#my first few chapters definitely need a rewrite because I was still learning

[uwudonoodle]

Me (who hadn't done any creative writing since grade school) to my partner: I think I want to try writing, but I'm scared to start.

Him: Maybe you could start with a short story.

Me: No, that sounds way too intimidating. I'm gonna start with a poem, but a short one, like a haiku.

Me *fearless after writing three haiku's*: Imma write an epic long fanfic. *sits down and writes chapter one*

Me, almost a year later, nearly 100k words into a probably 400k epic: This is probably fine...

What do you mean that starting with smaller projects is an easier way to build my skill with writing. You mean to tell me I can't just write an amazing novel as my first ever work?

Blasphemy.

[rebtrovert-girl]

Celebratory Note: Drunken Honesty

As this story has come to an end, I feel like talking about it a little more since this is my first mid-length fic, made with adapting the story into a modern one, and tbh the first ever long story I manage to finish (for real, I've been writing for as long as I can remember and I have soooooo many drafts, not just about LawBin but other real manuscript but I never manage to finish anything) so this one deserved to be celebrate and talked about by me :D Or, really, I just wanna babbling it out even without any excuse.

Honestly I used to dislike a modernized fanfic of something that was originally set in their own universe. When I first thought of this idea I kinda thought to myself: what the hell???? Very naive if you ask me. Look where I land now, I love writing this so freaking much!

I didn't plan to name each chapter with anything or even idioms at first. It was done because I've been listening to Billie Eilish- Birds of a Feather a lot when I wrote the first chapter and I started to envision the ending with that song. I just knew I needed to name the last chapter with it, or at least I have to kinda insert the song in the last scene. I ended up naming every chapter with idioms just so I can use Birds of a Feathers in the last one. But that somehow helps me a lot in putting the plot point and what I want to have in every chapter neatly. Like in chapter 1: Cat Out of The Bag focus on Robin spilling her secret, and in chapter 2: Beat Around the Bush was used literally in their first meet and figuratively to describe Law's reaction for her confession which is trying to hide from it.

The making of Last Chapter: Birds of a Feather is really the hardest not just because I was in the middle of rushing my assignment that I need to redo, but I also rewrite it three times from the beginning LOL. The thing with me is, when I feel very stuck on some part I just know that something isnt right from the beginning so I will definitely rewrite it :D. I got very stuck on the first two versions and I finally let it be for a few days before I start again. Although the reunion scene was envisioned since the first time I wrote this and as I listen to the song, the build up to that scene was never determined and thats my real headache. I still have doubt about how it turn out even as I post it, but what matters to me was I did manage to finish it the way I want it.

As a non-English speaker, naming each chapter with idioms is a huge deal and has become one of the most fun parts for me. It's huge because I need to find the one that fits the most to describe what happened in the chapter, thus I get to read a lot of idioms and I learn a lot along the way. Definitely a fun excuse to learn more English!

I'm not really a Sannami shipper but I ended up inserting them in addition to Saboala because I want both Robin and Law to have a reflection of how a friends to lovers relationship could be. That's also why I randomly put Law and Sabo together as roommates even though they have almost zero interaction in the canon world. I know in fanfic, writers have the freedom to write characters however they want to, but I don't actually like steering too far from canon. Chapter 3: Greener Grass is the second title I found and I knew all along I want to have these two other ships mentioned in here.

Aside from LawBin, my second ship in OP is indeed Saboala and I've been wanting and trying to write about them for some time. I had drafts of their stories in my file to which I was never able to finish. Their little inclusion in this story is an excuse and open door for me if maaayyyybbbbeeeee I wanna attempt to tackle a sequel/spin-off of this that focused on their story one day (who knows?????)

The story was originally planned to be done in 6 chapters. I had to improvise a bit when I wrote Chapter 4: Skeletons in The Closet that was never part of my plan. In the original idea, Cora and the part where Robin realizes what she did when she was drunk are supposed to be in chapter 3. But as I said in that chapter's note, something came up (real life happened) and I wasn't able to write for a week. If I continue to follow the original plan, chapter 3 would be pushed for another week and it makes me weary. So on a whim I decided to divide the chapter into two, with chapter 3 just focusing on the couple reflecting their relationship with others, and chapter 4 with the revelation of what has been done since the first chapter. I went into a frenzy when I uploaded chapter 3 because I felt bad for not following my original plan. You guys have no idea how grateful I am for the feedback you gave and it push me forward on writing more :D

I have thought about actually writing some smut here in the middle of writing this but then I scratch the idea because; first, I've never write a smut before so I think I still need some practice(?) and second, as much as I like for the two to get hot and down to business, I've never plan on it initially. Mood wise, I feel like it'd be a little forced if I suddenly insert something too sexual. Maybe I'll do that some other time with different stories (?????)

Chapter 5- Down the Rabbit Hole, where Sabo somehow become the MVP was coincidentally came out at the same time as eps 1116 release, which was when Sabo come back to the anime for Reverie arc. It was pure coincidence but a really nice one and I want to keep remembering it!

In writing, there is this saying: Kill your darlings, which means to eliminate the overuse of favorite characters or tropes to cut the unnecessary part. In one of the writing courses I took years ago, they also explain this as a way to not include too many unimportant details, such as a character that doesn't do much to the story and doesn't need to be explained in detail. Again, my take as this piece is a fanfic, I took the liberty to have as much fun as I could with every character I could add to the story. Like Doflamingo, yeah this psychopath has no business whatsoever to be in this light hearted romcom story of Law and Robin. But I wanna have fun with him and my only reason for including him is only so I can write him say in another world he'd die in Luffy's hand (I love irony). That's also why I make them neighbours. It's unimportant but it's fun. The characters might be Oda's but the universe of this story is mine so I'll do as I like it. But in the end, I still tried to limit this thing so the story didn't snowball too big. I hate to add more chapters haha

Saul and Cora's inclusion here is my second favorite take. I just know if I want to write something that can assure Law and Robin did have a good childhood, these two characters need to exist in their story. And I just feel so proud to come up with this two quotes for them:

You are my daughter but you are always going to be a Nico- Saul I bet on your happiness- Cora

I know it's just me being overdramatic (like this whole post is) but I'm proud because it feels like the kind of thing their characters would even say in canon :D

12. I do have some ideas for bonus chapter (!!!!!) but nothing has been written yet and I dont want to make empty promises anymore so for now lets just save it as a surprise when it did happen one day

I think I've talked enough. I write this purely because I want to have this story, but I'm glad to know that there are people who can enjoy it as much. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you so much <3 Honestly when I first started writing LawBin I thought it was just going to be a one time thing, but look at me now! I don't know how long I will be able to write them and have fun with everyone before real life consumes me; but in this moment and time, I feel so grateful that I could share the same joy of having fun from what I like with people who have the same favorites. Cheers to all of us, and hopefully I can greet you with a new story soon! (Idea is always there, I do have my own draft list too, the problem is always the same: TIME)

Full chapter of Drunken Honesty by me (chilldeokjil) is now on AO3!

[aurorahrt]

fanfic writer interview!

thank you to the lovely @monkey-banana41 for the tag <33 almost cried at my pc anyway weeeee

How many works do you have on AO3?

i have 34! they were all posted this year, and 32 of them are sskk or sskk-centric... i might be crazy

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

i rarely check this one but it actually surprised me a little bit :3 they are, of course, all sskk :D

lasting until the next time - explicit | 39.4k | 31 chapters my kinktober for 2024! i wanted to write something that had a "developing relationship" type of plot, but also featured an nsfw scene for (most of) the chapters! it's set two years into the future, after everything is cleared up and sskk reunite for the first time in a while.

two flints make a fire - explicit | 24.5k | 10 chapters originally started as a rivals-with-benefits smut shot after i watched dead apple three times in one weekend, but turned into 10 chapters of somewhat canon compliant sskk porn, basically!

skin to skin - teen | 18.1k | one-shot this was the first fic i posted in march! an sskk ability swap fic where they learn to understand each other whilst trying to get their abilities back, set after the decay of the angels saga. lots of fluff, a little bit of angst and a slightly-unhinged atsushi!

inevitable dwindling; awakening metempsychosis - teen | 17.2k | one-shot i'm so glad this is up here because this is my favourite thing i have ever written. an sskk fic around the six month promise and how that might happen, which turns into an accidental-roommate-situation and a lot of overthinking! essentially one big akutagawa character study that i did after rewatching bsd in the summer.

from duality to singularity - mature | 10.8k | one-shot a post-beast au where atsushi joins the ADA and sskk basically hate each other until they love each other. it's part of twin flames, which is an entire world where beast sskk and canon sskk meet and learn a lot of things about each other!

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

absolutely yes, whenever i can find the time. i love talking about my projects, and comments are always the best place for it. for me, if someone enjoyed my fic enough to comment, i want to reciprocate that gratitude and energy :D

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

ehe... well i think we all know the answer to this one, but definitely a hope to return, as it's literally canon-ish mcd. i also think i should give an honourable mention to double edged blade, which is just my personal headcanons on tachihara's back story up until chapter 90.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

i tend to write with more ambiguous endings. to me, sskk are a pairing where they still kind of hate themselves and need a lot more time than just a silly mega one-shot where they get together to heal. i think the to transmogrify a hound series (especially home comforts) are quite cathartic, and that makes ME happy...

Do you write crossovers?

no, i don't think i will either! canon is my playground :D

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

not yet... hopefully never...

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yes i do! it really depends. i've written pure nasty nothing smut, but introspective smut is my favourite to write.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

other than when a bot sniped the whole of ao3, i have had a few snippets/plot stolen in a fic i saw once, but i just kind of let it slide and took it as a compliment

Have you ever had a fic translated?

no :)

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no but watch this space............... /threat

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

i think it's pretty obvious that it's sskk for me. i'm hoping to branch out into other ships i like for 2025!

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

i currently have a spreadsheet of 15 wips that i stare at blankly then start something new. one of the wips i have that i don't think i'll ever share is a rewrite of an au that i published before 'auroraheart' was born. i always think of a good time to post it, then change my mind!

What are your writing strengths?

i guess i understand the characters i write pretty well, and even though i have my own characterisation, people seem to like it and/or think it's pretty close to canon! i'm definitely good at introspective fics, or character studies, and i think i make pieces transition really well from different scenes!

What are your writing weaknesses?

i do not branch out from what is comfortable, and when i do, i really overthink it. i would like to test that in the new year, because i've never really attempted 'world building' and i would love to try.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think it depends on the context, but i tend to not do it.

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

so many... i'm going to hopefully start posting for sgdlr soon! i also want to branch into more bsd ships i enjoy, like tachihigugin (and any variation of the three), sigzai, suegiku, odango, etc... which is part of my new year goals :D

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

i've already mentioned id;am and deb, so i think i will use this space to say checkmate! it's one of my lesser known fics, but it was hard to write and i'm very proud of it :3

tagging: @acreeperinawhitevan, @doctorweebmd, @heartless-cur, @spliqi & @frankenjoly <3 (feel free not to do of course)

[morningstargirl666]

Hi! Just started The Little Wolf and I would like to thank you for writing such a beautiful fic, it was what I needed to get back into my Klaroline feels! It’s beautifully written, I love it so so much 💖

I haven’t started TBBW yet though, and I’d like to ask you if you’d recommend waiting for the rewritten version of the fic before starting it? I’m so impatient and torn between my desire to start it right away or patiently wait for your rewrite, which I’m sure you’ve put a lot of effort into!

Thank you so much!

Omg hi! Thanks for reading! I absolutely adore The Little Wolf and I don't get as many readers asking about it compared to its big sister TBBW, so very grateful to hear you enjoyed it so much! It's very close to my heart ❤️

Personally, I think I'd wait? There's a LOT that's going to change in the rewrite, and there's quite a few lore changes or just new lore entirely, so if you read TBBW now you'll have to un-learn a few things when you read it again. I think as well, if you read the rewrite as the first time you've read the fic... it will be an epic experience. The entire structure and pacing of it is much better. I feel its a much more well-rounded version of the story.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean the version currently on AO3 is complete crap. I mean, when I read through it now I cringe at my own writing a lot lol, but that's just because I feel I've grown as a writer since I first wrote some of the chapters --- some of them are 4 years old. But that doesn't mean it's not good, you know? It's still part of the journey to where I've got with the rewrite for TBBW. If I hadn't written that first draft, I wouldn't have gotten to where I am now.

So it's your choice really. If you can't wait a month or two, by all means go read it! The main plot itself isn't changing much and it still hits all the same marks in the rewrite. But just be prepared you'll probably have to reread it when the rewrite drops, if you don't want to miss anything --- I personally don't think the rewrite will be something where you can just read the new bits. Because the new stuff? It's everywhere. It's inter-weaved into the entire story.

It's not an edit. It's a rewrite. And it will be living up to that definition, for sure.

[longbobmckenzie]

Tips for writing a villa fic

If you pay attention to Love Island the Game fanfiction at all, you've probably read a villa fic or two, or a hundred. They can be a lot of fun, and the nature of the game lends itself really well to the concept. Which is why so many people have started writing villa fics of their own... and yet, so few finish them, or even come close.

Well, I’ve written more than my fair share of villa fics, ranging from a 3k word oneshot (yes, really) to a 230k word start-to-finish Season 2 Bobby fic, and I’ve read a whole lot more, so I've learned a thing or two about the genre.

So, I figured I’d share some of my tips, and ask some of my writer friends for their input (thanks @queen-of-boops, @rebelrayne, and @thoracic-orchid), and here we are!

Buckle in, because this gets long (much like my fics!)

Tip #1: Recognize that it’s a lot of work

It takes a long, long time to write a full villa fic, especially if it’s Season 2 and you’re starting on Day 1 and going right up to the final (and beyond?). We’re talking months of work, maybe even years depending on how much time you have to dedicate to it. My first fic (230k words) took me 9-10 months to write, and that was during COVID lockdown when I didn’t really have much else to do.

This isn’t meant to discourage you at all, but I’ve seen so, so many villa fics get published and never get past the first few chapters. Sometimes they even get 20-30 chapters in before the author loses interest or just plain runs out of free time. It’s a commitment, but it can definitely be done!

This especially applies to “All Star” villa fics or season crossovers. Kudos to those who attempt it and especially those who finish (I know of only one person who’s managed this off the top of my head), but trust me, it’s hard enough writing a villa fic, writing a crossover is putting it on evil mode.

Also consider if you’re writing from a male character’s POV (the LI, perhaps, or a male MC) that you’ll probably need to write more “boys only” scenes, so a little extra creativity is required (I could never, honestly).

Tip #2: Have a plan

I cannot stress this enough. Easy for me to say since I’m an outliner at heart anyway, but I’m in the middle of writing a villa fic and even with an outline, I’m still going back and tweaking early chapters (tip within a tip: write a few chapters before publishing anything!) when my plan changes slightly.

But having a clear direction of where you want to take the fic and planning out plot points, recouplings, dumpings, etc. is extremely important. Especially when you start going off-canon (more on that in a bit) or when you get to days where literally nothing happens in the villa.

The nice thing about villa fics is that you’ve already got a structure to work with, you just have to plan how you want your characters’ relationship(s) to develop and how to drive the plot.

Tip #3: You don’t always have to stick to the plan

That said, characters sometimes do things you didn’t plan for. And that’s okay! Sometimes. There are times you need to assert your will, but other times, things will change and you just need to re-evaluate your outline. And that’s okay… within reason.

For example, in Whiskey & Scotch, my plan was always for Bobby to be the endgame LI. Somewhere along the line, I fell in love with Henrik, and people really liked him and my OC together (mild spoiler: they were coupled up for a time). I was extremely tempted to blow up my outline to make it work for them, but the groundwork was laid for Bobby to be endgame, and I had scenes planned that had been living in my head for months by that point that I was excited for. It just didn’t make sense to make Henrik the LI (which is why I’m now working on a rewrite/alternate ending, because I still love them together even years later).

On the other side, at the post-Casa Amor dumping, Noah was single and I’d planned for him to save Hope. She was already a bit of a villain, they had history, it just made sense. But when I was writing the scene, I was completely stuck on his speech. I got a crazy/evil idea and had him save someone else instead. It changed a lot and I had to rework my outline a bit, but it worked out so well that I can’t imagine doing it the way I’d intended.

Tip #4: Watch the show

This is optional (technically, they all are), but it really is helpful on so many levels. It can give you an idea of the villa layout (Seasons 3-5 and 7 of the show all use the same villa), give you ideas for challenges, dialogue, plot ideas, etc. The show uses a host instead of the opening scene and some of the dumpings being done through text, generally it’s the boys picking the girls on day 1 instead of the girls, etc.

There are also more rules on the show that don’t make it into the game. Again, totally optional, but to make it a bit more realistic you could limit the islanders’ alcohol consumption (or let them get completely shit-faced if that works for your plot), take away all clocks, refer to their microphones occasionally, etc.

Also, like… I’ve never seen anyone on the show have sex on the terrace, but it happens in the game. You want your characters getting it on out in the open like that? By all means. But if you prefer a bit more realism, stick to the bedroom and hideaway. The bathroom is communal, but hey, the shower works too.

If you want to add challenges to your fic, I like to use this website for ideas. It lists most of the challenges from season 3 onwards, including results and video. It’s a great resource.

Tip #5: Kiss canon goodbye

There are definitely readers out there who prefer fics that follow canon, and to each their own. Personally, I’ve played the game over and over, read a whole bunch of fics, and written a bunch of fics, so I’m kinda sick of canon. Plus, sometimes canon just sucks or doesn’t make sense. So don’t be afraid to stray from canon, toss it into a ball and throw it out the window, or stomp all over it.

First, the dialogue. We’ve all read it over and over, got it practically memorized. Feel free to change it! In fact, please do! You can keep some lines and change the responses to completely alter a conversation, or make slight adjustments, or just… not include it at all, if you want. You can take out canon scenes and replace them with your own. Or keep them and just change who-did-what. Etc, etc. Make it your own!

Second, individual scenes. It’s okay to cut them. We don’t need to see Noah singing Toto on the daybed with Hope and Rocco walking by singing Wonderwall. Cutting it will not negatively impact your fic in any way.

What about challenges? Well… they can be cut too. Ask yourself, do they drive the plot? Is it necessary? For example, the day 4 slime challenge. Priya grinds on Noah despite not needing his colour, Lottie gets mad, blah blah blah. We know. The reader most likely knows. But unless you’re making MC’s drama the primary focus, you can cut it and just write a paragraph of narration telling us why the girls are fighting. The reader will understand and most likely appreciate that they didn’t have to skim through it.

