#plus chapter 1 is... very very close to what I'll release I think

[rawliverandcigarettes]

I think. I have an idea to push The Empire of Preys out relatively fast and make it more fun and more bearable for me.

[vendetta-if]

Chapter 6 Part 1 Sneak Peek (Pt. 1)

Hey guys 👋 Time for the very first sneak peek at Chapter 6 Part 1. I still have one more sneak peek for Chapter 6 Part 1 that I will release as we get closer to the public update date on 22nd of April (GMT +8).

This sneak peek is a little unique because it's mostly written in text chat message format 😄 As some of you might already be aware, you'll be able to choose a group chat name for MC and the gang or input your own. Below is some snippet on the choices 😆

Chapter 6 Part 1 Early Access demo is now up on both Patreon and Ko-fi!

* * * * *

The annoying sound cuts through the silence, anchoring you more and more to the waking world. Trying to block it is futile as it continues. After a few more times, you finally turn back around and reach for the source—your phone that is charged beside your bed. Unplugging the charger, you bring the phone close to your face, eyes squinted as you check the notification tray.

Oh, it's the group chat that you made last night, being active. Quickly opening your Whazzapp, you backread the chat.

Today [12:27 AM] You: "Hey guys, are you free to meet up tomorrow? Maybe around noon or so? I've got something important to share."

[02:01 AM] Santana: "I'm always available to work on the case. Just let me know the location like half an hour before at the least because I'll need some time to walk to the nearest subway station."

[09:05 AM] Rin: "I've cleared up my schedule for the day, so I hope it's for something urgent and important."

[10:03 AM] Skylar: "Sure! I'm free today. Where are we hanging out, gang?"

[10:10 AM] Skylar: "You know what, we should totally find a name for our newly-made group chat. Saying 'little investigation group' is kind of a mouthful. I've been brainstorming some names these past few minutes, and I think I've got a good one. How about 'Fabulous Four'?"

[10:12 AM] Rin: "I don't think it's a good name, but at least it's different enough to avoid copyright infringement."

[10:12 AM] Skylar: "Glad we're of the same mind."

[10:13 AM] Rin: "Same mind? I doubt that. I literally just told you that it's not a good name. I think it's a bit cheesy tbh."

[10:13 AM] Ash: "Jesus Christ, can you guys shut up for another half an hour or what? Some people are still asleep. Well, I was until I got woken up by all the buzzing."

[10:14 AM] Ash: "Also, 'Fabulous Four' is a stupid name. And can't you count? We're a five-people team now."

[10:14 AM] Skylar: "Wait, five? So, if you're the grumpy redhead I met yesterday, then who's the other person I've been talking to? I can only see your phone numbers."

[10:15 AM] Skylar: "And no problem. We'll be 'Fabulous Five' instead! The more the merrier."

[10:16 AM] Rin: "I'm not introducing myself over a group chat message. We'll do a proper introduction in person later on."

[10:16 AM] Skylar: "Fair enough. I'll see you later then!"

[10:17 AM] Ash: "Ngl, 'Fabulous Five' still sounds dumb."

[10:18 AM] Skylar: "Clearly, you're just a hater. Instead of casting the first stone, how about you try coming up with another name then?"

Well, it seems like Ash is ignoring Skylar because that's where the chat ends for now. Checking the time, you see that it's already 10:24 AM. Well, maybe it's time to reply to some of the messages in the chat before doing anything else. Plus, it's an excuse to stay in bed a little bit longer.

* * * * *

Okay, next order of business, the group chat name that Skylar and Ash were arguing about. You kinda agree with Skylar that 'little investigation group' is far from the best or the catchiest name ever. Although, you're not really sure how you feel about ${sky_his} suggested name, 'Fabulous Five', right now. Maybe you have a better name in mind?

CHOICE

#I'll stick to 'Fabulous Five'. #'Elysium Cleanup Crew' #'The Vendetta Project' #'The Revengers' #'The Justiciars' #'Justice Squad Chat' #None of these.

* * * * *

#I'll stick to 'Fabulous Five'.

After pondering more on the name Skylar suggested, you decide that it's actually good enough and you actually like it. It's growing on you in the past few minutes of contemplation. Tapping on ${sky_his} message, you reply:

EMOTIONAL MC [10:32 AM] You: "'Fabulous Five' actually sounds awesome. Let's go with that!"

STOIC MC [10:32 AM] You: "'Fabulous Five' is not so bad. Let's just go with that."

[10:32 AM] Skylar: "Hell yeah! I knew it! I knew it's an amazing and genius name."

[10:33 AM] Rin: "…"

You can practically feel Rin judging you through the screen just from the three dots.

SARCATIC MC [10:33 AM] You: "Okay, calling it 'genius' might be pushing it a bit too far. Let's dial it back a bit."

GENUINE MC[10:33 AM] You: "I wouldn't really use the word 'genius' per se…"

[10:34 AM] Skylar: "Aww… Alright. I still think it's a compliment tho."

You navigate to the group chat setting to change the group name to 'Fabulous Five' before going back to the group chat.

GENUINE MC [10:35 AM] You: "Okay, there. It's done."

[10:35 AM] Skylar: "Whoo 🎉🎉 We're officially 'Fabulous Five' now. No complaining 😉"

[10:36 AM] Ash: "Fuck! Fine…"

SARCASTIC MC [10:35 AM] You: "There. We're officially 'Fabulous Five' now. No complaining."

[10:35 AM] Skylar: "Whoo 🎉🎉 You hear that, you grump?"

[10:36 AM] Ash: "Fuck! Fine…"

Chuckling quietly to yourself, you lock your phone and get off the bed in one smooth movement.

