#but to read I prefer medium and longer chapters

[insanusnavicularis]

Okay I wanna know

It’s for science

[thewebcomicsreview]

So, Gunwild, the writer of Cassiopeia Quinn, made a comment on that post about webcomics turning into illustrated prose

gunwildversuseverything said: I was hoping this would prompt a discussion about formats and expression, but no, it’s about artist versus writer workloads and “amount of story” being reduced to equations and word counts and update schedules. Figures.

And you know what, it's a good point. So instead of getting into the Artist vs Writers debate for the millionth time, let's take a look at how you, and artist and/or writer, can get a story told on the internet. For the sake of this discussion, lets assume you don't have any actual preference for a given medium that might influence you, you just want to know what's right for your story and will learn whatever skills you need.

TRADITIONAL WEBCOMIC

Comics are the most visual-heavy medium that a solo project can realistically do. This has several business advantages (pictures do better on social media), but it's also a good fit for stories with a bunch of things that are interesting to look at. Cassiopeia Quinn is a story heavily featuring weird alien races, cool spaceships, and attractive young women with extraordinarily casual dress codes. These are visual things! And visual things can be conveyed super quickly and subtly using visuals. Imagine just the "Cassiopeia doesn't wear pants" gimmick, if this was written out. If Cassiopeia gets a description of her appearance the first time she shows up in chapter one and then it's kind of glossed over, the reader would forget. If every time Cassiopeia entered a scene Gunwild had to go

Cassiopeia sauntered up to the motorcycle rack. Her own rack was barely contained by a dangling strip of black fabric, visible through an open orange jacket. Black elbow-high sleeves, covering her hands, matched her thigh-high stockings, separated from her black panties by her thigh pouch.

Somehow it's a lot less cute when it's written out like this, huh? And it also takes way longer to read that then it does to just look at her on the page, which increases the chance your readers might get bored. Comics are the medium that takes the most time to make and also the least time to read, which makes readers a lot more likely to put up with exposition or a plot tangent that doesn't really connect with them. Even if your comic has bits that don't grip your readers, they can grip themselves if you show them interesting bits.

The main downside of comics is the "equations and update schedules" part. They take a looooooong time to make, even compared to everything else. It's also got issues with how people read it. A comic that looks good on a desktop often looks too small on a phone.

TEXT UNDER A PANEL

This style is so strongly associated with Homestuck that a lot of people who weren't making explicitly Homestuck-themed comics seem to have been scared off it. But it's a perfectly cromulent format. It reads well on both desktop and mobile, and lets you use art for all your visuals while using text for dialogue and character thoughts. It's not, however, the best fit for every story. Because each panel is separate, it can be hard to make an exciting action scene this way, which is part of why this format is also associated with special animated pages (I mean, besides "Homestuck did it"). The panels don't really flow into each other, and there's a constant switching between looking and reading.

ILLUSTRATED PROSE

Distinguished from the Text Under a Panel Style mostly by the ratio of text to art, without a hard line demarcating the distinction between them. This style also reads well in desktop and mobile. Well, it should, but a lot of webcomics who switch to this style tend to stay in their webcomic format, meaning it's a picture of text that doesn't resize legibly, grumble grumble. I don't....I don't know if I need to explain the concept of "text" to people. You know what words are, and if you don't there's nothing I can say to explain it.

VISUAL NOVEL

I'm not going to claim to be a visual novel expert, but the main advantages are that it's the most art-efficient medium of any of these (because you can flat-out reuse art), the main disadvantages are that you'll usually need music, it's maybe not as well suited to long monologues, and most importantly that it's not a good method for drip-feed three-day-a-week updates. You kind of have to release the entire thing all at once, or at least in large episodes.

ALL OF THE ABOVE

A comic like Out-of-Placers is mostly traditional, but uses illustrated prose for lore updates. Prequel is text-under-a-panel but not always, and of course Homestuck is the absolute king of format switching, even ignoring the animations. The upside is that you can use the best format for any given scene, and that you're constantly keeping your readers on their toes. The downside (besides having to learn to do all this shit) is that you kind of have to commit to the bit and get your readers on board early with the idea that you're going to just be doing whatever this week. It's also harder to take full advantage of any one medium if you're constantly switching them up

I'm sure I'm forgetting about two hundred formats, but what are the biggest ones I'm missing?

[weirdagnes]

Since i can’t pour energy into writing a whole fic/drawing stuff yet, I’m gonna dump some headcanons I have on Mishuggy.

(Long post ahead)

Shanks only bathes in the sea so its smell became his trademark scent. Buggy loves the seawater scent on him. He can never bathe in the sea anymore, so it brings him comfort when he cuddles with Shanks bc it’s the closest he can get to being in contact with the sea without feeling weak. Every time they meet, Shanks makes sure to bathe in the sea first before meeting Buggy so cuddle time will last longer.

One of Mihawk’s stims is running his hand through Buggy’s hair.

Mihawk is a night person, Shanks is an insomniac, Buggy is a morning person. Mihawk often joins Shanks when he can’t sleep, some wine and talking. Sometimes they’d be quiet and admire a sleeping Buggy.

Buggy’s voice gets low and rough often when his social battery is drained or he’s not in his stage persona (which is a very rare occurrence). Mihawk finds this incredibly attractive.

Shanks absolutely adores Buggy’s voice cracks.

Shanks is the best kisser, Mihawk is the most awkward/timid, Buggy has the most kissable lips (Shanks loves it when his lipstick leaves stains) but because of his nose, he’s the most awkward to kiss (if you’re not a professional Buggy-kisser like Shanks!)

Mihawk may not prefer lips-to-lips kissing, but he does love kissing other parts of the body like the hands, the shoulder, etc.

Buggy’s lowkey attentive to Mihawk’s infodumps on different kinds of blades, its uses and history. He’s fond of blades as well but more on short blades like daggers and machetes. He loses his mind seeing how cool Mihawk’s cross pendant knife is, and couldn’t resist showing off to him the hidden knives and explosives in his body (Mihawk wonders how he has not killed himself yet by accident).

Mihawk kinda cringes on Buggy’s habit of licking knives. He asks how has he not cut his tongue yet, Buggy is like “Hawky are u fr” then he chops off his tongue and Mihawk is horrified but quickly felt stupid remembering Buggy had devil fruit powers.

Buggy loves cherries and other sweet fruits. Hates pineapple way before he ate the Chop Chop fruit, and his distaste for it increased after eating it.

Shanks likes fish and Mihawk likes vegetable dishes (borderline vegan at this point).

Buggy loves warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows, gold). It just so happens that Mihawk and Shanks are associated with red and yellow.

Even though Mihawk and Buggy are complete opposites of a spectrum, they surprisingly get along well in terms of hobby. They both like to read, for one. Mihawk will mention a book in one of his infodumps and Buggy will be like “Oh yeah I love that one chapter where…” They both like art as well; Mihawk drew and painted in his free time when he was living in the castle, preferring still objects, dead sceneries, and chiaroscuro lightings.

Other than performance art (acting and acrobatics), Buggy is into cartography and drawing landscapes with oil pastels, but he often does maps more. When he does draw landscapes, the subject are often places where he has strong fondness/feelings of (his circus tent, Loguetown, the sea, etc). He uses small paper mediums and tucks them away. He only got to try painting when Mihawk offered. They had fun and created abstract - Buggy splashes paint spotaneously and generously, Mihawk feels the waste of paint but eventually lets loose (Buggy’s encouragement) and tried stroking the paintbrush like he wields his sword (when the canvas was slashed, they considered it a finished artwork).

Buggy and Mihawk also likes shiny things. Buggy loves treasure-finding more as an activity sure, but opening a chest full of shiny gems and trinkets is also what makes it enjoyable. He’s fond of jeweled earrings and rings but would rather keep them in a chest than wear them daily. Mihawk’s fondness for shiny things began with blades, but it also extended to shining gold colors. He’s not fond of gold for wealth purposes, he just likes shiny things.

Mihawk hates swimming whereas Shanks and Buggy love it (Buggy loves it more, but can’t do it anymore after eating his devil fruit). Mihawk hates getting wet for a long period of time + swimming is a strenuous activity, but he only learns it bc it’s a necessity for survival esp he travels by sea (and also bc there was one time where he almost drowned and its one of his most embarrassing memories. He was glad he travelled alone bc he’ll die of embarrassment forever if anyone lived to see that)

Shanks is a generous gift-giver. He isn’t materialistic himself, but the moment either Buggy or Mihawk express a passing comment about a rare wine he wanted to try someday or a map he wants to get his hands on - you got it. Shanks WILL find a way.

Whenever they go out together, Mihawk cringes at their fashion tastes. Shanks is more of a “this shirt is 10yrs old but hey its still usable” kind of guy. Buggy wears the most eyestrain clown outfits ever that will make you wonder “how did i end up with this guy”. In Shanks and Buggy’s head, they think Mihawk is an edgelord with his dark outfits on every occasion. Despite all this though, they find each other handsome.

[a-pale-azure-moon]

I have a pressing question for fanfic readers!

The word counts are just an approximate range. Please spread this around to increase the sample size, as I'm genuinely curious. Feel free to add any additional thoughts too!

[thebibliosphere]

Hey, I got your book through your website before (I think through gumroad or something as you said it was one you saw most profits from). I've seen struggling to get myself to read as much as I used to be able to 🙃. I believe you said you had created an audiobook version and was thinking i may try that. I can only see an Amazon audiobook listen (mobile) do you have other links you could share of your work in audio format? If not I'm sure I could try make Amazon work. (sorry for message ramblings adhd). You're work is great, please plug 🥺🥺🥺

All of my recent promo posts and the pinned post contain links to where the audio (and all other formats) can be found.

Buy the (high heat) Flirting With Fangs Edition Here.

Buy the (medium heat) Fluff and Fangs Edition Here.

If you're only seeing Amazon/Audible for those links, it may be because, at one time, you selected a preference for them. I think you should be able to clear that option but clearing your cache.

If you missed those links, you should be able to see an expanded, though not exhaustive, list of retailers and library lending services where Hunger Pangs can be purchased. (Some links may currently be pending due to file revisions.)

I no longer use Gumroad because the CEO bullied a bunch of people on Twitter, and Gumroad is heading toward NFTs, but I do have a Payhip store where I retain 90% of my royalties, as opposed to Audible, where I get 20%.

You can get the audiobook as either one long file or as multiple broken-up chapters via my Payhip. You get access to both folders upon purchase and can always pick and choose. All files bought from me are DRM-free and yours to keep forever, meaning even if Amazon ever pulls my titles, you'll still have them.

So there you go, I have peddled my weres for this week 😅

[eclecticmuses]

Hello FitzSimmons shippers!