Hell, you can skip recouplings, dumpings, even whole days. Trust me, I’ve done it. If you’re primarily sticking to a timeline that generally follows canon and not really messing with what’s going on with the other islanders, you can absolutely skip over that stuff and keep the focus solely on your MC and their LI. You can even still make slight changes to canon and just narrate what happened.

Basically, what you keep depends on what you’re trying to do with your fic. If you want to do the whole villa experience thing, keep as much as you want. If you just want to write a love story between two people who happen to be in the villa, you can cut out anything and everything that doesn’t in some way develop their relationship.

Also, you don’t have to start on day 1. Or if you do, you don’t have to start with the MC arriving at the villa. Be creative! And along the same veins, you don’t have to end it with the final. Heck, your characters don’t have to even make the final!

Tip #6: Read other fics

Again, you don’t have to do this. Plenty of villa fic writers don’t read other people’s villa fics. But I do think it’s a good idea, especially if you want to write a Bobby or Lucas fic (picking on the most popular characters because they have the most fics written for them).

You’ll be able to get some ideas of how other people did it – how much canon they kept in, how much they cut, how they made the story their own – but you’ll also get a good idea of what’s been done before. MC and Bobby are immediately attracted to each other right from the start? Great… but how are you going to make yours different from the other hundred fics that do that? Lucas switches to Blake? Okay yes, that’s canon – but are you going to keep it? What motivations are you going to give him? Maybe MC switches too?

And this isn’t to say that if someone else has an idea for something, you can’t do the same thing. Especially for people who watch the show, there have been a number of situations where people will have the same ideas. I’ve had it where I’ve had scenes planned or written only to read someone else’s fic and seen almost the exact same thing. It happens! Obviously don’t plagiarize, but it’s okay to have the same idea. And if anyone accuses you of stealing ideas, have them send their hate mail to me (don’t actually do that).

Tip #7: Write what you want to read

The reason I got into fanfiction and wrote my first villa fic in the first place was because I had an idea that I thought would be really interesting to read. I didn’t think anyone else was gonna come up with the same idea, though, so I wrote it myself.

I don’t know what sort of motivations other writers have when they start writing their fics, but if you have an idea, you just might be the best candidate to write it.

Tip #8: Don’t do it alone

Find a beta reader if you can (note: it’s not always easy, especially since villa fics are a huge commitment), but even if you can’t get someone to edit for you, getting someone who can give constructive criticism is extremely helpful – if you’re open to listening. They can help you figure out what works, what doesn’t, and what to work on.

Most importantly, though, find someone you can bounce ideas off of. If you’re struggling writing a scene, or need some ideas to help with a character’s motivation or dialogue, or you have a crazy idea and need some validation or advice… having someone you can go to is the best. All of my fics are better thanks to the people who helped, whether it was in big ways or little.

Tip #9: Develop your main character

Okay this is the tip that I don’t actually listen to myself 🤣 I’m a storyteller, so my fics tend to be more about the plot than the character arc, but having more well-rounded, developed characters is something I wish I were better at. If you know who your character is – their voice, their habits, their likes and dislikes, their family and relationship histories – it’ll be easier to write them. And the same goes for the canon characters as well! Give them more of a backstory! Give them siblings and heartbreaks! Especially with a villa fic where, unless they’re doing a challenge, they do nothing but sit around all day and have chats, you need stuff for them to talk about. This goes for group conversations, too – sometimes you just need to have some ideas of things they can talk about.

Now, I will say that I don’t think every MC needs to have heartbreak in their past (maybe they’re the heartbreaker?) or some sort of sob story. Those are common tropes in your regular run-of-the-mill romance story, and there’s nothing wrong with it, but it all goes hand-in-hand with your character’s motivations and how you want their relationship with the LI to develop. You can go that direction, but don’t feel you have to. If the story you have planned doesn’t need a character with a tragic past, then just have them be an average Joe.

Also, just a minor pet peeve of mine… your MC doesn’t have to be this super perceptive person who gets everyone’s answers right in Two Truths and a Lie. It’s day 2, c’mon. And they don't need to be the girl that all the guys in the villa are falling all over themselves to be with – is it more interesting for 4-5 guys to be into MC or for MC to be interested in someone only to be turned down? Just food for thought.

Tip #10: Choose the right POV

There’s no right or wrong POV, so choose whatever’s comfortable for you and your fic. But just note that readers do have their preferences (some people are strongly opposed to 1st and/or 2nd POV, for example). For a chaptered villa fic, it doesn’t really make sense to use 2nd person POV (“you” pronouns) because you’re telling the story of a main character who isn’t really generic. For oneshots/series where you’re writing snapshots of the villa, that might be what works for you, though.

As for 1st and 3rd, there are pros and cons to both. I chose to write my first villa fic in 1st because I really wanted the focus to be on my MC and seeing the villa through her eyes. Basically, if she didn’t see it or hear about it, I wasn’t going to include it. Other than that fic, though, I’ve primarily written in 3rd and it’s made me a better writer.

If you want to alternate POV between your MC and the LI (and maybe some of the side characters as well, as there are some people who do that), I recommend sticking to 3rd POV, because it can be a little confusing for the reader to remember whose POV they’re reading when it’s in 1st.

And there you have it! Ten tips to think about before (or during) embarking on your own villa fic. Good luck!

[springsaladgaming]

Progress Update 2/1/23

I said I'd have a more comprehensive progress update before the month was out, but I'm a dirty liar! We get a February 1st update instead! In my defense, I get confused about whether my sister's birthday is on the 30th or the 31st sometimes, and that confusion made me confused about what day it actually was too.

So here's the more official first progress update of the year in which I'm going to talk about my current thoughts on Ninelives and what I will be working on for the foreseeable future.

It will be a year in March since the last official update to Ninelives, and for that I'm so sorry! Last year was a struggle in multiple ways. After such a long stint of lockdowns, quarantines, and travel restrictions (self-imposed or otherwise), people began going on vacation like crazy last year, and I was very busy with work. The work itself is not super time consuming, but the instability of it (I'm constantly driving around and sleeping in different places) certainly didn't help my focus. And then the depression hit me pretty hard the last few months of the year. It was all I could do to finish the first chapter of my other project and didn't leave me with much energy to think about Ninelives.

All that aside, I have a pretty serious helping of time blindness to go with my ADHD. Sometimes I will think it's only been a few days or weeks since I last worked on my writing, and then I turn around and realize months have passed. It's something I'm trying to be better about, but sometimes I just have to accept that I'm gonna slip up a lot.

I could sit here and make excuses and apologies all day, but I'm not going to! 🙆🏾‍♀️ I'll just finish this segment with a big ol' thank you for being patient with me! So let's continue on!

Regarding Ninelives as it currently stands, there are some things about the layout and UI that I'm not entirely happy with. There's a strong chance in the future that I will transfer all the work to a completely different template. I also think I've learned a lot more from working on my other project, so there might be general improvements to the way I've coded some things in the background. These aren't necessarily things that will be super noticeable from an outside perspective but will improve the efficiency of the choices and passages.

However, I've also been getting better about working on the drafting and coding separately. The last time I worked on Ninelives in earnest, I was performing both tasks simultaneously, and this was causing me to hit a lot of unnecessary speed bumps along the way. As such, I've been focusing on the two more separately with my other project, and I know now that's what I need to be doing for Ninelives too.

So any improvements and changes to the layout, UI, and anything coded up to this point isn't something I plan to worry about right now. The immediate priority is Chapter 3, and I want to talk a little bit about why Chapter 3 was always going to be such a big hurdle.

I've mentioned before that certain parts of Ninelives are getting rewrites from the original ChoiceScript version that I started with. Chapter 3 is going to have the most significant changes, going so far as to be a large chunk of completely new content. Some parts of the original Chapter 3 are getting carried over, but a lot of it is getting cut to make way for some events that I think will better lay out the greater plot.

To go into detail, while still keeping things mostly spoiler-free: The new Chapter 3 involves a party. This party will be an opportunity to gain more insight into what's going on with Sungjae, meet the ??? RO that I've been talking about all this time, and establish some more of the character skills a little bit earlier in the story. Oh yeah, it's also a party the MC is most definitely not supposed to be at. (How good is your MC at talking their way into a formal event?)

It's also a much-needed revamp of the inciting incident, because, let's be honest, the original inciting incident was way too random. (That's what plotting by the seat of your pants gets you.)

I think the revamped Chapter 3 is going to do a lot for the story that the original Chapter 3 simply did not do, so I'm excited to finally get it into a written draft.

So the first order of business is writing Chapter 3, no coding included. Once it's written, the process of coding it is a lot shorter. I don't have an ETA, but Ninelives is my full focus right now. I'll keep y'all posted with progress updates!

Thanks for sticking with me!

[oddree13]

Restless Year - Chapter 10

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

(Prior Chapter) (Next Chapter)

(Read on AO3)

Chapter 10 - Story of My Life

As much as Eddie loves having D&D on Wednesdays, he’s happy to have an evening to just write a campaign instead of running one. Dustin had roped him into the idea of a New Year's Day one-shot because it originally sounded like a good way to kick off 1990. But with the chaos of the week, he's been too busy to think of his home brew let alone write it out. He has half a mind to call Dustin and order him to DM if he wants them to play so badly. God his past self would punch current Eddie right now for that thought. But that’s what growing up is, isn’t it? 

Steve had teased him weeks ago for admitting to growing up. And sure, it’s not a thought he likes to dwell on. Honestly, it still makes his skin tight to think of himself as an actual adult, but it’s reality. He’s 24 and, for once, has priorities beyond getting high and rolling dice - like getting home around sundown to light the menorah with Steve. It’s funny how lackadaisical he was in the past about holidays beyond Halloween. But when that first Christmas with Steve came around he knew he’d do anything to rewrite all the shitty Harrington holiday memories, including watching Steve try maror like a champ. And now with the prospect of them adding to their family, it wouldn’t be the worst to have more than a few traditions to call their own.

The apartment is oddly quiet when he gets home. Eddie knows Steve and Max had plans to go to the movies this afternoon. He thinks some Disney film about a mermaid, but it's odd they aren’t back yet. He walks to the fridge to check for a note, but there isn’t one. Just as the worry in him starts to build, he hears muffled voices coming from the hall. It only takes a few steps to realize the voices are coming from the bathroom and wonders what on earth the pair could be doing in there together. 

“Hey I'm home,” he announces, knocking lightly. “What are you two up to?”

It takes a few seconds but the door opens in answer. He sees Max and Steve on the floor, both their eyes red-rimmed as if they'd been crying awhile. Eddie's mind runs through a million scenarios. Did someone get hurt? Did the upside-down reopen? Is someone dead? Is this the reason for Max's visit? 

Eddie scans the pair hoping for a clue when his eyes fall on the plastic stick in Steve's hand. "Sweetheart, is that yours or Max's?" 

Max looks more amused than offended at Eddie’s question. Steve glances down at the stick, as if he’s worried the results would change, before passing it to Eddie. “Mine,” he offers, as Eddie’s eyes fixate on the little plus sign. He’s never had to take a pregnancy test before but he’s seen enough movies to know what that sign means. Steve is pregnant. Steve is pregnant, which means they’re having a pup. Eddie is having a kid. 

A million things run through his mind. When did this happen? They’re going to need a bigger place. How long until a kid can learn guitar? Steve has definitely drunk alcohol recently. Do dads have long hair? I need to stop smoking. Do dads have tattoos? I should stop cursing so much. Can I take tattoos off? I need to build a crib. Can I take the baby to work with me? Can babies listen to metal? I hope the baby looks like Steve. Can the kid look like both of them? I’m going to have to hide my dice sets. How young is too young for a character sheet? Do they even live near good schools? Holy shit Steve is still in school. Holy shit I’m not in school anymore. Should I go to school? How am I going to help with math homework? Wheeler can tutor. Robin is going to kill me for knocking up her best friend. Wait, no, Steve is my mate. I can knock up my mate. His mate is pregnant. Steve is pregnant. 

His brain keeps populating questions and worries until Max clears her throat, snapping Eddie out of his trance. He looks from her stern face to Steve who isn’t looking at Eddie but rather at the floor again. He realizes he’s been quiet for too long. He tries to form a sentence, but can’t get his brain and mouth to connect. All he can manage is a manic sort of laugh because just moments ago he was walking home thinking of the day they’d grow their family only for it to be happening right now. 

Eddie leans against the door jamb, trying to compose himself as he just stares at the stick in disbelief and excitement. He can’t stop giggling, and fuck if this isn’t a way to end the decade. 

“Please tell me that laughing means good news?” Steve asks him, his voice a little strained and watery. 

“Great news, baby,” Eddie assures and sinks down to join his mate on the floor. He leans over to kiss Steve, pulling back eventually just to look at the stick again. “I thought we agreed on no gifts this year.”

That finally pulls a laugh from Steve. “In my defense, it was delivered around Halloween.”

“Nope, I’m out. Let me out,” Max declares, and starts climbing over the two of them to make her way out of the bathroom. Eddie scoots over just enough to let her leave and then closes the door. 

He leans into Steve’s space, tangling their legs together. He pulls Steve into another kiss, needing to get his hands on his mate. They probably shouldn’t be sitting on the bathroom floor, but all Eddie wants to do is touch Steve and the location isn’t going to stop him. He let his hands slide down to Steve’s waist, his fingers gliding over the exposed skin, grinning once it hits him that his pup is in there somewhere. He breathes Steve in, his change in scent making more sense now. The last few weeks make way more sense in context.

“How are you feeling?” Eddie whispers as he shifts around Steve so he’s shoulder to shoulder with his mate, giving into his desire to scent him. Something about the gravity of this moment makes him keep his voice low, as if talking at a normal volume would wake him from this dream. 

“So many things Ed. So many things. I was making breakfast when Max started asking all these questions… And a part of me knew, but a part of me thought there was no way. We hadn’t planned on it. I was on birth control. But Max kept insisting there was no harm in a test. So after the movie, I went to the store.” 

Eddie can imagine Steve just sitting through the movie, vibrating in his seat while he tried to pretend everything was alright. A part of him wonders if he would have told Eddie if the test had been negative and he hadn’t come home at the right time. Sure it’s unplanned, but Eddie knows how much Steve wants kids. He knows that planned or not he’d be crushed by a negative test, and Eddie hopes that they’ve grown enough that Steve would share his disappointment regardless. 

“How much of the movie did you actually manage to take in?”

“None of it,” Steve laughs, resting his head on Eddie’s shoulder. “Which is fine. Suzie will definitely want to see it and I doubt her family will let her watch it over the holidays.”

Eddie hums in agreement as his hand trials back to Steve’s waist, plucking at the edge of his shirt for permission. Steve lifts the fabric, and smiles as Eddie’s hand splays over his abdomen. “Nothing to see there yet babe,” Steve mumbles, eyes closing as he relaxes. 

“Doesn’t mean there isn’t someone there.” In a matter of moments, Eddie’s whole world has changed. The last time his life changed so quickly, he’d been thrown into a world of chaos that left him on the run and with missing chunks of skin. And while this is definitely preferable to the upside-down, it’s no less terrifying. “So what do we do now?”

“I guess go to the local clinic just to get started and then find an actual doctor. Fuck do we even have health insurance?”

Eddie perks up at that. “Yes! Yes, we do. I actually get it through work and put you on it. Holy shit was that a responsible decision? Don’t expect that again anytime soon.” 

They sit on the floor a bit longer until Steve starts to shift against Eddie. “Eds, love, we’re going to regret being on the floor very soon. And honestly, I need water.”

Their location suddenly hits Eddie and he feels very dumb for keeping Steve on the tile. “Right, bathroom floors are for revelations, not celebrations.” Eddie stands up first and helps Steve up, nuzzling him as soon as he’s upright. “I’ll get you water. Just go to the sofa and relax.”

“I can get myself water Eddie,” Steve tries, but without thinking Eddie rumbles. Any normal omega would maybe demure or obey. But not Steve. Steve just laughs and kisses Eddie’s cheek. “Sure thing Alpha, you can get me water. Bring Max some too if you want.” Eddie scents Steve again before letting him walk to the sofa and is about to follow when he spies their open bedroom door. He rummages around a bit to find what he needs and tosses it to Steve as he walks to the kitchen. 

“Will you ever hand me clothes like a normal person?” Steve calls out as the sweatshirt leaves his face. Max finds it amusing, and Eddie only half listens as Steve tells her all the time Eddie has just thrown clothes at him. “It always happens when his alpha is in control,” Steve mumbles, pulling off his shirt, and swapping it for Eddie’s worn-in sweatshirt. 

From the kitchen, Eddie takes in the view of Steve in his clothes curled close to one of their adopted pups. Out of all the kids, Max isn’t one of the most tactile, but it seems that the emotions of the day have gotten to both of them. If the polaroid didn’t make so much noise he’d chance a snap.

“Water for both of you and take out menus. We’re ordering in tonight,” Eddie announces as he walks back to the living room. He can see that Steve wants to argue, but when Max starts shuffling through the options he deflates. 

“Can we have pizza?” Max asks. “Dustin keeps saying the pizza here is like pie and I sort of want to try it. Sounds better than the pineapple pizza El and Will keep trying to force on me.”

“Pizza sounds good. Definitely, no pineapple,” Steve seconds, leaning into Eddie who settles in behind his omega. As he listens as the two debate through topping choices, Eddie finds his hand drifting back to Steve’s waist, his fingers splaying protectively over his stomach. It’s barely been a half hour but he’s suddenly aware that there is something there to protect. Eddie’s never been one to give into instinct and he prides himself on it. But he can definitely say that if Max wasn’t in their pack, he would have shoved her out of the apartment and barricaded Steve in their bedroom. 

“Munson. Eddie. Dad,” Max calls, waving the menu hand in front of his face. He snatches the paper from her and rolls his eyes at her smirk. “Order a cheese and a pepperoni, and some garlic rolls. Steve also wants cannolis.”

“Does he want cannolis or do you want them and are using him as an excuse? Also would please actually kill you?”

“No, I actually want cannolis. Max doesn’t know what they are and apparently ‘cheese is not dessert’,” Steve parrots back. 

“Almost a year at college and you’re still eating like you’re in Indiana? Disappointment, Red. What do they teach you at school?” Eddie taunts and reluctantly gets up to order. “You two pick something to watch that isn’t sports. Pregnant or not, I’m not watching basketball.” 

*

“Do you think they can hear me?” Eddie is settled between Steve’s legs, resting his head on Steve’s thigh so he can look up his omega’s body. 

“I genuinely don’t know. I wasn’t in the omega development class when we had it in high school and my parents for sure didn’t give me more than the basics. I’ll go get a book or something tomorrow. Why do you want to know?”

Eddie stares at the strip of exposed skin between Steve’s pajamas and worries his lip. “Dunno. Kind of want to chat with them. Tell them how excited I am to meet them. See if they might enjoy the Hobbit while they chill in there.”

