#OKAY IVE EDITED THIS DRAWING FOUR TIMES NOW.

[igenuinelywannagohome]

uhhhhhhhh

i shall stay amongst the shadows no longer idk man

@bumble-the-sun-bee

i drew ur guy here you go

have ur guy :)

ur guy is very super silly :D

pulling an immediate skedaddle

[risingscorchingsuns]

Hikaru’s Beetle Breathing Facts!! 🪲

HIIII it’s almost 4am and god forbid i sleep for longer than four hours at a time so im gonna infodump about Beetle Breathing!!! Ive had the forms written out since like, December, I can’t believe I haven’t posted them yet lol

I’ll add to this list as I edit and write, but for now, enjoy!! This is equal parts infodumping and fun facts about the technique 🪲

PLEASE ask if u have questions! I’m not sure if im describing this as accurately as I could, id love to ramble if you need clarification!! Feedback is also encouraged- this is mostly a first draft! If you have ideas for making the form more balanced, I’d love to hear it!! I aim for Beetle Breathing to come off as a unique adaptation of Flame and Insect Breathing meant exclusively for Karu’s abilities, but I worry it comes off as “it’s the two mashed together to be more powerful than anything else” lol

• Appearance-wise, Beetle Breathing is most similar to Serpent Breathing, actually!!! In the sense that they’re both creature-based instead of element-based, illusions of beetle anatomy and such will appear when Hikaru uses his forms, like how serpents appear when Obanai uses his. (I know the author said you can’t see the forms technically but shhhh it’s not real canon can be whatever I want)

• The general color associated with Beetle Breathing is indigo, the same as Hikaru’s blade! As well as seeing bigass bug parts, viewing Beetle Breathing also has brief flashes of indigo where Hikaru slashes. I’m not sure if I’m explaining this well, ill have to draw it lol

• Beetle Breathing is a branch of Insect Breathing, with Flame Breathing used to supplement it. For the first few months of being an official Slayer, Hikaru used Insect Breathing- it was also the form he passed Final Selection with. When Shinobu found him in the woods, the two were similar in build, so she taught him to utilize his agility for her poisons. He was… okay at it. He never quite had the grace of Shinobu- his agility was better suited for traversing forest floors and climbing trees. He tripped a lot learning Butterfly Dance. But he got the hang of it well enough to pull it off, and went into the Corps as a user of Insect Breathing. But as he became stronger physically, (especially after he started T and bulked up a bit,) it was sort of the final nail in the coffin for Hikaru’s Insect Breathing career. He was agile, sure, but he wasn’t very graceful, and also he kind of sucked at poisons. But both Shinobu and Hikaru knew there were aspects of Insect Breathing that suited him- he may have gotten stronger physically, but that didn’t mean simply switching forms altogether was the best option for him. So, thus began the development of Beetle Breathing, an offshoot of Insect Breathing!

• Formwise, Beetle Breathing uses a lot of the same movements as Insect Breathing. The main key difference is that instead of using sharp jabs to pressure points to inject poison, Beetle Breathing supplements Flame Breathing’s physical strength to replace the jabs with slashes. It’s like a dance, but instead of grace, it’s built on power and Hikaru’s determination.

• Flame Breathing’s power comes from passion, and passion comes from emotion. Beetle Breathing is similar- the strength in its strikes is derived from Flame Breathing’s inner flame technique, supplementing Hikaru’s physical strength where ordinarily it would be Shinobu’s grace. Shinobu personally requested Kyojuro to help Hikaru develop Beetle Breathing- she recognized Kyojuro was the best fit for the fighting style Hikaru was trying to develop. She did not, however, anticipate that the two would fall in love lol

• While the movements are initially based off Insect Breathing, as I mentioned Hikaru is clumsy as fuck when it comes to dancing- he’s much better suited for skittering about in the woods lol. He took Insect Breathing’s dances as a blueprint, and studied both the stances and movements of Flame Breathing, and the movements of Kani, his Kasugai Beetle ‘Crow’. Flame Breathing is more centered in your core and chest, which was helpful for Hikaru to maintain his balance when fighting, as well as utilizing the full extent of his agility.

• The only written records of Beetle Breathing are in the pocket journal Hikaru always carries- he struggles with memory due to PTSD, so he writes a lot of things down. His journal is the only physical information about Beetle Breathing’s existence, as well as detailed instructions on its history, execution and development. Kyojuro gave these instructions to Senjuro after Hikaru’s death, who transcribed them into an archive. It isn’t well-known like Flame Breathing- but it’s preserved. Hikaru’s legacy, tucked away in a corner of the Rengoku estate.

• A lot of Beetle Breathing’s physical manifestations make use of mimicry and other anti-predatory or distraction techniques used by insects. This is most notable in forms Four and Six.

• Beetle Breathing as a technique isn’t more powerful than Insect or Flame Breathing individually- it’s just better suited to Hikaru’s fighting style and physical abilities. It’s made by him, so it grows and adapts with him. He’s not suited for using Flame or Insect Breathing by themself, so he took the bits that work for him and made them into something new.

FORMS!

There are six forms of Beetle Breathing, just like the six legs of an insect. There’s a brief blurb for appearances, but it’s very unfinished and definitely not final lol. Universally, the Beetle Breathing attacks have indigo flashes in the wake of sword movements. The forms are as follows:

First Form: Mandibles’ Genesis

Execution: The user will burst forward, following with two horizontal slashes in an X shape. Usually aimed at the neck of a demon for decapitation. Could be suited for dual-wielding, but since Hikaru just uses one blade, the X motion is executed with turns of the wrist. The motion can be initiated from a low strike or a high one.

Appearance: The mandibles of a male stag beetle will manifest around the target, seemingly closing around it as the X-slash is executed.

Second Form: Mirrored Horn Strike

Execution: The user darts forward, executing an upward vertical slash brought up from a tail guard. Immediately followed by an identical downward vertical slash. Similar to Flame Breathing’s Second and Third forms, simplified for the sake of speed and accuracy. Less powerful than the Flame forms, but more versatile.

Appearance: A rhinoceros beetle is seen on the slashes, rearing up as through to strike with its horn.

Third Form: Fractured Elytra

Execution: A spinning defensive move that uses the weight of the user’s body as momentum, unleashing an arcing circular attack. The movements and power behind the strike are derived from Flame Breathing’s Blooming Flame Undulation, but the agility required for the momentum is necessary from Insect Breathing’s Dance of the Bee Sting.

Appearance: being fr with you guys on this one, I have no idea what it would look like. Maybe a flared elytra behind the user, with open beetle wings in a circle behind them? Ideas welcome!

Fourth Form: Compound Ocellus

Execution: this one is heavily inspired by the mimicry adaption of eyespots, used for distraction or dissuasion of predators. The user increases their agility using breathing, darting around the target and leaving afterimages to confuse them. The afterimages mimic the user, jabbing and slashing at the target in a cascading mirror image. The user will weaken the target with up to six strikes and jabs, before ultimately beheading them in a final blow. The six strikes and agility are derived from Insect Breathing’s Butterfly Dance: Caprice.

Appearance: Fairly self-explanatory, leaves afterimages of the user that mimic their movements for a short time before fading. (Think kind of like Killua’s technique Rhythm Echo, if you’re familiar with HxH!) Additionally, I’d imagine the target would see eyespots in their peripheral vision, similar to that of the eyed click beetle.

Fifth Form: Catalyst Armor

Execution: The user utilizes their breathing to circulate blood flow more efficiently, thickening their skin and heightening their reflexes. This serves for both a faster recovery and reaction time, as well as making it more difficult to be seriously injured. This form is best utilized in tandem with other forms, but doing so is incredibly difficult due to the immense amount of focus required to maintain the armor.

Appearance: A sort of transparent shimmer appears around the user like an aura, like the iridescence of a beetle shell.

Sixth Form: Kaleidoscopic Swarm

Execution: The user ricochets off of nearby surroundings in faster and faster succession, darting in to deliver fierce, powerful slashes that stack up in damage the longer the form is used. Can be used to weaken powerful demons, take out large numbers of weaker ones, or as a distraction technique. Difficult to maintain, but devastating if used effectively.

Appearance: Again, I’m not really sure how this would work in terms of appearance, but I’d imagine the movements are hexagonal in nature, leaving afterimages of kaleidoscopes that get more confusing for the target the longer the form is used. I have no idea if this makes sense lol

oops i accidentally spent two hours writing this. back to bed with me enjoy your karu lore!!!!! :D

[choctalksalot]

compilation of homestuck design things i love with all my heart that no one asked for

[warning: i live up to my username.]

okay? okay here

dirk with a hairband. i just love it it invokes an Emotion in me that can only be described with [:

dirk with a neck scar. any significant death that leaves scarring, these are my d-smp days talking but im just a big fan of the significance of death, i like the idea that any revival that isn't automatically settled by the T1CK T0CK has scarring/medical issues that come along with it. does this mean i hc karkat with organ problems? maaaayyyybeeeeee

any rose hairstyle. any. all the different ways people interpret Mspaint Shape bring me joy but rose's is literally Sircul and people get so many nifty styles from it... gah!!

jegbert with rollerblades my beloved. when did that even come from?? i don't care it's so silly i love it....though personally i prefer

jegbert with a SKATEBOARD. GOD I LOVE SKATEBOARDS. i want the beta crew to go to a skatepark together and i want john on a skateboard i want them All on skateboards

bonus: jegbert on a skateboard in skates. nobody survives.

ANYBODY WHO INCORPORATES DAVE'S CANONICALLY BIG BABYGIRL EYES AND THICK LASHES. I LOVE YOU.

there's a specific kind of jade glasses i adore... like. like canon jade has O-O and i love it i do but occasionally i see people stretch them just a liiiittle bit to 0-0 and it captures my heart in one fell swoop

Matching Accessories between anyone ever. personal fave is dirkjake armbands/bracelets (ive seen it from four people and every time it makes me giddy smile a little) and meowrails hairclips (equius with a cat, nepeta with a horse)

jade with white hair streaks... <3

JADE WITH A LOT OF WHITE HAIR ACTUALLY. i draw her this way, the bottom layer of her hair? all white. i saw a drawing of jade with all white hair once. i lost it before i could reblog. the bruise it left on my soul

more jade hair joy: undercut. post-doggie jade has more hair than she knows what to do with and she had to get rid of some of it!! also undercut just [swoon]

i friggin. adore. when anyone incorporates the kids' card suits into their designs. are you kidding me. yes. y e s.

roxy with a heart shaped ahoge <333

kanaya with glowing blood. this is specific to me. i think the thing that makes her glow is her blood. i have drawn diagrams

dave with hair similar to roxy's...

addendum to that - rose with hair similar to dirk's

jane in band tshirts. i just. wuegh

the more bird your davesprite is the more shiny rocks i leave on your windowsill

jake english covered in bandaids. i'm fond of bandaids on anyone but i like to imagine grandma english had boxes and boxes of colourful themed plasters that she would tack on jake's scrapes and cuts, and he's a little kid living in the jungle he'd get a lot of them!! he never stopped using them. carry every piece of her as far as it will follow him

that's 20 i can name off the top of my head. i love them so much. kissing them all on the forehead heart emoji thanks for surviving my mindless rambles

an edit: 19, not 20. one of them got halfway backspaced and i don't remember the contents of them so i have to live with the mystery forever now ig

[ask-zeito-blog]

✎ winks

big sexy

[ellovett]

list of people that made this year pretty neat :)

Hi all

Ok so 2020's almost ending (it just ended i started writing this post like....5 days ago??) and i just wanted to do this thing where i have a message towards everyone who supported me/who i think are just very cool and very epic, i only really got into the twst fandom just at the beginning of the year and im just gonna get straight to the point now messages are under the cut :)

@permanentlyexhaustedowl - AYAAAA ;;;;; bro you're literally one of my first long time friends here in the twst community and i just want to thank you for everything, our convos in either public servers or in pms, your love and support for my content,,or whenever i vent to you,,,,,just- your love and support man i appreciate it so much and i cannot thank you enough, you're just so sweet and caring and supportive and friendly just aghhhhhh ;;;;; even your reblogs make me smile uncontrollably and i explode, also all the brainrots i have about my interests ;;; thanks for listening to all of them,,even tho you really didnt have to ;;;;;; I love how we make our twst ocs interact and the little brainrots we have with them ;;; You've helped me so so so much and in so many ways, I am beyond glad that we're bestfriends, you're one of the nicest most caring people ive ever met and i love you so so so much, beyond belief ;; 💕 pls never stop being you?????? You quacking amazing person??????? 😎🤙💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕

@shoujoqueensstuff - AYYYY SHOUJOOOO!!! 😎🤙🤙 hhhh you're also one of the first people ive ever had a long time friendship with here in the twst community, and seriously bitch i love you so much ;;; so so much..i cant go a day without talking to you about literally anything and just vibing, the support and love you've given me over these months is insane i cannot thank you enough for that, all of our rps, convos or just pure brainrot have been so much fun, and i fucking love it that we built our own little world outside of canon,,all the aus we built with our ocs???? I love them. I love them all to death, including your amazing ocs, and even tho we live on literally opposite sides of the world you're always there for me whenever i vent or when im feeling extremely down or insecure ;; ,,im just so so so happy and glad that i met you and that we're bestfriends, i care about you so so so so so much- hhhh i cant put it into words my brain is dying i just- i LOVE YOU BIITCH, I AINT NEVER GONNA STOP LOVING YOU, BITCH.😎💖💕💖🤙🤙💕💕💖💕 TAKE MY LOVE BITCH 💕💕💕💕💕 thank you so much for sticking around ;; i love you and support you in everything you do so much I could never ever thank you enough for the friendship you've given me..

I can literally go forever on how much i love and appreciate the both of you, i can just scream into the void for all eternity,,but i cant put it into words anymore. You both made my year so great and so epic ;;; i love you guys so much

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Now the chaddams 😌

@thetwstwildcard - hi ma :D you're just so cool and so epic lizz ;;; i cant- all of our conversations and brainrots have been super fun and i enjoy your company very much;;; you are just so nice and friendly,, and your ocs (especially staff ocs) are god tier amazing, i will love the nrc mom squad to death. I am honored to be ur child and i love you and father claude (and my four (?) other dads you married) very much 💕💕💕

@alpyssketch - bringer of father claude,,,,i owe you my life alpy,,,,,,but no seriously you're also a very epic person and you're honestly so nice and sweet!!! You never fail to make me feel welcome in any conversation and you're just so damn friendly!!! We may not talk that often but I very much enjoy your company ;;; ily!!! 💖💖💖

@multi-ankin - another very cool and epic person!!!! you're very fun to talk to and you're also pretty funny in the vc fjfjfj, your ocs are all so amazing too! (djdjjd although my staff oc bias makes me go for kas) we should totally talk and make our ocs interact more in the future tho!!!!!! 💖💖

@just-patchy - pATCHYYY!!!! :D hi!!!! you're also a very cool person!! our interactions have been so much fun and i hope we can have more in the future ;;; the ideas you have for your ocs and how you put them into writing is so good!!! like really good!!! And your art has been greatly improving too!!! Never ever think that i dont see you as a friend because i do!! 😤😤💖💖 i care about you bro!! Never forget that!!

@bakujho - :D hi jho!! you're a lot of fun! And I THINK YOU ARE SO DAMN COOL AND BADASS it's unbelievable,,i look up to you jho i wish i could be almost as cool as you when i grow up ;;; the things you've done for this fandom are also very admirable! like the whole gravedigging (jellyfish) situation! But we're not gonna talk about it now- hhhhh you're just so epic jho ;;; seriously 💗💗

@Kurui - hhhhh you're probably not gonna see this ;;; and i cant find your tumblr (if any of the other chaddams could possibly show this to her thatd be so great ;;;) but nonetheless i still think you're just so fun and cursed ;;; and you give so many amazing ideas!!! Your ocs are all also so cool too! Your art is just so detailed you clearly put a lot of thought into them i just admire that sm ;; (also your edits are extremely cursed and epic i love them dearly-)

@twst-the-royals - JULIE :))) HELLO,,,you were actually the first ever person i spoke/interacted with in the fandom! And you were just so nice and friendly and patient with me ;;; im glad that i got to talk to you,,and we dont really talk that much now but pls pls PLEASE know that i care about you so much and that i support you in everything you do ;;; 💖💖💗💖 ill do my best to make you proud!!

@girl-in-the-tower - hey Az!!! ;;;; you're so epic and cool,,honestly i admire you so much, the lore/writing you have for your ocs/fanschools are just so well thought out and so well written ;;; i hope to become a better writer like you in the future, but for now ill just take notes and learn from you ;; you're super encouraging and supportive too!!! I know we dont talk much but i could never thank you enough for all those little yet meaningful moments ;;; 💖💖

@rikanoctrix and @mirrored-pomefiore - hi!!! i know we arent that close but just know that you two are huge inspirations for me when it comes to art, the both of you draw your styles so incredibly well and i admire that so so so much ;;; 💖

@ocean-water-tea - FATHER TEAAAAA QAQ okay so first of all,,,,how can you draw so well using ibispaint, i ask for tips, specifically on how to draw hair and tits 🤲 but seriously though you are so fun to talk to!!! So cursed!!! So ☊⊑⏃⍜⏁⟟☊!!! You encourage me to my true cryptid self (despite aya's protests 👀) and i thank you kindly,,,you are also very funny 😌 a funny little clown simp, and you're super friendly and cheerful too! I almost never feel nervous when reaching out to you ;;; I hope we can have more wacky adventures in the future 💖💖

@zonamemoryverse - HEYYY ZONAAA!!! you're a fairly new person and you've already come so far ;;; you're a very chaotic person to talk to and i enjoy all of our conversations!!! Also our interactions with our ocs were super fun too, and i love hearing any shred of content i can get from ur epic ocs,,,dont stop being epic!!! 💖💖

@namelessfish - Hi fish!!! :DD you've been a very supportive friend to me over these past few months,,and im happy i have someone i can relate my not-so-great experiences with ;;; please know that i care about you dearly and that ily ;; 💖💖💖💖

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@wondersbeyondcompare - JFFJJF BRO DONT THINK I DONT SEE YOU WHENEVER YOU REBLOG MY CRINGY ASS POSTS 👁👁 I SEE THEM AND I CHERISH THEM ALL I REREAD THEM ON SAD DAYS. All the little tags and comments you put on them always make me smile so hard ;;; im just very happy to know that you like whatever the hell im doing and it pushes me to do more!! You're incredibly sweet, dont worry!!! Ill be sure to make you proud!!!! 😭💖💖💖

@circuscarnage - Anna!!!! We dont talk that often but whenever we do it's always so much fun ;;; you're so sweet and i appreciate you so much ;; all the stuff you drew for my ocs are all so incredibly cute and i really have to give back- jUST YOU WAIT ANNA. IM GONNA MAKE FANART OF YOUR LOVELY OCS AND YOU CANT STOP ME- 💖💖💖💖

@twistedapple - hi crow!! :DD again we dont really talk that much but i support you greatly in everything you do!!! You're another epic and cool writer ;;; your writings for your ocs are just sooooo well written and are just so good!! You're also super good at art too!! And i hope to see more from you in the future!!! ;;; 💖💖💖💖

@not-twst-enough - Ellie!!!! ;;; bro you've been supporting me from the very start, from lillet's old ass bio to now, and i very much appreciate it!!!! You're also super friendly in the twst server too ;;; and all the content you have for your ocs is just so exciting! Good luck with the fandorm and all future stuff ;;; ily!!!! 💖💖💖

@fumikomiyasaki - FUMI. DONT THINK I DIDNT FORGET YOU DKDKDK,,,Another cool and amazing person!!! All our brainrots and conversations have been really fun ;;;; thank u for that,, You are very fun person to interact ocs with tho!!! Especially with ships!! MadScientist² will forever hold a place in my heart.,,,💖💖💖

@oiseaunoir11 - hey Al!! :) you were one of the many people i admired and looked up to when i first joined the fandom, your art is something im deeply inspired by and your shitposts at like...4 am in the morning always give me the big funny,,one thing i really admire about ur art tho is how you'd draw backgrounds :0 you've gotten so good at them!! And your poses look super natural and effortless, i hope to be almost of a better artist like you 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♂️ also i cant wait to see ur animatics 👀 they look dope- hope we can talk or maybe even interact ocs more! 💖💖

@leonasbitties - luuuu :))) hiiii,,,we dont usually talk on servers that often but that doesnt mean that i dont consider you as a friend! You have a lot of super cool ideas for ocs and your art is just getting better and better and better with each piece!!!! i look forward to seeing more from you ;;; 💖💖💖

@peteza-mozzarella - PETEEE :DDD another very cool and friendly person, you're literally the sweetest person ive ever talked to and i love our little chats!!! Hhhh you're just super nice and your ocs are super cute,,please never stop being you you epic bean ;;;; 💖💖💖💖

@the27th - Hi Andhra!!!!! You've been quite the long time mutual,,and your reblogs always make my day ;;; you're just so sweet and kind and i always feel at ease when talking to you, the hunger games sessions you host are always super fun even though im often asleep to even participate 😂 thank you sm for the love and support ;;; ill be sure to give them all back to you 💖💖 starting now 💗💗💗💗💗

@mamushroomoracorn - MAMUSH :DD we've only really started talking recently but you're just so nice and friendly ;;;; all of our talks have been so wholesome and great and im so happy about that, and your art is really really really good!! Ur art style is just so unique and so cool!!! ;;;; and dw mamush,, ill show the froggies like i promised soon 😔💖💖💖

@rookvonhunt - HEYYYY 👉😎👉 hi hello i would die for your ocs. If theyd ask me to perish then i will 200%,,ur so epic and cool and all of your ocs are just god-tier, i cant wait for what else you have to offer!!!! 💖💖

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@lawlessofdusk - lawless ;;;; aaaaa honestly you're just so kind and sweet, i couldnt thank you enough for all the love and support you've given me!!! And i desperately need more content of ur ocs bc they're all so cool and interesting 😤😤😤💖💖💖 i hope to talk to you more soon!!!!

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Fkfjfjfj i think that's all!! Id like to thank you all for sticking around with me with my first year in the fandom ;;; you guys make all the bullshit and drama here worth it 💖💖💖

If i forgot to include you in here then PLEASE DM ME I AM SO SORRY-!!!! I dont want to leave anyone behind!!! So please feel free to confront me about it ;;; happy new year everyone!!!!

