howdy! today is the two year anniversary of my au! to celebrate, here's various Stuff and Things, plus a design for the phantom cutlass :)

Lunch Discussions. Team Bucciarati x F Reader🎀

[Scarlet Ribbons description]

Word count: 1.3k, somehow ?? Notes: this is probably the most lighthearted thing i’ve ever created. idk what’s happening here. it started as a silly idea in my head but I Could Not Stop. so here it is

“If you were stranded on a deserted island, who from this table would you want to be stuck with?” 

Mista’s question goes largely unnoticed. Fugo and Narancia are in a heated discussion on if classical or hip hop is better, Bucciarati and Giorno are speaking about business, and Abbacchio is trying to zone the chatter out. That leaves you to save Mista from the throes of embarrassment. Truth be told, this innocent question is an improvement from Mista’s usual discourse.

The gunslinger’s face lights up when you hum, considering the question. 

“So it’d just be the two of us? I can’t say I’d bring a radio or something?” You ask to clarify further. 

Mista shakes his head. “Nope, no bringing anything.” 

That means practicality is most vital here. You mull over what each of your teammates (and bosses), could bring to the table. It didn’t take too long to reach a definitive answer.

“For survival’s sake, I’d pick Giorno,” you decide, the aforementioned man’s attention going to you upon hearing his name. “Well, I guess it depends on whether or not the food Gold Experience makes is edible. If it is, we’d be able to survive a long time off of it. Say, Giorno, can you eat the stuff you make?” 

“I’ve… never tried, so I’m not sure. In theory, any life created by Gold Experience is the same down to the genetics of what it’s based on.” 

Narancia snorts and takes a bite of his salad. “It’s all fun and games until a coconut falls on Giorno’s head and he’s knocked out cold. Then all the sticks and sand he used to make the food would turn back in your stomach.” 

Huh. That makes for a grotesque mental image. 

Giorno tries to defend himself but Narancia is too busy readying his argument. “A coconut…?” 

“Clearly, I’m the best choice here,” Narancia decides, pointing his fork at you. Should that be considered a threat? “Aerosmith could get the attention of a nearby plane.” 

“Non-Stand users wouldn’t be able to see it, you dumbass. What are you going to do? Wait for a Stand user pilot to roll on by?” Fugo asks with a sigh, Narancia shooting him a nasty look. 

“You never know! I’m sure there’s one or two. Besides, why would anyone want to bring you along? Your Stand couldn’t even hunt for food, it’d turn everything into a big ol’ pile of mush.” 

Fugo clicks his tongue. “There’s more to survival than that. Food is a valuable resource, yes, but do you know how to purify water?” 

Narancia furrows his eyebrows together, considering the proposition. “You have to… purify water?” 

Now it’s Fugo’s turn to look at you.

“This idiot would give you dysentery on day one,” he states dryly. You hold back a laugh at the indignation on Narancia’s face. “I think my chances would be pretty good. At least I know what poisonous plants look like.” 

Mista’s simple question is turning into a complex cobweb of possibilities. He can’t help but notice the others seemed more willing to chime in the moment you entered the conversation. Silently, he tells himself not to take it personally. 

“Well, whatever. I’d pick [First]. She could make us a shelter and bridges to different areas. The rest of you guys can be boring and pick Giorno.” Narancia decides. You can’t help but feel a little honored that he’d pick you, a content smile on your face. His last comment makes you wonder if picking Giorno is the easy answer, due to the nature of his Stand’s abilities. Abbacchio, who none of you thought was paying attention, speaks up. 

“I wouldn’t pick Giorno,” Abbacchio places his headphones around his neck. “I wouldn’t pick any of you guys, actually. Aside from Bucciarati, you’d all be dead in a week, easily.”

Bucciarati clears his throat, realizing he’s now been roped into the conversation. “I’m glad you guys are having fun, but--” 

Mista is quick to rebuke Abbacchio’s claims. “I would not die in a week! I’d at the very least make it to two weeks.” 

“Like hell you would. Pistols would destroy your food supply on the first day.” Abbacchio counters. Hm, he’s got a point, you think. Pistols do have a notoriously ravenous appetite. Note to self, do not get stuck on an island with Mista. 

Mista puts a hand to his chin, contemplating. “Hm… actually, yeah, you’re right. Nevermind.” 

You blink, incredulous at Mista’s agreeable response. He gave up that fast?! 

“What if we kept it out of Pistol’s reach?” You tentatively speak up, trying to save Mista’s honor once more. He shudders at the thought.

“There is no such thing as food out of Pistols reach,” Mista sighs, to which his Stand cheers. “They will always find it.” 

An idea comes to mind. Clasping your hands together, you look at Narancia with a smile, who immediately returns it in full. “Oh, I know! What if we got on Aerosmith, and it flew us to safety?” 

Narancia likes the idea and nods his head vigorously. “That’s genius!” 

Fugo snorts, preparing a rebuttal in record time. “Yeah, it’d be genius until you both drop into the ocean.” 

