#FAQ after the next chapter. Thank you so much for sending in your questions! Seeing the interaction motivates me to keep doing this :3
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Minamoto no Yoshitsune Main Story: Chapter 5
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This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.
❥･• Warnings and FAQ
Yoshitsune and I were walking around town to search for the younger brother of the little boy we met by chance.
Yoshitsune: He’s… not here. Let's try searching for him over there next.
Yuno: You’re right.
(I hope we find him soon…)
Boy: … Oh!
Yoshitsune: What’s the matter?
The boy suddenly shouted and stopped walking.
Boy: Such pretty pinwheels…
Yuno: You’re right, they come in so many colours!
Boy: It’s my first time seeing something like this! Festivals are amazing!
Yoshitsune: Do you want one?
Boy: … Nope, it’s fine. I did something bad to my younger brother.
Despite saying that, the boy’s eyes were fixed on the pinwheels.
Yoshitsune: Wait here.
(Huh?)
Yoshitsune bought two pinwheels and offered them to the boy.
Yoshitsune: Give one to your younger brother when you see him. You’ll get a chance to reconcile with him.
Boy: … Thank you!
(... Yoshitsune is kind to young children.)
Their heartwarming exchange naturally brought a smile to my face.
Yuno: Wonderful! I’m sure this will make your younger brother very happy.
Boy: Yeah!
The boy carefully tucked the pinwheels into his sash.
…
Yoshitsune: He doesn't seem to be here either. Let’s go a little further.
We continued walking while looking out for the missing child…
Boy: … Oh! I think I hear my younger brother’s voice coming from over there!
The boy suddenly let go of our hands and bolted across the street.
Yuno: Wait, don’t go running off all of a sudden…
The moment I took a step forward—
(Whoa!)
I nearly got swept away by the sea of people.
I tried to keep my balance, but failed and my body swayed…
Yoshitsune: Yuno
(Oof…)
Yoshitsune grabbed my arm and stabilised my body.
Yoshitsune: Are you alright?
Yuno: Y-Yes. I’m so sorry!
Right after I replied, I almost collided with two men who were rushing in another direction.
Yoshitsune: Come here.
Yoshitsune quickly pulled me back and protected me with his strong arms.
(S-So near…)
Yoshitsune: It’s dangerous.
I looked away from him to avoid making it awkward.
Yuno: T-Thank you very much…
Yoshitsune: Don't mention it. Are you able to continue?
Yuno: Yes! I’m alright.
Yoshitsune: Then let’s go after that boy.
(Ah…)
Before I could react to the warmth of his grip leaving my arm, Yoshitsune held my hand.
His hand was larger than mine, and my heart was racing.
Yuno: … Why?
Yoshitsune: So we don’t get separated.
Yoshitsune: — Is there a problem?
He gave me a questioning look, and my skin got even hotter.
Yuno: It’s not that, it’s just…
(It’s because Yoshitsune is the enemy general.)
It felt as if we were sucked into a different space, the festival music sounded distant.
Yuno: … Let’s go.
Yoshitsune: Yeah.
While holding hands, the two of us made our way through the crowd again…
…
(Oh! Found him!)
Boy: It’s okay now!
Younger Brother: hicc... I’m sorry, Onii-chan.
We spotted the two boys a little further down.
The boy was hugging another boy wearing an indigo kimono.
(He’s the younger brother!)
Boy: Onii-chan is sorry too, I shouldn't have gotten that upset with you…
Boy: I’m so glad you’re safe…
Yoshitsune: Looks like they're reunited.
Yuno: Yes…!
He let go of my hand, and I felt a little lonely.
The boy smiled widely and turned to us.
Boy: Onii-chan and Onee-chan. Thank you for looking for my younger brother together with me!
Boy: I’ll get along well with him more and more from now on!
Yoshitsune: You’re welcome.
A smile appeared on Yoshitsune's lips, one so faint that I wouldn't have noticed it if I weren't paying close attention to him.
Yuno: Have a safe trip home! Will you really be alright without us sending you home?
Boy: It’s okay! We live nearby.
The two boys each held a pinwheel in their hand, they bowed at us with bright smiles on their faces.
After watching them walk off into the distance while closely huddled together, I spoke to Yoshitsune,
Yuno: It’s great they could reconcile.
Yoshitsune: … Right.
(Yoshitsune…?)
Yoshitsune: …
The image of the boys’ little backs reflected in his amethyst eyes.
(I wonder how those boys appear in Yoshitsune’s eyes…?)
(I thought I caught a glimpse of what’s in his heart, but as expected, I still don't understand.)
Even though we were standing so close to each other that our shoulders were almost touching, Yoshitsune felt so far away.
Yuno: … It’s about time I go back.
Yoshitsune: Me too.
…
We walked back together, and we eventually reached the street just on the opposite side of the castle.
Yoshitsune’s silhouette was walking slowly next to me, and he suddenly stopped in the middle of the bridge.
Yuno: Lord Yoshitsune?
I turned around to look at Yoshitsune, who was slightly behind me.
Yoshitsune: For obvious reasons, I shouldn't get too close to the castle.
Yoshitsune: This is where we say goodbye, Yuno.
(By any chance…)
Yuno: Did you want to escort me until I was nearby the castle?
Yoshitsune: — I wanted to have a look around Kamakura along the way.
Yoshitsune wore a faint smile with his eyes downcast.
(We could've said goodbye back there…)
Anyone who lived in Kamakura would likely know who Yoshitsune was.
Without saying a word, he walked me this far, even though it’s risky for him to be in the vicinity of the castle.
Yuno: … Thank you.
(I can’t believe someone so kind is Yoritomo’s enemy.)
There might be more reasons for that than I could imagine.
With all the courage I could muster, I spoke,
Yuno: Um… Lord Yoshitsune, what do you think about Lord Yoritomo?
Yoshitsune: …
A gust of wind passed between us.
Yoshitsune: I hate that man.
Yuno: *gulp*...
The look in his eyes made my breath catch in my throat.
His eyes contained an emotion that was neither rage nor sorrow.
I shut my mouth, not wanting to overstep his boundaries any more.
(But… it doesn't seem to be hatred.)
– Flashback Start –
Yoshitsune: No younger brother will ever hate his older brother this easily.
(He seemed to have “someone” in his mind when he said that, and that person must be…)
(... No, it can’t be.)
Yoritomo: We’re considered brothers, but we’re actually only half brothers. We were raised in different places, eating different things.
Yuno: Really? When did the two of you meet each other for the first time…?
Yoritomo: When I started a war against the Taira Clan.
Yoritomo: Yoshitsune joined the war with a small number of troops.
Yoritomo: For the sake of a brother whom he had never met.
Yuno: Then… why did Lord Yoshitsune choose to join you?
Yoritomo: — I don’t know.
Yoritomo: Well, he undoubtedly made the battle much easier.
– Flashback End –
(I’m not completely sure, but… I have a feeling that Yoritomo doesn't genuinely hate Yoshitsune.)
(And if that’s the case…)
Yuno: Is killing each other the only way?
Yoshitsune: That path has been decided since a long time ago.
Yuno: B-But—
Yoshitsune: Why?
Yoshitsune interrupted me.
Yoshitsune: Why does it matter so much to you? You were only involuntarily dragged into this, none of it is your responsibility.
Yoshitsune: Whether Yoritomo and I hate each other, or kill each other… it’s none of your concern.
Yuno: But even so…
(I… I wanted to know more about you.)
Emotions welled up within me, my chest felt hot.
Yoshitsune: Yuno.
Yuno: ah…
He reached out his hand and touched my cheek—.
Yoshitsune: … I’m sorry.
He tightly squeezed my hand and turned his back towards me.
(Yoshitsune…)
Yoshitsune’s back became smaller and smaller as he walked away into the distance.
All I could do was stand there and watch him leave.
#ikemen genjiden#ikemen series#cybird ikemen#otome#cybird otome#ikegen main story#yoshitsune main story#minamoto no yoshitsune
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FAQs About Querying Manuscripts
Querying is a huge deal. You're about to send your latest story out to agents—and the entire process seems like a mystery.
I just posted a guide to writing query letters the other day, but there are many more questions you might have after reading a basic walkthrough.
Check out this FAQ list to see if addresses your query questions 👀 If not, feel free to send me an ask! I graduated with a specialty in the book publishing industry and will do my best to give you the most updated answers possible.
Do Query Letters All Look the Same?
Yes and no! I say yes because there is a general format you can follow (outlined on my last post) that inserts the same information in the same general paragraphs.
I also say no because agents won't have the same requirements for fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and graphic novels. It's always best to practice writing a query letter draft and always personalize your letter to the agent's specific requirements in their bio on their publisher's website or on Query Tracker.
Should I Query My Manuscript Even Though It Isn't Done?
Most agents want fiction manuscripts to be complete before they get your query letter. They'll only request the first 3-15 pages with your letter, but they'll mostly assume that your work is done after that point.
What does "done" mean? It means that your fiction manuscript averages between 65-85,000 words (100,000 words is the upper limit for many agents) and you've heavily edited your work. Go through your manuscript for story elements, character development, and line work before sending it anywhere. If agents spot inconsistencies or endless typos, they'll move onto the next submission.
Nonfiction manuscripts and other types of literature may have exceptions to this. Nonfiction authors can pitch proposals and sample chapters, plus outlines and chapter summaries. Graphic novel writers don't have to have all of the art finished sometimes. It depends on who you submit to, what you submit, and what the agent requires.
What Happens If I Send a Query With a Sample and Revise That Sample?
You can always withdraw a submission if you haven't heard back from an agent! Send a quick email stating the date and title of your manuscript and thank them for their time.
You can add why you're withdrawing if you'd like, but it's not necessary. People withdraw for a million reasons and agents know it's not personal.
Can I Re-Query an Agent If I've Made Revisions on the Same Manuscript?
Most often, no. Don't re-query an agent who has kindly declined your submission. The only exception to this is if they include a note in their rejection like, "While I cannot work with you at this time, I did appreciate [XYZ parts of your manuscript] and would be interested in working with you in the future if it met [the agent's genre list, publishing bucket list, specific things they're currently interested in selling]."
If you revise according to what the agent wanted from you in the future, then it would be fine to re-query and mention their previous recommendations at the top of your letter. Otherwise, it's best to move on.
How Many Query Letters Should I Send at One Time?
You may have seen stats that writers like to throw around regarding the percentage of positive query letter responses you should have compared to the total letters you've sent out.
Don't pay attention to that percentage.
When you're ready to query a manuscript, I prefer sending ~5 submissions per month. You can do more than that, but I find it takes so much brain power to personalize each letter and research agents!
That being said, if you send five letters and each of those agents say they take ~2 months to respond to each writer, you'll only get to send query letters six times each year. You also won't get a response from every agent, so there's no use waiting each one out before sending a new batch of letters.
Send a few and wait a few weeks. Send a few more. As long as you're keeping track of your queries in a spreadsheet (with the agent's name, publisher, the date of your submission, the type of submission, their contact info, and their average response time), you'll stay active in the process.
Can I Query Multiple Agents Within the Same Publisher?
Don't try this at home! Or anywhere! You'll rarely find a publisher that allows multiple submissions to their agents. Most explicitly warn against it on their website's submission outline page.
If an agent doesn't want to represent your work, but knows their coworkers well enough to think of someone in their office who might, they'll pass it along for you.
If you get a rejection from an agent, that's when you can query others in their office who represent the same genre. Waiting one at a time will take a while though, which is why it's better to query agents at multiple publishers when you sit down to query.
Do Agents Want a Long Publication History?
It helps if your query letter includes some kind of publication history, but it's not required. Especially if you're querying an agent who specifically encourages debut writers to send submissions. They know there will always be submissions from people who haven't been published before. That's okay!
Your publication history could include a recent short story contest or an entry into a chapbook from an indie publisher in your hometown. It could also be nothing at all. Agents rep writers with all kinds of backgrounds.
Just make sure you don't query an agent who mentions that they don't work with debut authors in their specifications if you've never been published. That's the only way it could backfire.
Should I Include a Sample of My Manuscript In My Query Letter?
Agents always ask for some kind of manuscript sample with submissions. Sometimes they want it copied/pasted into your query letter in the body of an email. Sometimes they use Query Tracker and the sample will have its own text box after you copy/paste your query letter.
Always check their submission guidelines before including your sample! Sometimes agents have samples limited by word count, while others want a specific number of pages.
Can I Follow Up If I Don't Hear Back From an Agent?
Sending a literary agent a gentle nudge can be a good thing, but only if you time it right. Double check their profile on their publisher's website, Query Tracker, or wherever you found them. Many will say something like, "It may take up to two months for me to respond." Others don't give a time frame at all.
If you're going to send a nudge, wait until their recommended response time has passed. Two to three months is a good time to estimate for those that don't provide response times.
When you send your email, make the title something like "Following Up on [Your Manuscript's Name Here] Submitted on [Submission Date]." In the body of the email, you can mention how you're still excited to hear from them and thank them for their time again.
Agents mostly don't mind nudges, as long as it's not a few days or weeks after you submit something to their inbox. They have incredibly busy lives and will need more time than writers often think.
Why Do Agents Reject Manuscript Submissions?
It's hard not to take a manuscript rejection personally, especially if an agent liked your submission and request the work in full! In those moments, try to keep in mind that there are tons of reasons why agents ultimately choose not to represent someone, including:
The query letter didn't hook them
Your story doesn't intrigue them (again, not personal!)
They don't represent that genre
They don't have the time to commit to a long project
They like it, but don't think it would sell in the current market (that's where book comps can help)
They also just may not think it's good. That's okay. You don't like every book you've ever read. Sometimes readers and writers just don't mesh. You want an agent who's equally passionate about your manuscript, if not more. Waiting for the right person to love your work will be worth it.
How Do You Pick Comparable Book Titles?
Comparable book titles are an essential part of a query letter. You should pick books published with the last ~two years in the same genre as your manuscript. Select at least two or three.
In your query letter, you'll have to mention each comp title and say why it's like your work. Maybe it shares the same themes or tropes. You should finish the comp title paragraph by saying that your work will appeal to the same audience, then specific the age groups you have in mind who are also fans of the comp titles.
When agents see writers compare their work to successful, recent publications, they see a potential to make a sale. Their job is to sell your work to a publisher, who then sells your books to readers. It helps them if they can tell publishers about your flashy comp titles that make your story more likely to sell because readers are currently interested in those topics/characters/tropes/etc.
What's the Difference Between Querying an Agent and a Publisher?
Query letters can go to agents and publishers, but there's a big difference between the two. Agents personally get to know their clients and represent them long-term. Agents also negotiate your publishing contract and potentially any future international books/films/TV series if that's in their repertoire.
