#the in-between

[dalekowrites]

Chapter 15 is online in early access!

Jeez, I’m exhausted! I have no idea why debugging this one took me so long, it's almost 5 AM here but hey, I made it in the end :-D

This update adds about 7,000 words (give or take—just trust me on that, I can't even see straight anymore at this point lol).

DEVLOG

Fixed the code related to MC’s possible country of origin and added more background info;

Moved the UK back under European countries, since the story is set pre-Brexit;

Cleaned up some old typos and minor bugs.

You can find it on Patreon. Enjoy! ♥

[ Patreon ][ Discord ][ Public Demo ]

[foolforshera]

Catra is watching a movie and decides it's time to say exactly how she feels about one of her metalworking customers, to Adora's everlasting sigh. A The In-Between story for the Camp Bright Moon series.

*****

"What is the riddle of steel?"

"I'll tell you what it is," Catra said to the movie playing on the television and ignored Adora's groan from next to her on the couch. "It's that idiots think they know about it based on some bullshit on the internet."

"Could we not?" Adora said as she paused the movie. "Just once?"

[rebonky]

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes 5/5 stars | 📖 | Read 5/21 - 5/26, 2023

First, we must all take a moment to appreciate how amazing the cover is. The main character, Yamilet, is a Mexican American lesbian and such an endearing character. While her journey throughout the book is a bit of a rollercoaster, it was heartwarming to watch her grow, gain confidence, and get a happy ending. Reyes creates a beautiful story about family and community prevailing above everything else, while not sacrificing any realism.

The In-Between by Katie Van Heidrich 4/5 stars | 📖 | Read 6/1 - 6/2, 2023

Targeted to a middle grade audience, this memoir in verse was a quick read, despite the difficult subject matter. While the book reflects the real life events of when Van Heidrich’s family was unhoused, the use of present tense and her 13-year-old perspective gives the story a sense of immediacy that captures the raw emotion of the situation— the frustration, anger, and grief all mixed up with the confusion of not being able to fully grasp the situation. The only reason that this wasn’t five stars is that the writing felt repetitive at times, but that may stem more from my personal issues with poetry than with Van Heidrich’s writing.

Missing Dead Girls by Sara Walters 2/5 stars | 📖 | Read 5/29 - 5/31, 2023

This was on the “new” shelf in the library’s teen section and I picked it up because the summary intrigued me. I must admit though that I was quite nervous about it because often these YA murder thrillers end up disappointing… and this one was no different. What bothered me most consistently was how the love interest, Madison, is treated as a manic pixie dream girl of sorts— a trope i disdain. Besides that, for its 225 pages, the book moves slowly with much internal monologue and flowery language that does little to take the plot anywhere.

[superflymiceguy]

Hughes and Histamine.

Crossover piece of my character, Hughes, and @superflatpsyche's character, Histamine.

Deta's Sagas X The In-Between!

[the-haunted-office]

Master of the In-Between, hehe.

I mean, the In-Between is a nasty greenish color and full of "shards" that lead into other dimensions. And Doom has mastered traveling throughout it. x)

Link

[something-is-wrong-comic]

The in-between☁️

The in-between is... nothing. A grey Streching area with nothing but a few stars and your own reflection looking back at you on the ground. You can't do anything but wait until the ghostly cats decide to seek you out and share their wisdom.

- explanation:

This is an extra location I decided to add to my story for lore.

Starclan is a very holly place and don't allow cats who are still alive to enter very easily since it could cause some damaging side effects (it could make the cat want to kill themselves to go back to starclan or make them unsatisfied with life) so starclan cats decided to create the in-between to give living cats omens, prophecies, lives or talk without harming living cats (no one can't be killed or die in this realm). Dark forest cats also have access too it but that isn't a well-known knowledge and only a few can actually achieve it.. The appearance of spirits in this realm is almost foggy and often hard to identify who it is (similar to how they appear in the overworld) that makes it hard to figure out if the cat is from starclan or the dark forest.

[superbimiceguy]

Artheus being happy holding a sunflower under a starry night for @superflatpsyche!

[jonogueirawrites]

The in-between.

Chapter 11 of 22.

Chapter 1.

 Not even in a million years.

AO3

Soaked to the bones and cold as an iceberg. Xavier shivered from head to toe when they finally landed… somewhere. The flight hadn't taken long, and he couldn't say it was a terrible experience, but it wasn't amazing either. 