“[First], did you forget what happened the last time you were on a plane with Narancia?” Abbacchio raises an eyebrow. Your blood runs cold as memories of Notorious B.I.G come flooding back. Actually, being on any form of transportation with these people seems to end poorly. Cars, boats, airplanes… 

“Come to think of it, you’re right about that,” you agree with a shiver. “Being stuck with Abbacchio might be interesting. Moody Blues could replay scenes from a movie to pass the time.” 

“It’d be a one-man show, but I guess it’s not impossible,” Abbacchio replies. Giorno, who had been silently watching the banter, decides to speak his piece.

“I agree with Narancia,” Giorno nods at you. “[First] would be able to treat my wounds, and I hers. We’d survive the longest.” 

“Oh, please. You guys just want to be stuck on an island with [First] because she’s c-” 

Abbacchio kicks Mista under the table, effectively silencing him. Beats getting stabbed with a fork, you muse. Bucciarati, who is doing his best to moderate the discussion, has remained noticeably absent. Not wanting to miss out on his input, you direct the question to him.

“What about you, Bucciarati? Who would you pick?” 

Your Capo thinks about it longer than the others. “Fugo’s plentiful knowledge of biodiversity would be useful. Though, if we’re taking Stands into account, [First]’s Scarlet Ribbons could make a net for fishing.” 

“Finally, a sensible answer.” Fugo sighs. 

“The real question is,” Mista takes a deep breath, placing his hands on the table. “Why is no one picking me? 

“I thought we already went over that,” Narancia replies.

“Aside from the little caveat Pistols presents, I’d still be a valuable asset. Did you guys forget that I survived prison?”

“Two weeks of prison, might I add,” Fugo corrects, to Mista’s dismay. “By that logic, Narancia would be the best choice.”

“Which I am--”

“You don’t even know how to make a fire, much less survive in the wild.” 

“If I shoot something long enough it’ll catch on fire.” Narancia shrugs. Fugo rubs his temple, fending off a headache that looms on the horizon. It looks like none of you are going to be reaching a conclusion anytime soon, talking circles around one another. Still, you feel as if this is the appeal of talking to them. You can expect it to be a thrilling adventure from start to finish. 

Everyone had been too drawn into the conversation to realize the waiter, who finally works up the courage to clear his throat, catching your attention. 

“The bill for today,” is all he has the courage to say. 

Mista, Narancia, and Abbacchio both motion to Giorno at the same time, who sighs and reaches for his wallet.

Breaking News

Title: Breaking News

Category: Digimon

Rating: T

Pairing: Ami/Arata

Summary: Arata wants to go to a convention about reporters. Ami tries to talk him out of it, but they still end up going. He finds out why she was so hesitant later.

Prompt: “I really wish you’d told me your mother was in town.”

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Digimon

Author’s Note: I’m just throwing this out here but for some reason, this story I am very proud of. I don’t know why, but every time I reread it I just felt proud. I haven’t felt this proud in my stories in a long time.

~~Story Begins~~

“Please, Ami,” Arata said. “I just want to go to one’s person’s talk. After that, we can leave.”

Ami stared at Arata. His face did not match the desperation that was showing in his grey eyes and his long black shaggy hair only highlighted the intensity of his grey eyes. “We can’t go next year?” she said hopefully.

She already knew the answer.

“No. Yukino only shows up to these conventions once every five years because of how busy she is. This year has been her biggest year since she started,” Arata said.

“I’m sure it will be uploaded online,” she said. 

“It won’t have the same feel. Why are you doing this?”

Because I don’t want you to leave me.

Ami closed her eyes for a second. She knew that her fear and anxiety would show in her ocean blue eyes and while her flaming red hair would be able to hide her eyes, it would be weird for her to suddenly take her hair out of its side pony. 

“Fine,” she said with a sigh that allowed her emotions to escape. A sigh that Arata picked up on. “I’ll go with you, but I won’t go to Yukino’s speech.”

I can’t destroy the image that everyone has for her. I could never measure up to her.

“Ami, is something the matter?” Arata said. 

“Nope, everything is okay. I’m just disappointed I’ll miss the biggest episode of my soap opera,” Ami said. “I could sneak out and watch it while you listen to Yukino’s speech.”

She didn’t see Arata’s furrowed brow. “Ami, you don’t even watch soap operas,” he said. “Besides, Yukino’s speech isn’t scheduled at any of the times that soap operas come on.”

“Summer assignment.  Need to watch three episodes and do a character study on all of the major characters,” Ami said. 

“Okay, and you plan on doing this during Yukino’s speech?” 

“It will give me something to do since I know she’s the only one speaking at that time,” Ami said. “This way you can stay longer and -”

“As much as I would love to get her autograph, I’m not that patient to wait in line,” Arata said. “You really don’t want to go, do you?”

“Not really,” Ami said. 

He kissed her forehead. “Thank you.”

~~Digimon~~

“You know, you didn’t have to dress up,” Arata said glad he had his hood up to hide his ears. 