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

7 & 10 or perish

7. Share a line/paragraph/snippet that you were especially proud of.

Okay so I love this chapter just for the fact that everything I've been setting up for 200,000+ words culminates in here (but this section I've chosen also should reveal nothing heu heu heu). Also @needfantasticstories complemented the wording of one of the sentences, and I seeing my work through another's eyes really makes me appreciate it? If you know what I'm saying? But yeah, I wrote this during the poetry section of my AP Literature class in high school, if you couldn't tell by my gratuitous use of alliteration, semicolons, and parallel sentence structure.

[Have I posted this before? I hope I haven't DX I am very proud of it. If I have let me know and I'll try to find something else]

Wild stepped into the ornate church. High stone ceilings flew overhead, lined with stained glass windows—depictions of their Golden Goddess—that sent shattered slivers of light dancing along the cold stone floor. Rows upon rows of lowly stone pews stood in ordered procession on either side of the walkway, stretching all the way to the raised platform at the front of the cathedral. A great statue, so unlike the one that he knew, loomed over it all. The Hylia he knew had hair of flowering vine, and robes of majestic moss; this one's every strand was spun of gold, this one's every fold formed of ivory. His Hylia’s face was of cracked calcite, worn down and rounded out over years of exposure to the elements; this one’s was of sharp, shining porcelain. Little gray wings he’d only ever seen tucked to her sides, like those of a Rito fledgling, were now golden and stretched out in their full glory. She did not lower her head over clasped hands in constant thought of her people, as said by her now-extinct priests; instead, her gaze was cast victoriously outwards, her hand thrust forwards like that of a sovereign, conquering queen. White rose petals drifted and fluttered gently down to lay scattered across the stone pews. They trailed after Wild, swirling around his ankles with every step, as he walked forwards in a dreamlike state to the foot of the statue. It only grew larger, more imposing, as he approached, and himself so much smaller.

10. What are your writing goals for the upcoming year?

Okay okay okay okay. Just because you asked, I'm going to end up having to write out my entire planned chapter by chapter schedule and pin it to the top of my blog, aren't I?

But for a summary, basically--right now I'm trying to finish up my Noble's Warning chapters, which will get me to through February and some of March, so that I can participate in FebWhump without juggling two projects. The Differences chapters, which are pretty much done besides a few select bits that actually need to be written, should carry me all the way to Spring Break and through. During Spring Break (cuz I'm a cringe college student) I will try to finalize enough to make it close to the Heal Chapters, which should free me up until finals are over in May/June-ish.

Summer is when things get real. That's when I'll evaluate how much of Arc 2 I have done and how much time I think I need to finish it. If I'm ahead of schedule, I'll make sure I've hit all the finishing touches for Arc 1 and start releasing chapters twice a week. If not, I'll give myself more time with the once a week updates. Plus, I want to take a break between Arc 1 and 2 just to let ya'll squirm, so that gives me at least a month, I think, depending how hard ya'll cry at me to continue. There's also a whole timeline thing there of whether I want to do flashbacks of a section or if I just wanna say F it we ball, but that's beside the point.

If I do once a week releases, I already have enough planned content for Arc 1 + the occasional Prologue pieces to get me through the entire year and then some. So yeah, that's the plan for the year :D

[talonslockau]

Happy New Year's Eve!

I've been in the process of writing Embrace of Locked Talons for several years by this point - I first posted the first 6 chapters, plus the prologue, on February 9th, 2022 within the confines of a small circle of friends. It was only after I finished it with the epilogue on April 7th, 2023, that I considered going public with it. I've always written primarily for myself and my close friends, making this my first foray into fandom as a whole.

And what a foray it's been! Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who's liked, commented, reblogged, followed and asked on Tumblr - knowing even one person likes my writing keeps me so motivated, let alone so many more. And a thanks to those who have liked, commented, and bookmarked on Ao3 as well!

It's been a great 2023 - but I know you're all eager to know about my plans for 2024 now that Fire and Ice is fully released. I've got a lot to say - so I'll be putting it all under the cut.

First, I want to say that Forest of Secrets will be significantly darker than Fire and Ice, and a fair bit darker than in canon. I will label everything with trigger warnings, as well as chapter summaries on AO3, but I want to mention it in advance because I know that Fire and Ice was fairly lighthearted compared to canon.

I also have some bad news - I've been rushing out Fire and Ice, mostly because I'd technically already posted it for my friends and wanted everyone to be on the same page. However, posting once a day (or three times a day, in the case of this past week) isn't sustainable with my writing pace, especially since I'm still not finished with Forest of Secrets.

For that reason, I will be posting Forest of Secrets once a week on Mondays. If I get Forest of Secrets done and move on to the (still unnamed) last book before the end of the year (which seems likely) then that may change to twice a week or another end-of-the-year blitz; but I make no promises on that regard if something unexpected happens. I'll be posting the allegiances, prologue, and Chapter 1 tomorrow, the first day of the New Year!

Art will be moving to being posted on Fridays, so there will still be new content twice a week. I plan to finish the elders (Smallear, One-eye, and Patchpelt) first - after that it's likely to be all the warriors, including those that have newly graduated :)

Speaking of new warriors, I'm very excited to announce something I've been planning since I first decided to go public with my fanfic, which only became possible in 2023. You've all surely noticed some of the 'new' faces in Thunderclan, including Dewpaw, Cedarkit, and Cherrykit. While I've given some - such as Peppermask and Mistspring - their own names, there are those who I just can't decide on the best name for.

So I'm going to move the decision to you all, the people! I'll be making Tumblr Polls for most of the newly grown up faces as well as some old ones with a few options based on both legacy names as well as suffices that I feel fit the characters' personalities best. These polls will be posted on the last Wednesday of the month, so the winner will be decided on the first Wednesday of the next month.

I'll clarify that not all names will be decided in this way - for instance, I've already decided on Cinderpaw's warrior name, one that I think everyone will agree suits her perfectly. However, I can preview the first name that will be polled on - Dewpaw, Thunderclan's lovely healer apprentice.

I think that covers everything I want to announce right now. Thank you all once again for your support, and I'll see you next year!