“Are you using this pregnancy as an excuse to finally get me to read Lord of the Rings?”

“Nah, you don’t even have to be awake while I read. I’m perfectly fine giving a performance to an audience of one.” Eddie presses a kiss to Steve’s stomach before moving back up the bed to lie next to Steve. 

“You think we’re ready?” The question hangs heavy between them because there isn’t a good answer. 

Eddie plays with the ring on Steve’s finger as he thinks. “I don’t think anyone is ever really ready, but I’m down for another adventure with Steve Harrington. I know I never thought I’d make it this far so it’s not like I ever pictured this beyond the abstract.”

“You have baby names picked out Eds,” Steve counters.

“One name, Steve, and I guess teenage me was hopeful. I mean past me certainly didn’t actually think I’d find someone to like me let alone have a kid with me.” 

“What would teenage you say if you time travelled to tell him?”

Eddie has to laugh at that image. “He wouldn’t believe me. Hell, I think he’d hate me in some ways. Fourteen year old me was a prick. But then again what fourteen year old isn’t? He’d punch me for cancelling D&D, call me a sellout for getting a job, but he’d be floored to know I bagged Steve Harrington.”

“Was I even on your radar at fourteen?” 

“You were on everyone’s radar back then Stevie. Not even I was above notice. You were a pretty boy then and you're still a pretty boy now. Prettier really.”

“You’re just saying that because I have your pup in me.”

“That you do Stevie, that you do. But that only adds to how gorgeous you already are.” Eddie pulls Steve into his arms, curling protectively around his mate. “Thank you,” he whispers, half wishing the lights were already off so Steve wouldn’t see his face. 

“For what Eddie?” 

“Giving me a family to call my own.”

***

They manage to keep the news quiet for three days. 

If Steve thought a baby would be the impetus for a bigger apartment, the four college freshmen invading his living room floor just confirmed it. With classes starting on January 2, Suzie and Dustin had to be back in the city. On his own, Lucas opted to fly out of O’Hare back to DC, hitching a bus ride with Dustin at the last minute. 

Dustin has his notes for tomorrow laid out in front of him as he helps  Lucas and Suzie make character sheets. He’d been so ecstatic at the chance to run a campaign that he didn’t question why Eddie was handing over the reins. 

“Why aren’t you in there with them? You should go hang out.” Steve is whipping cream as Eddie cleans the dishes from dinner, the radio filling the kitchen with a companionable din. 

“Because I feel like you’ve been cooking non-stop since Thanksgiving, and I need to do something. Besides I could say the same for you - they’re your kids too and you should be resting.”

“Eddie nothing has changed in the four days since we’ve found out. I will be fine making mousse. So go help Dustin and send Max in here. I’m sure she’d appreciate the break. We’re all going to sleep tonight with the sound of dice rolling in our dreams.” Eddie pokes Steve’s side before acquiescing and walks to the living room, a few cans of beer in hand. 

“Are you actually letting us drink tonight or are you relegating us to sparkling apple cider,” Dustin asks, eyeing the beers in Eddie’s hand.

“That all depends, are you going to have a hangover for Dungeons and Dragons tomorrow if I let you drink?” Eddie’s threat is empty as he tosses Max a can. “Besides, the cider isn’t for you.”

“I know it’s for Suzie,” Dustin supplies, and Steve snorts at the assumption from the kitchen. For all of Dustin’s deductive abilities, he has a blind spot for the glaringly obvious. Like when he kept trying to get Robin and Steve together.

Lucas walks into the kitchen in lieu of Max, and awkwardly waves at Steve to check if his presence in the kitchen is welcome. 

“Hey Lucas, come to help me wash up?” When he gets a nod Steve has to ask. “Is Max playing tomorrow?” 

“No, no,” Lucas laughs, “she just told me to earn my keep. Which thanks again for letting me crash here for a few days. I’m sure you’re regretting your decision already.”

“Not at all. It’s nice to have visitors. You’ll get to see the shop tomorrow, and the staff will be thrilled to meet another one of Eddie’s kids - especially because you’ll be nicer than Max.” Steve had heard about her spat with Jamie - not from Eddie but from Max herself who was very proud.

Lucas smiles fondly at that, looking out of the kitchen towards the redhead. “She’s just protective of you. I mean we all are but Max cares about you. A lot man. Don’t tell her I said that though because she’d kill me for telling you.”

“My lips are sealed, but I’d like to remind you all that I am older than all of you and can handle myself.” Steve looks over and sees Lucas drying the same plate over and over again as if he’s thinking something through. Steve is about to ask Lucas to spit it out when the younger man beats him to it. 

“Thank you for letting her stay here.” The statement is barely above a whisper but Steve knows it’s because he doesn’t want the living room to hear. “I don’t know if she’s told you why, and I barely know all the details, you know how Max is. I should probably be jealous or upset that she doesn’t come to me with this stuff but we’re complicated - what’s new,” he sighs. 

Steve just listens as Lucas continues, moving around the kitchen to give them some plausible cover. “I’m glad she has you. I know we all do,” he assures when he sees Steve try to interject. “I think most of us were worried that once you and Eddie left you’d sort of move on from your babysitting role. But when you first called me at school to ask me for my game schedule I knew I was dumb for worrying.”

“I haven’t missed a game,” Steve preens and gestures to the fridge where Lucas’ game schedule is pinned. 

“I know. Dustin tells me you make him listen sometimes.”

“I do. If I can learn the difference between a d20 and a d12, he can learn what a free throw is. But I’m not going anywhere, and neither is Eddie. The pack might be spread out now but we’re still a pack.”

“We’re your pups?” Lucas teases, to which Steve just nods. 

“Yeah my first ones,” Steve agrees, earning a raised brow from Lucas. The music on the radio is interrupted by a reminder that they were fifteen minutes to midnight and Steve glances at the clock to confirm.

“Right, break out the champagne and cider and take that to the living room. Tell Eddie to put on the ball drop. I’m just going to pipe this really quick.” Steve finishes decorating the mousse in a few minutes, just in time to watch Eddie argue with Dustin over the drinks. 

“I know how to count Eddie. It’s five glasses of champagne, one of cider,” he bickers, trying to slap Eddie’s hand away from tossing back the extra champagne glass.

“Henderson I know you’re used to being one the smartest people in the room, but I think for once I know more than you,” Eddie chides and pours out a glass of cider for Steve, passing it to his mate. 

“We aren’t driving anywhere tonight, why aren’t you drinking?” Dustin questions, eyeing Steve suspiciously. Lucas looks between Dustin, the cup, Steve, and then Eddie who is looking smug. Steve watches as the gears turn in his head and when he looks at Max she just nods. 

“But you were drinking at the wedding!” Lucas worries. 

“They just found out,” Max supplies, trying to assuage his concern.

“Found out what?!” Dustin whines, not enjoying being left out of the loop. His exclamation makes Suzie gasp, bringing everyone but Dustin into the know. 

“Oh my goodness that is so exciting! Congratulations!”

“Congratulations to what? Can someone tell me what is going on!” 

As much as Steve likes watching Dustin flounder on his curiosity voyage, he figures someone should take pity on him lest they miss the start of 1990.

“It’s your turn to be the babysitter Henderson.” Steve watches as everything clicks into place for Dustin. He’s pretty sure that if he wasn’t sitting on the sofa, Steve would have been on the floor from the force of Dustin tackling him. 

“Whoa, whoa, easy Dustin, that’s my kid in there!” Eddie scolds, causing the younger man to panic at his action, which only makes Steve laugh. 

“You’re fine, Eddie is just in full protective mode. But yeah we just found out a few days ago.”

“I found out first,” Max crows, clearly trying to needle Dustin who is reeling from the news.

“What?! Why did she find out first?” Steve isn’t sure why his pregnancy would be the exception to Dustin and Max’s constant one-upmanship but he’s putting a stop to it before it starts.

“Alright enough everyone, we’ve got a minute to midnight and I want a moment of calm before our phone starts ringing,” Steve calls out, settling the room down, even when Dustin shoves Max playfully. “Get your drinks and watch the damn ball.”

“Yes Mom,” everyone mutters and when he hears Suzie’s voice in the chorus he quirks a brow at her.

“What? It’s not a bad title,” she shrugs, walking over to soothe Dustin’s ego.

Eddie takes the vacant spot next to Steve and winds an arm around his shoulder. “If you thought this was bad, wait until Robin finds out she’s not the first to know.” 

“Just shut up and kiss me, Eddie.” “With pleasure. Happy New Year, baby.”

[shadowsong26fic]

Coming Attractions!

First Monday of the month, so here goes!

(And, as is often the case with these, I'll be keeping an eye on my askbox for an Open Question Night. Anything I've posted about here or on AO3 is fair game; I do take prompts but am not necessarily very fast at filling them)

Year of the OTP

I'm still behind on all of these, haha...I still have to do the three origfic ones for June (but...honestly, I didn't...really like most of the June prompts, ah well) and all five for July, plus get caught up on August. Goal is to get all of that done by the end of the month, but we'll see how it goes (especially since this month involves the Actual Moving sooooooo yeah)

Other SW Fic

Mostly putting this here to say that Precipice is not dead because I refuse to let it die; granted I haven't been actively working on it as much as I should lately, but I will update Someday, I promise. Unless I end up falling out of the fandom entirely, that fic continue.

BSG Fic

Once again plugging the Big Bang/Mini Bang event! There's still time to sign up! We are particularly low on betas, and could also use a few more artists. So given the numbers I'm not going to participate as an author myself (though I'll beta and probably jump in to podfic). Also the idea I had I'm not sure how to structure it (Zarek character study; the general idea was him looking back on his first arrest as he waits for his execution; drawing some on that great quote of his from Kobol "It's a lot easier to get blood off your hands than on it" or something like that; sort of approaching the questions of how much of his rhetoric does he (still) actually believe; some things about charisma and leading other people to their deaths; I was going to title it 'The Blood of Angry Men'...)

Other projects--aside from the OTP stuff, I am still slowly putting The Other Battlestar together. No real ETA on that, but it is coming. And it is going to be. Extremely Long, lol. Even if I do end it after Pegasus, which is my current plan (because while I have Some thoughts, figuring out how drastically things would shift after that is. A Pain. I can more or less do In Spite Of A Nail between Atia and Kimble to get the fleet in Close Enough to that same position by the time that encounter happens but. After. Man.) But yeah, very long, because...I don't need to cover/rewrite everything, but there's a Good Chunk that does need to be reworked, plus covering those six months from the Pegasus side...It's probably going to be Precipice-length (200-250k) by the time I'm done, lol.

There are always other things noodling around in my head, but that's pretty much all that's sort of Actively In The Works.

(But sign up for the event! Join us!!!!)

Les Mis Fic

Yeah so this is the current primary brainrot, lol. Papa and J... is picking up again; Ari will start learning some things in the next chapter! And will find it way easier to identify J than initially expected, lol.

For the stuff Ari won't be able to learn (due to letters/records being lost, either deliberately or because...just...::gestures at the 19th-century French governments:: ), I'm going to post a companion piece after P&J finishes, working title Provenance.

The other project which I'm hoping to start posting soon is a Groundhog Day AU, working title Acheron. I'm excited for that one but. uh. Definitely heed the warnings when it comes out because. Yeah.

Other Stuff

I'm doing the occasional origfic snippet that's not connected to the OTP fills; plus bouncing back to some of the AtLA projects I started on at the beginning of that fandom renaissance, but nothing super concrete coming up.

But also pod_together! Writing is done, recording is mostly done (I think?), I'm really excited for how this one's turned out. Leverage in the style of Shakespeare, it's a delight. (Three scenes; one with Eliot and Parker set fairly early; one with the whole crew in the Exposition scene; and a soliloquy from Sterling which was actually the first thing I wrote XD)

I also haven't forgotten about Incinctus, especially since Nocturne finally has an actual Trailer. But I think I'm going to need to rewatch the show and get in the right headspace in order to actually update it (which I do want to do! I just. Got stuck on the next chapter that needs to come out, haha...)

fun fact: watching castlevania was actually how i ended up getting actively back into bsg fandom XD

...I think that pretty much covers it! Like I said at the top, Open Question Night, and I'd love to hear about what you guys are working on, too!

also this is a reminder to me to finish putting together the Story Details form/do a reminder post about the first GBB checkin coming soon...

[bemused-writer]

VNC Anime Episode 1

And so the first anime episode came out! I'd say it was actually pretty faithful to the manga; adapting an 88 page first chapter into a singular episode is no easy feat. XD Mochizuki really was making them hefty at first. With that in mind, I figured I'd just talk about some of my first impressions and the few changes they made.

The opening is the obvious first change. The episode itself covers all the same info we learn early on, just in a different order. The manga opted to focus on true names and Teacher's warning to Noé, which ties in more directly to Amelia's plight and Noé's circumstances later on, while the anime chose to open with the vampire Vanitas, which is sort of like the driving force behind people's attitudes towards the blue moon. Will this shift be a big deal later on? It seems unlikely; both give you information you'll need.

I do have to say I hope we get more of this particular art style. The creepy fairytale vibe is so perfect...

La Baleine itself looks amazing as well. In the manga I was always struck by how cool the design was (thanks to Ryou Yamaguchi who designed it), but seeing it animated is something else and made me really think about how if that thing fell from the sky there would be some massive problems. 8D Truly, the only thing keeping that in the sky must be astermite.

Later on, when Amelia destroys all those lights, I realized I'd always misinterpreted that scene. I'd always assumed the broken lights were from Vanitas breaking through the window and, in his usual dramatic fashion, broke everything else, too. But no, it looks like it was indeed Amelia! My guess is that since she's losing control of herself she's also accidentally rewriting the world formula as well.

Okay, I'm going to nitpick the translation just a bit here, but in the manga they go for the more literal "What are you?" which is what Vanitas is really asking. That, to me, seems pertinent, because asking who Noé is is one thing, but asking what he is reveals that Vanitas is used to dealing with all manner of people, several of whom aren't human at all.

And on the note of translating things, I think I'll detour slightly to talk about Vanitas's voice type because I've seen a couple people say he sounds too rough. I get this because the English translation (both versions) tend to make Vanitas sound kind of elegant. However, the fact of the matter is that Vanitas has always been speaking very rough Japanese and isn't very elegant at all. 8D That's a difficult thing to capture in a translation since it's not like he's cursing like a sailor or anything that would make it easy to portray; it's just a style of speech. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that them casting a "rough" sort of voice for Vanitas in the anime actually fits in with how he's been speaking in Japanese.

You know a character has pulled some stuff when one of your favorite moments is them being chucked across the room. XD Ah, Vanitas, if you took a few seconds to explain things maybe you wouldn't be in the middle of a fight right now... However, the anime definitely played up how extreme of a hit this was. Don't get me wrong, Noé sent him flying in the manga, too, but in that he only slammed into the bench rather than through a statue and everything else. While I can appreciate the added drama, it does raise the question of what Vanitas's spine is made out of for it not to have snapped. (^^)"

Wow, Naenia is even creepier animated. :D Her voice is basically exactly what I thought it would be with that delightfully creepy reverb. I'm loving it. And I also like that they kept this manga panel and just added color.

And this is the moment that will have many of you mistakenly thinking Vanitas is a noble-minded fellow, but don't be deceived! He has about 10 million issues and at least half of those are aimed at women. 8D The rest are aimed at the entirety of vampire and humankind. That's not to say Vanitas is without redeeming qualities--he is still one of the heroes of this show--but he's not as straightforwardly wholesome as Noé.

Dante was actually quite a highlight of this episode for me even though he was barely in it. I love the voice they chose for him and he's also the only person who knows what Vanitas is actually like, so he has the most natural reaction to him. XD Everyone is amazed and impressed by what Vanitas has done--as well they should be because it is impressive--but Dante has to work with him. He knows.

This was probably my favorite part of the whole episode. The combination of the music and visuals really emphasized the nostalgic vibe of this moment. It really feels like a beginning and and end. I'm so glad we got to see this animated.

Teacher! They deprived us of seeing him at the start, but we got this shot in the flashback. I still find it strange that they made the estate more... estate-like rather than opening up into a forest like the manga, but it's still effective. We also get to see the silhouette of Louis. ): Truly, everything about Noé's statement, saying he finds the blue moon beautiful, is something we see challenged throughout the series in subtle ways. Can he find something beautiful when it's the source of so much pain? The series isn't over, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I will say that the end of the episode with Vanitas's manic grin and Noé's declaration he would eventually kill him by his own hand felt a little more impactful in the manga for me, but it was still very good in the anime as well. I did like that the anime included more people in the "what we gained and lost" section, such as Roland and Loki.

Anyway, the anime is off to a fantastic start! Ahh, the fact that we'll get an episode weekly is so exciting; definitely looking forward to the next. (^^)

[taketheringtolohac]

i 100% believe miles comes out on tumblr like after rise of the ashes or something and everyone rejoices (this headcanon is sheer fucking gold btw)

Oh dear you’ve activated my trap card for this hc get ready for this because i definitely agree that Miles coming out is CELEBRATED on tumblr however it’s a LONG journey before he gets there. Before I get into it though there is a cw for briefly talking about suicide so please be mindful of that! It’s mostly in the context of the note post RFTA and people speculating what happened to Miles in his disappearance from tumblr, but I do talk about it so.

Ok here we go

So Miles is well known as That Guy on Steel Samurai tumblr who is absolutely insufferable to interact with but he writes good meta and writes even BETTER fics, but it’s the kind where something is obviously going on in this guys life and is he ok? Because it seems like he’s working through some shit and that combined with his ask answering sprees of outright denying he’s gay and just talking Like That on the internet people get a kick out of him and he’s JUST tolerable enough that people don’t really DO anything about it. He probably gets a call out post maybe like one time but it’s just by some rando who’s pretty new to the fandom and doesn’t get the sort of unspoken agreement steel samurai collective fandom has made to just put up with him despite him being absolutely dreadful.

But then all of a sudden Miles just... disappears one day out of nowhere. At first it’s just a day, then a day turns into a week, and a week turns into a month and people are like what the fuck? What happened to the iq of 127 guy? And people start writing WILD theories about what happened to him to chase him off the website because it’s like, 2016. But people start to get WORRIED when his longest running fic Updates it’s FINAL(!?) chapter and he just... kills off the Evil Magistrate. That’s when people are like oh my god did he? Did he fucking kick the bucket? Oh my god what the hell and he is just absolute radio silence on tumblr because surprise! He leaves the note in his office and then he also decides to leave tumblr at the same time because he really genuinely thinks that this is it for him.

