of him and Armin. Dutifully bringing his clothes over to him, Levi was granted a glimpse of his lover's naked form... and promptly popped a boner on the spot, that he was left to deal with alone in the shower. It didn't feel great, his hands weren't Eren's hands. He couldn't feel his love upon his skin, and his imagination hadn't supplied much in the way of material, reminding him that he was both in Armin's bathroom and that Eren had been distressed the previous night. It was more like a manual chore than a moment of release, his orgasm somewhat lacking despite the thick ribbons of cum down the shower wall. He missed his fucking mate. Dressed and joining the others, Eren raised an eyebrow at him before offering him Viren to hold. Leaning in the omegas whispered in his ear "I hope you remembered to clean up", before pulling back from him. And here was, thinking he'd been somewhat covert. Then again, he never usually took long showers without Eren there to wash and pamper. He loved washing his mate's hair, especially when it lead to Eren with his head tilted back and a dopey smile on his face as he purred under Levi's fingertips "Are we finally ready to go? Willy is probably waiting for us" Levi cleared his throat, he definitely wasn't about to apologise for needing to jerk off "Yes. Have you got everything?" "You and Eren have the kids, I have the papers... I don't think we'll need anything else... Eren?" "I can't think of anything. It should be pretty straight forward, though I still don't understand how I'm legally a prince" "I know. We've had this conversation, though it would be nice if you could rule Marley. At least I'd know for certain we'd never go to war again..." "Let's just go meet with Willy. The sooner it's done, the sooner he can fuck off back to Marley" Eren rolled his eyes, while Armin hid his snort of laughter with a very fake cough "Levi, you do realise you have to behave?" "You're acting like I've never had to tolerate an insufferable guest before. I'll behave, provided he does" Lifting Luca into his hold, his mate frowned down at their son "What's that supposed to mean?" It meant Willy was a slimy creep who had been getting far too friendly with his omega "Nothing. I simply won't tolerate him disrespecting you, that's all" "I can stick up for myself" "I know you can. I probably know that better than anyone here. I simply mean, I refuse to allow him to define you by your secondary dynamic, instead of you as yourself. I expect him to treat you with the respect you deserve" "Ok. That's enough you two. Levi, no fighting with Willy. Eren, accept that Levi loves you. I don't want to see anymore fighting between the pair of you" Laughing lightly, Eren was quick to nod "Sorry, mum. I'll behave" "Good. Levi?" Levi looked to the blond beta, realising he was actually supposed to reply "God. Yes. Fine. Can we just go? Where are we even going? I assumed from last night's conversation that the meeting would be here" "It'd be here if we had more space. The royal library is still the hub for all things war related, and strictly off limits to all those with ties to Marley, just in case this is some elaborate trap. Hanji and Moblit are both overseeing castle repairs. The mages haven't had an easy time given all the spells in place here. So lunch will be in the sunroom. The throne room and the dining room are too stuffy, and we don't want him to think we don't like him" "You're getting better at this prince thing" "I blame Eren. Did he explain about the cake thing?" "This one you've already lost. Nicollo rules his kitchen with an iron fist. You've challenged him, and now you'll need to learn that wasn't the smartest thing to do" "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means you might just wind up with cake every single day until either you, or he, dies first" Armin gave a fake moan of misery "Here lays Prince Armin. Caked to death in the first year of his reign. I can see the epitaph already" "That really would be the icing on the cake" Armin gaped at Eren, Levi smiling at his mate with pride "Traitor" "Sorry, Armin. You're my best friend, but Levi is my mate. Can we go? And actually leave the room? I'm starting to get nervous all over again" "Fine. But I will have my revenge" "I'm sure with your intellect, it'll be a piece of cake" Delivered smoothly, Eren landed the final blow. Armin sweeping past both of them towards the bedroom doors "I hate both of you. Get out of my room" * Willy was waiting for them in the Sunroom, a small dining table had been moved in from somewhere else in the castle, and Nicollo had prepared a small feast by the look of it. Looking to the cake in the middle of the table, Levi couldn't help but laugh to himself over this whole cake thing, before his mood dropped at the memory of Eren not being able to enjoy birthday cake on his birthday thanks to how horrific the day had been. Ignoring the fact that he was supposed to take the seat to the right of Armin, as he would as advisor, Levi chose to sit next to Luca in position opposite to Armin. It was better than having his mate and son sitting next to Willy, even though it did leave Eren sitting directly opposite him. Luca didn't care where he sat, his eyes already on the carved game on the table "Our apologies for being late. We had some things to take care of, that took longer than expected" "It's quite alright. It wasn't a very long wait. Now, Eren. Did you have a chance to look over those papers?" Eren shook his head "No, I'm sorry. Chasing after two children can be quite hectic, and Viren isn't even on his feet yet" Levi was impressed. It wasn't a lie, as he'd never said that he'd been busy with the children the previous night. Willy would make the assumption he was, and take it for what it was "I can't say I know that from the point of view as a father. I do however come from a rather large family, and do know how they can be. I know I'm ignorant, but I've been dying to ask how it works with Luca?" "Luca is my son" There was a clear frostiness in Eren's tone. Willy had picked the wrong omega to insult over his children "I mean no offence. I simply mean, how is parenting similar and how does it differ?" "Luca was already running and causing trouble by three weeks. Other than that, there are no real differences. He has baths, he sleeps, he eats, he comprehends everything he hears, and understands who I am to him. To think him lesser for not being able to communicate is deeply wrong. He can make all his needs, wants, or upsets known quite clearly" "Yet he can't talk?" "No dragon talks in their dragon forms. There are plenty of people in the world who cannot talk, yet they exist just fine. Now. These papers? I would like to have everything in order before we leave, as I've already told you" God. Eren was breathtaking when he was on fire. His green eyes shone brightly, as he sat straighter and locked eyes with Willy. No one stood a chance when Eren got like this. Not just running his mouth off and tripping his way through on false bravado, but actually ablaze with confidence. Levi might not understand Eren's own particular mental pain, but he did understand that there were two times when Eren shone like this. Now, it because he was genuinely proud of Luca. Willy's attempt to cripple him, or to cause self doubt, was snuffed right out by the proud mother dragon. Being an alpha, it was probably more than Willy's ego could take knowing that Eren had shifted the balance of power in his direction "Right. Well. As I've told you, Zeke left a number of things in his will for both you and the baby, with explicit instructions that you have everything you need provided for you. And that if anything were to happen, you'd become ruling prince. This hasn't gone down well as you can imagine, with many calling your disappearance an intentional act to start war, and to give you an opportunity to kill your husband. It was widely known that you didn't hold affections for Zeke, and that you disappeared with the then prince of Eldia after he murdered two of our Marley citizens here. What we need from you is a signed statement. You'll need to outline where you were when you left Eldia with Levi. We also need you to have your son tested to prove he isn't Zeke's and therefore has no legal claim to the inheritance left. As for abdication, we have touched on that, yet for the stability of Marley, we have asked that you hold off on that for now. Now. Draecia has also stepped forward to make their position known. They're calling for the dismantling of the border protections where Marley meets Draecia. This has not gone over well at all. Some feel this Eldia pushing back with the second wave of war to start any day now. Especially with Marley citizens still confined within the castle. As Marley sees it, Eldia has made no true attempt at peace. You need to step up and make a royal declaration to the people. Like I heard you did here. You'll also need to include your plans of action for Marley, without mentioning you won't be retaining the title of prince. This also means legally drawing up permission for the royal household to be dissolved and for the country to be placed under military rule until a new government can be organised and established. There will also need to be a new treaty drafted between Marley, Draecia and Eldia" No wonder Eren hadn't said much of everything happening. Willy's was piling every ounce of blame he could on to Eren's shoulders. It was all a load of shit, yet the alpha knew Eren would be hurt at the thought of people being hurt. Military rule was never a good thing. Not that a ruling royal household was much better, but military rule would lead to marshal law... "What a load of shit" The words slipped out before he could stop them. The spell of confidence Eren was under breaking at Levi's unintended contribution. With three pairs of eyes looking to him, Levi took a moment to sound less annoyed "I know how all of this works. Your government needs Eren to cooperate with you, or Marley will be destroyed, yet you're also planning to then blame everything on him. Even if he releases an official statement, the media in Marley is hardly going to place a positive spin on the truth of everything which has happened. At this stage, it doesn't matter what Eren says or does. He isn't welcome in Marley, and forcing him to play prince to the people who don't want him there, will only lead to people hating those who restored him to power. What you're better of doing is not pushing Eren out into the public. He's already received death threats. That should tell you he isn't exactly popular there. And as for military rule, that never ends well. The fucked up upperclasses simply buy their loyalty to have things made just the way the like them. Lastly, the border protections will not be removed. It's a simple of saying you want to keep harvesting dragons, and refuse to them to live in their natural territory, violating international law. If Marley wants to get its self out of this hole, it's going about everything the wrong way" Willy smiled thinly, his usually faultless performance wrecked "Really? All we wish for is peace. Changes need to be made, but they cannot be made all at once. Losing the royal family will be a devastating blow for the moral of our people as it is. You can't be suggesting we..." "You tell them the truth. We all lie. It's unfortunately natural, and though sometimes for the right reasons, the consequences may not always play out positively. Now. You said you wanted Eren to decline the inheritance. I suggest we make that the topic of conversation over lunch. It seems we've all gotten slightly worked up, and Nicollo will be mad if we send down untouched food. Know this though, if you do not stop the killing of dragons, Eldia will support Draecia and we will move against you. You have my word as the prince on this" Levi would have paid good money to be inside Willy's head. Not only insulted by an omega, but then by a beta, the man's poor scheming mind was probably in meltdown. Letting out a long breath, Willy found his smile again "I understand this is a delicate situation, but it is time for us to come together. Our people have suffered for far too long at it is..." Willy didn't look like he'd suffered a day in his life. Not like the people of the border towns of Marley "... Queen Dina has been the ruler of the country for over two decades now. They won't take kindly to accusations that the Queen is less than honourable" "I know when Erwin's true identity was revealed, as well as my own, there was a lot of hostility towards the royal household. But by telling the people the truth, they were able to come together as they knew that the royal household respected them enough to admit the whole charade. It was the dawn of a new era for Eldia. This should be the dawn of a new era for Marley" Eren sighed softly "The only problem is, that if the truth doesn't come from someone they already trust, it'll be seen as me pushing the blame on. Revealing the truth of Zeke's death and Dina's deceptions will mean going before the very people who wish to murder me. I... I think that maybe we should talk to the international tribunal. Marley isn't the most popular of nations. When Levi and I travelled, we saw the reach of the kingdom, we also saw a small fraction of the many people suffering. I think in this case, perhaps releasing a news statement with the official seal of the international tribunal would be in the best interests of Marley. Though, it would also need to be signed by a household who's as influential as the royal family. I know the Tybur family has world wide connections. If you are willing to sign your family name to an unedited, and verified statement, then I will abdicate. If not, Marley will fall under joint Draecia and Eldia rule, with the amounts owed internationally repayed with the profits of sale when the royal manor is picked to pieces. I wasn't certain how to proceed before, but sitting here, this is my decision on these matters. We wait. No major projects will be pushed through for completion, and humanitarian aide will be distributed first and foremost. Your warships will retreat. And if they do not, they will be seized and sold to the highest bidder, under order of your ruling prince. I don't wish to play this hand. I do not wish for the throne of Marley, but given what you said, and the fact you cannot guarantee my safety, or to tell your people the truth, then you need to be prepared for the consequences of your actions. When the tribunal starts, there will be reporters and representatives from all over the world there. My statement will be made available to all of them. I am willing to omit some of the more embarrassing details of Marley's day to day activities, in order not to hurt your people more, but you must give your word they will know the truth" "You do not care what the world will think of you? Or what they'll say? Some may even call you a monster" "That wouldn't be the first time. And if I need to become what people need to hate in order to come together, then label me a monster" "It very rarely works like that" "I don't intend to remain a public figure. I never asked to be. I never asked to have these powers, or to be something other than human. But here I am. Given you will also be in Europe, I will return your papers there. Now, do I have your word that you will put your name to the truth" Willy paused. Armin stared at Eren with awe in his eyes. Luca had stolen a sandwich so didn't care for what was happening. Leaving Levi to bit the insides of his mouth, preventing a proud smile from forming on his lips. Eren was so well suited to this. His natural desire to help people, only firmed his own convictions. How he'd ended up with this perfect omega, he had no idea "I will put my name to it. Let's bring down the curtain on these lies, and set the stage for the world to learn the truth" "Then it's agreed. I shall remain prince until my statement has been made public. At that time, the future of Marley shall be handed down by the international tribunal. No military actions are to be taken towards Eldia. Your ships are to leave when you do, and will be forfeit if found in our waters. If I find you have lied to me, or intentionally kept important documents from me, in order to manipulate my decision, I will have you tried for treason. For some unknown reason, you remind me far too much of Zeke. You're both searching for something beyond that horizon, and are willing to play any part to get there. Zeke never got to find that paradise thanks to placing his trust in the wrong people. Betrayed by his closest confidence. Be careful who you trust. You're the one everyone is looking to within the military, and if everyone is still as loyal to Dina as you say, I would not be surprised to hear your life is also in danger" "You know... you're nothing like I'd expected. I heard how passionate and driven you were from Zeke, and given how passive you were in our first two meetings, I doubted his words entirely. Now, I can hardly believe I am staring at the same young man" "Zeke was a good man who'd been through a hell of his own. I loathed him at first, until I understood him. Through time we built up a relationship between us where we understood each other far better. I don't care if you loathe me, as long as you understand I am sick to death of people dying needless deaths. Marley and Eldia need to build up their relationship. Now, let's eat. I'm done having the same conversation on repeat" Lunch dissolved into awkward small talk. Willy avoiding looking at Eren as he asked Armin various things about Eldia culture, and Armin mirrored the questions back. Catching Eren's eye, Levi was so fucking proud of him, yet was unable to say as much out loud, forced to settle for a thumbs up that Eren blushed at. If it took time apart for Eren to find this confidence again, then he'd have to settle for nights apart and days working together... He wanted Eren to be happy and whole, and today had proven that he could handle himself... with words at least. His stubborn brat was still getting hand to hand training, as well as combat training, the first chance Levi had.