“What?  You don’t like it?” Ami said as she poked his side. Her yellow shirt was replaced with a white shirt that had no sleeves and ruffles in the front and a black skirt.

“I never said that,” Arata said. “Shall we go?”

“Of course,” Ami said with a smile.

~~Digimon~~

Ami stayed close to Arata’s side. She had a tendency of getting lost in places like these, but she also trying to avoid someone.

She didn’t want her to see them.

“You okay?” Arata said. 

“Yeah, why? Oh, am I getting too close to you?” Ami said. She took a couple steps away from him.  “Sorry.”

Arata watched her. People did surround them, but he doesn’t know who they are and they are too busy in their own conversations to pay attention. He knows Ami is a saint, someone who deserves a man (or woman) that is a lot better than him, but he’s selfish. He’s been selfish the entire year that they’ve dated and she’s been patient.

She has the brightest smile on her face when she was allowed to poke him in order to tease or get his attention. She accepts his small kisses on her forehead and knows that is his way of saying ‘I love you’ because he’s too much of a coward to say them to her. 

Next month they will have their one-year anniversary and he hasn’t properly kissed her yet.

“Arata?” Ami said in a small voice.

He reached over and grabbed her hand to pull her back to him. The grip of his hand didn’t loosen or change when she was too stunned to try and ask him if he was sure. He did use this moment to intertwined his fingers in between hers.

“You wasn’t too close. I know how easy it is to lose you in crowds like this for some reason,” Arata said as he allowed her to see the pink on his cheeks which meant his ears were red. “I know you didn’t want to come here, but you seem like you are in a room filled with predators and that you are prey.”

“Ah. Sorry. I didn’t think it was that obvious,” Ami said.

“Is there someone here who you are trying to avoid?”

Ami nodded her head and swallowed.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you really wanted to go,” Ami said with a smile. “As long as I keep an eye out, I’m 60% sure that if I see her, I can escape before she notices me.”

“Is this person dangerous?”

“Oh! You should get going so you can have a good seat for Yukino’s talk.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll work on my soap opera project,” Ami said. She leaned up and kissed his cheek before she walked away.

Arata felt her hand pull away and he watched her walk away. He frowns. He didn’t realize that the person who she was avoiding would be here or that they were dangerous. He looked at his hand before he shoved it in his pocket. He was already missing the feel of her small, smooth, delicate hand in his own oversized hand.

~~Digimon~~

“That was super amazing!” Arata said. 

He was walking next to Ami and they were heading back to his apartment. 

“Yukino is so amazing and cool. Not only is she a hard-core overseas reporter, but she is also a big fan of history and video games!”

“I’m glad you had fun,” Ami said.

“Thank you so much for coming with me. You really should have listened to Yukino’s talk. Your mother is a reporter, isn’t she?”

“Yes, why?”

“Yukino gave a lot of notes over how to be the best reporter and everyone was taking notes!” Arata said as his pace quickened so he walked ahead of her.

He was still talking about Yukino’s talk and Ami knew he was in his fanboy state, but it hurt. Because he was talking about Yukino. Just like her past boyfriends.

She’s only had three boyfriends in her 21 years of life, but she’s left the last two because of Yukino. The little voices of self-doubt and jealousy whispered in the back of her mind that she had tried to ignore. 

“I love Yukino!” Arata said.

Ami stopped in her tracks as the voices yelled inside of her head. She stared at Arata’s back as he kept walking. It was the first time she has ever heard him say that the L word.

Love.

It wasn’t directed towards a fictional character or a historical person. It wasn’t aimed at one of his family members or her. It was being aimed at Yukino.

A celebrity, a tough reporter that wouldn’t stop until they got their answers, a well-respected woman around the world, a fighter for many things, and a survivor of cancer. 

Her own mother.

“Ami?”  Arata said as he turned around to look at her when he noticed she wasn’t beside him. “Ami, are you okay?”

“What? No, I’m sorry,” Ami said. She grabbed her left arm. “I just remembered that I have an errand I needed to get done today.”

Arata narrowed his eyes as she grabbed her arm. It was a sign that she was lying that he wasn’t sure if she knew it or not.

“Sorry, I got to go,” Ami said and ran off.

“Ami! Wait!” Arata yelled. 

She was already lost in a crowd of people. He couldn’t see her red hair anywhere and no one was being pushed or shoved out of the way.

~~Digimon~~

“Has any of you seen or heard from Ami?” Arata said as he reread his message before he sent it in a group chat. He sat his digivice down on the table and paced. 

It’s been two weeks since Ami ran off. Their year anniversary was coming up and he hasn’t seen or heard from Ami except for when she messaged him that she couldn’t make it to their date. He’s tried to hack her digivice, but it was offline.

He picked up his digivice up as soon as a series of beeps sounded.

Yuugo: Not recently, why?

Yuuko: I believe I saw her at Akihabara last week,

Yuuko: She looked pale and showed signs of crying.

