#the scene following this snippet will be reserved for if/when this gets for real posted on ao3

[vermillioncrown]

ttbh snippet - the kids settle in (sorta)

more fuel for the fire 😎 the time being had is of ambiguous quality, but we're certainly here in collab w @rozaceous

they've been in canon-verse for a few days already, and the bats have updated their opinions on the mini-interlopers

After the dust settles, everyone seem to agree that it was eventually going to happen. None of them—not even Damian (who is indignant at the accusation)—ever aimed to make the kids cry. It’s understandable, however, that the events of the past few days have been overwhelming. For trained vigilantes used to worldending and multiversal threats, context helps but it’s still ten of them confined to one (admittedly large) manor and its surrounding property. For kids without any context or the wherewithal to understand it, being the equivalent of multiversal bookends means nothing to them.

The fact that they held their composure for this long is admirable. They are, overall, extremely easy kids to care for and well-behaved. Retrospectively, it was a trap in making them complacent.

Allie has the most detailed instructions attached. Food intolerances, strict preferences and diet, allotted time outside for being physical, time left alone to read and be quiet are simple enough needs to address once known. During outside time, she plays soccer with an oddly charming combination of vigor and systematization. When there’s too much activity around her, even during things she enjoyed doing, she’d retreat into quiet play until it’s back at a tolerable level. The giant set of crafting beads that Steph and Cass ran out to purchase on Day Two has been lovingly organized and curated during her shy periods. Korvin is the only one she lets into her space, then.

Korvin’s notes are extensive but disorganized and contradictory, as if multiple people threw everything they had at the dossier and didn’t bother cross-referencing each other. Food is straightforward—he eats everything on his plate, nothing more or less, always with a “Please” and “Thank you.” Suggestions on occupying him fall flat; Tim’s attempt to show off the 3D printers and computers was met with a wide-eyed stare and a shake of his head before he runs off after Allie. Hide-and-seek and Sardines worked for a bit until Alfred put his foot down because Korvin followed Dick onto the chandeliers. They don’t catch that some of the soaps in the manor were giving his skin blisters until they see him fidget non-stop under his oversized sweater sleeves.

Eventually, they leave the kids to their own devices; it seems to work better than hovering.

Steph’s the one that points out at their fretting, “Chill out guys, I think they have autism.”

“That’s—wow, Steph,” Tim looks taken aback and almost personally affronted. “That’s so rude. They’re just quiet kids.”

“Hm, kinda ableist of you, Tim,” Duke crosses his arms, frowning down at the now sputtering older vigilante. Cass catches his side glance exchange with Steph. It’s half-serious but entirely shit stirring.

“There is nothing wrong with them,” Damian throws in his two cents. “They are, in fact, more tolerable than most of my classmates despite their age.”

All of them—barring the kids, of course, and Alfred making sure they stay hydrated—are discussing the situation in the second floor parlor. The room overlooks the immediate garden area, and has a balcony they can all leap off safely. Allie and Korvin are chatting and giggling in the garden, inspecting flowers and bugs alike. On a closer look, Allie’s admiring the different flowers and Korvin is gently flicking worms back onto the dirt. A worm flies too close to Allie, who squeals, and Korvin profusely apologizes.

There’s a lot of exchanged glances that happen after Damian’s declaration. Tim looks reluctantly grateful at Damian, who purses his mouth petulantly.

“Woof, Dami,” is all Steph has in response. Duke has a pinched expression on his face and quickly looks away from everyone.

“Look, autism levels in the manor are off-the-charts,” Jason says blandly, disregarding Dick’s frantic motions to stop him. “Just look at that Bat filing system.”

“The ontology makes sense,” Tim can’t help but interject. His expression shows that he immediately regrets speaking.

Everyone looks at Dick, who finally gives up and gives in. “It makes sense but it’s also…” In lieu of finishing his statement, he wiggles his hand in the air.

Throughout the entire discussion, Bruce has been sitting in the corner of the parlor, giving careful glances outside with his peripheral vision. He’s the first to realize that Allie and Korvin always know when they’re being watched. And the few times they’ve been separated, he narrows it down to a slight difference: Korvin is hyperaware of his surroundings versus Allie being hypervigilant. They both get nervous when there are too many eyes on them, and Bruce was the first to point it out and be conscientious about it.

A sudden faraway shriek has everyone tense up and scan the area. They find nothing amiss despite the kids sprinting towards the nearest tree. Alfred calls out to them patiently but doesn’t seem alarmed.

“Oh, hah, it’s just a wasp,” Duke points out.

It’s too far away to see the perpetrator in question, but it apparently closes the distance to the kids and they shriek again, sprinting to another tree for sanctuary.

“Let’s stop with the whole ‘armchair diagnosis’, alright? It’s not helping anyone,” Dick returns to the topic for closure. He ignores the knowing look that Jason aims at his back.

[gamejoypod]

Top 5 pieces of boss music?

Alright, here come the 5 most predictable answers to anyone who knows anything about me; in no particular order. I'll link to the music in the titles of each.

*These are subject to change anytime effective immediately after posting, these are just the top 5 at top-of-mind and I fully reserve the right to forget some of my favorites

**Spoilers under the cut for: Dark Souls III, NieR Replicant, FF7R **

Soul Of Cinder - Dark Souls III

I've rambled before at length (here) why I love the reprise of Gwyn's theme at the end of the DS series. It's such a great bookend, you fight backward through time against all the chosen undead and bearers of the curse before you, all the way back to the one who threw the entire cosmology of this world off its axis.

Song of The Ancients / Fate - NieR Replicant 1.22...

I'm such a sucker for a piece or motif that grows and shifts over the course of a game, as it gains more context and meaning. The power behind the twins' duet in this version makes the following scenes heartbreaking. I get misty eyed every time.

Abyssal Star - Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Namielle's theme is the musical equivalent of capturing an entire sea storm in 360° 8K from the deck of an old 3 mast ship. Every choice in arrangement, scoring and gesture sells the idea of wind, rain, waves, electricity, lightning, and unfathomably deep sea waters perfectly. Namielle's designers and composers completely snapped when they made this Elder Dragon.

Contact With You - Armored Core 6

I talked a lot about this one in this post. Learning to play AC6 properly against Balteus this track in my ear changed me. Sublime. Listen for the single major chord near the end.

One Winged Angel - SPECIFICALLY from FF7 Remake

Ok, the thing is; I never played FF7 growing up, so I don't have nostalgia goggles for One Winged Angel. I've just heard it time and time again through cultural osmosis and when it pops up in other media. It's a certified banger of a boss theme.

BUT

The thing that shook me about the FF7R version how the the game spends its entire runtime teasing you with little bits and pieces of OWA, drip feeding you with snippets of music it knows you know is an omen of something very very bad coming. And then! ....It sounds off? You finally face off against Sephiroth and his theme is rearranged, remixed. Parts are shuffled around and cut short, but it still sounds great. Great, but wrong. It never even does the BUM! BUM! BUM! BUM! thing.

UNTIL! Sephiroth catches Cloud at swordpoint and it becomes extremely clear he was toying with you up until now and THEN OWA starts over, playing in full, in order, in glorious remastered terror. It condensed the 23 years of fear I should have felt towards Sephiroth and blasted it into my brain over the course of 15-20 minutes. I'll never forget how cold it made my blood run when the REAL theme started.

[pertinax--loculos]

Update

Gonna try a new thing. I've seen these weekly updates from other writeblrs and it appeals to me because I can blather about writing or lack of writing (if it's been one of Those weeks), I can also include anything else I want, and it's a manageable goal to have for a start.