[game-meak]

A Proper Postmortem

Maybe?!  Heck if I know how to actually format a good post but let’s try.  As game development went on for almost four years, this is probably gonna be long... and also give away basically the whole game oops!  Read on with caution.

Sometime around July 2014, a month after the initial release of my first game, my room was being remodeled and I was stuck with nothing for free time but a garbage laptop I could do anything on, an old flip phone, my sketchbook, and my 3DS.  So beyond playing an obscene amount of Animal Crossing and Tomodachi Life, I at some point went “hey, what if I made a second game starring the kids.”  So I started trying to plan it out!  And it went

absolutely nowhere that I intended it to go!!!

For instance, this is the very first page of sketches.  This squirrel was supposed to be really important.  It’s not.  I don’t even KNOW what’s up with that duck.

A thing I like to think about before I set off making any of the story, assets, or scripts for my games tend to be themes and motifs.  And I kept circling back to a very important, very personal “theme.”  Without using the internet at large as my therapy couch, I was emotionally abused and taken advantage of multiple times in my life and it greatly impacts how I interact with people to this very day, as you’d expect events of such a degree would.  Particularly, I kept thinking that the RPG Maker fan crowd tends to skew young and be in the teenage range and at ages 14-16, I could’ve used something to help.

Of course, my entire thought process isn’t necessarily one of charity and selflessness.  It was also a way of me expressing what I’d dealt with in ways I’ve only ever communicated with my friends who were also victims of the same circumstances, the closest I would let myself come to personal stories and retellings with a cover of plastic children and wild adventures.  It was also in some ways a way of me verifying to myself that something ongoing was, in fact, bananas and should not have been happening, but that might be another story for another time.

As you can probably guess, Haze and Seal came into the picture since I needed to make two characters who would have this struggle.  A lot of decisions came about because of my personal experience.  They’re 15/16 because I was at the time of the incidents that primarily inspired me to make this game.  They’re both nonbinary because I am.  They love anime because I did (and do...?!)  One of their friends is even directly modeled off how one of my friends looked in high school.  To that degree, I guess someone, somewhere can call them self inserts.  But they’re also not, since I didn’t want to just do a personal retelling with fictional characters.  I’d just write a memoir or something at that point.

Haze’s design came first, and then Seal’s was sort of made as a foil to them.  Haze’s “colors” are pink, black, grey, and red.  Seal’s are teal and light purple... and also black.  Haze had a rabbit motif (which got toned down as I went on), Seal had an owl motif (which is now just a single mention in their list of likes...), etc.

Though in the beginning, the story was entirely different.  Initially, everything took place in the neon-ish areas with black sky and reflective, celestial water (that I, very eloquently, call “spacewater”).  The idea was that Haze and Seal were beings from another dimension and that their “fighting” was causing a rip in the universe that the kids stumbled into and therefore got wrapped up in this mess.  I had an entire script written and started making assets and when I went to sum up the game’s plot in a neat paragraph, I realized... I hated it!!!

So I chucked all I had done by that point writing-wise and started again.

In fact, I rewrote a lot.  After the first it was mostly small tweaks and adjustments, but the biggest ones (and the ones that still present a challenge to me!) usually involved trying to make Seal feel like a believable character.  I had shown an early draft to someone who said that Seal felt too much like trying to get back at someone, so I scrapped a ton of their lines and tried again.  I still worry whether or not they come across too Strawman-y, but I’ve done the best I can and whatever criticism people have can apply to my next writing attempts.  It’s very hard to separate yourself from subject matter you feel really personally attached to.  I don’t want to write them in a way that you immediately hate them, or hate me for writing such a blatant “villain” character, but in a way that you can formulate your own thoughts.  That said, though, I am violently allergic to people who call Seal a “tsundere,” even in jest.  So I guess I want people to have their own thoughts as long as it’s not that specific one...! (;;;;)

You may be thinking “heck, this is a lot of paragraphs in and you haven’t even brought up gameplay thoughts” and yes... that’s very true.  Shamefully, for a game where I thought “I should definitely, absolutely focus more on making it a Fun Game than a walking visual novel” I might’ve actually dropped the ball in that area.  I’d like to think I was more adventurous than I had been with my first game.  Some parts do kind of fall into the “walk to the next cutscene, find a key to unlock the next cutscene” pit, but I did put effort into figuring out what I could do with RMXP.  My obligatory “please don’t use this engine here, people thinking of using RPG Maker” statements here.  In the final product, though they’re very simple, I’m most proud of the chalkboard puzzle and the paint sorting puzzle.

Even if, y’know... I somehow neglected to include the letter “k”

Speaking of, I’m not sure if this is a general RPG Maker thing, a “man I hate RMXP” thing, or a “meaka cannot gamemake” thing, but I had several event/puzzles just up and quit on me a few times.  Like they would work fine for months and months, but one day I’d go to them and just nope, suddenly they’re not working, sorry.  Copy+pasting the event to a new map wouldn’t work, so I’d have to manually redo the event.  One of them was the chalkboard puzzle.  The other was the sliding puzzle when Tony is by herself.  Which I’m also aware slows the game down a ton, but I have legitimately no idea how to fix that... I tried and I could never get to to not lag like crazy.