Inspecting the house in front of him, he grabbed his hair and tried to dry it as much as he could. A shadow on the second floor caught his attention, and he let his mind wonder if it was Evangeline. 

His reveries were cut short when his eyes landed on the angel by his side. The mocking smirk on his lips made Xavier roll his eyes. "What?" 

"It's just… wow!"  

"Wow?" He wrung out the T-shirt and watched the water soak into the grass. 

"You really like her, don't you?" Nathanael crossed his arms over his chest. The smirk still plastered on his face. 

Xavier sighed. The memory of her kisses brought warmth with them. "I do." 

"Cool! Now let's get inside before you catch a cold." 

They walked side by side. Through the floor-to-ceiling window, Xavier could see the twins playing. The door opened, and Megaera stared at him. There was no malice nor bad intentions in her eyes. Only curiosity looked back at him. 

"Xavier Thorpe." She gave him a once over. Her lips curled up, and she walked to the side so he could enter. "Welcome to our home." 

He expected to see pictures of old battles between angels and demons. Many of those expensive sculptures around the place. Maybe some black and gold on the walls, but no. There was a minimalist kind of decoration. On the walls many pictures of the family together. Proud photos of the children displaying medals and diplomas hanging on the walls. Family. It was obviously the most important thing in that household. 

He had barely gotten inside when Raphael came down the stairs. The older angel's eyes bore into Xavier's. There was a quick pressure around him and then nothing. A warning, perhaps? 

"Do you think I would have brought him here before checking his aura?" Nathanael walked past him. Before he could sit on the couch, his mother gave him a quick glance, and he gave up on the idea.  

"The real question is, why would you bring him here in the first place?" 

"Because Evangeline is super down and thinking about dropping university." 

"Why would she do that?" Her mother sat on the chaise. A deep frown on her face. 

"Because she thinks he hates her." 

 Xavier's mouth hung open. Three pairs of eyes turned his way. His mind still trying to comprehend what Nathanael had said. But once the pieces fell into place, he squared his shoulder and tried his best to match their gazes. "I don't hate her. Nor do I want her to quit university." He made sure to pause and look at each one of them again. "Quite the contrary, actually." 

He watched as her father took another step down. A predator analyzing his prey. "Hate or quit?"  

There was something in his demeanor that Xavier couldn't understand. Knowing very well he would never grasp what was happening, he decided to answer truthfully. "Both." 

There was electricity in the air like lightning striking a nearby tree. His teeth hurt for a moment, and the white behind his eyes hurt his brain. Whatever had happened disappeared as soon as he looked at Raphael again. The smirk on his face even more teasing than Nathanael's. 

A whisper in his left ear made him break eye contact.  

"Family," the sweet voice of Megaera started, and hands rested on his shoulders, "is everything." The warm breath caressing his neck sent a cold shiver down his spine. The voice moved to his right ear. "Are you ready," she turned him to look at her, and he got lost in the depths of her black eyes, "to be family, little thing?" 

"Yes."  

"So quick to say yes." The smile playing on her face faded away. "Family is not blood, Xavier. It's not marriage, dating, or sex." She straightened her back, and somehow, he felt like a child. "It's a bond impossible to explain. It's the blood on the blade. The poison on a cup's rim. A curse under the moonlight." Her touch on his skin fleeting. "The pain of a broken bone." 

"The sun warming up our skin. A flower blooming. The laughter of an innocent child. A dog's tail wagging in happiness." Raphael's voice coming from everywhere. "The nervousness of a first kiss." 

"Love, Xavier," Nathanael spoke from behind his mother. "It's love in its purest form. It's sacrifice. It's giving. It's understanding and forgiveness." He rounded them and stopped by his side. "It's love, Xavier." 

The smile on Megaera's lips returned. "Love is near and far, and everything in between."  

"Love's blood and flesh. Heart and mind." Xavier got surprised when he heard the words falling from his lips. "It's total destruction and absolute creation." 

Raphael's voice came from the final steps. "Love is." 

Xavier sighed. It was more than a simple yes or no question. Are you ready to be family? It flashed in his mind. It was written on their faces. "I don't know." 

Megaera's smile grew. It doubled and reached her eyes. "And that, little thing, is the correct answer." 

Xavier was mentally exhausted. Why did everything about Evangeline have to be so challenging?  

He closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind, but his paintings crossed his memory. His chest was heavy. There was urgency in his being. The words wanted to escape his mouth, but Raphael didn't allow them. 