[lovearion]

SCARLET HOLLOW ASK GAME

saw this scarlet hollow ask game floating around and it seemed fun so I also tried filling it out myself!

TRAITS:

Your "canon" trait combination? I honestly have no idea, but if I have to choose maybe my Keen Eye + Talk to Animals run, which was the run I had the most fun with, or my Book Smart + Hot run, which was my first run.

What third trait would you add for hardcore mode? Probably Mystical. It offers unique insights about events, things, AND people, which I found to be really interesting! And you can also have people thinking you're a total weirdo, so that's a plus!

What trait are you least drawn to? Powerful Build. I'm not really a strength type of person in video games, and I just don't think this trait will suit me in any way. I mean come on, I get sick easily and I have a pretty weak physique, I can't even open a bottle cap for the life of me, I just can't relate </3

Coolest trait? Talk to Animals. Hands down. It makes the game so much more fun and I love Dustin and the other animals with all my heart!

ROMANCE:

Who are you romancing? I'll romance everyone at some point but my main is definitely Reese! <3 His loser boy vibes have ensnared me, I'm so in love with him to the point it always takes everything in me not to flirt with him whenever I try to romance the other characters lol. Wayne is a close second tho. I love that creepy stalker <3 lmao. He's definitely an intriguing fellow, and despite the characters thinking he's a total creep, I actually find him trying to protect us kind of sweet, although I know there's definitely more to that than what meets the eye.

What romance are you least interested in? Dr. Kelly, yeah I think this one is pretty self explanatory considering how much I love Reese lol. I know Sybil should be on here too but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see what an absolute trainwreck romancing her would turn out to be, I'd definitely want to see how that unfolds lmao

Who would you romance if every single character was eligible? Still Reese, he's my number 1 boy, but if we're just talking about the non romanceables, then I'd say Isaacs and Bo! Bo seems like such a sweet guy, and Isaacs is quite interesting, I hope we could get to know them better.

MISCELLANEOUS:

What character would hurt you the most if something bad happened to them? Tabitha, I've grown attached to her and she's been going through a rough time her whole life already, the poor woman deserves a break from everything, I'm taking her with me and we can go to the beach together!! And Dustin, I love that little guy I would rather die than let something bad happen to him, my heart won't be able to bear it </3

Would you stay in Scarlet Hollow when the week is over? It definitely depends on how things pan out, so my opinion could change once new chapters get released, but at the moment I'm not very keen on staying. It's obvious the town is going to crumble soon enough, I'm probably just going to take the characters I like and then run the hell away from there. And besides, I did promise Reese that he can live with me in my apartment in the city with my cat Truck, and I definitely plan on upholding my end of that deal!!

Who would you vote for dog mayor? Scraps. No questions asked. I trust Gretchen's judgement, and besides, I saw him in action and it's obvious he really cares about the animal population, he'll be a great leader!

[forthesanityofstorytellers]

Author Ask Tag

Ooo I haven't done this one yet 😁😁 Was tagged by @anyablackwood (here) and @gummybugg (here), thanks you guys!

I mean technically you both tagged my main but this is my author profile so there, lol

ANYWAY

A quick light tagging of @moonluringfrost @adie-dee @astellarium @bloodlessheirbyjacques @winterandwords @afoolandathief

and on we go! Using Abracadabra for any WIP-related questions

1. What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

Be annoying a do crime? lol Ehhhh don't really have one. Though Rod (MC) does muse at the end:

My mother survives through me because I choose to remember her traditions. Whenever it is that I truly die, I will only live as long as my stories do. Beings, Terrans and otherwise, are easily forgotten. Stories and traditions are not. I guess that’s all any of us can truly strive for.

So...ig if there's a lesson of Abracadabra it's to make your story a good one? As in one that you like and are proud to have been a part of, one that those close to you will want to tell and close to them will want to tell, etc etc

2. What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?

I'd say 'not a lot' but in all honesty I took inspiration from probably a thousand different things and each bit was a thought or idea or small detail or something similar, and so I can't point to one thing and say 'yes, this inspired the world of Abracadabra'. Plus it's set on modern-day earth, so...I feel like the snippets of inspiration would be evident to those who watch/read the same things I do, lol

3. What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, and help readers grow as a person?

We both have very simple aims; to be entertained, to tell a good story, and to maybe play a trick or two.

4. How many chapters is your story going to have?

Right now it's standing at 29. I was hoping to get it up to at least 30 initially, and hopefully with the re-write I'll manage to get it up there. If for no other reason that to make it a nice round number, lol

5. Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Original content. I plan to self-pub once it's done, but...I dunno, I'm entertaining other options. I mean I'm still going to self-pub once it's done, but I'm waffling between doing things like putting up done chapters on Tumblr. I also entertained the idea of using Neocities to make a blog where you can read all the stuff for free, using Substack for chapter releases before publishing, posting on Royal Road...etc.

6. When and why did you start writing?

In general? I started writing when I was 12 (I think, may have been before that) and it was legitimately reading Lloyd Alexander and thinking, "can I do this? Can I write like this?" and no one told me I couldn't, so I did. And now here we are.

For Abracadabra? I think I started writing it in 2016 as a part of a trilogy where each book followed a different MC with one large overlapping plotline so you got to see what the others were doing when they ran into a different MC. And said trilogy started because I began working with my dad (one of my biggest fantasy/storytelling influences) in my first actual collab. We were about halfway through the first book when he got diagnosed with cancer. By the time I got to the third book (now Abracadabra) I was on my own and felt I needed to finish the story. Possibly why Abracadabra has the 'lesson' about our lives being stories that live in other's hands.

7. Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of Writeblr? What other writers on Tumblr do you follow?

My dad had a saying. "I didn't cheat, I used all my resources to the best of my ability."