Like I said, I started in July 2014.  I’d shipped the game off to my beta testers in March 2018.  A vast majority of that time was spent creating the visual assets since everything you see in the game is custom.  All the sprites, all the tilesets, every little pixel of it.  All me!  Needless to say... it was very exhausting and very time consuming. I grossly underestimated how much time I thought it’d take.  I never accounted for the very real possibility of burnout, which is incredibly silly considering I was making something entirely by myself that was also an occasionally difficult subject matter...!  There were quite a few weeks where I touched nothing because I couldn’t bring myself to and even a few times where I just considered deleting everything and cancelling the project.  I knew I’d be mad at myself if I quit, especially as I got later into production, so I just tried my best to make sure I didn’t turn it into a huge chore.  Obviously, there were parts that were more tedious than others, but this game really is a very large labor of love that I put a lot of my heart into.

Part of that time is also a little bit of indecision.  Did you know I went through 3 possible title screens?  I sure did!  I’ve also publicly posted about redoing both Haze and Seal’s bust sprites before.  I almost redid all of the kids’, too, but I didn’t wanna get caught in the loop of remaking everything, so I opted to just leave them as they are.  Most of them don’t bug me as much.  M...most of them!

I’m hopping back on the Story train since obviously that was my main focus, but the decision to have Seal sort of “reveal” their true nature (or at least have a jealousy-related anger burst) to Octavio as an animated cutscene was one I’d decided pretty early.  Which is also why, unsurprisingly, I was debating getting voice actors for a hot minute.  But I wouldn’t have used it anywhere else in the game, so I opted not to.  I also wanted to keep the file size low, but that wound up not happening so much, h-haha...   For someone who uses the only engine without native support for videos, I sure do like making animated cutscenes, huh.

Anyway.  This scene originally bridged Octavio’s section of the game to Pablo’s, which would’ve been (for some reason) in an abandoned hospital.  But that didn’t pan out because it didn’t fit what I wanted the game to be and also by switching the order of the two, it builds up more tension(?) on the kind of character you expect Seal to be.  I hope their very first “fuck off, maybe” took someone out there by surprise!

This also was the point when I decided I wanted to commission an original soundtrack, since nothing quite got across what I wanted at the time.  Which is when I put out my silly ad post and somehow managed to get the amazing ProjectTrinity to compose for me...!  I’m still amazed by the sheer quality of music he made for my little RPGMaker game.

Having the teen characters curse was also something I waffled on for a bit.  Clearly, I dwell on the important things as a writer.  I wanted it to contrast the cutesy, kidlike way the siblings talk and also the sort of squeaky-clean image the witches (particularly Seal) present to the kids by contrasting how they talk to each other, most importantly how Seal talks to Haze and their other friends.  I did have the same issue with the Mother in my first game, but I opted to not have her curse at all either since she’s childish in her own way, too.  But that’s not for THIS game’s postmortem, get otta here!!!

I also very much was set on a “battle” with words being the final event of the game.  Though I had a hard time imagining what that would be initially, but eventually arrived at a sort of fake battle system that was introduced in the mine.  The setting for this battle changed with time (everywhere from the park to the academy and in between) was considered...!  The dirty secret is that while I did like the decision to make it take place in the voids between worlds, I also sort of did not want to draw the staircase in the witch academy.  Originally, the kids would’ve also helped Haze “reach” Seal (who was putting actual obstacles in the way), but I guess in my own way, I wanted to give Haze the ability to confront Seal on their own, one-on-one.  Or something like that...!  I also didn’t want to add too much needless backtracking.

I’m... unsure what other point I really want to make, so I guess I’ll end this here unless anyone has anything in particular that interests them they’d want me to answer!

All in all, this game means a lot to me and took a chunk of my life to make and I really hope it’s able to reach at least one person who might need it, even if it’s only a little. 

To all of you who gave it a try, thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart.

A shameless link to the game:  [itch.io] & [RMN]

[smokingtomas]

3, 6, 10, 12, 14, 18, 19, 23, 24, 26, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 41, 47 :)

Thank you for the ask!! You’re the MVP and I adore you

3. In your opinion, what’s your best fic?You know, it’s really hard to pick between Late Night Lullabies and Akai Ito because they’re precious in their own way. LNL is a very special fic for me since it’s my first Sorina fic and well, you can say that… some people know about it, and the fic is very cute and fluffy. With Akai Ito, it was the a very labor-intensive fic. There was a lot of drafting (which I never do when it comes to writing), a lot of different docs filled with just backstories, poems that inspire it– it was a hard work, and I’m proud of myself that it all paid off. Yet after those two fics (and those I’ve recently published), I still have so many things to learn and calling one of them my “best fic”.

6. Is there any fic that makes you super embarrassed to reread and remember you wrote that?Probably Keeping You. It’s the one that I wrote during Mortal Kombat X and a sequel to Mad Souls (which I discontinued) and yet Keeping You is completed and published… Like it’s so weird tbh.

10. Have you ever written for a fandom without reading other fanfic for it?Nope! To write a fic for a fandom, you have to be obsessed with another fic first imo.

12. Have you ever written a fic and decided never to publish it? Why?Yes, because apparently every time I do a collab with my beta @itsardnaid, it’s gonna be a lot of OCs and inside jokes that people wouldn’t get.

14. What’s the biggest change in your taste between when you started in fandom and today?Should be very obvious from my two most popular fics (God I hate saying that). LNL is generally me with my hopeless romantic fantasies which I still love, but with Akai Ito and it’s realistic feels plus a mix of angst, I’d say I appreciate angsty fics more now since it’s not easy to get all emotions into one fic. Also, I used to love writing smut before, but it’s not my cup of tea to write anymore (but reading it tho…)

18. What’s your most underrated fic?Twisted Trees. I mean I ship Sorina with all my heart and soul and I want them to be canon af, but you gotta admit that Eishi looks good witth Erina. And the text format I wrote it in, it’s so easy to read and totally not overwhelming for those who doesn’t have a lot of time to read.

19. If you had to pick one fic/scene/chapter of your work to describe your entire portfolio to a stranger, which would you pick?I’d say read Chapter one of Symphonies of Dawn. It’s got Megumi (the most relatable character for me), a beautiful European boy, and baked goods! xD

23. What’s the nicest review you’ve ever gotten?Ahhhhh there are so manyyyy that I feel like I don’t deserve >.

24. What’s the meanest review you’ve ever gotten? Do you think the reviewer intended it?I got one from my older MK fic. The reviewer said he/she would burn my fic down and throw the ashes outside of the earth if he/she could. Does it get meaner than that? xD Plus, the reviewer also did it with a guest mode so I can’t interact back.

26. What aspect of your writing do you most enjoy to see praised?My characterization of Soma :’) because man he was HAAAARD to write, especially having him in love with Erina knowing how dense he is, so to have it praised is kind of an accomplishment lmao.

31. Who’s the one character you’ve just never managed to get perfectly right?I think Hisako. A few weeks ago I reread the short Akisako fic I created for @wishingforatypewriter, and then I feel like her character is too… happy? And seems different from what I wrote in Akai Ito, but idk maybe it’s just her being around Akira, but I’ll definitely work on that.

32. Who’s the one character who shines without you even trying?Megumi? Because you know, I’m basically writing about a shy girl who is all over the place at times and doesn’t believe in herself too much when she’s not supposed to. So it sort of feels natural.

33. Is there any particular character whose scenes always wind up being longer/more frequent than you expected? Does the quality hold up?I don’t think so. On the contrary, the scenes are often shorter than I think it’ll be.

34. Was there any fic that you wrote that really surprised you in the fandom reaction? Was it just by the numbers or did they take it an entirely different way?Both LNL (for the numbers) and Akai Ito (for a fandom to actually read a 20k words one-shot and actually liking it and be their most favorite and have it in a few fic recs)!

35. Have you ever written a ship into a fic without meaning to?Tbh Akisako in Akai Ito was kind of random/afterthought. I was like, “Meh, slight Akisako will be cute in this.”

41. If you cross-post your fics on multiple sites, do you have a favorite? Are there certain fics you would only post on certain site?ffnet is definitely the site I post all my published fics to since it has more traffic than ao3/wattpad. Some shorter drabbles I only post to Tumblr, but I recently have been including those in my Sorina drabble series.

47. If someone you know in real life who isn’t involved in fandoms asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?Sure! I mean I put a link to Akai Ito on my Instagram bio for something xD I don’t expect them to read the whole thing, but it’s a glimpse for what I can actually do.

Whoa that was a lot of fun! Thank you for asking and I wouldn’t reject a few more :D

fanfic author ask

[miraniel]

l85 questions tag game

Tagged by @peppermintfeminist​. Hi mate! You’re the best!

— What was your last…

1. Drink: Alcoholic? You’re kidding right? I recently tried a milliliter of Somerset Apple Brandy and NOPE, never again. Non-alcoholic? Water with lemon. 

2. Phone call: My parents, just before I left for England, where I am now (not over the excitement yet)

3. Text message: “Yes” in response to my grandmother, who asked if I got her text. 

4. Song you listened to: Reflection from Mulan

5. Time you cried: Two days ago, in the middle of a back country road in Somerset, over a goddamn Severus Snape fanfic. I’m still mad that the writer actually managed to make me care about fucking Snape. 

— Have you ever…

6. Dated someone twice: No. Have I dated someone once? Yes, but only by accident. 

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: No.

8. Been cheated on: Look I’m ace as fuck and have never dated really ever. 

9. Lost someone special: Yes, I’ve lost friends in multiple senses. 

10. Been depressed: I don’t think so. 

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: Any alcohol has this taste for me that the best I’ve been able to describe it is “rancid nickles,” it’s bloody awful, and I’ve never been able to stomach more than a sip of the stuff, so no. 