"I hope you come to understand what we are asking here someday." He sat on the couch, his wife sitting beside him. "You don't need to marry my daughter, Xavier. You don't even have to be anything but friends. Shit, you don't even have to speak to one another." He took a deep breath and kissed Megaera's forehead. "Think about it. I'm sure we'll be talking about this some other day." 

Xavier nodded. The words stolen from his lips, free to be spoken. "I have dreams." 

"Good." Nathanael mocked from the piano's duet bench. His fingers playing a melancholic song.

When Xavier looked at the angel, he must have had something in his eyes because the other man dropped his attitude, and his whole focus was directed at Xavier's words. The mood in the air changed. They all felt it. 

"I've had strange recurring dreams since the beginning of last semester. I'm also an artist, and some of my paintings are about Good against Evil. Things fighting to take over Evangeline. None of them were deliberated done by me." The silence stretched in the room. 

"Do you think it has to do with what Evangeline is?" Someone asked but Xavier wasn’t really paying attention.

"Yes. I'm sure of that. In one of the paintings…." He carded his hair. "Two entities fought over Evangeline. I'm not talking figuratively. They were fighting above Evangeline, and she was on the ground. She called to me, but something kept me from reaching her. When I looked at the painting again, she lay dead." 

Raphael's jaw clenched, and Megaera's eyes narrowed at him. Nathanael opened his mouth to say something, but Xavier didn't allow it. 

"I think it had to do with her balance. As long as it's even, she will be fine." The tension in the air dissipated. "As I said, I think." 

"We'll keep an eye on it." Raphael nodded his way. 

"There's… there's something else." He swept his face. "It's the Tall Man." 

"Tall man?" Megaera asked. 

"I don't know what it means. I don't even know if it is a man. But he is there, always there. In the corners, in plain sight, in the shadows. His mouth… there are too many white teeth. The smile is way too big for his face. I don't know what he wants or what anything relates to him." 

There was a pause. Everyone thinking about the possibilities until Xavier sighed. 

"There was a raven in a dream." He took a deep breath. "The Tall Man wanted to kill me for some reason, but a raven protected me. I think the raven is Evangeline and that she and the Tall Man are enemies." 

"What does he look like?" It was Nathanael's turn to ask. 

"I don't know. All I see are his eyes and smile. Sorry, I can't give you more details. I-" 

Raphael stood. His eyes full of questions, but there was also softness in them. "You did more than you can imagine, Xavier." After a moment, a smile crossed his face. "Think about what we talked before." 

Xavier nodded.  

"Okay. Let's get you some nice clothes." Nathanael made to leave the room. 

"For what?" 

"Out? The club? Evangeline?" He wiggled his brows in a not-so-subtle manner. 

"After everything, I just told you-" 

"And what good will it do us to mull over things that are out of our control?" He placed his hands on his hips. "Look. You told us. We are going to prepare for whatever your dreams are trying to warn us about. But tonight? You need this. Evangeline needs this! So we are going to get you some nice clothes before we head out because there is no way I'll be seen with you in that." He waved his finger at Xavier. "No, no." 

"Are you sure this is a good idea? And where are you taking me?" 

"Trust me," he winked, "we are going to the threes." 

Megaera laughed in an almost hysterical way. She looked at Xavier, and her eyes shone. "You better get changed, little thing." 

"What is so special about this place? And what kind of name is the threes?" 

"Three mouths, three eyes, and three horns," Raphael answered. "The house of the freaks." 

Xavier looked at them. Confusion all over his face. 

Nathanael chuckled. "Nevermore is for the good guys. The threes? Not so much." He winked at him again. "Oh! When we are there, make sure to keep close, and don't drink anything blue or red. Also, nothing yellow." He turned to walk out of the room but stopped. "For the love of all that's holy, do not eat the fruits." Megaera and Raphael chuckled. "You know what? Do not drink or eat anything that we do not approve of." 

It took several minutes for Nathanael to find something that fit Xavier. They returned to the living room, where the twins played with their mother, and Raphael played a soft melody on the piano. Nathanael looked at his watch and cursed.  

"I don't like to get there after midnight." 

Xavier turned his way. "Why?" 

"The hour of the wicked, little thing."  

"The threes is a neutral ground, Xavier. Anything and everything go there to unwind." 

"And we are going there?" 

"They know us. So you don't need to worry." 