Tentatively breaking it up into writing, reading OR watching, real life (if applicable), and possibly excerpt (again, if applicable).

So! (Warning: This is long. I seriously babble like nothing else.)

Currently Writing Absent That Night (tagged: WIP: ATN)

wordcount: no clue, it's all on my phone and I've been writing scenes I'd previously written snippets for, so it's a mash-up. (Which reminds me I need to back it all up at least onto my computer.)

Proud of the short summary I did for my pinned post, so repeating it here:

Agent Latrell has been chasing the thief known as Nox for more than three years; but when bodies start turning up at his crime scenes, he’s the only one who believes Nox isn’t responsible. Unfortunately, he’s also the only other suspect. In order to clear his name, he’s going to have to find the real killer; and the only way to do that is to team up with a criminal who, it turns out, he knows absolutely nothing about.

still love love LOVING this WIP. I've got pages and pages of notes, and it is probably getting a wee bit too complex with subplots and suspects etc, but I'm an overwriter anyway so if I end up with a 200k word draft then shrug. More to work with

dunno if I mentioned or just thought it was obvious because I know it so well, but it has an enemies/rivals-to-allies(lovers?) (sub?)plot. So I've been pulling out a lot of threads there

technically I'm up to about halfway between the catalyst and break into two. Definitely not hardcore plotting but I do have an idea of the beats I wanna follow in the back of my head

Nox is still a fucking mess. I should probably stop piling trauma onto him, poor guy

my favourite creation this week is Mark Gault, who is a secondary/minor character who is amazing in every way. He is both essentially a ruthless mercenary and the "I LOVE MY WIFE" guy. (I also keep calling him Grant, instead of Mark, because he's actually the father of a character who first appears in Phase Two of CASCADE. (!!!))

basically happy with how it's all going this week. Regular writing is getting the juices flowing and it's easier to come up with ideas even when I've only got a vague notion of what is supposed to happen in the scene.

guys i am such an overwriter this is ridiculous please send help this scene was supposed to be like 2.5k total and it's turned into 4-5 scenes and is like 10k long dear god--

Currently Reading Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater, book three of the Raven Cycle

I have not just jumped in at book three of a series, I have read the previous two.

in the last week.

I've read eleven books in the last five weeks, so that's... something.

they have all been thrillers except for this series. (And also Girl One, which despite being marketed as a thriller was definitively NOT a thriller. Which, yes, I should've guessed from the tag line, but I'm still mad about it.)

I am in love with the prose. It feels similar to mine, but Better, and I have been unconsciously mimicking it.

(which may be a problem when I finish it and am still writing ATN, but that is an issue for Future Pockets)

ngl I was not a fan of the way the first book ended. Not only did I have to reread the final line multiple times in order to even begin to grasp it, but I kinda think it's a dick move to end on a cliffhanger, even for an established author and clear indications this was gonna be a series

(but you bought the next book, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU??)

very very much enjoying the series, to be concise (ha!). Love the characters and it's all pretty tightly paced. The overarching series arc kiiinda maybe feels a bit slow/irrelevant, and some of the motivations annoy me, but I keep reminding myself it's YA in which the motivations are in character, so

not far into this one yet but so far so good

I wrote this earlier this week and since have begun thinking the series arc is becoming more relevant, but am reserving judgement. Reading slower with work and reading but still enjoying it all

Real Life

continues to be mostly a pain in the ass. Apps in for a second job, research on next year ongoing

update: may have the dream second job, basically waiting for confirmation (fingers crossed!)

one of my housemates is the literal devil, although even that is being quite kind to her. The nice one is moving out because of it. People keep asking how I've lived in this house for three years. I have no answer.

enjoying writing time in evenings and feeling mentally pretty good thanks to exercise

Excerpt Long, nearly 900 words, but a favourite of recent pieces and also something I coincidentally wrote today. Nox and Latrell's third meeting, when Latrell is still, uh... resistant to the idea of working with him:

"Why me?" Not at all the way Latrell had intended to phrase it, but he couldn't take it back. He continued, quickly, instead, jumbled thoughts pouring out of his mouth. "Surely that's the least you can give me. You come to me and ask me to fucking help you after you've made the last three months of my life living hell, you can at least fucking tell me why the fuck that is. You owe me that much. I'm not letting you fucking walk away until you fucking answer me that."

Nox was silent for a long moment. He ran a calculating gaze up and down Latrell, as if searching for something; it wasn't apparent whether or not he'd found it when he said, softly, "And if I don't?"

Latrell was abruptly very aware of the weight of the handcuffs in his back pocket. He would have to move quickly. There was every possibility Nox would see this coming, especially if he'd been arrested before. But Latrell was quietly confident. He inched his hand back, keeping it subtle, eyes on Nox's face.

"In that case," he said, as evenly as he could. His fingertips brushed warm metal. "Perhaps we should try something--"

Everything went white.

For a moment Latrell thought he'd somehow lost consciousness; that he'd underestimated Nox's affinity for violence, that the man had punched him or otherwise managed to incapacitate him without otherwise moving. Then it occurred to him that he was still thinking, which essentially took unconsciousness off the table, and he realised, vaguely, that it was an illusion.

It was very, very convincing.

The entire world was an endless expanse of emptiness. Utterly, absolutely white, a whiteness that could not and should not exist. Latrell was overcome by a sensation of falling, of plummeting into nothingness; he had to concentrate to feel his feet still on the ground, to know he was still upright. He had nothing to orient himself. There was no up, no down, no left or right. Just that endless expanse of a lack of colour. He was hanging in nothingness, or everything.

"You forget who you are dealing with, Agent."

Latrell swallowed down nausea. Nox's voice came from startlingly close, the sound of it somehow wrong, which objectively he knew came from the fact that his brain was convinced it should sound small and insubstantial in this endless void but it sounded normal because he was actually still standing in the alley. It was academic knowledge only. He still felt like he was tipping or falling or rising, weightless and disoriented. He had no voice, no ability to open his mouth.

Experimentally he tried to take a step. He couldn't lift his foot off the ground. Physically, he was sure he could -- he could still twitch his fingers, if he thought about it -- but his mind was convinced that there was nothing to step away from, nothing to step onto. Just nothing, nothing, nothing. A brightness that wasn't a light, a void constructed of the pieces between atoms.

Nox's voice came from his other side this time. "I have attempted to do this civilly, but there are other options."

It was a struggle to concentrate on his words, close as they were. Latrell tried to narrow his focus to only sound, tried to ignore the nothingness he was suspended in, tried to tell himself it was all an illusion. Just something Nox wanted him to see. The Orn, threaded through his eyes or brain or soul, acting upon Nox's orders.

It didn't help. He was still in freefall.

"Do not," Nox's voice came, a bare whisper in his ear, breath brushing Latrell's neck, "Presume to test me."

Abruptly the white disappeared. Latrell was back in the alley, trying to adjust to the change of light, trying to find where Nox had gone. Turning his head made the ground roil beneath him and he staggered, utterly disoriented.

Fingers closed around his forearm, steadying him, and Latrell looked up to find Nox inches away.

"Easy, Agent," he purred. His smile was more a baring of his teeth.

Latrell wrenched away from him, staggering until his back connected with a comfortingly solid wall. He was dizzy, brain still adjusting to reality, but he managed to straighten his spine and set his shoulders. He kept his hands in front of him. In Nox's view.

"Do we have an understanding?" Nox said, still silky and low.

"Screw you," Latrell said, voice faint and alien.