— Fave colours

12. Olive green. 

13. Purple. 

14. Deep cerulean. 

— in the last year have you…

15. Made new friends: Not really. I made a couple of cordial acquaintences in the drama productions I’ve been in, but no one close.

16. Fallen out of love: No, see above about being ace as fuck. Now, my brief obsession with the show Sherlock...

17. Laughed until you cried: Yes. So many times. 

18. Found out someone was talking about you: Yes, in both good ways and bad ways. 

19. Met someone who changed you: So many people. Just one who springs to mind is my Education professor at college. She was amazing. 

20. Found out who your friends are: I am fully aware that I am a terrible long-distance friend. It’s my worst flaw and I wish I was better about this. I think I’ve betrayed more friendships by just letting them slip away than I ever have had people turn on, or abandon, me. 

21. Kissed someone on your facebook friends list: Unless we’re referring to familial pecks on cheeks... no. 

— General

22. How many of your facebook friends do you know irl: Nearly all of them, apart from one random guy that my cousins met online and who has since befriended the entire family. 

23. Do you have any pets: I no longer live at home, but my family still has one of the two cats we had when I was growing up. 

24. Do you want to change your name: I think about it sometimes. I think about it a lot. I’ve just started using a new name with an eye to it becoming my official pen name. I don’t know if I want to start using it as my everyday name. 

25. What did you do for your last birthday: Oh, crap... I can’t remember. I think my mom was there, and my grandparents. We had cake and a tiny family party. I think. All I remember is I was glad I didn’t have a play rehearsal that day. 

26. What time did you wake up today: 6:50 am

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Sleeping, for once in my life. 

28. What is something you can’t wait for: Finally achieving my lifelong goal: being employed, being published, and being financially stable enough that I can afford a little house, with a dishwasher and laundry, and a cat, and food, and health insurance, and Netflix. It seems... a long way off. Also the next episode of Supergirl?

29. This question is mysteriously missing, so I will pose a question to the universe/the people I’m going to tag: What was the first piece of media (film, book, world, comic, game, character, etc) that you were ever obsessed with?

30. What are you listening to right now: Silence.

31. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Several Tims, but no Toms. Excluding possibly some random middle aged guys back when I was growing up because who remembers that sort of thing

32. Something that’s getting on your nerves: People assuming I’m in my early teens and asking me things like how high school is going. Then I’m like, “Nope, I’m like ten years older than that, graduated college a while ago now,” and they’re like “Oh, you look so young,” and I’m like “I know!!” and then (and this is the bit that’s driving me crazy) they all say “You’ll be so grateful when you’re my age!” Like... I just kind of called you out for patronizing me? And your immediate response is to patronize me again? Also there’s no guarantee that I’ll still look ten years younger than I actually am when I’m 50? Also, I may be grateful or not when I’m your age but it sure isn’t doing me any favors now? Please stop. Just stop. 

33. Most visited website: I may or may not be slightly obsessed with Nonasuch’s fantastic Dogfather Harry Potter AU and I might check their tumblr once or twice a day. 

34. Hair colour: Somewhere between dirty blond and light brown now. It was blond when I was a kid. 

35. Long or short hair: Okay, so I really want to be able to braid my hair elaborately again, but I also love the feel of short hair on the back of my neck.  Right now it’s in an inbetween stage and I can have neither of these things. What is a person to do. 

36. Do you have a crush on someone: I had things I called crushes when I was in high school and hadn’t figured out I’m ace as fuck. I get hardcore friend crushes. 

37. What do you like about yourself: I’m proud of my talents, though I play them down more than I should, and I neglect to practice them more than I should. I like how far I’ve come figuring out my identity and who I am these past six years or so. 

38. Want any piercings: Under no circumstances am I voluntarily going to sit still and let someone poke a needle through me or into me for anything other than a medical necessity. This applies to tattoos as well. I respect people who have them, but hell no for me. 

39. Blood type: SOMEONE knows because I’ve had a blood transfusion, I think, but I don’t have a clue. 

40. Nicknames: I have wanted a nickname my entire life and nothing has ever stuck. 

41. Relationship status: Single asexual inactively seeks person willing to share habitation, bookshelves, Netflix, pet, and nerdy conversation for the rest of their life. 

42. Sign: I don’t do the zodiac thing at all, but I’m an INTJ and a Hufflepuff. 

43. Pronouns: Um, this is a weird place and time to do this, but since you asked, I’ve just changed them to “they/them.” 

44. Fave tv show: Ever? Avatar the Last Airbender. Right now? Supergirl, The Flash, Miraculous Ladybug

45. Tattoos: See above regarding NEEDLES

46. Fave city: Albuquerque. Fight me. 

47: Ever had surgery: When I was a kid I had The Case of Pneumonia From Hell and Fun Times in Hospitals and got chest tubes and part of my lung removed. Also a few minor random stuff. 

48. Piercings: See above regarding needles. The needle phobia is directly related to the Fun Times in Hospitals. 

49. Sport: Literally none. I’ll watch gymnastics and skating every four years, but apart from that the highlight of my interest in sports was that time that JKR was live-writing the Quidditch World Cup on Pottermore. 

50. Vacation: I’m in Oxford right now, somewhere I’ve always dreamed of being! And I’m on my way to Scotland and Wales. 

— More general

52. Eating: Sushi, macaroni and cheese, fruit, chocolate, scones

53. Drinking: tea, tea, tea, milk, orange juice, non-alcoholic lemonade or apple cider, water, tea, tea, tea

54. I’m about to watch: Brooklyn 99 (The UK has it on netflix!!)

55. Waiting for: My betas to come back to me on my novel draft. Then it’s agent shopping!

56. Want: A cat, the ability to focus, the ability to read properly without stupid eye problems, a job, writing time

57. Get married: ... growing up I fantasized about getting married because I wanted my paternal cousins to meet my maternal cousins and I couldn’t think of any way that would likely happen apart from my marriage and I think they would get on like a house on fire.. this still seems like one of the only motivating factors for me ever to get married. 

58. Career: Author and poet and crazy cat lady

— Which is better

59. Hugs or kisses: hugs

60. Lips or eyes: Neither. I don’t actually like making eye contact even though I’ve learned to do it, and why would I stare at people’s mouths?

61. Shorter or taller: For a dance partner? Taller, but not significantly so. 

62. Older or younger: If this is meant to be about romantic partners? Because why would anyone ask this question? Significant age gaps are generally not a good thing either way, except possibly between two consenting adults who understand and work to alleviate the uneven power dynamic a significant age gap typically creates?

63. Nice arms or stomach: The heck?

64. Hookup or relationships: Relationships. 

65. Troublemaker or hesitant: Hesitant and trying to overcome it

— Have you ever

66. Kissed a stranger: NOPE

67. Drank hard liquor: See above regarding the horrors created by my taste buds and any alcohol.

68. Turned someone down: Yes. It was awwwkward, but he was a friend. Normally, when I suspect someone likes me, I run away and never speak to them again. Trying to get over that. 

69. Sex on first date: Uh nnnoooo

70: Broken someone’s heart: I hope not

71. Had your heart broken: By friendships, yeah.

72. Been arrested: Nope

73. Cried when someone died: Not really. 

74. Fallen for a friend: A couple times, but in like, a really aggressively platonic way

— Do you believe in

75. Yourself: Yes.

76. Miracles: Yes.

77. Love at first sight: Yes, because it basically happened to my parents. Theirs is a story of being bookstore managers, an immediate attraction, a mutual failure to understand origami, and a shared love of Star Trek. It would make a perfect rom com but there was literally no drama. My parents are adorable. 

78. Santa Claus: I have always had the ability to choose what I believe in. Santa Claus was one of those things, long after I knew the truth. 

79. Angels: Not really of the stereotypical “feathery wings and flawless skin” type. In the possibility or even likelihood of benevolent forces or beings outside human comprehension that are not a divine creator but may be from or of the divine, yes. This likely has a lot to do with how many times I read Narnia, The Dark is Rising, and A Wrinkle in Time as a kid, now I think about it. 

— Misc

80. Eye colour: Green

81. Best friend’s name: I have a few. One starts with a C. 

82. Favourite movie: The Fellowship of the Ring. Or 101 Dalmations. 

83. Favourite actor: Maggie Smith

84. Favourite cartoon: Avatar the Last Airbender. I didn’t discover it until I was about 18, but I love it to death. 

85. Religion: Ex-roman catholic Episcopalian 

Tagging @nerdiekatie, @swimmingbirdrunningrock, @dragon-feathers, and @fantasiavii

[clevercreature13]

Today, I am featuring author Carl D Jenkins, whose story "In the Valence" is included in the anthology "A Bond of Words," alongside my own brand-new story, "Don't Mess with It."

Q. What is the hardest part of writing for you? What is the easiest?

A. The hardest part of the writing is just making the time to sit down. I’m an introvert who works in mental health. I absolutely love it, but it naturally leaves me drained and it takes a while to recharge my batteries enough to give the story the attention I think it deserves.The easiest is easy. Character development. Most of the time, the characters just are. They are not really any different from anyone else you might meet. Treating them that way saves me so much effort trying to remember how they would react, what their motives are, and when they first accessed plot point whatever. I cannot say they are friends, because sometimes they are begging for consequences right out of the gate. But I can give them dignity and respect, so the primary means of motivating them when they get stuck is to write a future scene. Since they know what’s coming, it gets easier for them to work their way through the obstacle course in between; it’s a lot like weekend for the workaholic.But, what I truly enjoy – I know you didn’t ask – is the research. Observing and knowing things is what gives a writer his stripes, and I’ve always enjoyed the “5-minute research” option for anything that catches my attention. And not YouTube or Bubba Joe’s non-professional blog, but some reliable source that has put in the work needed to actually be adept. Sure, Bubba Joe may help you identify the questions you want to ask, but his Uncle Cecil and Aunt Melba’s recollections of their drunken neighbor’s life in the exotic military is basically still just opinion. The internet has made that easier, but sometimes you just need a library. The best part, you only have to know enough to make your character plausible, and you only have to remember it long enough to write the story, but writing a character smarter than yourself about something lets you explore so many rabbit holes you might never see as a reader.