[four-loose-screws]

Fire Emblem 10 Drama CD Translation - Complete and Edited!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations - Ko-fi

Hey everyone, I was lucky enough to be given a written script for this entire CD and some advice on mistranslations, so be sure to check this post out, even if you read my original posts for this CD!

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Introduction

*Opens with sounds of combat: grunts, yells, weapons clashing, etc., w/ focus on Ike’s voice.*

Daein Soldier: Gaaaah!

Ike: Haaaa!

Soren: Haaa!

Ike: Hi-yaaaah!

Daein Soldier: Retreat!

Soren: After them!

*sounds of retreating Daein soldiers’ footsteps*

Ike: *walks towards Micaiah* You are... the Priestess of Dawn.

Micaiah: And you are General Ike, yes? Sothe told me about you.

Ike: You are important to him, so I do not want to fight.

Micaiah: And you took care of him, so I feel the same way. However…

Ike: Daein has no intention of withdrawing.

Micaiah: No.

Ike: Then… *unsheathes sword* We have no choice but to fight.

*sounds of combat gradually become louder once more, then fade into music*

Ike’s voice: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Drama CD: 

Ike & Micaiah’s voices: Clash of Heroic Ideals! 

(T/N: a more literal translation of the title: “The Unshakeable Ideals of the Rival Leaders")

Scene I

*sounds of general army camp activity: people talking, weapons clashing in sparring matches, etc.*

Soren: The Laguz troops had very high morale.

Ike: Yeah. They believe in Ranulf’s words.

Soren: I think he’s changed a bit from before, too.

Ike: *laughs* Oh, Skrimir? Do you still hate him?

Soren: Of course I do. He’s the type that I’m worst with. He thinks that battle is won by strength alone.

Ike: Don’t say that! He’s a candidate for the next king of Gallia. And King Caineghis decided to make him the general of their army, right?

Soren: *chuckles* You talk as if you’ve become his father.

Ike: Ah…? Hey, of course I haven’t! But you are one to laugh at something like that.

Soren: Ike, you’re becoming more and more like Commander Greil.

Ike: So even you’ve said that now. The people we’ve reunited with from three years ago have been telling me the same thing. Jeez… Every last one of them...

Soren: I’m just fondly watching over you as you grow.

Ike: Hey! Now you’re the one acting like you’ve become a father!

Soren: Someday… you might understand what that means.

Ike: Hm? *turns closer towards Soren* What did you just say?

Soren: Nothing. But there’s one more reason why a frontal attack is dangerous. As I mentioned earlier, I’m concerned about Daein’s movements.

Ike: Of course... However you look at it, our army is more powerful. Is the empire forcing them to fight, like you said?

Titania: *walks up* Hey you two, we’re going to get ready to deploy now.

Ike: Titania! Okay, got it.

Soren: About that, I have a suggestion based on our current situation. Ike, please tell me your thoughts about it.

Ike: Hm?

Scene II

*sounds of general army camp activity: people talking, weapons clashing in sparring matches, etc.*

Micaiah: *sigh*

Sothe: Can I say what you’re thinking, Micaiah?

Micaiah: Sothe?

Sothe: You’re wondering why Prince Pelleas is doing something like this... Or maybe about why he’s cooperating with the empire… Right?

Micaiah: *giggles* Shall I try to guess what you’re thinking about?

Sothe: W-What?

Micaiah: You respect Ike, commander of the Greil Mercenaries, so you don’t really want to fight him… Am I right?

Sothe: *gasps*

Micaiah: Well?

Sothe: You’re half right, half wrong. I don’t want to fight him, but if you’ve decided to, then it’s another story. I won’t waver. I’d make anyone my enemy.

Micaiah: You’re pushing yourself, aren’t you?

Sothe: I’m not! *sits down* Surely Commander Ike should understand, too. Like I said, he’s a hero who can face any enemy and fight them at full strength. So if I must risk my life and fight for you, then he wouldn’t be against that.

Micaiah: *giggles* Even in those words… I can hear your respect and affection for him.

Sothe: ...Ah!

Micaiah: *giggles* Sorry. I’m joking around. *draws closer to Sothe* Sothe… you’ve gotten much stronger.

Sothe: Of course! Even if you leave out the fact that I fought in the previous war, three years have passed. I’m not a child.

Micaiah: Mmm.... I’m really happy. With how you’ve grown...

Sothe: Micaiah…

*running footsteps start quiet, then get louder*

Daein Soldier #1: *panting* The enemy front line! They're here!

Sothe: *gasps*

Micaiah: Understood. Shall we go, too?

Sothe: Yes.

*army cheers for Micaiah*

Daein Soldier #2: The Priestess of Dawn has returned!

Daein Soldier #3: Victory will be ours!

Daein Soldier #4: Glory be to Daein!

Daein Soldier #5: The Priestess of Dawn!

Scene III

*sounds of combat can be faintly heard in the background throughout this scene* Ike: Teeeeh-reyah! *swings sword*

Daein Soldier: Gaaaaaahhhh! *collapses*

Ike: *takes a deep breath and sheaths his sword* They’re no doubt a small army… yet expertly commanded.

Sothe: *approaches Ike* Commander Ike…

Ike: Sothe… You’ve gotten taller. ...That’s right, you’re from Daein, aren’t you?

Sothe: You remembered!

Ike: Did you find who you were looking for?

Sothe: Yeah. She’s this army’s current general.

Ike: ...The Priestess of Dawn, huh?

Sothe: Her name is Micaiah. Stop calling her by that absurd alias. Commander… I… *turns around* didn’t want to reunite with you like this!

Ike: Yet… you have no intention of withdrawing, do you?

Sothe: No.

Ike: If you’re prepared to make her to continue on alone… then come at me! If you’re not ready yet, then don’t come near me. I’m not so soft that I’ll hold back on the battlefield! 

Sothe: Ah… Still, Commander… I have no choice but to fight you! Ahhhhhhhhhh! *runs forward*

*weapons clash*

Ike: You’ve gotten a little stronger! But… *weapons clash* do you really think such a light blow will hurt me!?

Sothe: Ah!

Ike: Hoooooooo!

Micaiah: *runs in* Oh guiding light… lead us forward, and destroy the obstacles standing in our way!

*light magic spell sounds*

Ike: Gah!

Sothe: Micaiah!

Micaiah: You attacked Ike… Perhaps it’s because I’ve heard so much about you from Sothe… but it doesn’t feel like we’re meeting for the first time.

Ike: I have nothing against either of you personally… You came before me as enemies. I won’t go easy on you!

Micaiah: Thank you… If you’ll do that for us, then we’ll fight our full strength as well!

Sothe: Let’s go, Micaiah! We’ll take him down together!

*wind blows*

Soren: I will be your opponent! Elwind!

*strong wind slices through the air*

Sothe: You! So you’re still by the commander’s side, like always!?

Soren: Of course. I will always be near him.

*Ike unsheathes sword*

*weapons clash, magic spells fly through the air*

Micaiah: Shine!

*Shine spell sounds*

Ike: Hiiiii-rrryaaaaah!

Micaiah: *gasps* But I hit him…

Ike: Sorry, but I don’t train like other people do. There’s no one to protect you here! This is your final chance! Retreat!

Micaiah: I… *pants, then collapses* can’t!

Sothe: *gasps* Micaiah! *runs towards her*

*teleporting woosh noises*

Black Knight: Ha! *swings weapon, then starts walking forwards*

Sothe: The Black Knight...!

Black Knight: Maiden, are you alright?

Micaiah: S-Sir Knight...

Sothe: Gah... Now! *runs*

Soren: Tch… Wait!

Sothe: *sits down* Micaiah!

Micaiah: Sothe… I-I’m sorry… I did it again...

Black Knight: It seems that she’s used too much of her power. Get her away from here.

Sothe: O-Okay. *picks up Micaiah and runs off*

Ike: Even if I try to run after them, you’ll get in my way, won’t you?

Black Knight: Of course. I was once one of Daein’s Four Riders.

Ike: So you did survive.

Black Knight: Did you really think you could kill me with the strength you had then?

Ike: Hm, did I? But I never thought that one victory could free my heart of need for vengeance that haunts it!

Black Knight: That’s good news. My armor lost it’s blessing after that fight.

Ike: Then I will defeat you again this time! *unsheathes sword*

Black Knight: Alright then… *readies sword* You may come at me!

Ike: Grrrrraaaaaaahhhhh!! *swings sword*

Scene IV

Sothe: *panting and running*

Micaiah: *gasps for air*

Sothe: We should be safe here for a moment… Micaiah… Hang in there!

Micaiah: Gah… *pants* Sothe… I… lost consciousness again?

Sothe: Yeah, you did... but there’s no enemies around here. You can rest easy.

Micaiah: No… I am a general of Daein… I can’t leave the front line...

Sothe: But because you’re a general, it’ll mean the end if you die first!

Micaiah: ...Sothe… I must… protect everyone…

Sothe: Daein is certainly my precious homeland. But it’s nothing to me compared to you! I will protect you! Even if it means I make an enemy of my country… or the world!

Micaiah: ...Sothe… Ah…

Sothe: Micaiah!! ...Have you fainted again…? Alright then, I’ll use this chance to get us away from the battlefield! *runs off*

Scene V

*sounds of combat between Ike and the Black Knight*

Black Knight: You’ve gotten stronger.

Ike: So have you. You’re even stronger than you were three years ago.

Black Knight: At that time, only my spirit and armor warped. Now, I am in my own body. Of course there would be a gap in my power.

Ike: I see… so that’s how you survived…

Daein Soldier #1: The Black Knight has appeared!

Daein Soldier #2: This is our only chance to attack the enemy general!

Soren: Ike, the enemy soldiers are gathering here!

Ike: Are you telling me to retreat!? It’s no use trying to talk me out of this! Tee-ryaaaaah! *swings weapon*

Black Knight: Haa-yaaaaaah!

*weapons clash*

Daein Soldier: Ready your bows! Shoot the enemy general!

*soldiers draw and fire arrows*

Ike: What!?

*arrows fall*

Black Knight: *raises weapon* This is the end for you...

Ike: Haaah!

*weapons clash*

Ike: *falls*

Black Knight: Prepare yourself! *raises weapon*

Soren: Ike! *runs* You’re the only person I won’t let be killed! *throws himself in front of Ike*

Black Knight: Are you trying to get yourself killed? Even if you try to risk your own life for him, you cannot change his death.

Soren: No matter what… I will protect Ike! Ike… I don’t think you remember… that we met once when we were young, but... At that time, I thought my life to be short… and that I couldn’t be saved, so I was only awaiting my death. But you saved me… one of the Branded, discriminated against by both Beorc and Laguz. That is why I will always be by your side and protect you… no matter what!

Black Knight: So you will go together with him...? That’s fine. Hmmmm! *swings sword*

Titania: *horse gallops into the scene* Haaaaaah! *swings weapon, horse stops and neighs* I won’t let you kill any more of the people precious to me!

Soren: Titania! You made it!?

Titania: Yes! We successfully hit the enemy from their weak spot! We overwhelmed them from behind, and I was able to bring reinforcements, too!

*reinforcements yell out battle cries in the distance*

Ike: Guh… Ah… *sits up* 

*sounds of combat begin in the distance* 

Ike: Did I… Ah... lose consciousness?

Soren: Ike! *kneels down* Are you okay!?

Ike: Yeah. *stands* Sorry for troubling you.

Soren: No… you could never… I...

Ike: ...Are you… crying?

Soren: Ah… no… I wouldn’t… It’s okay. I’m fine.

Ike: Alright then, let’s do this! *lifts sword* Fight with us, Titania!

Titania: Yes! This is an opportunity to show off the power of the Greil Mercenaries! *horse neighs and begins to gallop*

Black Knight: What are you planning…?

Titania: Heee-yah! *horse gallops up to Black Knight, Titania swings her weapon*

*weapons clash*

Black Knight: Gah! Female knight… Are you providing a distraction for them?!

Titania: Well, can you afford to get distracted!?

Black Knight: That is a foolish hope!

*weapons clash*

Soren: By the power of my wind magic… this brave soldier will be sent flying towards the heavens! *casts wind spell that propels Ike into the air*

Ike: Hoooooo-aaaaaaah!

Black Knight: Hm!?

Ike: This is… the end! *swings weapon*

Black Knight: Gah!? *falls over*

Soren: Yes! We did it, Ike!

Ike: *gasps for air* Yeah!

Black Knight: *rises* Tch... I see… You've gotten stronger. But I didn’t think you could have gotten this much stronger… Let’s stop here for now. I would hate to end our fight in one go.

Ike: I feel the same. You can challenge me any time. Whatever the circumstances, I’d accept a fight against you!

Black Knight: *steps towards Soren*

Soren: ...Um… What do you want with me…?

Black Knight: You are the same as I… You’ve found someone to live with. Though it will one day end in tragedy.

Soren: Ah!

Black Knight: And Micaiah… she, too, is on the same path.

Ike: I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but the Priestess of Dawn, Sothe, you, us… we are all simply living our lives to the fullest for what we believe in.

Titania: That’s right! Though we struggle with difficult trials and tragic fates, we have no choice but to continue on through our fears.

Ike: Yeah. All we can do... is continue on as we always have!

Black Knight: Is that so? Then let us meet again, *steps away* son of Gawain. *teleports away*

Scene VI

*cheering, sounds of combat*

Ike’s Army Soldier #1: We did it!

Ike’s Army Soldier #2: Victory is ours!

Ike’s Army Soldier #3: Long live General Ike!!

*hawk Laguz screeches*

Sothe: They have beasts and hawks among their reinforcements...!

Micaiah: Even the Bird Tribe of Phoenicis is here? Begnion didn’t tell us anything about that...

Sothe: We’ve been had…. Commander Ike’s army was a diversion.

Micaiah: At this rate, the number of sacrifices will only increase… Let’s retreat for now.

Sothe: The Daein soldiers will probably say that they still want to fight.

Micaiah: I can’t afford to let them die for no reason. At this time, we have no choice but to retreat.

Sothe: ...I understand. Let’s go relay the message to the entire army.

Micaiah: Hey, Sothe… That man… General Ike… He was just like you told me. Strong… noble… considerate of those around him… but also always able to calmly understand the state of the current battle. He’s everything a general should be...

Sothe: Micaiah…

Micaiah: I don’t have the strength, nor the virtues that he has… But I will protect Daein!

Sothe: Mm…

Micaiah: Sothe? Shall I try to guess what you are thinking right now?

Sothe: Oh…?

Micaiah: “I want there to come a day when Commander Ike and I can understand each other.” ...Right?

Sothe: *gasps* Th-That’s…

Micaiah: *giggles* I’m joking. But… thank you. It would be a good thing, if that day were to come…

*Music gradually gets louder and plays for about ~20 secs longer to conclude the CD. Bird chirping can be heard throughout the song.*

[comicteaparty]

July 4th-July 10th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from July 4th, 2020 to July 10th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What was an unexpected aspect of making webcomics you didn’t realize before making one yourself?

Krispy §[Ghost Junk Sickness]§

How much our comic and it's story we're going to change during the years of creation was the biggest and most jarring aspect for sure. There's scripts and thumbs that were all made before we ventured out to make GJS with paths completely different from what we initially thought we would take that have completely changed how we approach not only writing but reading webcomics too. Webcomics as a medium have the biggest connection to time, whether it be production or the consumption, they have this opportunity to exist and transform in the long hours it takes to enjoy and read them. It's honestly one of the biggest advantages imho. To see a story slowly unfold, listening to ur audience reactions, peer critiques, or new inspiration can make such a drastic and intense impact on a long form work- its both jaw dropping and humbling to be apart of!(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

For me it was the community aspect of comics. I knew a community existed on the reader side of things (comments!), but I didn't expect the creator side to be how it is! I don't know why, but for some reason I kind of always thought that all of us were sort of throwing our comics out from the void... I guess that was me looking at comics from a reader's point of view! But as soon as I started making comics, I started meeting people who made them too... and it's been incredible!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@deo I never really understood what an internet community or internet friends were until I started making a webcomic

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yeah, I had been in (and quickly decided to not be in 0_0) gaming communities, but nothing really as wonderful as what I've found through comics. Closest I had gotten other than that was comments on social media

Shizamura 🌟 O Sarilho

Community definitely one of the big things, much like Deo pointed. I was kinda expecting to have get connections through readers, but it's much more with other creators, which is super satisfying in it's own way. Also gonna second Krispy's comment about how time affects how you see your story's past and future. A lot of things changed in the past four years that made my comic change as well and having so much time to think each individual scene allows them to be much more complex and interesting than they would when I first thought them through. Having the time really helps. This also kinda touches the topic of personal change too, which affects how I write and what feels most important to focus on and that's interesting to think about as well

eliushi [Keyspace]

How long things will take, the longer the story goes on! I started out being able to complete a page in 2h but then I found more I wanted to try on each page (colours, layout, composition etc) and even wanted to extend certain scenes. With 500 pages planned, I definitely thought I’d be farther along by now, heading into AWT’s first year anniversary in a month. That being said, I’m also enjoying the ride and it’s all thanks to the great community here and making connections with other comics folks/readers. I never expected to get comments and so each one has been a treasure to read.

Desnik

An unexpected aspect of making webcomics is how much people respond to them. I figured I'd be creating into a void but I met so many people as a result of publishing my dinosaur comic

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

Ditto on the webcomic community. I didn't realize how far reaching it was to have a community that supports each other. And I've enjoyed meeting so many wonderful and creative people who raised each other up. Another thing I didn't expect, however, was how invested I got into my comic.(edited)

At first I was doing it mostly for fun. But the more I delved into it, the easier it was to get sucked into my story and want to draw it out. And as a result taking it a lot more seriously.

Desnik

yeah sometimes I miss my dinosaur comic even though I had some pretty good reasons for moving on. It was created out of desperation and evolved into something that made me feel good about myself

Haruh2 (Colony Life)

How much work and time it takes to keep a weekly update going with no backlog

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yeah same

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

For me, I didn't realize how much it would affect my life to make comics, and vice versa. In a weird way, I didn't know how interrelated the two were, or how easily life could interfere with my comic, or the inverse.

eliushi [Keyspace]

Making comics became a lifestyle for me

@Haruh2 (Colony Life) When I had no backlog I was updating every two weeks with 7 pages per update; so about 14h of work. But this is with a finished script. I am also told I work fast.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

omg

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

That's soooo much, Eli!

That's at least twice as much as I do (edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

For me, I didn't realize how much it would affect my life to make comics, and vice versa. In a weird way, I didn't know how interrelated the two were, or how easily life could interfere with my comic, or the inverse.

I hadn't realized how much I put myself into my comic! My friends who read it have all said that it's incredibly in my voice and reflects my opinions and worldviews Before I shared it with people I hadn't thought of it in that way at all

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

As an artist, I didn't expect how my comic production and mindset will change. Once I started comics, it brought out my ideas from thoughts to a physical form. I start to invest more time into it. Each project evolved through each chapter. How to balance script writing to a polished piece. I put alot of time and research in my works. It makes me glad to hear other creators do the same. I'm not the crazy artist who's wasting her time. One of the positive change was meeting other creators, how we give advice and receive praise.(edited)

eliushi [Keyspace]

The support has been amazing. It makes the work less lonely

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Fish, oh for sure! I didn't realize until recently how much my characters are all just facets of myself!

eliushi [Keyspace]

(I don’t work that quickly anymore and I’m making big changes to the format soon so it’s going to be a Transition)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I've been in school with art students who never made comics, so when I came to CTP discord, reading comic discussions. It was comforting and fun. I enjoy the cooperation our group has, helping each other.

eliushi [Keyspace]

I like to commiserate about the unique challenges comics have

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Hahaha, yeahhhhh

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I agree, it's different from illustrations. Different approach(edited)

eliushi [Keyspace]

I am perpetually balancing time spent on a panel vs how much time the reader will spend on it

Vs illustration: lemme make all the details

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Oh I agree, each panel takes longer than it takes to read it. Hence I dislike when readers call manga creators 'lazy'

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

how much time does it take to read one of my pages?

20 seconds?(edited)

haha

e.e

wait is that emoji supposed to be someone rolling their eyes??

i jsut looked it up

i might've been using it wrong this whole time

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Pacing

It's way different than in novels, and definitely came as a shock at the start

eliushi [Keyspace]

Yeah have to play to the strength of the medium. Still imagining AWT as an animated movie written from a novel, in the format of a comic

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Haha, same kinda

Haruh2 (Colony Life)

@eliushi [Keyspace] ah haha, that makes me feel better about my update habits, but thats a good goal for me to shoot for now that im learning a new way to make long comics specifically

cAPSLOCK (Tailslide)

I completely underestimated the amount of effort that would have to go into formatting, website design and maintenance, etc. If I got to do it again, a little more research beforehand probably would’ve saved me a lot of time and hassle.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I really overestimated the "if you build it they will come" aspect of webcomics lol. Like, you actually have to work to advertise your comic in order for people to read it. Nobody ever got hundreds of readers just from posting their comic onto some hosting site without doing major marketing work.(edited)

dako

yeah, I feel that

I've never really been an advertising type before my comic, im learning to just get used to it

Deo101 [Millennium]

I've not really done much advertising tbh, it makes me uncomfortable

dako

it feels kinda...embarrassing? might be too harsh of a word

i dunno

Deo101 [Millennium]

its just uncomfortable idk! i feel awkward doing it

dako

yeah, same ive done it a few times on reddit but i have to force myself

Haruh2 (Colony Life)

it does feel, odd..hell most of the time it just feels like i open the door to my house and toss a bunch of paper to the wind hoping someone can see it

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah, I dont know if ive done anything other than posting updates on twitter and talking about it in groups like this

and twitter is mostly just me talkin to people who already read it...

idk talking about my work without being asked first makes me feel like im inserting myself where im not allowed

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Self promo got MUCH less intimidating for me when I started thinking of it like: "okay, so my comic is made for readers like me, people who share my tastes. That means I only need to answer one question: what can I say to get me to check out this comic? I don't need to impress anyone else. I just need to appeal to me." (since "me" is my target audience)

Deo101 [Millennium]

mhm ^^

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

But take it with a grain of salt because I'm still not really promoing

Haruh2 (Colony Life)

exactly, thats why i find it hard to tweet about it most of the time, but i get the whole if i dont care about to talk without being asked no one else will either

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah lmao mood im like what would get me to read... hmmm... probably exactly what im doing.... I'll keep it up then :)

Haruh2 (Colony Life)

yea i get excited to draw out certain parts..but wouldnt want to just tweet about all the little tidbits of the story ruining it for others

Deo101 [Millennium]

sweats

dako

i made a whole side twitter for my comic cuz talking about it on my main intimidated me too much

it is my containment chamber

Haruh2 (Colony Life)

hm may do that, just to say i did it and to get my mind away from the thought

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

yeah same

Deo101 [Millennium]

My main is just whatever I want it to be idk. Its kinda for all my comics, since my comics are all I want to talk about

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

though my main is mostly just retweeting from my side twitter lol

Deo101 [Millennium]

it removes a lot of the pressure of like what if my followers dont wanna see this??

cause they wouldnt be here if they didnt wanna see it

cause its all Ive been doing the whole time

dako

thats a good point

i had my main way before my comic so most of my mutuals/followers dont follow for that

Haruh2 (Colony Life)

yea, it can feel abit disorienting when there is no interaction one way or another on anything you tweet (also if twitter has messed up and causes your tweets to not show up)

Deo101 [Millennium]

but yeah I dont really advertise cause it just makes me so uncomfortable >.<

dako

understandable

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

I'm kind of somewhere in between. I advertise my comic mostly because it is all I wanna talk about, like Deo. But I also don't think it's gotten me many readers. Most of my readers came as far as I can tell because I was making something that appealed to them. (The whole "if you build it, they will come" thing.) Although, I really don't have a big audience, I do have an audience, and I am certain most of them came from me just posting.