If a publisher picks up your submission, you'll have to negotiate everything for yourself. You'll likely have to get a lawyer, who will also likely be more costly than a literary agent, who takes a percentage of your advance and royalties.
Sometimes it's easier for writers to go with one option or another, so think about what sounds best for you.
Note that many publishers, especially The Big Five, rarely take unsolicited manuscripts (submissions from writers). Agents allow writer queries so they can meet future clients. Publishers prefer to meet with agents, who will pitch writers/manuscripts that align with a publisher's interests.
---
The most challenging part of querying is how flexible it is. Agents will all look for and require something a bit different than the others. Writers won't have the same querying experience either.
Take these questions/answers as a guideline to help you get started or find your motivation again! As you move forward, you'll become much more comfortable with the process.
#writeblr#query help#querying advice#querying tips#writers of tumblr#writing#writing advice#writing help#writing community#writers#creative writing#query#query faqs#book publishing#book publishing faqs
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BNHA self insert AU [Book 3]
New? Read here! Then here!
Chapter 14: I Wanna Be A Cowboy Babey~
After a few weeks of intense training, I do the damn thing at the Sports Festival. But now there’s an added security that all the intel student also attend for any suspicious activity. Wish I could do it since they’ll all be in plain clothes instead of suited up, but no! That just makes my position that much more important because I can see if any of the students are acting suspicious. This is all because of the last villain attack and the info I told my mom. Apparently its a big lead but nobody will tell me anything about it aside from be on high alert for any inter-student or inter-hero conspiracy....whatever that is!
-Day of Sports Festival-
“GOOOOOOOD MORNING EVERYONE! AND WELCOME TO THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE UA SPORTS FESTIVAL, 3RD YEARS STADIUM! I’M YOUR BELOVED HOST, PRESENT MIC!”
“Jeez you would think that after all this time he’d retire” I commented after the blaring of the opening ceremony siren.
“Aren’t you excited Iida-kun?!” hyped Gon “Its the final sports festival for us! And we’ll see how far everyone’s gone! Well, everyone is finally going to see how awesome you are with your two quirks!”
“Oh please! I barely figured out how to upkeep with the kick of my engines a few weeks ago!” I denied Gon’s hype for me “I’m just me, and all I know is how to kick ass and make a big show out of it.”
I do the things and did fairly well. But the dreaded spars came up and my name was on the scoreboard because my team did well on the steal the headband game...stupid competitive nature of mine! So I fought some dude in the B class and won because the dude tired himself too early in the fight. In the second round I won my fight with a different B class student, I punched them a little too hard that they stepped out of bounds. But finally came lunch time! I rushed to Beizu for hugs.
“How does it feel getting to the 3rd round with minimal damage?” Beizu praised me as we sat in the corridor “Bet your dad and uncle are so proud!”
I rolled my eyes as I swallowed my food “Don’t think I wanna do it or that I’m proud of myself! It’s like amateur hour and I asked to get my ass kicked!”
“Oh so you wanted to lose today son?” responded a familiar voice to the right of us.
“Dad? What are you doing down here?” I asked in confusion “I thought you weren’t supposed to come down here without an escort?”
“Well...I have a reason, your mother wanted me to check on you” Dad was being a little skiddish “I texted her videos of your fight and she asked me to check if you were okay with those fights.”
That was something new “Huh? She could tell?”
“Your mother can tell the slightest of discontent in anyone!” Dad chuckled “But I could tell too in your fights that you were disappointed. You have the same fighting mindset like your mother, fight like you mean it and with fire in your eyes.”
“I guess” I sigh and look down at my to-go plate of musubi and takoyaki “I was expecting something better than this. I don’t get the hype and these fights feel like I’m wasting my time doing the hero part of my dual enrollment. Bet you didn’t feel like this when it was your third year sports festival.”
“Actually, I did” Dad spoke up “But it was for a different reason. I wanted to make it to the top 3 for your mom. I trained hard, planned out what I was going to tell her before my match” Dad turned red “All so I can finally ask your mom to be mine and have her watching me closely. But it all fell apart, right here actually!”
“Oh! Do you remember what day and year?” Beizu piped up and pulled out the device from his pocket “I kinda want to see what happened.”
“Why did you take that with you?” I asked
Beizu shrugged “Thought it would help in case things went down.”
So dad told Beizu the day and year, and the hologram popped up of a young Mr Hitoshi and mom sharing a moment.
“Come on, just a kiss to hold me over until everything ends?”
“Fine, one kiss!”
Mom got on her tippy toes to kiss and it looked kinda cute. But I know things didn’t turn out so cute later.
“Pause it here” asked Dad to Beizu, then walked over to the stairwell “I was right here, watching my love kiss the one person that told I had a crush on her. I felt so defeated, I wasted my time and efforts to get her attention so I could confess. After this incident, I just couldn’t believe that she’d hide her relationship with him from me! Her so called ‘chosen family’ when she didn’t trust me with this.”
I cringed at the sight of young dad on the floor “Geez, and you got her flowers! So what did you do?”
“I just existed and pretended I didn’t know anything until she decided to tell me” Dad fixed his glasses “If I didn’t confront her about it during the dance, she probably would have never told me.”
“That’s a whole 5 months from now!” gasped Beizu “No wonder you were so upset and basically ghosted her after graduation!”
“Did mom ever tell you why?”
“No, but I put all the pieces together when we started dating” Dad smiled “She didn’t want me to know because she loved me more but I was too stubborn to say anything about my feelings toward her. So she was waiting for me to say something and leave Hitoshi the moment that happens.”
“But Mr Hitoshi knew that already huh?” I looked back at the two kissing “He knew this was a complicated love triangle and added some drama to it to make you say something.”
“Yup, he told us that on our wedding” Dad watched the holograms fizzle away “But you already know what happens at the end Iwata, I ended up reuniting with her and never let go after that. All those years without her felt like a waste, so I make every moment matter with her and our family.” He turned toward me “So don’t feel down that things feel like a waste! Make everything count Iwata!”
“So you’re telling me that I should kick my last opponent’s ass so hard they never forget it?” I thought out loud “Because I don’t want my last fight here to feel like a waste, I wanna make it count!”
“I was going say win this one for your mom or Beizu because I didn’t have love motivating me to make it matter. But what you said makes for a better fight” He put his hand on my shoulder “Go kick their butt son! I’m proud of you no matter what.”
“Thanks dad” I smiled but then the siren wailed, marking the end of lunch “Oh jeez, you better get back up there. Pretty sure they’ll do a head count real soon.”
“I’ll escort you back Mr Iida” offered Beizu “I have to go to my post before the start of the third round.”
“See you guys later then!” I got my left over food and turned toward the student wing “I won’t disappoint!”
I got back in time to wind down a bit before my turn. To my horror, it’s with Gon and I felt conflict. He’s my friend, the usual suspect for hero things! We trained together, developed together and so much more. Can I really be satisfied beating him when it’s his dream to win this? A hand on my shoulder jolted me out of my thoughts.
“Hey, I know we didn’t get along all these years” said my classmate “But don’t go easy because Gon-kun is your friend. It’s disrespectful to not give your all to someone that’s giving their everything!”
What kind of bizarro world do I live in!? An enemy giving me advice?! I give them a nod and smile “Thanks, I think I’ll be okay now.”
“Good! Now go kick his butt”
I walk out to the arena to hear the roar of the crowd. How fucked up is that this is just quirk cock-fighting? Like, we’re teenagers! And these are grown ass people that paid to watch us? Plus the broadcasting?! Talk about exploitation! But that’s where my self awareness thoughts end, I was face to face with Gon.
“The final spar of the festival! Ryuusuke Gon vs Iwata El Roca Iida!” blared the host “Two A class students going head to head! This is Iida’s first festival debut, following in the footsteps of his family of the Ingenium name! Will he come on top or settle for second?!”
“I won’t disappoint you Iida-kun” Gon says as he gets in fighting stance “I’ve trained along side you all these years, time to show you what I’m capable of!”
I smile and get in my stance “I won’t hold back either. Please kick my ass Gon-kun!”
The start whistle was blown and we went at it. This fight felt like an actual challenge! But with one leg swing to the upper back, I knocked him out cold. The way his body went limp scared me, I used my telekinesis to catch him before he could hit the ground. He was still breathing and alive, just out for the count. But I didn’t want him to go out like this, so I shook his body out of desperation.
“WAKE UP STUPID!” I slapped him “Come on, quit playin’! Get up!...Please!”
“Looks like Ryuusuke Gon has been defeated, making Iwata El Roca Iida the winner of the UA 3rd year Sports Festival!”
“Wait- what?!” I processed this win and looked up to the spectators, they were out of their seats and roaring their cheers. The camera panned up to my face and I gave my uncomfortable smile. Gon was taken to the nurse quarters as I was instructed to get up on the winners block. While I was satisfied with that fight, I didn’t mean to win like this. Then out came Deku to give us our medals and I got more dissatisfied with this win!
“Congratulations young Iida-kun!” cheerfully spoke Deku as he hovered the first place medal over my head “You made your family name proud!”
I scowled “I don’t want it” I hard-stopped his arms with my telekinesis, before he could place the medal on me “I don’t deserve shit! This wasn’t supposed to happen! I wanted to get my ass whooped, not get 1st place!”
“Well it’s too bad young Iida-kun” Deku flicked his wrists to toss the thing onto me sloppily “You changed the outcome on this fight yourself. Now you have to live in this reality where you are the winner and live with it. Just like your mom all those years ago.”
That threw me off, to the point where I wasn’t clocking all the cheers and roars of the crowd were for me. I was thinking about how quickly fate can change because of our impulses and how we have to live with the outcomes for the rest of our lives. We can’t go back to change them, just apologize and try not to mourn your desired reality. I wonder if that’s how mom felt with she came over here, or when things fell apart between her and Mr Hitoshi? In any case, I have to start by apologizing to Gon for stealing his win. I walk into the infirmary after the closing ceremony.
“Hello? May I come in?”
“Hm? Oh! Iwata, yes please come in” said nurse Eri as she finished her notes “congratulations by the way!”
“Thanks, heh” I meekly responded as I shifted my gaze to the occupied bed “Is he- doin alright?”
Eri looked over to where I was looking, then turned to face me “He’s doing just fine. If you’re wondering, he was at his limit when you struck him down. It wasn’t your fault and he’s not seriously injured” she patted my shoulder “You can stay a while with him if you’d like, he woke up a few minutes ago.”
I walk over to pull back the curtain to see a bandaged up Gon on the bed.
“Gon-kun? Listen, I-”
“Iida-kun! You knocked me out cold with your super cool aerial move!” hyped Gon, forgetting his injury “You’re super fast and I thought I could out speed you! But I spent all my energy evading your palm piston pews” he mimicked the move with sound effects “Man, what an awesome fight! You earned that first place!”
“You’re not upset?” I questioned “But you wanted to win this so badly! You wouldn’t shut up on how you wanted Deku to place that first place on your neck and the selfie you wanted to take afterwards” nothing made sense in this logic “How do I deserve this more than you?”
“You do deserve it! You put in so much more effort in your training and studies” Gon listed as he slowly sat up “You’re one of the most genuine people I know! I’d be more upset if I lost to someone that wanted to win for selfish reasons or didn’t train hard because their quirks are ‘good enough’ to beat everyone with. I saw that you wanted a good, honest fight; just like me! You inspired me to train even harder to work on endurance and speed.” He pointed at the ‘1st place’ engraved gold that hung on my neck “So you wear that medal proudly!”
I sighed and chuckled a bit “Okay then, I guess I’ll accept this gold. Thanks Gon-kun, for giving a good and honest fight.”
So it all worked out, I didn’t feel guilty and Gon still got his second place with the Deku selfie. I guess this outcome isn’t so bad! But what else is waiting for me now that I changed the course of things with this win?
-The following Monday, Homeroom-
“...and now for a special announcement!” sensei said as he finished taking roll “As you’re aware of all the specialized agent tests given at the academy level, these past few events has sparked interest in the board on our three-man team to take on the Hero-Take Down practice test coming up AND the Labyrinth practice test!”
“Oh shit I wonder who’s the third person” I whispered to Beizu “For a long ass time the board as had their eye on you and the class rep.”
Beizu sneered at me “Bitch it’s you! Who else could it be?!”
“Naw, thats straight cap” I gave him a face “No way it’s me.”
“Okay then, if it is you” Beizu started “You bottom, if not, then you top.”
“You got yourself deal” I held out my hand to shake on it “I’m so confident that it’s not me, that I’ll even wear lingerie if I’m wrong!”
“No take backies!” he said as he grabbed my hand to shake it eagerly.
“Your three man team is Hatsune Beizu, Gee Celi and Iida Iwata” sensei motions to me “That sports festival win really put you on the scope and now you get to represent us at the practice exams.”
I froze in my seat....oh shit, I must of sounded like an absolute clown making that bet with Beizu. OH SHIT NOW I GOTTA DO MORE TRAINING! So much for coasting by the rest of the school year.
“Congrats babe” teased Beizu “You might be the entire circus, but your my circus~”
I softly slam my head onto my desk. Man, I hate this timeline!
-Fast forward, early May-
I’ve done more training and honing my weaponry skills for this first practice test. While it’s still a few weeks away, I’ve asked my mom, aunty Mimi and uncle Jin for advice. They all strongly advise to train together and build upon our weaknesses to fully cover ourselves. But I can’t believe I’m so close to the end of my time here at UA. I know that things are going to be set for me afterwards, but how did my mom and her friends do it? They built themselves from the ground up and worked hard everyday, even to this day! Makes me feel like I should be doing more but there really isn’t, I’m not destined for greater things, I am just me. And that’s okay too.
“Hey we got the special jumpsuits” Beizu said as I entered the door to our room “Try it on so they can make adjustments in time.”
“When did they come by?!” I asked confused because I was taking a quick shower.
“Dude you were in the shower for like 20 minutes” Beizu clarified as he tossed me my jumpsuit “What were your shower thoughts this time?”
I extended my jumpsuit to check the length of it “Ya know, the usual what ifs” I take note of the material “is this teflon mesh?”
“Yup, I was just as surprised” Beizu started to put on his “Made to withstand heat and blades while being breathable.”
I put mine on and looked in the mirror “Wow, I look like my mom in that practice test video” I reached out to touch the mirror “Bei, do you think teenaged mom would clock me as her son?”
“I think so” Beizu walked into view of the mirror “Pretty sure if you showed up in the past in front of her, she’d get excited about the future. Probably flip when you tell her who your dad is.”
“She’d probably call cap on me” I laughed thinking about it “until I show her these pistons, then she’d faint probably.”