While hilarious and also said to cover up the fact that he was, in fact, cheating (and I can hear him saying that to me now, because he insisted to his dying day that it's not cheating and it's a mantra I'll adopt at opportune moments) man was also a genius, observant, and hacking computer systems in high school. In the 70s. So when we accused him of cheating on computer games, what he was saying in a hilarious and quippy way was "I figured out how to reprogram the game to bring my desires of how I want this game into the parameters of how it functions because I that is a thing I know how to do."

Point being, to other writeblrs...don't be afraid to use all your resources to the best of your ability. Cheat the hell out of the system.

...

Also back up all your digital shit. Save it in at least three different places, make sure one of them is in an offline format or - even better - an offline removable format (like a portable hard drive or usb, or even written down on physical paper). My first book took two years longer than it was supposed to because the laptop I was using crashed two days after I finished the first draft and three years of work went down the drain and the only thing I had left was about three pages of a cut scene I wrote in the middle of history class. I had to rebuild it from memory.

I mean, it turned out better I think, because I had at least three years of writing experience to build off of at that point and that's also likely why it went faster, but I also had a panic attack when it happened and that wasn't fun.

Also the writeblrs I follow tend to be a) ones that followed me first and b) ones that I looked at and went 'oh yes, I can be friends with this person' (usually because I have begun reblogging a bunch of stuff because it made me laugh or think or nod along or I agree with it or thought it was interesting or). Not always in that order, tho lol more of a social follower ig.

[notomys-mordax-blog]

Finish Anything Jam - DevLog#2

As I mentioned, at the end of 2024 I am going to be releasing ... something. One of my big challenges is that I have a few different WIPs and enjoy ... rotating between them.

While I was fairly focused in December on a project called "Eyes of the Pines" that focus shifted a bit during January.

Here are the projects I currently have cooking.

Eyes of the Pines: Southern gothic horror-light focused on an amnesiac young man who uncovers the secrets behind his past.

51ur8-90: A queer space opera featuring a mechanic in a backwater space colony who inadvertently ends up playing a bigger role in the conflict unfurling around them.

(no logo yet)

Broken Thread: The world of Azaria has been fractured by the Dread Lord of the Night Eternal. A small band of heroes prepare for their final confrontation with the dark wizard. For them, the conflict is personal. Before he became the Man who Stole the Sun, the wizard had been their trusted companion and treasured friend and for their leader, he was something more. 

This is what I got done this month:

51ur8-90

This is an old project that I'm picking up again. The script is complete, but one of the challenges with the script is that it's not very well formatted and there are a ton of different permutations (most of the LIs scenes can be played at several points in the story, with slight variations depending on when the scene is ready) -- I took the script and began untangling this and mapping it into twine.  So far I've gotten this done for chapter 1.

Decided I'd give creating updated sprites a try. As I mentioned earlier, while I have a beautiful full set of sprites there are two problems that I'm grappling with: one is matching the CG art with the sprite art, and the other is that I've developed a taste for including more animation (blinks, flip flaps, etc) in my VN art. 

Made a new base sprite for femmeMC. Resisted the urge to give them the option of masculine and feminine costume outfits. For now. One of the design choices of this game is that you can pick the gender presentation of all fo the characters, I'll probably stick with one version to start, and then finish.

Made a new base sprite for femme Shay.

Sat down and really considered some design principles. Decided to stop being a coward and actually uncomment out the 18+ scenes. While it might impact how I have to think about some of the more explicit scenes (to allow for a diversity of bits without completely blowing up the art budget) ... I think this is important to one of the design goals of the game. 

Same with the polyam aspect of the game. You can date the rebellion ace pilot. You can date the space pirate. You can be both at the same time. 

In terms of scripting, I am going to follow the approach where I go through one "path" at a time. The ending routes essentially consist of a combination of Bo's primary political affiliation plus which relationships they've developed with the other characters (like any good melodramatic space opera, it's possible to romance Rebellion Ace while choosing to enlist in the Federation). 

For what it's worth, the bad endings occur when Bo chooses not to trust the bonds they've made with people on 51ur8 -- so in the above-mentioned scenario, it's possible to end up with a happy ending to your romance, as long as you trust in Kai. 

Whichever character other than the route character Bo is closest to. I'm going to knock out the route where Bo joins the , while being close to Kai. 

Eyes of the Pines

Art:

Added some more expressions to Elian.

Created a logo, I don't love it, but it's fine as a placeholder 

Create a main menu art.

Thought about how I want to structure my sprites. 

sat down and played with a mirror and faces, really studied the expressions and did some sketches for my characters to play with what their expressions look like

Thought about lines - since this is a year long, I do what I want jam. Get excited about cross hatching.

Built out the file structure for an Jonah.

Redesign Jonah to better reflect his character 

Tweaked Saul's pose so he's facing the camera.

Sketched a headshot. 

Started Vivian's portrait 

Realized I was getting way too ambitious with the numbers of animations/etc. 

Misc:

Start up the dev log

Think about social media presence, decide that's a later problem.

Got a bluesky. Now I need to figure out how to use it. 

Started a game design documentation. 

Vndev confl

Coding:

Began coding a second scene (this one is ... Much more complicated than the first). Coding is definitely going to be a long pole, although I might get faster as I get more comfortable with ATL and have more built ins.

I added a choice menu that will let me jump to a certain scene for debugging. 

Writing

2.1 - 2.9

I'm essentially writing one "leg" of the story at a time, this will let me get the overall flow of the scenes as they come together. 

I'm doing Saul's route first (to his 'special' ending). I'm not sure what I'll do second, but I'm leaning towards Saul's "default" ending, then I'll tackle Jonah's routes (which will complete the "tower" path) 

I'll put this in writing, but I put together a playlist, this helps me focus on on the vibes that I'm aiming for.

[practically-an-x-man]

Author asks!