Q. What is your ideal writing snack?

A. Nope. I’m writing or eating. I was a cook for fifteen years, and you don’t get to sit and enjoy meals when you’re working. All this time later, and if it is on my plate, order one is to get it gone so that I can get back to the task at hand with a clear and focused mind. And clean hands. So, if I need to pause to eat, it’s hydration and carbs.Snacking when not on a task is different. Dried fruits, nuts, or dark chocolate will serve the purpose. True junk food is always in single serving packaging, no matter the size, so I stick with things that can just be a handful on the run.

Q. What self-editing tools do you use before you send your work to a professional editor?

A. Most of the time when I first reach “The End” I immediately read back through the whole piece. This will be when rewrites are done, and I always change things. I know I said the characters are just there, but I don’t outline and things show up in a world that you weren’t expecting. They do in life, too, but you can’t go back and foreshadow in life. In a story, you can go back and plant the knowledge that Jake’s hair is red, that Alex is a girl, that Pennywise loved balloons as a child. You can elaborate the layout of a garden where it was introduced so that the reader knows where to turn during the chase scene without accidentally ending up in the front yard when the stable is out back.Then I find time is my best friend. I’m pretty good with structural editing and big concepts, but I have to let the story lay fallow while it drains out of my head to edit. When you live in a forest, you stop seeing the trees. Then I’ll focus on one character at a time. Scrivener can help with that, but several softwares let you write in scenes to start with. You can jump from Joe to Joe to Joe and make sure his voice does not sound too much like Sally. You can make sure you didn’t leave too large a clue that this character was not human before your reveal, and make sure you didn’t insinuate otherwise with word choices.Beta readers are integral. And you need to make sure you have ones that aren’t just going to say “good job” or “I loved the part about Suzy and Brad” or “This is not in line with my spiritual beliefs, so I left in the closet for three months while you waited on me to tell you I didn’t read it.” You want Betas who will tell you what sucked, what they had to read three times to understand, what happened so fast they missed everything important. That’s not self-editing, but it is very helpful to the last stages. You need to clean up most messes before you give a WIP to a Beta or you just turn them into proof-readers. Anyone can spot your typos and correct them, but if it’s all typos, they stop seeing the plot, and the plot is why you wanted a reader to start with.After I have weighed and changed things the readers pointed out, I run it through an editing software. There are dozens of choices. I currently use Style Writer. It lets me chose the type of story, the target audience, and which version of English I’m writing in. Most importantly, it doesn’t just do; I have to select all changes and it points out bad, possibly bad, and probably to smart/dumb choices. One of my common trends is passive voice, which sometimes I want, but usually I don’t. It points that out.The other trend I’m trying to shake is tense agreement. I seem to love to switch from past to present and back. Editing software will not catch this. It is probably the thing that gives my editor the most grey hair at this point. And my editor is the only reason that using a writing software is functional. The first piece I sent off was so red I had to take note and improve. Had I sent that one through the software first, I never would have submitted it anywhere because I’d still be trying to sort through the software’s suggestions.

Q. What is it that you want a reader to take away from it, be it one emotion or a thought or a memory?

A. Life is full of moments. We let so many of them pass us by. This story drew from several trips I had the fortune of being able to take. Several of the characters are essentially real – I took large liberties. I am always very present when I get to travel, and those moments we are present keep us young. Time does not pass faster and faster as we age for any other reason than we stop being present in as many moments as we can. Many of the moments we do stay aware of are repetitious. (E.g. the time with a grandbaby.) Be present in all of it. You only get one life. A hundred things a day will interest you if you are paying attention, but weeks will go by in a blink if you are not. Fill the moments with joy. Let those around you be comfortable being themselves so that you can be aware together. What was the line from Before Sunrise? “Spirit is alive in the space between us”? or something to that effect. Let your spirit be alive.

Q. Did your story play out as you planned it?

A. Absolutely. I had already written a draft of this story years ago, with a focus on one particular holiday. When the call for this anthology came out, it was in contention from the start, although I wrote several other things as contemplative pieces first. In the end, I decided that this story could fit quite nicely if I added in a bigger bond between the two MCs and highlighted all of the other connections. I stitched in other moments to make it a more complete story, but what I wanted from the start was for you to be able to connect with the thrill of a journey, the power of the stones, and the simple love one can enjoy within a circle of complete strangers if we only let ourselves participate in life.There are only two named characters. Bina and Carl. Carl carried a lot of my spirit as I was able to travel, and the core of Bina in the story is a real person, who really did write a thesis on Stonehenge. The newspaper scene was a real memory, but a lot of the feel of the scene was from other times with other people. I wanted the focus on them, so not giving names to the other characters was intentional. I think you could still feel the importance of their presence and recognize that they all had their own stories intersecting in this one place and time where everyone just got to share themselves as they were. Pretensions and expectations were always within reach and not entirely avoidable but being able to set them aside is what let the time become timeless and durable.So, go out and love one another for who you are, and let the spirit in between breath deeply of that love.

Pick up a copy of "A Bond of Words" in paperback or eBook at any book retailer worldwide, including Amazon. If you purchase the paperback directly from Scout Media, you will get another ‘Of Words’ anthology of your choosing in eBook for FREE as well as a FREE companion soundtrack download!!

facebook.com/BrokenSpines13

http://www.scoutmediabooksmusic.com/a-bond-of-words

[share-the-damn-bed-main]

A Tale of Two Houses (A03)

He was an Alpha Tau and Yato's best friend-- that alone should have been the end of it. But for some reason, the more time she spent with him, the less she cared. {Kazubisha Week 2017 Day 2: School Days AU -- In which I watched a lot of Greek, plotted too much, and accidentally started writing a multi-chapter fic...}

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.” The perky, pink haired woman chimed, popping the ‘p’ for emphasis and waving a flyer in her hand for Bishamon to see. “They just announced the lucky houses this morning.”

And there it was, on official Intrafraternity and Sorority Council letterhead: Congratulations to Beta Chi and Alpha Tau, this year’s hosts of Takamagahara State University’s Spring Festival!

“I think I’m going to throw up.” The blonde grumbled to herself. “Kofuku, as social chair you’ll handle this catastrophe, right?”

“No can do, Bisha. Spring Fest has always been a collaboration between the sorority and fraternity presidents.”

Bishamon opened her mouth to interject before being cut off.

“And besides, even if it was my responsibility, I’m already too swamped with planning the founder’s day festivities for the following weekend.”  Her pink-haired friend shrugged, offering her a sympathetic smile.

Taking a small sip of coffee, she sighed bitterly and closed her eyes, trying to process the frustrating turn of events. Of course, after vying for Spring Fest host sorority for the past three years, when they finally win, it’s with him.

“Can you talk to Daikoku? See if he can convince their house to pull out?”

“Bisha,” Her friend’s disapproval wasn’t lost on her. “Come on, you and Yati have been at each other's throats for years. Try and work together just this once, please? For Beta Chi?”

The sorority president furrowed her brow before relenting.

“Fine. But if we do end up killing each other, it’s your fault.”  

---

The coffee shop was surprisingly empty this close to finals. The local spot was cozy and provided a tranquil escape for its patrons with plush couches and exposed brick walls. Only the sounds of light chatter between guests and rattling of the espresso machine filled the air as she made her way through the cafe.

After the entire Greek system was notified about this year’s Spring Fest, Bishamon drafted a curt email to the Alpha Tau president saying to meet her at the coffee house on Main and High at 4 pm so they could, as she so eloquently phrased, ‘get this over with’.

To no one’s surprise, he didn’t respond.

Plopping down on her favorite leather love seat tucked away near the front window, she quickly organized the vendor forms and pulled out her laptop before he arrived in hopes of limiting her time with Yato as much as possible. The two of them hadn’t been in the same room for more than ten minutes since freshman year. Even then, most of that time was spent glaring daggers at one another and hoping the other would spontaneously combust.

She had no intention of actually working on Spring Fest with him, they could just split the work evenly and correspond by email until the event. Then, they would act as if the entire event went without a hitch, allowing them to keep both of their houses’ dignity and status.

“Sorry I’m late.” A voice startled her attention back to focus. She looked up to see a formally dressed student roughly her age addressing her while shrugging off his coat and placing his messenger bag on the coffee table between them. “I’m coming from my internship across town and traffic at this time is an utter mess.”

He paused a moment to catch his breath, sensing her confusion.

“You are Bishamon, president of Beta Chi, are you not?”

“I am.” She responded, peering down at the letters ‘BX’ on her shirt before looking back at him, clearly still wary. “And you are?”

“My apologies,” the brunette extended his hand to her with a smile. “I am Kazuma, vice president of Alpha Tau.”

“Pleasure meeting you, Kazuma.” She returned the gesture before waving for him to sit. “Does this mean Yato won’t be planning Spring Fest this year?”

The Alpha Tau hesitated and averted his gaze.

“Ah, about that, Yato didn’t believe that your partnership would yield fruitful outcomes. So he decided to entrust the Spring Fest responsibilities to me and focus his time on planning the after party instead.” Bishamon audibly scoffed while shaking her head. How typical.

It seemed Yato was as irresponsible and flighty as ever; always putting himself first no matter how much he may hurt others or even his own house. His actions should have sent her into a fit of rage, if only she hadn’t tried to do the same exact thing.

