Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Five - Part Two, Special Features

  Chapter Five, Part Two

References:

*The Bukowski Brothers running a joke shop? A possibility. But they better catch up - Fred and George Weasley from the Harry Potter series beat them to the punch. 

General:

* The mistakes Rupert made are truly his own - making mistakes and calling them yours seem to be a small but important theme in the Henry Stickmin universe. I think Henry can acknowledge his mistakes and make up for them if the player chooses. Rupert, on the other hand, does it on his own. He then works hard to make sure he avoids such drastic acts again. I'm all for improving and taking care to avoid mistakes, but it is concerning to see how hard he's willing to work in overcoming those mistakes... when making mistakes is an inevitable part of the human experience. 

That's why I included in that flashback to 'Stealing the Diamond'. Adding that and his own perspective on what happened during 'Escaping the Prison' created a path of redemption he embarked on for himself, as well as see his own wakeup call to his own complacency. I can imagine working there for eight years can dull one's senses if they're not constantly sharpened and renewed. 

*Dave trying to calm down Rupert is a segment I picked up from another story. In it, the main character tells his father that hatred can destroy a person if not kept in check when the father was ranting about a character both father and son are not fond of. The son mentioned he couldn't take seeing his father give into that hatred, and the father promised to not hate the enemy both of them shared. 

This carried over into this fic, where Dave took on the son's role. Seeing Rupert engulfed by hatred would scare him more than what any of the Toppats did to him. He cares for his friend's well-being and wants him to avoid that path before he goes too far on it. Also, I made Dave the one to get through to Rupert using he truly values - using time wisely and not letting the image of Henry win out against him. 

*Dave's own breakdown involved more than just sorrow and guilt. He also dealt with anger. This was to give Dave more than one dimension in his emotional state. In other words, I've seen the guy depicted as usually just sad or guilty about everything, but anger? That's not always prevalent. In situations like this, while it is entirely possible to only experience sadness and shame, frustration with one's self is also a common reaction. When we try our best at whatever it is we set out to do, and we don't succeed, we can either/or get mad at ourselves or others. In Dave's case, he's mad at himself - he tried to do a good job as a prison guard and/or museum guard, but things went wrong. Adding his disappointment at himself made for a more three-dimensional breakdown. It also gave Dave the courage to bring up what those Toppats did to him - they not only wailed on him physically, they also wailed on him mentally and emotionally. 

*Rupert acted as the iron grip to break through Dave's cage, and help him come into the light. This is the pivotal point for both characters - we see Dave admit what the Toppats did and Rupert, besides stepping up to calm him down and tell him he's better than he thinks he is, gradually starts taking over what is left of the story. 

I feel people can forget that even though Dave made mistakes at the prison, he still had to go through police training to get there. From what I have read and heard, it's no walk in the park. The training involves a lot of physical fitness, academic coursework and practical skills, which can take anywhere from about three months to maybe a year depending on the location and agency. That would imply that Dave did have what it took to make it through police training, and I don't think the police superiors - at least in this series - would have room for any slackers. I think it's because of his enthusiasm to do his job at the prison, combined with bad luck, Dave was dealt a terrible hand. Working at the museum didn't leave him room to give up on his skills even if it's a quieter locale by comparison. 

Rupert knows firsthand what it's like to go through police training so of course he would remind him that he's tougher than he gives himself credit for. Unfortunately, it'll take awhile for Dave to remember and believe that. Rupert will need to do a lot to help him rebuild his confidence, but he doesn't necessarily mind. It'll give him a new goal now that Henry and the Toppats are pretty much out of the picture. As soon as he and the rest of the military leave, of course. They still need to clear out the airship and Rupert has to find Dave's items. 

*It's highly likely that Dave would have said items on hand, and the Toppats would take them so he can't use them for anything. I mostly added them in to act as the MacGuffins Rupert needs to find, and although they're not inherently important to the audience, they're important to Rupert and Dave. Because of Dave's trauma, I think the audience can care about the MacGuffins because of this. 

Random Facts:

*Does Dave have a family? It's up to the beholder. I got that from other fanfics to heighten the drama and express how he needs to take his time to be back out in the world again. At least through slower means before he goes back to keeping the peace... or keeping the calm in a museum. Whichever comes first.  