Nox's smirk sharpened. "I thought so. Lovely chat, Agent Latrell." He sauntered past where Latrell stayed pressed against the wall, hesitated at the corner of the alley. "Keep up the good work."

He stepped forward and disappeared from view.

Latrell's breath left him in a rush and he doubled over, bracing himself on his knees. His head still spun, the unpleasant sensation he'd come to expect from vertigo. The backs of his eyelids were painted with a stark blank white. Every time he blinked he was engulfed.

It was far beyond any illusion he'd ever experienced. It was approaching the type he'd only ever read about in scientific articles.

You forget who you are dealing with, Agent.

Perhaps he had. But this assault supplied more than a reminder.

It also provided a piece of the puzzle.

[dredreadsdrawing]

Oc-tober day 8: Sadness

I also made an animatic which is why this took a day longer to post (cuz my video didn't wanna export ewe) Here!

Recalling my past Final Girls story posts, I mentioned Lottie befriends a girl that was a defect of the outcasts. This is Spirit. A trans gal overwhelmed by anxiety and trying to fit in. It's noticeable but I'll point it out anyways, she has a lazy eye. I love her to bits oof. Her story goes as follows.

She's been Bo's, the eventual head of the outcasts, best friend since they were children. Growing up together, he knew her by her deadname and was the only one there for her when she came out during highschool. She didn't expect to have someone on hee corner, nevermind someone as protective as him. He waa always looking out for her, making sure she appeared normal... Calling out her flaws when she didn't. All with good intentions of course, so that she could blend in better.

Blending in was her priority. It became her anxiety.

They graduated and went to the same university. They became roomates, and though they went to different departments, she would always spend her extra time at his building, hanging around his fellow classmates. He soon got a group forming that wasn't... The best.

Outcasts, they called themselves. The odd ones out. The newly marginalized. The ones that society was stepping over.

She really hid it deep inside herself what group Bo was really forming. How they looked and sounded to outsiders. Especially on a campus so diverse, they stuck out like a sore thumb.

She never got along with the other outcasts, and they never paid her much mind. She blended into the background, only watching, never engaging in their heated discussions of injustices. She was only there for her friend.

A semester in, life with Bo is going well. Beinf roommates came naturally to them, and they feel a lot closer now. A bit too close. A night without reservations, they end up having a fling. They wake up surprised, but neither runs away.

They realize they could fill each other's needs in a new way.

For now. Atleast thats what he keeps cementing. He thinks friends dating is too complicated. But fucking? Sure. No strings attached is great.

And Spirit isn't complaining. She gets a bit delusional with her expectations of the future, too sure of her place eventually changing.

When in comes a girl that takes Bo over in one clean sweep. She runs the group now. They're all over her. All the points she makes, all her plans and visions for the future. She's inspiring.

Spirit's gut sinks fast.

She never spoke out because she naively hoped Bo would let go of his prejudices. He'd been so supportive of her, afterall!

But his biases are being set in stone more and more each day. He's grown entitled and angry. And Spirit is afraid.

She can't get through anymore. Hes furious whenever she tries to make a point contradicting his world view. The night before the big plan, she gives him an ultimatum.

He calls it off or she's calling the cops.

He calms down. He tries his coaxing voice. He tells her they can talk it through and she melts like butter into his embrace.

Then he beats her. He locks her in his room. He takes her cell phone, tells her he'll let her out when they're done, and he's gone.

She's left sobbing on the floor, shame welling up for all her inaction and letting him get to this point. She was so stupid. So careless.

.... People were going to get killed.

She stops her pity party and she calculates. She breaks the doorknob. She hotwires his beat up truck. His backup pistol is still inside.

She feels this is her responsibility. She's going to make ir right.

At the scene, the bloodbath has only just begun. Victims scatter and the outcasts hunt with ammo to boot. But one of them stays behind when he notices Bo's truck.

Bo had told them Spirit wasn't up for this.

He smiled at 'her' seeming change of heart. More than the privileged minorities, he hated people like 'her.'

It starts off with the facade of friendliness. He's happy she made it. She aims the gun at him. He's surprised, but he points his shotgun back.

She wouldn't do it. She was always soft-

A shot to the shoulder. She apologizes for missing. Another to the neck. That's better. He drops down, gurgling, clutching his wounds. He's dying, and he's so fucking pissed off about it.

She doesn't have time for his show. She stomps forward, her real target in her mind.

She won't cover for his ass anymore. She's going to kill Bo.

Passing through, she knows where to find him, but it takes a while. She doesn't want to waste more bullets on the others, she only has four more, so she has to hide.

Once she finally reaches the main house, she quietly comes up the stairs and prepares. She's shaking but she's willing. This is her redemption.

A shot rings out and deafens her ears. She bursts through the door.

The girl that took over has killed Bo.

She smiles at Spirit's entrance.

"Here to pick up my sloppy seconds?"

She laughs and waves as she sits on the windowsill.

"He wasn't my type anyways."

She slips outside.

Spirit let her go.

She wasn't her target. It was Bo. And now he was done.

She feels so hollow, looking down at him. So unfinished. The four bullets in their chamber feel heavy.

She looks beside him and notices a book. One the girl had kept close to her person ever since she met her.

She picks it up. She opens it.

A scream rings.

She can still help someone.

She tucks it under her arm and walks to the source of the sound, but finds Lottie already there. Already done.

A single girl from the victims is still alive. She may be the only one. They crowd together, explaining snippets of who they are. They're on the same side. But Lottie has to go.

She leaves the survivor to Spirit's protection to take care of her own business. They find a cellphone and call the cops.

As they wait in the night, jumping at any sound, the content of the book is in the back of her mind. She saw a diagran of sorts. Looking like the symbols Christians would fear.

Before the authorities arrive, she decides to hide the book. She won't let them take it. She'll come back for it later.

Once everything is said and done and they are saved, it's thanks to Lottie and the other girl's alibis that Spirit gets to walk free. They only know of her helping, not of her one murder of the night.

Days after the investigation concludes with the death of all culprits, she returns to the scene of the crime. She gets the book. And she opens a door.

There's a way to summon back a soul, it promises. Spirit is a believer of many things. She's willing to give this a try.

The end for this part lol.

[goodbysunball]

Quarantine Rock, pt. II

In this continuation of the riveting Quarantine series: mostly new, 2020 releases.

Black Curse, Endless Wound LP (Sepulchral Voice)

There’s a lot of repetition in metal band name imagery, but Black Curse might be one of the laziest monikers in recent memory. No matter: the band’s debut LP Endless Wound is an absolute crusher, a swirling mass of death metal bile accented by riffs that violently snap your head back and forth for you. The guitar player handles bass duties for Primitive Man, and there are definitely some similarities between the two groups, not least of which being filthy tone and gargantuan riffs (see the plodding “Lifeless Sanctum”). But Black Curse can thrash around with the ferocity of Salvation-era Funeral Mist, and hit a mid-tempo groove like peak Beherit, as on closer “Finality I Behold.” Those are some pretty big names to drop, but Black Curse more than deliver - Endless Curse feels methodical without sacrificing manic intensity. Real deal shit right here. My favorite metal album of the year so far. Ajna Offensive had some copies of the LP in stock for a split second, and I imagine they’ll get more eventually; alternatively, one can reserve a copy from Dark Descent now.