She bit her lip in disgust before clicking her pen and offering her co-host a soft smile.

“Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved. Yato and I are not on the best terms, to say the least.”

“So I have heard.” Kazuma opened up his laptop and handed her a thick binder. “But enough about Yato, I’ve organized potential vendors into groups based on provided service and have ordered them from most to least expensive. Then, I have a list of the pros and cons of hiring each vendor to aid in our selection.”

Bishamon stared at it, mouth slightly agape in shock at the detail and research he invested. Somehow, he turned the 3-page pdf emailed to them into a 127-page textbook.

“At the front,” he flipped the pages for her, “I have some brainstorming exercises to help us decide on a theme, and lastly,” he turned his laptop so that she could see, “I’ve created a spreadsheet to track our spending and help us stay within budget.”

“This- this is amazing. How long did this even take you?” she careful flipped through its pages as if each one were a rare work of art.

“Um, not too long. Maybe a few hours.”

“Well, thank you.” She looked at him, her voice tinged with a mix of pure awe and earnest sincerity. “I’m glad to co-host Spring Fest with someone who actually takes this seriously.”

“I’m excited to be working with you as well.” The brunette went to take a sip of his tea before stopping abruptly. “I-I mean Beta Chi is a reputable sorority and the members of Alpha Tau are lucky to be co-hosting with you.”

Bishamon quirked her eyebrow at him.

“B-But that’s not to say I’m not excited to work with you!” His face, slowly turning pink as he became more and more flustered. “You seem like a wonderful person and--”

Bishamon broke out into carefree laughter causing the Alpha Tau to stop mid-sentence.

“Kazuma,” She chuckled. “I don’t know what Yato told you about me, but I promise I’m not that ill-tempered.”  

He opened his mouth to interject but she waved him off.

  “Come on, didn’t you say there were theme selection activities in this thing?”

Three lattes and two empty cups of jasmine tea later, the sun had set and the awkwardness between strangers had melted away. Between planning and brainstorming the pair found that they actually had a lot in common: they both thought the Gamma Delta’s were pretentious and insufferable to be around, they both thought cotton candy was unquestionably better than funnel cake, and, they both grew up in the same state and even went to neighboring high schools. Not that they ran in the same social circles or anything; he was involved with student council and Latin club while she participated in nearly every competitive sport imaginable.

Despite her initial hesitation, Bishamon had to admit she was actually enjoying herself and enjoying Kazuma, an Alpha Tau of all people’s, company. There was something oddly comforting about him that she couldn’t quite place. Even though they only met a few hours ago, she felt as if they were longtime friends.

“So?” He asked from his spot on the couch adjacent to her.

“Welcome to Paradise.” The blonde pondered aloud as if she were letting the idea marinate on her tongue. “It captures the feeling of finishing the semester, it’s vague enough that we can use the vendors we want- not just ones that fit a specific theme, and it hasn’t been done before. I like it.” She turned her body towards him. “What do you think?”

Looking up from his screen he smiled at her in excitement. “We’ll have to make some decisions on the food vendors, but we should be able to put on all the activities we discussed while staying in budget.”

“Even the giant hillside slip and slide?” the Beta Chi president perked up causing her co-host to chuckle lightly.

“Yes, it looks like the university’s liability insurance covers it, surprisingly.”

“Are you sure we don’t need waivers?” Bishamon searched for the policy statement on the cluttered table. Every square inch was covered with sorted piles of various vendor sheets and renter’s agreements making it extremely difficult to find anything.

“I’m fairly certain we’re exempt because of clause 42-A.” The brunette assured, moving to help her find the document when suddenly, his fingertips brushed against hers.

Bishamon froze and felt her breath hitch the moment his hand made contact. Suddenly aware of how close they were sitting on the tiny couch, she kept her chin down, trying not to look at him.  Kazuma paused, if only for a fraction of a second, before retracting his hand quickly and stuttering out a quiet apology.   

She simply nodded, still not looking at him, and grabbed the policy off the coffee table.

“Clause 42-A,” she read aloud as if nothing happened. “Waivers for potentially dangerous activities on the property are only required when the participant is being suspended from the ground, require some form of protective gear, or are required by the vendor providing the service.”

Kazuma cleared his throat. “Um yes, exactly. And, from their website, Slides N’ Stuff states they do not require waivers but they do need a security deposit on the tarp.”

“Does that fit in the budget?” She asked, finally looking up at him. His eyes shifting from hers.

“It can.” he nodded. “But we may need to cut funds to other vendors.”

“Make sure it’s not the one where you pay to pie people in the face. I really want to see Takemikazuchi’s face covered in whipped cream.” She joked in an attempt to lighten the mood and when Kazuma laughed in response, she could feel the tension between them dissipate.

“Don’t worry, that’s the last vendor I would cut.”  

“Good.” She cheered, taking her last sip of latte. As her gaze fell on her watch, her stomach dropped and she nearly spit out the lukewarm liquid in shock. “It’s 11:45!”

“We’ve been here for almost 8 hours?” Kazuma seemed equally shocked.

“Ugh, I have an 8:45 class tomorrow and a paper to finish.” She whined while frantically packing up her bag. “I can’t believe I stayed out this late.”

“Did you drive?” He wondered while shoving the last of the vendor forms away.

“Uh no, I walked.”

“Do you want me to walk you home?” He offered, pulling on his coat as they made their way to the door.

Bishamon quirked her brow in confusion.

“Didn’t you drive?” She asked, the bell jingling in the doorway as they exited.

“Ah, no I drove back to the house and walked from there.”

“Well thank you, that would be great.” She smiled at him and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before quickly adding, “If you don’t mind.”

“No,” he fell in step beside her, “not at all.”

The shop was only a few blocks south of Greek row and they quickly found themselves walking alone and in a comfortable silence. During the day, High street was a constant buzz with cars and deliveries up and down the street. While at night, it became a deserted ghost town.

“This is going to be so fun,” Bishamon said, trying to break the silence. “At first I was excited that Beta Chi was hosting, but now,” she looked at Kazuma, eyes sparkling with excitement. “Now, I’m looking forward to actually going to Spring Fest.” The boy’s eyes met her’s, but only for a moment before they focused forward, again.

“Me too. I believe both of our houses will benefit greatly from our efforts.” His voice was warm and laced with the smallest hint of pride.

“I was wondering, and please don’t take this the wrong way,” She warned as they turned the corner onto Greek row. “But Alpha Tau has never cared about their house ranking in the past, so why do you even care about this event?” As harsh as it sounded, it was something had been bugging her since the host announcement.

“I wouldn’t say that Alpha Tau doesn’t care about rankings, we do, and we think we are the best.” His tone was free of anger or resentment. “It’s just what we value and what the rest of the Greek system value don’t always align.”

“So why now, why care about this event.” She pressed, furrowing her brow.

“Like I said, we think we’re the best, so we might as well try to have others see us that way as well.” He paused a moment before continuing. “I’m going to be president next year and it’s my goal to have Alpha Tau ranked as the number one fraternity on campus by the time I graduate.”

Bishamon stopped walking and cocked her head in mock confusion, “Are you sure you’re an Alpha Tau?”

He chuckled at her jab, stopping a few feet in front of her before turning around. “You know, we’re not the lazy low-lives people make us out to be. Even Yato may surprise you if you give him a chance.”

“That’s a hard pass.” She sneered brushing past him.

“Okay then,” Kazuma called as he caught up with her. “Why do you care about hosting the festival?”

“We’re Beta Chi, we’re the number one sorority on campus?” She replied as if it were obvious.

“Yes, but why is it important to you?” He pressed, just as she did.

“I don’t know, I’ve always had a competitive streak and desire to be the best at everything and Beta Chi is the first real home I’ve had.” She shoved her hands in her pockets before continuing. “Before college, I was in and out of foster homes until I was 16, which sucked.” She sighed, staring at her feet. “Then my friend’s parents became my legal guardian for two years so I could finish out high school without transferring.” She trailed off, shaking her head before looking up at him.  “My sisters and that house are my family,” she shrugged. “I would do anything for them.”

There was something soft in the way he looked at her. Pity, she could recognize well, but this was different. Stemming from empathy with a hint of awe and a touch of respect, his gaze, she realized, resembled something akin to admiration.

“Thank you for walking me home.” She said as she took they stopped in front of her house. “And for all the help with planning.”

“Not a problem at all.” He looked at her, his glasses refracting the moonlight. “I honestly had fun.”

“Me too,” she admitted. “So when do you want to meet again?”

“I’m pretty busy with projects over the next few days but am free on Saturday.” He thought aloud “You could come over to the house and we can finalize vendors? Yato isn’t there this weekend.” He assured when he saw the look on her face.

“Okay,” she said, reluctantly. “That works, I guess I’ll see you then.”

“Alright,” he sounded relieved. “I’ll see you Saturday.”

“Goodnight.” Bishamon waved at him as she started to make her way up toward the house.

He gave her a wave back, before heading toward his house, “Goodnight.”

He was right, she thought as she climbed the porch stairs, tonight had been fun. Bishamon couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed that hard or enjoyed spending time with someone so much. As much as that elated her, it also had her crestfallen. The two of them had both been in the Greek system for years, had even grown up in the same area, and yet she had no idea he existed before tonight.

Once she made it to the front door her hand hesitated over the handle before she quickly turned around, acting on a whim.

“Kazuma,” her voice cut through the stillness of the night air, startling him enough to stop and look back at her. “I’m sorry it took this long to meet you.” She admitted, feeling a blush burn her cheeks.

“Yeah,” he smiled back at her after a moment with that same complex look in his eyes as before. “Me too.”  

---

“Well, she’s not dead.” Bishamon heard Kofuku jest as she shut the door.