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Five - Part One, Special Features

 Chapter Five, Part One

References:

*The legend of Atlantis was written to be a utopia made from hubris. The Toppats' airship repeated that lesson. 

General:

*I was originally going to have Turtle be the medic, but as I already gave Turtle and Frog something to do in earlier chapters, giving Eel the role seemed like the natural alternative. It's not as major as Turtle discovering Henry's trail or Frog leading the team, but it gave the guy his time in the spotlight and helped expand his skill set beyond technology and fighting. 

*Victoria was added in to act as an authoritative figure who could take the plot and carry it - and Dave - offscreen to build up anticipation over over his survival. I like Victoria and thought with her prestige as a high-ranking officer, she would play a small but integral part to the story. I also needed to explore more of the military world as we now left the Toppats behind, so this was another reason why I added her. 

*Charles coming in to talk about Rupert was intentional. Charles is the kind of person who can somehow be a friend to many, including the gruff folk. I like the idea of them having their own friendship, so it was included. I also wanted to make Rupert's turmoil over what happened to Dave, with Charles coming in to help him release all he's harboring - guilt, anger, dread, regret, and anxiety. Charles seems like a patient sort who knows how to deal with his friend when he gets frazzled, so the pilot has the situation under control. He has more than just good eyesight, he has keen insight, which helps him deal with things around him. 

It was also a good chance to bring in more of the details in the backstory of how Rupert and Dave knew each other, and fill in the gaps of what wasn't shown in the games with details of my own. I see Rupert as someone wanting to leave his past as a police officer behind - save for a few components, like his friendship with Dave and the joys he did get out of it - and trying to fully embrace his new life in the military, only telling bits of his past job when needed. That's why Charles didn't know a lot about what happened at the prison until the man revealed it all here. That day when everything went to pot at the prison is not a happy memory to hold in his mind. He feels like he has to deal with it alone, but with the military acting as one, and a few individuals who can be in on what happened, he doesn't have to.

*Dave's PTSD kicks into play here. Although it's never explicitly stated that he has it, many in the Henry Stickmin fanbase go with this headcanon based on his 'Completing the Mission' bio: 'He's spent a long time in a Toppat cell. His life will probably never be the same again'. We don't know how long he's been in there, but we do know that based on his hat which has seen better days, it's not a stretch to consider he's been through a lot. The Toppats might have had moments when they used him as a punching bag for whatever excuses they could find which left scars on him. That, and he is a guard who discovered what they were up to with the Tunisian Diamond. The Toppats aren't too fond of official snoopers and will do whatever it takes to keep them from talking. 
 

*The red-eyed monster is a reference to the Right Hand Man. I left out his name to make him seem more monstrous in Dave's mind, and to emulate how he's a vicious threat as a cyborg.  

*I split this thing up into two sections for two reasons: 1) it would have made the chapter far too long and too much if I kept it all as one and 2) for the sake of the plot, we're gradually moving away from the two stories told about Rupert and Dave in their respective places - the Toppat base and the military base to just one spot with the two friends coming together and changing the plot to focus on them and everything they've been through. Charles and Galeforce are there for a brief time to get to know Dave and get his testimony on the airship, but eventually they'll need to leave so that Dave and Rupert can go into the history that they're not a part of. Rupert has a promise to keep, after all. 

*There's another callback - however it's very very minor - to Bambi II, in the beginning of the film when Friend Owl goes to see the Great Prince and Bambi after hearing about what happened to Bambi's mom. He says that, and I quote, "Excuse me sir. I hope I'm not intruding, but well, I...I just had to come." Charles says the last part to Rupert. Charles is the Friend Owl - although he's way less of a curmudgeon - to Rupert, as he just had to come and see if he could be of any help. The Bambi theme is keeping strong here. 

*I gave Rupert the idea of naming the Toppats the 'Toprats'

both due to the fact that I'm not really someone who writes swearing a lot unless it's absolutely needed, and 'Toprats' sounds like something he would say. To him, they act like rats - they take so much from others to carry out selfish plans and leave behind trails of ruin for others to suffer through. This is not a knock against real life rats by the way - the animal analogy is all part of the bigger theme tapestry I'm weaving into this piece, which will be explained in further detail once these notes are done.  

Random Facts:

*None. 