HOWEVER. Miles also has a best friend in the Steel Samurai fandom. Someone who he met on tumblr years ago and who he enjoyed debating and conversing with who he thinks has very well thought out opinions on the show even if he doesn’t agree with all of them (he does agree with most of their points, which is why he was so open to their friendship in the first place). And they’re the ONLY person who he keeps in contact with while he’s in Europe finding himself after his breakdown.

That person is Maya Fey.

He and Maya became friends years ago and neither of them know who each other are or how old they are or really anything about each other except their screen names and more personal details that they choose to share over kik, which Miles only got because he was curious to know more about her and it was the only platform she offered. She was very hesitant about choosing to become his friend, but Maya’s fixer complex told her wow this is a broken man, maybe IM the one who’s gonna make him a better person and make him less awful. And for the first few years this had minimal success. She got him to say a few more slang terms, but really he didn’t change all that much. But she was consistently kind to him! And once you got to know him he really isn’t that bad, especially in those rare moments of emotional vulnerability he allowed himself (he was too afraid of being “found out” even though he had moved out years ago) and he could actually be a pretty fun guy.

It isn’t until Miles’s year in Europe when things really start to change. He had a very vocal crisis to her over kik that kinda freaked both of them out, and as I mentioned he stopped using tumblr entirely and Maya gets WORRIED about him and he just. Starts telling her stuff because he’s emotional. It’s the most he’s EVER told her and it’s still nothing TOO revealing because he knows how public his image is and he doesn’t want ANYONE, not even who he considers to be his closest friend, to find out who he is online because he doesn’t want to be seen as unprofessional or just general shame about his hobbies. And over the course of that year they just... slowly she keeps beating it into his head that he’s a good person! Or at the very least a FINE one who is trying to be good and that’s all that matters. And like he starts to just... internalize it. And starts listening to her advice about maybe going to therapy. And then HE starts listening to HER problems more and it becomes... a more mutual friendship. And it’s nice because he’s never had anyone like that! But he keeps talking about this guy who saved him and stuff and that’s when Maya is like woah pump the breaks dude we need to talk about how you’re definitely gay and he gets SUPER defensive about it but like over time he just. He starts to come to terms with it, and she helps him a lot but he does a lot of that work himself too.

And so when he comes back in 2-4 he’s starting to feel... better of course but also different? And more confident in himself. He still has a long way to go but he’s learning! And that’s what matters to him! But with learning and trying to be better he realizes something. He has to log back onto tumblr and actually like, apologize for being horrible. And he does just that. But when he logs back on he’s SHOCKED that he has HUNDREDS of asks a lot of them are the usual but a lot of them are also ones of like, GENUINE concern asking if he was ok and if he was still alive and he’s taken aback that people even SENT HIM kind asks when he was so awful to them.

Miles makes a really long apology/announcement post where he’s INCREDIBLY sincere and in it he OPENLY acknowledges that he was dealing with a lot of unresolved trauma and says something about how he came to terms with being gay in his absence and he thinks that that’ll be the end of it but within literal MINUTES of him posting that he’s getting asks telling him how HAPPY THEY ARE that he’s not only ok and doing better but that he came out and people WELCOMING him to the community and then there’s like posts that are like “And people then make posts like wow am I the only one who got emotional about the guy with a iq of 127s thank you post? anyone else? Just me? Ok (12.6k notes)” and “If the 127 iq guy can get better and learn to work towards being positive then you can too (54.9k notes)” within a matter of DAYS and seeing those and just

It’s weirdly SO validating for him that he was being cheered on by literally THOUSANDS of people who are celebrating his growth as a person! That are celebrating his COMING OUT when he was SO scared of that part of himself for SO long. And the fact that people were ROOTING FOR HIM even when he was the actual worst just. It makes him feel so good about himself and it makes him feel loved! So much so that he writes ANOTHER post thanking everyone for being so kind to him and telling them that things DO get better and there ARE people that appreciate them and it just... gets passed around because it’s a really inspiring and reassuring message and people just GENUINELY start to appreciate him. And it’s just a celebration of HIS character growth by THOUSANDS of people he doesn’t even know because man was he famous outside of his perceived sphere of influence due to the amount of meme material he ended up writing.

He still used tumblr and stuff after all this but he’s really calmed down a lot, he even rewrites the ending of his long running fic that caused people to panic about him. And he still answers asks and writes meta and fics and stuff, and he’s still MILES of course so he can be a bit of an ass when you disagree with him but he’s. Nicer. And happier. And that’s what matters.

[unitchiefs-blackbirdphoenix]

Truth and Awakenings Ch. 7

Summary: A Jemily rewrite of certain scenes in 14x15-15x03, with a few additional scenes :)

Chapter summary: JJ finally opens up to Emily (part two of the previous chapter).

Read on AO3

@jemilyisms @binariesarebullshit @bridget19

What was Emily going to do now? This was the first ever fight she and JJ had with each other. Even when they were just friends, they had never fought like this. It was always a series of non-verbal communication and check-ins, but never an outburst.

Emily looked for a piece of paper and a pen, writing JJ a note that she was going to clear her head for a bit. She walked outside after leaving the note on the kitchen counter, and texted Penelope that she was going to work on her paperwork while watching JJ. Emily had lied to the tech analyst once again because she was sure the blonde agent didn’t want her back in her house; she just needed time for her thoughts.

Emily checked the time on her watch before going to her car. Once she was inside, she turned her engine on and started driving back home. Her mind only ran with thoughts about her relationship with JJ, or a lack thereof, at this point. What if this whole thing was her fault? She was the one who suggested they split up and it got someone hurt. She scoffed at herself, Great thinking. Maybe she was being too harsh and strict. JJ’s not a little kid, she’s a grown up, for crying out loud.

Upon the arrival of her home, she shut her car off and loosened her grip on the steering wheel. The corners of her mouth pulled downwards and she blinked her eyes a few times. She didn’t realize she was about to cry until her chest hiccupped and a little whimper escaped from her mouth.

Another relationship failed, Emily thought, and it barely even started.

Back in JJ’s house, the blonde was still in her room, curled up in a fetal position on her bed. This was the only time she was able to cope with her problems, all by herself in a lonely room. It all seemed metaphorical to her, now with Emily gone. JJ pressed her face into her pillow, muffling her sobs.

Why did Emily want to be with her? All JJ felt like was a burden to the older woman. She couldn’t even solve her own problems properly, so why would Emily help her? She doesn’t deserve her kindness or selflessness. Throughout her life, JJ worked herself too hard to deal with her emotions. She never learned to slow down when she needed to. Instead, she rejected everyone’s sympathy towards her, feeling that she’s just wasting their time.

JJ hated another thing. She hated pity. That was another thing that made her feel like a coward.

Emily got inside her apartment and decided to take a shower to clean up and hopefully, get rid of her thoughts. She figured JJ was acting the way she is because of what happened a few weeks ago. She couldn't help but feel guilty. This shooting incident would've landed her into a lot of trouble as a unit chief. As a friend slash recently new lover, JJ hates her for pushing.

After her shower, she got dressed in more casual attire, wearing black jeans and a red short sleeve shirt. She contemplated calling Will to ask how she can help JJ work through her problems. Then, Emily picked up her phone and dialed his number.

After the first two rings, Will picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Will, I need your help with something,” Emily scratched the back of her head. This felt a little embarrassing, asking JJ’s ex for advice on how to deal with her situation with her current lover. This was definitely not something both of them have talked about before.

“Sure, what is it?”

“You know JJ pretty well, uh… how did you deal with her, um, her problems?” she awkwardly asked.

He chuckled into the phone. “She shutting you out?”

Emily sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Look, Emily. If there’s one thing I learned from being in a relationship with Jennifer Jareau is to never push. Give her some time for herself and maybe give yourself some time, too. I think it’s best for you both,” Will gave her sincere advice. Emily hoped it would work because she didn’t want to mess up the relationship she’s always wanted.

“Do you think it’ll work?”

He sighed on the other end. “Sometimes, it will. When she’s good enough to talk, just be all ears.” He can’t lie. Will had been on the receiving end of JJ’s reluctance to open up before, and he was willing to help Emily, if it meant saving the women’s relationship with each other.

“Alright. Thanks, Will.”

“No problem.” She hung up and exhaled out a breath. Emily now knew that she shouldn’t push JJ into talking. Thinking back to their argument, she should’ve known that JJ hated feeling weak. She should’ve known that the blonde always closed her emotions off. However, Emily wasn’t going to let this stop her. She was determined to make this relationship work and she wanted to remind JJ she was going to be there for her, no matter what. It was going to be tough and she knows that, especially since both of them like to avoid their feelings, but it’s a sacrifice she was willing to make.

The grey-haired woman started on her paperwork to get her mind occupied on that, instead of JJ.

Moments later, JJ finally came out of her room and wiped her tear-stained cheeks, sniffling a little. She slowly walked into the living room and found no one there. With a confused expression, she checked the kitchen to find Emily, but she wasn’t there either. JJ did, however, find a note on the counter.

Went out for a bit. I’ll see you soon.

Was Emily still mad at her? Was she actually coming back at all? JJ had so many doubts in her head that she could barely keep up. She let out a breath and decided to get her mind off this other problem.

She looked in her fridge and brought out butter and eggs, setting them down on the counter. This was one of the ways JJ liked dealing with her problems, by baking. She then went through her pantry to find a few more ingredients, including chocolate chips and sugar.

After preheating the oven and preparing the cookies she’d planned to make, she set a timer on her phone and sat down on the couch. With a sigh, the blonde woman grabbed a sheet of blue construction paper on the table her sons use to draw on and a black crayon, because she had no other choice. JJ tapped on the crayon with her finger and started writing, Reasons to love Emily Prentiss.

She thought about all the things she loved about Emily. What made JJ attracted to Emily in the first place. She began writing.

Emily is beautiful. It’s no surprise that Emily could attract anyone within a mile from her. Her dark hair in contrast to her own light hair, a face that could be taken for the beauty of an old Hollywood actress, her soothing low voice, and those bedroom eyes. JJ loved them all.

Emily is smart. A lot of people underestimate Emily’s intelligence, hell, she was probably just as smart as Spencer. JJ was always so amazed that someone like Emily could be tough, smart, and pretty all at the same time.

Emily is confident. JJ loved seeing Emily hold her ground as a unit chief and as a person. She never had any doubt that Emily was doing the right thing.

The timer on JJ’s phone snapped her out of her thoughts. She dropped the crayon on the table and started getting the cookies into the oven, setting the timer on her phone again. She sighed and went back to her list.

Emily is good with kids. JJ had first witnessed Emily’s care for kids since Carrie Ortiz, a young girl they had encountered in one of their cases. She knew right there and then that Emily was going to be a good mother. Seeing her with her sons, JJ fell in love with her even more.

Emily is caring. Emily always puts others’ needs before herself. She always made sure everyone was ok. JJ admired that.

Emily is a good listener. This may be a shock to a lot of people, but Emily was an approachable person. She was that type of friend who was willing to listen to your problems. JJ loved that about her.

Emily... JJ thought about what else she loved about the older woman. She finally found herself writing: saved my life.

Emily had been there for JJ so many times she could count. Emily was always ready to sacrifice her life to save JJ’s. She literally and figuratively had JJ’s life in her hands, and the blonde feels like she hasn’t thanked her enough for doing so.

JJ’s head shot up when she heard the oven go off, distracting her from her thoughts once again. She stood up and went to the kitchen to get the cookies out, picking one up to eat one, since she was beginning to feel hungry. It was soft. Perfect, just the way she wanted it. JJ’s eyes went wide as she came to a realization once she tasted the chocolate chip cookie.

She needed Emily. She couldn’t keep her mind off her this entire time. In fact, she was eating one of Emily’s favorite things in the entire world, sweets. JJ needed Emily.

It was nighttime and Emily decided to get a little snack. The unit chief had been spending her time and energy buried in paperwork to get her mind off of JJ and her safety. She searched through her pantry to find something that would satiate her hunger, only to find a small packet of cheetos. JJ’s favorite snack in the whole world. Emily would always have packets of cheetos for JJ whenever she came over to her apartment and recently, whenever she visited the blonde’s house.

With a bittersweet chuckle, she grabbed the item and opened it. While eating a few cheetos, she debated if she should check on the other woman tonight. Maybe it was a bad idea to leave her alone this whole day. No. This is what JJ wanted, some space for herself.

If there’s one thing I learned from being in a relationship with Jennifer Jareau is to never push, Will’s words entered her mind.

Emily needed to give the younger woman some time. So, she left her decision-making behind for a bit and continued eating.

*crack* *crack* *crack*

JJ’s body hit back as she felt the prickly feeling below the lower left side of her Kevlar vest. She flipped over before her back hit the ground. Her breathing came out in short and uneven pants, rapidly blinking her eyes once her vision became blurry. All she heard was faint laughter and tires screeching away from her. JJ closed her eyes and felt the blood pooling in her throat, coughing it out and tasting the coppery liquid.

“Emily…” she coughed out, “Emily…” It became harder to breathe and she grunted, clenching her jaw tight and hands into fists as she did so. JJ tried moving, but it couldn’t work because with the slightest bit of movement, she would experience even more pain. ‘Damn it’, she thought and rested her head back on the ground. She desperately hoped Emily was coming to save her.

Right.

About.

Now.

She turned her head to the left to see if there was anyone there.

Nobody was there. Then, she heard a faint voice in the same direction she was facing. “Mommy!”

JJ wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion. That’s not Emily.

“Mom!” The voice echoed in the parking garage, which had eventually faded away, and transformed into a grassy area instead, with a clear blue sky above her head. She tried moving her body again and found it somehow easy standing back up, despite stumbling a little. JJ blinked her eyes again and saw two blurry figures. She blinked again, rubbing her eyes, and her vision became clear. It was her sons, but they looked a little different.

“Mom! I finally got in!” Henry said, back turned away from her. His voice sounded a little deeper to JJ’s ears, and he looked a little taller than her. Michael was there beside him, with his hand in his pockets, and he looked a little taller than she remembered, too.

“Henry? Mikey?” JJ strained out in a small whisper. “What are you talking about? Wha- what are you boys doing here?”

Another figure walked up from behind her, startling JJ. The said figure had gray hair and was wearing a big smile on their face, holding little red and white flowers in their hands. “Hi, JJ,” the unnamed person said. “Our boys are graduating.”

JJ squinted her eyes to get a clearer visual on the third person. “Emily?” She was still confused. Why did Emily say their boys were graduating? Henry hasn’t even gone through middle or high school yet, and Michael hasn’t started school yet, either. JJ walked up beside them and watched the scene unfold in front of her.

Once the blonde woman walked up to them, she looked down where their eyes were pointed at. Her eyes widened in realization and shock when she saw what was in front of them. It was an all too familiar sight. It was a gravestone, but it had her name, the FBI motto, date of birth, and the day she was shot.

She… died? JJ was having a hard time understanding this. She made it through all the procedures at the hospital, so how was she dead?

“Emily?” she tried calling out to her again. It seemed like the older woman and the kids didn’t notice because they didn’t look up.

“I finally made it to Yale, mom,” Henry smiled, feeling proud of himself. “Mama’s helping me.”

“Ah, hold on. I told him we’re not using the Prentiss name. He needed to work hard for it and get in with merit,” Emily laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder. “And Mikey’s starting middle school soon, can you believe that? Our little ones are growing up.”

JJ let out a small breath and tears came to her eyes, but she still didn’t know what was happening. Why were her sons growing too fast all of a sudden? Why wasn’t she there to witness it? JJ furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to make sense of all this.

Then, the two boys faded away and there was only Emily left standing. She had an almost melancholic smile across her face. “Hey, honey,” she knelt down in front of the grave and sighed.

“I did everything you wanted for the boys. They have-” Emily cleared her throat. “They have families of their own now. The team helped, too. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

The even more prominently gray-haired woman sniffled and licked her lips. “You would’ve been so proud of them. I know I am. I wish you were here to see all this. The boys are the only ones I have left of you, ever since…” She exhaled and closed her eyes. Her eyes started watering once she opened them again. “I, um, I really miss you, JJ,” Emily’s voice cracked in a small whisper. “Every day, I do. I wish we had more time together. I’ll never forget you.”

Soon as she was finished, Emily faded away and JJ reached her hands out as if to grab her back and hold her in place. “No, Emily! Emily, please don’t leave me!”

JJ’s eyes flew open as she quickly sat up, panting and feeling her heart race faster than normal. Her eyes blinked a few times to remind herself of where she was. She heard the doorbell ring and it alerted all of her senses. Pulling off the covers, she stood up and dashed to the front door, opening it.

“Emily?”

The other woman was fumbling with her hands and looked up to meet her face. “JJ.”

“What are you doing here?” JJ’s voice was small. She couldn’t believe Emily had actually come for her, after everything that happened earlier that day.

“I came to apologize for- oh!” Emily gasped once she felt JJ pulling her arm, wanting her to get inside the house. The blonde wordlessly put her arms around Emily’s neck and hugged her tight. She heard the door close and felt Emily’s arms reciprocate the action.

“I’m so sorry, Emily. I didn’t mean any of what I said,” JJ apologized for her earlier actions. “You probably hate me right now, don’t you?”

“Shh, it’s ok. I don’t hate you, JJ,” Emily kissed the side of her head and soothingly rubbed her back. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be,” JJ frowned. “I acted so shitty. You don’t deserve that.” She took this time to bury her face into her neck and her body began to relax. JJ needed this. She needed to feel the warmth and security in Emily's arms, that Emily wouldn’t fade away and that she was still here right in front of her.

Emily only stayed quiet and continued holding JJ for a little longer. She figured the blonde just wanted comfort and didn’t push her into talking. After a few more seconds, she started pulling away and felt strong arms stopping her from doing so.

“Emily- Emily, please,” JJ mumbled and tightened her grip. “Please don’t leave me.”

Emily recognized those words. They were the same ones JJ had said to her when she found her shot and on the ground of the parking lot. “It’s ok. I got you, JJ,” she repeated her own words back to the younger woman.

JJ slowly moved her head from Emily’s neck to look up at her. “I’m scared, Emily.”

It wasn’t unusual in their line of work for someone to get affected by what they do for a living, but seeing JJ in this state of vulnerability was rare for anyone. Somehow, Emily was the only person who’s seen this side of her the most, even more than her own ex-husband and the team. This was a genuine and raw emotion she was seeing from JJ. There it is. JJ’s walls were crumbling down and Emily was finally seeing her at her breaking point. JJ was ready to open up to her about what happened and finally avoided running away from her, like she always did when things got tough.

Emily brushed the hair off her forehead and looked into her sad blue eyes. She didn’t want to pry anything out of her, so she patiently waited until she was ready to talk.