It’s that time of year again - it’s time for the FitzSimmons Secret Santa Exchange! The FS Secret Santa has been a wonderful part of our fandom’s history, and even though the show has ended I think it’s still a great way to celebrate the fandom and the holidays together. I'm sorry it took me so long to get this post out this year, time just flew by for me!

I will be using the tag #fitzsimmonssecretsanta for all of my posts regarding the exchange, so look out for announcements. You will also be using that tag when you post your gifts.

Important Dates:

Sign ups are open until Wednesday, November 22nd at midnight PST.

Participants will be notified of their assignments on Saturday, November 25th.

The first posting day for gifts is on Monday, December 25th. This gives you four weeks to work on your gift. A few weeks before December 25th, you will sign up to select a posting day so I can stagger the gifts throughout the week.

Read more to learn how you can participate in the Secret Santa Exchange!

In participating in the Secret Santa exchange, you will create a fanwork for your assigned giftee. This can consist of fanfiction, gifs, graphics, moodboards, aesthetics, fanmixes, fanvids, fanart, or any other creation. Fic must be at least 1000 words in length, and all gifts must be complete when posted (unless you plan to stagger out fic chapters).

Participants must follow these rules of the exchange:

Send your entry form no later than Wednesday, November 22nd at midnight PST.

Reblog this post to spread the word!

Create an original gift for your giftee following their prompt, preferences, and the guidelines of the exchange. Your gift must be at least 1000 words or an equivalent amount of effort in another medium.

Keep your ask box open with Anon turned on.

Send your giftee anonymous asks at least once a week (questions, compliments, quotes, whatever you like!).

Post your gift and reveal your identity to your giftee on your selected posting day!

To sign up for the exchange, please fill out the entry form below and email it to eclecticmused@gmail.com (mused with a d and not an s like my Tumblr username!).

Tumblr username (please specify if you plan to change your url during the holidays so we can find you!)

Your prompt: (what you want your gift to be about!)

Your fandom talents: (what can you create for your giftee?)

Preferences: (for what you would like to receive AND what you would be willing to create - ex: I would like to receive a fic with smut, but I will not write smut for my giftee.)

Smut:

Ward/Will/AIDA:

Mentions of traumatic canon events (4x15, 4x20, 5x14, 5x22, etc.):

Other preferences for what you would not like to give/receive: (type of fanwork, triggers, issues, genres, tropes, etc.)

When filling out the entry form, please be as specific as possible. This helps me to best match people up, as well as ensures that you receive a gift that you’ll love! If you receive your assignment and still have questions about creating your gift, I recommend that you send your giftee anonymous asks for clarification.

If something comes up and you can no longer participate, please let me know ASAP. In the past, participants have disappeared from Tumblr, so I really want to ensure that everyone that signs up will receive a gift.

❄️Good Luck and Happy Holidays! ❄️

[celandeline]

Where To Read The Rest - Summer of Like

In the effort of keeping the link train reasonable and not clogging up the tag with stuff that isn't canon compliant, I'm not going to keep adding chapters here on Tumblr. As I've been writing this, I've also been posting it on Ao3 and Wattpad (both better suited for longer stuff like this, in my opinion) and will continue to do so until Summer of Like is finished. So;

A link to the Ao3 version

And a link to the Wattpad version, if that is your preferred medium

If you’re interested in any extra stuff I make for this series, I’ll link it here:

Character Vignettes - Venetia and Evie

Character Vignettes - Farleigh and Evie

Thank you everyone who's been reading along - your asks and comments have me giggling and kicking my feet every time, and I hope you'll keep reading - I've got plans for Saltburn 2: Farleigh's Revenge.

< previous part

[saturnine-saturneight]

Writeblr interview tag

Tagged by @tragedycoded [here] 💕

I thought I was going to sleep a little longer this morning, but looks like I'm up for good, so off we go. Good time to answer this.

Short stories, novels, or poems?

Novels (working on one) or poems (used to write a lot of them). I'd love to try my hand at short stories, though!

What genre do you prefer reading?

I am not a voracious reader. I used to be, I'd like to be that again, but right now, I am not. Those posts that are like 'if you want to write you need to read'? Those are about me.

When I do read fiction, it's usually detective fiction. Easy to digest, no greater emotional investment. I also love horror, but haven't read much of it in the past few years.

Most of the things I read nowadays are nonfiction, generally medical or political (or a Wikipedia article in the middle of a conversation to clear up a question), though I also love reading about monsters and fables.

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

I go back and forth on this question. I'm a planner in that I know what I want from a novel or a chapter, and then a write as I go-er when it comes to getting there.

What music do you listen to while writing?

Less of a specific genre and moreso just songs I know in and out so I don't pay too much attention to them! Often on repeat. This is even more extreme when I draw. I drew those chibis I posted the other day to the living tombstone's cat song, lmfao.

Favorite books/movies?

I love horror comedies. Beetlejuice, death becomes her, little shop of horrors. Things like that. Nope was also incredible and has stuck with me, but that's not a comedy.

Any current WIPs?

Just Reburial :) I like to focus.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you what would your standard outfit be?

Oversized black T-shirt, grey jeans, black converse. Phone in hand, headphones always either around the neck or being worn. I'm boring 🤘

Create a character description of yourself:

Jules stands at average height, their blond hair reaching down to their back, their face caught in a permanent expression of mild worry. They talk too fast, always fidgeting.

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

Archetypes and ways of speaking/thinking/acting, yes. Whole people, no. I always mix and match traits I've gotten to know in others and myself, and I pay close attention that I don't write 'in attack mode', meaning portraying certain mindsets as negative after someone annoyed me.

Are you kill happy with your characters?

I'm not! Side characters die in Reburial, but I don't enjoy killing characters I like if it means that I can't use them in the same story again afterwards.

Coffee or Tea while writing?

I'm a tap water kind of guy ✌️ Caffeine gives me heart palps.

Slow or fast writer?

Medium? I don't make an effort to write fast.

Where/who/what do you draw inspiration from?

The majority of my horror comes from things that I personally find scary. When I get scared of something, I start reading, thinking, and talking about it, trying to understand it from all angles. And then sometimes, that also includes writing about it to see what exactly makes that fear tick, where it comes from, and which components are important to elicit the emotions. Fear based special interests, hahaha.

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Some kind of imp or a puss in boots type of creature.

Most fav book cliche:

You know what, I have no idea. Nothing comes to mind.

Least favorite cliche:

I am, however, a little hater. There are a lot of romance clichés on this list, which is a genre I tend to avoid. (I'm fairly greyro ace and would count myself as that if I wasn't also engaged.) If I do read A Romance, it's always with something else going on, and even then I get annoyed often, haha. I want two or more characters to be profoundly, boundary blurringly weird about each other. I don't want to read that they locked eyes across the room and now I'm supposed to believe that they should be partners for life because they find each other attractive.

There are also countless fantasy tropes on this list. Chosen one stuff, holy wars against pure evil, stories with 'good kings', the list goes on. You have to be REALLY good to make me read fantasy.

Favorite scene to write?

I just really like writing dialogue. Banter, arguments, confessions, etc.

Reason for writing?

It's fun. 👍 I daydream about putting Reburial on Itch for free when it's done, illustrated and type-set, but that's as far as my publishing aspirations go.

Tagging @cowboybrunch @marlowethelibrarian @gioiaalbanoart @paeliae-occasionally @writingrosesonneptune + open !!

[rllybadfanfic]

A question for fic readers:

Hopefully these are enough different options. If it turns out there's something I failed to account for I'll make another poll after a week.

[chickenleafs-world]

SPOILERS: vaguely mentions some events from chapters 56-68 of episode seven of Disney’s Twisted Wonderland

Reading the new twst ep. 7 story update reminded me of how much I love when games that don’t have as much time to explore the story on screen (like most mobile games) make time ambiguous sometimes. Like, I know the fanfiction girlies can do a lot with that off screen time and it lets the fandom explore so many unique creative avenues and points of view because there’s theoretically as much or as little time there as you want. A lot of time writers on mobile games don’t have the time, budget, or medium flexibility needed for some story beats, and frankly most of the time I prefer the fandom gets to fill it in with the time and talent they have instead of getting half-assed attempts at packing large timeframes into small story segments, or vice versa. With most mediums I prefer the author give us stuff over getting the fans to make it interesting, but with the way the mobile game market hamstrings creators, it’s more understandable there.

For example, in Twst ep. 7, the map makes it look like a long distance between the meeting Lillia and the original fort we were going for. Because of that, plus how time isn’t flowing right now and it’s implied we’re traveling by foot, it could’ve theoretically been weeks or months or more to us of fighting in this war with the Diasomnia boys. Think of the angst potential, after all, you’re traveling in a war zone together, there’s gotta be some trauma forming there eventually, and you’re the only ones who can talk each other through the big emotions of Bawl and Lillia too. Or the fluff of forming cuddle piles because these are the only familiar people around and the Dia boys and Yuu are still just kids. Of Yuu, Silver, and Sebek developing habits around the tense traveling of potential battlegrounds and relying on each other in a fight and to patch each other up.

Or the bittersweet understanding upon coming back that these people have a bigger bond than before. Ace and Deuce realizing the sleepy kid and the loud kid from Diasomnia know Yuu almost better than they do. Malleus realizing his bff/crush/squish is now closer to his guards than to him because of *his* Overblot. Lillia feeling guilty about not waking up sooner and saving them from his dreams of war, when he was a man he no longer feels as fond for. Ortho feeling guilty about not waking them all up easier because maybe then his sensors wouldn’t see their heart rates and adrenaline rise when they heard clanging metal.

[wisteria-cherry]

forty days and forty nights (day thirty-three!)

(ALRIGHT WHO READ CHAPTER 403.)

mia’s very weird boyfriend came to visit again. well, visit in the sense that all he did was stand in the window and scare the customers. this was a slight issue, because you had things to do (wait for katsuki). you sigh, beginning to think that mia ought to dump him.

you go out from behind the counter and pad through the cafe, dreading the moment you open the door and release the warm, coffee-scented air of the cafe into the cold unforgiving outside. but you did anyway, because you were that good of an employee.

“excuse me,” you say politely to mia’s boyfriend as you step outside. “sir?” mia’s boyfriend turned slowly to look at you and you tried to hide your shiver. he was creepy as hell. the fact that his face was totally hidden didn’t help. he was decked out in black, head to do, with a black beanie, black mask, and black sunglasses to complete the look.

“mia isn’t working today.” you state. “please stop staring in the window, you’re making the customers nervous.” mia’s boyfriend only kept staring at you. creep. at least he wasn’t staring in the window?

it stayed like this for exactly three minutes, him staring at you, before he abruptly turned around and walked off.

“what a creep.” you mutter under your breath as you return to the cafe, grateful for the warm air once more. you did so in just in time, because exactly a minute later, katsuki came lumbering in.