Femme, Ruderal Exotique LP (Bruit Direct Disques)

Femme’s Chroma from the tail-end of 2017 took over my turntable for a good many months in early 2018. The French duo’s short vignettes of noise rubbing up against each other in confined spaces and somehow, despite all the jarring changes in volume, comes together for a rather cathartic listen. Ruderal Exotique follows the same formula, though this time around they’re coming at you at 45 rpm. I’m not sure if Femme’s changed things up or I’m just accustomed to power drills and blaring, bassy synths now, but all the sounds within Ruderal Exotique hit some pleasure center in my brain. Even though they’re still arriving in jagged shards, cutting into each other abruptly or dropping out into silence on a whim, when the album’s on it’s like it’s plastering drywall all over this miserable time and giving me permission to do, think or say nothing. It’d be fair to say that most of us need that regularly, but perhaps now more than ever. Gorgeous and abrasive, these 15 wordless tracks have been a balm recently, but Ruderal Exotique is also one of the most captivating listens of the year. Surrender yourself and cop yet another winner from Bruit Direct Disques, who have kindly opened up a USA e-shop run by The Business Anacortes.

Primo!, Sogni LP (Upset the Rhythm/Anti-Fade)

The Melbourne four-piece Primo! captured my heart in 2016 with the release of Primo Cassetto, a compact release bristling with tension and full of wry observations and wiry guitar lines. The follow-up LP, Amici, was as svelte and dry but twice as breezy; the playing was peppier and the vocals were softened and harmonious. I liked Amici fine, but little was imprinted on my memory after several listens, except the songs that had already appeared on Primo Cassetto. The band’s latest LP, Sogni, presses the best parts of the earlier two releases together into the grooves. Amici lacked the slower tempos of certain tracks on the debut, and Sogni brings them back with great success: “Comedy Show” is a particular standout, musically and lyrically reminiscent of latter-day Terminals, and closer “Reverie” is a drumless and haunting send-off. “Machine” and “Love Days” are the band at their most confident, the sound fuller than ever without dumbing down the lyrics or losing the scrappiness that makes this band so goddamn charming. Part of the fuller sound is thanks to the flourishes of Al Monty on various instruments throughout the album, but the band’s songwriting overall is stronger, looser - several tracks on the B-side even include extended outros (”1000 Words,” “The Present”), the band so stuffed to the gills with lean guitar lines that they had to make some room for more. Overall Sogni is the best Primo! album to date, placing the band firmly in the lineage of bands like Animals + Men and Look Blue Go Purple, responsibly self-aware post-punk sharp as nails and threatening to dance. Perfect for spring. Stateside people should look to Forced Exposure for the LP - they’ve even got some of the limited orange vinyl from Upset the Rhythm coming in.

DJ Screw, Bigtyme Volume II All Screwed Up 2xLP (Sinecure Press)

Yes: DJ Screw remains a larger-than-life presence that, along with Pimp C, has transformed how I, and many others, approach and listen to rap - but mostly I just wanted to highlight how sublime the versions of UGK’s “Tell Me Something Good,” and especially Point Blank’s “After I Die,” are on here. (The very pricey Houston Rap deluxe bundle including this 2xLP is still available.)

Anhedonist / Spectral Voice, split 7″ (Dark Descent/Parasitic)

Highly anticipated split between two death-doom titans: the dearly departed Anhedonist, and Spectral Voice, the modern scene’s torchbearer. Anhedonist’s “Abject Darkness” is an unreleased track recorded sometime during their tenure. It’s good, full of the killer “augh!” moments I prize, but it seems to tread water and repeat itself. You can kinda see why such a meticulous band left this one on the cutting room floor. On the flip, Spectral Voice turn in a devastating seven minutes on “Ineffable Winds,” eschewing any ornate arrangements and instead loading up on 10-ton riffs. I was disappointed with this record at first, mostly because the Anhedonist side left me a bit cold, but it’s encouraging to have the newer material by Spectral Voice be the better half. A few copies of this 7″ are still available from Parasitic Records.

G2G, s/t 7″ (self-released)

Snarling, sarcastic garage punk from this Sydney trio (plus drum machine), so stern and pockmarked that it’s off-putting at first blush. The opening track “Animated Satisfaction” is dripping with contempt, needling guitar lines combining in nauseating fashion, and it’s one of my favorite songs of the year. Can you deny a line like “I’m itchy and particular with my time”? You cannot. The band utilizes group vocals but they’re uneven, the guitars reek of grunge, and the lyrics are biting and delivered in a taunting manner. The shambling "You Don’t Say Shit Right” gives a lesson on how to say “Nietzsche” properly, the masked melancholy resulting in the best garage rock ballad I’ve heard since the Whines’ “It’s Raining.” “Wrong Way Corrigan” is the only track I’m not super keen on, but the chorus of “I rode it like a dump truck/all the way to your house” is pretty catchy. Overall, a fantastic debut. Limited to 166 hand-numbered copies: unleash the beast.

M. Quake, Fall In Love With Yourself 7″ (Purely Physical)

Martina Quake put this 7″ out on Valentine’s Day this year, and it’s a pretty dope sentiment to drop on that holiday. I blindly threw this in an order from Low Company on the strength of the title alone, and I haven’t been disappointed. The A-side features snippets from an interview with Eartha Kitt, while gauzy, swirling synths play underneath her arguments against self-compromise in relationships. It’s a fine appetizer for the B-side “Dub,” those same woozy synth samples brought to the fore and getting drunk on themselves, the track transformed from instructive to indulgent, decadent. The beat never locks, both sides remaining off-kilter but lush. A mysterious and powerful little record, one I keep returning to as a sort of palette cleanser, or night cap. The 7″ is readily available in Europe from Boomkat and various other retailers; not sure if ordering from Forced Exposure will net you a copy, though.

The Native Cats, Two Creation Myths 7″ (Rough Skies)

It’s true that the Native Cats are my favorite modern band, so my bias is going to be evident, but their last two 7″ records on Rough Skies, Spiro Scratch and now Two Creation Myths, have been nothing short of brilliant. “Run With the Roses” is the best Native Cats song to date, and will almost definitely stand as the best song of the year. Chloe Escott is in fighting form, sneering and powerful, then vulnerable, then resplendent. The track is startling in its starkness, buoyed by Julian Teakle’s bass and peppered with some of Escott’s electronics, staring you down and refusing to flinch. Oof, what a dominating, masterful track; gives me chills every time. The flip is “Sanremo,” a lush ballad that the Native Cats excel at creating, akin to “C of O” and “Cowboy Builder” but bolstered by Escott’s self-assured vocal performance, theatrical without a whiff of the maudlin. Lulu’s recently reviewed the record, and I think they said it best: 

“Few bands releases feel quite as consistently considered as those of The Native Cats. Never a second wasted, nor element unslaved over, their voice is one of the most unique, engaging, and resolute of the contemporary Australian underground.”

You’re gonna need Two Creation Myths. It’s limited to 300 copies - buy it, along with everything else available, from Rough Skies.

[aquilamage]

guess! who! wrote! fic!

So this is a random snippet of a ‘scene’ I had floating around in my head and really liked, so wrote it out. It’s an au in a scenario where some events congruent to canon happened, but I haven’t thought out every little detail. Basically they’re all late teens and grew up in the same area.

will end up being posted on my actual fic sites when I give it another lookthrough and a title, but I’m pretty happy with this as is so:

“So, are you finally going to tell me what it is we’re doing on the side of the road in the middle of the woods, at dusk?”

           Kay’s hair whirled around her as she turned, the brightness of her grin barely visible as a flash of a reflection of the fading light. “We’re enacting a sacred tradition, and since we’re friends now, it only seemed fair to invite you along.”

           “And I am all for bonding, but could it not be a bit less…this?” Klavier spread his arms out to encompass the expanse of trees, the mud they were definitely already tracking around, the background of insect noises which had only just begun in full force.