“And I haven’t heard sirens all day, so Yato’s not dead either.” Her little sis, Hiyori, added.

Bishamon turned to face her two friends sitting on the couch sharing a bowl of popcorn.

“And she’s smiling!” Kofuku exclaimed pointing at the president. “Could it be that the sworn enemies have made peace?”

“Hardly,” Bishamon scoffed shrugging off her backpack and collapsing on the couch next to them. “Yato actually blew Spring Fest off. I’m actually working on the event with someone else.”

“Another Alpha Tau?” Kofuku wondered.

“Yeah, the vice president.” The blonde answered, popping some of their popcorn into her mouth.

“Oh, Kazuma? He’s super smart!” Kofuku interjected. “Daikoku told me the whole reason their house isn’t on academic probation is because of Kazu’s GPA.”

“He’s Yukine’s big brother,” Hiyori added. “I’ve met him a few times, he seems super sweet.”

“Yeah.” Bishamon sighed as the two others stared at her.

“Oh my god.” Kofuku gasped in realization causing the other girls to shoot her puzzled glances. “Bisha, do you like Kazu?”

“What?” She cried out. “Of course not, no.” She adamantly shot down her friend’s accusations, but the hitch in her voice betrayed her.

“Oh my god, you do like him!” Hiyori cheered, clapping her hands together as Kofuku sang a vulgar version of the tree kissing song.

“You guys, stop.” Bishamon scolded, silencing them. “Alright, Kazuma is nice and we get along well. So yes, I do like him. As a friend.” she emphasized slowly.

“Whatever you say, Madame President.” Kofuku saluted with a smug smile causing Bishamon to glare at her.

“Now,” the blonde sighed standing up and cracking her back before heading to the staircase, “I have a 10-page paper to crank out before 8:45 tomorrow morning.”

“Good luck!” Hiyori called after her big sis before turning to Kofuku. “Do you really think Bisha likes Kazuma?” She whispered once their friend was out of earshot.

“Oh yeah.” Kofuku nodded, very sure of herself. “Whether she knows it yet or not, our Bisha is smitten.”

[resbang-bookclub]

AMA Transcript: Awoken

This past week, @professor-maka​ and @sahdah​ stopped in to chat about their work on their 2016 Resbang, Awoken! Here’s some of what went down:

Q: How did your fic change/evolve over time? Any deleted scenes/headcanons you couldn't fit into the fic?

ProMa: Sort of? In that I wasn't exactly sure how far I wanted to take the plot at first, and at one point considered a Medusa appearance but decided I liked flipping the villain expectation too much to fuss with it.

Q: How the frick did you write the songs and stuff?? It was so good and hilarious.

ProMa: Ahhhh I can't music which is why the songs are either poems (only the first, and it's intentionally bad) or I took actual songs and just--modified lyrics in the same meter.

Q: You wrote your own lyrics tho?

ProMa: I did. I carefully plotted to the meter of the original. Or in the case of Ox's first song, just kept a really trite meter.

Q: Gotta ask the obvious question: What made you want to do an Enchanted AU!!

ProMa: It's a really fun movie, and I just felt I could do something fun with it. Though I'll admit there's a heavy Enchanted Forest Chronicles in there, too.

Q: What was the hardest scene to write?

ProMa: Hardest to write was hmmmm... Maka waking up the second time. I got stuck in that section forever.

Q: And which scene did you write first?? Loved the song summons btw. It made me laugh so hard.

ProMa: I wrote it pretty much in order except in a few places where I wrote the song before the scene, so the taxi scene came first. The song summons was so fun to write. I wanted to take that scene from Enchanted and completely flip it on its head.

Q: Proma, I love the running gag with the disembodied music, was that from the AU's or your own detail?

ProMa: Disembodied music was just drawing from the brand of humor in Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Patrick Dempsey's reactions in Enchanted, and the reality of musicals. So basically my take on it, lol.

Q: How early in the process did you figure out that Ox was gonna be the prince? Were you always sure it would be him or did you have to narrow it down?

ProMa: Ox was my prince pretty much from the get go. He just fit what I wanted to do. I was going for the more noble version of Hans from Frozen.

Q: Was there anything weird that you didn't expect to make it into the final cut?

ProMa: The potty humor I definitely wasn't sure I would keep. But I am 14 at heart and kept it.

Q: Alternately, anything you wanted to keep but had to cut?

ProMa: I kind of wanted a Black Star appearance but time and plot arc did not allow. Also Wes was not in the original plan but he happened anyway.

Q: Tell us about the art collab! How did it work for you?

ProMa: They were really enthusiastic and supportive and started throwing ideas out from the get go! 

sahdah: Read voraciously, threw my ideas at Proma. 

ProMa: The poster image sahdah did was so great she worked on it forever! sahdah: Proma was super chill and awesome about things, I'd ask for direction and she gave like dress ideas. It was so much fun! 

ProMa: And rogha's painting was lovely.

Q: What was the hardest thing about that poster image?

sahdah: Ahhh the coloring. I did pen drawing and scanned but I'd just gotten a tablet for digital so working the layers was interesting. I had lots of support from Proma and Aer!

Q: How many drafts did you do before you decided on a final image for the art?

sahdah: Um, it started off with just Maka, and then Ox got added. And then I think Kim was next - this is all on the same page - and I knew Soul in a beanie had to be there. So it just grew. 

ProMa: It grew in the most glorious way possible. Sahdah kept sending me updates and I just [said] YES YES GOOD YES.

Q: I am jealous of how well-behaved this fic was for not having any deleted scenes.

ProMa: AHAHA I'm a weird writer. I delete sometimes, but not often.

Q: SEQUEL?

ProMa: Noooooooo no no no no no. Epilogue is my limit.

Q: What was your favorite scene to write?

ProMa: Either the vermin scene or Maka laying the smackdown on Ox. Both were fun. Maka as badass is always my jam.

Q: Is this a genre you'd want to do again?

ProMa: It was fun, I'd definitely do it again!

Q: Please tell me what inspired the "friendly neighbourhood broctologist" line because I literally laughed at it for 30 straight seconds.

ProMa: B* works in mysterious ways. He always gets my best lines. What inspired it? B* being B*.

[discussion of the rats/roaches scene]

ProMa: That scene is one of the more direct lifts from the film. It's really nasty. Vermin squick me so hard, but vermin summoning is one of the most hilarious things in the film. I HAD to. 

sahdah: Giriko running in fear when he next sees them, lol. 

ProMa: Poor Giriko, he only wanted some loot.

[discussion of how numerous people have not seen Enchanted]

ProMa: It's cute and funny and I did something completely different with the premise because Maka is no Gisselle.

Q: Real question time: Why George Michael?

ProMa: Omg. It was my server name because it was a play on the kiss thing and then I just--had to. Because Wham is awesome and cheesy and it fit.

Q: I'm kinda mad with how it was not awkward or cheesy. How do you put Wham in a story and make it charming?

sahdah: Promagic. 

ProMa: I have no idea. I love Wham, they were my first album. Call it a labor of pure love.

Q: Did you listen/watch anything (besides the obvious) for inspiration?

ProMa: I had a playlist I've been meaning to post: http://8tracks.com/professor-maka/awoken. I'll have to make it not unlisted later lol.

Q: Is it possible for Mr. Proma to do a cover the fic songs?

ProMa: It'd be hilarious but he'd side eye me hard. Very not his genre. Well, maybe the Foo Fighters. :') I would laugh so hard to hear them performed though. Maybe someday someone will perform one and make my life. 

sahdah: Soul singing Pearl Jam in the shower <3 

ProMa: Mr.Proma sent me that song when we were dating, it was a nod to self. 

sahdah: Awwwh, such a good husbando! 

ProMa: Such good husbando. Well, boyfriendu then.

Q: If you had to do it over, would there be anything you'd change?

ProMa: Hmmmmm man I just reread it. I wish I'd edited another round, because I missed some dumb reppy shit and just dumb shit. Also, the ending could be drawn out a bit. So I would do that if I had it to do again. But I was in serious time crunch mode.

Q: I am so impressed with how much fic you can crank out, Proma.

sahdah: Proma cranked out the last bit of the fic in... what was it, like 2 days? 

ProMa: Yeah, the last third was very fast. 

sahdah: I'm like WAIT!!! SO MUCH I NEED TO ART. 

ProMa: Sahdah did her second two pieces in like two days so MASS APPLAUSE. 

sahdah: /head scratch like there was so much good content! 

ProMa: And those pieces are great too.

Q: How does one do that, pull out quality in such a short time?

sahdah: Copious amounts of caffeine and manic cackling with Resbang partners. <3 

ProMa: I write fast under pressure. It's a skill I picked up in school that weirdly translates into creative things. Thank you, undergrad all nighters.

Q: Proma, [in the] epilogue, how does Ox fare with Kim?

ProMa: Omg Ox does not fare with Kim. She is all about dat Jackie. But I mean, he has his kingdom. Even if Spirit gives him constant shit for the rest of his days.

Q: How does Spirit react to maka moving?

ProMa: Spirit is so dejected. I haven't worked it out, but he would definitely seek Maka out. Might even just hand the kingdom to Ox eventually, and go [to the] whole other world. He will visit, that's not even arguable. That omake I will heavily consider. 

Q: Proma, one thing that I was interested to see and that I think I'm glad about is that you didn't do the whole Aesop where Maka has to go back and learn how to break the curse, find happiness in her own world. While I can appreciate that message and I think it has its place, I also think that if people could really do that... there are probably people who would find a place and feel better somewhere other than their "home world." I mean, you could translate the "world" metaphor to people choosing to leave a toxic family of origin, which would be a good thing.