I think it's determined a lot by luck, and also, how big your niche's audience is to begin with (and some skill tbh).

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah like I think "gay sci fi" is a p big niche so ive got a big amount of people I could potentially reach

which makes it much easier to draw people in

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

I'm particularly lucky, I guess, that fantasy/romance has a lot of readers (also more competition, but...)

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah fantasy romance is a damn big one

Haruh2 (Colony Life)

eh i think im in an awkward void with my action/drama story (since im not doing romance drama)

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

I just go with the mindset: "what makes my fantasy/romance different from the rest" and go from there.

Deo101 [Millennium]

mhm

tbh I dont think my sci fi romance is doing anything special?

but im having fun so :) I dont rlly care about that hahahha

dako

having fun the most important thing

Deo101 [Millennium]

its not my goal to make somthing mindblowing ^^ truley im just here for a good time

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

I mean, LGBT+-inclusive sci-fi is pretty unique

I haven't seen a lot

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

It's clear that your characters are people, and that's special, regardless of how common/uncommon

dako

think if i didnt love my comic as much as i do id have stopped a long time ago

Deo101 [Millennium]

thats true keiiii, thank you <3

also yeah its Sad that theres not more LGBT+ sci fi cause its like youve got aliennnssssssssssssssssssss you can do whatever you waaaaaant

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

I knooowww

Deo101 [Millennium]

guess it shows what ppl want or something

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

yup

Deo101 [Millennium]

off topic

so to make it back on topic

I underestimated how much people would like gay sci fi GJKLAGJLAJLKAGJSLAKGJKL

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

One thing I learned specifically with my current comic... I did not realize how much difference the reader's cultural background would make in terms of interpreting my story.

Deo101 [Millennium]

!!!!!

I actually almost mentioned you in class once tbh keiii

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Big oversight, in retrospect

!?

Deo101 [Millennium]

saying "someone I know makes a comic which they noticed, it's interpreted completely differently just depending on cultural backgrounds" kind of a thing

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

like I would not have made the comic any different, but I would have approached the... presentation differently. Like, talk about it differently

Deo101 [Millennium]

cause we were talking about how narratives affect rt

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

I guess another thing that was unexpected about making webcomics was... there are way more people with my exact tastes than I thought

Deo101 [Millennium]

and I was saying that I think the viewer's narrative affects art more than the artists narrative

I mean, the artists narrative obviously is what makes it so.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

In the eyes of the beholder

Deo101 [Millennium]

but interpretations and all that... yeah!!!

so. actually I might have offhandedly mentioned you I cant remember if I did or not

lemme check

I did! very like "second hand" offhandedly mentioning though ahaha

hope that doesnt make you uncomfortable GSKLGSJALGJLGK no one replied to me so e.e

in the class I mean

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I am super uncomfortable and offended !!!!!

j/k

Deo101 [Millennium]

hgjkghsjkagskajgdhsakgjhgjd

but... yeah idk starting out I truly just was making it cause I really love my characters a lot, the idea that other people would like them too is very unexpected :) in a good way

I also definitely didnt expect how important enviornments were e.e

didnt plan those well enough.

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

that relatable feel

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I really desperately advertise my comic everywhere. I don't really know how to do marketing effectively though & I don't know if its working

eliushi [Keyspace]

I find what increased readership most consistently is still the feature aspect from the hosting sites. It’s really about finding the right readers/right readers finding you

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Same, I'm basically a rounding error away from being 100% reliant on the features for subs

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I don't think my comic has ever been featured on the hosting sites. My numbers have always been low on Tapas and maybe thast why

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Yeah, features help a lot

I've been featured on Webtoon, but not Tapas, and you can really see the difference in readership there

Deo101 [Millennium]

Ive been featured on both, uhh in a couple of diff places, if you wanted a breakdown of how many readers i got from the diff spots and stuff ever just lmk im happy to share

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I've been featured on both. It certainly got people to check it out and even sub, but retaining those people (even if they've subbed!!!) is a different story. I think my story is just not the right type for the platforms, but eh, even if 99% of the platform users aren't into the kinda thing I'm making, 1% increase is still an increase.

Which is another thing I learned over the course of running this comic, specifically (since the internet has changed so much after my first two attempts). Just because the majority of your subs don't actually read the comic, doesn't mean your work sucks. Today's internet caters to casual users, and there's a bajillion factors affecting who's actually reading your stuff.

dako

i agree

my comic has never been featured on either, and webtoons doesnt have a guideline on what they pick but tapas does and my comic doesnt really meet their featuring requirements so i dont think either site ever will feature mine haha

so i gotta advertise on reddit and use twitter tags a lot

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Don't go too crazy with twitter tags; they can make people zone out and not look at your tweet.

dako

i try to use 5 at the most, i know too many is unpleasant to look at haha

Jib {WIP haha}

Oh huh, my rule of thumb is to use 1-2 on twitter and as many as I can on Insta but I’m no expert lol

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Yeah, IG seems to be where you want all the tags XD

varethane

Webtoon's algorithms are like turning a hose on and off lol

The difference between views and sub growth during periods of being featured vs not is stark(edited)

carcarchu

i've never been featured by webtoons but i've seen series grow from 100 followers to 10k overnight

not an exaggeration

varethane

I put my new comic on webtoon in november 2019, and in 1 month I crawled up to.... maybe 50 subs?(granted I only put up one episode and then paused for a bit)

Then in December I started updating it weekly and got placed in the new and hot section of the app

And bam, 6k subs

It last 2 weeks and then the section updated and all growth stopped, and subs went down by 10 or so over the next week

Krispy §[Ghost Junk Sickness]§

(Omg featured is like the new Daily Deviation goals from DA way back in the day!)

varethane

Until it got another feature on a different part of the website and went up another 2k. It was like playing with the handle on a faucet lol

dako

I got some pretty good growth during canvas week, but beyond that not really

I get 1-2 subs after an update if I'm lucky

varethane

I feel like their algorithms are very reliant on the regular rotation of features that staff have to do manuallt

Outside of that, discoverability is quite weak

Mostly because of the volume of comics on there

boogeymadam

same boat as vare. the only thing i know about webtoons features is they have stated a couple times one of their recquirements is consistant updating, so if u skip a week that disqualifies u for a lil while i imagine

varethane

I wonder what they count as consistent. I was doing every 2 weeks for awhile, but this month I'm gonna try weekly to see if it helps me earn more $$ from ads :U

dako

I wish there was more incentive for readers to check out the new section on webtoons and tapas

carcarchu

i have found some amazing gems in the new section

i swear i've seen stuff in featured that were not at all updated consistently

dako

I have too, there's a ton of good comics that get overlooked because they're not in the front page

some featured comics havent updated in months sometimes

varethane

I definitely would not have considered myself consistent at the time of the first feature, considering there was a gap of a month between episode 1 and 2 lpl

carcarchu

the consistently updating thing is more of a recommendation than a requirement i feel?(edited)

boogeymadam

ooohh good to know!!

varethane

I'm sure it cant be a hard rule, especially for comics that have just launched

boogeymadam

im just going off their canvas qna's from last year

dako

if it's actually a hard rule for staff to feature comics that regularly update they break that rule a lot

i also heard a bot picks up comics too

carcarchu

well i at least think the staff or bots or whatever at webtoons are doing a better job with features than tapas is

tapas is always pushing their premium comics way more than their indie stuff

boogeymadam

tapas needs to bring new comics onto the frontpage more often than it does, yeah

dako

yeah I agree

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I mean, I get why they put premium on the front page. But I feel more variety would help them because it's more interesting for the readers?

dako

I can't tell whats premium or not with tapas sometimes

boogeymadam

i do like that they've been asking stuff like this in the forums tho

carcarchu

more distinction would be helpful to me too dako

i don't think its as clear as it could be

dako

yeah, webtoons at least it's clear what is and what isnt featured or canvas

Jib {WIP haha}

Huh, anyone remember that really popular writing podcast? I forgot the name

Or have any recommendations I guess

Moral_Gutpunch

Terrible writing advice? It's sarcastic

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

is this related to the topic?

Moral_Gutpunch

It's a podcast about writing, so I'm going to say yes.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I think snuffysam meant the weekly topic for the channel

Moral_Gutpunch

Oh

Just for this channel, no. I'm too new to know that.

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Please check #rules

Moral_Gutpunch

Sound more like someone forgot context than the rules

That's why I'm hardly here. I don't know stuff people who've been here for a long time know like podcasts or older comics(edited)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Basically each of the channels under "CTP Activities" on this server has its own topic of the week.

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

It's not a matter of being here for a long time or not. This channel is used solely for discussing the weekly topics, and such information can be found in #rules

Moral_Gutpunch

Kudos then. I came for creator babble only.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

For general webcomic creation-related advice (either seeking or giving) and such, #shop_talk usually is the place!

creator_babble is for answering the topic of the week

It's not actually for generalized "creator babble" despite the name.

dako

looks like they left

Jib {WIP haha}

Oh my bad, it’s been a while since I read the rules, I brought up the new subject

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Happens!

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

No problem, we were just reminding you all :)

Jib {WIP haha}

Ty for that then haha

dako

I think one unexpected thing for me is that no one tells you how crazy the highs and lows can be

well I guess people do but you really don't know until the highs and lows happen to you if that makes sense

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Oh God, that's so true

Burnout is way more dreadful than I could ever guess prior to experiencing it

Feather J. Fern

One unexpected thing for me was how many people I would meet because of my comic. It surprised me greatly that I found so many cool people through the comic community and made the friends I have made now. Love you all

rajmews

The unexpected thing for me was just how much you have to just...predict...what the market will want to read. Like even if you research a whole lot, and you draw really well, and have been doing art professionally, you can still strike out. It's a humbling experience, but being able to just let go of poorly received pages and move on and try things differently is a lot of the battle for doing a webcomic. It teaches you how to fail gracefully because...it's all a process of learning your readers better. Even if they're few at first.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

My major unexpected thing was how much my initial ideas change as I work through a page. Everything from the expressions, dialogue, and layout can change as I look at it and 'solve' it more closely than I did in thumbnails. There are pages I look back on and realize they are ENTIRELY different than what I had first sketched. And they're better for it. Allowing myself the freedom to edit during the artwork... it's created some majorly awesome opportunities.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yes!!!!! Me too!!!

It's exciting thoufh

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Absolutely same

Could plan something out meticulously but then change it in the last 2 secs before uploading

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yup... I don't thumbnail much ahead of where I'm at cause of this(edited)

I thumbnail a scene at a time, and then usually I end up changing stuff halfway through ahahfjjdkskdkss

varethane

Same hat, haha. I often make changes at every stage-- even the thumbnails will often depart from the script. If anything, I wish I made even more changes-- I feel like my page layouts tend to be pretty standard, I do a lot of pages with the 3 rows of 2 panels each, and I want to break out of that more. But... well, that's a work in progress.

[grandthorkiday]

Mob AU “Playthings” Part 2

[Link to mob!au anon’s “Playthings" fic tag]

[Start at Part 1]*

(*Note: Link is editable for other parts, just change the number. For mobile users, tag is “playthings part1”)

They got to the hospital as fast as traffic would allow. Val didn’t want to draw attention, knowing Grandmaster had spies everywhere including the police department. She had sent a cryptic message to her Captain, but other than that she tried to make things look as casual as possible. Bruce kept clenching and unclenching his jaw, a habit he had developed when he was trying to keep calm.

Dr. Foster met them in the lobby, nervously pacing. She shook their hands eagerly and motioned for them to follow.

“I think I messed up. I told him that I called you.”

“I thought he asked for me?”

“He did, but I guess he changed his mind. He got so agitated. He tried to rip out his IV and he started screaming at my nurse. He was going to be discharged tomorrow, but now I’m thinking about calling psych.”

“Do it, and ask for Stephen Strange. Tell him it’s for Val.”

They arrived to the hospital room several minutes later. Even from the hallway, one could here cursing and near sobbing as Loki screamed to be let go. Nine years ago, he had been a nervous kid who had politely spoke to his doctors and nurses as they tended him. Now, he screeched obscenities at everyone, violently jerking his entire body against the restraints he had been put into. His face was still littered with bruises and he had a cut on his lip he periodically worried with his tongue. His hair had grown and needed to be washed; it was starting to get a greasy sheen.

He glared at Foster as she moved to check his chart. “Fucking bitch. Let me go. I want to leave. You can’t keep me here.”

“It’s medically advisable for you to stay one more night.” She responded professionally. “You were very dehydrated when you came in here.”

“I’ll just drink more water,” he sneered at her. He tried once again to pull at his wrist restraints but nothing happened.

“Hey, Loki.” Val stepped forward.

Loki looked at her for only momentarily before turning his head away. “Go away.” His voice was flat. He struggled with his arm restraints again, but not as hard he previously had.

“After I came all this way?” She made her voice sound teasing. “Traffic was a bitch to get over here. And you did ask for me.”

[read more cut]

“Probably was drugged,” he grumbled. He shot Foster a glare. “She probably drugged me. Can I charge her with something?”

“We can discuss that later. How about we catch up first?”

“I want these things off of me.”

“We can see about that. Dr. Foster, can we get the chest restraint removed at least for now. May help calm him down.”

The doctor seemed unsure if that was wise, but she did it without complaint. Loki kept sending her daggers as she bent over him and undid the strap that went over his chest.

“We got it from here. Can we have the room?”

“I’m going to be right down the hall.”

Once she had left, Val moved one of the chairs in the room close to Loki’s left side. She waved Bruce into another close by, but not as close. The movement of the other man in the room was the first time the younger man had seen the former. He reared back like a cat, still locked into place.

“Hey, hey, relax. That’s just my new partner. Bruce Banner, this is Loki Valhalla.”

“Hey there, Loki!” Bruce said cheerfully enough.

Loki simply stared at him in suspicion.

“It’s been a few years, hasn’t it?”

No reply.

“Saw that you went to that playoff game. The one with Drax. Got pretty close to the action.”

Still no reply.

“You’ve lost some weight since then.”

“Diet.” Well, at least he said something.

“Really didn’t need it, did you?”

He shrugged, his gaze drifting to a ceiling tile.

“I almost went to your Mom’s funeral.”

That did something. Loki jerked as though he had been struck. He bit his lips as though he was concentrating extremely hard on a task.

“It was open to the public, and your sister invited me anyway. I didn’t go, though. Didn’t feel right, y'know? Showing up. Hardly knew her really.” She felt a tad guilty going down this road, but she knew she had so few options left to her. There was a large probability that at any moment that a knock could be at the door and a Sakaar lawyer would be there to whisk him away. She could get lucky and it could be Thor. Thor could possibly be persuaded into letting Loki stay longer in the hospital. At least twenty four hours. And a lot could happen in twenty four hours.

“I…I went to the funeral.” The words were spoken softly. Loki still refused to look at her, but his eyes didn’t seem present at all. “We both did. It was a lovely service. And they picked a wonderful spot for her to be buried.”

“I’ve been there. My wife’s mother is buried there. It’s very lovely.”

“She has a spot over looking the pond. She would like that.”

There was lull in the conversation, and Loki turned his face away from her. Val knew without seeing it that he was trying to hide the pain he felt. She glanced at Bruce who was just as deeply moved as she was. But he nodded all the same; they needed to make him talk.

“Y'know after I first met you, I contacted your Mother. She had been searching for you and Thor for a year and she was overjoyed to even hear you were alive.”

The younger man shook his head weakly.

“I used to call her every time I saw you after that. Just to reassure her. You remember when you asked me to tell her you were okay? I told her how you were alive and trying to look out for your brother. Y'know what she said to that? She said, ‘That’s my Loki.’”

“Please,” his voice sounded near breaking.

“You told me you needed my help all those years ago. I wanted to help you. I still want to help you. I want to help Thor.”

He took in a shaky breath that ended in a sob.

“Loki. Is Thor hurt too?”

“N-no.”

“Are you sure? It’s been two days. He hasn’t come to get you.”

“He’s in Atlantic City. All week. Big cage match.” Loki had regained some composure only to have it dashed away as he added, “I was supposed to go with him. But…” He shook his head and turned it slightly back to her, his face screwed up. “You’re going to get me in trouble.”