1, 3, 5, 6, 14, 16 (tho I don't know what it's really asking), 24

thank you bestie!! you're amazing!!

answers under the cut as usual:

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

... A lot of them, actually. I have so many things planned that I just don't feasibly have the time to write at the moment - I already have 8 or 9 WIPs going and I need to close a few of them before I start on another story. But I've probably got a dozen different ideas planned out that I just don't have time to put on the page yet

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

Usually front-to-back, but if I get stuck on a certain part I'll just bracket it for later and jump to the next section, then fill in the gaps when I come back

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing

Honestly speaking, I think the project I'm working on now has surprised me a bit. it was supposed to be more OC-centric as an analysis of how nightmares become dreams, but the Corinthian's taken on a lot larger of a role than I expected (probably because he's my favorite character). But it surprised me in a good way, I'm actually really pleased with it!

6) something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now

I sometimes wish I could go back and rewrite some of the earlier chapters of A Love Once New, since my writing style has evolved a lot since then. But it would be a lot of chapters to rewrite, which is time I simply don't have, and I prefer to keep it as it is to remind myself of how much I've improved

14) do you make playlists for your current wips?

Not really (I'm too lazy to put playlists together lol), but the fics kinda end up as their own playlists because of how important music is in my life. I think just about every single one of my fics is related to music in some way. 2 of them feature characters that are musicians, 4 (plus the new WIP) have either chapters or full titles after song lyrics, and at least 2 of them have significant themes or developments regarding music. If you gathered all the songs I've mentioned in my fics, it would be a very interest playlist, to say the least.

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

I'm not really sure what this is asking either. Not sure what to say.

24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

I already knew a fair bit about Egyptian mythology but it was definitely enhanced by writing Who Waits Forever Anyway?, same thing for the psychology and neuroscience mentioned in Smoke and Mirrors. As far as a whole "previously knew nothing about", I did a fair amount of research on engineering for Catch and Release, and I definitely didn't know much about it before.

The thing is, I'm very comfortable doing research, but writing is also the most fun for me when I already know at least a little about the topics at hand. So this one's a bit of both - I already knew a little, but I definitely learned a lot more for the sake of the story

[highwaytothedangerzone502]

India Lima Yankee - Chapter 35

Pairing: Rooster x Female OC

Word Count: 2567

Warnings: Mention of death

Summary: Juliette Kazansky discovers Maverick is back in town for a special training detachment, but she's more than a little blindsided when Rooster arrives too. Having not spoken to him for almost ten years after their less than amicable break-up, Juliette can only imagine how the next few weeks are going to play out when she remains head over heels in love with him while he wants nothing to do with Juliette other than to forget her.

Or so she thinks.

Notes: Chapters in italics are flashbacks. Also I know I used See You Again in another chapter but I couldn't resist using it for this one too.

Chapter Songs: Stand By You The Champion

Chapters: Chp 1 Chp 2 Chp 3 Chp 4 Chp 5 Chp 6 Chp 7 Chp 8 Chp 9 Chp 10 Chp 11 Chp 12 Chp 13 Chp 14 Chp 15 Chp 16 Chp 17 Chp 18 Chp 19 Chp 20 Chp 21 Chp 22 Chp 23 Chp 24 Chp 25 Chp 26 Chp 27 Chp 28 Chp 29 Chp 30 Chp 31 Chp 32 Chp 33 Chp 34 Chp 35

Juliette stared at the admirals, unable to comprehend the words that had sprouted from Cyclone's mouth, let alone form a coherent sentence. What did he mean she wasn't done with the mission? Unless...

"Told you she'd be speechless," Jack said, coming up beside his sister with Joey and Sarah, the latter carrying Iceman's duffel bag. It appeared to be stuffed with belongings. 

Joey smiled understandingly at his sister. "I called Cyclone yesterday morning to see if there was any way to get you aboard that carrier so you could finish the mission with your pilots to the very end. Turns out Dad was one step ahead of me. He apparently initiated the process to give you permission to be aboard the carrier as soon as you knew about the mission. He recognized he wouldn't be able to go, so he chose to send you in his place."

"Dad also isn't the only Kazansky in the Navy with favors to cash in," Jack added cheerfully and proudly. "Joe and I called in a few of our own to make sure the orders got pushed through in time for you to go. It was a close call, a.k.a. it literally got approved at five a.m., but it happened."

"But I don't have- Raptor and Lightning need-" Juliette's mind raced so fast with the bombshell dropped on her that although words were forming, they weren't making sense. There was so much she had to take care of that there was no way it could all be done before the ship left port!

"I'll take care of Raptor and Lightning while you're away," Sarah promised, handing the duffel bag to her daughter. "It'll be nice to have them around. I also helped your dad pack his bags enough times that I could pack one for you. You should have all the essentials plus a few extra comforts."

"We've also informed your company that you'll be taking an extended break due to your required presence for critical government business," Warlock added, "so there's no need to worry about your job either."

"Thank you," Juliette breathed, although the words hardly sufficed for her gratitude for everyone surrounding her right now. Instead, she launched herself at the closest person to her, which happened to be Jack. 

"Can't... breathe!" He gasped, causing Juliette to release him from her hug. Joey and Sarah were next to be tackled. Juliette vibrated from excitement and anxiety, and partially, too, because she wanted to hug Warlock and Cyclone for allowing this to happen. Noticing this, Warlock broke into a smile and nodded, giving her silent approval. Juliette didn't hesitate, embracing the admirals whether they wanted to be or not. She'd practically grown up with them, though, so it wasn't out of the norm for her to do this. Not to them.

Juliette wiped the tears from her face, now ones of happiness, and joked, "God, I'm so glad I had the foresight to wear waterproof eye makeup."

"Yeah, I was wondering how you weren't looking like the Winter Soldier after all your blubbering," Jack replied impishly.

Juliette glowered at him. "If you hadn't just helped Joe get me on that carrier, I'd hit you right now."

"I know, and I'm absolutely going to milk it. Go see your future husband and-"

"How'd you know about that?!" Juliette demanded, her voice rising an unnatural amount of octaves. Neither she nor Rooster had said anything about it to anyone. They weren't going to until the ring was on her left finger.