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Four, Special Features

Chapter Four

References:

* Bambi's father is referenced when Dave's inner courage yells at him to get up. In the animated film, the Great Prince yells urgently at Bambi - after the poor deer's been shot and can't get up immediately despite the forest fire coming in fast - to get onto his feet...hooves, to flee from the fire. Dave does have an inner strength to him and I think in times of distress, it will be called upon to get Dave to act. Dave is not a coward.

General:

*More of the mystery continues with the bounty hunters. I needed them to leave the scene to continue this plot point until they could be back for later in the chapter. 

*I didn't want Dave to just be a victim here. Even if he's not at peak condition now, that doesn't mean he's utterly helpless. I think he would want to do something to help those around him. That might mean putting out the fire on some very small areas. And as long as he had that fire extinguisher, it should be used for what it was built for. 

*The fire is part one of the climax - it's reaching higher and higher until either everything is destroyed or saved by a miracle. 

*Charles to the rescue! The flock of airplanes trailing behind him are indeed jets courtesy of the Center for Chaos Containment. There had to be a way for the fire to be put out without relying on a storm randomly passing by or Henry using his powers to bring forth rain. I didn't want to rely on an unknown deus ex machina. When I was thinking about this scenario, I remembered the CCC in the 'Toppat 4 Life' ending. They did establish that a manned mobile unit was floating around the area, which means that the CCC has a base somewhere nearby the military base in the jungle. 

Which also means that if the mobile unit picked up on a giant jungle fire that was quickly spreading, they would need to kill two birds with one stone: stop the fire and keep their organization under wraps. Yes, it is ironic that they made themselves known with a public organization like the military, but knowing the CCC, they're likely to come up with a good cover story to protect themselves. Or perhaps erase memories. Either solution is possible. And in a high stakes scenario like this, Charles and Galeforce aren't going to take the time to question it, only be grateful for it. There is a chance their actions could be classified as a deus ex machina, but under the circumstances that is the Henry Stickmin world, mixed in with an acknowledgment of world building via the 'Toppat 4 Life' ending and the CCC's tendency to dish out unpredictable and radical solutions, this isn't as far-fetched as other options could be.
 

*Dave and Rupert reunited at last! I haven't really focused on Rupert's development in this story - besides a few moments in the second chapter - because there is a larger emphasis on suspense and action vs. characterization in this chapter. But here is the starting point for that to change and we start to see the bond that the friends share. I headcanon that after Dave lost his job and became a museum guard, they kept in touch. At least until Rupert joined the military and Dave was kidnapped by the Toppats. 

*The reason I had Dave be the one to take the bullet to protect himself and Rupert was due to the point I brought up earlier about Dave's courage. Dave is undoubtably soft-spoken and I think he lost some confidence after what happened at the prison, but he hasn't forgotten his police training. That takes a lot of skill to do all that's required to be a police officer, even at the cost of one's own life. This event was also meant to give Rupert his own flashback to another horrible event in which he bore witness to and gave rise to his decision to leave the police force. Almost like a darker side to Dave's own flashback when he first joined the police force in the second chapter. 

Rupert's motivation was to prevent any more mistakes, and after what happened with Johnny, Dave's act of selflessness is enough to push him over the edge and save his life. 

I was originally going to focus more on this flashback in the chapter by drawing comparisons between Johnny and Dave as Rupert's partners, but it would have taken the story onto a whole other tangent. Instead I decided to use it to build up the moment in Rupert's mind - he's shocked by Dave's sudden act and even though he's the one injured and the missing person Rupert was assigned to find, Dave still chooses to act bravely and save Rupert's life. I do love me some irony. 

*The random Toppat woman is now arrested, and meant to finally help bring the climax to its fullest height. I understand I said that she wasn't meant to be any female Toppat in general, and she still isn't. But if I had to choose whom she was supposed to be if I felt like choosing a Toppat, I would go with the Gremlin. For no reason other than she seems like one of the most ruthless Toppats.

*Frog and the Bukowski twins return! Frog was brought in to pose more of a threat (and come back for the post-climax) to the Toppats - the Toppats are immensely outnumbered now, and the twins get to do some saving of their own. I think it's only fair these twins get a small bit of action, and taking down the woman was the perfect fit for them. Goofy as the boys may be, they're still soldiers with a lot of heart for action. 

