#i know prologues aren't usually exciting but i hope this was at least a little bit interesting

[abugeatbugworld]

Hello buggy friends! It has been a minute and for that I'm sorry — life is crazy these days, and I haven't been able to keep up with this blog nearly as much as I would like to.

But even though I haven't been posting here much lately, I haven't forgotten about the A Bug's Life fandom entirely! In fact, as a way to keep myself sane amidst the real life chaos at the moment (good chaos but still chaos), I've started a whole new story.

It's different from my usual stuff, which tends to stick pretty closely to the canon, as it takes place in the future and includes some original characters. I know OCs aren't everyone's speed — I tend to be skeptical of them myself — but I hope you'll consider at least giving it a chance, because I'm pretty excited about this story :)

I've included a little teaser below, and if you're interested you can click the link above or below to continue reading.

Thanks for being part of this tiny but mighty community!

with love, Mouse

P.S. Thank you to my friend @theowlgoesmoo for being a big encourager and beta reader of this story! ❤

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lost and Found

Prologue

It’s been four seasons since Ant Island was set free from Hopper’s tyrannical reign. 

Atta and Flik are happily married. Their small wedding ceremony was attended only by the Queen, Princess Dot, the Royal Council, and the circus bugs. It was an evening filled with music, dancing, and — for the first time any of the participants could remember — an abundance of food.

Tragically, a few weeks after this joyous occasion, the Queen fell ill and passed away. The throne was left to her eldest daughter, who inherited the role with grace and dignity amidst her deep sorrow. Although the royal family continues to grieve the death of their matriarch, the colony as a whole is enjoying a time of peace and prosperity.

Flik’s technological advancements have gained widespread fame, catching the attention of nearby colonies as well as other insect communities. Under the supervision of Queen Atta and the Council, the new prince consort partnered with the island’s Head of Engineering, Thorny, to build a larger workshop, hire over fifty employees, and set up a trade system with neighboring kingdoms. Flik also recruited Dot as his honorary lab assistant — a decision made partly because he saw the antling’s budding brilliance, and partly because he knew she needed a healthy distraction from the sudden loss of her mother.

After spending some time as traveling performers, the circus troupe made the decision to set up a permanent attraction on Ant Island. Their circus has drawn visitors from all over the Bug Realm, which has only served to increase the island’s growing wealth and prominence. After years of enslavement and oppression at the hands of bigger bugs, the residents of Ant Island can finally draw a breath and relish in the fruits of their labor.

What the colony doesn’t know, however, is that elsewhere — in an anthill not unlike their own — trouble is brewing.

Flik has a rival, an ant who is like him in every way…except for one very important difference.

His heart.

Chapter One

“Wait up, Aphie!”

Dot giggled as she pushed through the blades of grass in her path. A few inches ahead of her, her pet aphid zipped easily around their bases, his stubby legs carrying him much faster than seemed possible.

The two of them often played this game of chase in the early mornings, before most of the colony (with the exception of Flik, who preferred working at night and sleeping most of the day) awoke. It was Dot’s time to bask in the crisp island air before Princess — no, Queen Atta — forced her to sit in a stuffy room with Doctor Cornelius and learn about things that royal ants were supposed to know.

She knew her private tutoring sessions were just part of the deal as a daughter of the former queen, but she missed being surrounded by her friends in Mister Soil’s classroom. She missed having endless time to go outside and play or visit Flik in his workshop. She missed not having to wear an itchy crown all the time.

She missed her mom.

Dot felt a spasm of grief wrack her chest and immediately pushed it down, as far down as it could go. Her therapist, Miss Gypsy, wouldn’t be happy with her (“You need to feel your feelings, dear”), but she didn’t care.

It was a beautiful summer day, and the last thing she wanted to think about was her dead mother.

Aphie was out of sight now. Dot slowed, panting, and brushed a bead of sweat from her forehead. If she flew she could keep pace with the little bug, but it felt nice to use her legs once in a while.

“What are you doing so far from the anthill, little one?”

Continued here

[aoi-midori]

Resolutions for 2K17

hey everyone! hope you guys’ve had a happy new year! i did, and i want to get this year started off with a bang. 

first of all, i want to thank all of my followers (both old and new) for following me. i haven’t been as active as i’d like to be lately, but thanks for keeping up with me! I really appreciate it.

that being said, now i’d like to ask for your help. i’ve advertised this a few times in the past few years, but i have an original story that i’ve been working on since 2011, and since then, it’s basically been stuck in development hell due to the constant rewrites and shit and me never actually finishing the thing. another problem i’ve been having is the damn writer’s block, but that’s mainly due to a lack of motivation to write.