Jack's face contorted into confusion, along with everyone else's. It was Joey who gained the ability to speak first. "Did you and Rooster get engaged?!"

"Uh, kind of? Unofficially, I guess," she admitted, nervously twisting Carole's ring. 

"How can you be unofficially engaged?"

"Well, he asked me to marry him last night, and I told him to ask me when he returned home."

"Why would you do that?" Sarak asked, tilting her head curiously.

Juliette wrung her hands, wishing they weren't having this conversation right now. "Because I wanted to make sure he wasn't asking me because he wasn't overthinking the fact that he might die on this mission?"

"Maverick's told you he's chosen him?" Cyclone queried, sounding mildly surprised.

"No, but I know he's going up. Woman's intuition."

"Can we get back to the part where our sister is engaged?" Joey demanded, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Unofficially," Jack and Juliette said simultaneously.

"Whatever."

Juliette grimaced. "Look, no one knows. No one was supposed to know until after the mission. I'd like to keep it that way, so could you please keep quiet about this?"

"We're absolutely letting go of our cool when you two get back," Jack said matter-of-factly. "It's been too long since we've had a wedding in our family."

Sarah Kazansky smiled through her unshed tears and hugged her daughter. "I'm so happy for you two! I can't wait to celebrate when you get back!"

"Thank you, Mom. I'll see you soon." Juliette took a deep breath and shouldered the duffel bag. "Joey, take Rooster's keys and drop his car off at my house. I promised I'd take care of it while he was away, and I don't trust Jack to drive it."

Jack threw his hands up in protest. "Hey!"

"Last time Bradley let you drive his car, you nearly caused a five-car pile-up."

"It's not my fault the ladies couldn't handle seeing me shirtless!"

"Joey's still driving." Turning to Cyclone and Warlock and ignoring Jack's continuing protests, Juliette said, "Admirals, lead the way."

Bidding her family goodbye, Juliette followed Cyclone and Warlock down from the parking lot and to the carrier. As the admirals navigated the monstrous ship, Juliette ogled the impressive size while ignoring the weird looks she received from the soldiers she passed. She could imagine their puzzlement. Here was a random civilian- dressed in black skinny jeans, black wedge boots, a tank top, and a high-ranking admiral's bomber jacket with her hair and makeup absolutely out of U.S. Navy regulation- being escorted by Cyclone and Warlock. Yeah, she didn't belong here.

Yet, here she was.

Juliette tried to memorize the route to her sleeping quarters but discovered it impossible with all the doorways, passageways, stairs, and turns. 

Cyclone opened a door that had 'Admiral Kazansky' on the front. They stepped inside, and Juliette realized this was her father's cabin, the place he would've stayed had he been able to attend.

"Your dad decided since you would be taking his place, you deserved to have his stateroom," Cyclone stated, nodding at the room. "I know it was last minute, so in the event your mom forgot to pack anything, I'm sure there are a few spares in here, or we can find some on the ship."

"You could've made me sleep outside on the flight deck, and I would've accepted it if it meant I could be here," Juliette responded softly, setting her duffel bag on the bed and scanning every inch of the room.

"Are you all right, Juliette?" Warlock asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Yes, sir. It's... it's a lot to take in right now. It's been a morning, to say the least. That's all."

"We understand. You're where you belong, though. You've earned this."

Cyclone nodded. "Agreed. The pilots are prepping to launch once we're underway to the destination, so you'll be able to see them later. In the meantime, once you've settled in, I want you to head to the Main Hangar Deck. Maverick should be there. He's preparing for tomorrow, and I think he'd like your input."

"Yes, sir. Uh, one thing: how do I get there?"

Warlock smiled. "We'll send someone to escort you there. They'll be waiting for you outside your door when you're ready."

"I appreciate it. I know I don't know much about being on an aircraft carrier, but if there's anything I can do to help you two out, just let me know."

"Helping Maverick and the pilots is your mission," Cyclone replied. "That's all you need to do."

"Yes, sir. I'll see you soon. And thank you again."

The admirals bid her goodbye, and Juliette sank onto the edge of the bed, looking around the room. It had nothing of her dad's in it, but being in here, she felt close to him, almost like he was here with her. "Even in death, you're still looking out for me, huh, Dad?" Juliette spoke quietly, looking up as if she could see him in the heavens. "I miss you, and I promise I will do everything I can to help Maverick and the pilots. I don't know what I can do, but I'll do it. I won't let you down."

Juliette took a deep breath and glanced down at Carole's glittering diamond ring, the weight of its history and meaning heavy on her finger. She still couldn't quite believe Rooster had proposed to her last night. Even though it'd happened less than twelve hours ago, the memory remained surreal, like a dream. 

An incoming call broke Juliette out of her reverie. Picking it up, she saw it was Maverick. "Hey, Mav. What's up?"

"Hey, I just wanted to make sure you got home okay," he replied. "You were pretty upset earlier, and I know it can be hard to drive like that."

"Yeah, I'm okay," Juliette said, unable to help herself with what she jokingly said next. "Mostly because I said 'screw it' and snuck onto the carrier. I'm currently hiding in the admiral's stateroom as a stowaway."

Maverick laughed good-naturedly. "Glad to see your humor is still intact."

"Don't worry about me, Mav. Worry about yourself and our pilots. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon, Jules."

They hung up, and with a bounce in her step, Juliette changed out of her jeans into a pair of cargo pants and exchanged her wedge boots for combat boots. Then, tossing her hair into a ponytail and patting her pockets to confirm her phone and room key were on her, Juliette stepped outside into the hallway, hoping her escort was already there. He was, and she was thrilled that she recognized them.

"Hondo!" she exclaimed, beaming.

His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Juliette! You're the special guest?"

"I am! I only found out-" Juliette dug her phone out of her pocket and checked the time- "less than half an hour ago. Pretty much the moment I got to my car. No one knows except Cyclone, Warlock, and now you. I told Maverick just now, but he thought I was joking."