“No. I’m going to get you home.”

~~~~~

Hela Valhalla was one of the beautiful accomplished woman that Val had ever met. She had joined the Bar very young, became a successful prosecutor, before being almost immediately snatched up by the State Attorney. All this would make any other parent proud, but had made her father sour and virtually disown her.

“I’m not supposed to outshine him. Or Thor. He has a ‘legacy’ to keep,” the woman had said their first meeting.

The thirty five year old woman met the detective in the lobby of one of the last hotels in the city not owned or operated by En Dwi Gast. They made their way into the bar arm in arm and picked a secluded table in the back. To outside observers and any Sakaar spies, it would look like an affair, the way Hela’s hand traced Val’s and the flirtatious smile she received in return. But it was anything but that.

“How does he look?”

“Scared. Thin. Bruises everywhere. Still won’t talk. I think he’s waiting to see what will happen tomorrow when he is discharged.”

“Have you seen Thor?”

“Apparently he was taken to Atlantic City with Gast. I think this is our best opportunity. I’m going to have him be committed tomorrow.”

The playful mask Hela had slipped slightly. “Commit him?! He’s not-”

“He’s suffering, Hela. It’s been ten years. He’s not going to say everything to me or you. He needs help. And we have one of the best psychiatrists in the city ready to help him. Go tomorrow and be there with him. He’ll probably say fucked up shit, but he’s not doing it intentionally. He’s trying to get you to leave to protect himself and you. You need to reassure him. Maybe your Dad-”

Hela laughed. “Daddy won’t come! Not yet at least. He actually takes all those public appearances that bastard makes them do at face value. There was one time they were on that stupid radio show, the one they film and put online, and Gast made them describe their favorite part of fellatiating him. Loki spoke first and Daddy took it as proof. Proof that they both failed him. I keep sending articles on rape survivors, but he ignores me.”

“Then it has to be you. You have to be there for him.”

“He’s going to be so worried about Thor. They were inseparable as kids. They always looked for one another. It’s why Loki went to NYU. To be with Thor. He got accepted to nearly every college he applied, but he wanted to be with Thor. And Thor wanted him there too. To look out for him.”

Val took Hela’s hand into both of hers. “This is the best way to get both of them back. You just have to trust me.”

[fearsome-perfect-beauty-eren]

Ereri - Paintball (Christmas Edition) 🔞

AUTHORS NOTE: Merry Christmas to my great friend and mother-in-law hehe @tsukiy0~ I love you so sooooo much you have no idea!! Thank you for everything you have done for me and just being who you are. As a show of my appreciation I’ve written this fic for you because you know how much we love to make stories and scenarios of our precious Ereri. So I hope you enjoy your Christmas present just as much I did while writing it. Everyone who is also a huge ass fan of Ereri just like us two also please enjoy reading this headcanon and spread the love~

-

Levi had no idea how in the hell he got dragged into all of this but knowing Hange was the influential person behind it, in the end, it wasn't that out of the ordinary. However, that didn't mean that today was going to be an ordinary day, on the contrary. A few days prior, Hange had interrupted one of captain Levi's training with his new squad about what Levi had planned to do for his coming birthday. Such news sparked interest to his cadets about how they could help in celebrating him in one of the most beautiful and special days of the year, Christmas. At the end of the day, the elite squad spent the remaining of the day in the training grounds obsessing over the party plans with squadron leader Hange. Meanwhile, the captain had his back to the circle with a stoic expression about how unnecessary such bashfulness and plans were needed in regards to his birthday.

It was December 24th and Levi was at one of the barns; where supplies for the expeditions outside the walls were kept, in which was completely transformed into a space made for a paintball arena. Right off the bat, he noticed how all his cadets including Hange where waiting for his arrival all dressed up as Christmas inspired characters. As Levi blinked multiple times in surprise, Eren breaks from the group to hand over Levi's costume with a beaming eye smile. Already made into a blushing mess, that only Eren Yeager had such effect on him, he couldn't stand the fact about how freaking adorable Eren looked in his reindeer costume. How those little antlers complimented his dark and messy brown hair. How that jingle bell choker accentuated his defined muscular neck and prominent collar bones underneath his classic green long sleeve. How... "Heichou," Eren interrupts Levi's train of thoughts. "Everything alright? Are you ready to undress?~" Eren asks with a sly smile and deep dark eyes. "Uh? Yes, Yes. Of course, I'm fine." He looks past Eren and sees the group in the back waiting for them both with their costumes on. Armin as a snowman, Mikasa as a candy cane, Hange as a Christmas tree,  Connie as an elf,  Jean as a gingerbread man, and Sasha as a potato with Christmas lights. Levi once again blinks reassuringly and looks back at Eren wearing an innocent smile with a hand lingering onto Levi from when he gave him his costume. "The changing area is on the first door to your left," Eren states and walks back to the group in which leaves Levi to notice the cute little fluffy tail he seemed to wear as he headed back. This causes Levi to become even redder at this point and rushes over straight to the changing station to prevent the others from noticing his blushing mess.

After Levi had changed into his Santa outfit, the entire group gathers around and Jean begins to distribute an equal amount of colorful paintballs needed to play. Along with Connie passing out folded pieces of paper either numbered twenty-four or twenty-five to determine what members will be in which group. Meanwhile, Sasha helped Hange get everything sorted out and everyone else excitedly talked among themselves, Eren made his way next to Levi who sat on a haystack awaiting further instructions with his arms crossed over his chest. Levi hadn't buttoned his Santa coat all the way to the top and exposed a peak of his chiseled chest in which left Eren a bit hot and bothered. "Fuck, please ride me!" Eren commented under his breath as he nudged Levi's side and sat beside him who seemed clearly annoyed. "What did you say brat?" he asked as he looked up to him confused. "Oh nothing~" Eren added looking ahead as if concentrating on the rest of the group. "Hmm..." Levi adds in with a shy smirk with his head slightly held down to the opposite side of Eren, knowing exactly what he had said earlier.

Once everyone had their paintballs ready to be thrown at their opponents and knew their group members, Armin explained the rules to the survey corps first ever paintball game. Basically, each round would last twenty minutes in the dim light barn and the second floor could be used to attack others from above. The basic rules to the game were you get points for hitting your opponent with the homemade paintballs and one can get extra points for attacking the other team's headquarters and destroying it. Such headquarters could be identified by the green haystack castle for team twenty-four and the red haystack castle for team twenty-five. Along with final instructions on how everyone is to behave when in game mode. All the while, Levi's arms had found their way firmly around Eren's waist since he had pulled him to sit on his lap before he had to say goodbye to Eren and become rivals. Or as Levi so puts it: to protect Eren's ass from an accidentally lost needle that might potentially stab him and then have him unintentionally transform into a titan and creating a huge mess.

Armin's instructions had come to an end and everyone rose up from their seats to head to where the game would officially take place. Levi had tried to get up to join his team to talk strategy but his boyfriend had prevented him from doing so. Eren had leaned in to draw closer to Levi and rested his chin on his shoulder. "Let the best team win Levi heichou," Eren whispered in a low voice and kissed the root of his ear, making electric chills run down his spine. Levi felt him leaning in for another kiss until Mikasa called out for him. "Hey, Eren come on over here! We have to come up with a plan of attack!" Eren chuckles into his ear and then gets off of Levi's laps, extending a hand for him to join him. "Okay, okay, okay Mikasa!" Eren retorts back. The pair then walked side by side, away from the common area and head to the entrance of the proclaimed paintball arena where Mikasa is waiting for him. Mikasa then takes Eren by the arm and leads him towards their green headquarters where Hange and Jean await. "Levi heichou, we really need you, where are you?" chimes in Armin calling from where their team's base with Sasha and Connie are at.

The countdown had started and Levi's team had come up with a great plan to destroying the other team's base which rallied up more points than just hitting individual members and how to protect their own. However, the plan to attacking individual opponents was left up to each member of his team, since he trusted that by now everyone was clever to be fast enough to make strategic attacks due to the countless of confrontations everyone has had with titans. Once everyone knew their jobs and their positions they waited for Hange to finish off the countdown. Sasha then left to the upper level, Connie dashed into one direction, Levi headed for the other, and Armin stayed behind to protect their red headquarters. Within a matter of minutes, the barn was full of paint everywhere along with screams and laughter of all the scouts fighting to become the winning team and claim victory. "Yeeeeeeah! Attack!" Sasha yelled in enthusiasm which was followed by Connie's giggles. "Damn you guys! Don't you even think you can beat us!" Eren followed with his cry for freedom, not too far from the green teams' headquarters. Levi assumed he was in charge of protecting their headquarters by the sound of it and begins to make his way. He smirks and quickly shuffles through the obstacles to find cover so he wouldn't be seen by Jean on the second floor.

The twenty minutes given to play the first round had passed by surprisingly fast and paintballs were flying through the air in a zig-zag motion. Levi tried to run towards the rival team's green castle without drawing any kind of attention towards his intention of wrecking it completely during the last few minutes of the game. However, Levi suddenly had to stop in his tracks as someone had smacked their hand right above his head and against the wall, blocking him with their arm and pinned him against the wall from continuing further. He was out of breath from all the running and it took him a few seconds to recognize the familiar face in the dim light barn; Eren Yeager. He was looking as hot as ever. Sweat dripped down his neck and chest as his green sleeve shirt became a bit see through from all the sweat that had clung onto his upper body, exposing his muscular built figure. His boyfriend was panting hard but his gaze was firmly set on Levi's, giving him his ultimate undivided attention. Levi gulps from the sudden thirst and tries to hide his face from becoming flustered at Eren's heavenly sight. A half-smile rose upon his lips and states, "I haven't seen you at all throughout the game. You're so slick, babe!" he chuckles and leans down slightly closer to him. Levi could feel his hot breath hitting against his porcelain-like skin and it causes his body to shiver a bit. "Agh! I so wish we could've been partners in crime but I guess this works out just fine. Now, I just have to make sure you don't destroy our chances of winning," he joked and bit his lower lip seductively as he let his left hand slide down the wall and let it rest on Levi's hip while keeping a firm hand on Levi's right shoulder. Eren slipped his fingers under the hem on Levi's shirt and started drawing hearts on his v-line with the tips of his cold slim fingers, in which were surprisingly soft and not hard with calluses from all the years of training.

The younger male stepped closer to him so that he could press his entire body against him. Levi wrapped his arms loosely around his neck and Eren took that as permission to overpower Levi as he could him. Eren leaned in for a hungry wet kiss and Levi could taste the sweetness of the taste of wine he hadn't seen him drink before the game started as he licked the inside of Eren's mouth slowly. The intensity and passion of each and every kiss made Levi feel as if he was drunk from the lingering taste of the alcohol left on his mouth. His boyfriend played tag with Levi's tongue until Eren got tired and felt his tongue attacked, making himself surrender to Levi's dominance in which Eren loved oh so much. "Ahh heichou, mhmm~" Eren moaned out against Levi's lips in which overwhelmed Levi with an abundance of chills throughout his body and butterflies to infest his stomach. He loved the way Eren called him heichou because no other person could ever make him feel the heat, love, and thirst he had for him. Just at the say of the word 'heichou' by his other cadets didn't compare at all to the way Eren would say it. Every time he heard 'heichou' come out of the mouth's of others made him long for Eren to rather say it instead and have his presence next to him. It got Levi hoping to always have Eren by his side, Eren's kisses got Levi hoping to save him from the vulnerability of humanity in the face of titans, Eren's touch got him hoping to continue to comfort and care for him when no one else in this damned world could. Eren was his hope and the word 'heichou' coming out of his and only his mouth transformed the meaning of the word entirely. Levi loved it and it was little things like that in which didn't take much to turn him on.

After a moment Levi reluctantly pulled away for some air being that he was out of breath, though not from the previous constant running but rather from the heat of their passionate and intense make-out session. Eren let him do so even though he could've gone longer thanks to his excellent breathing skills he had developed from every single brutal training he's ever had to endure from his captain. Levi bit his lower lip harshly trying to control himself from melting into Eren's strong arms. "Ahh? Please don't hide your lips," Eren whispered lowly sounding almost like a growl and planted a gentle and sweet kiss on his boyfriend's lips which made Levi smile. Eren huffed a laugh and started planting sloppy wet kisses all over Levi's face and traveling down his neck. Eren then gets carried away and starts sucking Levi's soft spots, leaving them to hurt a bit and noticeably red in color. "Ahh, fuck babe~" Levi moans while gripping the back of Eren's shirt tightly. Eren apologizes by slowly licking each wound he made and kissing them softly afterward which makes Levi's toes to curl inside his boots like crazy. He then finds the collar of Levi's shirt and pulls it down slightly so he could finish his route of kisses on Levi's strong and prominent collar bones. Once he finishes he looks at Levi with a satisfied sly smile and Levi rolls his eyes and rings Eren's little jingle bell choker. Levi then gently cups Eren's handsome face, feeling his strong defined jawline and smiles warmly at Eren for making him feel all tingly. "What?" Eren smirked, arching his left eyebrow at him in a very teasing way. "I just... I can't take your hotness and cuteness at the same time right now. I mean how the hell can you be so damn cute and hot all in one?" Levi admits. "Are you serious? And you think I'm managing well right now?" Eren huffs in surprise. Levi didn't know how to answer to him and wasn't able to even if he wanted to because Eren gave no second thought to going in and nibbling on Levi's bottom lip and diving in for another deep kiss. The kisses being interchanged started to heat up by the second and Levi's fingers went under Eren's pants along with his underwear and began rubbing up and down his ass, accidentally making his reindeer tail fall off. Gripping them and digging his nicely cut and clean nails into Eren's skin every time a moan came out of their kissing mouths.

Each kiss and touch began to be begging for more and more as both Eren and Levi competed for dominance over the strong hunger they both felt for each other. Suddenly they become started by Hange's scream about the game to have had officially ended. Eren pulls out from the kiss and plants a comforting last kiss on the top of Levi's head. He then cups Levi's cheeks and leans in to lick his mouth across and blows hot air against them as he says "Well then see you back at the common area and then we can finish this afterwards with no interruptions." Eren then picks up his white tail off the floor and as he begins to walk away he turns around and flashes a wink to leave a flushed and puzzled Levi behind. Right afterward the rest of Levi's team found him in a state of not being able to move nor speak. "Agh, no wonder we lost to them. I guess their strategic defense plan worked rather well," Sasha said in a teasing tone. "Why am I not surprised? They indeed had Eren in their team," Connie adds in. "Eren! I can't believe you played us dirty like that!?" Armin said in disbelieve. All the while leaving Levi who can't help but feel embarrassed at the sight of Sasha, Connie, and Armin's faces of having lost the paintball game even after having humanity's strongest on their side.

[trinity-blood-translations]

ROM 6 - Chapter 1 Part IV (english translation)

Translator: Roven, Editing: Lamy

Trinity Blood (by Sunao Yoshida) ROM 6 - Chapter 1 -  Link for Part I - Link for Part II  - Link for Part III -

Part IV

—Isaak, do you think Esther liked our gift? —I don’t know, mein Herr," —-Panzer Magier replied respectfully to the voice coming from the microphone of the regeneration tank.

  All the newspapers were spread out on the table so that the creature in the tank could see them immediately as soon as it came out. —In my opinion Miss Blanchett is very afraid of power. Being a princess besides Saint... I wonder if it’s not too much burden for her.

 —No, Isaak. My gift wasn’t to make her a princess, but to make her a queen... Maybe already tomorrow.

  The Ritz Hotel was the most luxurious building on Piccadilly Street. Entire Londinium could be seen from the suite. It was so big that a whole house could fit in. In the middle of the vast space was a strange object: a water tank made of glass, measuring about two meters in diameter. The room, which costs ten thousand dinars a night, had seen all kinds of exotic pets like crocodiles or leopards. But what could be in that water tank surrounded by complex machines and control panels that resembled the cockpit of an airplane. Innumerable pipes came out of it and gave off a smelly vapor. The strangest thing of all, however, was the content. The shiny black liquid looking like coal tar didn’t seem to contain any living thing. However, the innocent voice came without any doubt from the inside.

—Esther Blanchett... I've spent so many moments with her and she's helped my brother so much... The least I could do for Esther was this.

—Actually... Speaking of your brother, mein Herr, what do we do with Mr. Abel? I'm afraid there's no way to save him.

—Ah, Abel! He died, the poor thing. He never had luck in life. One misfortune after another. What a pity…

—Well, it didn’t seem like it has cost you much to kill him...—the man in black pointed it out coldly. — I was surprised you reacted like that. After so many centuries without seeing him, I expected you to have a lot to talk about with him...

—It’s that Abel scared me; He suddenly became furious. From what you told me, I thought that he has matured a little, but apparently nothing has changed.

  The voice lowered as he laughed.

  —But that is not important. The important thing now is to recover my brother's body. At least it will help us to solve this very heavy problem.

  —You're right. But there is still the question of how to transport the body, —the man replied, carefully watching the pressure controller while rubbing the glass with his hand.

Turning to the mail accumulated on the table, Panzer Magier added in a worried voice:

  —In addition, we have his comrades. I don’t think they're going to let us take his body so easily.

  —Oh, sure! Surely they also value Abel a lot. Well, it's a problem... You can be recognized and I won’t be able to move for a while. What about the others?

  —Neither Reißzahn nor the Red Baroness could. I can’t imagine anybody would be able to infiltrate through the security measures and get to 02, apart from you, only two people could: your brother and your sister.

  — So I'll have to go... But I still can’t go out...

  —Exactly you have twelve hours, eight minutes and twenty-eight seconds. That means that tomorrow, just before the sun rises, you can get out of the tank.

  —Twelve hours? If we wait so long, the Vatican will take Abel to Rome. Now that’s a problem. What shall we do?

  The voice hummed absently through his nose. With a serious tone that contrasted with the indolence of his lord, Panzer Magier proposed:

  —What do you think about this idea? Tonight I will do my best to win as much time as I can. I will not allow your brother's corpse to leave the city. So, when you are healthy again, you can go and look for it yourself.

  —Gain time? Do you have something in mind?

  —Indeed. Yesterday I found something interesting in the underground.

  Panzer Magier then showed one of the briefcases he has collected the day before. If Vanessa has seen it, she would have realized that it was from one of the four mummies that had disappeared trying to recover the lost technologies.

  —Of course, I don’t have here all the pieces I need, but I've been thinking of someone who could serve me... If it goes well, my lord will have time to recover quietly and your brother's body will not move from here.

  —Ah, okay. I count on you, Isaak... By the way, I want to ask you something important.

  —What is it?

  Panzer Magier respectfully lifted his face, shaking his hair. However, the voice didn’t show any trace of seriousness and said, as if talking about time:

  —Tomorrow for breakfast I want fish and chips... With a lot of vinegar and salt.

                                                 ***

Following the River Thames about ten kilometers in its downstream to the North Sea one could reach Greenwich, the city that served as the base of the Royal Navy.

The campus of the naval school was surrounded by the riverbank and on its docks was the fleet of Albion, one of the most powerful in the world. In addition, it had shipyards, dams, arsenals and all kinds of facilities necessary for the Navy built next to each other like a steel wall facing the river.

  The hill at the south of the city, however, was a much quieter place. At the top there was a brick building topped with a white cupola and surrounded by rows of delicately arranged trees and innumerable rows of tombstones.

Before the Armageddon it was the headquarters of an astronomical observatory but later it had become the cemetery of the Royal Navy.

There rested eternally from the anonymous sailors killed in combat to the most famous admirals. The old observatory had been converted into a church, and its priest used to celebrate masses in it for the souls of the deceased. The cemetery received visitors every day from all social classes who came to leave flowers there. The rows of adorned cars and carriages with aristocratic emblems were never lacking in the parking area.

  —I'm sorry I took so long.

The huge car that was parking this afternoon in one of the corners of the parking area looked like that of some nobleman who was visiting the cemetery.

The black sedan had shaded windows. The car of exaggeratedly stylized lines didn’t carry any sign of manufacturer or affiliation, but at first glance it could be seen that it was an exclusive and quite expensive vehicle. A middle-aged gentleman walked to it. He seemed to be the owner, besides he opened the door and threw a pile of documents on the passenger seat.

  —I had to dig through dozens of files. Besides, I haven’t been able to get away from having a tea with the priest, and that caused me to waste even more time... I‘m very sorry for having kept you here for a while, milady.

  —But what’s all this about?!

The dark glass made the interior of the car remain in the gloom, but the voice that came out of the back seat was even darker and colder.

The blond-haired girl slid away to avoid the setting sun that entered the car and stared severely at the knight with her eyes of steel.

  —Answer me, come on! What does this all mean!?

  —All this? It's what I was telling you, the documents...

  —Fuck! That's not what I'm asking you! The young girl screamed as the gentleman started the car. Why does a Vatican priest save a methuselah!? What are your true intentions!?

  —Not that I expect any reward, but you could be a little less aggressive with the one who saved your life ...—answered William Wordsworth, driving with an expert hand while lighting the pipe. — Besides, I wouldn’t know what reason to give you either. Helping a lady at need is a natural thing for a gentleman, don’t you think?

  —A lady!?I!? Stop telling bullshit, old man!

      Listening to her allegedly deadly enemy Vanessa Walsh choked on the words for a moment but then reacted by turning red with anger and drawing her claws. If the car hadn’t been already going at a considerable high speed, there was no doubt that she would have decapitated the priest right there.

  —A dog of the Vatican saving a methuselah..., or should I say, a monster, as you say... Surely you have some hidden intention! Do you think I'm going to swallow that bullshit of chivalry!?

  —A monster?

  The gentleman seemed not to notice the anger of his passenger. As if he had forgotten that he was carrying a medusa in the car, he answered calmly:

  —I found you fallen next to the Saint. At that time I didn’t know you are a vampire... We were in full operation and there was no time to notice those things.

  —Don’t fuck with me, old man…

Vanessa lowered her tone, but not because Professor's explanations convinced her. With the claws on the back of the seat she was looking for the exact entry point to tear out his heart with her claws.

  —I don’t have time to listen to the stories of an old cunt. Tell me now! Why have you saved me!? What are you up to!? Do you want to use me as a hostage to negotiate with my brother!? In that case I'm sorry to tell you that Virgil is incorruptible for something like that. He will never endanger the clan, not even for his own sister.

  —I know that without you telling me. Also, negotiating with your brother is impossible right now.

  As the car was twisting on the winding road, the Professor lowered the tinted glass. The first stars had begun to appear in the sky and the sun was only a pale reflection on the horizon. Looking westward with a weary expression, the priest explained:

  —The Earl of Manchester was captured last night by the men of Colonel Spencer and has been locked in the Tower of London. To speak with him, I need the direct permission of the colonel.