           “I told you to wear sturdy shoes.” She shrugged, stomping one of her heavy boots on the edge of the asphalt in emphasis.

           He had, or at least an older pair of sneakers that he had decided we alright potentially being ruined when they had told him to be ready for an “excursion”. But that wasn’t really the point. The point was that whatever this was supposed to be, it seemed to him that it could at least have happened under slightly less suspicious circumstances. A small grin, and then, “you aren’t planning on hazing me, are you?”

           Kay gasped, a hand clutching the fabric of her shirt, although her eyes held the same warmth as before. “Of course not. Right?” Gaze shooting to a spot behind him, she winked.

           “Yeah. Hazing would suggest that our friendship is congru- contingent on you doing this. Which it isn’t.” Shoving his hands into the pocket of his hoodie, Sebastian kicked at some loose stones. “You can leave if you want. We just thought you might enjoy being a part of it.” Shaking his head to move his bangs out of his face, he added, “It’s getting into trouble, but we’re not breaking any rules or anything.”

           “Yeah,” Kay waved it off, verbally and physically as she flapped a hand through the air. “Nothing like where there’d be real consequences. Honestly, this has to be one of the least messy kinds of trouble I ever get into.” She flashed another grin before jumping from where she stood, bounding over the ditch that separated the road from the trees. Her landing was signaled by only the barest rustle of leaves, despite the mid-autumn carpet of dry ones everywhere. “Probably why my dads let me keep doing it even with the complaints.”

           “Now that hardly makes you sound reassuring, Fraulein.”

           She shrugged. “It’s only because we’re annoying people who are irritated by us merely existing. Trust me, they kind of deserve it.”

           “Very well.” Casting about for a safe spot to cross, he noticed that he was now the only one on that side. At the frown he made, the other two burst into laughter.

           “It’s not actually that far. Or so deep you can’t walk through it. Someone’s just a show-off.”

           Kay stuck her tongue out at him.

           When Sebastian did an exaggerated version of her pose, Klavier mentally shook his head and ignored them, at least for long enough to pick his way across the gap with the minimum amount of getting mud or grass on his pants as possible. At that point, he was greeted with the sight of his friends trading increasingly obnoxious faces. He looked between the two of them. Seeing this type of childishly familiar interaction still continued to confound him; he had known Sebastian, albeit not that well until recently, for several years, so he knew that Kay had only met him a little under a year ago. And even with that, he still had to occasionally remind himself that they weren’t actually fraternal siblings.

He stood there watching them for a bit. But quickly realizing that they weren’t responding to his mere presence, he stepped between them, breaking the line of sight. “So, where to now?” He gave one of his dazzling smiles.

           Kay was the first to recover. “This way.” She gave a sweep of the arm, bowing deeply.

           There followed a good ten minutes of tromping through the woods until Sebastian called them to a halt, switching off the flashlights they had brought. Ahead, the trees quickly thinned out into a clearing.

           Poking his head forward in the space between the other two, Klavier stared out into the darkness. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out a sizeable expanse of land that gave way to the back side of a massive house. Other than a few windows, the main source of illumination came from a light attached to the roof that was pointed mostly towards the far-left side. While it almost cast more shadows than anything else, it seemed to show that the main portion of the back yard was covered in a network of gardens and some combination of benches and or statues.

           “Is that a waterfall?” Klavier pointed at the edge of the pool of light, where a sizeable pond sat, the surface disturbed by a cascade of water coming from a hill to one shore.

           Kay snorted. “I know, right? You’re not even allowed to swim in there. It’s reserved for ‘spiritual cleansing’ and ‘meditation training’ and junk like that.” She made finger quotes as she spoke, rolling her eyes.

           “The head of household is super stuffy, if you’d believe it.”

           “Never would have guessed,” he drawled as he scanned the area for anything he might have missed. “And we are here for what, exactly?”

           At this, Kay brightened even more, were it possible. “We,” she placed her hands on her hips, legs firmly planted, “are on a mission.” Her voice dropped lower than it usually was. “A rescue mission. Within the walls of this manor lives the grandest princess in all the land, condemned to waste her life away, alone, by those who have cruelly imprisoned her. But!” Stepping sideways and dramatically throwing out an arm to point in the direction of the house, she gave a smirk. “No longer! For the Great Thief has come to steal this lovely maiden away, flying off without a trace into the dark sky of the evening!”

           “…We’re sneaking her girlfriend out of the house to visit for the weekend,” Sebastian supplied, barely concealing a grin at Klavier’s bemusement.

           Kay wilted. “Seb, no.” She crossed her arms, settling her weight more on her back leg as she regarded him. “The Great Thief has recruited a pair of bards to assist her on this most perilous mission, to share in the glory and sing in her accolades, and this is the thanks they give her? Such betrayal.” Clutching at her heart with both hands, she fell to her knees in a mock expression of agony.

           Now standing over her as she literally sprawled out on the ground, Klavier spared Kay a glance longer before he turned to Sebastian. He raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t enjoy this? It seems like fun enough.”

           He shrugged, staring off into the distance. “Oh, I do. I just don’t need a fantasy version to make it interesting” The biggest mischievous grin Klavier had seen bloomed on his face. “Even though her mother is completely fine with her being with us, it’s just because her aunt’s technically in charge when she’s gone and doesn’t like us. I mean, she almost never cares about what Maya does otherwise; she gets so upset about this specifically though, it’s great.”

           Klavier didn’t notice that he had been staring for a moment, until Kay, who had sprung back up, clapped him on the back and motioned for them to follow her. He was glad to have the guidance, since even in the light there was, they had to keep their gaze down to avoid stepping off the stone pathways and tripping over something or another. Finally, they stopped behind a larger bush situated just next to the house itself.

Kay pointed at a second-floor window just to the side of where they stood. “That’s our target. See the bench over there? We drag that over and you guys give me a boost from there. I climb in the window, retrieve the lady, and off we go. Ready?”

Despite its heavy appearance, the bench moved with relatively little fuss by the three of them, although they did have to take care not to scrape it against any of the stepping stones embedded in the grass. Once it was positioned below the window, Kay directed the boys to step up before climbing up in the middle.

“So,” she said, seemingly unfazed by being practically squashed between the two of them, “if you can just get me up high enough to reach that ledge thingy, I’ll fly up the rest of the way! Stay out of sight until I get back, and we’ll be out in no time.”

It took a bit of maneuvering and a last-second aversion of an accident, but finally Kay was pushing off of them. Regaining his balance after the sudden loss of weight on him, Klavier looked up to see that she was true to her word, climbing the bumpy surface with only slightly more apparent difficulty than most people would a ladder.

“A woman of many talents, ja?”

Sebastian shook his head, smiling. “Something like that. Here, help me move this back.” As they picked up the bench, he added, “She practices rock climbing a lot. And on other buildings. She climbed through my window in the middle of the night a lot after she found out I was having trouble sleeping. Mr. Edgeworth actually gave her a house key to try to get her to stop, but she still does it some of the time.”

As they returned to their initial spot by the side of the house, Klavier gave him a soft smile. “Good.” When he received a confused tilt of the head and an otherwise mostly blank expression, he added, “That she wants to help you. I-“ A hand went up to run through his hair. He suddenly wished he’d brought his sunglasses after all (which he hadn’t because it was dark out when they left and that would just be ridiculous, even for him).

“I feel bad about not being as much a friend as I should have been, in the past, and…” A sigh. “At least now you have other people too, ja?”