"He's going to be shocked to see you. Happy, but shocked." Hondo clapped her on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go see him."

The two set off through the maze of corridors. Once more, Juliette tried to memorize the way to the Main Hangar Deck, but like the first, she failed miserably. "Hondo, if not for you, God knows where I'd find myself."

He chuckled. "Yeah, it takes some getting used to, but you'll figure it out. I'm sure anyone would be happy to escort you to and fro wherever you need to go."

"No, no, you all have enough to deal with. You shouldn't have to babysit me. I'll figure it out."

Hondo stopped outside a door and said, "He's in there. I'll see you soon, Princess."

Juliette returned the sentiment, then stepped foot into the Main Deck Hangar. F-18s lined the back, but in front remained some empty space in which Maverick resided. He braced himself against a table, staring intently down at papers scattered in front of him. 

"What are you working on?" Juliette asked, strolling up to him.

Maverick's head nearly snapped in two he looked up so fast. "Jules, what-"

"Dad's final orders," Juliette interrupted, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Came in right after I said goodbye to you and Rooster. I promise I didn't actually sneak on and become a stowaway."

"Oh, thank God," Maverick breathed, shaking his head in amusement. "I don't know how we could've kept that a secret. So, Ice ordered this?"

"Yeah. It sounds like Dad knew he wouldn't be well enough to make the journey himself, so he placed the orders to send the second best thing to fill his shoes."

"You mean the next best thing, which is equal to his own presence," Maverick corrected, beaming at her as he approached to hug her. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too, even if I feel like a fool for blubbering like an idiot only to be put on the carrier about ten minutes later."

"Hey, you didn't know, and it's never easy to leave those you love, especially knowing what you did about what we were shipping off to do."

"Speaking of which-" Juliette maneuvered herself to the table, scanning the papers spread across the surface. They turned out to be the reports and results for each pilot on all their training courses. Juliette braced herself against the table. "Who do you have in mind so far?"

Maverick came to stand beside her, staring down at the documents. "I have an idea for my Foxtrot teams. It's my wingman and the spare I'm having trouble deciding. I-"

Juliette looked up at him when his sentence cut short. Following his line of sight, she noticed it rested on her ring. Maverick cocked his head, recognition flashing on his face. "Jules, that's- that's Carole's ring."

Juliette's cheeks heated up. Standing straight, she fiddled with the sentimental piece of jewelry and said, "Yeah, it is. Rooster, he, uh, he gave it to me last night... when he proposed to me."

Maverick raised his eyebrows, her words processing slowly in his mind. Finally, after a few moments of stunned silence, he replied, "I-I think it's on the wrong finger."

"That's because I didn't say yes. Not outright, at least."

"You said no?!"

"Technically. I told Rooster to ask me again when he returned from the mission because the last time he made a decision about us when emotions were running high, he regretted it for years. I didn't want the same thing to happen with this. I didn't put it that way when I told him my reasoning for declining now, but he knows I'll say yes if he asks me again. The ring is his promise to return to me." 

Juliette noticed the flurry of emotions cross Maverick's face when he glanced down at Rooster's results on the table: excitement, surprise, and dread. He didn't need to speak for her to know what was going through his mind.

"If he's your choice for your wingman, don't change it because of the news I just gave you," Juliette told him gently. "He and I both knew the risks of getting emotionally involved before this mission, and if he's who you think is the best suited for Dagger 2, then name him that."

"Jules, you may never see him again if I send him. You've lost your dad. If you lose him too-"

"I'll be okay. I always am. We need to do what's best for this mission, and Rooster will have you up there. You'll protect him, which somehow both lessens and worsens my anxiety over this mission. Come on. Talk me through the pros and cons of each pilot, and I'll put in my two cents, and we'll work from there to form the team." Juliette motioned at the papers. "Shall we begin?"

***

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[ash-myhill]

CHAPTER 1

~Lexi in the picture~

No one ever moves to my small town and definatly not in the middle of the semester. But today more than a few large moving trucks passed my house, and still coming. Finally, when I was becoming curious the line ended with a black range rover Evoque pulling a trailer. Even in the early musky light I could see the horses inside. The horses looked restless as they neared their new home, a mansion sorownded by woods and rolling hills, perfect for holding any animals, just a couple blocks over from our home-

Was for sale no longer, it was massive all 3 stories plus it's basement and attic. Our town Greenville county. Not many people new about this place, only few lived here, and most lived in the next town over or online. The closest place to us is a small city, it's biggest market being Wal-Mart, what would it matter with one more family being in it?

Besides not like I would be greeted if they did have a kid my age. Might just be a couple who wanted to live in a small town to show of their stacks of cash. I mentally rolled my eyes and slipped on a pair of my sweatpants. I wouldn't want to talk to a new kid anyways-

"Alexandra get your ass down here now! we're starving just because you feel like sleeping in!"

I flinched at my fathers voice and squeaked audibly, even though he couldn't here it, I know he didn't expect me to reply since I never did...

But that ment I have 20 seconds to get down there depending on his mood, so I grabbed my shoes and my bag filled with my school supplies and stumble down the stairs. When I stepped into the kitchen I was greeted with a mutual sting on the right side of my face.