“good afternoon.” you greet, smiling widely. today was the first day of your newly repaired friendship with katsuki, and it felt fantastic.

“hey.” he greeted, studying the menu for a moment, which was futile, because he got what he always got anyway. “medium black.”

“right.” you hum as you ring him up, tapping the screen absentmindedly as you studied it while katsuki swiped his card. he tipped good, too. katsuki went to sit down as you made his coffee.

“so who the hell was the creep?” he grunted as you slide his now-finished coffee over to him.

“my coworker’s boyfriend. weird, huh?” you lean on the counter, looking at him to hear his reply.

“fuckin’ suspicious if you ask me.” he glared at the window mia’s boyfriend had stared through. you shrug.

“it’s mia’s business. as long as he’s not disturbing the customers, which he kind of already did.” you remark. “not that i can do anything about it. he’s on the sidewalk, it’s public property.”

“except for the outside seating.” katsuki confirmed. you nod.

“but he’s not standing in the area. so like i said, nothing i can do except ask mia to get him to stop.” a heavy sigh escapes your lips, relaxing your shoulders.

“who the hell’d date someone like that anyway?” katsuki scowled.

“everyone’s got preferences.” you shrug again. “anyway, how was work?”

“s’fine.” he rolled his eyes. “idiot extras being stupid as always.”

“normal, then?” you hum. katsuki grunted in response. “how about villains? any of particular interest?”

“naw. just the regular creeps. pro-quirk assholes, stalkers, thieves.” he cast a glance to the window where mia’s boyfriend had been staring and you follow his gaze.

“nothing you couldn’t handle, then?” you look back to him and he turned his eyes back to you, too.

“i can handle anything.” katsuki snorted haughtily. “i’m the number one hero.”

“right, right, i must’ve forgotten,” you reply sarcastically.

“or you never knew about me at all.”

“are you ever gonna let that go?”

“hell no.”

you and katsuki talked about everything and nothing, just the way you liked it. you had to forcibly stop yourself from smiling while katsuki recounted how he got frustrated when the press stopped him that morning, because you knew he’d give you a weird look, but you couldn’t help it; it felt so good to be back to normal. you were grateful that the awkward period had only lasted a couple days. you didn’t know what you would do if it had lasted longer.

when it came time for katsuki to leave, you felt incredibly satisfied with the outcome. you’d learned plenty of little things about katsuki, like how he felt blue was overrated and thus it was his second-to-least favorite color. his leave favorite were those hot pinks and magentas you usually see on either drag queens or soccer moms (neither of which you had a problem with, of course). nevertheless, you were happy that your rhythm was back.

“fuckin’ suspicious if you ask me.”

(feel free to comment + leave ur thoughts :)

tags; @k0z3me @cherryblossomclarity @failingstudents-blog @jazzafayesworld @stevenknightmarc @chuugarettes

[photogirl894]

"Sun and Rain Part 2: Age of the Empire"

Chapter 24

"A Captain's Return"

A "Bad Batch" fanfic!

Pairing: Hunter x fem OC, Echo (more best friend pairing)

A/N: Ahhhh man, we're back to the show!! This is getting exciting! And this is a chapter I've been looking forward to for a long time cuz well...the title and the picture says it all 😊 This is gonna be a good one!

Happy reading, my dears!! 💜

Taglist: @the-sad-batch , @nimata-beroya , @intrepidmare , @cole-kenxbi , @tech-aficionado , @ladykatakuri , @d1n0-dan , @sammi9498 , @darthzero22 , @scarlettrose9901 , @tech-deck , @thebadbatchscyare , @chxpsi , @ilikemymendarkandfictional , @4pplecider , @locitapurplepink , @l-lend , @nekotaetae , @eternalwaffle , @merkitty49 , @avathebestx , @idoubleswearimawriter , @techs-stitches , @fantasyproductions

《 Chapter 23

》 Chapter 25

All chapters (Part 2) (Part 1)

Explanation: Some time has passed and a familiar face reenters the lives of the Bad Batch and the Koriena Force.

About a month or so after the events of the Imperial gala, the Bad Batch found themselves in a chase, fleeing the planet they’d been sent to with special cargo they’d acquired. The gang of thieves they’d just stolen the cargo from had sent three of their vessels after them, chasing them out of the planet’s atmosphere and into space. 

Hunter, who was on the tailgun of the Marauder firing at the ships, asked aloud both with urgency and irritation, “How much longer until we’re in hyperspace, Tech?”

“That depends on when Echo plans on getting the drive back online,” Tech fired back, casting an accusatory look at Echo, who was trying to fix the hyperdrive and was clearly not doing it at a pace Tech preferred.

“I’m working on it!” Echo replied, frustrated.

In the back, Kimber had helped Omega get into her seat and pulled her emergency bar over her head. Wrecker placed their cargo in the seat next to Omega, which was a medium-sized cage with a green and blue lizard.

“I don’t think Ruby likes this very much,” Omega commented.

“You named that thing?” Wrecker asked in disbelief as he sat down in the seat across from her and pulled his bar down. 

“At least it’s a cute name,” said Kimber with a small shrug as she pulled the bar of the seat over the lizard’s cage.

Their pursuers continued shooting at their ship and Tech was doing his best to dodge and evade their attacks, but they were being relentless. The ship rocked a little as Tech took a sharp turn, causing Kimber to falter a little.

“What’s with these guys?” Wrecker questioned.

“Well, we did steal from them,” Omega pointed out.

From the cockpit, Tech replied, “Technically, the Rhokai stole the lizard first. We are merely intercepting it.”

“They don’t see it that way,” said Hunter as he continued shooting. 

The ship took another turn, which caused Ruby’s cage to fall out from under the bar and onto the floor. The door to the cage swung open and Ruby skittered out, going for Wrecker’s leg and starting to climb him.

“It’s loose! It’s loose! Get it off!” he cried out in a panic, throwing up the bar from in front of him and jumping to his feet, trying to wrestle the lizard off of him and running around the back cabin.

“Wrecker, calm down! Stop moving!” cried Kimber, trying to help him, but she was unable to get a good look because he kept running around, yelling to get it off.

“Stay calm, you’re scaring her!” added Omega, who’d gotten out of her seat.

Ruby had climbed her way up to Wrecker’s head, obstructing his sight, which caused him to run into the back of one of the seats in the cockpit and he fell backwards to the floor. The lizard flew off his head and started to roll back down the aisle towards Omega.

“Hyperdrive’s online!” Echo called out.

Kimber called Omega’s name and tossed the lizard’s cage up to her. Omega caught the cage and trapped the lizard on the floor with it, alerting the others that she got her, and that gave Tech the go-ahead to make the jump to hyperspace. Seconds later, they entered the blue tunnel of hyperspace and escaped their Rhokai pursuers.

Once they knew they were safe, Kimber went up to Omega and commented, ruffling her hair, “Great catch, dear.”

“Thanks, Kimber,” said Omega, grinning, as she ushered Ruby into the cage and locked it.

Then Kimber went over to Wrecker and crouched next to him as he groaned, rubbing his head. “Are you okay, Wrecker?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he answered.

Echo came over and both he and Kimber took each of Wrecker’s arms, pulling him back up to his feet. “Don’t worry, the lizard’s back in its cage,” Echo reassured the larger Clone.

“Good. I didn’t like that thing crawling all over me,” said Wrecker, shuddering slightly. 

“She was scared, that’s all,” Omega tried to justify. 

Hunter stated as he climbed down from the gunner’s mount, “It doesn’t matter. We got away and the lizard is back in the cage. Now, we can just focus on getting back to Ord Mantell.”

Tech turned in his pilot’s chair. “If I recall correctly, the Koriena Force should also be returning to Ord Mantell from a mission as we speak,” he spoke. “They should be arriving shortly after us.”

“Oh good,” said Kimber. Then she stole a glance over at Wrecker and Echo, knowing they both were thinking of their sweethearts in the other squad. Sure enough, both of their faces lit up just a little at hearing they’d be seeing the Koriena Force soon. Seeing that and how happy they were made Kimber smile. 

This seemed to be their lives now: both squads would be sent out on jobs and sometimes it would be a few days when they’d all see each other again. They hadn’t been on another joint mission since the Imperial gala. Any time they all had to spend together were moments they treasured when they had them. This was the first time in a while that both squads would be coming back around the same time.

It was going to be an exciting time when they got back to Ord Mantell.

Now at Cid’s bar, Cid peered curiously into Ruby’s cage for a minute, examining the cargo she’d hired the Bad Batch to retrieve, and then commented, “That is one strange-looking lizard.”

“Says the other strange-looking lizard,” Kimber whispered to Tech beside her, who grinned in amusement. 

“What’s your client want it for?” Echo asked Cid.

She just answered, “Maybe it’s a pet. Maybe he wants to turn it into a stew. Don’t know, don’t care.”

“As long as you get paid,” Hunter flatly stated.

“Now you’re catching on,” replied Cid. "And guess what? That means you get paid, too. Bring the lizard in the back." Then she started walking in the direction of her back office. 

Kimber moved to grab Ruby's cage, but Echo beat her to it. "Don't worry, Kim. I've got this," he assured her. 

"Well, what if I wanted to carry it?" she playfully whined, smirking, as Echo and Tech followed Cid.

Then Cid blurted out back over her shoulder, "Somebody better get it before my stick meets your backside!"

“Try it and you’ll find my blaster between your eyes,” Kimber muttered, irritated, under her breath. She'd been getting real tired of Cid's abrasive behavior towards them lately. 

Hunter heard her and said to her quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder, “Easy, my love. Don’t let her get to you.”

She groaned. “She just always has to make some sort of comment towards us. It annoys me,” she said.

“I know, but you’re better than her. Don’t stoop to her level,” he told her. 

“No promises,” she replied. 

Hunter opened his mouth to say something back, but then he heard Omega say his name. When both he and Kimber turned around, they noticed both Omega and Wrecker standing behind them with expectant looks on their faces. Coming from both of them, that was never a great sign.

“What are you two up to?” Hunter asked them suspiciously.

“The mission’s over. Can we go?” Wrecker asked him, pointing back over his shoulder.

“Again?” Hunter questioned, exasperated.

“It’s a tradition,” said Wrecker with Omega smiling widely and nodding along with him.

Kimber couldn’t help but grin and shake her head, knowing exactly what Wrecker was referring to. In the last month, Wrecker and Omega had taken to going and getting Mantell Mix after every mission as a way to celebrate their success. Hunter seemed to not be entirely on board with the idea, hence why Wrecker was being so shy about it. She didn’t know if he just found it childish or if it was something else, but she didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. It was something fun and enjoyable they liked to do together. 