At least, Yuuko saw her. He didn’t like her description of his usually cheery and bright girlfriend. However, Nokia hasn’t responded yet. She’s usually the one who knows about Ami whereabouts or condition. The one who Ami goes to whenever they have a fight.

Arata: Nokia?

Nokia: ...Can you erase all traces of this conversation? 

Yuugo: Why?

Yuuko: It is possible. 

“Please,” Arata whispered. “Please tell me that she’s okay.”

Nokia: Try her apartment.

Arata: I already did. She’s not there.

Nokia: Try again. You might’ve missed her. Just be gentle when you see her.

Nokia: She’s hurting.

Arata: Thank you

~~Digimon~~

Ami yawned as she stood by the escalator on the first floor. She always enjoyed spending time with her mother, but so much as happened and she’s drained. 

It didn’t help that she cried the first two nights her mom was back. Then they were busy baking that Ami believes she will have the smell of sugar, butter, and spices linger on her for a good month. 

Her mother was a reporter and knew that Ami was hiding something and with Ami’s past experiences, she knew it was a boy problem. Yukino had to tell Ami something important as well so she took Ami out for shopping which was a mistake because her agent saw them and - 

Ami rubbed her temples as she felt a headache approaching and the pain medication wearing off. 

The agent crossed the line. He had grabbed Ami and shoved her against the wall. He had his phone out, ready to call the police because she was one of Yukino’s fans that got way too close when her mom got in control and fired him on the spot.

Than after Ami got checked out at the hospital and Yukino spoiled her and drowned her in love and apologizes. Yukino had to start the search for a new agent that WAS approved by Ami and would understand that Yukino cannot have a big workload since cancer has started its battle with her again. 

“I need to remember to spoil Nokia soon,” Ami said as she continued to rub her temples. 

Nokia was the only person who Ami leaned on at this time. She wasn’t going to fault Arata for his feelings over Yukino. She was interesting and hardcore to all of her viewers. Everyone loves her and Ami is nothing like her.

She also wasn’t going to fault her mother because her TV personality was still a part of her. She went to unscripted TV reporter from zero to one second when her ex-agent picked her up. Her mother was also a doting and lovable mother that always prided Ami has her biggest achievement and the best reward she ever received. 

So, Nokia listened to her in a digicall as she cried and spilled all of her insecurities she always had about herself. Nokia learned about Ami’s past boyfriends and the internal struggle she has between seeing Yukino at events and avoiding her at events because of how she’ll act.

Nokia learned about her insecurities she felt with her relationship with Arata. She refuses to pressure Arata to do something that he felt uncomfortable doing just to push some of her own insecurities away.

Nokia took it all with a willing ear, a late night ice cream snack, cinnamon whiskey, and surprised comments (You’ve been dating a year and he hasn’t kissed you yet?  Before you say it, kissing on the forehead doesn’t count.” “Hold up! You’ve been dating for a year and you haven’t heard him tell you that he loves you even though you say it almost all the time to him?” “Why wasn’t I informed of this earlier? Someone needs to tell him to man up and if he doesn’t then I call  dibs on taking you away from him.”) with stride and promises not to tell anyone of her troubles. 

That is until Ami and Arata get married and Nokia gives the maid of honor speech. It is also because of Nokia that Ami isn’t going to break up with Arata yet. Her own mother seems confused over Arata as well and told Ami to give him another chance.

“Ami!” she heard a familiar voice say.

She turned her head to face the person, but she was engulfed in a hug. Her chin was resting on a white-clothed shoulder and black hair was seen out of the corner of her eye. 

“Thank heavens that you are okay,”  Arata said. “You lied to me and then ran away. You kept canceling on me and I couldn’t track your digivice. Kyoko said that you had two weeks off and I couldn’t find you at any of your usual places.”

Ami didn’t say a word. She was stunned but she registered Arata’s comments.

Arata pulled back to look at Ami and she blinked. He looked as tired as she felt physically and mentally. His hair was always a mess, but it looked more of a mess and small bags were under his eyes and his grey eyes looked exhausted, but there was relief and happiness in them.

“Ami?”

“Sorry, give me a minute,” Ami said with a smile. “I’m in shock over you hugging me.”

Arata pulled Ami back into a hug. “I thought I lost you,” Arata said into her hair.

Maybe Nokia knew something Ami didn’t because this wasn’t how he usually acts. It couldn’t be because he was worried about her. 

“I didn’t mean to make you worry,” Ami said. “I’ve been busy and I was going to message you today.”

“I’ve been trying to find you,” Arata said. He pulled away from her a little bit. “I missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Ami said. “Oh! Lily said you have a package waiting for you at the bookstore!”

“Why?” Arata said. “I haven’t pre-ordered anything for a while.”

Ami shrugged and held back a painful groan. “I’m just letting you know the message.” Arata grabbed Ami’s hand. “Huh?” 

“You’re coming with me,” Arata said. “Please.”

Ami smiled. “Fine, I’ll go with you, but I am not going inside.”