“I guess.” He raised his shoulders as he spoke, accompanied by a shake of the head that it seemed unclear whether he was aware of. “But there’s nothing for you to apologize for. I mean, I was, well…you know. I wouldn’t blame you guys if you never wanted anything to do with me.”

Klavier paused his instinctual motion to comfort halfway there. “May I?” he ventured. When he received a nod, he gently placed a hand over one of Sebastian’s. “Those were quite different circumstances. And nothing changes the fact that you deserve to have good people in your life.” In a lighter tone, he added, “Besides, would we be here doing this now if we didn’t want to be your friends?”

A sniffle. “I guess not, huh?” Sebastian ducked his head, but the tension in his body had lessened significantly.

Satisfied, he smiled to himself and opened his mouth to add something else, but was interrupted by a shriek.

---

           Kay pulled herself up the final few inches to be level with the window. A quick pattern of taps against the glass, and it slid open almost instantly. Climbing inside, she sat against the windowsill. “Well, I appreciate the assistance. But,” she struck a pose, staring down the standing girl in the middle of the room, “I do hope you realize you just let in a thief.”

           “You’re lost then. The exhibit area’s downstairs.”

           She flipped her scarf over her shoulder. “Oh, but I am here to steal something far more valuable than that. I am here for...your heart!”

           At this, Maya’s serious expression broke. “And that’s where you’re wrong again.” Arms crossed over her chest, she grinned. “You can’t steal what’s freely given.”

           Kay started. Stumbling forward as she tripped over her own legs, she finally made her way over the other, flushed and stuttering.

           Maya giggled. “You’re adorable,” she said, stepping up on her toes to press a kiss to Kay’s cheek.

           “Yeah, well, so are you,” she mumbled under her breath. Then, after a minute of looking around to compose herself, she added, much more audibly, “Where’s Pearly?”

           “Not coming this time. Said she had too much to work on, and Athena’s…” She trailed off as she struggled not to burst into laughter as Kay had immediately started to search for the girl, first by opening the wardrobe, and then by crawling under the bed.

           Kay dragged herself out, beaming as she stood back up and made her way over to her girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around her, tilting her chin so that her head rested on top of Maya’s. A content sigh as she melted into the embrace.

           They both probably would have stayed there for hours, quiet revelry in each other’s warmth and the way they could rest against each other so comfortably, all that time spent figuring out the exact way to hold each other so they fitted together perfectly paying off more than they could have imagined. Kay had just reached a hand up to run fingers through Maya’s hair, though, when she caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye.

           She let out a squeak, turning sharply to face what turned out to be the door, open enough of a crack to show the form of a woman frozen halfway inside.

           “Hi…sis…” Maya’s voice came out muffled. With a little effort, she extricated herself from her still-shocked girlfriend’s grasp enough so that her face wasn’t pressed into her. “What are you…”

           Mia lifted an arm to show what she had been carrying. “You left your jacket downstairs, and it would hardly be responsible of me to let you go out tonight without one.” Pushing the door shut with only the softest of clicks, she made her way over to the two of them. “I know you’re quite attached, but if I may borrow my sister for a moment.”

           Kay stared at her before realizing that she still had her arms firmly around Maya’s waist. “Right!” She released her and took a good couple of steps back, to give them space.

           Holding up the jacket, Mia nodded her head. As Maya lifted her arms, she went about the motions of sliding the jacket on over her pajamas, a warm smile appearing in her eyes. She tugged down on the edges before carefully zipping it up.

           “Sis, I’m plenty old enough to do this by myself,” she groaned, staring off at a spot on the wall.

           Giving the zipper a final tug, she chuckled. Putting a hand each on the sides of Maya’s face, she held her still long enough to kiss her forehead. “Exactly. You’re growing up so fast. It’s like yesterday you were a baby and now I’m here embarrassing you in front of your girlfriend.”

           Maya’s only response was to stick her tongue out and yank the hood of her jacket up over the top of her face.

           As if remembering her presence, she took that opportunity to levy a glance in Kay’s direction. “And I can be confident that she will take care of my baby sister, correct?”

Mia was only an inch or two taller than her sister, but her stare still made Kay feel as though she was the one having to look up to make eye contact. Her mouth seemed to have stopped working, so she settled for vigorously nodding instead.

“Good.” She fluffed up Maya’s hair with one hand. “I can handle Aunt Morgan as long as you’re back by-“

“MOTHER!”

“Aw shit,” Kay breathed, lunging for the bag that sat by the edge of the bed. “Time to go.” Sticking her head out the window, she cringed as she noticed a figure in white dashing away from the area under the window.

“Busted?” The whisper came from behind her as Maya attempted to get a view as well.

“Dahlia.”

She slapped her hands on the windowsill. “Ugh.” Wriggling her way so she was also partially out the window, she cupped her hands around her mouth. “Time to go, boys!” She tried to wave at the two as they appeared from behind a bush, but found that the spot was just a little to tight to let her actually move from how she was.

A sigh from inside the room. “You’re going to get stuck if you keep that up, and I’m not going to be able to delay them that long.” With a gentle but firm grip, Mia tugged the two of them out from the frame. “Go on,” she waved at Kay.

She gave a single nod. The bag was unceremoniously dropped out the window seconds before she began climbing out of it herself.

Mia gave her sister one last hug before making her way to the other side of the door. “Have fun, be good. Chair under the handle, I can stall easier that way.” A smile, and then she was gone.

Wasting no time in doing so, Maya dashed back to the window, under which the other three were standing. She managed to maneuver her way out and hanging off the ledge with only a little trouble, and at Kay’s signal, let herself drop down.

The landing wasn’t as comfortable as it could have been, finding herself in a tangle of limbs, mostly on Sebastian with Kay still half-hanging on to where she’d caught her legs, but nothing broken, nothing bruised. She grinned at the unfamiliar blonde half-crouched to one side of them. “Hi!”

           He simply frowned, looking over at something behind them. “Nice to meet you, Fraulein, but perhaps later? It seems we have some attention.”

There were in fact a lot of lights on in the house now, and shouts could be heard from inside.

           Kay took Maya’s hand and pulled her up, starting at a run as soon as she was on her feet. Both of them be laughing as they went, picking their way back through the maze of landscaping.

Behind them, Klavier hesitated as he scanned the grounds. The girls had retreated enough in the moments longer it had taken him to get to his feet that he couldn’t quite follow their movements, and there were so many winding paths of garden, even with the lights from inside he-

           His problem was easily solved as Sebastian skidded to a halt close enough to almost knock into him. “May I?” He held out his hand.

Klavier began to hesitantly raise his own to take it when there was a much louder exclamation. A woman appeared from the side of the house, holding up a flashlight and shouting Maya’s name, among other things that his mind wasn’t bothering to process right now, apparently.

At this point, Sebastian grabbed onto his arm and began absolutely booking it towards the trees. Practiced motions wound through the obstacles with ease even in the dark, accompanied by a pace that had them out on open grass in minutes.

It was hardly fair, Klavier thought, that even though he was barely shorter he was still being pulled along behind Sebastian a little, adrenaline being the main factor that had him keeping pace. Well, that and the little breathless laughs that he could occasionally hear over the rustle of leaves and the girls’ laughs and whoops ahead of them.

They skidded to a halt just inside the tree line. Klavier had just slid his arm out of Sebastian’s grip in time to dodge away from Kay barreling towards him.

She let out an “I���m gonna hug you ok,” so fast the words mushed together. A second’s pause right in front of him with her arms held out. When he nodded, she practically flung herself at him, the force of it lifting him off his feet. Kay went with it though, using the motion to spin Sebastian around. “That was awesome!”