  — They ca…, they caught Virgil!?

Vanessa was astonished for a moment but then looking at the reflection of the gentleman in the rearview mirror she exploded, bringing her hand to the door:

  —Shit! Why didn’t you tell me before!? I have to do something about it!

  —Wait. The sun hasn’t set yet. And what would you plan to do all of a sudden, my lady?—said the priest, calmly, seeing the methuselah ready to jump out of the moving car.

  —You should know, as a Londoner, that the Tower is impregnable. Even if you are a methuselah, it will not be easy for you to enter without being discovered. In addition, your brother will be under particularly severe surveillance. Going foolish and crazy now won’t do any good... Oh, and I'm telling you in advance: taking me hostage is just a waste of time.

The priest spoke in a slow but implacable voice to the girl, who threatened him with her sharp claws. As if he were a teacher entrusting duties to an awkward student, he added:

  —But you can be calm, because the colonel isn’t planning to kill your brother immediately. In fact, right now your city, the ..., the ghetto, is that how you call it? The ghetto is completely blocked. Military engineers have tried all kinds of measures, but they are unable to enter. That's why they have your brother, to give them the information they need... If we don’t get nervous, we still have time to save him.

  —We have? —Vanessa repeated, with a distrustful voice. —What do you mean by “we”!? What do you mean!?

  —I wonder if you really listen to what you are told. Haven't you heard me? You need the Colonel's permission to enter the Tower. You will never succeed in saving your brother by yourself. That's why we're going to...

  —That's not what I'm asking you! Why have you saved me!? I am a methuselah, a vampire, and you are a priest of the Vatican. Why have you saved me!?

  —Hmmm, it’s not easy to answer that question. But if you insist in wanting me to give you an answer... It will be... an attack of sentimentality? —Replied the Professor, biting his pipe with his eyes closed without changing his poker face.

  —Last night I lost an old friend. Let's say I didn’t want to see anyone else die even if it was... well, even if it were you. I know it's not a very logical answer, but I'm afraid it's the truth.

  —You're an idiot, though?! Vanessa replied immediately.

An attack of sentimentality? As if that were enough for a Vatican priest to save the life of a monster!

 —

Do you think I'm going to swallow that for something like this a Vatican priest is willing to save us!? Stop talking nonsense and tell me the truth! Are you trying to trick me into telling you how to open the ghetto!? Or is it that you are planning something else...!? Spill it out! Whatever it is!

  —Let’s see, I would like to be able to speak frankly, but... —the Professor answered with a smile, as if he wouldn’t worry about the terrifying fact that his interlocutor has sharp fangs.   —The truth is that I understand it’s suspicious for you that I helped you, since I am a priest. But well..., since I have saved your life, can’t you trust me a little?

 —Ja! What you want is to catch me off guard, dirty terran!  —Vanessa retorted obstinately at the paternal tone of the Professor, although this time her voice sounded sad. —We have lived with the terrans for centuries. In exchange for the protection of the queen, we offered our science; in exchange for the blood of the poor, we gave them money and medicines. If someone had an illness in the shacks, we were going to cure him. The people loved us more than the aristocrats or the Church, who did nothing but empty speeches. We had lived together so well for so long... And now this! At the minimum they blame us for everything! The same ones who had received our help come to chase us with the yell «death to the bloodsuckers»! How do you expect me to trust you!?

  —You have reason enough not to trust…

The Professor waited for the girl to finish her speech before intervening calmly:

  —I understand your anger perfectly, Miss Walsh. It is undeniable that the Kingdom of Albion and its people have sinned ungrateful... but it doesn’t mean that we are all traitors.

Framed in the rearview mirror the Professor's face showed a strange emotion. His voice was serene but from his tone it almost seemed that he spoke from his own experience.

  —Many times people let themselves be carried away by the environment. It is true that right now your relationship with the kingdom is difficult, but you shouldn’t hate all its people because of it. Sometimes it may seem that the ones that shout the most are speaking on behalf of the whole group, but that’s not always the case. Most people simply get carried away. Don’t lose hope in the human race so quickly.

  —Did something happen to you, old man? —Vanessa asked, with a strange face. —Are you feeling bad? Do you have a fever?

  —The truth is that you could have been a little more polite, Miss Walsh. Even I have my moments of ... Eh?

The methuselah didn’t hear what the patient Professor wanted to explain to her, because an alarm signal went on in the glove compartment. It was followed by a female voice.

  —Do you hear me, Dr. Wordsworth? Iron Maiden II is speaking. Respond, please.

  —One moment, Miss Walsh. My colleagues are calling me... Wordsworth here. I hear you, Iron Maiden II. What’s the matter?

  —We have the results of the investigation you have commissioned before. You were right. In recent months, there has been an enormous traffic of weapons in the black market of Londinium, enough to start a war... However, there is no sign that they have got into the hands of the criminal gangs. The Scotland Yard researcher who helped us had no idea where they might be got.

  —I see. Good work, Kate. Ah, I have also found what I was looking for, —said the Professor, taking a full notebook  from his pocket. —The bionic soldiers we have found in the hotel and who later attacked Sister Esther in the ghetto had received corporal improvements of type K. Albion has used that technology four times in its history but in the last thirty years it has only been applied once... It was five years ago, in the case of a marine infantry who had suffered serious injuries. His name was... let's see... Sergeant Jack Ironside, of the forty-fourth regiment of the Marine Corps, 5th Special Operations Battalion. He was thirty years old.

  —Marine Corps... 5th Special Operations Battalion. And what happened to Sergeant Ironside? Did he remain in the army?

  —He didn’t. He remained in the same regiment, but two years ago... in Percy's rebellion... the forty-four was exterminated in Beaufort. All of its members died and were awarded the Waterloo Cross posthumously. Ironside was promoted to a brigade and buried in Greenwich Cemetery. Since he had no family, it was his superior who was in charge of the funeral: Colonel Mary Spencer. That's what I found in the military archives…

The speakers were filled for a moment with static noise, and the Professor touched the controls to try to improve the reception.

  —The curious thing is that the ecclesiastical archives contain no trace of Sergeant Ironside's burial. And not only him. Among those killed in Percy's rebellion, there are hundred men of the forty-four whose funeral we have no record of.

  —So they officially died in combat, but their burial was not recorded? —Kate asked, surprised.

It was the army that kept the record of the dead on the battlefield, but the Church was in charge of the funeral. It was not uncommon that there were some discrepancies between the archives of both institutions and that until then nobody had bothered to check it. Anyway, the disappearance of a hundred corpses of soldiers was not normal. Where had they gone?

  —What happened then, Professor? I don’t understand anything…

  —I want to tell you, and I also have more interesting information, but we'll have to leave it here for now... I think this conversation is not private, — the priest said, smiling at the interferences coming from the speakers, and raised the voice so that the methuselah that was in the back seat could hear. —What I can say is that someone plans something big for the next few days. I'm going to try to talk to that person and find out what's behind the issue. Once I've finished, I'll tell you everything. Until then, I have to ask you to keep waiting in the city. If my intuition doesn’t deceive me, something will happen soon. You must be ready to react at any time.

  —Understood. Professor, be careful. Remember that Abel... God forbid that you too...

The Professor did not hear the end of the sentence, because a storm of interference completely erased the worried voice of the nun.

  —What is it, old man? Has the radio crashed? Ha! Tthat terran technology...

  —No, it’s not that.

The priest responded with seriousness to Vanessa's sarcastic comment. Without even trying to manipulate the controls, he casted a sharp look at the indicator lights.

  —They are caused interferences. Someone is using high-powered electronic countermeasures... Also, the radar reacts. Something is coming through the air at high speed. At one hundred knots per hour? That fast can only be... a combat aircraft? But who will do training flights around here after sunset?

  —Is it coming from this direction?

Vanessa discovered something by looking through the smoked glass. The eastern sky has already darkened but two bright lights appeared in it. A human look would have confused them with two stars but the methuselah didn’t hesitate: there were two biplanes flying in formation, one above the other.

  —They are two fighter jets of the Royal Navy... But how strange... They don’t carry identification number or license plate...

  —Hold tight to the seat, milady!  — The Professor shouted.

Before the methuselah had time to mock his serious tone, the sedan accelerated violently down the road.

  —Old man! What’s wrong now!?

  —Silence! I don’t want you to bite your tongue because of me!

Where did the car get that power from? Raising a huge dust cloud on the deserted road, the sedan gained more and more speed, like a cheetah chasing its prey. However, when Vanessa raised her voice again, it wasn’t because of the speedometer needle, which seemed to being about to go off. The two biplanes slowed to approach them and seemed ready to plummet like two hawks on a hare.

  —Bu..., but who are those...?! They are coming for us!

When the methuselah finally realized what was happening, the biplanes had already opened fire, and curtains of dust were rising on each side of the sedan.

  —And they are shooting us! They are shooting us, old man!

  —Thank you for letting me know... But I'd honestly prefer you to stop using expressions like that. If you want us to treat each other with more familiarity, you could call me grandpa...

  —I don’t know if it's the best time now to... They are coming back!

The sedan already was driving with more than a hundred kilometers per hour, but the biplanes doubled its speed. Releasing a cap cloud, they made a new pass over the vehicle. At once they exceeded three hundred meters, turned around, crossed and prepared to launch a third burst.

  —Hmmm, they're good. Surely they are class L pilots, at least.

  —Keep the comments for others... We have them on our tail! They are shooting! —Vanessa shrieked watching the grim shadows growing on the other side of the glass.

The first two misses helped them to calculate the firing trajectory. The third would be the final one.

  —They are coming!

  —No need to worry... Rocket acceleration!

With a thunderous noise, the car accelerated and left behind a column of white smoke. The force of the acceleration caused Vanessa to fall against the seat.

  —Acc..., acceleration rockets!? But, old man, what do you mean!? Ah...! Ah ...! Aaaaaaaaaaah!

In the midst of a crash that seemed to have opened the sky and earth, the vehicle began to vibrate so much that the methuselah couldn’t say anything else, and her voice became a moan.

Meanwhile the sedan didn’t stop accelerating. Its speed already exceeded two hundred kilometers per hour so that the biplanes that pursued them had to make efforts to keep track them. In addition strange noises were to hear coming from the lower part of the vehicle. Metal plates appeared on each side of the sedan.

  —Are they wings!? But ...does this car have wings?!

  —Let's leave the details for later. Now fasten the belt, because we're going to take off.

  —Take..., take off!? But what...?!

Before Vanessa could finish her question the vehicle responded to her by rising gently in the air.

—It fli..., it really flies! Murmured the aristocrat watching the short wings leading the car on its ascent.

As fast as they were, it was incredible that they could fly, but she couldn’t deny that the ground was moving away before her eyes.

  —This is absurd!

  —Absurd? My favorite car?

  —I don’t know what is more incredible, the car or you! A sedan that flies!

  —Well, it's not a surprise either. Nowadays, who can be called a scientist without being able to fly a car?

  —Thi..., this old man is crazy...—Vanessa replied, rubbing the bump on her forehead.

A strange smell caught her attention at once. It was a stench of ammonia and burned hair. Searching the source of the smell with her nose the methuselah looked down and got stupefied.

  —Hey…! The seat is burning! Hey, old man! That smoke is coming out!

  —Smoke? How strange... But they didn’t hit us…

The Professor looked at the young woman in the rearview mirror and immediately tensed his face.

  —Hmmm, this doesn’t look good. We are losing fuel.

  —Losing fuel?

But why was so much smoke coming out of the leather seats? Seeing the look of incomprehension of the methuselah, the Professor began his chemistry lesson:

  —You see, these rockets use hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer and a mixture of methanol and a derivative of hydrazine as a reducer. This fuel has the advantage of generating a great impulse force with very little quantity. The only drawback is that the reducer is extremely corrosive... and it escapes from the tank very easily. I have to investigate how to use electrolytes to seal the tank and avoid leaks. Oh, by the way, better don’t touch the part that has been eroded. Hydrazine breaks down proteins, and your body wouldn’t last for a second.

  —You ..., you idiot! You should have warned me before!

Vanessa took a sudden leap to see how the bottom edge of her jacket began to dissolve.

  —I'm leaving! I get off right now! I want to get off this jalopy!

  —Don't jump around, please. You don’t know how difficult it is to get the car to fly in balance. If you don’t stop moving we will lose speed and...

  —And what are you telling me...? Aaaah!

Vanessa rushed to the door to try to open it, but before she could reach it, the seat turned around. Without warning, the sedan made a ninety-degree turn in mid-flight.

  —Aaah...! Look what you've done! Didn’t I just tell you that...!?

  —Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Vanessa could only respond to Professor's warnings with a scream, while the sedan plummets down to the river. If it lost speed it’s very difficult for such a vehicle to remain in flight. The water was rapidly approaching them.

  —Don’t you think it's not very feminine to shout «aah»!? A lady like you should scream «oh!» Or at least «aaay!»...

  —Don't fool around and do something, damn it!

  —Hmmm?

While the miserable roar of Vanessa the Professor’s attention changed to the two biplanes which were also starting the descent. They probably intended to shoot them when they fall into the river. The last rays of the sun made the cannons of their machine guns to shine.

  —Well, it seems that we don’t have much time to play... Now I will give you what you are looking for.

The gentleman with the pipe drew a smile from ear to ear.

At the same time he lifted the steering wheel, the priest stomped on the pedals, which caused the nose of the vehicle to rise with a roar. The propulsion rockets, which seemed to have gone broken, received a new injection of fuel that brought them back to life. Cutting the surface of the water like a sword, the sedan regained height at a devilish speed.

But…

  —No! We can’t escape!

Vanessa huddling at one end of the seat to escape the corrosive liquid watched her pursuers with a desperate glance. The biplanes were getting in position to launch the final blast against the sedan. She could almost see the gloomy smiles of the pilots as they carefully pointed their deadly weapons. Their rockets were not rivals for the two planes. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before they were turned into a sieve. However the cries of Vanessa found in response the calm voice of the priest:

  —Let's go up, Vanessa! Hold on tight!

The sedan began a violent ascent that caused the methuselah to scream. The persecutors on the other hand didn’t stay behind and also rose as if following their trail.

  —It's useless! We are going to...!

A gigantic explosion interrupted the girl's scream.

The surface of the river rose as if a volcano has erupted underwater; even the sedan, which was in a good distance from the ground, noticed the jolt. However, the biplanes which were closer to the water didn’t have room to maneuver. The column of water rose like cannon shot and tore them apart in mid-flight.

  —What ... what happened !? —Vanessa murmured and stunned as she were watching the column of water falling back into the river like rain.

The ground was strewn with the remains of the two biplanes, as if a detonation had reached them fully. Their persecutors had found the destiny to which they intended to send them. What happened there?

  —Just before we got up, I released some of the fuel on the river... Hydrogen peroxide is an explosive and more unstable than nitroglycerin. If an insect gets stuck in the tank, it would be capable of causing an explosion, —the Professor explained calmly as he stabilized the vehicle and verified that the pilots had managed to jump off the planes. —Well, I see there have been no victims... Come on, there's no time. We will fly to Londinium. Fasten your seatbelt, Vanessa.

  —But..., bu ..., but what was this...?

  —Didn’t I explain it to you just right now? Hydrogen peroxide, when in contact with water...

  —It’s not that! What I want to know is why they were persecuting us! If they can send two biplanes to eliminate us, they are not just murderers. It must have been the government or the army... Hey, old man! You said before that something big was going to happen, right? What the hell have you discovered!? Do you have any idea who they might have been!?

  —Well, it’s more than just an idea. I can say that I'm sure.

  —Sure? What are you sure of?

  —The thing is that I don’t feel like to tell it someone with such bad manners. At least you could try to say something like «Honored gentleman, would you be so kind as to answer this question?» Or «Vanessa really wants to know, Grandpa ♥[1]!» Then everything would be much more flexible.

 —What are you doing old man!? Are you playing with me or...!

The methuselah lifted her claws back to the priest's neck, but stopped for a moment. One of the gauges installed on the glove box started to sound with a sharp noise at the same time as a red light illuminated the word ALERT.

  —Hmmm ...! This doesn’t look good.

  —And what is that this time? More enemies!?

  —An unknown radar signal is directed towards us. I don’t like this... They have located us.

  —Located!?

But who or what?

Vanessa turned around, but didn’t see any other aircraft. There was nothing but the moon and a group of fishermen in the Thames who followed with their mouths open the image of the flying sedan. There was also foam on the river... Foam!?

  —Old man! Below! Underwater!

The river opened almost at the same time as the methuselah cried. Two long thin objects were rising in the night air.

Once they were completely out of the water the two rockets powered their engines and turned their sharp heads towards the sedan, guided by the radar of the huge body that was under the water.

  —Missiles! Impossible!

  —Hold tight, milady!

Casting a quick glance in the rearview mirror the knight set the fifth gear. The fuel filled the rear propulsion rockets, and the sedan was driving off at a devilish speed.

However, the missiles that pursued them were even faster. The distance between the vehicle and the metallic heads that were bringing fire of destruction was getting smaller and smaller.

  —No! They're going to catch us!

The Professor shouted abandoning for a moment his usual sophisticated vocabulary, at the same time he looked in the rearview mirror…

And a glow ripped the night.

[1] The little heart is in the Japanese original but not in the Spanish version.

[jojowritesstuff]

Finally got to finish this up. Part one can be found here.

There’s not much happening in this part, it’s just a giant pile of fluff.

There will be more parts coming soon - I’ll split this up into multiple parts so it won’t become one large monster fic (which everyone would get tired of halfway through, haha) A lot of what’s coming will be for backstory purposes. I am still editing my drafts so I’m still unsure how many more parts will be coming but there’ll be at least two.

I hope this isn’t too long but if you want me to cut it into a read more let me know.

 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 “Shh, it’s okay. Just relax,” Hazel said softly, unable to even feel the tears building up in her eyes. “You had a blood clot in your brain, you needed surgery, but you’re okay now,” she said, brushing the hair back from Raya’s face…

  Still affected by the anesthetics and several other drugs she was put on, Raya barely registered what Hazel was talking about. In a slow, nearly slow motion like movement she reached out towards Hazel's hand, laying hers on top of it.

 That was when Hazel absolutely lost it, and made no attempt to hide her emotion, both of her hands holding Raya's. "Ry, I'm sorry," she choked out. "I was distracted, I should have been keeping a better eye on you, and you-" she squeezed her eyes shut, overwhelmed with guilt, worry but also relief that Raya made it through and unable to even form the words. "I love you," she whispered eventually.

  Raya gave Hazel's hand a weak squeeze. She didn't fully understand what happened just yet as her mind was still way too fuzzy but judging by all the medical things connected to her body and Hazel's emotional outburst it must have been bad.  She tried to speak but her voice was still raw and barely carrying a sound.

  By that time Hazel was resting her forehead on the edge of the hospital bed, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She knew she should be keeping it together, but she had- for so long she had locked the floodgates. Ever since they had taken Raya into surgery she kept blaming herself, telling herself that it was solely her fault.

  Raya kept holding onto Hazel’s hand while she cried – there wasn’t anything more she could do but lightly draw circles on Hazel’s warm skin with her thumb.  "I need to go let the doctor know you're up, excuse me," Hazel sniffled as she eventually lifted her head, her cheeks still wet with tears, her red eyes magnified through her glasses.

  Hazel tried to compose herself before standing up but a light tug on her hand and a raspy, barely audible “Stay.” had her stop in her tracks.  She could hardly look at Raya- all she could see were how she hadn't noticed the signs of a concussion, how she hadn't monitored her closely enough, how she had nearly let Raya /die/- how she had failed in every way possible. Yet at the next light tug on her hand she sat back down – Raya was connected to all kinds of machines and monitors, getting a doctor in could wait another few minutes. She slowly lifted Raya’s hand, placing a feather light kiss to her knuckles so she wouldn’t disturb the IV. “Get some rest.”

  It didn’t take long for Raya to drift off to sleep, with the anesthetics still heavy in her system she wasn’t even fully awake to begin with. Hazel stayed with her until eventually she began to stir. Blinking her eyes open she seemed quite a bit more awake and conscious than a few hours before, albeit still not completely herself.

  “Hey, how’re you doing, Ry?” Hazel asked, pressing a gentle kiss to Raya’s forehead.  “Ready to hibernate,” Raya rasped out and Hazel took her snarky remark as a positive sign – while Raya was still out her mind kept torturing her with worst case scenarios of permanent brain damage and every possible thing that could have went wrong and gone unnoticed.

  “I’m gonna get someone to check you over – I will be right back, I promise,” Hazel said and left the room but returned with one of the doctors in a matter of minutes.

  The doctor conducted a quick exam, and Hazel stayed, holding Raya's hand reassuringly.  During the various tests it became evident that they had caught everything in time and there wasn’t any major or long lasting damage. The doctor put some notes on Raya’s chart while also talking to the two of them in fluent medical jargon and when he left, Hazel turned to face her girlfriend. "Did you catch any of that?" she asked, a smile quirking on her lips.

  "You know I don't speak doctor." Raya said. She really had not the slightest idea what the doctor was talking about, all the medical terms appearing like an entirely different language to her. "Care to translate all that gibberish so a normal person can understand?"

  "Yeah, course," she said. "Um, so when you fell, a little piece of your skull went into your brain. It was just in the dura, like a protective gel around your brain, but it eventually worked its way into a minor vascular structure- like an artery," she explained. "It gave you kind of like an aneurysm, blood clot situation- then /that/ made the pressure in your head go up, your brain swell, and it put excess pressure on the part of your brain that does things like control breathing and heartbeat. They took you in to surgery to fix it, and everything looks okay for right now," she finished, watching Raya's face closely. She knew it was a lot to take in but she also was aware that Raya wouldn’t settle until she knew.

  Raya listened intently, slightly shocked about how severe things were. "But... it was just a concussion. How...? I didn't think I hit my head that bad, expected to get away with a bump and be fine."

 "I should have seen it better... I looked at the scans too, symptoms looked... they looked just like a concussion. I should have been better, pushed for a cross-section or something with contrast, it would have been so much more obvious then..." Hazel said, listing all the ways hindsight was 20/20.

  "Hazel... Don't do this to yourself, baby. You heard the doc, I am going to be okay." Raya said, giving her a light smile. "It is none of your fault that I knocked a piece of my skull into my brain. Apparently our sink is stronger than me." she huffed lightly. "Just please, don't work yourself up about this. Such things happen. I should have probably told you about it when I arrived but I thought I was just getting a migraine or something."

  Hazel shook her head, a fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "No, I'm going into neurosurgery, this is something I should have been able to see," she said. "I just- God, Ry, I was so scared," she said, pressing her girlfriend's hand to her lips.