“I can see that happening” Beizu laughed “but it looks like I’m going to need a longer jumpsuit, it’s not fitting at the bottom at all.”
I check my suit fully “Oof same for me, it’s like they didn’t account for all this ass.”
“Double cheeked up on test day, hella ass, the sun is still out!” joked Beizu.
“Proctor, I’m trying to stealth on the enemy” I turn around flex my ass “but I’m dummy thicc and the clap of my cheeks is alerting the heroes.”
That had us howling in laughter on the floor. It’s been a while since I’ve laughed like this with Beizu. Things have gotta so serious since the villain attacks. All the waiting around for the next one is making everyone anxious. But it’s all the little things with Beizu that make things better. We really don’t have the time to celebrate our birthdays this year, as the test lands on my birthday. But that gives me an idea for later...
-Day of test, suiting up-
I zip up my suit and fix the sleeves in the mirror. I know that I’m capable to carry for my team and do anything, but so many people are coming to this practice test. Most of them scouters that heard that I’m Ingenium’s son. At least word that I’m my mom’s son got out, otherwise there would be people spilling out of the place! I look to my left and see Beizu securing his holsters, trying not to get those nervous jitters.
“Hey, it’s okay to be nervous” I put my hand on his shoulder “I want to make a deal with you.”
“Huh? What kind of deal?” Beizu asked curiously, snapping him out of his nerves.
“If we do good on this one, lets go home for the weekend” I suggested “Just to get outta the scene for a bit before the next round of training. I don’t think I wanna stick around for and rush back into training.”
Beizu smiled and sighed “I’d like that actually” he put his arms around my neck “I haven’t spend enough quality time with you. At least, not the type that I want to do.”
I glance at the clock “It seems like we’ll be cut short of this quality time too” I look at his face “Kiss me for good luck?”
“Okay, one kiss” he responded right before connecting the kiss.
I put my arms around his waist and savored this kiss. But of course we got disrupted by our teammate kicking the door down.
“Oh what the- you two are A THING?!” gasped Gee at the sight.
“It’s kinda obvious, no?” I said very casual, arms still around Beizu.
“NO?! You guys got me used to all your weird habits that I didn’t put it all together!” Gee turned around “I’ll just, umm, wait in the wing for you! Sorry again!”
Beizu waited until she was out of sight “Guess we should put on the visor and head out.”
“One more kiss” I pleaded “this time it will be a lucky one.”
When we were ready, we lined up in the waiting wing with Gee-san. What is going await us on the other side? Will I really live up to the hype? The start siren wailed and we ran into action. The beginning swarm was a piece of cake! Everything was okay until after the river zone, that’s where all the strong and quick ones were. I was maybe a little faster and using both of my quirks just to keep them off of Gee-san, as she was the slowest of us. Then came the biggest obstacle, literally. Someone with a rock bending quirk made a rock wall that was too high and smooth to climb effectively.
“Iwa, it’s time to use the slingshot” Beizu cried out.
“But you need my help here” I blast someone with my palm piston “and the slingshot is a one person at a time thing!”
“Don’t you worry about me!” Gee said in the heat of her tussle “We need you to kick some ass behind that wall, I’d get squashed if I go by myself.”
“No arguments!” Beizu gets in position “you know what to do.”
I nod and brace for take off. The feeling of getting thrown into the air is surreal, limbs at the will of the air around you. But I didn’t lose myself in thought, I kicked on my engines to fly onto the other side. Floating down I saw the last two to take down and the finish line. They came at me at the same time, and I held up as much as I could but I was getting tired. I got one person down but the other wasn’t letting up! What to do?! I dropped my one gun back at the river! And I had to conserve my energy in case I had to fly again! Think, THINK! It clicked in my head that maybe I didn’t need to fight, just distract until Beizu or Gee gets over here! They have to cross the finish line too! So I took off my holster belts and posed.
“What’s with the pose?” questioned the other person “there’s no use! You’re out of weapons and getting tired, just forfeit!”
“Naw, mama didn’t raise a quitter” I cracked the two belts like whips on the ground “And she’s latina! Imma show you the meaning of a Mexican Time Out!”
The look on their face when I came at them at top speed was priceless! It was the face of confused fear. And they had every right to be scared, I was whooping their ass like they broke my favorite vase. It’s different when you give a punishment ass whoopin’, it hurts more. I wouldn’t know though, my mom never hit us but told us stories of her childhood and the ass whoopings grandma gave. Didn’t take long for the guy to get in fetal position on the ground as I wailed on them with the belts. Kinda felt bad so I stopped and thought I’d end them differently, but then I heard Gee screaming from above. And there she was, flying in at full speed to perfectly body slam this guy.
“I’m here! Hatsune-kun is on his way for back up!” Gee groaned “Where’s the danger?!”
“Please! I surrender!” cried out the enemy from under Gee “I don’t want to fight anymore, I just want to go home!”
Gee gets off him and stands next to me “Sheesh what did you do to him?”
Before I could answer that, Beizu flies in and lands on top of the enemy.
“Oh god I killed him!” Beizu panicked as he got up “I didn’t mean to land on them! Can we get a medic?!”
“Bei! The finish line!” I grab his hand and Gee-san’s with my other hand “No time to waste!”
We tighten our grip and ran to the finish line without a single hitch. The proctor signaled the end of our exam and we heard the roars of the spectators. Wonder if this is how mom felt when she crossed the finish line hand in hand with her team?
-Meanwhile, with the agent trio-
Jin slumps onto his desk chair “I’m really feeling my age” he stretches his back “wish we had all the pieces to solve this mystery. So we could just pack it up and retire.”
“You know there’s more to that Jin” Ita said looking up from her mess of papers on her desk “we need to find someone to replace CEO position of the company.”
“Don’t forget the pain in the ass that’s getting retirement paperwork” Mimi responded from across the room “Speaking of pain in the ass, it’s Ita’s turn to do the briefing.”
The curly haired agent groan and rested her chin on her hand “Man, how academy causally didn’t mention how lame being in agent work is when you’re past the age of 30!”
“Speak for yourself!” Mimi chuckled “I love teaching! If we retire here and the company, I’m teaching until I can’t hold a gun anymore.”
“Love that for you” Ita responded as she stretched her back out “Oof, who wanna go for a group chiropractor date?”
“Way ahead of you, I scheduled us for our next day off” Jin said doing a few taps on his tablet “We deserve this one, OH who wants to do the healing clay bath combo?”
“Can we get sushi after too?” asked Mimi “I’ve been craving the stuff! Nikita is going through one of her little picky phases and this time it’s raw fish.”
“Oof and you love sushi! I was wondering why you haven’t asked me to get you a cut of otoro from the fish market lately” Ita responded shocked “Thats another thing too! Motherhood... didn’t think I’d get this domestic with y’all.”
“I did, I knew the moment we became friends” Jin added “Mimi becoming a single mom was a surprise though, everything else was expected.”
Ita glanced over to the picture of the three friends in high school on her desk “I wouldn’t have it any other way” she sighed “We came so far together and I’m so happy we kept our promises.”
Mimi stood up “Hey, lets keep working hard together! Don’t get all sappy now” she walked over to Ita and held her “I’m not going anywhere, my home is with you guys.”
Jin follow suit “I’d do anything to preserve this friendship. You guys are all I have, and I’m happy with that.”
The mess of papers on Ita’s desk were written accounts of a recent sighting of Hawks. Making this a big step toward closing the case. What’s going to come next? Is Iwata’s destiny more intertwined in this case than his one encounter? All we can do is sit and wait for the next one~
-Chapter 14, End-
<Previous - Next>
#bnha#mha#self insert au#book 3 chapter 14#not canon#will update regularly#ask me anything#//Palma-sama Speaks#The chapter where Iwa accidentally does well and panics lmao#Flashback to book 1 with the 3rd year sports fest was fun to reference#I just couldn't cut the practice test details! Especially how they win!#The victory mirrors what his mom and her friends did but with the addition of the 'years later' narrative#The end of this chapter eludes to the end game of the entire AU! Hold on to your asses bc it's a twist#We're two chapters away from finishing this book! I know it's been a long one and I promise the next book won't be as long lmao#FAQ after the next chapter. Thank you so much for sending in your questions! Seeing the interaction motivates me to keep doing this :3
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Hi! After watching a Let's Play up to Jean's Ch5, I caved and downloaded Ikemen Vampire. When you said there were a lot of mechanics, you were not kidding, omg. I looked through Otome Obsessed's FAQ and still have questions. When looking at a character's route screen, how do I unlock the grey-ed out letters and side-stories? I thought it was just playing the connected chapter, but no? I've gained like 12 of the Hearts currency, which I understand can be spent on the kissing mini-game/Nightmare Event, but what do you get from the kissing mini-game? Will a free-to-play player ever finish an Event storyline with a character? Does the game award other important prizes?
Thank you so much!! If this is too many questions, feel free to direct me elsewhere. Have a great day!
(PS sorry for the unfollow/follow I accidentally hit it while going for the ask button aaHH)
Ahhh....another convert! 😆 Yes, this is so not Lovestruck or even Choices or Fictif, it's really a whole other level and far more involved (but also a whole lot more fun imo).
So about unlocking side stories, letters, etc. - it can be very confusing at first (I know I was confused!). I'm going to show the IkeVamp chapter list vs the IkePrince chapter list because that one's a bit more clear (don't worry, all the games have such similar structures that once you figure one out, you can play any)
IkeVamp for some very annoying reason lists "Letter/His Side Story" next to EVERY chapter. If it is a faded color, like you see in Jean's Chapter 8, then that will be available once you read that chapter. IkePrince is kinder and does not list those for every chapter, only the ones that have it. A note about Letters and His Side Stories. Letters are free to read, simply click the button to read it. His Side Stories need to be purchased with 3 keys (which cost 300 diamonds or about $3 USD). And some (see Jean's Chapter 8) need to be read twice in order to unlock the ability to purchase it. I have not read many of the POV stories, but the ones I've read were all worth the cost.
Usually there is an Event going on during the game - Story, Collection or Kissing. These are special events that do not effect any character's route and are just bonuses. Story Events do not require tickets to read, but you do need "Love Points" at certain chapters to continue reading - you can complete Love Battles in the Event homepage to gain these. Collection Events require you to collect hearts, either by performing Love Battles or reading chapters. Kissing Events are similar, but you get to "kiss" your suitor. For both of these events, you are rewarded with different types of items. Some are in-game items like gold or stamina. Some are avatar items, like shoes or a skirt. Some are short stories (and when I say short, I mean it, they're short). And sometimes if you collect enough for a particular suitor, you get a plushie of him.
This is from the last kiss Event, but you get the idea of what to expect. It's cute to see their reactions.
I can also tell you, as a f2p player in IkeVamp (they haven't gotten my money...yet) you can definitely finish parts of the events. In the Collection/Kissing one's, I get around 4 or 5 plushies. For Story Events, I've been able to read two suitors' Sweet Endings. I don't normally go for the Premium ending as it requires so many Love Points. And if I love the character, I can buy the Epilogue.
This is my Avatar - almost all the plushies were from events, and I have more sitting in my inbox.
The macaron ones are birthday specials and all players get those. I've also only been playing since August, so I think I've done well (I also login daily).
Feel free to send any other questions!
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01 & 02 | home; juice ortiz.
Notes:
.... and apparently, my brain yearned to write angsty and kind of tragic things. I really haven’t written much for sons of anarchy beyond a few little short things here and there so.. be warned. I’m gonna loosely follow some of the things that happen on the show timeline, but.. this one might take longer to write / post / update because I’m going to try to watch SOA again as I do this. Try being the operative.
So uh.. buckle up?
Also.. I haven’t made a cover for this yet. or a soundtrack. And this is c
Pairing:
Teller Morrow OFC x Juice Ortiz.
Summary:
“Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends.” “A house is made of bricks and beams. A home is made of hopes and dreams.” “Home is not a place…it's a feeling.”
“Home is wherever I’m with you.”
Years ago, Hazelynn Teller (Morrow) left Charming behind. She turned her back on everything in search of something.. anything that felt like it fit. But nothing ever did. After a series of events cause her to re-evaluate and she finds herself returning to Charming, can she fix everything she broke when she left?
And again I ask.. why must my summaries suck? I swear this might possibly be better than the summary.
Warnings:
Injury / accident tw - for this chapter only. Mentions of a genetic heart defect / a newborn in NICU. fighting / violence tw - duh, this show was pretty damn violent and there’s no way I can escape having at least some of the major stuff that happened present. slow burn and angst. because people don’t just fall back together and feelings aren’t magically healed. eventual filth. any other triggering things that arise I’ll warn in those chapters. These are just the ones I can think of, immediately, right now.
Other Stuff:
[ faq - tag list doc ]
Tagging:
@brithedemonspawn
@chasingeverybreakingwave
@kyleoreillysknee
@rampagewriting
@sassymox
@twistnet
ONE.
The phone ringing had Jax Teller sitting up in bed. He grimaced at the pounding hangover and he reached for his cellphone, answering.
“Are you family of Hazelynn Teller Morrow?”
“She’s my baby sister, why?” Jax wasn’t getting a good feeling at all. The woman on the other end of the line sounded so formal and her tone was so clipped. Unconcerned. It was his own personal experience that usually, when you got a call like this in the middle of the night, nothing good ever came of it.
What the nurse told him next left him reeling.
“There’s been an accident. She’s been admitted to Santa Monica General. Her daughter is in the NICU.”
“You said Santa Monica General, right?” Jax was sitting up in bed now, trying to get his heart down out of his throat. He was slipping out of bed, grabbing for his jeans on the floor. “Are you sure there isn’t some mistake? My sister, she… She doesn’t have a kid. Not that I’m aware of..” He was hoping against hope that there was a mistake somewhere, but the nurse spoke again.
“Your sister was in labor and on her way here to give birth when the accident occurred. We had to induce labor. Given the state your sister is in, we’re calling the family since we have no way to know who the baby’s father is… Just to err on the side of caution.”
Jax’s stomach rolled. Tara hugged against him from behind. “What’s going on, Jax?”
Jax shushed her, listening to the nurse detail his sister’s injuries and the fact that while they were trying to save his niece she slipped into a coma and had yet to wake up. When he hung up the phone, he swung at a wall.
“Jax?”
“I have to go pick up my mom.” Jax grabbed the keys to his bike and rushed out of the house, firing it up.
The entire drive across town to his mother’s house passed by in a daze. He didn’t even remember what color the stoplight had been when he went through it, only that he was sitting in his mother’s driveway only three and a half minutes later. Rushing to his mom’s front door. Pounding on it to wake her up.
Gemma threw the door open, a brow raised at Jax when she saw him standing on the other side. “Jax?”