“It makes the kid happy,” Wrecker added in a quiet voice to Hunter, though going by the judging look Omega was casting up at him, both Kimber and Hunter figured he wasn’t talking just about her.

“Uh-huh…the kid,” Hunter repeated sarcastically.

Kimber stepped up beside him and said to him, “Come on, Hunter, they’re just getting treats they love to celebrate; it’s a simple, innocent tradition they enjoy. Where’s the harm in letting them go again?” She put a hand on his arm, hoping that would help convince him. 

Hunter groaned in defeat. He somehow knew that if Kimber stepped in, he was done for. She was a bit of an enabler when it came to Wrecker and Omega together. That and it was sometimes hard for him to say “no” to his beloved.

He heaved a sigh and relented by saying, “Don’t take long.”

With a triumphant laugh, Wrecker and Omega excitedly ran out of the building.

Once they were gone, Hunter looked to Kimber and told her, “Sometimes, I think you enable those two a little too much, sweetheart.”

“I do it because getting Mantell Mix with Wrecker gives Omega a chance to really be a kid and you know Wrecker encourages that, too. She doesn’t get many chances like that,” she explained as they both started walking towards Cid’s office.

“Well, if this habit of theirs comes back to bite us, you are responsible for them.” he stated.

“That’s fine,” she replied with a shrug, clearly not very worried about it.

They joined up with Tech and Echo in Cid’s office, who was sitting at her desk with an open case of credits. The lizard cage was on the desk and Ruby was clattering around inside. Echo and Tech both stepped aside and let Hunter and Kimber move in between them. 

“All right, fellas, here’s your cut,” Cid spoke up, handing Hunter only three credits from the entire case.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You said the job paid three times this," he pointed out. 

Slamming the case shut, she spat, "For me. Not for you."

This got on everyone's nerves immediately as Echo went on to ask, glaring at Cid, "And just how is this a mutually beneficial arrangement?"

"You're breathing, aren't ya?" was what Cid asked in response. 

That answer rubbed Kimber the wrong way and she was not having it. "So you get all the money and we only get to keep on living with no way to provide for ourselves? Yeah, that seems very fair," she responded, her voice laced with both sarcasm and irritation. "How about next time, we keep all the money and you just get to keep breathing? That seems more mutually beneficial to me."

Cid shot her an unamused look. "You’re pushing your luck, Dollface."

"And you’re pushing my buttons, Cid," Kimber said back, her voice raising. 

"I would advise you to keep calm, Kimber," Tech suggested. 

The Trandoshan looked at Hunter and made the snide remark, “Yeah, keep your missus under control, Bandana.”

Those words set Kimber off and she took a step forward, an undeniable fire of rage in her eyes and her face. Hunter reached his arm out in front of her to stop her while Echo and Tech grabbed her arms. 

“Kim, don’t,” Echo said in her ear.

Begrudgingly, she took a step back and the boys all released her. Though, they kept her in their peripherals in case Cid made another comment that would make Kimber angry again. 

Cid sat back in her chair, picking up a datapad from her desk, and said, "Besides, I think I'm being rather generous to you guys considering the debt you owe me."

"What debt?" Hunter questioned. When she tossed the datapad to him, he picked it up and read aloud, "Docking fees, port charges, gear, fuel, rations…and twenty cartons of Mantell Mix?" Right away, he cast a look at Kimber. "What was that about it being a harmless tradition?" he asked almost in an "I told you so" kind of tone. 

"I thought they'd be using their own money for that," she stated defensively. "I don't know why they've--" 

She cut herself off as a distant memory returned to her mind of a certain short Force user giving Wrecker some advice a while back, her raspy voice echoing loud and clear in Kimber’s head.

"Save your credits, big guy. Tell the vendor to put the money on Cid's tab. If she's gonna be snippy, make her pay for it."

“Rina…,” she sighed, realizing that Wrecker must’ve taken her seriously.

“You need to find them and tell them that using Cid to pay for the mix has gotten way out of hand and they need to stop now,” Hunter told her. 

She rolled her eyes. “All right, fine,” she droned as she turned on her heel to head out of the office. “Anything to get away from Cid,” she then muttered.

After she left, Cid asked, primarily focusing on Hunter, “What’s the deal with your Missus, huh?”

Glowering down at the lizard lady, he firmly stated in annoyance, “Don’t call her that.”

“Why not? You two are married, aren’t ya?” she questioned.

Before Hunter could answer, Tech clarified for him, adjusting his goggles, “That would be an incorrect assumption. Hunter and Kimber are indeed a couple, but they are not yet wed.”

Cid’s eyes widened just a little, to their surprise. “You’re kidding me,” she said flatly. "You're telling me that, all this time, you two weren't already hitched? You both act like a married couple as it is, so when are you gonna get a move on already?”

The Sergeant sighed and rolled his eyes. This was definitely not the time and place to discuss such things. “That’s not important right now nor is it any of your business,” he said back. “Now, can we get back to what we were discussing before?”

Out in the parlor, Kimber was nearly stomping out of the hallway from Cid’s office. She practically despised Cid, so that already put her in a sour mood, and then finding out Wrecker and Omega were contributing to whatever debt they now owed Cid only irritated her more. She wasn’t looking forward to the conversation she was going to have to have with those two.

She heard a gruff voice off to the side of the empty parlor suddenly say, “You’re in my seat. Move it!” When she stopped to look, she saw Bolo and Ketch, the two regulars of the bar, ganging up on a hooded figure wearing a poncho sitting at a corner booth. When the stranger, who appeared male in stature, didn’t move, Bolo urged him rudely to move again.

“Hey! Bolo, Ketch! Why are you harassing that man?” she asked, moving over their way.

The two friends turned around to see her and Bolo answered, “He’s in my seat!”

Kimber looked around the parlor and gestured to the room with her hand. “The entire parlor is empty right now. Just find a new place to sit. It’s not that hard,” she chided him.

“Hey, this is Cid’s place. You can’t tell us what to do,” Ketch sneered.

Annoyed and just done with everything, Kimber rolled her eyes and withdrew her blaster, aiming it at the two aliens and making them yelp in fear. “I’m already in a bad mood because of Cid,” she said, not even hiding her irritation, “so at this point, I suggest you both leave. You have three seconds before this trigger gets pulled.”

They both cried out again in fright before Bolo started pushing Ketch towards the door, yelling at him to get out of the way.

“You’re crazy, lady!” Ketch yelled over his shoulder as he ran out.

“Don’t I know it,” she said to herself as she put her blaster back in its holster. Then she moved over to the hooded figure still sitting at the table. “Sorry about all that, sir. I hope they didn’t bother you too much.”

The man spoke without lifting his head, “Still as feisty as ever, aren’t you, Kimber?”

Kimber froze. His voice…she knew it. 

He then stood up, moved out from behind the table and reached up to his hood, showing the white vambraces with blue stripes he wore. A small gasp escaped Kimber’s mouth, recognizing that armor. Then he pulled back his hood, revealing a head of short blonde hair and a kind, familiar face she was not expecting to see.

It was her dear friend, Captain Rex.

“Rex!” she exclaimed. 

With a high-pitched cry of delight, she then practically leapt onto him and hugged him tightly around his neck. He grunted slightly at the impact of her armored body slamming into his, but then he snickered softly as he hugged her back.

“Oh my stars, I’ve missed you!” she said.

“Likewise,” he said back.

Then behind Kimber, she heard multiple running footsteps, followed by Cid's voice crying out, "Hey, what's going on in here?"

Kimber let go of Rex and flipped around to see Hunter, Tech and Echo had come running out along with Cid. Hunter had his blaster drawn. 

"Look who's here!" she said with excitement.

"Rex?" asked Echo in shock.

Before Rex had a chance to respond, Cid started ranting in disgust, "Oh, great. Another clone. Just what I needed. Well, don't get comfy. I'm done taking in strays." Then she shoved Hunter in the arm. "This ain't a clone clubhouse, ya know."

"Oh, go complain in your office and leave us alone, will you?" Kimber spat at her. She was so happy to see Rex and was not about to let Cid ruin this moment. 

The Trandoshan then turned abruptly, muttering under her breath as she left the room.

"Captain," Hunter greeted Rex, holstering his blaster. 

"It's been a while, boys," said Rex in return.

"Where have you been, Rex?" Echo inquired. 

Rex shrugged and said, "That's a long story."

"One you absolutely need to tell us," said Kimber, giving him a pat on the shoulder before gesturing with her head to the bar. "Come on, let's all sit down and catch up. I'll grab us all some drinks."

Tech then said, "I shall assist you."

Though, as Kimber started heading for the bar, Hunter said quietly to her, “Weren’t you supposed to be out finding Wrecker and Omega?”

She waved a hand and replied, “Oh, they’ll be fine. I’ll talk to them about the Mantell Mix later. I’m not going to leave now that Rex is here.” Then she quickly moved away to go behind the bar and Hunter just left the matter alone.

As Kimber and Tech prepared drinks for everyone, Rex regaled them with the story of what had happened to him in recent months. He had been assisting with a mission on Mandalore, freeing it from the rule of a former Sith, and the mission had proven successful. They had captured the Sith and were heading back to Coruscant on a Republic cruiser when the Sith got loose and completely destroyed the hyperdrive, which caused the cruiser to eject out of hyperspace and crash, but Rex and his Commander were able to escape.

Tech and Kimber brought the other Clones their drinks and then took their own seats at the bar, Tech next to Hunter on one end and Kimber next to Echo on the other, as Rex then told them all, “And when the war ended, I guess you could say I’ve been…keeping a low profile.”

“Very low. Imperial files have you listed as killed in action,” Tech informed him.

“Being dead in the Empire’s eyes has its advantages,” Rex said.

“Which is good. It’s what’s kept you alive and safe,” said Kimber. In the back of her mind, however, all she could think about was Kida and Kori. Now that Rex was here, she knew somehow she’d have to tell him that the Koriena Force was also going to be on Ord Mantell and that he had a son. Despite knowing that maybe the news about the baby should come from Kida, she just had a feeling that it might already be awkward for Rex just seeing Kida again after so long. She supposed it might be better for him to know before reuniting with her so he’d know what he was getting into, but first and foremost, he had to go see her when the girls arrived planetside. She just had to find the right moment to tell him everything.

Then Echo asked Rex, “Well, how’d you track us down?”

“Trace and Rafa Martez,” Rex answered.

Echo then leaned over to Kimber and told her, “The sisters we ran into on Corellia.”

“Oh, the ones that Hunter couldn’t stand?” she asked back, to which Echo just nodded.

Rex went on, “They said a squad of rogue Clones helped them on Corellia. They told me I could find you here and that you were traveling with a kid. Who is she?”

After taking a sip of his drink, Hunter responded, “Omega. She’s a Clone like us.”