Random Facts:

*This chapter was so blocky with how much went on here. I do like how it turned out, but hot dog it was quite a lot to unpack. 

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Three, Special Features

Chapter Three

References:

* In all the pathways in 'Completing the Mission', there are many Crewmates from Among Us making cameos, hidden in many nooks and crannies. There's only one Crewmate here, but I felt it was my duty to throw it in to keep in the spirit of the CTM pathways. 

General:

*The wind can be a devious force of nature, especially around wildfires. The fires here in conjunction with the wind are used to represent the urgency and the value of time. Time is a precious resource, but it's running out fast and everyone must act fast before time ends for them. It's the same principle I'm using to describe Dave's headaches - the more they worsen, the more he has to hurry and get to safety or else he'll perish. 

*A reviewer of this story guessed that the Toppats' train would play a part in this story. They were proven correct. 
Initially, I had no plans for using the train. I couldn't quite figure out why the train would be used if all the Toppats either would be out fighting or out expired, but then came the bounty hunters to solve the problem. As I outlined in the special features post for the first chapter, I like the bounty hunter trio and wanted to utilize them for longer than a segment. 
They came along and wanted to go looking for Henry, Reginald and/or the RHM on the train, and then that's when it hit me that I could write in their search as a mystery-solving venture. That is, while they're trying to find the men, they're also finding clues as to what happened. Obviously they don't solve the mystery right away, but they do have to start somewhere and what else but with a classic trail of footprints? 

Also, Galeforce and Rupert seeking Dave in the same building complex he just exited from is a means of irony, but it also served to tie into the bounty hunters' own hunt for important personnel, only with Henry. Now that I think about it, it's also ironic, due to the bounty hunters once working with Henry in 'Master Bounty Hunter' . But here, he's a Toppat to them. 

 *I shortened this chapter's word count with the intention of building up suspense between the fanning of the flames and the wind blustering in speed before it all came to a head in the next chapter. 

*More deer associations with Dave were a must to continue on the Bambi pattern. 

Random Facts:

*The Big Three is not a reference to anything, but I did want to call the main leaders of the Toppat Clan something important, so Big Three came to mind for Reginald, Henry and the RHM. 

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter Two, Special Features

 Chapter Two

References:

* As stated, Atlas carries the weight of the world on his back, and so does the poor Toppat woman left to defend her clan. In Greek mythology, Atlas is one of the Titans, forever condemned to hold up the earth and skies. How many of us have felt like him?  There's another reference to a Greek myth later in the story that I'll point out when we get to it. 

General:

*Asides from flashing back to the package Dave delivers to Henry in 'Escaping the Prison', the scene with him touching the box was meant to signify a personal headcanon I share with many fans - after spending a lot of time in a small cell on an airship as a prisoner, Dave developed PTSD. The flashbacks and avoidance of trauma reminders don't point towards his time on the airship, per se, but they do all revolve around the package that caused so much trouble for him in the past. Seeing a box like the one he picked up at the prison and brought to Henry to help him escape would not conjure up positive memories for him. 

Speaking of memories, his flashback to the day itself was written to build up a small story of what life was like for him before Henry escaped. His profile in 'Escaping the Prison' never stated how long he was in the police force, only that he was new to it, so that gave me a lot of freedom to write in everything that happened during the course of a few days, plus the one infamous day when everything fell apart. I also had the intent of building up all the good times Dave experienced before that mysterious package freed Henry and took all of that away from Dave. It takes one horrible event like that to ruin someone's day, which I imagine deeply affected Dave even if canon doesn't show it. By the course of 'Stealing the Diamond', he's so lackadaisical, although somewhat embarrassed, by what happened like it didn't sting him. But who's to say he's not hiding his true emotions on the matter by keeping his optimism floating on the surface?

Slightly off-topic, but Dave reminds me of Lenny from The Simpsons - they're perceived as ordinary supporting characters to which we don't always give much attention in the narrative, but they're so likable because of how upbeat they are. Lenny can act like a jerk in the show than Dave, and I would say Dave is meeker, but they're still stars we can recognize and cheer them on whenever we see them on the screen. In Dave's case, however, his optimism - although everlasting - might be somewhat dampened because of all the stuff he endured: losing his job at the prison, dealing with Henry's actions, getting kidnapped and incarcerated by the Toppats, and fleeing with Henry, Thomas and Geoffrey from the clan in 'Toppat Civil Warfare'. Yet he still holds onto the hope that he'll be able to come out of it okay even if he has to take a while to get there. 