“I, uh…” JJ felt nervous asking this, choosing her words carefully. “Remember how you said you died when you coded?”

Emily nodded, knowing exactly what she was referring to. She only felt cold and darkness when she coded in the ambulance after getting staked by Doyle. She thought there was no hope for her, if and/or when she died, that no one would be there for her.

“I think I died for a few seconds and I got scared,” JJ quietly admitted. She ran her hand in her light hair and slightly pulled back. She took a deep breath and held it for two seconds before exhaling.

“I wasn’t ready to die, Emily. I- I didn’t want to,” she said and glanced down at her lap. “When I got shot, everything just flashed before my eyes. I was afraid I wasn’t going to see Michael or Henry grow up.”

Emily frowned and held JJ’s hand, kissing her palm. She chose to stay quiet and not interrupt the other woman, but made sure JJ knew she was listening to her every word.

“Almost every night since I got shot, I’ve been having these nightmares and-” She hesitated for a second and bit her lip, “kept thinking, ‘what-ifs’, like… what if I didn’t make it alive? What if I never saw the kids grow up and graduate? What if I don’t get to see you or the team ever again? What if…” JJ was already close to tears and heard her voice breaking as she whispered. “What if I never told you I felt?”

JJ let her head fall on Emily’s shoulder and her tears began to wet the fabric of her shirt. Emily moved closer and rubbed her back again. “It’s ok, JJ. Hey, why don’t we go on the couch? Is that ok?” JJ nodded and Emily pulled her to the couch, fixing themselves back to their original position but a lot closer this time with JJ’s head tucked inside the older woman’s neck.

“I don’t want you gone, Emily,” she cried. “Please don’t go.” JJ hated that she sounded like a child, but she needed to assure herself that Emily was here and she’s not dreaming anymore.

Emily kissed her head again. “I’m not going anywhere, JJ. I don’t plan on going anytime soon.” She continued holding onto her and letting her cry in her arms. All she wanted to do was kiss all her worries away and protect the woman in front of her from any more danger.

“I was worried about you, too,” Emily said, pulling away to dry the younger woman’s tears. “I know you’re a fighter, JJ. That’s one of the things I love about you. You never back down from a fight. You get back up on your feet and win. And that’s what you did.”

JJ held back another sob and cupped Emily’s face. “I hope you know this isn’t your fault either, Emily. I never had any doubt of you saving me. Ever.” She emphasized with a short kiss and her fingers lingered her cheek once she pulled back. “I just want you to know that,” she whispered.

“I will always be here for you, JJ,” was all Emily answered with.

JJ nodded and crashed their lips together, taking Emily by surprise at the sudden movement. The blonde quickly moved a hand behind her head to deepen the kiss, feeling their noses brush against each other’s. She wanted to show how much Emily means to her and that she was determined to make their relationship work. It might hurt like it did earlier, maybe even worse than earlier, but they were beginning to learn something about each other, so it was worth it.

Emily quietly moaned once she felt JJ’s nails lightly scratch at the nape of her neck, and she trailed her hands down to grab her hips to pull her closer. JJ’s body responded and she allowed her arms to rest on Emily’s shoulders. The older woman adjusted their position and laid JJ down flat on her back, slightly pushing her legs apart to settle in between them.

She moved her head to place kisses down JJ’s neck, hearing a sigh come from her. JJ slightly stretched her neck and felt Emily’s nose lightly graze her skin. All JJ could think is how soft Emily felt against her body, and she wanted more of her. Emily must have read her mind because she let her hands roam the younger agent’s stomach.

JJ's own hand quickly covered Emily's once she felt its small presence near her wound. She hesitantly pulled back from Emily's mouth with a small gasp and shifted her eyes away from her.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked, pulling her head back and stopping her actions to look at JJ.

JJ shook her head, still not making eye contact with her and slowly sat up with Emily following. Emily knew JJ was silent when something was bothering her. She noticed the blonde's hand not moving and staying on the same spot hers was. A small whimper came from JJ and Emily's heart broke at the sound.

JJ curled her fingers and looked back into Emily’s eyes, seeing the amount of care and love in them. “I…” JJ rapidly blinked before sighing and shaking her head. “I can’t keep hiding this from you.”

“What is it?”

JJ fell silent again, and slowly raised Emily’s fingers under her shirt and up to her lower left abdominal area. Emily tilted her head back in an understanding nod. She had been in her place before, so she knows JJ must’ve felt self-conscious about her scars.

Quietly and carefully, Emily grabbed JJ’s right hand, untucking her own shirt from her pants and slightly lifting it up. JJ wrinkled her eyebrows in curiosity and felt her fingers hover Emily’s lower left abdomen, the same place her own wounds were placed. Emily let her brush them over the small and jagged line of the surgical scar.

“Do you feel that?” she whispered, easing her body at JJ’s soft touch. “That was from when I was staked. It took a long time for me to realize that- that it was something I was going to live with for the rest of my life.”

JJ bit her lip to keep from crying again. “I could’ve lost you.” When she got the call about ���some kind of emergency involving Emily’, JJ wasted no time for thinking and just ran and hopped on the Interpol jet back to the States. During the whole flight back, she barely slept and her mind was filled with a lot of negative thoughts about what could’ve happened to Emily. She couldn’t bear the thought of Emily being so close to death.

“You’ve helped me, JJ. You saved my life,” Emily smiled at her.

“But Morgan said you were ready to let go,” JJ shook her head, barely listening to her. “W- Why would- you could’ve died, Emily! And I would’ve-”

Emily sensed JJ starting to hyperventilate and she lifted JJ’s chin with her finger, putting her forehead against the blonde’s. “Hey. Pay attention to me, JJ. Look at me,” Emily softly said.

JJ followed her instruction and placed the hand she touched Emily’s scar with on the other woman’s heart. She felt something a little rough near her heart through the fabric and furrowed her eyebrows. Eyes widened in realization when she found out what it was. The shamrock brand Doyle had marked on Emily.

Emily peered down at JJ’s hand on the area of the brand. She tensed for a moment and JJ slowly moved her fingers back so as to not hurt her.

“I thought you got rid of it,” JJ quietly breathed out, still with wide eyes.

“I couldn’t,” the gray-haired woman whimpered.

“Is it ok if I…” JJ softly asked.

Emily looked at her, seeing how much trust she had in the other woman, and gave a small nod. JJ took her time to unbutton her shirt and opened it. Her finger reached up her chest to lightly touch the brand, examining its outline of a shamrock and rough texture. “Does it still hurt?”

Emily bit her lip and silently nodded. “A little. Every time I look or think about it.”

JJ stared up at her and Emily met her eyes, nodding her head, knowing what the younger woman was asking. JJ leaned in to place a soft kiss on the brand, feeling Emily shiver at the warm touch. She slowly traced the outline of the brand with her lips, letting Emily know it won’t affect the way she feels about her and to remind herself that Emily was still here. It was JJ’s turn to lay Emily down, so she could give attention to her other wound.

Emily couldn’t help but feel loved in this moment. Her life since Doyle attacked her had not been easy; it was probably worse afterwards. She became a lot more alert and anxious, not having enough sleep at night more than usual. Even her compartmentalizing skills became difficult at times and she had to tell herself to step back when she needed to.

JJ leaned back up to connect their lips before resting her forehead on her shoulder. “I can’t lose you, Emily. You’re such a huge part of my life.”

Emily kissed her hair. “I can’t lose you, either. I will do anything to make sure you’re here and alive.” JJ nodded against her shoulder and planted a small kiss on her neck.

The older woman fixed their position to settle back in between JJ’s legs, tilting her head up to meet eyes that were almost filled with fear. “May I?” she whispered.

JJ silently granted her permission and Emily raised her sweater up slightly and carefully kissed her two scars. JJ exhaled out a breath and closed her eyes. She softly placed a hand on the back of Emily’s head, feeling a little more safe at the gesture. This is what JJ feared the most, hiding her hideous scars from the one she loves. But right now, she felt safe and loved. This is what JJ needed, the reassurance that Emily was going to love her no matter what happens. JJ realized at this moment that Emily was really her safe place. No one had ever calmed her down the way the older woman did.

Emily moved back up and laid beside JJ, gathering her into her arms. The two women were on JJ’s couch, gently touching and admiring each other’s wounds, and reflecting on how they affected them physically and emotionally. In that moment, they both learned yet another thing about each other. They were both equivalently broken people. They both hated the feeling of vulnerability and defeat, but they were able to find it in each other and cry about it together.

JJ glanced up at her and placed a hand on her cheek, lovingly stroking it with her thumb. “Stay with me?”

Emily smiled and kissed her forehead. “Of course.”

JJ pulled her left arm over her stomach, turning so that her back faced the older woman. Emily moved closer and cuddled up behind her, making herself comfortable in this position.

The blonde agent turned her head to Emily and smiled with tears in her eyes. "I love you so much.”

"I love you, too. Just as much," Emily smiled back and brushed her lips over her shoulder. JJ intertwined their fingers together, reassuring herself for the last time tonight that Emily was not going to fade away when she wakes up.

[hecallsmehischild]

Recent Media Consumed

Books

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. About ten or fifteen years ago, I tried to read this and was totally overwhelmed by it. I kept it around, hoping maybe someday I might be able to read it. I finally have, and here are my impressions: WHY SO MANY NAMES. WHY YOU HAVE TO NAME EVERYBODY, AND EVERY TRIBE OF PEOPLES, AND EVERY INANIMATE OBJECT, AND EVERY LANDSCAPE FEATURE. WHY. *ahem* So. I have a general comprehension of the events of The Silmarillion, but I dealt with it by doing what you do for an impressionist painting. I (mentally) stepped way back and let all the names flow by me, and if there were names that were repeated a lot, then I mentally attached appropriate plot points and character details to those names so I could track with who they were and what they were doing. And, actually, I found myself able to hang on and enjoy the book for the most part. This is going to lead into a re-reading of the Lord of the Rings books, since I haven’t read those in about as long…

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I haven’t read some of these books since pre-teen years, with one required re-read of The Two Towers in high school (i.e. it’s been many an age since I’ve read these and my memory of the stories has been far more heavily influenced by the movies). In re-reading the first book, I was struck by the extreme tone shift for the Elves and Dwarves. Elves seem much closer to happy, mischievous fairies than these ethereal, solemn pillars of elegance and grace the movies show them to be. And Dwarves are far more bumbling and craftsmanlike than the movies show. Aside from that, The Hobbit was a pretty solid adaptation from the book, and the book also reminded me that this story was the first time I experienced “NO, MAIN CHARACTERS DON’T DIE, HOW DARE YOU,” and probably was the first book to make me cry. I must have been 8 or 10 years old. I FORGOT HOW MUCH THIS STORY INFLUENCED ME.

A Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell. I have a longer-than-usual list of things to say about this book. First is that it was just that level of difficult that I was struggling to understand while reading it (on Audible), but I think I got it. Sowell has several base concepts that I see repeated throughout his books, though he does like to dedicate whole books to specific aspects of the same topic. He is pretty damn thorough that way. So, for example, I would put this book in the middle of a three-book spectrum of similar concepts: Intellectuals and Society (most concrete and easiest to read), A Conflict of Visions (next-level abstraction, a little difficult to read), Knowledge and Decisions (root abstract concept, very difficult, I have not been able to get past chapter 2). The second thing I have to say is about a couple interesting concepts it proposes. Its whole point is to help readers understand the roots of two ways of seeing the world that come into severe conflict politically, and he calls them by their root titles: the constrained and the unconstrained visions. He traces the path of each back through the intellectuals that most spoke of them (tending to contrast Adam Smith with William Godwin and Condorcet). Though he leans heavily toward the constrained vision (based on reading his other works) he does his best to make this book an academic study of both, with both of the visions' strengths and flaws and reasoning and internal consistencies fairly laid out. In doing so, he helped me understand a few things that make this situation really difficult for people on opposing sides to communicate. One of them is that root words and concepts literally mean different things to different people. I had some vague notion of this before, but he laid out three examples in detail: Equality, Power, and Justice. It was kind of astounding to see just how differently these three words can be defined. It makes me think that arguing about any specific issues rooted in these concepts is fruitless until first an understanding has been reached on terms, because otherwise two parties are endlessly talking past each other. Another really interesting idea he brought up is the existence of “hybrid visions” and he named both Marxism and Fascism as hybrid visions. This was especially fascinating to me because I have seen the accusation of “Nazi” flung around ad nauseam and I wondered how it was that both sides were able to fling it at each other so readily. Well, it’s because Fascism is actually a hybrid vision, so both sides have a grain of truth but miss the whole on that particular point. In any case, this was a little difficult to read but had some fascinating information. For people who are wondering what on earth this gap is between political visions, how on earth to bridge the gap, or why the gap even exists in the first place, this is a really informative piece.

Movies

The Hobbit & Fellowship trilogies (movies). I mean, it’s definitely not my first watch, not even my second. But I went through it with Sergey this time and that means the run-time is double because we pause to talk and discuss details. This watch came about partly due to Sergey’s contention that Gandalf’s reputation far outstrips his actual powers, so we ended up noting down every instance of Gandalf’s power to see if that was true. Conclusion: Gandalf is actually a decently powerful wizard, but tends to use the truly kickass powers in less-than-dire circumstances. That aside, this movie series was always a favorite for me. I rated The Hobbit trilogy lower the first time I saw it but, frankly, all together the six movies are fantastic and a great way to sink deep into lore-heavy fantasy for a while. And I’m catching way more easter-egg type details after having read the Silmarillion so it’s even more enjoyable. (finally, after about a week of binge-watching) I forgot how much this story impacted me. I forgot how wrenchingly bittersweet the ending is. I forgot how much of a mark that reading and watching this story left on my writing.

Upside-Down Magic. Effects were good. Actors were clearly having fun and enjoying everything. Story didn’t make enough sense for my taste, but it was a decent way to kill flight time.

Wish Dragon. So, yes, it’s basically an Aladdin rewrite, but it’s genuinely a cheesy good fluff fest that made me grin a whole lot.

Plays

Esther (Sight and Sound Theatres). < background info > This is my third time to this theatre. There are only two of these in existence and they only run productions of stories out of the Bible. The first time I went I saw a production of Noah, the second time I saw a production of Jesus. My middle sister has moved all the way out to Lancaster, PA in hopes of working at this theatre. My husband and I came out to visit her. < /background info > So. Esther. They really pulled out all the stops on the costumes and set. I mean, REALLY pulled out all the stops. And the three-quarters wrap-around stage is used to great effect. I tend to have a general problem of not understanding all the words in the songs, but I understood enough. I highly recommend sitting close to the front for immersive experiences. This theatre puts on incredible productions and if you ever, ever, EVER have the opportunity to go, take it. Even if you think it's nothing but a bunch of fairy tales, STILL GO. I doubt you'll ever see a fairy tale produced on another stage with equal dedication to immersion.

Shows

The Mandalorian (first two seasons). Well. This was pretty thoroughly enjoyable. It felt very Star-Wars, and I’d kind of given up after recent movies. Felt like it slipped into some preaching toward the end? Not sure, I could be overly sensitive about it, but I enjoyed this a lot (though I did need to turn to my housemate and ask where the flip in the timeline we were because I did NOT realize that the little green kid IS NOT ACTUALLY Yoda).

Games

Portal & Portal 2. Portal is probably the first video game I ever tried to play, back when I had no idea what I was doing. Back then, I attempted to play it on my not-for-gaming Mac laptop. Using my trackpad. Once the jumping-for-extra-velocity mechanic came into play, I just about lost my mind trying to do this with a trackpad and gave up. Later I returned to the game and played it with my then-boyfriend on a proper gaming computer. Now, after having played several games and gotten better at "reading the language" of video games, I decided I wanted to see if I could beat the Portal games by myself. Guess what. I BEAT 'EM. Yes, I remembered most of the puzzles in Portal so that's a little bit of a cheat, but I'd say a good 2/3 of Portal 2 was new puzzles to me. It is crazy how proud I feel of myself that I could beat Portal 2, especially. Learning how to play video games at this age has really knocked down the lie, "You can't learn anything." Though I still suck at platformers and games that require precision. Since I find those types frustrating, I probably won't be playing many. Games are about enjoyment, so I'll push myself a little, but not to the point where I can't stand what I'm playing.

The Observer. I like the concept and the art but I don't think I could keep trying to play this game. It's really depressing. My in-game family members all died of illness or accident or committed suicide. I also kept getting executed by the state. In order to keep us all alive I'd have to do pretty terrible things that I have a hard enough time contemplating even in a fictional setting.

Baba Is You. Fun and interesting concept, but I got stuck pretty early on. Don't think I want to push as hard on this one.

[of-elves-and-mad-hatters]

“The Azure Sky”- Chapter 8 - Lego Elves

Masterlist 

_________________

Shadows to the Brightest Flame: Series

- The legacy of Lumia’s influence is scarred eternally into the lands of Elvendale. Burdened by a prophecy foretelling her demise and need for a successor, she watches for one capable of such power. Yet her enemies are working steadily to undo all she’s labored so long for, and it is millenia too late to make peace. 

Emily Jones, heir to Eimileen, is a bold girl dedicated to protecting Elvendale, but the world she has grown so fond of is not so black and white as it seems, and the titles of Guardian of Portal and Guardian of Light may hold darker legacies some ancient elves have worked tirelessly to hide. 

In conjunction with the extended version of the Guardian of Light prophecy I wrote previously

Basically a rewrite of all of the Lego Elves & Secrets of Elvendale storylines with an additional arc beyond the Season 4: Into the Shadows. There will be a varying degree of deviation from canon.

Technically a crossover with Lord of the Rings/Hobbit/Silmarillion in terms of worldbuidling, as I set Elvendale as being north of Middle-Earth, cause this is fanfic and I can. So there will be mentions of the Noldor, Sindar, Silvan, and some Tolkien characters, but they will be mostly background. Definitely not an issue if you aren’t familiar with the Middle-Earth fandom; everything will still be easy to understand. 

Book 1: The Azure Sky

Grieving over the unexpected death of her grandmother, Emily Jones is accidentally trapped in another world. Befriending a few young elves in an attempt to find her way home, Emily discovers many secrets about her grandmother’s past, but for every truth she learns two more questions take its place, leaving her vulnerable to darker force inhabiting this realm. 

A rewrite of Unite the Magic

____________________________________

Chapter 1 

Chapter 2 

Chapter 3 

Chapter 4 

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7 

____________________________________

Empty-handed, Naida and Emily trudge back to the hollow’s entrance. “Do you think anyone else will have been successful?” the human ponders. 

“Most likely Farran. He has the strongest connection to the trees, and while the ones here don’t have the most friendly of dispositions, they still have a fondness for earth and silvan elves.” 