As Rex looked shocked at hearing that bit of information, they all suddenly heard Wrecker’s voice coming from the doorway, declaring with a boisterous laugh, “Well, look who it is!” He then bounded over to them, still laughing joyfully, as he cried out, “Come here, Rex!” and pulled the Captain into a big Wookie hug, picking him up off his stool.

With a grunt from being squished in Wrecker’s hug, Rex just said back, “Yeah. Good to see you, too, Wrecker.”

Noticing this behavior, Omega, who was standing behind Wrecker, asked, confused, “I thought you didn’t like the regs?”

“This one, we like,” Wrecker told her, setting Rex back down, who then gave him a light shove in the chest.

“Omega…this is Rex,” said Hunter.

Rex got down onto a knee in front of Omega so they were both at eye level, a warm and kind smile on his face at seeing the young Clone girl. “I’ve met many Clones in my time…but never one like you,” he said to her.

Kimber and the other boys all exchanged smiles and pleasant glances at seeing one of their close friends now getting to meet Omega. It was a sweet sight to see. Omega approached Rex without saying anything and was carefully examining his face, making Rex look a little uncertain.

Then she declared, “You’re a generation one.”

“Now how’d you know that?” he asked, impressed.

“From the lines on your face,” she explained.

He let out an amused chuckle. “Yeah, I guess I’ve been around.”

Wrecker laughed again and said, “You got that right!”

At that moment, Kimber’s comm chirped and Rina’s voice came through saying, “We just entered Ord Mantell’s atmosphere, boss lady. If you guys are already back like you said you’d be, then we’ll see you soon. Lex and I will hit the bar first to give the old lizard our report and then we’ll meet you back at our ship.”

“Copy that,” replied Kimber and then she looked to Rex right away.

Sure enough, he’d heard the message and stood up from his crouched position. “Was that Rina?” he inquired.

All she did was nod.

“So…the Koriena Force are here, too?” he asked, now a tiny bit timid.

“Yeah, they are, and good thing they’re here,” then said Wrecker, “because now, you can find out about Ko--”

Immediately, the others all shushed him and cut him off before he could reveal the truth to a now very puzzled Clone Captain. Seeing the confused expression on his face, Kimber slipped off her stool and motioned with her head for Rex to come with her, gently taking his arm and pulling him with her over to the other side of the parlor.

“Kimber, what’s going on?” he asked, now concerned.

“First of all…yes, the girls are here,” she started. “They’ve been on the run from the Empire, too, and over the last month have been laying low here with us as well as working mercenary jobs like we are.”

“Is…Kida still with them?” he inquired, going back to his slightly nervous demeanor. 

That question alone was reassuring that Rex still thought about Kida. Kimber told him, “Yes, she is.”

“How is she?” he asked.

She smiled. “She’s doing very well.” Then she let out a heavy breath. Guess now she had no choice but to tell him about the baby since Wrecker almost spilled the secret. “Though, Rex…what I’m about to tell you might be a shock to hear, so…just bear with me, okay?”

He nodded.

Taking another deep breath and preparing herself, she said, “Kida…has a baby…a son.”

Rex’s eyes widened with shock for a moment and then his face fell not long after as he turned his gaze away. “I…I see,” he simply replied, looking and sounding almost disappointed, which wasn’t entirely what Kimber was expecting. However, his next question then was, “Does the father of her child make her happy?”

Kimber had to try hard right then to not snicker out loud. He had assumed Kida had borne a child with another man, hence why he’d seemed sad to hear the news. He didn’t figure immediately that it was his child and that thought amused her.

With another smile, she answered him, “He does…and I think he would make her even more happy if he went to see her when she lands.”

His head snapped back up and, for a split second, he gave her a puzzled look, but then seeing the smile she had on her face, he pieced it all together and his expression turned back to astonishment. Was she serious?

“Wait…are you saying…?” he asked, unable to finish the question.

She gave him a nod. “Her child is yours, Rex. He’s your son.”

His gaze once again drifted, completely overwhelmed by this bombshell news as he sat himself down on a nearby chair. He already had been feeling nervous at the thought of seeing Kida again, but now finding out that she had a child that was his was the last thing he expected to hear.

“I…have a son…,” he gasped aloud in astonishment, which then led him to a realization and he let his head fall into his hands. “Then that means…I got her pregnant and then left her…,” he moaned with guilt.

Kimber sat beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “You both were swept up in a passionate moment that you both wanted. Neither of you could’ve known this would happen. But I promise you, she’s never been angry at you for that,” she reassured him. “Becoming a mother has changed her life in good ways and she’s grown so much. Her baby is her world now and she’s a wonderful mother to him. That and she’s had the Koriena Force with her. They all helped her through her pregnancy and now, they all help raise him. He is well taken care of, as is she. I know it would mean a lot to her if you’d see her.”

He glanced back up at her, a hint of lingering uncertainty still in his eyes. “Kimber, I…I don’t know if I can.”

“Yes, you can,” she encouraged him. “I know she still thinks about you often.”

“She does?” he asked.

She nodded again. “For a long time, she thought you were dead and she was devastated. It wasn’t until they met back up with us that she learned the truth and she was so relieved. She misses you.”

“I can’t be a father to her child,” he admitted sadly. “It would put them both in danger.”

“Kida knows that already,” she told him. When he gave her a perplexed look, she went on to say, “All she wants is to see you again and for you to meet your baby boy. She expects nothing else from you…but these are all things you need to hear from her. Please, Rex...go to Kida once the girls get here.”

Rex’s head was swimming with all sorts of thoughts at everything he was hearing: shock, disbelief, guilt, melancholy, doubt and even a small touch of joy. He was at a loss at what to really think, feel or do. If it were any other time, he would’ve immediately thought to do the honorable thing and help Kida raise her baby, but he was wanted by the Empire. Staying with her would endanger both her and the child and he would never do that to them. For a second, he almost believed it would be better if he just stayed away…but there was the part of him deep down that also missed her and yearned to see her again. Knowing she was now on Ord Mantell where he was, too, was only making that longing grow even more. His mind and his heart were at war within him.

What was he going to do?

As he was lost in thought, the doors to the parlor opened up and they saw both Rina and Lex come walking in. 

“Aren’t you guys a sight for sore eyes?” Rina asked before Wrecker scooped her up into his arms. 

Seeing Wrecker hug Rina and then Echo kissing Lex made Rex’s eyes nearly pop out of his head and Kimber had to stifle a laugh. “Yeah, um…Wrecker and Rina are together now as are Echo and Lex,” she told the stunned Captain.

"And I thought finding out I was a father was shocking enough," he stated.

"Hey, where's Kimber?" they heard Lex ask.

"Over here," Kimber called out, standing up and making her way over to them. 

The two ladies turned around and were about to greet her when their eyes caught Rex now walking beside her. Both of them were highly surprised to see him. 

"Well, Force alive…the stiff has returned," said Rina, putting a hand on her hip.

"It's good to see you again, Captain," then said Lex. 

He gave them a nod and responded as he and Kimber halted in front of them, "It's good to see both of you."

Rina took a couple steps closer to him and then proceeded to punch him hard in the arm, eliciting a startled grunt from him. "That's for being off comms for so long," she said gruffly. "And--does he know about Kida?" she then asked Kimber. 

"Yes," she said.

With that confirmation, Rina then punched Rex in his other arm and he grunted in pain again. "That's for knocking up Kida and never bothering to check in with her."

"I apologize," said Rex, rubbing his arm, "but there was still a war going on and then I've been on the run from the Empire, so I couldn't keep up communications."

Rina pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him. "I just hear excuses," she said in return, but then she couldn't hold back a small smirk on her face. 

Lex gave her a light shove and playfully chided her, "Oh, cut him some slack, Rina. He's been through enough already." Then she returned her attention to the Clone Captain. "Are you here to see Kida?"

He bashfully answered, "No, I…I didn't even know you girls were here. I'd learned the Bad Batch were here and came looking for them."

"Well then, you'd better go to her," Rina proclaimed. "She needs to see you and you need to meet your kid."

"I hear you and I want to, but Kida and I…I don't know where we stand or even what we are," he said to her. "We were barely together the last time I saw her and--"

"It doesn't matter what you are," she interrupted. "What matters is that you're important to her, you're the reason her life is the way it is now and you've gotta own up to it. The woman cries herself to sleep every other night missing you and just hoping you're okay."

That last sentence hit Kimber hard as she remembered a day some time ago when she'd heard Kida crying in one of the rooms. Rina and Irys had the baby and were told Kida just needed rest, but when she'd come out of the room, Kimber could tell she was hiding something. Now it all made sense to her.

Rina kept going, "She deserves a visit from you; it's the least you can do after what you've already done. Now go see her before I drag you over to our ship myself and you know I'm capable of doing so."

The Bad Batch all exchanged looks, feeling a tad awkward watching this situation and also wondering what Rex was going to do. 

The Captain too seemed taken aback at Rina's straightforwardness. Her words struck something in him to where he almost couldn't speak for a moment. He sighed heavily, weighing his options for a moment. Then he turned to Kimber and asked her, "Will you come with me?"

Kimber couldn't hold back a proud grin at the fact Rex was going to see Kida after all. Then she replied, "Of course."

"We'll catch up later. We need to give our mission report to Cid," said Lex.

"Go get her, Cap," added Rina, satisfied, as she and Lex walked away towards Cid's office. 

Hunter and Echo both saluted Rex, Tech bowed his head and Wrecker and Omega waved to him as he and Kimber exited Cid's parlor together to head to the Aurora.

"I don't know if I can do this," Rex told Kimber apprehensively as the ramp to the Aurora came down in front of them. 

She snickered at him. "What? The brave Clone Captain who's fought Separatists, terrorists, armies of battle Droids and even Sith is afraid of simply talking to an old flame?"

"I've been trained for all of that…not this," he said back. 

"You'll be okay, Rex. Just be honest with her and with yourself." She took his arm and gently pulled him forward with her. "Come on. The longer you wait, the harder it'll be for you to face her. You've got this."

Rex swallowed hard. It wasn't like him to be this nervous about anything, but the thought of facing Kida, who he'd learned he'd gotten pregnant and left alone, terrified him. Even though Kimber and Rina had assured him that she would be happy to see him again, there was the fact that he couldn't stay with her and having to tell her that was what scared him the most. He feared she'd resent him for it…and he didn't know if he'd be able to bear that. 

As they walked into the ship, Kimber called out for Irys, who soon walked into the main area of the ship where they were. 

"Oh my--Captain!" she exclaimed, startled at seeing Rex. 

"Where's Kida?" Kimber asked.

"She's in her room," Irys told her. 

With another deep breath, Rex then stepped forward. "Will you show me which room?"

Irys nodded. 

"Good luck, Captain," said Kimber as he followed after Irys. 