“Mom, it’s Hazelynn… The hospital in Santa Monica called me.”
Gemma’s mouth opened only to close again. It was probably one of very few times over the course of his life that Jax Teller had actually seen his mother speechless. Or about to cry.
“What happened? Jax, talk to me. Talk to me now.” Gemma demanded, her voice shaky. Jax took a few deep breaths and put his arms around his mother, explaining what the nurse told him when she’d called. Gemma’s tears started to fall and she bolted back into the house, shaking Clay awake.
Clay grumbled at the early hour but sat up.
Looking as if he’d vomit as Jax repeated everything the nurse told him for a second time that night.
“I’ll drive. Neither of you are in the shape.” Clay was up and getting dressed on auto pilot, stopping at one point to question, “They say whether she had anybody there with her?”
“The whole reason the nurse is calling family is because she was coming to the hospital alone because she’d gone into labor. They can’t track down a father.”
“Oh, I’ll find the bastard.”
“Clay…”
“I’m not kidding Gemma.” Clay’s fists clenched and he took a few deep breaths.
“We’ll just get there and assess the situation. Go from there. She needs us.” Gemma gave Clay a firm look of warning and it seemed to get him reasonably calm.
The next few hours were sitting in silence in a waiting room. Endless pots of shitty break room coffee. Gemma jumping every time someone coded.
And finally, around 9 am, a doctor got around to them.
Hazelynn was awake. And her vitals seemed steady.
“Can we go back to see her?”
“In an hour. We want to make sure she’s up to it.”
“What about my niece?”
“One at a time. I’ll send a nurse over to get you prepped to go down to NICU.” The doctor promised, setting off to go and track down a nurse.
The nurse showed up a few minutes later and Gemma stood, the shock starting to subside but only slightly. As they walked back to the NICU nursery, the nurse told Gemma that they’d detected a heart defect and Gemma explained that both herself and her granddaughter’s uncle suffered from similar.
“We’re not supposed to let anyone back here that isn’t a parent until 8 pm.. But given the circumstance…”
Gemma thanked her and stepped into the room, taking a seat in the chair in the corner. The nurse brought over her granddaughter and Gemma took her in her arms.
“Oh sweetie. Everything is going to be okay.”
But Gemma was afraid. So very afraid.
XXX
“ You don’t have to leave town, Haze.”
It was the last thing my brother said to me. He’d hugged me. Then my mom hugged me and wiped at her eyes. Made me promise a thousand times to call and come back to visit. I promised her I would, even though I knew deep down I’d be limiting myself to calls only.
If I went home to visit, I might not ever leave again.
And I didn’t want to be like all the other girls I went to school with, settling down and settling for whatever came their way.
I left town with all these big ambitions and plans. And one by one, life knocked them right out from beneath me. Life tried again and again to break me but I was too stubborn to be broken.
But this last blow.. This last blow was too much.
The nurse came in to check on me and the first thing I demanded was to know if my daughter was alright. The second and a half it took the nurse to tell me that my daughter was alive and currently down in NICU was the longest second and a half of my entire life and the second I heard the nurse tell me that my daughter was alive and I hadn’t lost her, I broke.
Sobbing. Grateful.
If I’d lost her… I shoved the thought out because I just couldn’t.
“Wait.. NICU… What’s wrong with her? What’s wrong with my baby?”
“The doctors detected a heart defect.”
I took a shaky breath. I’d been warned by my mom that there was a possibility that any children I had could end up with the heart defect, even though it managed to skip over me. At my last checkup, my doctor had been concerned about the genetic heart defect present in my brother and my mother. Nothing had shown up in any of the tests they’d been able to do at that point, so I’d been hopeful.
I nodded. Taking a few deep breaths. Moving to sit but wincing when a wave of pain washed over me.
The door to my private room opened and my brother stepped in. My birth father Clay standing behind him.
Jax rushed over to the bed, putting my legs back into it. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m going to see my daughter. I.. She needs me, Jax.”
“She needs you healthy, darlin.” Clay spoke up quietly.
Awkwardly, I let him hug me. Things had always been tense between us. More so when the truth came out that he was my actual father. It had thrown my entire life in a tailspin back then and while I’m not proud to admit it at all, I’d went full on rebellious. Refusing to acknowledge him.
But he’d kept trying.
“I couldn’t even keep myself from crashing a fucking car. I failed already. She could’ve died.” I was full on sobbing now as everything hit me. I looked from Jax to Clay and asked quietly, “Where’s mom?” I.. Need to see her.”
“Your mom’s down in NICU.” Clay explained, doing his best to give me a reassuring look. Wincing at the way my forehead was stitched. “Least you got the Morrow hard head, huh?” he tried to joke. Jax gave him a warning look, but rather than stubbornly refuse to go along with it like I used to in all of Clay’s past attempts to bond with me over the years, all I could do this time was nod. Mutter quietly, “Thank god.”
My brother cleared his throat.
“What about the father?”
“What about him? He’s married. Dropped me like a bad habit when he found out I wasn’t getting rid of the baby. Only after he tried to pay me off.”
Jax’s fist clenched and I shook my head. “I’m better off… I.. I mean I think I am.” my words fell away and I leaned my head back against the pillow behind me gingerly.
“You didn’t have any friends you could get to drive you?” Clay questioned. I shook my head, not bothering to open my eyes. “I’d just moved here. I was.. Working up the nerve to come home. I didn’t really know anybody.”
“So the kid’s dad is elsewhere?” Clay questioned further. I could just tell by his tone that he was already thinking of the best way to make the situation right. To make the father of my child pay for being an actual piece of shit.
“Clay, whatever you’re thinking, don’t. Leave it alone, sir. Not everybody has to pay for their wrongs your way. The bastard will regret it one day when she grows up and she’s amazing and she didn’t need him. I don’t want the guy near me.”
It didn’t stop the look in his eyes and I sighed. Appealing to the last card I held that I thought might work. “If you care about me at all and you still want to be a part of my life, sir.. You’ll leave this alone. I just… I want to put it behind me.”
I let out a ragged breath and searched his eyes. When he seemed to relax and grumble while shaking his head, I relaxed. It felt as if he were going to let it go as I asked. Maybe going away had changed things just a little.
Jax spoke up quietly.
“ You scared the fuck out of me.”
“Try being me.” I muttered quietly, letting my brother hug me, holding on just a little tighter.
The door to my room opened again and my mother stepped in. She didn’t look like the same carefully put together woman I remembered. She looked like she was drained. Scared to death.
Suddenly, I wanted to go back in time and punch my younger self in the throat. How could I have ever thought that just because I was a reminder of the affair my mom started with Clay Morrow before Jax’s father passed away that she cared less.. Or that me being around was just painful for her to begin with?
I felt worse than I’ve ever felt before.
Jax stopped my mom, asking if she thought they’d let him go back and sit with my daughter. My mom led him back out in the hallway, probably to go find the NICU nurse on duty and find out the answer, and this left me and my birth father alone together.
“I know we never got along real good, kid.”
“I’m sorry.” I blurted it out before he could say anything else. “I was messed up, okay? The way it came out… The way it made everyone fight… I just.. I don’t know.” I dropped my gaze to the thin white blanket over my legs and Clay sighed.
“If you want to come home… It’d make more sense, I’d think. Gonna be damn hard to help out with my grandkid when you’re all the way in Santa Monica. And I’m not about to let my daughter take all this on by herself. We clear, Red?”
I mulled it over. It wasn’t something I’d already been heavily leaning towards for the better part of a month now. I’d just been too scared to pull the trigger and do it.
“Yes sir.” I answered, managing a smile.
My mom stepped into the room, door shutting behind her quietly.
“I cannot wait until you are away from this hospital. Do you know how fucking difficult it is to get anybody to answer a simple question?” my mom muttered, leaning down, hugging me tight. Fussing over a stitch on my forehead, grumbling “They didn’t even attempt to close this properly. I’ve seen bikers at Sturgis do a better sew up.” and making me laugh. Just a little.
She pulled away from the hug and brushed some hair away from my forehead. “Sweetie, I..” she started to say something but I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Mom. For everything.”
“I’m sorry too. I didn’t know you felt the way you felt until your brother threw it up right after you left. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I couldn’t.”
“Don’t start crying.” my mom was reaching for a tissue, gingerly dabbing it at my eyes. “The important thing is it’s behind us. Okay?”
I nodded.
“You’re moving back to Charming.”
Normally, my mother making demands would’ve set me on edge. But I wasn’t that same angry rebellious girl anymore. And deep down, I was starting to realize just how much I loved and needed my family, especially right now.
Warts and all.
“Okay.” I managed a weak smile.
“Was she okay?” I asked quietly after another tight hug that had me wincing just a little and reminding her gently that I was one giant ache. My mom smiled and nodded. “She’s as beautiful as you, sweetie. And despite the family flaw striking again, I think she’s a fighter already. Have you got a name?”
“ Emma Sophia.”
My mom smiled at that. I figured she would because Emma was basically just Gemma, shortened. And Sophia in tribute to all the old movies she used to make me sit through with her when I was younger, after an actress named Sophia Loren.
“I like that, sweetie.”
When she was sure Clay wasn’t actively listening, she whispered quietly, “And the father?”
“Is not an issue. Nor will he ever be one. I got him to sign away paternal rights.”
“You’re sure.” My mom asked again and I nodded. “He was married, mom, I... “ I trailed off, waiting for a lecture. Instead, my mom sighed and nodded. “It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”
And for the first time in years, I really believed she was right. Maybe everything really would be okay now.
The doctor came in to check on me again and check my vitals and after doing that, he turned to address my mother and Clay.
“Mother and baby’s vitals are holding strong and steady. I’d say that if the pattern continues, we can release Mother by the weekend.”
“What about my baby?” I spoke up quickly.
“We want to keep your daughter for observation. I’d say at least another two weeks.”
I took a few deep breaths, starting to panic a little. Wanting to cry. My mom grabbed hold of my hand and repeated calmly, “Everything will be fine. They kept your brother just as long.”
I nodded, even though the thought still scared the hell out of me.
TWO.
The Welcome to Charming sign passed by and I smiled a little. Emma was sleeping in the carrier. I was almost home.
And hopeful.
Just as I turned down the road my mom lived on, my cell phone buzzed. I switched the call so that it went through my radio to answer.
“ Exactly how big is too big for a stuffed animal?” Jax asked and I groaned, shaking my head at the question. “What have you done, Jax?”
“There was a unicorn.”
“Oh no.”
“Oh yes.. Remember that one Clay won you when you were twelve? This one makes two of that one.”
“Where the fuck am I putting this?”
My mom spoke up from the background. “We got it in the nursery. Barely. I told your brother he’s not allowed near the stuffed animals anymore.”
“In my defense ma, it’s my niece.”
I parked behind the motorcycles lining my mother’s driveway. Tensing just a little when I recognized Juice’s Dyna Glide parked next to Tig’s motorcycle.
And as soon as I saw him, it was like everything froze. I wasn’t ready to face him. Especially not when I considered that it felt like someone had just knocked the breath right out of me. As I walked past him, I didn’t dare look over.
I couldn’t do it, no matter how badly every part of me wanted to. My brother and Opie came over, arguing about the unicorn, Opie nearly lifting me off the ground in a hug. I reached back into the car, killing the engine and shutting the driver door. Making my way to the backseat and unbuckling the carrier.
“Awww. She’s even got the same chubby little cheeks, man.” Opie chuckled, elbowing Jax who nodded. I smiled and as soon as Emma started to wake up and cry, I dug around in my diaper bag for the bottle I’d pumped for her at a rest stop.
Sitting the carrier on the trunk of the car, I unfastened Emma, pulling her out.
Instantly drawing over at least ten gigantic bikers. Watching them fuss over her had me laughing and smiling a little.
Juice hung back. Leaning against the tree in the yard with a tire swing. Watching. Like he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to come over with everyone else.. Near me. Or whether he wanted to just leave.
When he started to make his way over after Chibs stopped to whisper something in his ear, I swallowed hard. The guys had gone back to the grill set up behind the house by now. It pretty much left me sitting in the passenger seat of my car finishing up feeding Emma. Humming softly as I did so.
Humming what used to be the song that Juice and I dubbed ‘our song’.
“Visiting? I’m surprised your man let you come by yourself.”
I glanced up at Juice, taking a deep breath. Bracing myself for all the anger and bitterness I thought I’d find waiting in his gaze. Surprised when all I found instead was concern. Maybe a little hurt.
But deeper down, the same way he always used to look at me.
“Juice..” I started, but I went quiet. I didn’t know what to say. There was so much I wanted to say but it was probably beyond too late for that.
More than anything, I wished I had a rewind button.
What if I hadn’t left town? Ran from the way I felt about everything back then?
“I had a while to get over it.” he muttered, gazing at me. Going quiet. “Jax told me why you had to go. I fuckin hated it, but I had a while to get over it.”
I nodded.
Somehow I got the feeling that he was pretending it didn’t kill him. To save face.
Kind of exactly like I was right now.
“You could’ve said somethin, ya know?”
“Juice..”
He shook his head and took a deep breath. Leaning against my car. Staring up at the bright blue of the sky overhead. “It’s over and done with though.”
My stomach churned. I wasn’t sure if what he was saying was a good or a bad thing. Seeing him again after all this time, I wasn’t even sure I wanted it to be over.
Because when I left it all behind, I hadn’t just left behind a family that actually loved me, I’d left him behind too.
And looking at him now. With a more adult perspective… I suddenly found myself wondering if leaving him behind had been the biggest mistake of my life…
“Do you want to hold her?”
Juice eyed me but nodded, reaching out for her. “Hey pretty girl.” he muttered, smiling a little. After he held her for a few minutes, he placed her back in my arms.
And as he did so, the touch lingered as we locked eyes.
“I missed you.” I hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
“I barely survived.” Juice answered, biting his lip as if he wanted to say something else. He turned and walked away and I spent a few minutes trying to pull myself back together again.
It had been harder seeing him again after all this time than I thought.
Harder to resist him. Harder to shove down the surge of emotions. Harder to try not to think about just how much I still loved him and harder to swallow the fact that by now, it was probably too late.
I got the feeling that it was only going to get so much harder.
And I sighed, because every part of me wanted to hold out hope that there was still something there but I had to accept the fact that I’d probably lit a match and set everything on fire when I left town back then. That there wasn’t any hope to be had.
That Juice was done with me.
And that hurt more than I was prepared for.
I shoved it all out of my head, wandering over to where my mom sat. Giving Tara some serious side eye.
“He had to bring her.” my mom was glaring in Tara’s general direction. Rolling her eyes as Tara carried Abel around. Everything Tara Knowles did annoyed my mom. That much hadn’t changed at all.