“Why?”

“You know that I have an addiction to books,”  Ami said. She went to grab the railing for the escalator only to wince in pain. “Ow.”

“What happened? Are you hurt? Nokia said that you were hurting.” 

“I’m fine,” Ami said. “I just have some sore muscles in my back.” She tried to move her hand away from his but he only tightened his grip.

Arata looked at her like he didn’t believe her. He nodded. “Okay, we’ll take the escalator and before you ask, no, I’m not letting your hand go. Why did you run off two weeks ago?”

Ami paled as they rode the escalator. 

“Ami.”

“It’s stupid, really,” Ami said as they got off the escalator. 

“You don’t just run off because of something stupid. That’s Nokia’s department.”

“Oh! That was quick,” the lady that stands outside the bookstore said. “I’ll go grab the package for you, Mr. Sanada.”

“Thank you,” Arata said with a nod. He focused on Ami who stood by the blue robot.

“Like I said, it’s stupid,”  Ami said and looked away.

“You may think it is stupid, but it must mean a lot to you. I can’t see how it will be stupid.”

Ami mumbled under her breath as Arata released her hand. 

“What was that?”

“You said love for the first time in front of me,” Ami said.

Arata blinked a couple of times. “It was over a celebrity,” he said. “Someone who I will never meet in person. Even if I did, I wouldn’t leave you to go be with her. The  way she acts is all scripted anyway, so that’s not even her personality.”

Ami wanted to argue that nothing that Yukino does is scripted. It’s mostly unscripted, but Lily had come back outside the store.

“Here’s your package,” Lily said. “Thank for doing business with us.” Her face went red. “I screwed up!”

“It was almost flawless, Lily,” Ami said with a smile. “Just keep practicing.”

“Thank you,” Lily said with a bow. 

Arata started to walk away and he thought Ami was beside him. He didn’t notice a woman with a tan jacket on the escalator. “I don’t understand why you would run away from that. I mean I’m - wait a minute,” he said and then stopped. “This is addressed to me, but it has your return address on it.”

He turned around and saw Ami was still by the robot, but tan jacket covered arms was draped over Ami’s shoulders, the hands overlapping at the wrists by Ami’s chest. Brown hair was laying on top of red hair and Ami was looking up at the other person who had brown eyes behind glasses.

“I don’t like him.”

“You haven’t liked anyone that you have interviewed,” Ami said with a sigh.

Arata slowly walked towards Ami.

“He believed that I should be bragging about my rewards and trophies and blah. He also said that I should do double the work since I haven’t worked the past two weeks and ‘when the time comes’.”

Arata raised an eyebrow as the female took notice of him.

“You must be Sanada,”  the female said. “Hello.”

“Yes, hi,” Arata said.  He was surprised that he didn’t feel tongue-tied being around this woman like he thought he would. “Sorry to bother you but may I have my girlfriend? We were in the middle of a conversation.”

“Oh?  I thought you were a fan of mine. Besides, I love Ami more,”  the female said and rubbed her cheek against  Ami’s.

“While I am a fan of your work, Yukino, it doesn’t give you the right to hold my girlfriend captive,”  Arata said. 

Yukino moved her head to rest back on top of Ami’s head. “That’s a first. I like him. Yeah, I remember him. He ran out of the room as soon as my speech was over. Didn’t even bother to stay for the autograph thing.”

“Book signing,” Ami said.

“Ami has a tendency of getting lost in crowds,” Arata said. 

Yukino gave him a confused expression.

“What?” Arata said.

“I don’t believe you. I don’t have any trouble with Ami in crowds,” Yukino said.

“That’s because you have a heat sensor on me,” Ami said in a joking manner.

Yukino smiled. “No,”  she said. “It’s because my mommy senses know you are nearby. Speaking of. My mommy senses are tingling right now. How is your head feeling? Your back?”

“Wait? What?” Arata said completely shock.

“Oh? Ami didn’t tell you? My ex-agent shoved her into a wall. She has a concussion and bruises all over her back,” Yukino said.

“She didn’t tell me that,” Arata said. “I was referring to what you said before.”

“Yukino is my mother, Arata,” Ami said. “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Arata.  Her TV personality is still her.”

“It doesn’t come out when I’m not on TV unless Ami is in danger,” Yukino said with a laugh. “Anyway, your head?”

“Is fine and no you cannot skip out on the interview,” Ami said. 

“Aww,” Yukino said. “I want to spend more time with you and your boyfriend.”

“Oda Mia is your next possible agent. She should be waiting for you at K-Cafe in a few minutes,” Ami said.

“Fine,” Yukino said and pressed a kiss to Ami’s cheek before she let her go.

“Good luck,” Ami said. She turned her attention to Arata. “Arata, I’m so so-”

“It makes sense now. The reason why you ran off. Because I said I love Yukino who happens to be your mother,”  Arata said as he stepped close to her. 

“Yes,  Arata. I told you that -”

Arata kissed her forehead. “I love you and only you, Ami. However, I really wish you’d told me that your mother was in town.”