The Togruta woman led Rex down a hall and stopped in front of one of the doors. She knocked and said loud enough for Kida to hear, "Kida, there's someone here to see you."

"Send them in," they heard Kida call back. 

Irys opened the door and gave Rex another encouraging nod. Then he stepped through the door, knowing it was now or never. 

The door closed behind him and he waited for only a few seconds before Kida emerged from an adjoining room and she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes growing wide in shock at seeing him before her. He noticed her hair was a bit longer than before and she wore a simple, pale lavender dress; different from the lavish style he recalled her liking, but apart from that, she was still as beautiful as he remembered. Flashes of their passionate encounter over a year prior circled his mind, remembering how her body felt against his, how their lips fit together perfectly, how her touch sent a fire through him he'd never felt before and how right and perfect it felt being with her; to give in to his own desires for once. Seeing her now really made him realize how much he'd truly missed her.

On the other side of the room, Kida found herself speechless, for once. She had practically accepted that she would never see Rex again and yet, here he was in her room, standing in front of her. She blinked a couple times, believing she had to be imagining things. 

"Rex…?" she asked aloud.

Then he only spoke two words:

"Hey, Kida."

A small gasp escaped her and her hand shot up to her mouth. It really was him. Her Clone Captain she longed for every day; the father of her child was actually here! She couldn't believe it. She looked him over for a moment and he seemed to be about the same as he was when she last saw him. Still as handsome and dashing as ever.

She was a tad embarrassed about her excitement at seeing him, so she said something that was more like the old her that he was familiar with. Though, her voice still choked slightly with emotion as she said, "Is that a blaster under your poncho…or are you just happy to see me?"

Rex couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head in response. "Nice to see you haven't changed," he said. 

"Never," she stated, unable to hold back her smile.

There was a brief moment of silence between them as they both just stared at each other, taking in that they were now unexpectedly reunited after over a year after they both believed they’d never be together again. A light, uneasy tension hung in the air as they both debated on what to say to each other.

Finally, Rex broke the silence and said, “You look good.”

“Thanks. So do you,” she replied. “How…how did you know I was here?”

“I actually didn’t. I found out the Bad Batch were on Ord Mantell and came to find them. Then Kimber told me you and the girls had come here, too,” he explained. He took a small step forward and then added, with a hint of sympathy in his tone, “She also told me…about how I left you…and about the baby.”

For a second, Kida was stunned to hear he already knew about that, but then supposed she couldn’t be mad at Kimber for spilling the secret. It was probably better that he knew about that before seeing her. Even so, that eased things on her own mind, not having to worry about telling him that herself. 

“I see,” she simply said, wringing her hands together. “I know that was probably quite a shock to hear.”

“Yeah, it was,” he admitted. He took another step further into the room. “Kida, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Don’t apologize,” she said sweetly. “It wasn’t like you got me pregnant intentionally and honestly, it’s okay. The girls have been an amazing support system for me through all of this. I was never alone. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Rex just remained silent, uncertain as to how or why she wasn’t mad at him in any way.

Then she smiled again and asked him, “Would you like to meet your son?”

He could feel his stomach twist and his chest tighten anxiously. He wanted to see the baby, but then it still frightened him knowing that it would all bring reality crashing down on him that he was now a father. Was he ready for such a thing to truly be made real for him? However, then he saw the beautiful Pantoran who mothered that child, holding out a hand to him, inviting him now into her world that had just been her and her son. In any other situation, a woman who had been made pregnant and the father just up and left her would’ve been resentful and more than likely wouldn’t want the man to be involved in her child’s life after that…but not Kida. She was different…and Rex always knew that. Hence why he had ended up falling for her in the first place and why she clearly still held feelings for him, too. Feeling comforted by her simple gesture, he took hold of her hand and allowed her to lead him into the next door room she had just come out of.

First, he saw the bassinet…and then the blue-skinned baby boy came into view.

The child was asleep, swaddled in a light gray blanket and Rex immediately noticed the now fluffy blonde hair he had and knew right away that made the baby his. There were small yellow dots that were starting to form into markings on the boy’s cheeks. Even with the baby's eyes closed, Rex could see faint similarities to his own face in the boy’s features. He had seen babies and small children before, but seeing this one and knowing this was his own child; his flesh and blood felt so different. His heart was swelling with awe at seeing the life he had unknowingly created. 

Kida noticed pretty quickly that Rex was almost unable to take his eyes off the baby and she grinned to herself. He was reacting better than she’d thought. “This is Kori,” she told him. “I gave him that name from ‘Koriena’ since it’s because of the Koriena Force that both you and him were brought into my life.”

“I think you named him well,” he said, turning to face her.

“Thank you,” she said in return. Then she looked down lovingly at her baby. “Having him truly turned my life around and he’s everything to me now. I never thought I’d ever be a mother…but now I can’t imagine a life without our son.” She returned her gaze to Rex and inquired, “Would you like to hold him?”

His eyes flashed nervously for a second. “I…I don’t really know how…,” he hesitantly admitted.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” she told him as she was already reaching into the bassinet and carefully picking Kori up out of it. She cradled him in her own arms and said, “You just hold him like this.”

She repositioned the baby out of her arms and held him gently as she transferred him over to Rex, who was doing his best to imitate what Kida had shown him. She placed the baby, who was now squirming a little from the movement, into his arms and tenderly shifted his arms just a little so he was holding Kori properly. Briefly, Rex was stiff at this new position he found himself in, but then he looked down at the baby; his baby he now held just as the little one wiggled a little more, a tiny squeak emitting from his mouth, and then he opened his eyes. A tiny pair of golden brown eyes met a similar set of eyes of the same color and Rex found himself lost in the pure, innocent gaze of his son.

“Look at that…he knew he was with his father and wanted to see you,” Kida commented, a hand over her heart.

He couldn’t suppress a grin at that thought and at seeing Kori’s eyes that were just like his for the first time. “Hello, Kori,” he whispered, leaning down closer to him. 

Kori let out a small coo and then did something Rex wasn’t anticipating: the child raised one of his arms, which had come out of the swaddle, and placed his tiny hand on Rex’s chin. Feeling his delicate touch made Rex’s heart melt immediately. Somehow, with that single action from the baby, he just knew in his heart that Kori recognized him as his father, just as Kida suspected. With that one gesture, he knew he was undone. With a happy chuckle, he tilted his head down and touched his forehead ever so gently to Kori’s.

With great pride and an overpowering feeling of paternal love he’d never experienced before in his life, he declared, “My son.”

Kida nearly wanted to burst into tears at seeing Rex like this. The image before her of him holding their son and being so tender and loving with him was just the perfect dream. If fate had been kinder to them both, she could clearly envision the two of them settling down and raising their son together. She believed he would be a wonderful father. She was very fond of Rex already, but now, seeing him with their child and already doting on him…she knew deep down that she could easily fall in love with the Clone Captain. If she honestly hadn’t already. More than anything, she was just happy to see that he adored Kori just as much as she did.

Rex then stepped closer to Kida and looked up finally from the baby to her. “He really is perfect,” he told her.

“He certainly is,” she agreed, smoothing her hand over Kori’s head.

Then, to her slight surprise, she saw Rex’s happy expression begin to falter and just as she was about to ask what was wrong, he said, “Kida…as much as I want to…I can’t help you raise him.” His sorrowful gaze met hers. “I have to keep myself hidden from the Empire and if I stayed, it would put you both in danger. That’s a risk I can’t take.”

She nodded to him and mustered a smile, though there was an unmistakable look of sadness behind it. “I understand,” she said. “I honestly expected as much. As wonderful as it would be for you to be an active part of Kori’s life, I wouldn’t want you to risk your safety like that for us.”

After he set Kori back down into his bassinet, he came back up, removed his poncho and faced her directly. “I can’t promise you anything,” he stated. 

“Rex, it’s okay,” she assured him. “I know the position you’re in and I’ve never expected anything from you because of it. Honestly, this visit right now was more than I ever thought I’d get…and it’s been more than enough.”

That seemed to ease the guilt Rex carried and he could feel the burden on his shoulders growing lighter now. He moved right in front of Kida and gently grasped her arms as he stated, “I can promise you this: I will continue to do all I can to make this galaxy a safer place for our son. I will never stop fighting to protect him…and to protect you.”

She inhaled sharply and her heart skipped a beat inside her at him including her in his promise. There was a sincere look in his eyes that showed her that he meant it. Did this mean he still cared about her? 

Before she could stop herself, she half-blurted out, “I’ve missed you so much, Rex.” His handsome face softened at hearing this and she went on, the words she’d wanted to say for so long just spilling from her mouth, “I’ve never forgotten our time together on Balmorra, no matter how short it was, and the moment we shared in that cruiser med bay. I know we didn’t have a lot of time for any sort of relationship to really develop between us before we went our separate ways, but you were constantly in my thoughts, even before you left. You became more important to me than I imagined you would…and when I found out I was carrying your child…I was actually happy. I was going to have a child whose father actually meant something to me and I would always have a part of you with me, even if I never saw you again.” Her golden eyes were beginning to fill with tears and she stopped to quickly brush them away. “I’m sorry, that was probably more than what you wanted to hear. I just had to be honest with you.”

Then she felt his hand slip into hers and he said as she looked at him, “No…that was everything I wanted to hear.” He took her other hand and caressed the back of it with his thumb. “I know I came to realize how I felt just before we parted ways, but that moment we shared in the med bay has never left my mind either. You have never left my mind. Many times, I would wonder if you were well and hoped maybe someday, I’d get the chance to see you again and…see if that spark was still there.”

She looked hopefully into his eyes. “Well, we’re here now…do you still think it is?”

In response to that question, he decided to take the chance he’d been wanting to since he’d stepped foot in her room. He gently cradled her face in his hand, leaned forward and gave her a tender kiss, letting it linger as he relished in the feeling of her lips kissing him back. The familiar surge of warmth he remembered from a long time ago returned to his chest and his arms made their way around her waist, pulling her closer as their kiss deepened. 

After a moment, he broke the kiss and pulled back to look into her lovely face again. “Yeah…I’d say there’s still a spark there,” he said with a pleased grin.

“I wholeheartedly agree,” she replied, smiling back at him.

“Listen…I don’t know what I’m doing or what this means for us,” he confided in her, “but I do know that I care about you and I want you and our son to be safe. If anything happened to either of you…I don’t know what I’d do.”

“Lucky for you, I’ve got the Koriena Force and the Bad Batch to help with that in your absence,” she said.

Then he asked her, a little timidly as he gestured between the two of them, “Kida…what do you want this to mean? Where do we stand?”