“In his defense, mom, she’s kind of his old lady.” I pointed out quietly. Taking a sip of the pink lemonade she’d pushed in my direction.
My mom shrugged, grumbling under her breath. Probably something to the effect of she wouldn’t be if my mom had her way about it. I sat down next to her at the picnic table and she peeked in the sling I had Emma strapped into. “Hey sweetie.” she cooed.
Emma grinned up at her, sleepy eyed. After a few seconds, my mom spoke up.
“Speaking of old ladies… If you’re wondering. Juice doesn’t have one.”
“Mom, I.. we both know I ruined everything there when I left.” I sighed, shaking my head no. Trying to cut whatever crazy idea she was formulating out before it took hold. Somehow I got the feeling that it was too late for that. My mom, being the meddling mom she’s known to be at times, she was going to try to shove me right through the ‘healing process’ over the end of my last breakup.
My mom shrugged, shaking her head. Quick to protest, “You never know.”
I didn’t say anything. For one thing, I was trying to get my head around my mom seeming to push me towards Juice. I hadn’t really thought she liked him all that much back then. I know Clay didn’t particularly care for him.
XXX
Juice wasn’t listening to a word Chibs said. Chibs caught sight of the direction he was staring in and he chuckled to himself, nudging Juice in the side, nodding in Hazelynn’s direction. “Go over n’ try t’ talk.”
Juice shook his head. “Every time I think about it, I remember that she’s the one who thought she was too good for any of this and left. Without a good bye. What’s done is done. I wasn’t good enough for her then, why do I wanna be good enough for her now, huh?”
“Maybe it wasn’t that at all.” Chibs butted in. Grumbling as he took a drag of his cigarette. The kid wasn’t listening. He wasn’t stopping to think about everything that unfolded prior to Hazelynn’s decision to leave. Chibs went quiet. He knew better than to try reasoning with the kid. Juice was a hard headed little shit.
“Look at me, Chibs. We both know it was.” Juice insisted, shaking his head sadly. “I tried to be good enough man.. I just fuckin wasn’t.”
Chibs brushed off the statement, putting it down to Juice’s recent downward mood swing and tension. The guy had been down about a lot lately. Like he had a million things on his mind. If Chibs ever tried to bring it up, Juice dismissed it. Stating he didn’t want to talk about it.
Juice bit his lip. Staring at Hazelynn. Sighing as he stubbed out the cigarette he’d been smoking. Every part of him was still drawn to her. If he could, he’d go over. He’d tell her that he still loved her, he’d never stopped.
But there was so much going on right now.
The biggest part of it being the secret he was being forced to keep. Just the thought of the betrayal he was currently being forced to carry out against men he thought of as brothers was enough to have him tensing up all over again. Any second, they’d figure out it was him. None of the guys in Samcro were that stupid. Even the ones who acted like they were.
Sooner or later, everything would come out.
And Juice Ortiz was living with the weight of that dread and his secrets and decision every single day.
,, I just have to stay away. Keepin her at arms length is keepin her safe.” the solemn thought weighed heavily and he tore his eyes off of her.
Somehow, he got the feeling that would be easier said than done.
#juice ortiz fanfiction#juice ortiz fanfic#juice ortiz fic#my writing ; juice ortiz#my fics ; juice ortiz#my fanfiction ; juice ortiz#// HEAVY ANGST WARNING#injury / accident tw
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Paper Trail - Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question about Paper Trail? Please be sure to check this FAQ to make sure it’s not answered here first! Thank you!
The complete FAQ is under the Read More!
1) How often do you update Paper Trail?
It depends a lot on how long or complicated the next part is, how busy I am with work and other adult life things, and how my wrist is feeling. After severely injuring my drawing wrist in mid-2019, I am a lot more careful about how many hours I spend working on the comic, and try to have only set drawing hours on a daily basis so that I do not accidentally hurt myself. That said, I do try to get new parts out in a timely manner, and updates should ideally be every 10-14 days or so.
2) What tools/programs do you use to draw this comic?
I primarily draw in Photoshop CC, although I will also occasionally switch to Sketchbook Pro for some backgrounds, plus I do all lettering in Comic Life 3. Everything is done digitally.
3) Will [X/Y/Z character] appear in the comic?
While it is likely, I can’t guarantee it. You’ll just have to wait and see!
4) Will [X plot point] happen in the comic?
Any questions about future plot stuff that I deem too spoilery to answer will just get you this gif as a response:
5) Wait, how does this relate to canon?
Paper Trail sprung to mind not long after Deltarune chapter 1 was released, and was my initial interpretation of where the comic could go in future chapters. While I try to stick closely to canon, I know that a lot of it is up to interpretation, and I imagine that by now Paper Trail will be vastly different from the complete canon game. So for now, Paper Trail is a fan continuation of canon from the end of chapter one, and in the future it will just be an AU.
6) Did the Fun Gang fight Jevil in Paper Trail?
Yes, they did do the Jevil fight, and won via pacifist means after a number of tries.
7) What will you do if Toby releases the remaining chapters of Deltarune before you finish Paper Trail?
That’s a bridge I’ll cross when I get to it. In any case, I’ll try to finish Paper Trail before Toby finishes the remainder of Deltarune and wraps things up as they should be. :)
8) Wait! Are all the different Ralseis based on the SOUL traits??
Really good guess, my friend!
9) What’s with Kris’s gender?
I try to stick close with canon, so in this comic Kris is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. Please try and do the same when sending me any asks about Kris! As a courtesy to followers who are sensitive about misgendering and pronouns, I tag any asks that refer to Kris as he/him or she/her with #pt misgender.
10) Do you ever livestream work on this comic?
I do! This is my Picarto channel. I usually stream about once a month on holidays for my country, in large blocks. I’ll announce art livestreams a day in advance, usually!
11) Can I do a voice dub for Paper Trail / translate it into another language?
Yes you can! If you do a dub or a translation, please 1) be sure to give proper credit for the comic and link back to the original version, and 2) PLEASE be sure to link me to your dub or translation so that I can add it to the masterpost! I like to keep all this stuff together, and it’s sad when people ask me about a dub or translation and then I never hear from them again!
12) Can I repost this comic to other sites, even with credit?
While I know Paper Trail gets linked or reposted to other places like Reddit and Funnyjunk, I’d rather that be limited on other sites. Please do not repost pages to places like DeviantART, Facebook, Tapas or Webtoon, even with credit, unless it’s an approved translation. I don’t get much traffic when it’s reposted as-is to other sites, and it’s already up on multiple social media platforms, so you have a few options for reading it!
13) Can I do fanart/fan music for Paper Trail?
Yes, absolutely!! Please link or tag me with it so that I can do a super excited dance and add it to the masterpost!
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DDR:LF Progress Log
Hi everyone! Welcome to the first progress log.
It’s a post where I put all the things I’ve done for the fanganronpa so far that I haven’t posted anywhere; most of them are WIPs or Betas. It also works for me as a way to keep track of how far I’ve come.
Today’s post contains the following:
Character Bios (previously only available in the DR amino) and FAQ
4 WIPs of important CGs (well... more like 2)
3 Different types of Animation Tests
WIP/Beta of the GUI Design
Next objectives
If you’re interested in checking this post, keep reading it down below!
By the way, feel free to join the fangan’s discord server by going to this link https://discordapp.com/invite/aSd6PN4 ^^ with that being said, let’s begin the post~!
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Character Bios and FAQ
To start this blog AND this post on a right note, I’m finally posting on tumblr the character bios, which means you can now access to the information from each member of the cast of DDR:LF, which was previously only available in amino. You can find them in this post.
As for the other part, I wrote a FAQ with the main sort of questions there could be about the fangan. Feel free to give it a read here if you want to know about some basic stuff about the project, and if you still have doubts, please do send an ask! I’ll gladly answer it ^^
WIPs of CGs
You didn’t think that the only drawing I was working on were sprites, right?
In today’s post, here are some CGs WIPs that I didn’t get around to finish yet (since their priority is below the character sprites, but it’s a nice change instead of doing sprites 24/7).
First, the pre-trial CGs!
There are some expressions/positions that I might be willing to change, although that’ll come in later when I gotta sit down to finish these. But yeah, later. (Also, just to be clear, I drew these waaay back, so the designs might not match the current ones).
In a trial, depending the type of chapter, the 1st CG and 3rd one will switch places. The one that appears last will be the one that contains the protagonist whose POV we are witnessing.
Second, one of every prologue’s main CGs. “The killing game has begun!”
Looks of doubt and deceith are flying across the room! Who will make it through the end of the day? And who’ll be left behind~?
It might seem pretty basic without them being colored, but hopefully it’ll look better in the future!
Animation Tests
Man, this was a lot of fun to work on, and it was all worth it! I hope you all enjoy these as much as I did while trying to materialize these concepts!
#1 - Prologue Title Card
Every chapter of this story has a title card, just like the original danganronpa games. In the case of DDR:LF, this is more or less what each card will look like.
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It’s kinda basic; elements being added to the screen here and there, as well as some silhouettes appearing.
What are these silhouettes, you might ask? It’s none other than the cast of the fangan, but it’s not just anybody who’s randomly picked. The silhouettes belong to the victims and the murderers of the current chapter, so for example, chapter 1 will have the silhouette of the 1st victim and the 1st murderer, but it’ll be modified enough for the silhouette to not be easily recognizable; nobody wants to get spoiled the deaths right at the start of the chapter, right?
Of course, the prologue is an exception... maybe.
A bit of the BGM was done by me, while some other elements of it were taken off from royalty free sound effects/melodies websites.
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#2 - Pixel Execution
As you all know, there’s always a pixel animation that starts off an execution. I have that too, of course! and in order to avoid spoilers + show you what I was able to do, I put myself in the place of the culprit. (I swear I didn’t kill off anyone yet... only after the fangan has started I’ll be considered guilty).
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The background music was also composed entirely by me, although in the future it might change- but I don’t really know for certain, so get used to this for now :)
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#3 - Execution style test
I’ve recently downloaded the program Live2D, and what for? For executions, no less! After trying it for a while, I’ve concluded that it’d simplify my job a lot more than if I used sony vegas for animating the executions (not to mention it looks smoother with this new one).
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For this test, I’ve used Seiji as my puppet. It might be simple, but it was to test out the limits of the program. It turned out really good imo! So I’ve decided to use Live2D to animate the executions (or at least, do most parts of them with it). I learnt some stuff while experimenting around with the program, so next time I’ll finish these sort of things even faster probably.
Also I put it on loop because a 2 second video is rather sad.
GUI Design
Now, I'll admit that I'm not the best at GUI design, but I tried my best to come up with my own design for the fanganronpa's interface, which I made based on a water-ish looking theme. The (not final) result of that is the picture below.
In case that you’re wondering, no, this isn’t any sort of canon conversation. It’s just the phrase I could come up with.
And yes, the background is from V3; I don't have any backgrounds at all for the project yet lol.
The sun and the fish on the top right corner will change depending on the time of day; but that's something that I'll keep to myself until the moment I start posting the story.
I have conflicted feelings with this GUI though, I don't know if I like it or not. It looks somewhat good but still off at the same time? Although it might just be me. If anyone has any feedback or suggestion for the GUI's design, the inbox is always open to receive such help!
So what's next?
Currently, I have loads of assignments at college, so it's kinda hard to make a balance between the project, social life and college work. However, the project is something that won’t stop.
The fangan has only one member, which is me of course; that means it’s going at a slow pace. I'm willing to make a recruitment for help, but that’ll be later once I have the basics to let someone else help me. If you’re willing to volunteer for this project, keep heads eyes up for the day I call out for help.
In the past, I tried to learn how to program with unity, but it’s hard to follow it up when the free tutorials are scattered here and there. When I have free time and everything art-related has been set up, I might try to pick it up again. I say might because I’m gonna start a tiny course for unreal engine at college. Maybe with the basics that they teach there, I’ll be able to do a better/quicker job than if I did it with unity (which I have 0 experience with). But the future is uncertain, so I’ll be the judge of that once I’m done with that course!
With that being said... as of now, the next objectives for the project (not ordered by priority) are the following:
Finishing Default Sprites.
I only have 7 default sprites done out of the 16 students, and I’m already working on the 8th. Half-way there?
Concept Art for each Room/Place.
While I have written down all the places in each dome, there are some that I need to draw the concept of the place, since the idea in my mind keeps changing them, I should settle them down.
Finishing Writing the Prologue and the Basics of Chapter 1.
I mean I already have like a half of these two things or more, but since I keep changing it, they never get any actual progress. Maybe I should learn to let it be as it is lol.
Creating 3D Assets.
Of course, I’ll make the 3D models for the rooms and props... well, I might do them; that is if I can’t find anyone that can make them. Pros of this is that I can do things exactly how I want them; cons are that it takes time and I’m not an expert in 3D modeling.
Trial GUI.
Class trials in danganronpa have a different GUI than the one used outside of them. We have a beta for the general GUI up there, now we need one for the class trial’s as well!
Concept Art for... a Trial Thing.
It’s no surprise that there are special things in fanganronpas, such as making changes to certain game mechanics, or creating completely new ones. The one I’m refering to in this case is a change to an already existing mechanic in the DR games. Can you guess which one it is~?
Splash Art.
During the first year of birthdays, I drew some sketches for the characters; those are the base for their future splash art.
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And last (and currently least important)
Recruiting Volunteers for the Project.
Obviously, I can’t do everything in this project by myself. In the future, once I have made a base for every ground of the project, I’ll recruit people that can work from there. Artists (GUI,CG and Sprite), Compositors, and 3D modelers are the ones that I’ll be looking for in this recruitment. In an even-later recruitment, I’ll make a casting call for voice actors as well. Please be patient though!
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I suppose that’s it for this very long post. It took more days than expected to put everything together, but at last I can release it now!
Now, June and July are pretty busy months at college, so unfortunatelly the progress will slow down a lot more than usual for the next few weeks. Thanks for sticking around this project despite the long road it has ahead! ^^
See you all in the next post! And if you read this entire thing, thank you for your interest in the fangan! <3
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Jaimi’s Update
5/6/19 Update
Hi All
Thank you all for continuing to share Shelk’s GoFundMe, I really appreciate it and it’s been helping. Now on to that update I keep planning and not seeming to get to.
This is a long post, so I will put it below a cut.
About Me First
So March and April were both massively long and a more then a little painful, both physically and mentally. I had a depressive spiral because of something someone said, cause even though they hadn’t meant to set one off, their word choice did not help. I got it just about under control and someone else said something that sent it right back down. I finally got it under control again, back in the slow drag of getting out of it. Not that I know for a fact it will work or not. Life is never that easy.