Lily hid inside the store and acted like she was putting books away only to watch everything unfold. She bit her lip so hard to where a little blood escaped from her attempt to hide her squeals. 

She bounced on her toes as she watched Arata give Ami a true kiss for a change and lead her to the elevator. Once they were outside she couldn’t contain her squeals of excitement and scared some of the customers.

“That was so much better than an episode of a soap drama!” she said. “So glad I came to work today!”

Daises on Strawberry Hill‪

Well, this looks a bit different from my usual content, doesn't it? Full disclosure that this art was made primarily as art inspired by one of my favorite books of all time (seriously, I have three different editions of this thing)--Looking for Alaska by John Green--as an excuse to talk about the new Hulu series of the same name that's based on the book. Because if you know me at all, you know I am notoriously hard on book-to-screen adaptions, particularly those based on books I love as if they were family members. And originally, this description was going to include a pretty blow-by-blow, lengthy review of my thoughts on the series. However, it's been quite a while since I first started trying to type out said review, and frankly, I've decided instead to, after I talk about the art, to just give some general, spoiler-free thoughts; the most important opinions I have on the series and leave it at that. I am still planning on completing and putting my full-length, in-depth thoughts out, but that'll be at some other time. Perhaps I'll put them in a journal/blog post instead of adding to the description here. Whatever happens, I'll update this description so that those who are interested in my deep-dive can find it when the time comes. That said, let's talk about the artwork now :) LfA isn't a fantasy or sci-fi book, so it doesn't have any cool dramatic scenes or neato devices/objects that have a lot of significance to the plot that would be fun to draw, which is why I never made any fan art or inspired-by-art for it before. But I really wanted an excuse to talk about the series, and so I pondered what symbols or imagery the series might have that I could make into art, even if none of it was terribly relevant to the plot or exciting on its own. This led me to the cheap wine that's mentioned a few times throughout the book: Strawberry Hill. Drawing just a bottle of wine seemed kind of boring and not very specific to the book/series, so I ended up adding in some white daisies since white flowers and daises specifically do have some significance to the plot. (In a way, they're a bit of a crux to it, at least for a key epiphany moment.) Originally, I was going to make this piece traditionally, and I did start with a traditional sketch of the wine bottle and one daisy to use as a template for more to follow. However, I pretty quickly got the idea for doing something more line-art heavy on a black background, as the cover for the book is black and the sort of chalkboard/blacklight look I was picturing in my head seemed fitting for the tone of the story, and despite my best efforts I couldn't think of a way/combination of media to accomplish what I wanted traditionally without also giving myself a major headache and making the project take infinitely longer than I wanted it to. So while I stalled in production, I ended up on my tablet for something else and figure I'd scan in my sketches and maybe make a line art to print off and manipulate into what I wanted traditionally later. But then, just as I started working on that, I figured, "You know what, if I'm going to go through all of the trouble to ink/line this digitally and I wanted it to be more line-focused anyway, I might as well take a crack at just doing the full artwork digitally. I'll get the lines done either way, and if it doesn't work out then at least I can say I tried, I know some of what not to do, and I end up with a digital mock-up for the final version." Fortunately, things ended up working out much better than I expected. I purposefully wasn't too fussy about the lines, partly because I just didn't have the patience at the time to be super precise about it, and also because for this specific project I kind of liked the idea of a more doodle-ish look (even though it's not super doodle-y in the final product). This also made things move a lot faster, which was nice and pretty satisfying. I started with the wine bottle from my sketch, including trying a new liquid drawing technique I half picked up from an art Youtuber I just recently started following that makes drawing liquid in a style similar to this look like a lot of fun. I knew I wanted the bottle to be mostly transparent/just lines, so the goal here was more about getting the wine bottle shape/structure familiar enough than it was about anything else. The label took a bit more though since in my mind, ever since I read the book, I had a pretty specific image of a pinkish bottle with a yellowish liquid and this cream-colored label with dark brown/sepia text, and I had not previously considered the label into that whole primarily line-focused image in my mind.  So in the end, I decided the label would be solid so I could get the proper imagery across and the text and stuff could still be seen properly. Additionally, you'll notice I couldn't help myself being a little on-the-nose and sticking a tiny strawberry and mountain/hill on the label for good measure and to fill some space without having to look up wine bottle references just to stare at the labels for a ridiculous amount of time.   