ProMa: Oh yeah, I was never going to go there. This was about Maka shaping her own life on her terms. I was not going for archetypes at alllll. Blair was always my choice for the fairy godmother role. It's so canon anyway. You can do some good things with that trope, it just wasn't the goal. Maka staying in her new life definitely came from the source -- even if a lot of the source is altered beyond recognition. 

sahdah: I also love Maka working to improve herself on her terms. Like the details with the soufflé. 

ProMa: I definitely borrowed some flavor from Wrede.

[more discussion of the vermin scene]

ProMa: That's one of the biggest actual pulls from the movie though -- I flipped it completely. Giselle summons vermin to clean the messy house. Yeah, that is not Maka. Maka just wants her crap back and she's not into the singing thing. 

sahdah: Giriko! The real vermin, lol.

Q: Maka asking animals via Disney princess song to wreck Giriko's shit was one of my favorite things. 

ProMa: It's Maka, she's not gonna sing to clean Soul's house, he can get off his own ass! 

sahdah: Let's be real, he probably has a cleaning service, because of Mother. 

ProMa: His house is spotless, there are maids. (Why a high powered lawyer in Enchanted couldn't hire a maid is beyond me.) 

sahdah: Mc-Procrastinator, not Dreamy. 

ProMa: Mc-raises kid in nasty house. I actually have a soft spot for pet rats, we had them in 3rd grade but an actual in my house rat would make me into a quivering pile of NOPE.

Q: Is it Mc-over? [ implied :( ]

[insert giant chorus of thanks] 

ProMa: You guys asked great questions thank you! It was so much fun, I'm glad others thought so too! 

sahdah: It was my pleasure, I love musicals! 

ProMa: And thanks to my betas here too. Yulie and Sand saved my liiiife.

[hellacluttered]

The Cutoff - Chapter 1 (Mag7 modern anarchy AU)

A/N: All right, so after watching The Purge and Training Day back to back, I got super inspired to write some sort of gritty, anarchy-ish Mag7 fic, so here goes! Thanks as always to @coachboom for being my beta reader, sounding board, moral support, and amazing friend <3 Also, as I’ve seen other authors do, I’m going to use ‘Manuel’ as Vasquez’s first name.

    December 31th, 2023 was the day America shut down.

    Families across America turned their lights off to go to sleep and in the cover of darkness, the electricity stopped. Dogs circled restlessly, yipping their oblivious owners awake. Exasperated homeowners wondering why their power was out in the absence of a storm resorted to phones to check outage maps, but they had no coverage whether in cities or in the boondocks. What clocks still worked told their owners it was 4:00 AM on the east coast, 3:00 AM Central, and 1:00 AM in California, where the Cutoff, as it came to be known, abruptly ended countless parties and plunged the thriving clubs into silence.

    Then commenced an era of anarchy that no one bothered to record and the history books would fail to tell.

    It had been a fairly average day for Joshua Faraday, but so every day seemed to be.

    He woke at 7:00 sharp, hit the ‘snooze’ button on his alarm clock four times, and blundered into the shower at 7:30, his left shoulder almost as painful as his head, which was feeling the effects of the previous evening; he’d spent it de-stressing from his job, which for him meant going to the gym (the main reason his old injury had flared up), and then getting mind-numbingly drunk on his couch. He’d known he’d regret it in the morning but the hangovers never stopped him from doing it again.

    At the end of work, he could hardly remember anything that he’d achieved; it all seemed the same. Rifling through papers, adding up numbers, calling clients, it never got any better. It paid though, and pay was what he needed.

    His coach had advised him not to play in that last bowl game, told him he’d shown everything he needed to before the draft and his team would probably win anyway. But he’d gone ahead and done it, torn a tendon in his shoulder, and said goodbye to his football star future after surgery the next morning.

    Aiming high had gotten him nowhere, so he didn’t do it anymore.

    That night after work, he ate dinner alone at McDonalds and then headed home. It seemed most of the people Faraday encountered at work (he didn’t count them as friends) smiled multiple times a day, but not him, at least not genuinely. His first real one came when he opened the door to his apartment to be almost knocked back into the hall by the enthusiasm of his two dogs who immediately leaped up at him, trying to lick his face. He laughed, dropping his briefcase, and sat down on the ground. Both dogs clamored for the prime position- his lap- but unsurprisingly the younger one, the pit bull, won, while the elder, the boxer, had to settle for lying down next to Faraday with her chin on his knee and her soulful eyes looking up at him pleadingly. “Next time, Ethel,” he said, scratching her head. “Hey, hey, calm down, Maria,” he added, laughing as the dog in his lap kept enthusiastically licking his chin, the highest part she could reach without standing up. “You two want some dinner?”

    He went to bed early that night, Ethel and Maria curled up at both lower corners of his bed. He was tired, and sleep came easily, well before midnight.

    It had been just as long a day for Sam Chisolm and he too spent most of it sitting in one place, but that place was the front seat of a beater parked just around the corner of Market and Sixth, his new partner, a younger man who’d introduced himself that morning as Agent Parker, in the passenger’s seat. Sam stretched, sticking out his legs as far as he could it in the limited space before relaxing again. He was a patient man, and this was nothing out of the ordinary; he could have sat in that car all night too if it was necessary. He changed the radio station, not acknowledging how Parker had begun to fan himself with a Chinese restaurant menu that had been in the glovebox. The air conditioning unit in the car had broken and the police station, unfortunately, had not gotten it fixed yet.

    “Here we go,” Sam said, his hand dropping from the dial to the gun holstered at his hip, his eyes following the slight figure who had just emerged from a side street. “Let’s go, Parker.”

    It was a good collar, a solid, easier-than-expected arrest; the man only made it two blocks before Sam caught up, and the worst part of the event was listening to him whine and make threats in the backseat of the car all the way back to the station.

    Sam got home after a steak dinner with several of his fellow detectives and a few beat cops who had assisted in working the case with him. He poured himself a small glass of whiskey and put the non-department backup issue pistol he always carried in an ankle holster back in his gun safe. Glass in hand, he settled down at his dining room table to finish the paperwork for the arrest. He was three pages in when when power went out.

    Sam paused and then set down his pen, rising and walking to the window, grabbing the flashlight from the cupboard on his way. He pushed aside the curtains and looked out, thoroughly surveying the dark landscape outside, and then checked his phone, not surprised to find his service was out. Some had said it was only a matter of time until this happened. He supposed they had been right.

    He turned on his flashlight and unlocked his gun safe again, strapping on the ankle holster that held his Ruger revolver again, and then the holsters on his belt that held twin .45 caliber Glocks. The shotgun went across his back, and a large stock of ammunition in the pockets of his coat. It was only a matter of time before the looting began, he knew. He was off-duty, but the chaos that was sure to ensue meant that not enough were on.

    He grabbed the hefty bowie knife that lay on top of the safe, clipping the sheath onto his belt behind the holster on his left hip, closed and locked the door, and then left the apartment, his lonely footsteps reverberating in the deserted staircase.

    It was a typical day for Manuel Vasquez in that he almost got fired and left work in a silent rage, letting it out on the punching bag in his living room. He didn’t have much patience for people who couldn’t make their minds up, so why he ended up taking a job as a car salesman, he didn’t know. But it was thanks to the job that he could keep making the payments for his apartment, so even though late at night sometimes, it seemed like a perfectly rational idea to leave the country and travel the world on his own terms, the mornings never seemed so welcoming to such dreams, which was really all they were, and he kept going to the dealership every weekday to quietly stew as he forced a smile at each new pair of upper middle class customers who all seemed so much the same.

    He was sitting on his couch late that night, reading a book, when the the lights suddenly went out, darkness overtaking the apartment and extinguishing the quiet sound of the radio in the kitchen. Vasquez cursed under his breath and set aside his book, rising to look out the window to see how far the outage spread. “Holy…” he trailed off, opening the window and sticking his head out to get a better look. Darkness spread in every direction, the dim outlines of building only visible in shadowy lines and darker stripes of alleys and streets between them.

     Something big was happening- that much he was sure of- even if he didn’t know what yet. He lived in far too affluent an area for there to be no emergency generators lighting up parts of the block and when he checked his phone to text a friend who lived on the other side of town to ask if her power was out too, he had no service to text her with.

    He had been right. This was big.

    Inez, the friend Vasquez had had wanted to text, was out with Gwen, her friend and coworker, eating dinner at a fast-food restaurant when the Cutoff happened. One moment they were talking and laughing, comfortable in the brightly-lit restaurant, and the next they were quietly exclaiming in surprise at the sudden darkness.

    “Man, I hope my place isn’t out…” Gwen said. “I got stuff in the fridge I don’t want to go bad.”

    “Nice priorities,” Inez teased and Gwen laughed.

    “What can I say?”

    Inez took the last bite of her burger and then said, “Guess we might as well get going then, you think?”

    “Yeah, let’s,” Gwen said, grabbing her purse and standing. The other people who’d been eating in the restaurant were mostly on their way out already and Gwen looked down as she pulled out her phone, following Inez closely, her eyes occasionally glancing up to make sure she wasn’t going to run into anything. She unlocked her phone, clicking on the Uber app to get a ride home as they stepped outside, but the app wouldn’t load; instead a message came up telling her she had no service.

    “Uh, Inez? This is really weird, I…” She looked up at her friend, who was just looking around, her brow furrowed.

    “Yeah, this is,” Inez said. Something had seemed off when she stepped outside but now she realized what it was- as far as she could see, the city was dark. “Really weird.”

    “Can you get a signal?” Gwen asked. “I was gonna call a cab, but I can’t.”

    Inez attempted it, to no avail. “Nope. I guess we’ll walk?”

    “Yeah…” Gwen agreed, though walking, which would probably take over a half hour, at that time of night in utter darkness made her a bit nervous.

     “We’ll be fine,” Inez said reassuringly. “Let’s go.”