I spent way too much of the two months on the go, to the point where my body shut down a couple of different times and I was completely useless. At least I accomplished my goals though, even if I paid massively for them.
I have a new therapist, she’s lovely but it’s frustrating, because I did not want to be changing therapists in the middle of shit going wrong, but alas it was a thing that had to happen since my previous one is officially retired for a variety of reasons (and I hope he enjoys it too!).
Despite my best efforts, I am a foster fail again, and have a new cat, he is adorable and loveable. I’ve named him Silver for his chest and markings.
[ID: Silver the cat laying partly on the laptop keyboard]
I’m trying to figure out how to pay my electric, it’s due on the 10th, I should have made a post on it, but I’ve been more focused on making sure my sister doesn’t lose her home. Plus I was under therapist orders not to think of anything money or work related for three days during this last weekend.
Winston
[ID: Winston the rottweiler service pup laying on my lap while I pet him]
He’s doing perfect on his training, already has two of his tasks completely down, working on getting several more down.
Unfortunately, there have been several problems with store peeps despite the fact I make sure he has his harness on and his leash on that says he is a service dog. They keep making a fit over the fact he’s a rottweiler, I even had one say it directly to my face.
So I’ve ordered a bunch of business cards with the ADA online address on them, a copy of the two questions they can legally ask on the front:
Is that a service dog?
What tasks does your service dog perform for you?
On the back I put the four points people keep missing the most, copied directly from the ADA FAQ:
Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person’s disability.
The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, ID tag, or specific harness.
Covered entities may not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal, as a condition for entry.
Michigan has a voluntary registration program but it is not required.
The last point is from the state ADA, rather then the Federal one. If I had more room, I would have included the fact it’s illegal to try and force a registration, but alas business cards aren’t that big.
I knew when I got him there was going to be questions because he’s so big, I hadn’t realized how foolish peeps were going to be over his breed.
Both his leash and harness say Service Dog on them, but because I didn’t go out and buy the specialized one, but a training harness which was a lot cheaper and works for our needs just as well, people like to question it often. To the point where I even had one person tell me to get out of the store because someone else’s dog acted up, so mine couldn’t really be a service dog. Seriously, then she tried to back it with the ADA, while breaking the first three points from the back, and then insisting that the Michigan registry is required.
Seriously, she’s one of the reasons I made the cards, right after I reported her and her boss, since she was insisting she checked with her boss, and her boss agreed. I even stressed to both the ADA and her company I didn’t want either fired, I wanted them properly trained, it should not be the customer’s job to print off the law and bring it in to make a point, just to keep shopping.
I refuse to go back to having days I can’t go to the store because others want to have a problem with my awesome boy. If they have a problem with another dog, that’s the other dog’s handlers problem, not mine. To take it out on me is unprofessional.
Shelk & Lot Rent
All of you peeps who have shared it (particularly you awesome one @noregretsnotearsnoanxieties) are wonderful! I appreciate all of the help. Shelk is flabbergasted and thankful beyond words for all the help.
Last month we were able to get $555 within the $3,600. The lot owner accepted that, which set the eviction notice back to the 15th of this month.
Right now we are at $150 this month, which is great as we are trying to get to at least $300, as that would pay at least one month. Currently she owes $3,345 between past and current due.
A wonderful peep has said they are going to try and do something mid-month after getting paid, so I am rather hopeful, and I will be continuing to share, with updates every time there is a donation.
Unexpected Meeting Kickstarter
I know I have two digital rewards to finish, I have been working on them, they will be posted by the end of this month.
I am also going to start ordering the stuff to send out to people, getting the bookmarks, magnets, posters, and other goodies ready while the book is being edited. I can happily report the first few chapters have been looked at, though I have not yet had a chance to check the edits, which is why I haven’t shared snippets yet.
It didn’t help that one of the rewards got corrupted when my computer updated in the middle of a save. Anyways, I’m excited! So bloody excited!
Converging Lives
I will hopefully be returning to updating my @converginglives blog this week, I miss being able to post stuff there plus I still have the Spring 2019 A to Z Event to finish.
I am also working on an actual website for it, which will have pretty much everything from the tumblr blog but in an organized method as I am tired of arguing with tumblr about it when making sure it’s in website format.
Fanfic
Seeking is DONE - again. This time I emailed myself the file as well as typing it in google docs. Then of course docs didn’t have the problems it had last time. After 18 months of not being able to work on it, my muse finally got on the game. I’m so bloody pleased with that. I posted one chapter tonight, next Monday I will post the last chapter.
I plan on posting the last chapter of Challenge Accepted on Wednesday as it’s done and I just need post it.
I’m planning on working on Advent, Playful Stress Relief, Blessed, and Learning to Live. Why those ones?
Advent is rough drafted out, might as well finish it. Besides, I don’t like the fact my lovely and fluff filled thing is still stuck in limbo.
Playful Stress Relief is nearly done, I think editing was all I had left on that particular last chapter to finish it, though don’t quote me. It’s been awhile since I checked it.
Blessed is calling me, though only lightly, and I’m not even sure there are peeps waiting for it, but hey whatevers.
Learning to Live got a lovely comment which made me smile, in the height of a massive episode. I am updating it for that person, hopefully it will let me get on a roll and finish my oldest fanfic.
You wanna see one of the other ones updated? Leave a comment on it, not just a “update please” but something you like, or a question, or even a smile face. Update please doesn’t encourage me, but pretty much everything else does.
Cosmos Market
This is still being worked on, for those who don’t know what the market is, here is a link to the last post made on it. I’ll probably be updating it sometime in the near future, but at this moment that is a pretty good definition of it.
I want -- need -- to get the market off the ground so I can stop needing to ask for help as I will have at least a small and stable income going.
I’m not planning on making a lot off of it, just enough to pay my base bills, which will not put me out of the poverty line. I do expect it to be a success, however I plan on putting money into my employees and building instead. My sister being one of those employees in order to help her stop needing to ask for help as well since she’s been struggling to find a job.
The market isn’t the only thing on the planner for business, it’s just the one I am focused on right this moment, though I have been eyeing my second rather heavily lately too, as it would be a much more passive situation for me to deal with.
Disability
A lot of you know that I’ve applied for it in the past and was turned down as “disabled but not disabled enough”. I have reapplied for it. Why? Because I am still disabled, and a lot of times, things are worse then they were the last time I applied.
This time I have been sent to deal with so many new doctors it’s making me want to scream. I don’t deal well with new people. Yet I have to. A lot. It’s frustrating beyond words. Still, if it helps over all, I will do whatever I must.
It’s seriously my hope to get to the point where I can put it on hold, and only use it when I have a really bad flare up. Yes, things have been closer to stable since I got Winston, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t problems going on. I had a depressive spiral that lasted five bloody weeks. Sometimes I was able to force myself to get stuff done, other times I couldn’t even get out of bed because of my mind. It’s hard to be stable with that situation going on.
Knowing my bills will be dealt with even if I can’t get out of bed would help a great deal. Far more than I really want to admit. At last, that’s the way it goes.
Links
Rather then put the links in this mess, I will make a post just for them and then add the link to it here for those who want to share it. Any sharing would be appreciated as it helps more than you would imagine.
I know a lot of people don’t have money, and while money is needed, that is not what I am asking for, all I am asking for is you take the time to share. Just a few seconds, a couple of clicks, can make a world of difference.
While a lot of the links are about me, not all of them are as I also put up links to others who have helped me and friends who are in different tight situations. I’m a firm believer in paying it forward in any way possible.
Link to Links
Previous Updates
5/1/19 & 5/3/19
4/24/19
3/9/19 & Links
3/1/19
2/14/19
1/24/19
1/16/19
1/5/19
12/27/17 & 12/28/18
12/22/18
12/19/18
12/6/18 & 12/8/18
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Survey responses
Hey all! Thanks so much for all the great responses to the survey. We’ve contact the winners and are just checking they’re ok with us announcing things on the Big Bang!
Below the cut you can find responses to some things that were brought up in the survey results!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us in the usual way for further clarification or follow up questions.
Schedule for YGOBB 2019 + discord
The schedule for YGOBB 2019 will basically be the same as 2018 but shifted slightly to account for a new deadline time. PLEASE BE AWARE THE DEADLINE TIME WILL BE CHANGING!!! Midnight PST is no longer convenient for myself (Admin S) as I no longer work from home and also live in Japan.
The new deadline time will be 7PM PST
Everyone will be kicked out of the discord server on 31st January, just a day before sign ups open. You'll be invited back again as soon as you sign up!
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Turning 18
So I updated the FAQ again recently to add that artists under 18 can't be assigned to any fics that contain sex (likewise under 18s shouldn't be writing anything with sex in it. Please note, this all down to legality reasons.
Anyway! If you turn 18 after YGOBB has started but before artist claims, you can obviously go ahead and claim any fic.
If you won't turn 18 until after artist claims then you can't ask for anything that contains sex.
However, if you later turn 18 and want to pinch hit for something that contains sex then it's fine.
And of course, make sure you let us know you're going to turn 18 so we don't continue to withhold those fics from you.
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Posting frequency for writers
This we're updating a little bit. Before it was a minimum of one chapter a day or all at once. Writers are welcome to post more than that a day of course, e.g 2, 3, 6 if they really want.
We're also introducing a third option of the fic must be uploaded 4 weeks after the initial chapter is posted. This means if your fic is 8 chapters you could post 1 chapter, 2 times a week or 1 chapter, 3 times a week or you could even post 2 chapters, once a week. So long as you let us know exactly when you claim the post date.
We don't want to give any longer than this as this means more monitoring for us. If your fic is 20 chapters and you're only uploading 1 chapter, 2 times a week. Well that's 10 weeks we have to monitor your fic for. It delays sending out the survey for next year and delays us reblogging all the fic posts.
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Final word count vs rough draft word count and art tiers
Someone suggested giving a week or two of editing after draft hand ins to get a more accurate word count. Whilst we won't be doing this exactly we'll possibly be looking at rounding up by a 10% margin.
If your current word count + 10% of your current word count pushes you up into the next tier then we'll get artists for that tier.
For example:
Rough draft word count is 15,000 words. Plus 10% would be 16,500, this isn't enough to push into a higher tier.
Rough draft word count is 19,000 words. Plus 10% would be 20,900, this is enough to push into a higher tier so we would look to fill the 20k tier for this writer.
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Artists reading fic
When an artist is assigned to a writer, we're not necessarily expecting them to read the writers fic. It may be that it's super long or they might not have time!
The best thing to do as a writer when your artist contacts you is to give scenes to them that you'd like to see. If you can't think of any, then giving a detailed summary might help them narrow down what they want to draw!
Graphics aren't as flexible, especially as we only allow official artwork or artwork owned by the graphic artist to be used, so it's likely that any banners or icons will just be made of characters in the fic.
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Artists not previously having a drop date + Artists being locked in
There seems to be some confusion about signing up as an artist worked this year. Artists were NOT 'signed up' until they filled out the claims form.
Before then they were simply registering interest in participating. We wanted the artists to be around from the beginning this year to chat with everyone and to build up excitement.
There wasn't a final drop date (there will be one set for next year) but if artists had had any concerns they were more than welcome to contact us and in fact some artists did drop out without any banning on our end.
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Communication between artists and writers
There's a lot of mentions of this, or rather a lack of this. Unfortunately, this isn't something we were made aware of during the Big Bang itself. It's VERY IMPORTANT that you let us know if there is a communication breakdown or you haven't heard from your writer/artist in x amount of time. We have email addresses for everyone that we can use to make contact when maybe they're away from tumblr/twitter/discord. It also means that if they have dropped off the face of the earth we can sort out a pinch hit much sooner, which gives the pinch hitting artist more time to work on a piece.
People mentioned us monitoring communication. This is not something we're looking to do directly but this year we plan to send out reminders for artists/writers to contact each other. However, please do NOT rely on this.
Discord is probably best for communicating but we expect artists and writers to be able to communicate enough to work out what is best for your group.
tl;dr if there's a long period of silence from your artist or writer please TELL US. We can't help the situation otherwise.
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Reverse Big Bang
We've also had this suggestion in the past and is definitely something that we're interested in doing in the future. We didn't do it after the suggestion last year as we'd had so many issues that we wanted to make sure things would go more smoothly this year.
Whilst I think as far as people taking part are concerned things went pretty smoothly, we still had issues behind the scenes so to speak so we're still not comfortably changing things up in a massive way but it's definitely something we're thinking about for the future.
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Patreon Initiative - THANK YOU, GUYS!!!
Oh, hello guys!
It is that time of the month I tell you everything!
But the first and most important thing I want to tell is, as always:
THANK YOU, GUYS!
To this month there is something special… I did not have any new patreon, but I should create a new title just for her… @ivarswickedqueen , you’re much more than just a Bror… You should be called “Mor” (Mom) or “Engel” (Angel)! I don’t know another way for you to be sweeter, more kind and amazing person than you are now!
Why am I telling this? Well guys, as you can see, the earning of Patreon site has increased even I don’t have any other new patreon (feel free to become one whenever you want babe girls!)…
I used to earn $7 USD/month and now, thanks to this sweet person @ivarswickedqueen who raised up the value she gives me monthly, I’m now receiving $13 USD/month! There is no way for me to be more grateful! Thanks, sweet love! Thanks!
Thanks too to the amazing and lovely @bang-kim-bap and my sweet @directionlessbuthappy who are always by my side since this journey has begun! You guys ROCK!
This month you must have seen the post “Patreon’s Project – Rewards!” right? Well, that beautiful keylocker will be a reward to every single person who remains at least 03 months signed at the Patreon Project! Yeah!
Since I’m not able to make the lottery yet (my goals aren’t reached, but they will!) I found a way to gift my sweet patreons with more than just scenes, so now you sign one of my plans, Ven or Bror, stay for three months and then I’ll send you a handmade keylocker made by myself, with all my love and sweetness! Isn’t it lovely?
Also, we had a little change this month.
The last poll I made into Patreon’s site and I noticed it was hard for you guys to reach it so this time, I’m making the poll into Google Forms as a test.
Please let me know if it was easier to vote!
Now, one more time, THANK YOU for everything and let’s vote to the next Original Content HERE! If you have any doubts, you can read the faq below or send me an ask and I’ll gladly answer all the questions of your heart!!
Love ya all!
FAQ
1. What is Patreon Project?
Let’s talk about Patreon Initiative a little: have you seen the orange button on my blog?
This button is a shortcut to a site named Patreon.
In this site, my readers who want to support my work as a writer can sign a monthly payment of $1 or $2 USD and become one of my Patrons.
The Patreon’s Page is also a blog, like the Tumblr (with a little more of organization hahaha) where I’m publishing some original contents of my own work, with some scenes made especially for these readers that choose to become supporters.