NOT THIS YEAR DAMMIT.

i’m actually going to be productive this year and WRITE WRITE WRITE. and so i’m taking a huge risk here by doing something that i should have done a long time ago: starting with this post, i’m going to post my story chapters right here to on this blog. so all i’m asking from you guys is to please read them and GIVE ME FEEDBACK. if any of you did that, i would be SO grateful, you have no idea! 

okay, so about my story, working title of “brotherhood” (definitely changing it to something better eventually). to give you all a quick run-down of it, it’s set in 2019 in a world pretty similar to ours, but with a few big differences, the main one being EVERYONE HAS POWERS. what’s not to love about powers, right? anyway, here’s a brief summary of it: 

“ In 2019, activity in the magi-underworld has grown exponentially. ETMA, one of the largest magi-organizations in the world, brings in 20 elite mages - people gifted with special abilities - to counter these criminals. But this is merely only the beginning. As these elites grow with their powers and become increasingly well-known in the magi-community, a new threat lurks in the shadows, waiting to strike... “

so as for the story mechanics, it’s written in rotating first person with six main characters. if you don’t know what that means, basically i’ve got six narrators for this thing, each with their own sub-plots that link up to the main storyline, and some characters’ stories are interconnected with each other. so that makes things really interesting! 

so anyway, i’ll post the prologue under the cut! enjoy!

Chapter 0: ETMA [Al Smith]

Today went off to a pretty slow start. But what I didn’t expect was for my dad to drag my sister and me all the way down to Florida along with our two best friends. Not that we were really complaining though; all four of us were either out of school or taking random classes at the local community college, so we didn’t have much of a reason to argue our way out of our current situation.

“Augh, are we there yet?” My sister, Lex, groaned from the seat next to me. We had left the Miami Airport about 30 minutes before and after only a 2 hour flight, so I didn’t see what the big deal was to be honest.

“Yeah, almost,” Dad reassured her from the driver’s seat. “But we really haven’t been driving for that long. Are you that bored already?”

“No, that’s not it at all. I just want to get this over with so that I can go back to sleep. And what bugs me is that you woke us up at the crack of dawn just so we could catch a plane at the last minute!”

“Heh heh, sorry about that. Though, I only got my orders this morning, so this was the best that I could do.”

She let out a great big sigh and folded her arms across her chest. “Yeah, well they should at least give us a few days warning next time. It’s so inconvenient, and I didn’t get much sleep last night because of it!”

“Well, if you’re that tired, then you could’ve-”

“Don’t even go there!” Lex turned right on the spot and glared in my direction. “There was no way I could’ve slept on the plane, it was too bumpy! And those kids kicking my seat sure didn’t help either! So zip it!”

Things pretty much always ended up like this. Whenever Lex and I talk with each other, it usually turns into an argument, just like the snap of a finger. “Hey, relax. I’m just trying to give you advice! Is that a problem?”

“When you’re being sarcastic about it, yes!”

“Okay guys, let’s calm down, alright?!” Enter the first of our two mediators, Will Parker. Whenever Lex and I started arguing, he would be the one to try to settle things verbally. As to how effective that was, I’d say it was about 50% of the time, maybe even less than that. But he still tried regardless.

Anyway, Will had turned around to face us from the front seat to try to talk us down once again. “Come on, let’s just try to be civil about things, okay? After all, we are almost there!”

“Yeah, thank god. I don’t think I could stand sitting next to him any longer.”

I copied her posture and slid down in my seat. “Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I haven’t done a single thing to you all day, so what’s your problem?”

“See, see? There’s the sarcasm again! I swear, that is all that ever comes out of your mouth these days, and it drives me off the edge!”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“What did I just say?!”

“Guys, please!” Will did his best to try to get us to stop, but Lex and I had found ourselves in a full-blown argument at this point, so no dice. “Just a few more minutes, and we’ll be there! That’s good, right?”

Still nothing. “Augh… Emma! A little help here please?!”