“Trees have dispositions?”

Naida smiles, “Yes, but on most worlds they perpetually sleep, living their lives in the dream world. In this realm, when the elves were first created, they started to wake them up.”

“Why did they want to wake them up?”

Naida shrugs. “It’s just in the elven nature. Curiosity, and a deep love for the elements of nature, desiring to be nearer to it. Some travelers even say that elves have a greater love of language compared to other species.”

Emily smiles. “My parents always said I got my green thumb from the grandmother. My little sister can’t stand the racks of plants I keep in my bedroom.”

“Maybe that’s why Eimileen chose you to inherit the key,” Naida suggests gently, “because she saw more of elvenkind in you than human.”

“You really think so?”

“I’m not wholy certain, but ever since I’ve met you, you’ve seemed comfortable in our land, almost connected to it in the way we are.”

A blush spreads across Emily’s face, “I don’t know that I’m…” but she is, if she thinks about it, peeling away the layers of the fear and anxiety she’s experienced since coming here, she realizes how much more alive she’s felt in this world, far more than she ever has on earth. Suddenly, the prospect of going home seems almost devastating. 

Naida stills. 

“What is it?”

The water elf doesn’t respond, turning her head to watch the woods behind them. “There’s someone here.”

“You think one of the others came looking for us, since we were late?”

Naida frowns, staring deep into the trees. 

That’s when Emily feels it, a presence, lurking beyond where they can see. Elusive, oppressive like a vivid surreal dream. Her amulet weighs heavier upon her neck, threatening to cut through her skin. The clear blue surface of the stone turns dark, cloudy. 

“Aira? Azari? Farran...” Naida calls softly, though it is clear from her face that she does not expect and answer. 

There is none. Just the deep silence. 

“That’s not them,” Emily stutters out, “It’s something else…” 

Naida grabs her hand, turning them around to walk briskly. “We’re not far from the entrance.”

“We should go faster.”

“We don’t need to panic. Whoever’s back there is probably just another elf minding their own business.”

“They were watching us.”

“That doesn’t mean they would try to hurt us. There are very few people and creatures to fear in Elvendale. It would be unlikely we would come across one of them.”

“But possible.”

Naida sighs quietly. “Just keep ahold of my hand.”

They continue on a few steps, and Emily can feel herself calming down. “Didn’t Azari say this place was haunted?”

“I very much doubt what we felt was a ghost.”

“Do ghosts even exist, like for real, in Elvendale?”

“There are rumors, and one cannot discount the abundant bizarre events that have occurred here…but I doubt it.”

Nuala had always said the images that haunted the hollow weren’t spirits, but rather vengeful memories. Of course no other elf could speculate where the second sister had come across such an eccentric idea, but Nuala held to it all the same. She once told Naida that it wasn’t the memories themselves she should fear, no matter how frightening the apparitions were. It was the people who could make those memories come alive. Those were who she should fear. Naida asked ‘who possessed such power?’ but that her grandmother never answered. 

Spotting Aira and Azari ahead, the water elf is pulled from her thoughts. “Any luck?” she calls. The fire and air elves shake their heads. 

Farran then emerges from his path, grinning from ear to ear. His face is riddled with bloody scratches, and he holds a key that glistens as if it had been carved from an emerald. 

“You found it!” Aira exclaims. 

“Yep, wasn’t an easy task though. It took an incredible amount of discipline and skilled magic to unearth it from a block of solid crystal. Halfway through, with sweat dripping down my brow, lungs burning, I…”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it,” Azari interjects. “What happened to your face?”

Farran shrugs, sheepish. “The block of cyrstal may have been located underneath a squirrel’s acorn stash. Said squirrel was not particularly happy.” 

“Here, let me help.” Aira kneels down and pulls some salve and a cloth from her back. She gently cleans the cuts. 

“I wish I could have seen it,” Emily muses. “Anyways, two keys down, two to go. What does the map say?”

Azari snatches it out of Farran’s hand. 

“Here at the birthplace of the changing world

Fire reforms that which is old and worn

Trials of flame perfect their sacred jewel

Concealed behind a falling curtain of gold.”

The fire elf frowns. “No clue what that means, but it looks like the next key is located somewhere in the Lava Fields.”

“That sounds…dangerous,” Emily comments.

Azari grins devishly. “Trust me, it’s one of the coolest places in all of Elvendale.” 

[zeldaelmo]

For the asks- 2, 5, 9 and 15 for SITN please!

Thank you so much for the ask, @silentprincess17!

This is the fic we are talking about:

Strangers in the night by ZeldaElmo

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28532115/chapters/69917169

2: What scene did you first put down?

I think, it was the scene in the beginning, where Urbosa gives Zelda a harsh telling off for her behavior or maybe it was the scene where Link discovers the photo on her desk? I'm not sure anymore.

5: What part was hardest to write?

The hardest part was definitive the court scenes. I wanted a 'similar' scene to 'blades of the Yiga', so that Link comes unexpectedly to Zelda's rescue although she has treated him poorly. I can't say what it was that made this two scenes so difficult for me. I had the ideas for Link's dialogue very early, but I ended up rewriting Zelda's inner monologue over and over. I'm still not satisfied with it, but at some point it's important to realize that it won't get any better right now. Maybe if I had have beta-readers back then, we could have worked around it together.

In general, I think I struggle with Zelda's mindset in that point of the story. Pre-Blades of the Yiga-Zelda is easy to understand for me, but incredible difficult to write. I admire greatly, when someone pulls this mixture of emotions off in their fics.

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Yes. The first draft of this story ended with the first arc. We had Zelda's night out, but not the pancake disaster. The pancake scene ended flirty, they went to Lurelin, Link thought a little bit about if she was ready for a relationship and they kiss. That's it. No Paya, no break-down in Zora's Domain, no surprise-party, no drama in Lurelin.

And with that we come to question 15.

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

I learned everything with this fic. I'm not joking. When I began writing this story last summer, I was a fanfic writer for a few weeks. I had posted my first two stories (one 1600 words, one 2600 words) a few days ago, still checking the stats on a03 like a maniac to see if someone was interested at all in my writing. (Spoiler: some are)

So, I wrote the story whenever I had time. I drifted off to other wips, posted some stories in between. I always came back because I liked the concept so much (and I'm not the type for abandoning wips if they are not hopeless). At some point in autumn, I finished the story. Or so I thought.

I can't remember why, but I began reading writing advice blogs. And boy, was that an eye-opener. I began to search for parts where I had cheated with 'she felt, he realized, she was upset' and replaced it with better descriptions of body language etc.

For the first time (prepare to laugh your ass off) I heard of 'show not tell'. Hm. I went back to the scene with Mipha's video call (which wasn't there at first, just inner monologue from Link). I wrecked my brain how I could cover that they had grown so much closer in the last half year without writing it out, that his affection had long outgrown the physical attraction he felt at first in something much bigger. I wanted him to be aware that she might not be ready to date and I wanted to show the strained relationship with her father. Now each part of the scene has a purpose. He lingers in the bathroom = he slowly realizes that he wants this domestic bliss. The photos of his family = explain why he has so many issues with having a family. And so on.

So, that was that. But then, I found a book about plotting that really vibed with me. I never found my way into the hero's journey, but the way 'save the cat writes a novel' explains plotting made it easily accessible for me. I realized that I need a second arc to make the story really good. Not just just a lukewarm zelink story about Zelda having a bad ex and bad father and her new hero boyfriend, but something that the readers remember. Something that is so intense that it sticks with them after they have finished the fic.

Well. And this way, I ended up polishing their characters (aka giving them flaws), giving them both a clear character arc, comp the story a very emotional second arc, and making my two blondes work for their happy end.

And that, my friends, is the reason why I only publish when I'm finished with the whole thing. 😁

[hookedonapirate]

Book Update

If anyone is wondering when Hard To Handle will be coming out, I have some news! So, for those who don't know, Hard To Handle is an original A Helping Hand rewrite featuring Harper and Owen (Killian and Emma) and will be part 2 of the series. And if you haven't guessed yet, part 1 features Audrey and Brady (Elsa and Liam from A Helping Hand) with a Harper and Brady friendship. For those interested in their story, I have a little treat for you below. However, this Sneak peek doesn't show Audrey and Brady meeting yet because I haven't gotten that far.

This is sort of an enemies to lovers story (I say sort of because their "enemy" status in the beginning is too complicated to slap a label on it) that starts off with Harper and Audrey butting heads with their new neighbor, Brady, and him and Audrey exchanging love hate letters. 😉 Then Brady and Audrey form an alliance and break up Harper and Bryce. I promise it's not evil like it sounds because Brady discovers Bryce is cheating on Harper. Remember, Bryce is the Neal of AHH.

This book is a bit darker than book 2 because of the toxic nature of Harper's relationship with Bryce, and because Audrey often pays the price for his shenanigans, but there's still humor and fun in this one.

Anyway, here are the first few chapters. I may post more if anyone's interested ❤️

Chapter One

Brady

There are strange sounds coming from the unit next door.

Laughter maybe?

Yes, definitely laughter.

More like Cackling. From one—make that two—females.

Two loud, annoying females.

Just great.

I take pride in being a fairly simple man who doesn’t need much to be happy. A few things like fishing, enjoying an ice-cold beer and having a few moments of quiet time usually does the trick. Even the sound the can makes whenever I crack open the pull tab of Coors Light is music to my ears. I finally have time to relax after sweating my ass off from all the unpacking I did. I just moved in today and couldn’t stand the idea of tripping over boxes or searching through them every time I needed to use something. I was unable to stop unpacking until every single item in those boxes had a home.

Now I’m able to sit back in my patio chair, prop my feet up on the plastic stool and breathe in the pleasantly cool evening air, enjoy a refreshing, ice-cold beer and some quiet time.

Or at least I was able to until my air of tranquil serenity was so rudely disturbed by my cackling neighbors.

They could at least close their balcony doors, so the entire building doesn’t have to hear them.

I’m already in a foul mood, and the two laughing hyenas aren’t helping. If anything, my mood is worse than it was when I was packing.

They, however, sound like they’re having a grand old time. Doing what exactly, I’m not sure, but it sounds like one of them needed a break from studying and the other one is encouraging her to get drunk and let loose. Which means they’re college students.

Just fucking perfect.

This is exactly why I moved off campus, even though it meant paying rent and enduring a much longer commute to work.

It’s just my luck to get stuck living next to two loud teenagers or early twenty-something-year-olds. I’m around college students all the time, considering I’m an instructor; I don't need to live next to them, too. I learned that very quickly.

Young adults, my ass. More like impudent children.

I feel like the property management should’ve included that minor detail in the apartment listing. Or that not everyone is required to follow their uniform policies.

A peaceful, friendly community? Ha!

The management will definitely be hearing from me about their false advertising.

“Dude, I’m sorry to tell you this, Harp, but your boyfriend’s a fucking loser! Even Elisa said so!”

“He’s just misunderstood!”

“Misunderstood?! Bryce is such a creep!”

“Is not!”

I take a swig of my beer through gritted teeth. I really wish I had a TV right now.

It won’t be delivered until tomorrow, though. Which is very unfortunate and inconvenient at the moment because I need a distraction from reality. Listening to their conversation makes me furious and sad at the same time because it reminds me of me and my brother arguing about his girlfriend. I kept trying to tell Owen she was no good for him, but he wouldn’t listen. I bet this Bryce guy isn’t married, though.

Or maybe he is; I really don’t know.

I need something to take my mind off the overwhelming urge I feel to hop on a plane, fly to Chicago and kick my brother’s ass for being the fucking moron he is. And let me tell you, the urge is very strong right now. Earlier today, Owen told me the woman he’s been seeing is married. They’ve been dating for six months, during which she was lying to him the entire time. I already didn’t like her very much to begin with because she was a controlling bitch—I’m the only one who’s allowed to be a controlling bitch to my brother—and because ever since he started seeing her, I haven't been able to hang out with him very much. Whenever we made plans, he canceled them because Naomi wanted to spend time with him instead. And he was my best friend. Now he tells me she’s married and that he’s still staying with her.

What the actual fuck?

He’s so brainwashed by her, I couldn’t talk a lick sense into that goddamn head of his. Now he wants me to be okay with them staying together while she’s still with her husband?

Fuck that shit.

“Okay listen, if you’re going to talk shit about my boyfriend, we’re going to need more wine.”

“Agreed.”

It becomes silent next door for a few minutes, which makes me sigh in relief. Soon I hear, “Son of a fucking bitch!”

There’s a litany of curses and then, “We need a new corkscrew!”

“But we’re too drunk to drive anywhere!”

Damn, if only I had a corkscrew so they could drink more wine, get drunker and become even louder and more annoying than they already are.

That’s actually not a bad idea, though. If they’re anything like my ex-girlfriend, the quicker they get drunk, the quicker they’ll be ready to sleep. The quicker I’ll finally have my peace and quiet.

I contemplate driving down to the corner store, but what would I even say if I showed up at their door with a corkscrew they didn’t ask for? Oh, hi, I was eavesdropping on your conversation and took it upon myself to go to the store and buy you this corkscrew so you could both drink yourselves into an alcohol-induced coma and I could finally have some peace and quiet?

Nope, I definitely can’t say that.

Chapter Two

Audrey

“Son of a fucking bitch!”

When I rush into the kitchen to see why my roommate’s cussing up a storm, I’m expecting the counter and floor to be covered in wine and shattered glass, even though I didn’t hear any glass break, but Harper’s just holding the corkscrew and staring at the top of the bottle.

“What’s wrong?”

“We need a new corkscrew!” Harper grabs the bottle of wine and points the top of it at me. The cork is still jammed into the neck of the bottle, and the worm of the corkscrew is stuck inside it.

Which is very unfortunate.

She’s been studying her ass off, except for the occasional interruptions from her asshat of a boyfriend, Bryce. She had a really tough time getting him to finally leave so she could study, and she had to literally push him out the door. So I thought Harper could use a break and I could feel saner again by indulging in some wine. But one bottle of wine quickly turned into two. Or rather, it would’ve if not for the end of the corkscrew inside the cork.

Fuck.

“But we can’t drive anywhere,” I point out, considering how tipsy we both are, even though we only went through one bottle between us. But we’re both lightweights.

“Hold on,” she says, picking up her phone from the counter.

I cock my brow. “You do realize Amazon Prime takes two days to ship, right?”

“Yeah, I know, Aud. I’m not that drunk.” After looking at something on her phone for a minute, she leaves the kitchen, returns with one of her tennis shoes and sets the phone down to pick up the wine bottle. She places the bottom of the bottle inside the heel of the shoe, raises her hands above her head and goes to one of the walls in a striking pose.

I rush over and put my hand on her arm to stop her. “Wait, what are you doing?”

“This will push the cork out.”

“But won’t the wine spill all over?”

“Not if I can only push the cork part of the way out and then pull it off the rest of the way.” She hits the shoe against the wall a few times, but the cork doesn’t budge.

“Why don’t we see if any of the neighbors have a corkscrew,” I suggest. “This method doesn’t seem to be working.”

She sighs and drops her arms. “Who do you think would have one?”

“What about Mandy? She’s a wine drinker.”

Harper shakes her head. “She doesn’t get home from the office until late on Mondays. And there’s no way I’m trying mister grumpy pants across the hall. It always seems like he’ll snap at any moment. Plus, once his dog starts yapping, she never shuts up.”

“What about the new guy who just moved in next door?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. What if he’s an ax murderer?”

“I saw him earlier when he was moving in. He seems harmless enough, and is kind of cute, actually.”

“Yeah, well so was Ted Bundy. And I’d like to stay alive with my head intact, thank you very much.” I haven’t seen the new neighbor yet, but I don’t think going over to a stranger's place while we’re both a little tipsy is the best idea, for several reasons.

She flicks her hand. “Well, you don’t have to go. I will.” She grabs her keys, removes her pepper spray from the attached chain and throws her keys back on the counter before heading toward the door.

“Harp, wait…”

Ignoring my pleas as I follow behind her, she slips into her Nike slides. “I’ll be fine. I got my handy dandy pepper spray,” she says, holding it up.

Before I can talk some sense into her, she’s already dashing out the door and calling out over her shoulder, “If I’m not back in five minutes, call 911!”

I sigh and lean against the door, pressing my ear against it so I can listen for Harper’s screams or any signs of a struggle.

Chapter Three

Brady

When I head inside from the balcony, there’s a knock on the front door. I scratch my head and stride over to answer it, wondering who it could be. I just moved into this apartment today, so I literally don’t know any of my neighbors yet.

I open the door to a skinny blonde with green eyes, long, shimmering hair and soft pink lips. She’s easy on the eyes, but I have a feeling she’s one of the laughing hyenas next door. She’s not as young as I thought she’d be, though. She looks to be around my brother’s age. When I give her a once-over, I notice the pepper spray she’s trying to hide in her fist.

I wince at the sight of it. She doesn’t even have the safety lock on.

I offer a tight-lipped smile. “Hello.”

“HiI’myournextdoorneighbor,” she mumbles, her words slurred together. She’s a little tipsy and has to lean against the doorframe so she doesn’t fall over.

“How can I help you, next-door neighbor?” I ask, keeping my eyes on the pepper spray. The sight of it brings back too many painful memories. Memories I’d rather keep locked away.

“I was wondering if you had a corkscrew my roommate and I could borrow?”

On the balcony, I wanted to strangle the two neighbors who were interrupting my quiet time, but now I feel very protective. She’s obviously drunk, yet stumbling over to a neighbor she doesn’t even know. I mean, I like to consider myself an overall decent human being, or as I’ve been called before, “one of the good guys,” but this woman doesn’t know that. She knows nothing about me, yet she’s over here asking to borrow a corkscrew. And yes, she’s carrying a weapon, but I doubt she knows how to use it properly, and with how tipsy she is, I doubt she’d even be fast enough to use it.

“I’m sorry, I don’t.”

Her smile fades, but she looks determined, so I’m hoping she doesn’t go knocking on all her neighbors' doors asking for a corkscrew.

“I could buy you one,” I offer, trying to sound as polite as possible. Which is difficult when I’m irritated.

Her eyes widen in surprise. “Really? You’d do that?”

I cross my arms and give her a stern look. “On one condition.”

She nods excitedly. “Of course, anything.”

I’m so glad I’m a nice guy because this woman seems far too trusting, and I’m afraid of what would’ve happened if I were anything less than a decent human being. “I’ll go and get you a corkscrew if you return to your apartment and keep the noise down for the rest of the night. And maybe close your balcony doors so the entire building can’t overhear your childish conversation.”

I’m thinking this is a very reasonable request. I’m willing to leave the comfort of my apartment to get in my car and go to the corner store to get some women I don’t know a corkscrew, and all they have to do is put a cap on the noise.