She was touched that he legitimately wanted to know her opinion on their relationship. She thought for a brief moment before telling him, “Well…we may not be a traditional couple nor were we ever, but we are lovers and you’re the father of my child. On top of that, we genuinely care about each other. Do we really need much more than that to be happy with where we are now?”

That explanation seemed to be enough for Rex. Now more content with the situation, being there with the woman he cared about most and their baby son, he simply replied, “You’re right…I suppose we don’t.”

[amethystviolist]

This poll is about long-form, multi-chapter fanfic specifically! My chapter length while writing is varying wildly so I was wondering if y'all have preferences when either writing or reading. "Medium" is based on a generic googled answer for how long avg book chapters are.

Please assume all pacing is ideal in relation to chapter length (to remove it as a factor)

Reblogs are very much appreciated (whether you vote or not!), but no pressure ofc

[pens-swords-stuff]

Tag Game: This or That Writer's Edition

Dusting off a very old tag game that has been in my drafts for like 3 years now! At this point I don't remember who tagged me, but to whoever it was, thank you all the same!

*note to whoever wants to play: you don't have to write explanations if you don't want to. I just like to do it because I am incapable of being concise and just leaving things be.

1. historical or futuristic

A few years ago, I stumbled upon and discovered my love for historical fiction — historical romance, specifically — and I have been absolutely obsessed with it since.

On the other hand, I'm not a fan of futuristic settings and I've never had much interest in it. It's just not a genre that I'm personally into.

2. the opening or closing chapter

There's something poetic about endings. In my opinion, I think that they're the most meaningful, symbolic and important chapter in the book because it's often where you really get the true meaning and message of the story.

3. light+fluffy or dark+gritty

Mm, I'm personally not a fan of this particular choice because I'm not particularly into either option. I don't believe that something dark has to be gritty, or that gritty has to be dark, and I also think that realism is often conflated with being "gritty and dark" when that is not always the case. (And of course, I see a lot of people look down upon stories that aren't "gritty dark realism" and that is a pet peeve that I have). I also don't have much patience for things that are light and fluffy because I find them to be a bit over the top and too much for the most part.

If I had to choose it would be dark and gritty, but I prefer a happy medium and a balance.

4. animal companion or found family

I love found family and the complicated relationships that form between people who are brought together by circumstance. I have also never had a pet, so while I can appreciate animal companions, I can't really relate to it.

5. horror or romance

If it doesn't have romance, I'm not that interested in it. I absolutely adore romance, and nearly everything that I do will include it. (I guess Project Vestige is an exception though, I recently considered axing the romance subplot).

I'm too much of a baby for horror, anywho.

6. hard or soft magic system

Rather than lay out the lore or have a solid system, I'm more interested in magic that can't be explained and will always remain somewhat of a mystery. We don't know where it comes from, or why, and that mystery, wonder, intrigue and open-endedness is what I like in my magic systems.

7. standalone or series

I have always adored series growing up, and waiting for the next book. I think my greatest writing ambition is to write a long series because it was what I grew up reading.

I have recently also been falling in love with a standalone story though! I think I'd love to write a series of standalone stories someday, even if it sounds like an oxymoron.

8. one project at a time or always juggling 2+

I don't come up with story ideas, they just descend upon me from the heavens at random times. The longer I take a break from writing, the more they begin bombarding me because my creativity just begins to overflow. Recently, I've been more intentional about exploring all of those different ideas and writing at least a little bit down so I don't lose them. Which naturally, results in many many projects that I may or may not get to someday.

It's a blessing to have so many ideas and stories, I think!

9. one award winner or one bestseller

I don't think my writing is the kind to win awards, and that's okay. It'd be cool, but I would love it if my stories become famous bestsellers someday because that means that they've reached a lot of people.

10. fantasy or sci-fi

Full disclosure, not a huge fan of either. Fantasy is a bit overwhelming for me, though I love the idea of it and would someday love to make a proper crack at it if I have something worth working with. Sci-fi is just something I'm not interested in at all.

11. character or setting description

I'm very much a character-driven writer! Characters are the most important think in my writing. And descriptions has always been one of my weaknesses.

12. first or final draft

boy, I'd love to finish a first draft someday,,,

13. love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs

I love romance, and if something has romance in it my interest will increase a tenfold!! I also like love triangles, whether it be the basic, canned version that people like to hate on, or the ones that become realized into polyamory. I love platonic relationships too, but there's room for both in my world.

14. constant sandstorm or rainstorm

The sandstorm in Breath of the Wild scared the crap out of me and I couldn't get out of it for like a solid 10 minutes so I'm gunna go with a rainstorm for this one. I love rain.

Tagging: @magic-is-something-we-create @writingforfunsies @void-botanist @scorpiolight-madd @thatgayacademic @summer1977 @calicojackofficial @axl-ul @gilgameshians @wordsforarmor @that-gay-jedi @toribookworm22 @serotoninshift @ashen-crest @abalonetea @write-on-world @faithfire @mockingbirdshymn @ryns-ramblings @bardicbeetle @writtenwolves @writingpotato07

If you see this and want to do it too, please do! Feel free to say that I tagged you, I’d love to see.

If you want to be tagged by me for tag games, click here!

[jubilantmedusa]

Hi! I just wanted to say that I really like your fics <3 I re-read your latest Zukka one 3 times. Do you plan to write any more soon? What type of ideas do you have? I hope I don't sound pushy I'm just curious!

Aww, so glad you enjoyed it :)

I doesn't take much to get me to talk about ideas and WIPs so here you go!

I'm not sure how soon any of this will get done, just because life is very busy right now (which is the reason I've been focusing on short stuff - I prefer medium/long, but short is more achivable right now; and it is a fun challenge to stick to a word limit).

Actively working on:

Zukka HC Sketch + Fic: I have two other Zukka H/C-ish sketches that I need to write stories for. They should be a little less angsty then the last one, in theory, but still have some H/C element. Waiting for inspiration to strike. (1 - 1.5k each goal). I might do more of these, or I might switch to a non-H/C sketch/fic focus. Or I might stop when those two are done. IDK. Whatever's fun.

Iroh and Zuko Post "The Desert" Whump AU: Zuko and Iroh’s escape from "The Desert" is intercepted by an enemy who quickly surmises that the most effective way to torture Iroh is to torture Zuko. With Iroh literally losing his mind, can Zuko (who is not doing well) save his uncle and himself? (currently at 4k; estimated 12 - 16k)

If I can finish the above by the end of the year I'll be pleased.

Ideas that I really want to do and have at least done *some* pre-writing for:

Iroh's Second Spirit World Journey: An Iroh centric story that diverges after "The Earth King." When Zuko never wakes up from his angst coma, Iroh goes literally beyond the ends of the earth to try to save him (aka - Iroh's second spirit world journey). Could have a sequal (or even be a trilogy, potentially), but not required. I really want to write this but I'm not sure if it would have an audience. Estimate: long, over 25k

Escaping the Desert: Another "The Desert" divergence story - Zuko and Iroh are captured by the Rough Rhinoes. Unfortunately, so is Toph. Zuko will do anything to save his uncle, but what about the strange blind girl who was with the avatar? Estimate 15 - 25k. The problem with this one is it would more or less require a trilogy... but if I can keep all the stories to around 10-15k that may be achievable.

Zukka Iron Lung: There is a plague that only effect firebenders. This spurs the invention of the iron lung -- Sokka is one of the lead engineers. When Sokka goes to the Fire Nation to Save the Day, he catches feelings for the Fire Lord. Unfortunately, Zuko then catches the plague. Length TBD.

Zukka Post Series romance: Zuko was injured/disabled before the finale and never took the throne. Sokka hasn't spoke to him since. He has, however, developed PTSD. With his life seemingly falling apart. Sokka decides to run away and go to university at Ba Sing Se. He stops for tea at the Jasmine Dragon, which is now run by, you guessed it, Zuko. Angst and romance ensures. Bonus airbender field trip. Length TBD.

Ice Demon / Waterbender Hospital - This is something I'm not sure anyone would be interested in except me, but I do like medical whump. I've done some light worldbuilding for a waterbender hospital, and have a vague idea of sending Zuko there when he's attacked by an Ice spirit. For some reason. Maybe involving Aang and his quest to master the avatar state? or maybe not, because that would be a lot of story. Lots of more to develop here. Could be gen or Zukka. Season 3 somewhere. Length TBD.

Fire Demon story - I would love to write a longer form season one AU that shamlessly steals the premise of the excellent short fic Fire Walk by Sholio and makes it into a multi-chapter Zuko joins the gang early story. Length TBD.

Ancedotes: This is an idea for a series of short form slice of life/characters backstory fics (3 - 8k, lets say). So far they'd include - "Old Man " a story that answers the question 'how did Sokka learn about physics?' - coming of age/loss of innocence; "Losing at Pai Sho" a story about teen Iroh learning to not be arrogant; and "First Kiss" - the only idea I've ever had for an Azula story, featuring Ty Lee's first kiss and Azula's first... something else. I have an idea for Toph and Zuko, but not committed to them. Katara story has not come to me. I also wanted to pair these with exercises from The 3 A.M. Epiphany because idk the whim struck and the idea is in my head.

Aside form that, I'd like to write a few whumpy Zuko short stories (3 - 10k) that focus on the gaang relationships I haven't written about as much - friendship fics featuring Katara & Zuko, Aang & Zuko, or Toph & Zuko.

If I am ever to become independently wealthy, I'll write my season 3 AU.

And if I ever feel very, very silly - but still slightly angsty - I'll have Iroh commission a symphony in C.

Thank you so much for the question! I am flattered. It was very nice.

If there's an idea you (or anyone who stumbles across this) especially likes, let me know!

[melissamasakari]

Confessions you didn't notice

Chapter four. Personal fest.