Raphael played the last notes and turned to them. "Actually, they know us." He motioned for his wife and himself. 

"Whatever." Nathanael scoffed. 

Xavier watched as both angels had a quiet argument. Too fidget, he stood by the window and closed his eyes. His mind busy with all the information thrown his way. He turned to ask them if there was anything he could do to help Evangeline when her voice caught everyone's attention. He had to look up at the top of the stairs and mentally remind himself to breathe. 

"What's he doing here?" 

She was beautiful, no, breathtaking. Her white dress hugged her curves, letting her legs exposed. Her arms were covered in long sleeves and the cleavage accentuated by a necklace. Her black hair was loose on her back. A strand over her shoulder contrasting with the red on her lips. When she walked downstairs, the click of her red high heels setting the rhythm to his heart.  

Xavier couldn't take his eyes off her. 

"What is he doing here?" Evangeline glanced at him over her shoulders. 

"He is coming with us," Nathanael spoke from the open door. "C'mon, we don't have all night." 

Evangeline turned to give Xavier a good look. She didn't utter a word his way.  

His smile open and honest. "Hello, Evan-"  

"You are my brother's problem." She turned and left the house.  

Xavier followed them and stopped by Nathanael's side, trying not to antagonize Evangeline. 

"Did you at least remember to take it?" She was finishing talking to her brother when he arrived. 

"Fuck. I forgot." 

"Why am I not surprised?" She went inside again, and when she returned, she addressed Xavier. Her voice crispy, but there was softness in her eyes when they shared a glance. "Protection." She showed him a necklace with an arrow pendant. Her hands caressed his shoulders and chest after she clasped it around his neck. They looked at each other for a second, and there were so many emotions in both of their gazes, but nothing was shared. 

"Let me go get the car." Nathanael looked at them, not trying to hide his grin. 

Xavier spent the next minutes by Evangeline's side. The silence between them weirdly comfortable. When the car arrived, she turned to him. "I hope you're ready to have your mind blown." She tilted her head at him with a teasing smile on her red lips. "Time to go." 

He watched her get in the car, and the only thing he could think about was how pleased he was to know she was safe, happy, and herself. An in-between. 

-----

Evangeline made sure to sit in the backseat. She wanted to look at Xavier without him knowing. She wanted to make sure that nothing could happen between them because of what she was. Nothing could happen because she was afraid of hurting him. 

When Xavier looked back and flashed her one of his disarming smiles, Evangeline knew that not even in a million years would she be able to resist him. 

“Fuck,” she said in a whisper so no one could hear. 

I hope you liked.

Likes and reblogs are super appreciated!

[halfwayup]

you! I say, and mean a million different people. people I once loved. people I still love but not the way I used to. not in the way they wanted me to. In my poems you are both perpetrator and victim, hero and offender. I feel guilty about that. you are the person that’s making me feel the most. or used to, at least. you are my first love. you were the first to break my heart. you are a stranger on the train. someone I used to know. someone I have never known. my last love. the one I see when I look into the mirror.

maybe the truth lies somewhere in the in-between.

(lounging in the in-between)

[crimsonservbot]

You ever hear that old chestnut about how most people neglect the part of the story of Icarus where he also had to avoid flying too low, lest the spray of the sea soak his feathers and cause him to fall and drown? You ever think about how different the world would be if Icarus died that way instead? If the idiom was to Fly To Close To The Sea? A warning against playing it far too safe, about not stretching your wings and soaring properly? You ever think about how Icarus died because he was happy?

[dalekowrites]

Quick announcement:

The update for The In-Between for this month’s Patreon early access will be released today as planned, except that "today" will be in a different time zone than mine, lol. Jokes aside, I’ve had an insanely hectic day and I still need to finish debugging and checking things before I can post the update. I’ll keep working tonight until it’s online. Sorry for the delay.

[foolforshera]

And it is finished! Final chapter of Where the Deer and the Buffalo Roam has gone up.

[lieutenant-sarcastic]

For Years my brother has been fucking with me by periodically texting me to say Jimmy Carter had finally died. Today the bit has paid off.

The response to my reaction at work was “what do you MEAN ‘for real this time’?????”

I fucking hate it here I’m crying

[meltygetswifi]

not to be a dirty commie or anything but i don't think any one person should have enough money to solve world hunger and then get to decide not to

[noodles-and-tea]

Haha… yeah… that’d be crazy…