“Yeah!” Maya’s volume was a little too high for comfort considering she was almost right next to Klavier, who was still trying to recover. She gave him as good a look-over as she could in the near-complete darkness. “You want burgers? I could go for a burger right now wow I am out of it right now. I’m Maya, by the way.” She held out a hand for a high-five.

“Klavier.”

Her flat hand managed to shift to a firm grip as she shook his hand when he moved to high-five her. “Nice.” Letting go, she circled behind the other two to retrieve her bag from where it had been dropped.

“Well then,” Kay, who had finally put Sebastian down, slung her arm over Klavier’s shoulder. “You have fun?”

He looked at her, grinning wildly and sweaty to the touch. Then over to Maya, dirt streaked across her face and hands (he faintly recalled seeing her stumble before). And Sebastian, looking ruffled but more importantly with another of those genuine smiles which Klavier was pretty sure he’d seen more of during this evening than ever before. They were debating about going out versus heading back to Kay’s, but exhaustion setting in kept him from really paying it much mind. He took a breath, his heartbeat only just settling down from something he could actively feel and the fall chill starting to register again.

“Ja,” He turned back to Kay, a mirror of her smile blooming on his own face. “I did.”

[blueskyscribe]

On them question thingies: DFUV. D is for LiGH. On a side note, I was rereading the most recent couple chapters of LiGH last night and caught Knock Out referencing KO Burger, and maybe I'm just slow on the uptake for this, but... do LiGH and With a Side of Rust happen in the same universe...?

I’ve never specifically thought about it, but I would say different universes for LiGH and WaSoR.  But Knock Out set up the KO Burger chain in both of them, because it was easier to buy cosmetics than to steal them.

D: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with [insert fic]?

There is!  It can mostly be derived from the epigraphs (song quotes) at the start of each chapter, LOL.  At some point I’ll compile them and post them on Tumblr.  Back when Grooveshark was still around I also had playlists for individual characters.  RIP Grooveshark.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

“You know what I think?  I think you know you’re in deep slag if they figure out that the Autobots are like Decepticons here, and Decepticons are like Autobots.  So you waltz in here trying to convince me to back up your crazy story—”

“Listen, Autobot!” Knock Out shot to his feet so fast he almost knocked over the chair.  " I don’t have to be doing this!  I don’t have to be sneaking around in the dead of night trying to coordinate with you, trying to come up with something to save our chassis—"

“To save YOUR chassis!”

“To save OUR CHASSIS.” He gripped the side of the berth, the railing chained to his arm clanging against it.  "And you know what?  YOU’RE the one in deep slag here!  I look like their doctor, you look like some psycho who snuffed Dreadwing!  They put a handcuff on me and tied you down like a science experiment, what does that tell you?“

“Once they talk to me, they’ll realize—”

“What, Bumblebee?  What will they realize?  That you’re ‘good on the inside’?  Please!  They don’t have a cortical patch to turn your brain inside out and they’re scared of you, understand? If Shockwave turned up on your doorstep with a different color scheme, what would you do?”

“Shut up.”

“And if he was with Cliffjumper, which would you trust?”

“The truth hurts, doesn’t it, Bumblebee?” His fingers creaked with pressure as they gripped the berth.  "And the truth is I’m your best shot at freedom here.  And, Primus help me, I vouched for you, you ungrateful little wretch.  'Oh, Bumblebee, he’s harmless.’  'Not a real Autobot like Smokescreen.’  'No, I’ve never been afraid of him, he’s very sedate.’  I didn’t have to stick my neck out for you!  I could just as easily have said what they expected to hear!“

"Then why didn’t you?” Bumblebee shot back.  "Out of the kindness of your spark?  Oh wait, I know, it’s because I’m an ASSET, to keep in reserve until you need to push me into the line of fire!“

Knock Out straightened, his optics burning.

"That’s right, Autobot. You ARE just an asset to me.  Something to help me get home.  And, guess what? I’m an asset to you, too.”

—

Why I like this:

First, very basic reason: I love writing arguments.  I’m very non-confrontational in real life, so I find it cathartic, I guess.  This one in particular is intense.  They are both scared, trapped.  Everything is strange.  They hate each other, but … at least they are familiar to each other.  Knock Out is too much of a pragmatist to shun a potential ally based on a little thing like faction, and Bumblebee is horrified to discover that he is too.

I also like that this is secretly the first kind thing that Knock Out does for Bumblebee (and the first he’s done for anyone since Breakdown died). As Knock Out says, he could have told the SG ‘Cons any story about Bumblebee.  The reason he played up Bumblebee as harmless and nice is that he knows Bumblebee tried to help him when he was bleeding out and–although he would never admit it–he is trying to return the favor.

That’s why the full scene ends with Knock Out returning Bumblebee’s flask, which Bee gave him to keep him from going offline.  A gesture of karma.

U: Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

@lizwuzthere [AO3 link] - I particularly enjoy her alternate timeline TFP fics!  Great character interaction, great dialogue, and logical progression of events.  Like, her fics aren’t just “Knock Out defected, so here is the rest of the season exactly like it was on the show, except with Knock Out on the Autobot side.”  Instead, his defection changes the dynamics of both factions and the events that follow.

@greyliliy [AO3 link] - Not only is she great to brainstorm with / bounce ideas off of, but her fics routinely make me cry.  She’s made me a Dreadwing/Yellowjacket shipper, which I never saw coming but now they are perfect and tragic.  *whispers* You monster.

@albawrites [AO3 link] This Scavengers fic is the best I’ve ever read.  Just amazing.  Especially Spinister’s characterization.

V: If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

This is a boring answer, but I don’t think I would!  I love reading fics, all kinds of fics.  But when it comes to writing, I like to do my own thing in my own universe.  (I mean, with Transformers it’s not exactly ‘my own’ universe, but it’s still a universe where all my headcanons, backstories, etc, are in place.)

[lovelyparanormalbooks]

Book Blitz: Grand Finale: The Alaskan Catch by Beth Carpenter (Giveaway)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Book Tour Grand Finale for

The Alaskan Catch

By Beth Carpenter

We hope you enjoyed the tour and getting a taste of Alaska! If you missed any

of the stops you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch - Author Interview

What inspired you to write THE ALASKAN CATCH? One thing I hear over and over in Alaska is, “I came for the summer and never left.” I wanted my heroine, Dana, to feel that connection, to recognize that Alaska is a place where she can become the person she wants to be. What do you hope readers take with them after they’ve read it? As Sam tells Dana, “You can paddle your own boat or you can throw up your hands and let the current carry you wherever it will.” Find your river and keep on paddling.

Brooke Blogs - Excerpt

“I don’t feel sorry for you.” Dana gave a wry smile. Maybe she did feel bad for that boy whose mother deserted him, but not for the man he’d grown into. “In fact, if I’m honest, this weekend when I saw you and Ursula hug, I was a little jealous. I’d love to have someone in my life who was that glad to see me show up.”

Nicole's Book Musings - Ten Reasons to Fall in Love with Alaska

1. The Views Need I say more?

2. Summer Daylight In Anchorage on June 20th, the sun rises at 4:19am and sets at 11:40pm. In between it never gets completely dark.

Becky on Books - Review

"The Alaskan Catch is a sweet story about family, finding your own path (“paddling your own boat” as it’s put one more than once here–both figuratively and literally), and learning to put your trust in unexpected love even when it seems contrary to the plans you thought you had. Besides finding each other, Dana and Sam also find out some hard truths about their families’ histories during the course of the story, which each has to deal with in their own way. Neither is exactly on the path they thought they’d be by the end of the book, but since they’re on that new path together, it makes all the difference."