Both of us shut up really quick and turned our heads left as our second mediator pulled out her earbuds and gave us the death glare - Will’s younger sister and my best friend, Emma Parker. During those times when Will couldn’t stop us from arguing, that’s when Em would step in. She was the one to literally break up our fights, either by scolding us or by resorting to force and violence. And unlike Will, her methods were 100% effective every time.

She glared at the two of us for a few seconds before conjuring up a fireball with the snap of her fingers. “Do I need to switch seats with one of you?” The way she delivered it was downright terrifying.

“Nope, we’re good!” I didn’t need to be told twice. I wouldn’t dare cross her.

“Uh huh. And no more arguing, right?”

Lex let out a nervous laugh. “No no, of course not! We’ve got everything under control, don’t worry!” Then she leaned to the side and hugged me. “Isn’t that right Bro?”

“Yeah, sure thing! We’ll be good, Em!”

She eyed us suspiciously for a bit longer, and we stared right back, albeit very anxiously. Then her demeanor changed altogether as the fireball vanished, and her face broke out into a wide grin. “Now that’s more like it!”

Will sighed with relief as Em clapped me on the back. “Now let’s lighten up the mood here, guys! I mean, we’ve got ourselves a new job! I’m excited!”

Dad laughed from up front. “Well, at least one of you is lively back there. And…. We’re here!”

It was about time! I leaned over against Em as we both looked out the window at our new home.

The Elemental Tectonic Mage Alliance, or “ETMA” for short: it was a massive organization affiliated with the United Nations tasked with handling affairs involving rogue mages- people gifted with special abilities- and the like. My dad, Joe Smith, had been working for ETMA for a long time, and he had trained the four of us over the past several years so that we’d have better control over our powers, as we were all mages. And now it seemed that ETMA was in some kind of trouble, so Dad finally brought us in.

Anyway,  Dad drove onto the base and parked the car a little ways in. Leaving our luggage inside to pick up later, the five of us headed inside what I thought looked to be the main building on base. Eventually, we made it to the assigned room where everyone was supposed to be meeting. And when we stepped inside…

“Well… This is shocking.” I looked around the room to find it completely empty. “We’re actually the first ones here, I don’t believe it.”

Even Lex was surprised. “Yeah seriously, Dad. What happened to being fashionably late?”

Dad ushered us in and propped the door open. “Yeah, well I’m best friends with ETMA’s leader, so I kind of have to make a good first impression here.”

“Well, you don’t necessarily have to, but it sure does help in the long run.” We hadn’t even been there ten seconds when someone else entered the room. After taking one good look, I could tell in an instant that this guy was important. There were a few things that could easily be pointed out, such as the long red hair worn back in a ponytail, but what made him stand out the most was the blindfold covering his eyes.

Dad was smiling. “Speak of the devil.” He bounded over to the guy with the blindfold and gave him a sideways hug. “Nice to see you again, Shuuhei!” Then he waved at the rest of us and beckoned us over. “Hey kids, come on over and say hi to your new boss!”

I figured as much, but it was still a little bit surprising to me all the same. “Wait, so he’s the leader then?”

“In the flesh,” the blindfold guy replied as he broke away from Dad. He held out his hand for each of us to shake once we reached the two of them. “Imada Shuuhei, it’s good to have you all on board!”

Will was the last of us to shake hands with him. “We’re just glad that we’ll be of good use to you. Anything we can do to help out!”

Meanwhile, Em had put her knuckles against her mouth and was gazing curiously at Shuuhei. “Erm, I don’t want to be acting out-of-line here or anything, but could I ask you something? I don’t know if it’s too personal to ask about though, but…”

“I don’t see why not. Ask away.”

“Right, okay. What’s up with the blindfold? Like, can you even see under that thing?”

I was actually glad she asked that, because I was positive I wasn’t the only one thinking it. Who wouldn’t wonder about that anyway?

Shuuhei smiled and shifted his footing a bit before answering. “Oh yeah, I get that a lot actually. Let’s see… To answer your first question, I have my reasons for wearing this thing.” He gestured to the blindfold as he mentioned it. “As for the second one… Yes and no. I guess you could say that I can’t see in the traditional sense, but my powers actually allow me to- oh, never mind…”

He drifted off as several people began filing into the room. “Looks like we’ll have to pick this one up later, sorry!” And with that, Shuuhei left our group and approached the front.