I woke up from my own incomprehensible muttering (I really do hope that no great discoveries were made by those who could hear me). I somehow opened one eye and searched the space around me. Found a stuffed pig nearby. Sam, that's not funny! Wait, why is it so dark in here? How long did I actually sleep? There seemed to be no pillow when I fell asleep either. I’ve got a surge of energy and untangled myself from the blanket. I jerked up and sat up on the bed. Stop. Bed? Looking around the room, I finally realized where I was. This is HIS room. Captain's bedroom. There was a bookshelf overhead. On the left a figurine of an airplane on the closet could be sees. I wished I could take a closer look, but I couldn't reach there. Maybe I should ask him later? He seems always happy to show off such things. With these thoughts I buried myself into the pillows. Oh. It turns out that the captain prefers herbal soap. Not surprising – the floral smell seems way too strong so it will surely attract some kind of monster. Or girls... however, the herbal one worked just great for me – the scent was so good. Okay, lets stop lying around, otherwise I won’t be able to force myself to leave. I can't say it's my first time here, but for some reason it didn't feel right now. Just like snooping. Although, just to think about it, it's pretty cute. Looks like that they got together and went to sort things out. As they decided not to wake me up then the most obvious thing to do was to move me here, right? Just in case someone enters headquarters while they are gone. But now I should definitely get out, but it’s so cozy and calm here. I could just suffer from hits of embarrassment a little bit longer – but I decided to get up after all. I carefully made bed and, yawning, stretched towards the exit. On the dresser I found a group photo from Bright Sun Day. It's great, it was my first fest here, and of course my expression was quite terrible. An arm stretcher was casually thrown over the foot board of the bed. Look, my signature! Does he train even before bed? Arm stretcher was already completely worn out, while I’ve made it just recently. I'll have to get him a new one. Also I found a note on the desk: “Melissa, have fun for us at the festival. I'll contact you as soon as I can." Then it was written by the other hand: “Kid, your clothes are well dried and are lying on the sofa. I hid the shoes under the order board. The kitchen and shower are at your service.” A rather tattered T-shirt hung on the back of the chair. Pajamas maybe? I really wanted to bury my nose in it, but this is too much. Or maybe he won’t notice? STOP! I slapped my cheeks. Time to get to work, pull yourself together, Melissa! I went and washed, collected my things, and changed clothes.

“Ack, when did they left?”

“At dawn.”

“What kind of station was this anyway?”

“Secret information.”

“It's a pity. Can you tell me how dangerous is it in there?”

“Medium level biological hazard. No other data available. There were no security droids. Beam and disintegrating weapons, too.”

“Thank you. Do you want some milk?”

“If it is possible.”

“Do you know how to read data disks?”

“No, but I can use programs from silicon chips.”

“I’ll keep it in mind for the future. Here's your milk. See you.”

On my way home Sonya intercepted me. There wasn't much to do anyway, so I went with her to the event after I left my bag at home. Naturally, the curious waitress immediately bombarded me with questions.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you spend a lot of time with Arlo nowadays. Do you go out with him, or something, hm?”

“Yeah, we go out to do a whole bunch of assignments. And also we share a wonderful friendship that I value very much. Why are you asking?”

“Nothing special. But keep in mind that’s he's just very popular. A bunch of girls fell for him already. I would try to hook up with him myself, but he’s not my type at all.”

“What, they’re just running after him in flocks?”

“Not exactly, but not very far from the truth.”

“Noted. Now please explain me the rules for the event. Yesterday I was stuck in the Wasteland, and in my homeland there is no snow.”

It turned out that everything was quite simple. Opponents hide behind rocks, moving between shelters. Each has twenty snowballs. As soon as they are all used up, points are counted. Predictably, I didn’t take any prizes. But I got some good practice in knocking down other people’s hats. It seems that Nora has been looking at me unkindly all day. But it’s not my fault that she’s one of the easiest targets! Take that, you wimpy crybaby! Hands off MY redhead! What did he even see in you?

When it began to get dark the townspeople started to disperse. I returned home and checked my supplies of materials. Before it was too late, I went to the guild for an inspection. I just hope my guys are doing well. I went to bed early and tossed and turned anxiously for half the night until at last fell asleep in the morning.

On Sunday I checked my mail first thing in morning and visited the guild shortly after, but there was no news. I walked around the Central Plaza, and didn’t notice how my feet brought me to the headquarters. Well, since I was there, I should just came in if just to return Sam’s clothes that I have worn.

“Hey, is anyone there?”

“Ack.”

“Only you?”

“Arlo came by. He said that the guesses were confirmed. My teammates didn't survive. I was left completely alone.”

“My condolences.”

“He also said that since there were no remains, the city decided to erect a small memorial with the names of the victims at the old cemetery. The list from the flight recorder was restored.”

“When has Arlo left?”

“About an hour ago. Can you do something for me?”

“For example?”

“They won’t let me out of here. I would like to lay flowers at the memorial. Do this for me please.”

“No problem. I can even take a photo if you want.”

“I will be grateful.”

Some time later Ack's request was done. I met Petra, discussed the news and the prospect of communicating with real AI, and promised to bring her a pile of disks this week. I decided to go in again and tell the robot that his wish had been fulfilled.

“Thank you! Now they can rest in peace.”

“Can you convey a message when the guys are back?”

“Certainly. I’m recording.”

“Tell them that I’m worried and waiting for the news, at least for a note by mail that everything is fine if there isn’t much time.”

“Okay, Melissa. I recorded everything.”

“See you.”

Having nothing else to do, I decided to continue testing the training dummy. I beat it diligently for about a couple of hours, hoping to drive away my anxiety. It did not go well, but it was still better than hysteria. Closer to sunset (and it gets dark here early in winter) I heard a familiar voice from behind the fence.

“Actually, this is MY toy.” Arlo noted, leaning on my fence.

“You’re wrong. Since you didn’t fulfill the second condition I won’t give it to you. Now you have to wait a whole year to take another chance.”

“Here's another option. I'll order the same from Higgins.”

“He won’t be able to get the blueprint. Neither he nor any other workshop in the city.”

“Then I’ll steal it.”

“And there will be only one suspect, right? This will be a conflict of interests and a serious scandal. You'll lose your job.”

“So what should I do? Can you make another wish?” He asked with concern and climbed over the fence clearly not wanting to sidetrack to the gates.

And why do I want to demand a kiss so badly, huh? Although, why did I even think that he would do this? He doesn't notice me at all. He already has a “little sister” to date with. I'm a third wheel here, right?

“You know, I have an idea. Come with me?”He gracefully gave me his hand while I was chasing sad thoughts from my head.

“The holiday is already over.”

“Yes. But the decorations and shelters are still there. You. Me. A competition.”

“Persuaded. By general rules?” Holding hands, we cheerfully galloped onto the field, jumping over my fence along the way.

“Yeah.”

“Did you find anything valuable?”

“A bunch of disks, a flight recorder, a number of interesting spare parts and microcircuits. Tons of dust and meager remains of clothing. Then we had to organize a funeral. It's a pity we weren't allowed to release Ack during this time. Who needs this memorial if only he knew them personally and he was not able to attend?”

“It's okay. At his request I brought the flowers there. And I took a photo for him.”

“Well done! And thanks for your help.”

“You really shouldn't thank me. We are friends after all,” and perhaps it will remain so. Forever. Well, not the worst outcome. At least we can be together, and I will try to enjoy it as much as possible!

“Right. Well, are you ready?”

“Hide properly!”

For about an hour we rushed between shelters, effectively covering each other with crossfire. For the first time I heard Arlo laugh carefree, poking his head from here and there. A couple of times I was so enchanted by his smile that I missed the very sensitive snowball hits on the top of my head and shoulders. It seemed like something even flew up the collar. Taking careful aim, I launched the last snowball. Success!

“Hey, you knocked my cap off!” Climbing out and shaking himself off, he told indignantly.

“And my sweater is all wet now. Who won? I lost count.”

“Friendship!”

“Come on, you probably gave in again. And by the way, I hit all Hulu brothers yesterday! I didn’t expect such agility from them. That was the most difficult target.”

“Yep. Especially Liuwa. He is also incredibly cunning.”

We heard the clatter of hooves as Sam rode up to us. She dismounted and whispered something to Arlo. Have I heard something about...smashing? And, wait, was it just me, or did he blush? So handsome. It’s a pity that I can’t muster up the courage to tell him everything. Or maybe it's already too late. Well, okay, being friends with him is also cool. Even if now it seems that this is just not enough.

“Sam, come to us,” Arlo took a few steps back, rolled up a particularly dense snowball and threw it at her, almost without aiming. Easily dodging, Sam made such a brutal face that it was scary. And then, without thinking twice, she knocked the cap off the his red head with a snowball. I was not surprised. She and I have been gathering all the prizes in the shooting range for the umpteenth time.

Following that the three of us ran around a little, and it was a draw again.

After some time, Remington approached us. Noticing him, my tomboy friend launched a powerful projectile. Quite suddenly Remy knocked the snowball back at Sam with a well-aimed kick, without her even having time to do anything. She just spat and uttered some strange curses.

“This is all wonderful, but they are waiting for us at Peach Plaza. The fireside is about to begin.”

“Is the subject known?”

“They will announce what they have decided to do with the robot, as far as I know.”

“Then let's hurry.”

Absolutely all the adult residents of the city gathered in the square. Gale summarized the week and moved on to the most important things.

“As many of you already know, on Friday the space station Altair-01 landed in the Wasteland, the only surviving inhabitant of which turned out to be a living AI. After long discussions, we decided to give him Portian citizenship. The Civil Corps should keep an eye on him and help him integrate into our community in every possible way. That's all for today. Thanks for your attention.”

“We will do our best!” Arlo reported.

“That's good I guess? If they offend him, I will invite him to my place.”

“Yes, that’s the best outcome for everyone.”

“Sam, I promised you a dinner. Are you busy?”

“Oh, I could always make time for that.”

“Then take Teddy, you can place him at my stable for now. Guys, are you coming with us?”

“With pleasure.” Remy nodded and followed Sam.

“Are you kidding? Such offers cannot be refused! I have long wanted to check those rumors about the autumn competition.”

“That’s nice. Let's go. I just recently finished adding new chairs.”

Having made sure that the horse was feeling fine in my newly completed stable, the whole friendly company of ours entered my house.

“So, hang your things to dry – that way. Make yourself comfortable. Sam, show the guys the bathroom, if you please. I'll go and start cooking now.”

After some time, a red head appeared in the kitchen arch.

“Need any assistance? I could cut vegetables or something else.”

“Come in, why not?”

Wow, he handled it deftly – the work was in full swing.

“What are we cooking exactly? I don't know such a dish.”

“Carbonara. It's like pasta with meat sauce, only topped with cream and eggs. With bacon and smoked meat. Almost like cream noodles, but the texture is different.”

“Sounds delicious!”

“Also fried rice with shrimps and vegetables for Sam. And a hot pot for everyone.”

“And you thought of everything.”

“I have invited Sam on Tuesday for this weekend. Glad you and Remy were able to stop by too. Okay, that’s almost ready.”

We set the table and had a nice time. Time passed very quickly and it was soon very late.

“I’ll help you to do the dishes.”

“Seriously? Just like the man of my dreams! Helps in the kitchen, offering to do the dishes himself. What other hidden talents do you have?”

“I scare away hooligans. I protect the weak. I do good things with a heavy hand. I bulldoze goodness for usefulness!”

“Don’t over-praise him or he’ll inflate and burst!” Sam scoffed.

“Okay, guys. Thanks for dropping in. It was a pleasure! Oh, Arlo, before I forget: I'm waiting for transport for the training dummy tomorrow. It takes up too much space in my backyard. You take it.”

“Agreed. I'll drop by right after training.”

Everyone left. I sketched out a plan for the next week and went to bed feeling happy.