It's All About the Romance - Excerpt

“Hold it right there.” Sam blinked. He knew he was tired, but was he hallucinating? A woman wearing flowery shorts and a pink tank top stood in his living room, near the hallway. She couldn’t have been more than five-two or three, but the red gun in her hands more than made up for her petite size. Especially since the hands seemed to be shaking.

Heidi Reads... - Review

"What an adventure! I loved all the details of Dana's adventure in Alaska. There was a mystery of old family secrets, a friendship-to-romance relationship, exciting excursions, and descriptions of amazing landscapes and wildlife."

Hearts & Scribbles - Character Interview

Today, we’re talking with Dana Raynott, the heroine from THE ALASKAN CATCH. Dana, what brought you to Alaska? I came looking for my brother. When I was sixteen, he and my father argued and Chris left home. My father would never tell me what they fought about. Recently my father died, and left Chris some money in his will. I thought it was the perfect time to track him down, get a few answers, and hopefully reunite our family.

Getting Your Read On - Review

"I really enjoyed this new Harlequin Heartwarming book by Beth Carpenter! It had a bit of everything in it- adventure, mystery and romance. I loved the Alaskan setting with so much of the story taking place outdoors with the beauties of nature on full display."

underneath the covers - Even Shopping is Different

My first ever Harlequin, THE ALASKAN CATCH, takes place in my hometown of Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is a typical American city in a lot of ways, but with its own personal style. For example, we have an international airport, a small plane airport, and a float plane airport. A wayward moose can throw a real wrench into rush-hour traffic. Many of the pedestrian overpasses are specifically designed to accommodate sled dog teams. And then there’s shopping...

Rockin' Book Reviews - Review

"This book has a great story-line of friendship, mystery, forgiveness and love. I would recommend this to anyone. The kissing scenes are very modestly done. You cannot help but to fall in love with Alaska and the characters."

Lynn's Romance Enthusiasm - Review

"I’ve been a Harlequin fan since high school and I think this is a great addition to my collection. By the time you finish, you will understand why Harlequin has added to their Heartwarming series. . . . Toward the very end, Dana says something to Sam that sums things up nicely – this book was a great adventure. It also left me looking forward to reading more of this series. "

Books to Read Next - Excerpt

He frowned. Dana wasn’t helpless. In fact, two days ago, she’d threatened to shoot him. It was highly unlikely she’d come to any harm on a nice day downtown, surrounded by people. And yet here he was, worrying about her. Maybe Chris was right—Sam hadn’t been out with a woman for too long. He needed to get a grip.

Reading Is My SuperPower - Review

"The Alaskan Catch kept me grinning throughout each chapter. Sam and Dana are so sweet together, and you’ll find yourself rooting for them all along the way. Their backstories are poignant and compelling, and the more they (and we) discover the more compelling it becomes. An awesome dog, vivid supporting characters, and breathtaking kisses scenery (ok… that first kiss is pretty breathtaking too) round out the mix and may have you booking your next vacation in Alaska!"

The Bookworm Chronicles - Alaska Man

So, you want to date an Alaskan. Who wouldn’t? You’ve seen the pictures of hunky wilderness firefighters and fishermen. In Alaska, there are around a hundred and seven men for every hundred women. But women in Alaska have a saying. The odds are good, but the goods are odd.

Janice's Book Reviews - Review

"The book has some suspense and mystery to it and also adventure. Once you start the book it is hard to put down. . . . I really loved all the characters but I think Sam and Dana were my favorite. I definitely recommend this book. I have found another great author."

Thoughts of a Blonde - Review

"Beth Carpenter has earned herself a solid spot in the heart of the Harlequin Heartwarming author line-up with her debut novel in the line! It brings us secrets and despair, gorgeous countryside and the hearts of good, solid people to overcome the turmoil brought forth when lives are turned upside down with shocking revelations. The characters are down to earth, real and well developed and the plot takes us along for the ride of a sweet love story that stands the test of time and tribulation. Looking forward to seeing more from her!"

Harlie's Books - Excerpt & Review

Sam had purposely chosen not to reveal Dana’s last name yet. He wanted Ursula’s unbiased evaluation of her character first. And while he hadn’t talked to Ursula alone, it was obvious the two women clicked. It may have been when Dana offered to make the cornbread, or possibly when she complimented one of Tommy’s whirligigs, but at some point today, Dana had won Ursula over. He wondered if it would stay that way once Ursula knew her last name. "I loved how Chris, Dana and Sam’s past were intertwined. I’m not going to say anything else because it’s the crust of the book. Hats off to Ms. Carpenter for her originality. Brilliant, actually. And also, that not everything was done in Alaska. Dana still had some things to take care off back home with her new found strength. Oh yes, Dana had some growing to do in the book. It was subtle but in the end, it was well worth it."

Paulette's Papers - Six Ways to Test Your Courage in Alaska

Dana Raynott, the heroine in THE ALASKA CATCH, plays it safe. She’s always done exactly what her father asked her to do, even if it wasn’t what she wanted. But after her father’s death, she travels to Alaska to find her long-lost brother and spends time with his best friend, Sam. In this new place, with Sam by her side, she discovers reserves of courage she never knew she had. Want a challenge? Here are six ways to test your courage in Alaska...

Inside The Mind of an Avid Reader - Review

"A heartwarming novel about creating your own future and not living in the crux your family has left for you. This novel has a lot to learn about appearances not always being what they seem and just possibly our parents have learnt from something in their own past to guide them in the directions they try and push us into following. Everything in life is not as you expect it to be."

Christian Suspense Author Mary Alford - Review

"This is my first story by Beth Carpenter, but it won’t be my last. I loved the way the author wove an enticing story of romance and suspense, set in the beautiful backdrop of breathtaking Alaska. The characters were realistic and engaging. They had me cheering for them all the way to the end. I would highly recommend, The Alaskan Catch to anyone looking for a great romance."

And don't forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven't already...

The Alaskan Catch (Northern Lights #1) by Beth Carpenter Adult Contemporary Romance

Mass Market Paperback & ebook, 368 pages

August 1st 2017 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Where life's currents take you… Dana Raynott just traveled 3,600 miles to reunite with the brother who changed his name and fled to Alaska nineteen years ago. It's impossible not to be moved by this wild, breathtaking state, even if Dana's no closer to finding the answers she came here for. Her brother's best friend, Anchorage engineer Sam MacKettrick, might be able to help her. He's strong and kind—a six-foot, irresistible blend of diverse cultures. He's also haunted by a tragic family history with a startling connection to Dana's past…

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About the Author

Once upon a time ... when Beth Carpenter was a little girl, she read everything she could get her hands on, and entertained herself on the school bus by making up stories in her head. Not a lot has changed. She's still consuming books like M&Ms, and spends her days creating happily-ever-afters for her imaginary friends. She lives in Alaska and Arizona with her husband and an aggressively affectionate fifty-pound lap dog. She loves to hear from readers.

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Tour Giveaway

Taste of Alaska Prize Pack (US only), which includes:

Alaska cross-body bag

Wild Smoked Alaska Salmon for Dip

Alaska Wild Berry Company Bering Sea Salt Caramels

Gold Nugget Chocolate Chunks

Raspberry Herbal Tea

Salmon Jerky – Teriyaki and Original

Three Bears Postcard

Alaska Sourdough Starter

Moose Notecards by Alaskan Artist Vonnie Gaither

$25 Amazon Gift Card (open internationally)

Ends August 22nd

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