*I like the mischievous Bukowski twins and wanted to include in a nod to them in the story somehow. Turns out their combined love of fighting and confident mannerisms gave me a good leeway for acknowledging the opening scene from the 'Master Bounty Hunter' storyline as they lead the charge into the fray.

*The line, 'But little did he know that the soldiers in the jeep would have an extra hand in the upcoming fight', was originally meant to allude to another character I had in mind for this story before I decided to scrap the idea for simplicity's sake. 

*Dave's not a paramedic, but as a police officer, I think he would need to know the basics of first-aid to help himself or another party until help can come. I also did this to show that even if Dave goofed up on his job in the past, he's not entirely helpless on his own. I want to give him credit where credit is due; he was the one who arrested Henry in the legacy version of 'Breaking the Bank', after all. Yes, Puffballs United did give a noncommittal response, but I'll take it if it means more world-building and character-building for Mr. Panpa.  

Random Facts:

* None.

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Chapter One, Special Features

                                                                     Chapter One

References:

* The Bambi reference I pointed out in the chapter is a connection between Dave and how he's the hunted, in need to get away from the hunters via the Toppat Clan. Dave also shares Bambi's innocence in some fashion, hence the further connection to the characters. 

*There are many references to animals in this story, and I'll explain in greater detail why that is by the end of these notes. However, I'll go ahead and state that because this story takes place in the jungle, I was inspired to use animal imagery to paint a vivid picture of everyone's actions. 

General:

*I didn't really think of the female Toppat as any one character in particular. I thought it would make more sense if we didn't know who she was to keep up the many mysteries left behind in the crash, and to part of the theme of mystery hidden within the Henry Stickmin games. But she's a dedicated Toppat to the end.

*I'm of the mind that Rupert has a high level of standards he want to live up to, in part because he's both a military officer and because of the mistake that he made back at his old job, so he feels the need to make up for it. He takes his responsibilities seriously, and after all that happened, who could blame him?

*The heat Dave experienced while he was hiding by the palm tree signified that the stakes are rising higher, just like the heat and fire are both growing in power. He doesn't have a lot of time to spare so he has to push himself to keep going or perish in the growing blaze set by the airship. 

*I really enjoyed the bounty hunters' scenes in the 'Master Bounty Hunter' segment so I wanted to bring them back (to life) for this story, so they're here to accompany General Galeforce and Rupert out on the mission to rescue Dave. 

Random Facts:

* None.

Wanderer out!

Through Smoke and Bitter Distance, Prologue, Special Features

  Prologue

References:

*The opening excerpt comes from Emily Pauline Johnson's poem, "Through Time and Bitter Distance". I wanted a title (albeit changed slightly to reflect the story's core) and quote that would express the story's mood, and this quote did that: it captured confusion and losing one's way, the need of a reconnection to humanity, and the distance that one can experience in many forms. It also signified how far Dave would need to go to get out of the fire that would built up at the crash site and make his way out despite the dangerous distance that came with it. I didn't want to go with a standard Henry Stickmin title for this reason. 

General:

*This short story was the first plot in my "Sticks, Stones, Possibilities and Bones" series - a fanfiction collection dedicated to exploring the 'what-ifs' and alternate scenarios of The Henry Stickmin Collection. In the instance of TSABD, the goal was to write a story about Dave's survival and his escape from the Toppats. Dave is a character I like and it didn't sit right with me to have his character expire in Revenged, so I made him one of the leading actors to give him a happy (well, as happy as a former prisoner of a criminal organization can get) ending.   

*While writing this prologue, I wanted to make this an opportunity to push my writing skills. I was new to the HS fandom at the time of this story's conception, and I wasn't always liking what fan content was pumped out there. And before anyone assumes I'm talking about their fan stories, I'm not; I'm just speaking in general. But also, as this was the start of the SSPAB series, I knew that this was a story that needed more of a serious and poignant air, so I turned to one of my writing/media influences: 1959's The Twilight Zone series. The writing was so sharp and excellent across many episodes and I wanted to evolve my style based on that. The Twilight Zone's writing was quite eloquent and could beautifully paint pictures that could take readers to another place and time. Hence the descriptions of the airship and main description of the story. 