The daises were also infinitely easier to do digitally since I could just copy, paste, and rotate first the petals to make one flower, and then copy, paste, rotate that one flower a few more times, instead of having to draw individual petals and flowers every time. This also gave me a little more freedom in that I could re-size the flowers pretty easily to make it more visually interesting than just a bunch of flowers that were all the same size. All that ended up being less line-focused than I originally intended, but I acknowledged that happening as I worked, and I'm not upset about the shift in focus. I think what I ended up with still has about the same visual impact I was hoping for, and that's all I really wanted anyway. And as sort of the icing on the cake, I ended up adding in that wisp/smoke trail in the background because of 1. It seemed kind of empty and unfinished with just the flowers and wine bottle and 2. When I tried adding a green vine to fix that issue, it just wasn't working for me. That's when I realized I could have a stronger reference to the book by putting something similar to smoke in the background since the original cover of the book has a smoke plume front-and-center. It took a few tries and some tweaking to get something I was happy with on that front, but I am so glad I stuck with the idea. It just adds something I can't quite place that the piece really needed before. The content is pretty different for me--I don't drink and I don't really endorse the idea--and the style is a little beyond my usual realms, but I do really like how it turned out. I feel like it's done well enough that you can appreciate the symbols and references if you know the book, but it also works as just a kitsch art piece if you're completely unfamiliar with the source material too. I don't think it's super accurate to when a bottle of the stuff shows up in the Hulu series, but it was on screen so briefly and my mind was focusing on other aspects while I was watching, so I didn't get a super good look at it.  But I still think it'll suffice well enough despite that. I'm happy with how it turned out, and that's all that really matters, right? Now, then, as for the thoughts I have on the Hulu series that I think need to be shared sooner rather than later. I'll start by going on record to say, as someone that is notoriously hard on book-to-screen adaptions, that I did actually like the LfA series pretty good. I'd say it's about a 7 out of 10, which an exceptionally good score coming from me. It's not my most favorite show of all time, but it's notably better than "just okay," which is historically the highest praise I've ever been able to give a book-to-screen adaption. It had its faults and things I would've done differently if it were up to me, but fortunately, it did an infinitely better job than I was expecting. My main issues, as with all book-to-screen adaptions, come in the form of some of the changes that were made between the book and the screen. Fortunately, this time around the problems I do have are not egregious offenders. Most changes that were made still make sense within the story and while the overall message isn't quite the same as the book, it didn't totally squander what the book was trying to say. All of which are problems that most book-to-screen adaptions suffer from horribly. And while I won't talk too much at length about this (that's for the long-form review later ) I think this has a lot to do with the series being roughly 7-8 hours of content, as opposed to the either extremely rushed 2-hours-or-less a movie would've been, or the more-time-than-we-know-what-to-do-with 13+ hours of...certain book-to-screen adaptions that failed miserably at their job. (*cough* 13 Reasons Why *cough*) As I said, it's not perfect, but I do think as far as allotted time and time-management that they hit something of a sweet spot so that they'd have enough time to give the plot the room it needs to breathe without having so much time that they have to start making stuff up to fill it all. The other thing I'd like to point out is that, honestly, they did what 13 Reasons Why wanted to do way better than that series could ever hope to. They told the story of teenagers experiencing darker themes and elements of life so much more tactfully, and, in my opinion, more realistically. And they didn't wait for a controversy to spike and then do something about it--they didn't bank on the publicity of a controversy. Right from episode one, every episode starts with a warning that this series is meant for an adult audience (because of its themes) and viewer discretion is advised. And at the end of every episode, as the series does featuring smoking and drinking on more than one occasion, they provide resources to visit if you or someone you know has a problem with either of those things. I don't know if the people at Hulu saw what happened to Netflix with 13 RW and learned from their mistakes or if they just knew better, but either way, I'm so glad it was handled so much better, regardless of why or how it happened. As far as recommendations, if you're a John Green and/or Looking for Alaska book fan, I'd say it's definitely worth the watch. For outside viewers...I think you have to really be into the YA drama scene to appreciate it. Just be prepared for some more adult content than you might typically find in a YA movie. It's all done pretty tastefully and the majority isn't there senselessly; most of it serves some kind of purpose to the story, which is why it doesn't bother me (a very prude-ish person) all that much. I think that's everything I feel like needs to be said right now about the series until I can get the long-form review finished. (It's maybe 1/3 of the way done currently...and already getting on the long side )   I have to admit, this does make me more hopeful for the future of book-to-screen adaptions, at least those that end up being handled the way this one was. In fact, I'm actually really hoping that if Turtles All the Way Down, John Green's newest book, ever sees a screen adaption that it's handled in a series form and is done at least as well as LfA was. Time will tell, I suppose. In fact, I believe any day now, Let it Snow, a book that John Green wrote 1/3 of is supposed to have its movie adaption dropped on Netflix. I'm not super confident in Netflix's handling of adaptions for reasons mentioned earlier, but maybe just maybe it'll be okay? ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings I do not own Looking for Alaska and/or associated content ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