"Your late" he growled

I squinted and nodded my head firmly trying not to show fear because for some reason this sick bastard enjoyed it. Lightly touching my cheek with my cold fingers in hope to cool it down, it didn't help at all. I threw my stuff out onto the chair my bag was sitting on and glanced at my sister caking her naturally beautiful face in makeup, sitting expectantly at the kitchen table hardly looking my way before answering my un-asked question "eggs and yogurt" she scowled quickly at me with her pale white face. I looked at her again as I got out the eggs. She sighed "runny, like always" she blinked her big puffy eyes in the tiny mirror she held in front of her. She ran her fingers through her long blonde hair and fluffed it up. She had a perfect body that teanage guys love, and showed it of too much, but she didn't seem to mind. I fixed it exactly like she liked it placing a cup of yogurt in front of her, only 80 calories of cource, while I cooked the eggs. I made another for me, two for father and one for mother; I could hear her in the shower, I put them all on a plate, getting the 4 pieces of toast and two glasses of orange juice for my parents. I took the plate for father and gave it to him, and as usual my thanks is a slap to the face and a knee to the stomach. His eyes swarmed with anger just like a tornado. I placed mother's on the empty place at the table, along with two glasses. I ate mine quickly, hardly chewing and went into the living room to put on my tennis shoes. I pushed my long chocolate brown hair behind my ears and tied my shoes, I flicked my hair back as I stood my eyes practically the same colour as my hair, the same brown eyes my sister has. Although I didn't cover my eyelashes with mascara only a little (something my mother made me do). I reached in my bag, for my iPod. When I found it, I plugged it in my ears filling with a sweet melody. Putting the MP3 player in my pocket. I slung my bag over my shoulder and rushed out the door. Walking to and from school was my favourite part of the day, since Leah wouldn't bother giving me a ride; although I knew she would never give me one. She didn't want everyone at school knowing she was related to me. Even though half the school already knew. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the cool air nipping slightly at my face, indicating the coming winter. The falling snow, the Christmas trees, the cool weather...... I loved it all.

When the loud voices and blaring horns interrupted my music I knew I was at school. I looked up to see Leah and her boyfriend Samuel making out against her car. I scowled and walked past them briskly, taking out my earphones and placing them back into my bag. I walked up to my locker and slowly opened it. As I switched out my morning routine and afternoon notebooks, I heard a shoulder connect with the locker next to mine. I looked up to see Samuel smirking down at me. The top of his hair spiked up in grease . I blinked, confused to why he was here, looking as if he wanted to talk to me. Not that I would answer.

I closed my locker door and put my bag over my shoulder again beginning to turn away Samuel grabbed my upper arm in a tight grip to stop me. I winced and froze in place.

"Aren't you going to say hit me?"

He asked in a mocking voice. I wanted to rip my arm from his grasp, but I was scared he would do much worse.

I shook my head and closed my eyes but they flew open as he pushed me against the lockers, releasing my arm from his grip and instead placing it just above my head. His other arm held my waist, trapping me in. My heart hammered in my throat, fear gripping me in its tight claws. His eyes hungrily searched my body up and down, and his hand slid up my shirt. My eyes flickered around for anyone to help me, or a teacher to stop him.

"Aw, c'mon that's not very polite just say something, anything c'mon virgin." He teased.

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth it was something the whole school teased me about, something I was proud of. I didn't want to be anything like my family. Everything they did I did the opposite. They curse, I don't. They take advantage of the opposite sex every chance they get. Every word that comes out of their mouth is hurtful, so I just don't speak. I pushed him away something I knew I would regret later, but I didn't care. He scowled at me. I tightened my grip on my bag at took a step away when a shrill voice stopped me.

"Alexandra you whore, what do you think your doing with my boyfriend!" my sister, Leah shrieked, stomping over to me. I flinched at her word as she pointed a perfectly manicured finger in my face.

"You are so gonna get it tonight."

She growled, huffed took Samuels hand and led him away. My hands were already trembling when he turned back and winked at me, before kissing Leah's head and pulling her tighter to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. My hands were still shaking when I sat down in U.S history class. Slowly and steadily I took out my notebook, opened it and pulled out a pen. The thoughts running through my head are not good, and scared me to death. My father punching me in the eye, in the stomach, kicking me everywhere his feet could reach. All of them ended with me bloodied, bruised and defeated when I had done nothing wrong. At the back of the class, I hung my head in my hands trying to calm down. Tears spring in my eyes, but I held them back. Not in school. Not here, once my hands had somewhat steadied, I began to take notes scribbled on the board about the civil war.i was done before the bell rang, and flicked to the back of the notebook and continued writing my short stories. My stories were where I wasn't hit. I could actually speak to people without being scared. A world where I had a boyfriend - a good one. These stories, the books I read, my music. They were the only escape I had. And I loved every minute of it.

"Miss Rose" a deep voice said, bringing me back to my awefull world. I looked into my teachers dull gray eyes. "We are going to be having a new student coming into our class tomorrow, I wanted you to know he will be sitting next to you" he? My eyes widened and I shook my head. I was happy sitting by myself. This was my favourite class; he couldn't ruin it like this! A boy no less! He was going to ask me so many questions, and I wouldn't be able to answer him. No, I could not sit next to a new kid.

Mr. Williams shrugged "I'm sorry Lexi, but we have no other room for him." He looked like he wanted to pat me on the head or something, but he knew I didn't like to be touched. " I'll inform him of your... Speach impediment" that'll just make him ask more questions! I thought my shoulders dipping. I ran my fingers through my hair as he turned around and left, strolling back to the front and begining his lesson.

I had seen trailers passing by my home earlier today, but I didn't think there would actually be a new kid! A new kid in Greenville high was almost unheard of. Something that almost never happened. Everyone will be  falling over him no matter how cute or ugly he is. And that ment everyone would be over at my table for 1st period, wanting me to reply but I wouldn't. I mean I did have a notebook I could write to him on, but that would seem unlikely.

Later my third period teacher told the class the same thing, that a new student would be arriving tomorrow and he was going to be sitting in the desk in front of me ( since I was at the back again). She looked right at me when she told the class to take a welcoming to him and show him around I love all my teachers, and they loved me like they do all the kids, and they want me to talk again. The second half of my freshman year was when I decided that not talking was better than talking at all. It got me into less trouble. I had always been a little sassy when I did talk, and that got me a lot of bruises from my family. I was in the first half of my junior year now, and Leah was in her senior year. I did her homework for her since I had already taken those classes in this school since we were always short of teachers.  Mrs. Campos, my third period teacher also taught biology, which I had in fact taken my freshman year. She had heard my voice but now I had none.