*I also wanted to evoke a sense of lyrical poetry to the writing, to make it feel more dramatic and powerful in emotion and stakes. Hence the callback to the aforementioned poem. Writing things in poetical form gives me life and honestly, I feel it makes the world I'm writing for a little more magical and alive. 

Random Facts:

*None.

Wanderer out!

Taking Five: September and October Updates

*"Through Smoke and Bitter Distance" is completed!  

The ending was difficult for me to write, but I persevered and have successfully finished another fanfiction. The only thing left to do for it is to write the "Special Features" posts, but in due time, those will come. 

*I've been working on more Character Spotlight posts. For the next one I'll be posting, I'll only give one hint about the character's identity: the character is a female. 

*I've also published the latest chapter for "Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales", and have also posted a poem for my Henry Stickmin poetry collection. Another poem might be posted this month. 

*The latest chapter for "Eye of the Needle" is currently in the works, and I hope to publish that to coincide with the anniversary of the game Fleeing the Complex soon. The release date for the original game was November 12th. 

*I've been worldbuilding like crazy for all my universes, from Henry Stickmin to Sonic to my mega crossover fanfiction universe to my original stuff. 

-Speaking of my fanfiction universe, I've been editing one of the first stories for it, and although it's nowhere near done, it's coming along. 

More stuff will be coming on the horizon!

Wanderer out! 

Taking Five: July and August Updates

 Hello, long time no chat. I’m making a small but crucial change to these ‘Taking Five’ updates; as it seems that a lot keeps on happening in my life (not bad, just busy), I’ll be giving updates every two months. That way, I’ll have hopefully a lot more to share regarding everything and I don’t have to worry about meeting monthly deadlines. 

With that, what’s been going on? Well, “Through Smoke and Bitter Distance” has been an absolute…er, mission to accomplish. I did update with one more chapter, but unfortunately, I had to splice it into two, so now I’m writing the epilogue, which is a lot easier said than done due to my Henry Stickmin muse hiding in the shadows. But by hook or crook, I will get this done!

I’ve also been working on a new Character Spotlight post, and have also been editing some older stories and I plan on reposting them on a new account I made. I won’t reveal what they are yet, but they will deal with a big universe I’ve been constructing for quite a while now. Some folks may know, but for anyone who hasn’t heard of it… you’ll see! 

Wanderer Out! 

Taking Five: March April, May and June Updates

 A lot has happened in my life, so I just haven’t had a lot of time to give a lot of significant updates other than what I’ve been posting for my character spotlight and miscellaneous pieces on here and working on"Through Smoke and Bitter Distance” . The good news about the latter though - I’m almost done with the story! I just have one more chapter and then the epilogue and then I can call it finished. 

And more news - I might be more active here as I may not have as much going on as I did in the spring, but nothing is promised!  I’ll say this much though. One of my muses is back… like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Wanderer out!

Taking Five: February 2024 Updates

Nothing terribly new to report on the fanfic front, but I am slowly working on "Through Smoke and Bitter Distance” as well as “Restoring the Soul: The Manor’s Tales”. The latter story will need a lot of writing due to a special anniversary coming up in April, so I’ll need to hustle on that front lol. 

And I also not only finished my George Jetson character spotlight post, but I also started working on the next character post. I can’t say when it’ll be released, but it’ll come and hopefully I’ll have the first post released soon. 

That's all I have for now. 

Wanderer out!

Taking Five: January 2024 Updates

Happy 2024, gang! I hope that whatever goals you set out to accomplish, you will make them so.

As for me, I'm slowly inching my way through"Through Smoke and Bitter Distance" . I thought that the last chapter of this story was a beast to write. No, no - the latest one is turning out to be a bigger monster to write! But thankfully it's being worked on bit by bit. I will not set a deadline for it this time. I would like to have it done by the springtime, but I'm not placing any bets on it. Because the chapter is so massive, I'll have to place this on top priority until it's finished. 