But the scowl on her face tells me she doesn’t agree. “First of all,” she raises her index finger, “ruu-uuuuuuude!” She raises another finger. “Secondly, my roommate and I aren’t children. We’re having a stressful week and were finally able to relax and drink some wine when the corkscrew broke. But that’s okay, we’ll figure out how to get the cork off ourselves!” She turns on her heels and starts to head toward her apartment, but spins around again and gets in my space, jabbing a finger at my chest. “And thirdly, we weren’t being that loud!”

I clench my jaw as she storms away and slams the door shut after disappearing inside her apartment. I throw my own door shut, huffing in frustration.

Why couldn’t my neighbors all be sweet old ladies?

So much for having a relaxing evening!

I head back to my balcony when there’s another knock on the door.

“Son of bitch,” I curse under my breath as I march over to the door and yank it open. “What, now?” I ask angrily when I see her standing at my door again.

“I need to borrow a dress shoe.”

I furrow my brows, growing more agitated. “A what?”

She sighs as though I’m the one inconveniencing her. “A dress shoe,” she says impatiently. “Surely you’ve been to a wedding or funeral. You must have one.”

“I do, but why do you—” Before I get the chance to answer, she shoves past me and heads toward my bedroom.

I follow her in there and cross my arms over my chest in the doorway as I watch her go to my closet. “What in the ever-loving hell are you doing?”

“I told you, I need to borrow a dress shoe.”

Seriously?!

The audacity of this woman waltzing into my apartment and taking one of my shoes! “That’s funny because I never said you could borrow one.”

“Wow, your closet is super organized,” she comments as she looks around, easily finding one of my brown dress shoes and grabbing it from the shoe rack.

I’m still standing in the bedroom doorway when she tries to get through. I reach for my shoe, but she steps back and aims her pepper spray at me. I instinctively duck out of the line of fire and lunge forward, grabbing the pepper spray from her hand and twisting the safety lock.

“Wait, please don’t kill me! My roommate’s calling 911 if I’m not back in two minutes!” she cries, shielding herself with her hands.

I sigh in exasperation and extend the pepper spray to her. “I’m not trying to murder you, I was trying to get my shoe back.”

She slowly drops her arms and narrows her eyes as she snatches the spray from my hand. “Then why did you take away my weapon?”

I scoff. “It was a reflex so I didn’t get sprayed in the face since I wasn’t actually attacking you. Do you know how many times I’ve been pepper-sprayed in the face?”

“Why, because you’re a rapist?!” she accuses, stepping away from me and aiming her pepper spray at me again, even though the safety is still on. She probably doesn’t even know that, though.

I sigh in exasperation and raise my hands in surrender. “No, because I was in the Marines. Getting pepper-sprayed was part of my training. It taught me how to use my weapons and equipment.”

She lowers the spray, guilt etched in her features. “Oh, sorry. My roommate said you might be another Ted Bundy, and I don’t want to be raped and murdered.”

“Yeah, because breaking into your neighbor’s apartment and stealing their shoe is a good way to prevent that from happening,” I say, my words laden with sarcasm.

“Well, no, but that’s what the pepper spray was for.”

“It won’t do you any good if you don’t use it properly. You need to have a firm grip and use your thumb to activate it so it can’t be taken out of your hand like I just took it out of yours.”

“Thanks for the tip.” She raises the pepper spray at me again and presses the button to activate it. But it’s still disarmed. Once she realizes her mistake, her eyes widen.

I cock my head to the side and plant my hands on my hips. “Really?”

She offers an apologetic smile, then scurries toward me, ducks under my arm and squeezes past me, darting for the front door. “I’ll bring it right back, I promise!”

I let her go and exhale another deep sigh. What could she possibly need my shoe for anyway? To squash a spider or something? Can’t she use her own Goddamn shoe for that?

Right, she probably doesn’t want to get her precious shoe all gross, so she’s using mine instead. Which means my shoe will be returned with spider guts on the bottom.

Just great.

I go to the balcony and curtly grab my beer so I can head inside and not have to hear every goddamn word of their conversation again.

Pound, pound, pound.

What the hell?

It sounds like they’re banging something against the wall.

My shoe, perhaps?

Pound, pound, pound.

Then I hear a loud pop!

“Yessssss!”

They got the cork out.

“Holy shit, you made a mess!”

“Sorry, but at least we can keep drinking!”

“Woohoo!”

I head inside and close the sliding doors, hoping to go to bed and get some rest. But then there’s another knock on the front door.

“Fucking hell,” I groan as I go over to answer it. It’s probably the blonde neighbor with my shoe, but I’m not sure I want it back.

Sure enough, it’s her.

“Thanks for letting me borrow it.” She hands over my shoe with a small smile and heads back to her apartment.

“You didn’t borrow it, you stole it!” I call after her. But she completely ignores me.

“And sorry I tried to spray you...twice!” Before I can respond, she’s already inside her unit.

I bring the shoe to my nose to get a closer whiff of it. I noticed the smell as soon as she handed it to me. “Hey, why does my shoe smell like wine?!”

But I’m talking to the door at this point.

I shake my head and go back inside, trying to decide if I should try to get the smell out or just toss the pair into the trash. For now, I set it aside and go to the bathroom to get ready for bed, hoping my neighbors will down the bottle, get tired and pass out so I can have a quiet evening.

No such luck.

They turn on the music, and I can hear the pounding bass through the wall and also, “Yeeeeesssss, this is my jam!”

The walls are actually shaking.

Why do the other neighbors put up with this! It’s absurd, really.

They should be evicted.

I contemplate calling the police to make a complaint, but this is New York City; the police have better things to do than respond to non-emergency noise complaints. So I return to my bedroom, strip down to my boxers and toss my clothes into the hamper before slipping into bed. I can still hear the noises coming from the unit next door, but thankfully, I’m a patient man. I’m sure they’ll get tired soon and go to bed. Or at least I hope so.

But an hour passes, and the music still doesn’t cease. I groan and roll over on my stomach, pulling the pillow over my head, wishing I had noise-canceling headphones right now. I’m normally against the idea of something that cancels all sounds, because it also cancels sounds that alert danger. Like if a burglar broke into the apartment or there’s an explosion or gunshot. But right now, I’d do anything to get a good night’s sleep. Between arguing with my brother over the phone into the wee hours of the night yesterday and spending all day moving into my new place and unpacking, I’m completely exhausted. Not to mention I always start my day at five in the morning. My classes don’t start until eight a.m., but I like to get an early start to my day. I got up that early when I was in the Marines, and some habits just never die.

I’m about to get up and go down the hall to ask them to turn down the noise, but I’ve already asked her once and she got offended, so I doubt it will do any good.

Chapter Four

Audrey

I’m immediately regretting the two bottles of Barefoot Harper and imbibed last night. My head is pounding, I’m dehydrated, and I have to be at work in an hour. I take some aspirin, drink a full glass of water before jumping into the shower.

When I leave my bedroom, dressed and ready to go, Harper is shuffling out of her room.

“Morning,” she says groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

“Morning, Harp.” I head to the kitchen to make her some coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker myself, I prefer tea, but I know Harper can’t function in the morning without a fresh cup of hot Folgers.

“Why did we drink on a weeknight again?” she groans, taking a seat at the table.

“That’s an excellent question.” I pour water into the pot and place it in the coffeemaker, turning it on.

Harper buries her face in the cradle of her arms on the table as I grab some aspirin and a tall glass, filling it with water. She doesn’t have to work today, but she does have classes. She’s already a registered nurse like me, but she’s going for her master’s degree to open up more job opportunities. And also because she’s an overachiever, when it comes to her career at least. I just wish she were an overachiever when it came to other aspects of her life, like the kind of men she dates. Or maybe Harper was purposefully aiming for Class-A levels of douchebaggery when she started dating Bryce. If that’s the case, then she definitely went above and beyond expectations. And while she is my best friend and roommate, there’s only so much sense I can talk into her. And I'm not willing to let some lowlife scumbag get in between our friendship.

“Here, these will help.”

Harper lifts her head and takes the aspirin and glass. When she pops the pills in her mouth, swallowing them down with a big gulp of water, she already appears to be more human again.

I grab my keys and strap my purse over my shoulder, heading toward the front door.

“Speaking of drinking, are you going to be here Friday night?”

I snort-laugh and turn to look at her, placing my free hand on my hip, knowing exactly where this is going. She’s still recovering from her hangover and already has booze on the brain. “That depends. Is Bryce going to be here?”

When she takes a slow sip of her water, I know what her answer is before she says it out loud. “Well, considering he’s the one who invited a few people over, yes, he’ll be here.”

“Then no, I definitely won’t.” I head for the door, trying to leave again.

“That’s a shame because Bryce has a good-looking friend who thinks you’re gorgeous.”

I spin around, cocking a brow. “Which friend?”

“Treyton. You haven’t met him before, but he saw your pics on Instagram.”

I walk to the table, placing my hands on top of the chair, my key ring dangling from my finger. “How did he find my Instagram account if we’ve never met?”

“Bryce showed it to him.”

What the fuck?

I furrow my brows in confusion. “Okay, why is Bryce showing his friends my Instagram account?”

She smirks. “Because Treyton was asking him if I had any cute, single friends.”

I sigh, not liking the idea of Bryce trying to set his friends up with me. I’ve met some of his guy friends, and neither is one I’d kiss if he were the last man on earth. “Sorry, not interested.”

I remove my hand from the chair and try to leave again.

“Oh, come on, Aud. Give the guy a chance. I mean, I don’t know him that well, but he’s fucking hot.” She picks up her phone from the table and pulls up something before handing it to me across the table. “See for yourself.”

I reluctantly take the device, a heavy sigh leaving my lips. I highly doubt his looks will sway me. Even if is hot, he’s still Bryce’s—

Holy crap.

He’s got those smokey grey eyes, a chiseled jaw and a little smirk on his beautiful face that makes me melt.

Well, fuck.

“So, what do you think?” Harper asks curiously, trying to stifle a smirk as she perches her chin on the back of her joined hands, her elbows resting on the table.

I try not to show how attracted I am to a freaking photo of a guy I’ve never met before, but damn, those eyes are spellbinding, and I’m pretty sure I’m blushing. “Okay, he’s a little cute.”

“A little? Honey, you and I have similar tastes in men, so I know you don’t think he’s just cute.”

“Yeah, that’s true. We usually do, which is why I have no idea how Bryce got your attention. He must have a big dick or something.” I narrow my eyes. “Does he have a big dick? Because that would explain a lot.”

Harper bursts out laughing. “Oh my God, Aud, you know it’s not all about the size! And no, he doesn’t, he’s average, but as much as you hate him, you can’t deny he’s good-looking.”

“Yes, maybe on the outside he’s cute but personality-wise he’s ugly as fuck.”

She sighs in defeat as I hand over her phone. This is just an argument neither of us will ever be able to agree on. Well, until she finally decides to take off those damn rose-colored glasses and sees Bryce as he truly is. But I know it would make Harper happy if I agreed to stay for the party. I know that sometimes she feels out of place considering most of Bryce’s friends are college kids. Normally, she’s the oldest one there, but you could never tell, because she has a baby face and looks at least five years younger than she actually is, so to the other college kids, she's one of them.

“Fine, I’ll be here for the party.”

Harper’s eyes widen in surprise. “Really?”

“Yes, but if any of his friends grab my ass, I’m leaving.”

She laughs. “Okay.”

The coffee machine beeps, so she gets up from her seat, grabs a mug and creamer and pours the steaming, hot liquid into her cup. She returns to her seat and sips her coffee as I once again try to leave. “Thanks for starting the coffee, Aud.”

“No problem. See you tonight.” I unlock the door, and when I pull it open, I notice a folded up crisp piece of copy paper taped to the outside. I cock my brow and peel it off, unfolding it. I’m expecting it to be from the building management.

But then I read the first line...

To the two hoity-toity princesses,

I immediately suspect it’s from mister grumpy pants across the hall, but the letter is in fancy cursive writing. Who even writes in cursive anymore? Maybe an old lady or mister grumpy pants, I suppose. But he normally doesn’t leave letters. He’ll just knock on the door with his cane and chew us out in person. Harper said the first time he knocked on her door to complain about the noise, he made her cry.

When he tries that shit with me, I give it right back to him and threaten to call the cops on his dog and have her taken to the pound. He tends to leave us alone now. So, I’m surprised he’s resorted to leaving us notes.

Can you kindly tone down your loud music and obnoxious woohooing, laughter and overall commotion that kept me up until 2 a.m.? Some people actually have to work on a Tuesday morning. I, myself, wake at 5 a.m. every single day and am now forced to go to work on three hours of sleep. Luckily the students I teach possess much more class and are at maturity levels you both obviously could never achieve if you actually tried. I know neither of you could possibly understand waking up early for a job or getting your hands dirty, as you’re city girls who probably live on mommy and daddy’s income and never worked a day in your lives, but some people actually have responsibilities and obligations, not just classes they can skip whenever they feel like it. So have a little respect and lower the volume a few notches.

This time you get a warning, but if the noise persists, I will be forced to contact law enforcement. Have a lovely day drinking your Starbucks lattes and trying to get rid of what I hope are nasty hangovers.

Sincerely,

The tired and cranky guy from 8C, thanks to his loud, annoying neighbors

P.S. The blonde who took my brown dress shoe owes me a new pair seeing as it now reeks of Pinot Grigio, thank you very much.

My nostrils flare before I even finish reading the letter. The audacity of this asshole! He doesn’t even know us, hell he hasn’t even met me in person, yet he makes all kinds of false assumptions about us.

I know neither of you could possibly understand waking up early for a job or getting your hands dirty.

What the actual fuck?! Harper and I both wake up at the crack of dawn to go to work at the hospital, and we’re constantly on our feet for at least twelve hours. We only work three days a week, but our jobs are emotionally and physically draining; I mostly use the other four days to sleep, recover, clean the apartment and run errands. So, for someone to say we don’t work or ever get our hands dirty is a blow to the gut. We’re nurses for crying out loud! Getting our hands dirty is part of the job!

Another remark of his that irks me: We’re city girls who probably live on mommy and daddy’s income. My parents would actually laugh out loud if they read this comment. They always tell me how independent I am. Hell, I wouldn’t even allow them to pay for my schooling even though they wanted to; I wanted to do it all on my own, so I had two jobs while I went to college. They also weren’t too happy when I took a job in New York, but they told me if anyone could handle herself in a big city, it was me. Not to mention, Harper had it way worse than me, growing up.

But the fact that this douchebag is so ridiculously wrong about us makes me smile a little. It will feel so goddamn good to make him see the error of his ways.

I’m still carrying the letter with me as I go to my bedroom closet and grab my stationary from the top shelf. I take out a sheet of paper and a pen from the box, replace it on the shelf and return to the kitchen. I hate the idea of using my good paper on this asshole, but if I’m going to stoop to his level and leave a note on his door, I might as well do it with class.

“What’s the note about?” Harper asks with furrowed brows. “I paid the rent just in the nick of time.”

“It’s not from management.” I take the pen and paper to the table and start writing out a letter. “It’s from our friendly neighbor in 8C,” I say sarcastically.

Her eyes widen as she reaches for the letter. “What did he say?”

I look up and hand it to her.

When she reads it over, the sleepiness in her eyes morphs into anger. “What the hell?! Who does he think he is? He doesn’t even know us!”

“Exactly.” I look down again at the paper and continue the sentence I was working on.

I can feel her staring at me as I write. “What are you doing?”

“Replying to him,” I say without taking my eyes off the page.

“What, are we in elementary school?”

“According to him, we are.”

“He’s just a douchebag, you can’t take anything he says seriously.”

I almost laugh. Normally she’s the one wanting revenge when someone wrongs her, and I’m the one having to talk her out of it. “Maybe, but this will teach him not to make assumptions about people.”

After I’m finished, I let her read it before I tape it to his door. I head to work with a smile on my face. This should teach him not to be such a dickhead.