From time to time there will be some polls to decide new themes to the original content that will be published both on Patreon Blog and Tumblr, but the patreon’s content will always receive some exclusive scenes and bonus interactions that only the patreons will be able to enjoy.
The polls’ links will be shared on Tumblr and the questions are now made through the Google Forms, but anyway, I suggest you register on Patreon’s site. DON’T WORRY, REGISTRATION IS FREE and concedes you access not only to my Patreon blog but also to a lot of other creators blogs, including ThatTypeOfGirl, a blog made for @hvitserksgirl with an incredible content for you to study and have fun at the same time! In three words? CHECK-IT-OUT!
2. Why should I do it, Lis?
Well, we, writers, also need to work and if I can do it with you it will be very better!
3. I went there and I saw two values. What does it mean?
My patreons are subdivided into two categories: The Ven and the Bror.
The Ven
Ven is the Danish word for “Friend”, so you become a Friend of my blog, donating $1 USD monthly.
The Bror
Bror is the Danish word for “Brother”, so a Bror is a brother of my blog, donating $2 USD monthly.
Both of them earn:
Your own mention on this special monthly post;
Access to the lottery I’ll be explaining on question number 4;
Access to Patreon’s exclusive scenes on the original content that will be published on Patreon Blog and also on Tumblr;
A personal notification from me whenever the new original chapters are published.
After the third month of patreon paid, the patreon will receive a handmaid keylocker like this one:
It might come on other formats and other colors but I’ll add a new picture here every time the keylocker changes! It is a handmade crochet piece I did myself, using cotton line and all the love of my heart!
4. What is this lottery you’re talking about?
I have two goals in the Patreon Initiative, one at $300 USD and the second one at $600 USD per month. To be a Patreon doesn’t mean only donate to my work and I also don’t want to be the only one who’s receiving. So I found a way to make it cool for you - my patreons - and to other creators like me.
Everyone here knows the MARVELLOUS work of @milbethmorillo with her beautiful draws and the Ragnar’s Sons Chibi collection that it’s a sweet lovely pie, right?
So, I decided to make a lottery every time one of my goals is achieved, to support her work and prize my patreons with a beautiful piece of her collections at Society6.com
When my first goal ($300) is achieved, I’ll buy one of her items and raffle it between ALL MY PATREONS. Yeah. It doesn’t mean if you are a Ven or a Bror. Every patron will have the chance to be prized with one of the beautiful works you can see HERE.
The only difference is that if the winner is a Bror, he’ll receive the item plus a random sticker of her collection with an amazing drawing of hers.
Isn’t it incredible?
5. And if the second goal ($600) is achieved, Lis, what happens?
Then TWO items will be raffled to DIFFERENT WINNERS in this month!
It is a way not only to thank you, my sweet supporters but also to divide your support with another amazing creator that deserves all our love and attention! If we receive a blessing, so let’s spread it, right?
So if you want to support my work and help me to reach these goals, participate on this initiative, earn access to my original exclusive content and, at the time, the chance to earn a lovely item from @milbethmorillo ’s arts, click HERE or on the orange button in my page and BECOME A PATREON!!
Everyone is welcome! And for you, I’m thankful!!
6. What if I just want to make you a single donation, not a monthly payment?
So now you have the option to visit my Ko-fi page and pay me a coffee! Is a single payment of $3 dollars and will not be re-charged next month!
7. What is a Premium Request?
A Premium Request is a request that you pay me to do. These requests will be prioritized on my queue and sent to the requester via e-mail in a PDF format that can be printed.
8. How can I make a Premium Request?
Follow the steps below:
Go to my Ko-fi page through the button on my homepage and pay me a coffee.
Send me a message there with your Tumblr name.
Come here on Tumblr and make me an ask with your request. Do not forget to tag it putting “[PREMIUM]” before the text on your ask.
Don’t forget to include your email in the Ko-fi message or on your Tumblr ask to receive the PDF Document with your printable pages! Your request will be published on Tumblr and sent to you so you can print or keep it with you!
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navigation
here you’ll find links for all sorts of navigational needs for this blog! let me know if anything is broken or if you’d like something to be added for your convenience.
[last updated: 6/25/18]
links
ao3
twitter
main
curious cat
ko-fi
masterlist
enter domain: desire | explicit, jikook, oneshot(?), camboy! jimin + college student! jeongguk
↪ ❝camboy jimin has jeongguk whipped. jimin finally noticed jeongguk and it makes for a fun stream.❞
take all the stars that hang above me (be mine) | explicit, jikook, oneshot, cat hybrid! jimin + bunny hybrid! jeongguk
↪ ❝ being mates that are so in love, it's no question that jimin's heats make the both of them go a little mad. but pre-heats were a little different, not as intense but just as sweet and fulfilling to spend together.❞
i wanna be with (just love) | explicit, jikook, oneshot, solo artist! jimin + rookie idol! jeongguk
↪ ❝ park jimin never cares for these shitty awards shows, but then newcomer rookie jeon jeongguk comes in and turns his whole world upside down.❞
i'd prefer soft mints instead | explicit, taegi, oneshot, canon idolverse
↪ ❝ soft boyfriends like kissing each other and coming together. that's it, that's the story.❞
faq
“why do you have two separate blogs for writing?”
i thought i should separate my x reader fics with those of ships, since not only are they drastically different in my opinion, but also usually those who search one type won’t be looking for the other. this way, no one will go into my main expecting ship fics or vice versa and be disappointed by the content or lack thereof.
“are you abandoning your main/|insert fic name here|?”
no, just simply taking a hiatus. i’d prefer if that sort of talk and asks were left on my main since i made this side blog specifically to keep away from it since i wasn’t doing well with writing and blogging there.
“will you write for |insert ship name here|?”
chances are if there isn’t already one of them written by me, there may well be in the future. i don’t really plan my fics for this account which is why i enjoy it a lot more than before, so i can’t for sure tell you what i will or won’t write anytime soon. that being said, i’m very open to just about all bts ships, ot7 relationships and poly things so don’t fret! it’s not that i don’t love/support their ship, just waiting on the right inspiration is all. you’ll see a lot of jikook because it is my otp and the ship i have the easiest time writing for but i love a variety of them and i won’t be afraid to share them eventually.
“when will you update/post something new?
this is probably the ask i hate the most and i’m sorry but 9/10 times i usually won’t respond to these. they’re what really drove me away from writing on my main because it felt like i was being pressured to write rather than doing it for my own enjoyment, which was the whole point of me doing it in the first place. that being said, if i have any plans (which is a big fat IF) i usually share them in some sort of update post or something along those lines. sometimes a fic/chapter can take me a few hours to churn out and sometimes i’ll be stuck on it for months. there’s no real rushing to this sort of thing, especially since i’m very meticulous when it comes to my works.
“can i request something?”
sure! i can’t promise i’ll actually get to it but it might serve as good inspiration and i may write it! sometimes a good headcanon or concept or even just a certain pic or gifset may spark something in me so don’t be afraid to share your ideas with me! writer’s block can be a bitch but with the help of others, it’s certainly a lot easier of an obstacle to get over.
(i.e. “i saw this gif and thought about alpha taehyung being all cuddly with his mate after a long day” or “i was just thinking about that interview and how much namjoon screamed baby boy and i now i can’t get this idea out of my head”)
“what won’t you write?”
i consider myself very open with ideas, kinks, fetishes, etc. but i will say i have some hard no’s. some are for obvious reasons and some are just personal preferences and i would really appreciate if you’d respect that. i will NEVER write anything including pedophilia, rape/non-con (without it being something for a plot. i mean it as like a kink or something positive), feet/foot fetishes, daddy kink, little lifestyles (can do very subby mindsets but no pacifiers, diapers, etc. that are known for ddlg) or scat. this list may be worked on later as i discover things that may make me uncomfortable to read or write.
“but |insert member here| isn’t like that at all! why are you writing them like that?”
let me make this clear: i am a fan fiction writer, therefore, nothing i write is real. i can write things born of canon moments or things that have realistic aspects but obviously nothing i write can come true because why would bts suddenly stop being idols to be drug lords or go to a regular american college? if you think that the way i write and portray a member as a character in any of my fics is footing in my opinion of them, then i’m sorry to say you’re sorely mistaken. just because a member is a villain in one fic doesn’t mean that’s what i truly see them as. i love each and every member of bts equally and i support them through all their endeavors. they’re first and foremost people i look up to and truly appreciate.
what does the (?) mean next to oneshots in your masterlist?
that simply means it’s technically a oneshot but it may become part of a series or simply have a sequel at some point! sometimes i really enjoy the au or storyline of a oneshot i write and i might want to revisit again for some reason. this isn’t a guarantee to a full fledged sequel but just a note that it may be worked on at some point in the future, so if you particularly enjoyed that story or au, there might be more in store!
can i send you asks about anything?
sure you can, though i can’t promise when exactly i can get to them but know that i’ll always be open for anything. whether it’s good news, something personal, needing to vent, sharing ideas, needing advice, etc. i’ll always be here!
please feel free to ask any more questions if they’re unanswered here or if you need any further clarification. thank you! ♡
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Rules: Answer all 21 questions, let the one who tagged you know you answered and then tag your writing pals!
I was tagged by: @locke-writes Thanks!
The Works:
1. Which is the imagine you’re most proud of?
I'm moderately proud of all my imagines because I work hard on them. But there isn't one that stands out in particular because I'm too critical. Hmm. Maybe “Rafael's Biting Kink”.
2. Which is your least favourite?
Maybe Back to Manhattan, a Sonny Carisi/reader one shot. Friends to lovers, but very rushed.
3. If you were to recommend one to read to your mum/mom?
My mum doesn't even know that I write ff. And she's not a huge fan of my favorites. But hypothetically speaking she'd probably appreciate the Chilton/reader Leap of Faith songfic.
4. Which one would you consider re-writing?
April, the angsty Chilton/OC one. Not because I don't like it. But I had three different endings in mind, and all of them would've worked. Would be fun to explore the other two.
5. Biggest regret in an imagine?
That I didn't make the Barba/reader smut ones more explicit.
{the rest under the cut}
6. Biggest success with an imagine?
Changing Room Sex with Rafael
7. Your imagine with the most notes?
Changing Room Sex with Rafael
8. Your imagine with the least notes?
Oh definitely the Margot x reader one. Femslash AND German? – no surprise. But I don't mind; this is one of the very few fics that I write for myself (and my friend @sommertagshimmelblau, of course.)
9. What do you think makes a good imagine? Tips?
Write what you know. If that's not possible, put some effort into your research.
10. When’s the next update on your works?
I want to post the next chapter of my (German) Barisi fic sometime next week. But if someone sends me a request, it'll be the next thing, they always get priority.
11. Number of followers before you started writing and after?
I didn't keep track of that, but my follower count almost doubled over the summer which roughly coincides with when I started writing more Barba/reader. I have 614 followers now; but this is not a writing blog anyway.
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The Writer:
1. Which character do you love writing for?
Chilton & Barba in particular.
2. Which character do you dislike writing for?
I only write for characters I love, there's a list in my FAQ post.
3. What’s your favourite AU to write for?
Never written an AU. I've written slightly to wildly (depends on who you ask) canon-divergent stuff, but never a fullblown AU.
4. What’s your least favourite AU to write for?
see above
5. What do you hope never gets requested?
I can't really think of anything. I'll write everything, within reason.
6. What do you wish was requested more?
Kinky smut. Dad!Barba. But since I haven't gotten any requests lately, I'm thirsty for anything and anyone.
7. Thoughts on writing Smut/POC/Curvy/MxM/FxF?
Smut. It's my favorite genre (to read and write.) Always a challenge because you have to find a balance between describing which part goes where (which can get really unsexy really fast) and keeping your readers engaged.
POC. I had reservations about writing for Barba. All I know about the Hispanic experience in the US I learned from tv shows, academic texts & pop culture articles. I still refuse to write Nevada (my love!) because he's so deeply rooted in his American-Dominican culture ... I'd probably get a lot wrong, especially his Spanish (I only speak Iberian Spanish.) Not ideal. The only other PoC I ever wrote for is Bayard Ellis, but the fic is so short, and my characterization was so lazy that he might as well have been white. Ugh. At the same time I hate that PoC characters get overlooked all the time (like, not a single Crawford x reader fanfic?! He's daddy af!). I know I'm part of the problem. I need to do better.
Curvy. I try not to use quantifiers or get into too much detail when I talk about “reader”'s physical appearance. Ideally, everyone should be able to identify with them. (Personally I lovelovelove people with curves, so I guess thicc!reader is gonna happen eventually. And we need more body positivity in fanfiction.)
MxM. Trying to stay true to your character's personality is key. And there's a difference between "they're cute because I made them gay" and "they're cute and just happen to be gay in my story."
FxF. Writing Margot Verger x female reader is so much fun. As a bisexual woman, I can't believe I never thought about it before. I think part of the reason why fem slash is unpopular even among queer women is that our f/f relationships in real life (romantic or not) are often more fulfilling than those with (cis) men. We don't need to dream about idealized relationships with women because we already have that. At least that’s my experience.
8. Which account is your biggest inspiration in writing?
The biggest one is @xemopeachx. Also @locke-writes, @sommertagshimmelblau, @missjennifercole, @serendiptious-esparza, @jimhoppersbeard (formerly drchiltonsdick), @mrschiltoncat. I'm probably forgetting a lot of people.
9. How long have you been an imagine writer for?
a year
10. Any upcoming secret works?
No, sorry! I have some ideas I never shared with anyone, but I doubt I'll ever write them.
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Arslan Senki Summary | Book 11: Assault of Demons
Arslan Senki / The Heroic Legend of Arslan
Written by: Yoshiki Tanaka
Translated summaries by: ryukoishida
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
Translator’s Note: Updates have been slow lately — I apologize, and thanks for sticking around for this long! Obviously, there are spoilers for those who have only read the manga and/or watch the anime/OVAs. Happy reading!
Additional Notes:
Please do not ask me when the next summary will be updated. I have no set schedule for this.
Have a question? Please check out my arslan senki spoilers tag and my other arslan senki spoilers tag first to see if your questions have already been answered before sending me an ask.
All my Arslan Senki-related posts, links, news etc. can be found on my AS Information page.
If you’ve enjoyed my work and would like to support me a little, you can buy me a coffee here! [Ko-fi link at the bottom of the FAQ~]
Book 11: Assault of Demons
Chapter I
June, Pars Era 325.
Guiscard, who’s crowned himself the King of Maryam at the beginning of the year, has finally captured Bodin and kept him imprisoned. Pars requests that Bodin be sent back to be punished for his war crimes, but Guiscard finds more satisfaction in killing Bodin himself. He orders his underlings to cover Bodin’s head with a sack and bash his skull with wooden clubs until the man dies.