  Raya gently caressed her thumb over Hazel's cheek, trying to brush away a tear. "Did you just finally make up your mind what you'll specialize in?" she teased, attempting to lighten the mood.

  Hazel nodded, smiling lightly. "I was gonna tell you later - pediatric neurosurgery. The brain, it's just-" she shook her head. "I can't get away from it, it's beautiful," she said softly.

  "Not visually though." Raya shuddered, an incident with a preserved brain springing back into her mind. "I am so glad you made your pick though. And a perfect one to go with your research," she smiled, gently tugging at Hazel's hand. "Come here."

  Hazel smiled and gingerly climbed into the bed, laying parallel to Raya and letting her rest her head on her shoulder. "I was in the OR with you- legally, I couldn't do anything, but I needed to be in there."

  "Of course you were." Raya hummed, trying to cuddle up to Hazel without disturbing any of the IVs and other things she was hooked up to. “Now I can finally do this..." she smirked and gently leaned up to kiss Hazel.

  "Ry, you had brain surgery like six hours ago- how are you this chipper?" Hazel giggled, amused at her girlfriend's effervescent smile.

  "Hmm, blame the meds?" Raya suggested. She was tired and still had a dull headache going on but she was trying not to show it. The cocktail of drugs flowing through the IV obviously did their job at keeping her mostly pain free.

  "Oh yeah, I made sure they gave you all the good stuff," Hazel teased, kissing her girlfriend's temple- the one that wasn't stitched and bandaged. Raya’s head was growing heavy on Hazel’s shoulder as she heaved out a content sigh. Her eyes were starting to drift shut as her sudden boost of energy slowly began to die down.

  "Get some sleep- no one is gonna be coming in to wake you up anymore," Hazel said gently, and stroked her girlfriend's hair. "Finally some good news," Raya chuckled lightly. She wrapped an arm around Hazel and nuzzled her face into the crook of her neck. It wasn't long until Raya's breathing was evening out and she was snoring softly.

 Hazel couldn't help but drift off as well- Raya's surgery had been around five and a half hours, and she had remained stoically awake for the four it had taken her to come off the meds.

  ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

  Raya woke a little while later, smiling when she found Hazel was still with her. She pressed a soft kiss to the still sleeping girl's cheek. Hazel woke slowly. "S'everything 'kay?" she asked, her worry evident even before she was fully awake.

  "I'm fine. Go back to sleep, hun." Raya said, once again laying her head on Hazel's shoulder. "No, 'm'up, I swear," Hazel said though her glasses were askew and her hair mussed. "You're okay?" she confirmed, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend.

  "I'm okay." Raya assured. "A little tired and my head kinda hurts but it's not too bad." "I can see if they'll increase the oxy drip," Hazel said, already halfway out of bed. "Maybe you need to be switched to something stronger," she fretted.

  "It's fine. Stay? Please?" Raya cut in. She didn't want Hazel to leave, even though she wouldn't be gone for long. "I'd rather just cuddle." "Okay, but if you need something- /anything/- you'll tell me," Hazel said empathically and settled back beside Raya. "I can do cuddles," she assured, pulling her in closely.

  Raya pretty much wrapped herself around Hazel, resting her head on her girlfriend's chest. "I've got everything I need right here." "Mmm, me too," Hazel hummed, and this time she had the foresight to take off her glasses, setting them lightly on the table.

  "Hmm, I love you." Raya's voice was already heavy with sleep again. She was drawing light patterns on Hazel's arm in slow repetitive movements. "I love you too Ry. So much that," Hazel said, closing her eyes lightly. "'m still gonna write you those letters, don't you forget it."

  “Same with all those reasons why you love me?" Raya smirked, glancing up at her girlfriend. "Gave me the opportunity to scrub in on a six hour surgery," Hazel hummed, already halfway asleep. "Number 756," she teased.

  "So there were doctors poking around in my brain for six hours?" Raya asked, not expecting that it would have taken that long. She wasn't even aware of how much time has passed since she was awake the last time before her surgery – the past two days have mostly just blurred together.

  Hazel nodded. "Yeah, it was meticulous. You have the daintiest arteries, then there was a shunt debate, and just... complicated," she shook her head. "They almost kicked me out though."

  "Hmm? What did you do?" Raya asked, her eyes already half lidded as she listened to Hazel. "I- blood pressure usually drops in surgery, and yours just dropped- really, really low," she stammered. "I yelled at my attending," she said shamefully, ducking her head.

  "I guess she didn't take that so well." Raya said, sounding somewhat amused. "Hope I didn't get you in trouble for that." Hazel cringed. "She, ah… she hasn't spoken to me since," she said. It was a rash move, one she regretted immensely. "In my defense... it's a rule you shouldn't let family into the OR."

  "This is so weird though. There's hours of my life I cannot even remember. It's like I wasn't even there. If it wasn't for you telling me about it and this room I'm in with all these monitors and whatnot I wouldn't even know what happened," Raya hummed sleepily.

  "Miracles of the brain," Hazel joked around the lump in her throat. "It blocks out painful memories. You were pretty out of it," she said, unconsciously hugging Raya closer to her. She shuddered to think of what would have happened had she not been there, had Raya been by herself, or not come to see her... she never would have gone to the hospital, and likely.... Hazel squeezed her eyes shut, unable to even consider the possibility that Raya wouldn't be with her. "It's probably best you don't remember."

  "I... I remember taking the train here. And you were at the train station to pick me up, I brought you some of your books too. We were walking back to the hotel. Don't really remember what happened then, it's all just really fuzzy." Raya said, concentrating hard. "Hey, are you alright? What's wrong baby?" she asked, feeling her girlfriend tense.

  Hazel shook her head, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself. "I'm okay. You just- I was really scared, I've never hated a hospital as I did twelve hours ago," she admitted.

  "Twelve? But you said the surgery was six hours." Raya was clearly confused, trying to make sense of what Hazel told her. "There's so much time missing from my mind, I think. You probably have to do a complete timeline for me to really understand. But, not now. For now I want us to just lay here."

  "Anesthesia affects everyone differently... it took you a little while to come out of it." Hazel explained and kissed her tenderly, as if she were afraid the other girl would break. "Come on, you need sleep, I’ll  be here," she promised.

  Raya couldn't argue about needing some sleep, keeping her eyes open became harder with each passing minute. "You should get some rest too." she stated, moving a little so Hazel could lay down a little more comfortably...

TBC

[donvex]

A PLAYLIST OF RICHIE TOZIER APPEARANCES

Fandom: IT (2017)

Pairing: Reddie ( Richie Tozier / Eddie Kaspbrak )

Word Count: 2.3k

Summary: 

Eddie is, by all means, a popular vlogger. He’s worked hard to get himself where he is, and the fans love him for that, appreciate him for that.

But they’re also somewhat obsessed with Richie Tozier, and trying to decide if Eddie is, in fact, dating him.

So sue them.

AO3 Link

For @odeto-tozier, based off of their Vlogger!Eddie post.

Tag List: @killerxqueer @richietozierlitaf @princely-dots

I. 101 WAYS TO DITCH YOUR FRIENDS - 932k VIEWS

One of the most popular videos on Eddie’s entire channel, at least for a while, this is where Eddie introduces them. The Losers Club. He’s mentioned them, sure. Talked about having them on for a video, showed off their makeup or their art and directed his fan base to their social medias, but this is where he finally introduces them.

Big Bill is first. Eddie’s best friend, the sweetest guy there is, always there for Eddie. One of the only people to not have made fun of him in middle school for having asthma, Bill knew stuff to do. Places to go. Things to see. And the thing is, Eddie may not have needed an inhaler anymore, but he still never breathed as well as he did when he was with Bill. They’d run all night and never need to catch their breath, that was the kind of bond they had.

And then there’s Mike, and okay, maybe Bill isn’t the sweetest guy in the world. He’s up there, sure, but he doesn’t compare to Mike Hanlon. From the moment Mike is on screen, he’s smiling. Then he realizes he’s being filmed, and he smiles even more. He wants to show the camera a thousand things, from the soft sheep on his farm, to the flowers he’s pressed in his free time, to the pages of history he has organized on his book shelves. Mike is smiles and safety, strong and soft all at once.

Ben is quiet most of the time he’s on camera. While Eddie promises Ben’s all laughs when they’re hanging out, he’s just too shy to do anything for what could possibly (and definitely would) be thousands of people. He’s better at writing words than saying them, and Eddie shamelessly uses that as an opportunity to plug Ben’s up and coming poetry book that he’s been setting up a kickstarter for.

Beverly, Stan, and Richie come as a tangled group. It’s a whirlwind, really, the four of them pushing through the walmart doors at almost 2am. There’s a lot of swift laughter and fumbling of the phone, unwillingly passing the camera from set of hands to set of hands. At some point Richie refuses to give the phone back, holding it high above his head, camera angled down towards a clearly angry Eddie.

There’s a lot of banter, and even Bev and Stan can be heard “oo-ing” in the background and yelling out to “just kiss already!” It’s clearly a joke (maybe?) between a close group of friends, but all of Eddie’s fans instantly latch onto this. It’s perfect, an equal amount of fond push and shove on each end, and it’s addictive.

The walmart group each get their own sections later, and some more group videos are thrown in towards the end, but all of the gif sets made seem to revolve around Richie. His sections is mostly Richie taking the phone and talking about himself, making bad jokes that Eddie swears he’s going to cut out, but it all stays in the video anyway, gasoline on the fire.

II. FUCK THE CHALLENGE SYSTEM - 458k VIEWS

Eddie hates challenges. All of his fans know this, just as they know that any challenge they want Eddie to do - they send to Richie.

Because Richie gets Eddie to do anything.

And that, right there, is what holds every single fan up. If they weren’t dating, why was Eddie putty in Richie’s hands? Best friends, sure, but none of Eddie’s other friends convinced him to do challenges.

(They don’t mention that maybe, just maybe, it’s because Richie is a little shit that loves pushing Eddie’s buttons, and all of his other friends respect him when he declines.

Yeah, they just don’t mention it.)

Except this time, there is no actual challenge. Eddie is going off about how wrong they make him feel, how perverse it is to not only force an uncomfortable situation onto him, but to then expect him to force another youtuber into doing the same. It’s unfair, and unclean, and while he respects any fellow vloggers who enjoy the challenges, he’s officially cancelling any challenge videos on his page ever again.

Richie, who just seems to always be around when challenges are mentioned (who seems to just always be around) immediately flies into the frame.

“You heard it! Eds spagehds is officially moving all challenge videos to my page, so if you want to catch them, you’re gonna have to follow this mother fucker right here.” Eddie’s protests and profanities go ignored, shouts of, “Rich, no! Fuck no!” and then the video cuts to an unfamiliar room, with Eddie moping dejectedly in his chair.

It’s thirty seconds exactly (00:30) of Eddie looking sadly into the camera, dead silence around him. In the empty space next to him, a chair that presumably expects to host one Richie Tozier, is a hyperlink to Richie’s channel, and their first Challenge Compilation video.

( Eddie Finally Does All the Challenges He’s Been Refusing, All At Once - 212k Views )

And now the subs know that Richie can make Eddie do anything, any fucking thing.

And they know what the inside of Richie’s room looks like, too.

III. WHY GAYS RELY ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - 644k VIEWS

This video is literally the most fucking blurry, conspiracy theory, I-Have-Proof-Of-The-Lochness-Monster shit that Eddie’s fandom has ever seen. It is, by all accounts, a normal ass vlog. Eddie’s there at his counter, bright sunlight from the large windows in his kitchen filtering into the space, a cup of (presumably) black tea immediately to Eddie’s right. Not that he’ll ever drink it in the video, because he never does, but he does use it to keep his hands warm when they aren’t busy flying all over the place while he angrily vents about why public transportation is the worst, but actually driving makes him too fucking anxious to function.

Because, come on, fuck turnpikes.

The video is approximately two minutes and thirteen seconds (2:13) long, and yet this video has triple the amount of views as every past two minute long vlog for the past four months.

(Four months ago Eddie released a two minute vlog that was nothing but Eddie’s friends petting his hair, and Eddie making soft happy faces in return. The fandom continues to keep that video alive, if only by desperately comparing the length of Richie petting Eddie to the length of every other loser doing so in hopes that the numbers will add up and mean something. So far, it doesn’t.)

There’s really nothing about this vlog that stands out, not even the mug Eddie uses or the clothes he wears. The outfit is one that they’ve seen before, between fashion vlogs and #ootd instagram posts.

No, the reason this particular video skyrockets in popularity is not because of anything Eddie does, but because, around 1:43, from a very distant shot, you can see a figure lazily walking into the kitchen, grabbing a bowl and some cereal, and leaving. That figure, almost 100% wearing nothing but boxers, looks a hell of a lot like one Richie Tozier.

You know, disregarding the distance. And the pixelation. And Eddie’s face cutting off the figure most of the time anyway, because it is his vlog.

But that almost-naked figure in the background is definitely an almost-naked Richie Tozier, the fandom swears it.

IV. PRETTY BOY TRANSFORMATION - 722k VIEWS

The entire fan base already knew Eddie was a pretty boy. That was half of the appeal of his channel in the first place, that you knew exactly what you were going to get. A safe place for any identity. Eddie had been sent plenty of soft shirts and flower crowns already, and half of what he opened on his unboxing streams was pastel. The fans didn’t need to make edits or gifs or icons - Eddie was perfectly happy to wear all of it on his own.

But Eddie with make up, that was an entirely new type of pretty boy.

The video starts with Bev and Eddie bickering, and quickly devolves into not-so-subtly shoving each other’s shoulders while trying to get in front of the camera. They’re both laughing, wide smiles and warm eyes, until finally Bev pushes Eddie’s head down and sticks her whole face into the camera to let all 1.2 million subscribers know that she is, in fact, going to do Eddie’s makeup - but only after letting Eddie pick his own outfit, first.

The dusty blue eyeshadow is a safe choice, and matches the large sweater Eddie’s wearing. Then Bev is drawing large wings onto Eddie’s tan skin with white liquid, and lining his bottom lid with decorative dots. Eddie tries to sass Bev the entire time she’s trying to put on white lipstick that she had found from god knows where, but Eddie refuses to stop talking until finally she admits defeat and let’s Eddie put on a soft matte pink instead. The last touch is silver glitter, thickly painted from the corner of Eddie’s eyes and down his cheeks.

The orange light of the sun skips across Eddie, shimmering like dust. Eddie makes a pouty kissy face, lips puckered and eyelashes fluttering, head just barely resting on his hand while his large sleeve slides down his thin wrist. And that’s when it happens.

The first actual conclusive clue.

(So the fans say. Because really, an audio clip that is exactly .02 seconds long is hardly more conclusive than any of their video evidence, but the file still spreads like wildfire.)

“Cute, cute, cute!”

The voice comes from off screen, and Eddie snaps his teeth in the direction of Richie’s voice before the video hard cuts to Eddie posing for the camera.

V. TRANSPORTATION STRIKES AGAIN - 834k VIEWS

It’s another shitty phone video, and this time the quality is even worse because of the trembling car. A quarter of the video is blurred, and again, this is another two minute vlog. Two minutes and thirty one seconds (2:31) to be exact. A quarter of that leaves, well, not much actual time to have actual footage.

Once again, Eddie’s transportation life is crumbling. The buses are all shut down, too many workers on strike, and there’s no other quick way to be mobile. He’s stuck in Richie’s run down truck, and maybe he’s a little fond of it, but he doesn’t have time for Richie to make seven ridiculous pit stops.

The fans are a little disappointed that they don’t get to see Richie and Eddie’s gas station excursions, but they notice when the video cuts from an empty truck to one filled with drinks and snacks, and that only means one thing - Eddie gave in and let Richie get whatever he wanted. Again.

One point for the shippers.

It’s a short glance into Eddie’s life, just something quick to keep his subs satisfied until he can finish editing his full length video, which he promises will be out by the end of the next day.

“Aw, Eds, it’s like you care.” Then Richie’s ruffling Eddie’s wind swept hair, and Eddie is trying to keep his stern expression on despite the laughter that starts bubbling up from his chest. He swats at Richie’s hand, yelling at him to watch where he’s fucking driving, but even behind the wheel Richie manages to be a menace.

Then they’re there, wherever there is, (and yet again the fans wish they knew, because Eddie casually keeps skipping over it, but they can at least realize there’s a line of privacy there somewhere that they shouldn’t overstep). Then Richie is taking the phone from Eddie, mock saluting it, and kissing Eddie’s head before pushing him out the door.

Yeah, the all of the fans double take, too. Rewind the video, and then rewind it again. Throw on captions for good measure. That’s definitely there, they aren’t searching pixels this time.

Richie just kissed Eddie on the forehead. If he isn’t whipped, which he should be, all of Eddie’s fans will be whipped for him.

+I. THE REAL MTV: CRIB TOUR!! - 1.1M VIEWS

Eddie’s not in his normal spot. The lighting is different, and the camera is close to his face - utilizing an above angle that Eddie doesn’t use often.

But Eddie’s smiling, his face expression tired and content. Most of his greeting comes out mumbled, and he tries his best to address his fans, but he can’t. He’s too comfortable, he tells them. He recently invested in a good pillow, and boy, has it made all the difference. He’s not a sell out, he just doesn’t see anything wrong with product placement. If a quality brand is willing to offer him merchandise for free, he’s gonna take it.

Except then he’s pushed, and the feed goes hazy for a moment, until the phone is back up in place - and zoomed out this time, too.

Eddie is on his couch, curled up in between Richie’s legs. “I’m not a pillow, Eds. I’m not sponsoring you.”

“Of course you are, shut the fuck up.”

Then Eddie’s rambling about how comfortable the cushions are, how warm the sunlight is, how he doesn’t think he’ll ever walk again if it means he has to get up. He goes on like this for a long while, and Richie just watches him, his own hair wild with sleep and a smile taking up over half his face. When Eddie realizes he’s talking to himself, he turns in Richie’s arms to look up at his face, and Richie jolts.

“Hey there, princess.”

“Are we going to show them our new apartment or not?”

“Mmmmm…. or not, if that means I get to stay here with you.” Eddie sighs in defeat, but he doesn’t look disappointed in the slightest as he leans back to lay his head against Richie’s chest. Richie dips down to kiss his forehead before taking the phone, leading his own rambling.

Twelve minutes in, (12:46 exactly), Eddie blinks awake. He looks up and wordlessly cuts Richie off, pressing their lips together gently. There’s a few seconds of silence where the two pull back to stare at each other with soft smiles curling their lips, sunlight filtering between them.

The fandom cries.

“Come on, loser, let’s show them our new home already.”

The fandom cries harder.

[astronomyparkers]

Skyline {VII}

Warnings: Language, panic attack

Pairing: Peter Parker x reader

Word count: 3.1k

A/N: Guys!!!! This is the last part of Skyline.  Like, for real this time.  I’m so sad to see it end, but I’m also so happy that it’s had such success, and I can’t thank you guys enough for that.  You are all so so wonderful, and you have all my love.  As usual, I want to give a shout out to Zoe and Jen for reading my drafts and helping me edit and brainstorm, as well as encouraging me to write.  As for all of you, I hope you’ll forgive me for all the angst that I’ve hit you guys with (remember when Skyline was self-indulgent fluff lmao), and I really hope this makes up for it a bit.  In other news, tonight is the Spidereyhes Sleepover!!!!!!!!  All the info on the sleepover can be found here, as well as info about the livestream, which will start at 7pm PST.  I’ll post the link on here!! Zoe, Jen, and I will be discussing all kinds of things, answering questions, and talking about Skyline, so be sure to drop by!!! Also, if you have any questions about Skyline or anything else that you want answered, send it in!!!! It’s not too late yall.  Again, thank you so much, and I hope you’ve enjoyed Skyline as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

skyline: a mixtape

{masterlist}

{part i} {part ii} {part iii} {part iv} {part v}  {part VI}

Sitting up in your bed, you stared at the window, not sure of how to react to seeing Spider-Man’s masked face through the glass.  Throwing back your covers, you quietly walked over to the window, grabbing a hoodie that Peter had lent you as you passed your desk.  Sliding the glass panel up, you climbed out onto the metal fire escape, slipping on and zipping up Peter’s hoodie to protect you from the cold.

The superhero stood where he had first stood, the night he saved your life and blew up Vizzini’s all those months ago.  And there, to his right, were the flower pots that he had tripped over the first time he came back for you.  Those stairs were where you would sit and draw while he watched your fingers fly across the page, amazed at the pictures you created.  Behind him was the railing that you would lean against as you looked at the Queens skyline together.  This fire escape was your entire relationship condensed, the one location where you were allowed to be with each other.  If you used your imagination, you could almost see every single night playing out in front of your eyes.  Spider-Man, with a bendy straw underneath his mask.  Spider-Man, attempting to draw you in the moonlight.  Spider-Man, his hand on your waist and the other in your hair. Spider-Man.

A sound from the masked hero pulled you out of your reverie.  For the first time that night, you looked at him, actually looked at him, instead of picturing what you had already seen.  His shoulders were slumped, almost shaking.  His hands fidgeted, fingers twisting and untwisting in front of him as he stared at you.  You could hear his heavy breathing, hear the shakiness of each gasp; you could hear his pain.

“Spidey…” You take a small step forward.  You were sure that there were boundaries between you two now, but you weren’t sure where they lay. “What’s…what’s wrong?”

“Everything…everything is wrong right now,” Spider-Man took a deep breath and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I shouldn’t—I know that I shouldn’t have come here, but I—”

“But what?” Your brow furrowed, but you remained frozen in your spot. “What is it?”

“I—” Spider-Man deflated, breath rushing out of him as he hung his head and stared at the ground. “I can’t tell you, Y/N.  I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry.” You deadpanned his words back to him, irritation rising in your words like bile. “You’re sorry?”

“I just—”

“No, you don’t get to ‘just’ anything,” You crossed your arms. “I have been there for you!  I have been nothing but honest with you from day one and you couldn’t return that to me.  And I understand your reasoning, and even if I don’t agree with it, I still understand it.  But you need to understand this, Spider-Man—”

“Y/N—”

“Can you just shut the fuck up for one minute?” You ran your hands through your hair, pushing it out of your face.  As your words became stormier, so did the sky around you, and the wind whipped your hair right back into your eyes. “You need to understand that you can’t pick and choose to be with me when it’s convenient for you.  You can’t expect me to be here for you when you need someone to touch you, but then shut up when I try to actually know you.”

It was hard to tell underneath the mask, but it looked like Spider-Man’s jaw had locked.  Words continued bubbling to the surface of your lips, and you knew that you weren’t being the kindest with those words, but at the same time, you couldn’t make yourself stop from speaking them.  

Once realized, truth demands to be told.

“I was honest with you.  I told you what I wanted, and when I couldn’t have it, I compromised.  And when that compromise stopped working for me, I was honest again.” You pulled Peter’s hoodie tighter against you. “So you don’t get to show up here again and not extend me the same courtesy, okay? Either you’re completely honest with me in what you have to say or—or you leave.  Right now.”

No matter how true the words were, they still hurt you to say.  Not for the first time, you wished that you had never let yourself fall into this position.  If you had just let Spider-Man go that first night, if you never gave him the drawing of the skyline, if you had let your life continue on its regular path, you could just be out here alone.  The stars had always kept you company before, and they could’ve continued to be all you needed, if you hadn’t let yourself be distracted by the hero.  The stars are pretty to look at, but they couldn’t hold you like he did.  The stars couldn’t sound so sweet when they spoke.  The stars couldn’t bring you to the edge of everything you ever wanted.

“It’s not that easy.” Spider-Man shook his head, speaking in a low voice. “You—you don’t have to consider what I have to consider.  Every moment I spend with you, with anyone that means something to me, is another moment that puts you and them at risk.  And I—I love you too much to do that to you.”

“Yet here you are, on my fire escape, putting me at risk.” You gestured to your surroundings. “So either you’re incredibly selfish and you’re okay with putting me at risk just to fuck with my emotions, or you’re lying and that’s your excuse to keep me in the dark.”