Chapter Five

Brady

Dear self-righteous butthole in 8C,

~~~

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[tyrantisterror]

I did a four part series of trivia posts when ATOM Volume 1: Tyrantis Walks Among Us! came out, and that was pretty fun!  You can see that set of trivia posts here if you’d like.  I thought it’d be fun to do another now that ATOM Volume 2: Tyrantis Roams the Earth! is out - just one this time, because a lot of the trivia I talked about with Volume 1 still applies.

I’m gonna divide this into two sections: non-spoiler trivia, for things that really don’t give a lot of plot points away, and spoiler trivia, for things that DO give away major plot points.  I recommend not reading the spoiler trivia until after you’ve read Tyrantis Roams the Earth!, for obvious reasons, and will put the spoiler trivia under a cut.

Ok, let’s go!

- So if you read ATOM Volume 1, you probably noticed that the book is split not only into chapters, but “episodes,” which consist of four chapters a piece.  It’s kind of a nod to how the series owes a great deal of its DNA to various monster of the week shows, with Godzilla: the Series and The Godzilla Power Hour being obvious influences.  It also allowed me to pepper in some illustrations and cheesy b-movie style titles into each volume.

- The first “episode” of Volume 2, Tyrantis in Tokyo, pays explicit homage to the giant monster movies of Japan, perhaps even moreso than the chapters that came before it.  Given how much Japanese media influenced ATOM - from tokusatsu like the Godzilla, Gamera, and Ultraman franchises to anime like Digimon and Evangelion (hell, the title of this episode itself is a tip of the hat to Tenchi Muyo by way of one of its spinoffs) - it kind of felt obligatory that Tyrantis visit Japan and pay his respects.

- Tyrantis in Tokyo also fits in a tribute to another staple of Atomic Age pop culture: Rock and Roll.

- Kutulusca, the giant cephalopod that appears in Tyrantis in Tokyo, is one of the oldest kaiju in this series, dating back to the first iteration of Tyrantis’s story that I put to paper back in 2001 or so.  It’s changed a lot since then, but its fight with Tyrantis goes more or less the way it originally did.

- Old Meg, the giant placoderm/shark, and Nastadyne, the bipedal beetle, both owe their existence directly to Deviantart’s Godzilla fandom.  Old Meg originated as a dunkleosteus monster I submitted to a “create a Godzilla kaiju” contest held by Matt Frank, while Nastadyne is based on a Megalon redesign I made during the “redesign all the Godzilla kaiju” phase of DA’s kaiju fandom.

- The second episode, Tyrantis vs. the Red Menace, gets dark as we visit the USSR, which had enough REAL horror with atomic power in its history to make creature features seem a bit defanged by comparison.  It’s probably the episode with the strongest horror elements - ATOM’s always been influenced by Resident Evil, and this is probably where that influence shows the most strongly.

- It also features the first fully robotic mecha in the series, the mighty Herakoschei!  Its name is a combination of “Heracles” and “Koschei the Deathless,” with the former part being added by its Russian creators to make it seem a bit more international as they offer it to the U.N. in hopes of gaining aid for a very extreme kaiju problem they’ve developed.

- Most of Tyrantis vs. the Red Menace takes place in the Siberian Monster Zone.  Its name is a reference to the Lawless Monster Zone in Ultraman, which is such a cool fucking name I wish that I wish I could go back in time and steal it.

- The next episode, Tyrantis’s Revenge, is... full of spoilers, so we’ll move on for now.

- The penultimate episode, Tyrantis vs. the Martian Monsters, is a love letter to MANY different sci-fi stories that involve life on Mars, though the most prominent of them is of course The War of The Worlds (one of my top 3 favorite books) and its various adaptations.  From its tentacles sapient martians, the tripodal leader of the titular monsters whose name includes the word “ulla” which is uttered by said sapient martians, the plant monster made of red vines, the cylinder-shaped spacecraft the Martian monsters are sent to earth on, the copper-skinned stingray-esque flying martian who shoots lasers from its tail, and the fact that every chapter title in this episode is a quote from the book, the H.G. Wells influence is STRONG.

- The final episode, Invasion from Beyond!, is shamelessly inspired by Destroy All Monsters, although there’s a dash of “To Serve Men,” Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, and The Day the Earth Stood Still mixed in as well.  It’s also sort of a tribute to my first “published” bit of a kaiju fiction - a rewrite of Destroy All Monsters that included EVERY Godzilla monster that had appeared at the time, which my middle school self wrote back in 2002 or so for Kaiju Headquarters, a kaiju fansite I’m not sure exists anymore.  Invasion from Beyond! is just as ambitious (but hopefully better executed) as my DAM Remake, with dozens upon dozens of different kaiju duking it out, earthlings vs. aliens.

- There were three different documents I made to outline the final battle of Invasion from Beyond!  It’s the largest episode of the series so far and more than half of it is that fucking fight.  My inner child is pleased, though, so hopefully you will be too.

Ok, that’s all I can share without spoilers.  READER BEWARE WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW THE CUT!

JUST MAKING SURE you know that SPOILERS will follow from here on out.  Read at your own peril!  YOU WERE WARNED!

(I’m gonna start with lighter ones just in case you scrolled too far and want to turn back)

- There’s a number of explicit Spielberg homages in ATOM Volume 2, from a “we need a bigger boat” joke during a chase with a giant shark to the fact that Invasion from Beyond! opens with a group of people flying to an island of monsters to review whether or not it should get more funding.

- When Tyrantis appears in the first chapter, I snuck in modified lyrics of The Godzilla Power Hour’s theme song.  “Up from the depths”... “several stories high”... “breathing fire”... “its head in the sky”... Tyrantis!  Tyrantis!  Tyrantis!

- The two rock bands in Tyrantis in Tokyo have real life inspirations ala Gwen Valentine, albeit a bit more muddled than hers.  The Cashews are inspired by The Peanuts (see what I did there), while The Thunder Lizards are a mix of The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper.  I wanted The Thunder Lizards to be more akin to the myth of a famous rock and roll band than the reality - less the real Beatles and more the Yellow Submarine cartoon version of them.

- The song The Thunder Lizards write for Tyrantis was written to fit the tune of “The Godzilla March” from Godzilla vs. Gigan, though ideally if someone made an actual song of it it would be its own song.  I got the idea from Over the Garden Wall, which used the Christmas song “O Holy Night” as a a starting point for “Come Wayward Souls.”

- Perry Martin, UNNO reporter and peer of Henry Robertson, is a nod to Raymond Burr, with his name being a combination of two of Burr’s most famous roles: Perry Mason, and Steve Martin from Godzilla King of the Monsters (1956).

- Dr. Rinko Tsuburaya is a few homages in one.  Her name comes from Rinko Kikuchi (who played Mako Mori in Pacific Rim), while her last name is obviously in homage of Eiji Tsuburaya.  Her being the daughter of an esteemed scientist is inspired by Emiko Yamane from the original Gojira.

- Nastadyne’s Burning Justice mode is named after a similar super mode from various Transformers cartoons, though it’s more directly inspired by the Shining/Burning Finger super move from G Gundam.

- Martians sending kaiju to different planets via shooting them out of cannons (with or without cylinder spaceships around them) is another War of the Worlds shoutout.  So is martians living on Venus after their homeworld was made uninhabitable, actually.

- Kurokame’s vocalizations are described as wails in explicit homage to Gamera.  His name can be translated as either “black tortoise” (a reference to the mythical guardian beast Genbu, which can also be construed as a Gamera reference thanks to Gamera: Advent of Irys implying Gamera and Genbu are one and the same) or a portmanteau of the Japanese words for crocodile and turtle - “crocturtle.”

- Burodon’s name is just a mangling of “burrow down.”  It also sounds vaguely like Baragon, who Burodon is loosely inspired by.  AND, since Burodon is sort of a knockoff/modified Baragon, that kinda makes him a reference to various monsters in Ultraman!

- The final battle of Tyrantis in Tokyo is sort of a hybrid of the finales of Ghidorah the 3 Headed Monster and Destroy All Monsters.  

- The Japanese kaiju teaching Tyrantis the art of throwing rocks at your enemies is both a joke on the prominence of rock throwing in Japanese kaiju fights AND the tired trope of an American hero learning secret martial arts from a Japanese mentor ala Batman, Iron Fist, etc.  In this case, the secret martial art is throwing rocks at people.

- When introduced to Herakoschei and its pilot, we are told that the strain of piloting this early mecha is so intense that many pilots have died in the process, with the current one passing out on more than few occasions.  This is of course a Pacific Rim homage - sadly, no one invents drifting.

- Herakoschei’s design is a loose homage to Robby the Robot and Cherno Alpha, because big boxy robots are cool.

- The Writhing Flesh and ESPECIALLY Pathogen are both hugely influenced by Resident Evil and The Thing.  Giant body horror piles of raw flesh, tendrils, mismatched mouths and limbs may be a bit outside the main era of monster design ATOM homages, but they fit the themes and bring a nice contrast.

- I came up with Pathogen long before Corona but MAN it definitely feels different in 2021 to have a giant monster whose name is a synonym for disease driving other creatures crazy in a quarantine zone than it did when I plotted out the story in 2016.

- The chapter title “Hello, Old Foes” is a riff on “Goodbye, Old Friend”

- Minerva, the kaiju-fied clone of Dr. Lerna, is meant to be an homage to Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, which is a genuinely good giant monster flick.  I am sure many of you will also believe I included her because I’m a pervert whose into tall women, but you’d be wrong!  I included the seven foot tall Russian mecha pilot Ludmilla Portnova because I’m a pervert whose into tall women.  Minerva’s inclusion was just coincidental, I swear!

- Since Promythigor is a play on the archetypal ape kaiju to contrast Tyrantis as a play on the archetypal fire-breathing reptile kaiju, their fight has a lot of nods to King Kong movies.  Promythigor attempts the famous jaw-snap maneuver of Kong (with less success), J.C. Clark paraphrases the “brute force vs. a thinking animal” line from the King Kong vs. Godzilla American cut, and Tyrantis slides down a mountain to knock Promythigor off his feet in a reversal of Kong doing the same in King Kong vs. Godzilla.

- Tyrantis sliding down a mountain on his tail doubles as a Godzilla vs. Megalon homage.

- Though Promythigor is the archetypal Ape and Tyrantis the archetypal Fire-Breathing Reptile, I think it’s fun to note that in some ways, Promythigor is the Godzilla equivalent in their matchup, and Tyrantis the Kong.  Promythigor has a slight size advantage, was scarred by humans performing unethical weapons technology, and is associated with violent explosions.  Tyrantis is a good-at-heart prehistoric beast who humanized in part by his unlikely friendship with a human woman.

- Of course, in the context of the famous quote from the American cut of King Kong vs. Godzilla, they remain in their archetypal lanes.  Promythigor is the more intelligent of the two (though not necessarily wiser), and Tyrantis is in many ways a brute reptile.  Their battle is a rebuttal of sorts to the assertion that Kong is the “better” animal because he is closer to human.  Promythigor’s near human creativity and emotions don’t make him the kinder/more benevolent monster, but instead fuel a very self-centered and destructive attitude that makes him the far more dangerous threat.  On the other hand, Tyrantis, who is less intelligent, limited in communication with others by his reptilian mindset and instincts, and simple in his thoughts and desires, is nonetheless a sweet creature that is easily dealt with when others consider his animal needs and mindset.  There’s a quote from Hellboy I love that probably sums up all of my writing thus far: “To be other than human does not mean the same as being less,” and that’s what the matchup between these two in particular tries to illustrate: the “less” human Tyrantis is nonetheless more benign than the “more” human Promythigor.

- Kraydi the psychic lizard began life as a soft sculpture I made of the Canyon Krayt Dragon from The Wildlife of Star Wars.  The sculpture didn’t look much like the illustration, but I liked how it came out, and so I made it an original monster named Kraydi (see what I did there).  Figuring out an explanation for that name in ATOM’s world was possibly the most difficult kaiju naming task in the series, but it worked out in the end.

- Kraydi and Promythigor having psychic powers is a result of my time on Godzilla fan forums in my middle school years.  Most of the forums had OC kaiju battle tournaments, and SO many of those kaiju had a wide array of beam weapons and psychic powers just to win the tournaments by beam-spamming and mind controlling their foes into oblivion.  There’s a special kind of rage you get when your original creation is beaten by “Fire Godzilla” because he has a genius level intellect and the power of unstoppable telekinesis.  Kraydi began as (and still is I suppose) my attempt to do a psychic kaiju well, while Promythigor’s villainy being tied to psychic powers being forced on him is sort of my passive aggressive commentary on people foisting powers on a monster without any real thematic reason for them.

- Henry Robertson and Dr. Praetorius chewing out the laziness of people giving kaiju completely unaltered names of mythic beasts will probably be seen as a jab at the Monsterverse and/or the numerous writers in the kaiju OC scene who do the same, but it’s ACTUALLY a jab at my past self, who had DOZENS of kaiju whose names were just Greek mythological figures verbatim.  There are dozens of kaiju named Hydra, Scylla, Charybdis, Chimera, etc., past me, try to make the names stand out!  Oh wait you did.  I mean, don’t pat yourself on the back too much, you still went with “Mothmanud” as a canon name and never came up with something better, but, like, good on ya for trying I guess.

- Dr. Praetorius takes his name from the evil mad scientis in Bride of Frankenstein, who basically has all the wicked traits that Universal’s Frankenstein downplayed in their take on Dr. Frankenstein.  Ironically, ATOM’s Dr. Praetorius is a bit less evil than his fellow mad scientists in ATOM.  I really like how his character turned out, he surprised me.

- Isaac Rossum, the pilot of the USA mecha Atomoton, is named for Isaac Aasimov, whose robot stories are to robot fiction what Lord of the Rings is to high fantasy.  His last name is a reference to Rossum’s Universal Robots, which is where the word “robot” came from.

- The unfortunate pilots of MechaTyrantis in ATOM Volumes 1 and 2 are all nods to Jurassic Park.  John Ludlow = John Hammond and Peter Ludlow, Ian Grant = Ian Malcolm and Alan Grant, Dennis Dodgson = Dennis Nedry and Lewis Dodgson.

- A good way to pitch Invasion from Beyond! would be “what if the staff and monsters were able to fight back when the Kilaaks tried to take over Monsterland?”

- Ok, here’s a fun joke that no one will get but me because it requires a very specific chain of logic based on some obscure and loosely connected nerd bullshit.  There’s a rocker in ATOM’s universe named Sebastian Haff, right?  One of his songs, “Darling Let’s Shimmy,” is referenced right before a mothmanud larva emerges from the ground in both ATOM Vol. 1 and 2.  Ok, so, in the Bubba Hotep, an aging Elvis impersonator named Sebastian Haff claims he is actually the real Elvis Presley, having changed places with the real Sebastian Haff as a sort of Prince and the Pauper deal that went wrong.  Got that?  Ok, so, in UFO folklore, a common joke is the theory that Elvis didn’t die, but was rather abducted by aliens (or he actually WAS an alien the whole time - the whole “Elvis didn’t die, he just went home” joke in Men in Black is a good example of this).  Ok?  Ok.  So, in ATOM’s universe, we can surmise that their equivalent of Elvis, whose name is Sebastian Haff, WAS abducted by aliens, and that his song “Darling Let’s Shimmy” is subconsciously influenced by his repressed memories from his time aboard the Beyonder spaceships, which is why it accidentally awoke a Mothmanud larva in Volume 1.  There’s a lot of bullshit jokes I put into ATOM, but this is perhaps the bullshittiest of them all.

- One of the most common bits of feedback on ATOM Volume 1 I got was “I kept waiting for something to eat Brick Rockwell, he’s such an asshole.”  And I had to smile and go, “Oh, yeah, guess he never got his, huh?” the whole time without letting on that he was going to die here all along!

- Dr. Lerna and Brick Rockwell’s nature as foils to each other is probably most apparent in Invasion from Beyond!, where both are given fairly similar situations - a nonhuman approaches them with a solution to a global crisis - and react to it very differently.  I worry that some people may think they both made the same choice and got different results, and that that’s hypocrisy on my part, but I hope I wrote it so you can see how their choices and situations actually differ in key ways, and why their decisions, while similar on the surface, are ultimately very different, and thus result in almost opposite outcomes.

- So, when I planned out this book in 2016, I swear I didn’t know about the Orca from 2019′s Godzilla King of the Monsters.  Having the plot hang around Dr. Lerna deciding whether or not to use a sonic device to rouse all the kaiju to save the earth was not INTENDED to be a Monsterverse reference - it came about from me looking at Pathfinder’s take on kaiju, who are all explicitly influenceable by music, and thinking, “Oh, wow, music and songs DO have a major connection with kaiju in a lot of media, I should do something with that.”  Whem KOTM came out a few days after Volume 1 came out I realized I was kinda fucked here, because the comparison was definitely going to be made, but I’d also set this all up already and you can’t just change suddenly to avoid looking like a copy cat and make a good story, so... I dunno, I leaned into it a bit, but it is what it is.

- While most people will probably think they’re a reference to the Reptoids of UFO folklore, the Reptodites are more inspired by the Dinosapien of speculative evolution fame and, even morso, by the Reptites from Chrono Trigger.  Me wanting to avoid the “lizard people control the government” conspiracy theory trope is one of the main reasons why Reptodites have this non-interference clause with humanity.

- Lieutenant Gray is a bunch of different humanoid aliens rolled into one - a little Hopskinville goblin, a little classic gray, a little this one weird alien with five-fingered zygodactyl hands, etc.

- There’s some Beyonder Mecha in this volume that are basically kaiju-fied versions of the Flatwoods Monster.  The species that built them ALSO engineered the Mothmanuds, because connecting Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster is fun!

- Pleprah is, obviously, a one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eater.

- Tyrantis’s brush with death, in addition to being so very anime, was inspired by my dad outlining how mythic heroes often have to travel to the underworld/land of the dead before they can finish their journey.  It’s one of the plot points that I’ve had planned for this series since middle school.

- I’m sure some will view it as hackneyed and corny, but as a person who’s battled with depression for decades, having Tyrantis’s choice to live be the big heroic turn of the finale was very important to me.  Tyrantis incorporates elements of a lot of imaginary friends I made as a kid, and in many ways he’s kind of the face of my more positive side in my head.  He’s been telling me to choose to live for a while, and while maybe to an outsider it may seem hackneyed, it’s just... very Tyrantis.  He chooses life and kindness in the face of pain and struggle.  That’s Tyrantis.

- Tyrantis’s powered up form is called “Hyper Mode,” which is another Gundam reference.  Originally it was a lot gaudier and involved him turning gold like a fuckin’ Super Saiyan.  I opted for something a little more toned down here.  

- Also, speaking of KOTM references, I decided to make Hyper Mode Tyrantis’s final duel with Pathogen be a sort of foil to Burning Godzilla’s final bout with Ghidorah in KOTM.  Instead of ravaging the city, Hyper Tyrantis’s pulse of energy rejuvenates his fallen allies, and as a result he is “crowned” not out of fear for his supremacy in the wake of killing a powerful enemy, but in gratitude for his kindness.  See?  Leaning into it!

- And now I can finally reveal that Yamaneon is ATOM’s equivalent of The Monolith Monsters - that is, a kaiju that is also a mineral.  I took the “strange continuously growing rock” thing in a very different direction, though, as unlike The Monolith Monsters, Yamaneon is actually alive.

- At various points in the pre-writing process, either Promythigor, MechaTyrantis, or both were going to die fighting Pathogen.  I ultimately decided to let them both live, with MechaTyrantis even getting his flesh and blood body back, because I think it’s more interesting and thematically consistent that way.  They get a chance to heal their wounds by changing their ways.

- The Great Beyonder and Dorazor both almost didn’t make the cut, as I felt they didn’t have the same pull as villains that Pathogen, Promythigor, and MechaTyrantis did.  But then I thought that could actually be the gag - build them up as the final boss, only to have Pathogen take their crown.  I want to explore post-face turn Dorazor a bit more, though.  We’ll have to see about that in a later volume.

- Volumes 1 and 2 make up what I call “The Ballad of Tyrantis Arc” for ATOM.  I call it that because Tyrantis’s storyline in these two volumes was patterend after Chivalric ballads like Yvain the Knight of the Lion.  Tyrantis, a heroic warrior who is kind but dumb of ass, learns of strange goings on outside his home and investigates.  During his journey into the unknown he falls in love with a powerful woman, whose favor he tries to win.  Through happenstance he is separated from his love and, distraught, wanders around fighting various foes to prove his worth, before finally returning to his love a better hero.  Invasion from Beyond! could even be seen as a sort of Morte d’Artur, with Tyrantis and a bunch of other kaiju heroes (including Nastadyne and Kemlasulla, who are built up as Hero Kaiju of Another Story) take part in a huge battle that threatens their idealic kingdom (of monsters).

- Volume 2 isn’t the end of ATOM, but it’s designed to work as an ending if you want to tap out here.  As a reader I feel a definitive ending is important, but as a writer I’m always tempted to revisit my beloved characters, so I feel giving closure while leaving a few doors open for possible future adventures is a good compromise between these positions.  There will be more ATOM stories, some (but not all!) following Tyrantis and Dr. Lerna, but if you want to know that Tyrantis and Dr. Lerna get an ending and the resolution to their arcs such a thing promises, here you go.  An ending, if not THE END.