Citizens of Maryam had suffered under Bodin’s ruling, so when Guiscard rises up to claim the kingdom, there isn’t too much disagreement amongst the Maryamians, and Guiscard tries to come up with ways to strengthen Maryam.
In Maryam’s capital city, Olaberria, a trusted subordinate of Guiscard’s, runs into his old friend Don Ricardo (now known to most as Parahuda) and Estelle; he invites them back to his home, where they meet Parizad. Parahuda doesn’t remember Olaberria due to his memory loss from his encounter inside Mt. Damavand, but Olaberria tries to persuade him to stay and work under Guiscard, to which Parahuda refuses because he wants to accompany Estelle. Olaberria asks Estelle about the purpose of her journey to Maryam, and she tells him: Since her return to Lusitania in year 321, her home country has been in a state of chaos and anarchy; in the end, citizens decided to send out a small group to Maryam in the hopes that they can persuade Guiscard to rule Lusitania once more. However, amongst the small group, only Parahuda and Estelle make it to Maryam.
The next day, to everyone’s surprise, Parahuda is found to have spent the night with Parizad. Olaberria is disappointed that he won’t be able to give Parizad to Guiscard as a gift anymore. Estelle gets to meet with Guiscard and states her case, but Guiscard refuses to help; going back to Lusitania means he’ll be demoted back to a prince’s rank, whereas in Maryam he’s already established himself as the new king. In addition to his rejection to Estelle’s proposal, Guiscard plans to get rid of Estelle because she reminds him of his defeat in Pars; he plans to blame Bodin’s death on her and her companions.
Disappointed, Estelle returns to Olaberria’s residence and talks to Parahuda and Parizad. A moment later, they are attacked by the group of thieves that had harassed them on the street the day before; Parahuda quickly defeats them, and his memory returns as well. He tells the two women about the monster he met at Mt. Damavand four years ago, and Parizad, being the only Parsian in the company, immediately knows that it’s the Serpent King Zahhak. At this time, Guiscard’s soldiers have arrived to capture Estelle; the three manage to fight back, but they know they can’t stay in Maryam any longer, so they decide to head for Lusitania by going through Pars.
Chapter II
In Oxus, after Gieve, Farangis, and Alfreed successfully lead the priestesses and trainees to take refuge from the fire that Namard has started, the three envoys set out to confront Kermine. Around this time, a small Parsian troop from the capital has also arrived. Kermine refuses to admit that he’s the fake lord despite the evidence presented in the form of the letter they have taken from Namard, so Alfreed is about to take him by force, except blocking her path is Layla. Kermine explains that Layla is under Zahhak’s control because he’s fed her the serpent king’s blood when he mixed it into her drink a month ago after she’d won the local martial arts competition. As her friend, Alfreed is unable to fight Layla with her full strength, so Farangis takes over for her and asks Alfreed to handle Kermine instead. After a lengthy and difficult fight, Alfreed pierces her sword into Kermine’s chest, but the sight that comes after shocks everyone present: Kermine’s limbs twitch uncontrollably and his body disintegrates into ash. With her lord defeated and her wooden staff chopped in half by Farangis, Layla knows she’s outnumbered and escapes.
During this time, Namard, who’s in intense agony from his left arm being chopped off earlier and is delirious, drinks a liquid from a silver flask; he starts to transform into a creature bearing wings.
Alfreed and Farangis search for Namard; in a blood-stained room filled with a strange medicinal stench, they’re attacked by a winged ape. They fight it off and the ape crashes out of the room through the windows to escape, but both women notice with dread that the winged ape is missing its left arm. Farangis appoints the captain of the Parsian troop as the temporary commander of the Oxus region until Arslan decides what to do.
On the other end, sorcerers Gurgin and Ghundi are talking about Kermine’s death and Layla’s potential partner, who’s drunk Zahhak’s blood and survived, and is currently under Gazhdaham’s watch. Their conversation is interrupted by a commotion caused by a few caged winged apes; it looks as if one of them has been attacked and eaten by others, and standing in the corner with a sly expression on its face is a winged ape without its left arm.
During one evening at the summer lent festival, Arslan and Elam sneak out of the palace to walk around; it’s a common occurrence for them since Arslan enjoys life among the civilians rather than staying cooped up in the palace. They chat about Rushan picking out a suitable bride for Arslan; they joke about how instead of fighting over political powers and control, in the Parsian government, they push the responsibility onto each other. In a dark alley, they encounter ghouls — servants of Zahhak and monsters known to devour carcasses, though they are rarely seen in the city and mostly roam along the countryside. Elam is barely fighting them off when Daryun joins in and kills the rest of it. He orders his subordinate to capture one alive so Narsus can examine it closely, and then the three of them head to Narsus’ residence.
Chapter III
Their discussion about the ghouls’ sudden appearance is cut short when a group of winged apes crash into Narsus’ home. Narsus and Elam protect Arslan while Daryun slays them down. He jumps out of the window and rides on one of them; he slits its throat when it tries to bring Daryun down with it, and they fall into a shallow pool below. When another ape tries to attack from above, Daryun is saved by Jimsa, who uses his blow-darts and successfully kills one of them while the last one escapes into the night.
Gathered at Kishward’s residence, Jimsa, who’s accompanied by a little girl, delivers the news to Arslan and his men that Ilterish is still alive. After having Kishward’s wife Nasrin take care of the girl, the men sit down for Jimsa’s report. Supposedly, Jimsa with his small group of 5 knights were heading to the northeast border of Pars to plan out the construction of beacon towers in case there’s invasion from the north, but sensing an oncoming thunderstorm, they hurried to a nearby village they just passed by earlier. However, when they arrived, they discovered that all the villagers, as well as the sheep and cows, had been slaughtered; half of them had their brain and blood sucked dry, and the other half were beheaded. Amongst a pile of sheep carcasses, they found a sole survivor: a small girl of about 10 to 12 years old; she remained silent and terrified when Jimsa tried to ask her what’d happened.
Hidden in the long grass were winged apes and presumably another human being; before long, Jimsa was fighting against enemies by himself when the five soldiers who accompany him were killed. He managed to kill off most of the apes and was hiding with the girl among the grass until the remaining enemy revealed himself to be Ilterish, whom Jimsa presumed to have committed suicide sometime after the Turanian army had been defeated. However, although the man looked and sounded like Ilterish, Jimsa could sense a demonic aura around him that made him feel uneasy. When he was found, Jimsa tried to probe him with questions, and discovered that this Ilterish was not quite the same man he knew. When Jimsa mentioned reviving Turan, not only did Ilterish scoff at the idea, but he also said that serving King Zahhak was more important. He also mentioned that with a chosen woman, they would bear a child who’d act as the representative of Zahhak to rule the land. Jimsa had heard about Zahhak from his Parsian acquaintances and knew it to be a feared icon from the past, so he was confused as to why a Turanian general like Ilterish would care. Before he could go any further, Ilterish engaged him in an intense sword fight; Ilterish had been slashed and was bleeding but continued to move like it was nothing, yet Jimsa was getting more and more exhausted.
Their scuffle was stopped by the sorcerer Gazhdaham, who wanted to take Jimsa with them since he was such a strong warrior. Jimsa immediately realized that Gazhdaham was the one controlling Ilterish, and aimed to kill him so Ilterish could be free from his mind-control. Jimsa managed to take out the sorcerer’s right eye with his dart, but before he could deal more damage, Gazhdaham was gone, and Ilterish, carried in a cage in the air by four winged apes, made his escape as well. Five days later, with the little girl in tow, Jimsa returns to Ecbatana.
Back in Kishward’s home, Jimsa excuses himself from the company, and the rest of them discuss the strange event. They believe that Jimsa is speaking the truth, as he has no reason or tendency to lie. When Jimsa returns, Narsus tells them that they have to prepare to fight monsters that are capable of attacking in an organized manner; they also discuss about the possibility of allying with Rajendra from Sindhura in the war against Zahhak.
Chapter IV
July, Pars Era 325.
Working under Hossain III in Misr as a guest general, Hirmiz continues to request a meeting with the fake Prince Hirmiz but has been denied. He also hears that envoys from East Nabatae, a kingdom south of Misr, has come bearing gifts and information for the king, and that the old captain of the powerful southern army located in Akasha wants to retire. Akasha is a military base that’s important in its role of southern border defense, as well as a business hub for trading. Since Hossain doesn’t want the candidacy for the next captain to be inherited through familial link, the king decides to pick a few candidates instead.
In the market and sitting atop a high wall, a Parsian girl who calls herself Lady Peacock is staring at Hirmiz, and they start a conversation that ends with Hirmiz taking the young woman back to his residence. She explains to him that she was going to be sent into the Misrian palace to become Hossain’s concubine, but before settling down, she wants to lie with a man of her choice. She sees Hirmiz as someone who’s capable of and has the ambition to take the Misirian kingdom, and so has chosen him as her partner. Afterwards, when Hilmes asks, she tells him that her real name is Fitna; he also asks her about the silver bracelet she’s wearing (the same bracelet that Layla and Parizad own), which is a signature of noble status, and Fitna replies that she doesn’t know her actual family at all since she’s brought up by foster parents. Fitna knows that she’s influential and that Hirmiz can make good use of her if he wants to take the Misrian throne, so they make a promise by cutting the bracelet in half, each keeping one half in remembrance: Fitna will help Hirmiz become the captain of the southern army, and when Hirmiz successfully overthrows Hossain, Hirmiz will take Fitna as wife and queen. Hirmiz knows that Fitna will never be able to replace Irina in his heart, and so he allows his aspiration and his new partnership with Fitna to drive him forward.
The next day, after he’s seen Fitna back to her residence, Hirmiz hears news regarding Zandeh’s death from a Parsian merchant: it turns out that Zandeh is killed by Masinissa, one of Hossain’s close generals, through underhanded means. Hirmiz is determined to kill Masinissa to avenge Zandeh’s death.
Masinissa continues to voice out his suspicion of Hirmiz to Hossain, who ignores most of it knowing that Masinissa is a man who’s easily jealous over someone else’s achievements. On one hand, Hossain doesn’t want to place too much trust on the Parsian guest general, but on the other, he wants to make the best use of Hirmiz’s talents. That day, Hossain sleeps with Fitna, and Fitna considers killing him while he’s asleep, but she immediately rids herself of that thought; after all, Hossain is still valuable to her and Hirmiz’s plan.
Four days later and without warning, Hossain allows Hirmiz to meet the fake Prince Hirmiz, who dons a golden mask and seems to hold intense hatred for Narsus. Hirmiz proclaims that he’ll help the “prince” retake Pars no matter what. After the brief meeting, Hirmiz pledges his loyalty to Hossain; that’s because the fake Hirmiz has no use to him.
Without consulting anyone, Hossain announces that Hirmiz will become the new captain of the southern army. Masinissa is against the idea at first, but after Hirmiz’s tactfully-worded speech, Masinissa grudgingly agrees. They will hold a large celebration to commemorate Hirmiz’s promotion, and for the first time, Hirmiz feels the preciousness of the silver bracelet.
Chapter V
June, Pars Era 325.
Trapped within Mt. Damavand, Kubard, Jaswant, Isfan, Merlane, Tus, and Tus’ three wives, plus 2,000 soldiers are trying to decide what to do next. They know that there are probably more monsters in the mountain, so they start burning rue and cover their weapons and armor with the anti-demon substance. While carefully observing the behaviors of the two captured bird-faced beasts, Kura, one of Tus’ wives and the second oldest of the sisters, suggests a plan: they will pretend to let the beasts go free, and when one of them tries to get out of the unlocked cage, the two beasts start to fight amongst themselves until one is trapped under the cart, while the other escapes through the right passageway to call for its allies. Meanwhile, the Parsian troops know they must exit through the left passageway and begins to move. The one trapped beast attempts to attack them, but Isfan, who’s at the back of the troops, cuts it in half.
Merlane and Jaswant are at the front; Merlane occasionally shoots fire arrows dabbed with rue into the dark, hoping that the scent will cause the beasts to stir if there were any. They haven’t encountered anything until they reach a river, which they believe will lead to outside. From behind them, four-eyed canines start to attack in packs; above them, winged apes cast down stalactites, which the soldiers are able to block with their shields, but the apes also take this opportunity to venture closer and deal fatal damage on some men. Merlane shoots down a few apes with his arrows, which cheer the soldiers up as they bravely fight on. The battle is brief but intense; half of the monsters that attack them are left dead while only five soldiers are killed.
As they keep going, they’ve come to an area where the wall on the other side of the river bank breaks off suddenly into a flat field, on which thousands of demonic beasts are lying in wait. They also notice these monsters can use weapons and are organized like army troops. For three days, they combat against the seemingly endless waves of monsters. Kubard is saved by Kayvan; up at the front, Merlane, Tus, and his wives are also slaying the beasts. When the attacks cease, the troops take turns sleeping, eating, and taking watch. Jaswant tells the other generals about what he’s witnessed four years ago when Arslan has been granted the sword Ruknabad; from this, Kubard is even more certain that Arslan is given the power to destroy Zahhak.
Due to their sharp senses, the two wolves and Isfan are leading the troops as the water get shallower. From the left flank, beasts start their attacks again, but the Parsian troops have ran out of rue. As soon as they think they’re at wit’s end, the soldiers can feel the breeze blowing from outside; they run towards the light as fast as they can, and the beasts shrink back into the darkness. Finally free and safe, they see a huge group of winged apes and bird-faced beasts flying like an ominous cloud across the sky in the distance. Merlane, who has better than average eyesight, claims that he sees someone being carried on a cage, but nobody can confirm. They make their way back to Peshawar in three days’ time.
June 28.
The remaining Parsian troops arrive Peshawar, and exhausted from the journey, all of them fall asleep right away. The next day, Kubard prepares defensive measures within the citadel: evacuate all civilians into Peshawar, gather all the rue they can find, guard all wells in case of poison, and ensure there’s enough food for everyone. Among the civilians, male volunteers are given weapons while children, women, and the elderly are kept indoors for protection. Kubard also sends out nine messengers to spread the news about the oncoming attack from Zahhak’s followers. As the sun sets for the day, the three sisters, who have been standing atop the walls, notice the strange shadow lying alongside Peshawar’s walls. They call for Tus, and he immediately sends his wives to call for the others when the general realizes in horror that the large shadow is moving and splitting into thousands of smaller shadows as they spring up from the ground. This is the beginning of the war of humans against demons, the start of the bloodshed in Peshawar.
#arslan senki#the heroic legend of arslan#tanaka yoshiki#assault of demons#bowie's arslan senki book summaries
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