“You know what, Y/N? I am selfish.” Spider-Man’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “I’ve been selfish since the first day I met you, but my selfishness is the most honest thing about me.  I should never have let myself get so close to you, but I did.  And it was careless of me, but being around you made me feel honest.  If there was any way for this to work in a way that doesn’t end with you being targeted, I would find it!”

“Do you really expect me to believe—?”

“Yes, I do!” Spider-Man cut you off in anger. “How could you have spent months with me and not believe that I would do anything to be with you?  Anything to protect you?  The only problem is that I can’t do both of those things at the same time!”

“We’re going in circles.” You shook your head, gaze dropping to the ground. “We had this conversation last night, Spider-Man.  We—we finished this.  You left, it was done; why are you back here?”

“I—” You could practically see Spider-Man’s guards go up again. “I needed to talk to someone. And—and you were the only person I wanted to talk to.  But…but I realize that this was a mistake now.  I just…”

“Just what?” You took a step closer again, almost—but not quite—reaching a hand out to touch his arm. You felt like it was summer again, like you had never touched him before.

“I just needed to feel normal,” Spider-Man slumped again. “I failed today and I needed to feel like I didn’t and when I think of normal I think of you.  But it was stupid to come.  I failed at keeping my family out of danger so what do I do?  Show up and put you in danger.”

“What do you mean, you failed at keeping your family out of danger?” Your brain was tired, so tired from the emotions you had experienced in the last twenty-four hours, but you felt like there was something familiar in Spider-Man’s words (although, to be fair, you always felt that way with him.  He was the unattainable stars in the sky and the comforting sense of home at the same time).

“I should have been there today, at the car accident downtown.” Spider-Man’s shoulders began to shake harder, like he was losing all composure. “People died, the people of my city, and they’re my responsibility to keep safe, Y/N.  And—and there were people I cared about there today, and it’s my fault that they—that they were—”

“Spidey, you can’t be everywhere at once,” You fiddled with the too-long sleeves of Peter’s hoodie. “People die every day.  You can’t take everything to heart like this.”

“What if it had been your family down there?” You could hear Spider-Man becoming more hysterical as he talked, his breathing increasing in speed. “Your mom?  Would you really be so forgiving with me right now?”

“I’m sure—”

“You’re sure what? That you would be fine if your loved ones had been murdered today?” Spider-Man pressed a hand to his masked forehead, chest heaving. “I’m the only one who can stop it, Y/N, it’s my responsibility—”

“You can’t take responsibility for every bad thing that happens.” You took a step closer to the hero, cautiously placing a hand on his shoulder for comfort. “You can’t save everyone.  You may be a superhero, but you’re still a teenager.  Today, downtown?  That wasn’t your fault.”

“What about when it is my fault?” You could hear panic rising in Spider-Man’s voice, and could hear him getting choked up.  You realized that, underneath the hero mask, the boy was crying. “There have been so many times, Y/N, where it was my fault!  I wasn’t strong enough or wasn’t fast enough or wasn’t aware enough, I just wasn’t enough!” Spider-Man inhaled deeply, like he was having trouble getting air into his lungs. “You deserve more, and my aunt deserves more, and my friends deserve more, and Queens deserves more, everyone deserved more than—than what I can do, and—”

“Spidey, you have to breathe,” Screw being cautious, you thought, as you placed your hands on Spider-Man’s masked face. “You can’t panic right now, okay?”

“And I want to give you what you want, so, so badly,” Spider-Man’s hands came to rest on top of yours. “So badly, Y/N, I want to give you everything.  But I—I can’t be selfish; I know I am, but I can’t be. When I get close to people they get hurt!  And I can’t watch you die, I just can’t.  I’ve seen so many people die, so many—”

“Spidey, you wouldn’t watch me die, I can handle—” Before you could finish your sentence, Spider-Man twisted out of your grip.  He clutched his chest and backed away, towards the edge of the fire escape.

“I watched my uncle die!  He is dead, because of me!” Spider-Man screamed, unraveling before you. “People die because of me!  They die because I can’t save them, and one day, Y/N, one day I might not be able to save you!  And, God, I can’t fucking breathe in this thing, fuck—”

“Spider-Man—” You watched as the hero’s legs buckled and he fell to his knees before you.  You rushed over, grabbing onto his shoulders as you knelt in front of him.

“Spidey?” You gave him a light shake.  You could feel the heat of his body radiating through his suit, almost burning your palms.

“Is this what you wanted?” Spider-Man kept his gaze trained on the ground. “Is this what you wanted to see?  Because this is me, Y/N.  This is who I am.  I’m—I’m a mess, and I can’t do anything that I need to do, I just let everyone down, and, fuck—” Spider-Man reached up and tore of his mask, tossing it to the side. Peter Parker’s tear stained looked up at you. “Is this what you wanted?”

Your hands automatically released Spider-Man’s—no, Peter’s—shoulders in shock.  You stared into the brown eyes of your friend.  For the first time that night, you had no idea what to say, what to think, what to feel.  All you could do was stare.

“Y/N,” Peter’s shaky, panic filled voice called to you. “Y/N, I know you’re disappointed it’s me, but—but please say something.”

You reached a hand out slowly, just like you had the night you first kissed the boy in front of you. It seemed obvious who he was now; you stared at those lips all day long, kissed them at night—how had you not knows?

Softly, your hand landed on Peter’s cheek.  You wiped away some of his tears with your thumb as the boy hiccupped, looking at you with uncertain eyes.

“Peter.” You addressed the hero by his real name for the first time.  Peter.  Of course it was Peter.  There was never anyone else that it could have been, no one else who could have made you feel everything you felt in that moment.  Of course he was the stars.  Of course he was home.

“Peter,” You began again, softly but firmly. “Nothing about you will ever disappoint me.”

Peter squeezed his eyes shut as more tears slipped out, and he bowed his head.  He sniffed loudly as you leaned in, placing your forehead against his.

“Do you hear me?” You waited until the boy opened his eyes and returned your gaze. “You’ve never let me down, Peter, and you have never disappointed me.  It makes me sad that you waited so long to tell me, and it makes me sad that you don’t think you’re good enough, but don’t think, not even for one second, that I’m sad it’s you.  Because I’m not.”

“I—” Peter took a shaky breath. “I was scared to tell you it was me.  Because—because we never talked before, and I thought you would prefer Spider-Man over—over Peter Parker.”

“You thought I would prefer someone who had to keep me a secret?” You pressed your forehead against Peter’s a little harder, reinforcing your words. “You thought I would prefer someone who could never truly be honest with me?  You and Spider-Man are the same person.  I liked both of you, but—”

“But?” Peter questioned softly, his hand coming up to rest on your cheek.

“But I could only ever love one of you.” You exhaled shakily. “And that’s you, Peter.  It could only ever be you.”

You sat in silence for a moment, both of you cradling the other’s face, neither wanting to let go. Where did you go from here?

“Y/N,” Peter muttered softly, breaking into your thoughts. “Do you…do you trust me?”

A small smile played on your lips as you registered his words, and remembered the last time he had spoken them, the last time you had been this close. “Yes.”

Peter tilted his head to the left, slowly closing what little distance was left between your lips.

You had kissed Peter many times before, but knowing it was Peter made it feel different.  Now, when you came together, it didn’t feel so much like falling as it did flying.  There was no fear of hitting the ground and no worry about the aftermath; there was only soft and love and soaring and Peter. Always Peter.

Your hands moved from his face to his hair, tangling in his light and loose curls as you pulled back.  Peter’s grasp, in turn, travelled from your cheeks to your waist, pulling you closer and tighter than he ever had before.

You sat like that for what felt like hours, just holding each other.  Occasionally, someone’s hand would shift position, exploring a new area.  Your right index finger traced the outline of Peter’s lips as his hand rubbed down your back, trailing over your spine.  A few minutes later, he repeated the action under your (his) hoodie, then repeated it again under your shirt.  Your hands rubbed down Peter’s arms, lips resting on his shoulder.  Touch after touch, both of you explored each other’s bodies, getting to know the terrain of the person in front of you.

The territory was old, but each touch felt new.  You had felt Spider-Man before, but you had never felt Peter.  Peter had never felt you.  Despite the fact that he still wore the suit, every brush against you and every calculated movement felt different.

Before you knew it, the sun began to peak over the Queens skyline, tinting the horizon a shade lighter.  You ran your hands through Peter’s hair as you watched, mesmerized.

“I have something for you,” Peter whispered, squeezing your waist one last time before letting go. He reached underneath one of his web shooters and withdrew a scrap of paper you hadn’t noticed before. “You drew me a lot of things, but this one was always my favourite.  I wanted you to know.”

Peter handed you the paper, which you carefully unfolded and tried to smooth before your eyes focused on the drawing in the moonlight.

It was your original sketch of the Queens skyline, worn and smudged but definitely your drawing.

“Why—?”

“Flip it over,” Peter instructed with a small smile, nervous blush colouring his cheeks.

You did as you were told, turning the sheet of paper over in your hands.  Sketched on the back was your fire escape, with you asleep on the stairs and the skyline prominent in the distance.  Your hair was down, wild around your face as you leaned against the stair railing, and it looked like Peter had drawn every single constellation in the sky above you.

“Michelle helped me,” Peter’s blush deepened as you stared at the drawing. “I mean, she didn’t know it was for—to draw you sleeping, but—you had said, on that first night, that the drawing was like—like a way to remember the Italian place, Vizzini’s. So this…”

Peter took a deep breath.

“This was my way to—to remember you.  This was the night I realized I was falling in love with you.”

You smiled softly and leaned in, kissing Peter’s rouged cheek. “You don’t need to remember me; I’m staying right here.  Just me and you, this fire escape, and that skyline.”

Peter grinned, pushing your hair back from your face. “Sounds good to me.”

The boy leaned closer, pressing his lips softly to your face.  First your forehead, then each closed eye, before moving to the tip of your nose.  Gently, he kissed both corners of your mouth, left then right, before finally, finally, reaching your waiting lips.

Just you and him, this fire escape, that skyline, and everything in between.  

[podcastdx]

Lysosomal Storage Disease

Lauren, is here speaking with us today about Lysosomal Storage Disease.  Lauren has four siblings whom she loves dearly, and graduated in 2011.  She worked at a community center until COVID put a hold on social gatherings. She considers herself a social person and is grateful for the chance to get her story out into the world.

​

Lysosomal storage diseases are inherited metabolic diseases that are characterized by an abnormal build-up of various toxic materials in the body's cells as a result of enzyme deficiencies. There are nearly 50 of these disorders altogether, and they may affect different parts of the body, including the skeleton, brain, skin, heart, and central nervous system. New lysosomal storage disorders continue to be identified. While clinical trials are in progress on possible treatments for some of these diseases, there is currently no approved treatment for many lysosomal storage diseases. (Credits to RareDiseases.Org)

  TRANSCRIPT

SPEAKERS

Lita T, Lauren, Jean, Ron

Lita T  00:09  Hello, and welcome to another episode of PodcastDX, the show that brings you interviews with people just like you, whose lives were forever changed by a medical diagnosis.  I'm Lita ...

Ron  00:20  and I'm Ron,

Jean  00:21  and I'm Jean Marie.

Lita T  00:23  Collectively, we're the hosts of PodcastDX. Our guest today is Lauren Ryan. She has four siblings whom she loves dearly. She graduated in 2011 and works at a community center. Not this year because a COVID. She's a very social person and grateful for getting her story out to the world. And today she's going to be talking to us about lysosomal disease.

Jean  00:50  Hi, Lauren.

Ron  00:51  Lauren, thank you for taking the time to join us today. Please start out by telling us and our listeners. What exactly is, and I hope I'm pronouncing this right, Galactosidosis Lysosomal Disease? And please for the rest of the episode, can we abbreviate this and just call it Galacto? Is that okay?

Lauren  01:18  Yes, you may call it that. Galactosidosis, also known as Galactosialidosis is a condition that affects many areas of the body. The three forms of Galactosidosis are distinguished by the age at which symptoms develop and the pattern of features.

Jean  01:50  And Lauren what were the symptoms that you started having and at what age did they develop?

Lauren  01:57  Well, I had Galactosidosis...they diagnosed me when I was born.

Jean  02:05  Okay.

Lauren  02:05  So, the early infantile form of Galactosialidosis is associated with extensive swelling caused by fluid accumulation before birth, a soft out-pouching in the lower abdomen (an inguinal hernia), and an enlarged liver and spleen.  Additional features of this form include abnormal bone development and distinctive facial features that are often described as "coarse."  Some infants have an enlarged heart, an eye abnormality called a cherry red spot, which can be identified with an eye examination; and kidney disease that can progress to kidney failure.  Infants with this form usually are diagnosed between birth and 3 months; they typically live into late infancy.   The late form of Galactosialidosis shares some features with the early infantile form, although the signs and symptoms are somewhat less severe and begin later in infancy.  This form is characterized by short stature, dysostosis multiplex, heart valve problems.

Lita T  04:23  Oh, that's a hard one.

Ron  04:24  Yes, it is. Yeah,

Lita T  04:25  Let me see if I can help you with that one: heptyl ...let's see

Jean  04:28  Hepato...

Lita T  04:29  Hepato ...hepato

Ron  04:30  Hepato...

Lita T  04:31  Oh Hepatosplenomegaly,

Jean  04:35  I don't think that's it.

Lita T  04:36  Okay. I think it has to do with the the liver and the spleen.

Ron  04:41  Can I take a stab at it?

Jean  04:42  Yeah,

Lita T  04:42  Yeah.

Ron  04:45  Hepato..splen...nom...ah...gally,

Lita T  04:48  Okay. Anyway,

Jean  04:49  One day we'll get hosts that actually know how to pronounce medical terms. But, today is not the day! I'm sorry.

Lita T  04:54  Right. That's okay, go ahead, Lauren.

Lauren  04:55  ...and "coarse" facial features.  Other symptoms seen in some individuals with this type include intellectual disability, hearing loss, and cherry red spot. Children with this condition typically develop symptoms within the first year of life.  The life expectancy of individuals with this type varies depending on the severity of symptoms.   The juvenile form of Galactosialidosis has signs and symptoms that are somewhat different of the other two types.  This form is distinguished by difficulty coordinating movements, muscle twitches, seizures, and progressive intellectual disability.  People with this form typically also have dark red spots on the skin, abnormalities in the bones of the spine, "coarse" facial features, a cherry red spot, vision loss, and hearing loss.  The age at which symptoms begin to develop varies widely among affected individuals, but the average age is 16.  This form is typically associated with normal life expectancy.

Lita T  07:01  Thank you, thank you for sharing that.

Ron  07:02  Yeah, that's... that's definitely a lot Lauren.  Can you please tell us how someone gets Galacto?

Lauren  07:10  It is caused by a mutation of CTSA gene.  Galactosialidosis belongs to a larger...a large family of lysosomal storage disease, each caused by the deficiency of a specific lysosomal enzyme or protein.  In Galactosialidosis, impaired functioning of cathepsin A and other enzymes causes certain substances to accumulate in the lysosomes.

Lita T  07:59  Okay,

Jean  08:00  and I think we've said this of many chronic illnesses and diseases: it's...you have to become like a subject matter expert, because I think for most people, like myself included, when you mentioned lysosomes and things, I'm just...I draw a blank!

Lita T  08:15  Right

Jean  08:15  Because it's just...the body is so complex

Lita T  08:18   It is, but basically what it is, it's a metabolic disorder. So we'll...we'll leave it at that as far as a simplistic term. And thank you, Lauren. I think our listeners will have a little bit of an understanding of what we're talking about now and we will have links on our website so that people can learn more. Also. Could you please tell us how did your condition develop? And I kind of missed when you said...when did your...when did yours...

Jean  08:51  I think she said infancy, right?

Lita T  08:52  Early infancy or late infancy? I don't remember what you said.

Lauren  08:57  So I was diagnosed at birth.

Lita T  09:00  Oh, at birth.

Lauren  09:01  When I was born.

Lita T  09:02  Okay.

Lauren  09:03  Yeah.

Lita T  09:04  Okay, and how has it developed with you over time? What have been the symptoms that you've had to ah...to deal with here?

Lauren  09:15  Well, I have had like little to no symptoms over the course of the year. Like they haven't noticed any changes or anything with my disease in particular. But it's different for every person.

Lita T  09:38  Sure.

Ron  09:38  Right.

Lauren  09:39  Living with like a chronic illness or disease or whatever. And so it's gonna be different for everybody. For me, I haven't noticed like any abnormal symptoms or whatever.

Jean  10:00  I did notice that you said the cheery red spot, which is something an eye doctor would have to see like, by looking at your retina, does that affect your vision at all?

Lauren  10:12  I don't think it does. No.

Jean  10:14  Okay, okay.

Lauren  10:14  I go see an eye doctor, a pediatric doctor every year.

Jean  10:22  Okay, okay.

Lauren  10:23  Just to see if my vision has changed at all.

Lita T  10:29  Okay.

Jean  10:31  And Lauren, how is Galacto or lysosomal storage disorder treated?

Lauren  10:37  The variant that occurs in infants can be treated in several ways: So, it can be treated with intravenous (IV) enzyme replacement.  Or it can be done with bone marrow transplant, to slow the disease progression. Or umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation, to restore missing enzymes. 

Ron  11:01  Okay

Lauren  11:10  And for adults, the treatment is symptomatic and supportive; for example, taking medication to control seizures.  Individuals with Galactosialidosis are encouraged to routinely see their genetic counselors, neurological, optha...

Lita T  11:45  Ophthalmological

Lauren  11:45  Ophthalmological,

Lita T  11:52  Right, right ophthalmological I can't say it either today.

Lauren  11:56  ...ophthalmological, and other specialists as symptoms arise and to keep symptoms controlled.

Jean  12:08  Okay, it makes...Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So you're treating the symptoms as they come along? And can lysosomal storage disorders...is there a...like a cure or a potential cure? I know, you said that, you know, like bone marrow transplantation can help slow the progression.  Are they thinking you know about gene editing or anything like that in the future?

Lauren  12:29  There, there isn't a cure for lysosomal storage disorders, a few treatments can help.  And I actually went to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis Tennessee.  And like, in the beginning, they weren't gonna do a bone marrow transplant. But they, they did research on that and found it too risky.

Lita T  13:02  Okay

Jean  13:03  Okay

Lauren  13:04  So, for now, their doing the enzyme replacement therapy.  Which they still have to get past the FDA.

Jean  13:16  Ooh...

Lauren  13:16  ..which has been...it's over 10 years now...

Lita T  13:22   Wow!

Lauren  13:22  ...that it's been at the FDA.  So, I've been waiting over 10 years.

Ron  13:29  Wow.

Jean  13:30  Well, and I would have to say for all of our listeners out there: if you can donate bone marrow, it's a quick cheek swab to see if you're a match for someone who needs it. So, hopefully this interview will encourage more people to get out there. And you know, donate.

Lita T  13:47  Right,

Ron  13:47  Right. So, Lauren, can you tell our listeners how common are these lysosomal storage disorders?  Are they rare or they pretty common or what can you tell us?

Lauren  14:00  Sure, more than 100 cases of the lysosomal storage disease have been reported. Approximately 60% of people with Galactosialidosis have the juvenile form.  Most people with this type of condition are of Japanese descent. Now I have contact with three people with Galactosialidosis. And only one of them have like, are close to me medical wise.

Lita T  14:51  Okay,

Jean  14:51  And yeah, I think we said earlier in another episode that less than 200,000 cases is rare. So yours is

Lita T  14:59  100

Ron  14:59  Very rare.

Jean  15:00  Very, very, very rare.

Lauren  15:02  Yeah.

Jean  15:02  Well, I'm glad that you were able to find someone to be part of you know, your group. Because um, yeah, that can help.

Ron  15:09  What I find interesting too is the last thing she said about most people are of Japanese descent. I mean, that's pretty specific

Lita T  15:18  Of the...of the...adult and juvenile right. The one that's from birth...not necessarily right?

Jean  15:24  Okay.

Ron  15:25  So, so Lauren, what was the first symptom or the symptoms that first made you realize...

Jean  15:32  or your parents?

Ron  15:33  Yeah, it was at birth.  Yeah,

Lita T  15:33  I guess her parents.  Yeah.

Ron  15:35  What was the first symptom that made your parents realize that something was different? Yeah.

Lauren  15:43  Well, when I was born, I had extra abdominal fluid

Ron  15:51  Okay

Lauren  15:51  So, I had extra fluid, like in my stomach area. And then basically, they took like a biopsy of skin from me, and my mom, and dad. To test if...to see if anything was...wrong. Or anything?

Lita T  16:15  Okay. Well, at least they had an idea. And where to look with it, which is good.

Jean  16:20  Yeah. But that's got to be tough. I mean, you know, you have a new infant and here, they're gonna take a biopsy.

Ron  16:24  Right,

Lita T  16:25  Right.

Jean  16:25  Um, Lauren, do you have...do you know if there are any studies currently going on? Either to try to find a cure or improve overall symptoms?

Lauren  16:36  I know that my researcher at St. Judes Children's Research Hospital actually has done is done everything that she can do. So, now it's up to the FDA to approve it.

Lita T  16:53  Okay, okay

Jean  16:55  Okay.

Lita T  16:55  So, the research, the research has been done, but it's got to get approved.

Ron  16:59  Wow. 10 years.

Jean  17:00  Yeah.

Lauren  17:01  Which has been taking like a long time to do!

Ron  17:05  Right.

Lita T  17:06  I wonder if...if because it's so rare. If that's what's causing the delay?

Ron  17:11  Yeah.

Lauren  17:12  Yeah, that's my guess. But the good thing is, I think my one brother is going to college for genetics.

Jean  17:22  Ooooh!

Lita T  17:23  Oh, wow! What a...talk about a special...special family bond there.

Ron  17:28  Yeah

Lita T  17:28  That's wonderful. Oh, wow.

Lauren  17:31  Yeah.  He wants to find like a treatment because he doesn't...he says he wants me to live life to the fullest!  And he doesn't want to see me suffer anymore.  So...

Lita T  17:48  Amazing.

Ron  17:48  Yeah.  Hey, Lauren, what..what role, I guess for lack of a better word, self care. What do you do for yourself every day?

Lita T  18:01  To help you get through this? Well...yeah...

Jean  18:03  Does ice or heat or swimming, you know, pool therapy...

Lita T  18:07  Is anything that makes you feel better.

Ron  18:09  Right

Lauren  18:09  Well, I have a lot of arthritis in my hip especially. So, I like to do like...a warm shower. Or just any swimming or anything is really good for your joints and stuff.

Lita T  18:30  Sure

Ron  18:31  Okay

Jean  18:32  Yeah. actually we just we were speaking with someone a little bit ago. And she designed she's designing swimsuits.

Ron  18:39  Adapted

Lita T  18:39  Adaptive

Jean  18:40  Adaptive swimwear because it's it's such a great

Ron  18:45  Need?

Jean  18:46  Yeah, they're such a great need. And there's...it's such a great thing to you know, a nice warm therapy pool is very...is fantastic for almost everyone.

Lita T  18:55  Right. Lauren...well, you already mentioned that your...your brother wants to go into geneticists...geneti...seas

Jean  19:01  Geneticists?

Lita T  19:01  I can't talk...not much at all.  Genetics to help you. What other help has your family or friends done to ah...

Jean  19:11  Along your healthcare journey?

Lita T  19:12  Yeah, to get you through your healthcare journey?

Ron  19:14  We are all struggling today.

Lita T  19:14  I'm just gonna stumble all over my words.

Lauren  19:16  Well, I have three people and health care in my family.

Jean  19:24  Wow.

Lauren  19:24  So, they know a little bit about my disease. Now my mom is a nurse. So, she knows more about my condition than about like anything else.   Like she reads up on it, like a lot. And just having like a mom that knows. Like, from like a disease standpoint having a mom that knows what she's doing and stuff...it's really helpful and encouraging!

Lita T  20:09  That's very important.  Yeah, that's fantastic! Very important. So good support.

Jean  20:13  Yeah. Yeah,

Lita T  20:14  Right. Could you tell our listeners: what's the best advice that you've heard to cope with having a rare disease? And what advice would you give to somebody that has been recently diagnosed with a rare disease?

Lauren  20:30  The best advice for me, I think, cuz I'm very short. Short. I'm 4'3",

Lita T  20:41  Okay.

Lauren  20:42  So, it affected my growth.  So, lots of times my mom would

Lauren  20:50  They say: "Good things come in small packages!"

Jean  20:54  Awww....

Ron  20:54  (Chuckle)

Lita T  20:54  I love that!  I love that! Yes, yes. Excellent, excellent.