We couldn’t argue with that. The rest of us all sat down in a group together, but Lex made it a point to sit as far away from me as possible. I didn’t mind though, as I was sitting by Em anyway.

“Morning everyone!” Shuuhei announced once it seemed that everyone had finally gotten there. “I’m sorry you all had to come here on short notice, but what with everything going on lately, it had to be done.” Then he looked around at the small crowd, which consisted of what I’d say to be about 20 people. “Now, maybe some brief introductions are in order? That way, we can get to know each other more?”

Right off the bat, a Japanese-looking girl with a long black ponytail sitting not too far away from me spoke up. “Let’s skip the formalities, Shuuhei. We can introduce ourselves later.” She then sat up straight and stared him right in the eye. “So, what happened?”

“Right… Very well, Cho.” Shuuhei let out an audible sigh and nodded. “Okay. As most of you should be aware of by now, ETMA primarily deals in magi-affairs, but our main enemy is the Chang-Los. They are an anti-mage crime syndicate originating out of Hong Kong, China, and have spread their influence into several other countries. We’ve been fighting these guys for almost 20 years now, but we still haven’t come close to catching their leader since then.”

“Another thing I’d like to mention is that over the past several years, the number of mages within our ranks has diminished greatly, but hasn’t been that much of a problem since everyone within the Chang-Los are all non-mages. Also…”

“Oh boy,” Cho spoke again, this time sounding a bit irritated. “Shuuhei, I love ya, but you’ve gotta get to the point here! What changed? Why bring us in now of all times against a whole bunch of asshole non-mages?”

“Because now they have mages of their own, that’s why.”

The whole room had gone silent. Shuuhei cleared his throat and then continued. “Let me explain. About a week ago, we found out about an alliance between the Chang-Los and what looks to be another mage organization, like ours. Not much is known about them at this point, but we do know that they go by the name of Melisma.”

This time, it was a brown-haired girl sitting next to Cho who spoke up. “So… are you sure we haven’t dealt with them before? I mean, if they’re another mage group…”

“Well, I’d like to say that they’re relatively new, but from the looks of things, it seems like they’ve been around for a while actually. Judging by the reports of several of our agents, these mages at the latest Chang-Lo operations were skilled enough with their powers to be able to give our agents a bit too much to handle. My guess is that these guys have been laying low for a while underground and have only now surfaced.”

“But anyway, the point here is that our regular agents are excellent when dealing with Chang-Los, but they aren’t fit to handle Melisma. It’s just too much for them. And that’s where you all will come in. While I have our non-mages scout out and do reconnaissance, it’s you who will actually be doing the fighting.”

He then looked over by the door, where I saw a woman leaning against the doorframe waiting for him. It must have been his secretary or something, but she had long red hair like Shuuhei’s, so she probably could’ve passed as his sister. “And that’s the gist of it, really! I think I’ll stop here for now and let you have a look around and everything. But before I head out, I just want to leave you with a few words of encouragement.”

Suddenly, Shuuhei’s stance changed in the blink of an eye. With both hands in his pockets, he stamped his foot down hard on the floor and looked straight at us. “Anything is possible if we set our minds to it! And no matter what’s in our way, we won’t stop! If there’s a wall in our way, we’ll just smash it down! If there isn’t a path set out in front of us, then we’ll carve one out ourselves! Live for today, but look forward to tomorrow! That’s how Team ETMA rolls!”

And then, the secretary-looking lady came in, grabbed Shuuhei by the arm, and nearly dragged him out of the room. “Okay, well I’ll check back in with everyone later on! Welcome to ETMA!”

… Now that was one hell of a way to inspire a crowd. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t there to see it, but the entire room, myself included, broke into a round of applause. I’d have to remind myself to thank Dad later for bringing me here, because this guy was so great. It was like he had come out of one of my favorite Japanese anime, so naturally, I was pretty damn pleased.

“Well, there you have it,” Dad said with a wave of finality. “So what do you guys think?”

Lex and Will were both nodding with satisfied looks, while Em smiled enthusiastically. “It sounds great! I think it’ll be fun!”

��Yeah, I’m game.” The minute I first saw Shuuhei, I could tell that I was definitely in the right place. “So, when do we start?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

if you’ve read this far (i really appreciate it btw), then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GIVE ME FEEDBACK! i want to improve my writing, and the more people i have reading this, the more inclined i’ll be to actually finish this thing! thank you!