But I'm happy that I posted a new 'Special Features' for "Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales" and also posted the first of my Character Spotlight series. The second half of my Character Spotlight post will also have no deadline, but I do have some information written up about George so I've got a good start on it anyhow. 

That's all I have for now. 

Wanderer out!

Taking Five: December 2023 Updates

And now it's the end of 2023. Whoa. 

No real writing - well, other than "Through Smoke and Bitter Distance" - has been made for December, but new year equals new opportunities, right? I'm not sure what I want to write for January yet, but I'll plan it out and come up with some fun stuff for you all to read. I do plan on finishing the aforementioned story by this year; I'm determined to finish this large novel of a chapter or I'll eat my hat haha. In the meantime, take care and Happy New Year, all! May 2024 be a wonderful year for you! 

Wanderer out! 

Taking Five: November 2023 Updates

 How is it December already? It feels like someone pulled the level of the time machine to speed things up!

But at least I have some news to share, and it's progress at that! The latest chapter for "Eye of the Needle" is posted, coinciding with the anniversary of "Fleeing the Complex" when it was originally released to the public on November 12th, 2015. 

That story's proven to be a far easier story to write for than"Through Smoke and Bitter Distance". But that's because the chapter I'm currently writing now for TSABD is more massive than I thought but also because the fanfic itself is nearing completion. If I can somehow manage to finish this short story (Short? Ha!) by the end of 2023, I will have completed two short stories! And make room for new stories. 

In between writing, I want to post another 'Special Features' for one of my fanfics in December. Assuming over the holidays this will be possible at any rate. 

Wanderer out! 

Taking Five: October 2023 Updates

 Happy Halloween/All Saints' Day! 

Good news: the latest chapter for "Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales", has been written up and published! As is the first 'Special Features' post focusing on the prologue of the aforementioned story. 

Bad news: I've been writing for "Through Smoke and Bitter Distance", but I didn't publish it  in time for October. 

But I'm determined to post it for November and finish it, as well as publish the latest chapter for "Eye of the Needle". 

I don't know if I'll publish anything for here or for my fanfics for December, though. Perhaps another 'Special Features', or even a post focusing on specific canon characters, but only time and life will tell. 

But that's it for now! 

Wanderer out. 

Taking Five: September 2023 Updates

Good grief, how is it the end of September already?

No real update, although I have written up a few paragraphs of Through Smoke and Bitter Distance. I really wanted to finish this story this month, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Instead, the final chapter of that story will be posted next month, alongside a new chapter for Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales. 

Also, to the reviewers who have been liking and commenting on my fanfics and checking out this blog, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart! It really means a lot that you all like these stories and inspires me to keep on writing and delivering... even if I'm such a snail about it lol. 

Enjoy! 

Wanderer out. 

Taking Five: August 2023 Updates

 Well, real life rang my doorbell and I had to answer, so I couldn't get around to writing any commentary on the stories yet. But I did manage to get away and write updates for all of my Henry Stickmin stories. I also started up a whole new story, and... well, darn it, I was infected by the plot bunny's bite to write up another story, another crossover even! 

But that'll be for another day, as right now, I'm looking on finishing one of the fanfics - Through Smoke and Bitter Distance - by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow because it requires one more chapter to finish out the story. We will see.

Wanderer out! 

Taking Five: July 2023 Updates

 It feels great to be at this again. To the newcomers, welcome to my monthly update posts, where I take five and talk about what I've got going on with my fan stories, and sometimes other events in my life that center around fan material. I do have original content, but I'm going to keep that private for now. 

But here's what's going on: 

 Right now, I'm working on various chapters for my The Henry Stickmin Collection stories. I am a fan of this series, and I have four stories in the works (with one potentially new story coming out soon). All of them will be getting new chapters that will be published on the week of August 7th (as that is the day when the last game in the series, Completing the Mission was released back in 2020, and I want to celebrate the special event).  I... might also be writing up a special post talking about why Henry Stickmin is dear to me, but that might be pushed back for a later date or at least I can gather my thoughts on how to express all I want to say. 

I'll be writing up behind-the-scenes posts on them all once they're all updated. The names of these stories are:

• Eye of the Needle
• Restoring the Soul: The Manor's Tales
• Through Smoke and Bitter Distance
• Weaving the Threads 

Enjoy! 

Wanderer out.