Lauren  20:58  It's something that I believe is good.  Like...it's like...common.  A lot of people with rare  diseases say: "good things can come in small packages."

Ron  21:12  Right

Lauren  21:12  And just for anybody that's been diagnosed, I would say...so, I'm a Christian...so, I would say that, like, if you weren't supposed to be here, God's the one who created you, and he has a purpose for every...everybody going through hard things in their life. At some point, everyone, everybody is going to go through something hard.  It's just, what are you going to do with the opportunity that God has given you?

Lita T  21:56  Very nice.

Ron  21:56  Yeah.

Jean  21:57  We're lucky to have someone out, you know, someone like you out there advocating for others. And, yeah, you're an inspiration!

Ron  22:04  That's definitely some great advice.

Lita T  22:05  Very nice!

Ron  22:06  Lauren, how can our listeners learn more about you? And do you have any social media accounts or anything like that, that you want to share with us?

Jean  22:06  Yep, thank you.

Lauren  22:17  Yeah, so I have an Instagram account. So, my username is: @stjude819. And then I'm also on Facebook. And I do have, like a private Facebook group on Galactosialidosis. It's  where, like people with my disease can go and we can share different things...from...about our disease that will really help other people!

Jean  22:59  Okay

Lita T  23:00  I will make sure that we put those links on our website so that others can can see those. That's wonderful. Thank you very much for for joining us today, Lauren.

Lauren  23:11  You're welcome

Ron  23:14  Well, again, we appreciate you sharing your story. I know we've learned a lot and I think the rest of our listeners have also learned a lot about Galacto.

Lita T  23:25  Right and good things come in small package.

Ron  23:28  Absolutely! That's some grate advice!

Lita T  23:30  Yeah

Jean  23:30  Well, and I...I think Lita really likes that because she's a...

Lita T  23:33  I'm short.

Jean  23:34  She's petite too.

Lita T  23:35  Yes.

Jean  23:36  So um, yeah,

Lita T  23:37  I'm the shortest one in the household.

Jean  23:38  Yeah.

Ron  23:39  All right. If our listeners have any questions or comments related to today's show, they can always contact us at podcastdx@yahoo.com also to our website, podcastdx.com. They can reach us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And as always, please keep in mind that this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regime and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast.

Lita T  24:27  Till next week.

  Check out this episode!

[knightofbalance-13]

AKA Insult The Audience and Characters While Wasting Time

http://delvindeep.tumblr.com/post/164570714739/ive-been-thinking-about-the-world-of-remnant

i’ve been thinking about the world of remnant series and how they could have implemented that worldbuilding into the series proper. here’s a few ideas

Which are all just the same version of “one guy asks another guy for exposition” same as literally every other show in existence which WOR is able to subvert and avoid the pitfalls of the ordinary exposition.

dust: the story literally opens in a dust shop. show ruby buying some, having a chat with the shop owner. “is this for raw use, miss, or ammunition?” “yeah, it’s for my baby.” “your baby?” “the scythe” etc. if you actually need us to know the history of its use and how humanity doesn’t know where it came from, give it to us in one of port’s lectures. we don’t have to hear the whole thing; just a couple of key lines, then it fades into background noise as jaune starts hitting on weiss again or some shit because that’s apparently more important than establishing your lore

Except why would Port or anyone be teaching them such basic elements of dust when they are already in an advanced school for this sort of thing and thus would have already had this drilled into their skulls years ago? That’s insulting to the characters for thinking hey are that stupid and insulting to the audience for believing we wouldn’t catch onto that. Also, i guess you’re fine with a shit ton of flaws in the animation since they had to waste time getting lines for the teachers and the students as well as animating all of that. Unless you want to nix a fight scene or a plot point because RWBY is already stretched for time as it is.

kingdoms: did we even need this one? the show already tells us there are four kingdoms called atlas, mistral, vacuo and vale, that atlas is militaristic, that huntsmen academies train huntsmen (no shit) and that life outside the borders is dangerous. see, they know how to do it already!

Except we don’t know WHY Atlas is built that way, we know nothing about Mistral Vale of Vacuo, we don’t know why their actions of treating Huntsmen like soldiers is so looked down upon and why peopel are so on edge with them. That excludes a lot of the tiny details that really enrich the lore such as Atlas having risen up from the snow to become the new captial of the Kingdom or how Vacuo has a different morality than the other two kingdoms due to the harshness of their area. COngrats, you wasted time and money for a much worse, more boring, more drap version of what we already got.

grimm: instead of starting with the dust shop scene, start with some redshirt nomads. one complains that he doesn’t feel safe travelling at night, another makes fun of him, they start arguing, someone else steps in and tells them to shut up because fear and anger will draw the grimm, which it does. if it’s important to know that they don’t attack animals, show some animals, which the grimm ignore after killing all the humans. the shit about older grimm getting smarter is already in the show, the shit about them evaporating when they die is in the show, and the shit it being impossible to keep them captive is contradicted by the show

Okay then, fork over about a thousand dollars to cover the cost of the voice acting and animation. or better yet, do it yourself so that the CRWBY don’t have to stretch themselves out even further. Oh, and listen as the fans complain on and on about there being no new episodes or anything because there is no WOR to tide them over, thus weakening their suspension of disbelief, thus forcing you to maker more detailed lore, thus more time, more gaps, more annoyance and so on until the show is dead.

aura: this is all in the show already. pyrrha gives jaune a hamfisted exposition dump about aura that he shouldn’t need.

Except what exactly it is, what it does, what Sembelnces are, the types of Sembelnces asd well as build up for Salem.

vytal festival: work the origins of the festival into ozpin’s speech instead of that stupid attempt at explaining the colour names

The listen as people bitch on and on about the color names as well as the info they will inevitably forget about since that means they’ll get it a whole yera before needed. Also, that takes longer so cough up more money or time or have a shitter product.

huntsmen: nothing of substance here that we didn’t already know

Except that Huntsmen aren’t the noible heroes that we see which helps ease people into the tonal shift of Volume 3 as well as humanizing the product.

ccts: look, let’s be honest. the only reason this is here is to explain why cinder’s plan is going to work. like, was there even the slightest question about what was going to happen when they ended the episode with “if one tower goes down then they all do”

the point is, it shouldn’t be so difficult to hint at what the villain is up to that you have to shove it into a side series. just stop having your villain be vague as fuck about everything for the sake of cultivating mystique

Then spend an entire season having the villain detail every single step of their plan with the complexities and all the twists and see if there are still people around. Also, that doesn’t explain why the CCT is so important so you still have to do that so fork over more money or time.

four maidens: this is more of a standalone short than supplemental infodumping, so i dunno if it should count. not that it would matter anyway because the maidens subplot already comes out of fucking nowhere

So9 impliment it into the story which already has fast pace for no reason, kill the pacing and the mood as well as remove the story book element about them. Also, personally work on the series to make up for the week of time they lost because there is nothing there to fill the gap, fork over the money to cover up the removal or personally take responsibility for it.

vale: mostly boring geographical waffle that is unlikely to ever be important. no elegant way to work it into the show, but on the other hand, you don’t need to

Thus the world feels flatter and emptier with no explanation for what happened when teh series gave the tone of doing so, thus losing audience interest and something that made the series unique.

the other kingdoms: we know everyone’s headed to mistral. presumably they’ll be spending some time there. show us the culture when they arrive. are we ever gonna visit the other two? if so, do the same for them. if not, it doesn’t matter much

Wow, you must have some deep pockets or as much free time as possible to be willing to foot the bill for all of this new footage and audio and voice lines and brainstorming and editing that this would all entail. Surely you wouldn’t ask a studio to bankrupt themselves just to do stuff you’d never ask of any other show right?

between kingdoms: it’s in the show! grimm running wild outside the kingdoms is in the show! bandit attacks are in the show! grimm moving in afterwards is in the show! it’s all there already!

Except the specifics of the grimm attacks, why people move outside pof the kingdoms, why there are bandits, how they get supplies and their interactions with the Grimm.

faunus: you know when oobleck is talking about the faunus war? you know when he stops for a minute to ask if any faunus have been discriminated against, and velvet raises her hand, and he’s like “oh, that sucks. anyway, back to what i was talking about”? you know how that part was a total waste of time? cut it. talk some more about the origin of the human-faunus conflict before everyone starts going on about night vision. you could even work some development for blake in there. oobleck asks if anyone knows how and when faunus exploitation began, and blake gives a long, bitter, opinionated answer

Ah yes, because one minute of dialogue to segway into a plotline can  be cut out and around ten minutes of exposition about fanaus history, biology and interactions with the humans can be shoved into that space. Except no, it can’t be so that’s more money and/or time you must be willing to give up to add in what no one asked for. As well as teh all teh angry fans who will yell at you for thinking they were stupid enough to think the characters didn’t know that as well as making all the characters into people with the memory of a fruit fly.

schnee dust company: i feel like this could have been a character moment for weiss. she probably never met nicholas. the only sdc she’s lived with is the one run by jacques. finding out that it was once an honest business run by a good, brave man could be a big turning point for her. “i want to be out there overseeing expeditions like granddad did. i want to change this company back to what it was.” and bam. now being a hunter isn’t just about annoying daddy anymore

Except that why she would even fight against her father in the first place, why she would consider the schhnee name noble at all or how she would miss all this, make the plot hole with her mother even fucking bigger than before, makes Weiss look like an idiot for not looking into her family’s past and, again, kills her motivation so we have a walking contradiction in the show as a main character.

And that’s not even getting into how there are some people who PREFER WOR over ordinary exposition.and thus changing that pisses them off as well as kills the pacing of RWBY. Thus changing something for an, at bets, equal result as before.

Yeah great job on the suggestion.

[sssoto]

Creator’s update #1

Hey guys! So I’ve decided to start actually blogging on this blog and tell a bit about the various things I’m working on, share WIPs, music I’ve been digging recently etc. I realise that I rarely post anything, so it seems like I’m super inactive - which is totally not true, I just have so much stuff going on and take a long time to finish things, and I’m also pretty picky about what I put up online lol! For the sake of keeping those of you interested in the loop, I’m gonna start this series of creator’s updates in which I’ll update y’all on the progress I’ve made on my various creative projects. The goal is to give an update a few times a month (hopefully lol)!

This past while I’ve been super inactive in the writing department, but very much productive in the art department, so my writing update will be mostly a summary of what I’ve been doing the past few years up until this point.

Mood: Feelin’ real good cuz my parents finally brought my comfy double bed over from my mum’s place this past weekend, which means no more sleeping on the couch yaaaaaas.

Music I’ve been digging recently:

Skye Sweetnam - Boyhunter So, the other day I randomly listened to this song on my way home from work, and I totally realised that Skye Sweetnam is the perfect voice for my character Caitlyn, and this song totally embodies what Caitlyn is all about lmaoooo. (The song isn’t very accurate to the time period Caitlyn lives in, but it’s super accurate to her character essence and personality, and I just find that so lit hahahah) 

Fallulah - Out of It This song is basically my MC’s theme song?? It’s performed by a Danish artist and was super popular in Denmark a few years back as it was the theme tune to a Danish tv show (a show I loved!). The lyrics are just so Daniel, it’s not even funny. It mostly fits his mental state at the beginning of Renaissance.

Girl’s Day - Love Again Ugh I just love the tune of this song so much, I can’t really place my finger on it, the emotion is just so great. I love the guitar riff especially, and Girl’s Day is a four member girl group, so it’s one of those songs where I can imagine my main girls Annaliese, Caitlyn, Mary and Serena singing as each member lmao.

Nine Muses - Remember Another four member group now, this song is also one where I can imagine my main girls singing each member’s part lmao, and having that aspect to a song always makes it a little better for me! Forreal tho, this new release from Nine Muses slays, and we all know it. The music video haunts me.

Sistar - Lonely This song makes me sad and happy all at once, cuz I’m not ready to say goodbye to Sistar, but at the same time this ending is probably the best one any fan could’ve wished for because there was no drama or anger, just well wishes and hope for the future. I know these girls will go far, and this song just pulls at all my heart strings man. The melody of the bridge and chorus, Dasom and Soyu’s parts in particular, really works for me. And yeah, Sistar has four members too, and once again I can picture my main girls singing as each member lmao. It’s a thing I have, okay?

Moana OST - We Know The Way + Know Who You Are I recently watched this movie, and while I sorta felt like the plot was a bit rushed and tropey in many ways, I totally adored the visuals and the MUSIC OMG. These two songs are my favourite, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s vocals never miss, and Auli’i Cravalho’s high note is gorgeous! Also dat choir in the background tho, and in context with the movie scene that song just makes me irrationally emotional mkay. (That ending was the best twist ever, it definitely lifted the story up a notch for me!)

Writing

So I’m writing a book! You might have seen me mention it a few times already on here, but I’ve not really shared much insight into my process or what sort of book this actually is (other than talking about characters here and there), and as I’ve not been making huge progress lately (I’m in an art state of mind duuuh), I thought that I’d keep this section short and sweet, with a bit of an introduction into what my book project is all about.

I call it a book project because I don’t feel comfortable just calling it a book when I don’t have rights to publish. Technically my book is a fanfiction based on the horror video game Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and as such I don’t own copyright of the small percentage of my story that features the canon elements. However, I take this as seriously as anyone else would writing their own book, because I’ve poured my entire heart and soul into it, and the vast majority of the content (plot, characters and world) is my original creation. It’s my own little big project lol!

You might be familiar with the game, and even if you aren’t, that’s not a prerequisite for reading my book since everything is introduced and set up just as in any regular book. The protagonist is an Englishman named Daniel, and we know little of his past through the game. I won’t go into too much detail on what the game is about (if you really wanna know, you can look it up), but the point of my book is to explore the protagonist’s life from his childhood up to the events of the game and beyond, and afterwards connect his story to the game sequels featuring other protagonists within the same universe. It’s a bit complex and elaborate, which is just the way I like it!

As the games are set at various points during the Victorian era (game #1 is set in Prussia 1839, game #2 is set in France 1858, and game #3 is set in England 1899), you can probably guess that the entire thing will be pretty long. That’s why I’m making it a series! I have at least seven books planned so far (though there’ll definitely be more, since I’m not near the end of the timeline I need to cover yet), and I currently have the first book written and am writing the sequel - however, the first book will need a complete rewrite once I’m finished with book #2, because I’ve since developed and changed a lot of stuff, and I have many new interesting ideas for a more fleshed out version of the first book. Still, the fanfic version is available online, so if you’d like to read it, you can find it here. You’ll get a pretty good idea of the general story and the characters, but keep in mind that it’s super outdated and will be very different after my rewrite!

For reference, this is the list of books that I’ve planned (and titled) so far, so you can keep up with what book of my series I’m talking about at any given point:

I - Amnesia: Memoirs

II - Amnesia: Renaissance

III - Amnesia: Voyage

IV - Amnesia: Noir

V - Amnesia: Encore

VI - Amnesia: Rogue

So what I’m doing right now with this project is revisions. Uuuuggghhhhh. Yes, that’s right, I’m stuck in revision hell. I’ve not even finished the first draft of Renaissance yet (I know, sacrilege, writing blasphemy, don’t start your damn edits until you’ve finished your draft dumbass), but I had some pretty major changes to make, changes so big that it would be a waste of time and effort to go on drafting without implementing them first. Mainly the changes are surrounding 1) a change of ages of my main cast (I aged many characters up a few years), and 2) changing and figuring out the specifics of the illness which my MC’s sister, Hazel, is afflicted with. She’s not such a major character in Renaissance, but she plays a big role in Memoirs, and since I had all these new ideas for the rewrite of that, I wanted to implement the ripple effects in the second book so it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle to edit later when Renaissance is a finished 3-400k first draft lmao (I have a lot of words okay?). These changes mostly affect the early chapters of my book - chapters I wrote about three years ago, which means that these early chapters really need a face-lift. In addition to the age and illness change, I wanna revise the first five chapters by cutting the fluff and tightening up the beginning so we get to the action a tiny bit faster. Adding to the fact that these early chapters are three years old, the prose also needs an almost complete rewrite. So long story short, all of the edits are taking a long ass time, and I’m not having a good time lmao. Doesn’t help that I had to stop drafting right at one of the juiciest scenes in my book?!?!? (that’s a lie, it gets juicier, but I was just getting to the real good stuff yanno?)

(Side note: for someone who said that I’d keep this short, it sure turned out long lmao. I just have too many damn words.)

Chapters edited: 2/16 (working on 3 right now and it’s an effin’ pain)

Current total word count: 120,591

Current total chapter count: 17 (the number will go down to 16 once I finish the revisions, as I’m merging two chapters)

Look at all the dumb shit I still have to edit for chapter 3. Look at it.

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Art

Man, I’ve been doing a lot of artwork recently, and by a lot, I don’t mean that I’ve finished any.

I think I’ve been focused on developing my actual drawing skills rather than making finished illustrations, because I’ve been so overwhelmed with inspiration and I’ve wanted to try out drawing a bunch of different motives, so my mind is on a lot of different art projects at once, and I’m making baby steps of progress on each of them because I just wanna do everything lmao. I should probably take a step back and settle on one thing at a time, but at the same time, I feel like this is working for me because I’m so inspired and motivated and super excited for every single art piece; I don’t feel myself losing interest in any of them, in fact I just feel like my switching between different artworks keeps every piece fresh and interesting for me, yanno?

So here’s one thing that I’ve been slowly chipping away at for the past few months. I’m drawing a full body group picture of my main cast from Renaissance!

I’ve drawn the anatomy sketches of all the male characters (though I’m debating whether I should add some others), and now I’m adding the female characters one by one, so these are not all of the characters yet. But man, I just love seeing the characters side by side? The variety in their body language, body types and heights is just so interesting to look at, and it’ll be even better once I get around to actually adding their facial features, expressions, hair, attire, and then colouring them as well omg! I’m a sucker for this kind of thing, blame it on @juliajm15 and her amazing diverse character designs.

It’s gonna be a huge picture with a lot of characters, and I’m stoked for it!! This is a piece which I hope I’ll be able to show ya’ll the progress of bit by bit in every few updates. (also, if you feel somewhat familiar with some of my characters, you’re welcome to make guesses at who’s who (; )

Another project I’m working on is making official character portraits of my main cast (and possibly minor characters as well). I just think it’s nice to have official portraits as reference for anyone who’d like to see what the characters look like, and also for myself for whenever I need to refresh the specific features and expression of each character. It’s just a nice thing that satiates my very Type A personality lmao!

So the characters above are Owen Wright (to the left) , Daniel’s puppy bff with the fluffy hair, and then from left to right I’m colouring the portraits of the Armstrong siblings: Caleb, Caitlyn and Tristan. Their dad is a duke! n.n Caleb is the oldest, Caitlyn the youngest, and Tristan is the bland middle child. He’s a little brat LOL but I still love him.

Also, due to this glorious reference I found, I finally figured out how to draw Daniel. Bless this model, I never knew I wanted Daniel to have big puffy lips, but apparently I do.

He looks actually nice now? Which is nice? I’m amazed. Also his hair? I can never draw his hair, but this looks nice so yay? Also, I dunno why I never draw clothes on him, I guess I’m just lazy lol, but he’s gonna need to wear clothes for the official character portrait soooo... That’s a thing I’m gonna have to do.

Now that I’ve figured out his features, it’s gonna be fun to remodel all his family members accordingly. I sense that he’ll have gotten those cute puffy lips from his mum meheheheh.

I also did some Disney fanart of my two favourite Disney ladies; Esmeralda and Kida <3

I actually never really draw fanart any more, it’s been yeeeaaaars since I did, and when I used to do it, I was always very particular about staying as true to the original art style as possible. But now that I’ve spent the past couple years focusing on developing my own art style, I actually decided not to care about that so much and just draw the characters the way I’m used to drawing my own, and lo and behold - it looks pretty accurate to the Disney style?? I assumed that the characters would end up looking very different, but other than the eyes being smaller I feel like they look the exact same lmao. It’s interesting to me, because even when I used to do fanart, I usually did so of Japanese art and manga, not of Disney or any other western art. Also, I don’t consider my own style very Disney, but it pleases me a lot that the characters look so much like themselves even in my art style! The most important thing to me is to capture the essence of the character anyway, so any fan can recognise the character they love so much n.n

So that’s about it for this round! I’ve been working on other things as well, but I’d rather not disclose them to the public just yet - perhaps later, when I’ve made more progress, or (gasp!) actually finished something!! Bahahah, with the many things I’m working on, hell will freeze over before that day comes. *cries*

Youtube

I’m adding this Youtube section because, in addition to writing and doing artwork, I also like to record vocal covers (mainly of kpop songs, but I’ll do anything I’m in the mood for at any given point), aaaaand as of today I'm gonna be uploading speedpaints as well! Which is probably good since I don’t upload my covers nearly as often as I finish them lmao.

I’ve not uploaded any new covers recently (though I really should, I do have some covers lying around on my laptop mwerp), but I’m gonna list a couple of my favourite covers I have on my channel here so you can take a listen if you’d like!

And today I uploaded my very first speedpaint to my channel, so check that out if you’re interested in that sort of stuff! It’s the process of my Christmas portrait piece for Serena. I aim to be more consistent with uploads since I have a few unedited recordings lying around, so keep an eye out for that!

If you’ve read this far, thank you for sticking around and taking a look at my work, even if it’s only in WIP form. I wanted to start doing these updates because I’ve been watching my friends do them for a long time, and I always love reading their writing updates; they motivate me so much to get working on my own stuff, and I just wanna be able to perhaps do something similar for anyone else who’s watching me out there. So thank you sincerely to @coffeeandcalligraphy, @sarahkelsiwrites and @shaelinwrites for sharing your process with the world and being such an inspiration to me and many others, I love seeing you all make progress on your own projects <3

So that was all for this round, I hope you guys enjoyed a little sneak peek into what I’ve been working on! Until next time, folks!