Major Quest: Round the World in 80 Days

Who: Bridget Miranda, Ezekiel Frank, Maxine Wilkins

Tagged: @ineverunderstoodanything @cleaveittobridget​

Word Count: 4455

Warnings: None

Maxine: Hatun Stronghold. That was the name the NPC mentioned to the other player, so this was where Maxine wanted to go. Sadly, her absolute lack of both gaming experience and sense of direction caused her to get lost shortly after she started her journey with the obstacle of finding a party of three to actually do the quest ever so present. She looked around herself for a second, looking out for the next best person that looked like someone who actually knew stuff about gaming, spotting a person that might just fit that description. She took a deep breath and then another before building up enough courage to walk up to them. “Excuse me?”, her voice sounded quiet and almost shaky with nervousness, making her feel even younger than she was. “I- I'm on my way to Hatun Stronghold and I'm afraid I got a bit lost. You don't happen to know the fastest way to get there, do you?”

Ezekiel: Hearing the squeak of a voice behind him, Ezekiel turned around to meet the newcomer with a smile. "Headed out to find the translation of the newest Dungeon Clue are you?" he stated in as warm a voice as he could manage amidst eating. He quickly tried to tidy his appearance, swiping the crumbs from his beard and straightening in his chair. The last thing he needed was someone assuming he was a wild-born. "Bridget and I just found it in the message boards, its been puzzling everyone," nudging the woman seated next to him pouring over her menu. He pulled open a the message board, displaying the image of the script, then pulling up the map and pointing to a corner, "I think the place is here, based on all the tags that are flooding that direction. You can join us if you wish, we were just abut to head out."

Bridget: Bridget yelped out an "ow!" when she was nudged, only to look up and realize that they may actually be able to form a whole party. That was good because it seemed like everyone else knew each other and quickly paired up. Bridget had been standing around reading the message board for a long while before the other two came around. Bridget was glad to find a party for this quest because it would likely be long and take forever, plus with the whole you die here you actually die thing, she wasn't exactly looking forward to battling monsters. "Yeah, you're free to join us" Bridget answered "We need three people for a party."

Maxine: Maxine nodded affirmatively at the mans question. Surprised that he seemed to be a lot nicer than what she expected based on looks alone, she even mustered a small smile. The offer to actually join their party came unexpected as she carefully listened to the directions he gave her. Startled, her mouth opened and closed for a few times. "I- uh. That- That would be great actually." Another smile genuine smile settled on her face. "Party of three it is then. I'm Max by the way."

Ezekiel: "Well meet, Max, I am Ezekiel." Ezekiel lifted himself from his chair, scattering his meal into pixels while he did so. He turned towards the door and motioned for Bridget to go first saying, "Take the lead, we'll be right behind you. Let nothing cross our path!" Having found a group not out for someone's blood for once, Ezekiel was determined to keep this fortune rolling.

Bridget: "Bridget" she answered simply before nodding towards Ezekiel and heading out the door. She brought up her map for a moment before she began to head towards the Hatun Stronghold. Looking behind her, Bridget said for the others to hear "We have a lot of traveling to do. So best get to it while we can, before the quest runs out and we've traveled all over the place for nothing." She barely checked to see if they were following her, walking briskly as to keep them on their feet and moving. They would have to move fast if they wanted to complete the quest in time.

Maxine: Keeping in step with Bridget wasn't easy and had Maxine follow her at that uncomfortable pace that was just too fast for walking, yet not quite fast enough for a slow jog. "So we just go to the stronghold, ask the guards about the note and that's it?", she asked, a somewhat confused look on her face. It would definitely take some time for her to get used to this whole quest system.

Ezekiel: "That's how it would go if you read the npc messages. But most just hit the skip button and follow the new quest marker," Ezekiel replied, easily keeping pace with Bridget. This is nothing compared to morning Parade inspection, he thought. "Honestly, my guess is that we'll have to travel to several spots, classic 'ancient prophecy' stuff." Ezekiel kept his eyes to the side of the road, the discussion boards had been on fire with reports of scuffles across the floor, apparently this quest was worth something to a lot of people.

Bridget: "What he said" Bridget answered "We'll likely figure it out as we go along but it won't be much different then any other quest." She shrugged, keeping her eyes on anyone they passed who might look like they were interested in their conversation. You could never be too careful in this game, especially given the circumstances. "We should probably at least skim what the NPCs say, just in case there's some important information. You have no idea how many times I have gone back and forth places in a MMORPG trying to figure out what to do next, when if I just read the NPC log, I would've known what to do next."

Maxine: She just nodded along to their explanations, pretending like most of what they were saying basically sounded like a foreign language to her. "So you two do this a lot, play games like these?", she asked curiously, hoping that she wasn't overstepping any lines by bringing up their real life. "You sure seem to know what you're talking about." The more people they passed, the more Maxime wondered how long "a lot of traveling" as Bridget called it would take.

Ezekiel: "When I was in the States, yeah. Hard to play while I was on active duty, but I made due with the pen & paper stuff." Judging by the question, he assumed she didn't play that much, that and the fact she wasn't watching the other players that heavily. "MMO's are a hard genre to get into, and an even harder one to get out of, no pun intended. My sis put a couple hundred hours into one and still never finished, granted she spent more time buying clothes than fighting bosses."

Bridget: "Oh yeah," Bridget nodded, still walking as fast as she could manage "I practically grew up playing games like this. It's in my DNA." Bridget was a little worried about the other's inexperience but she wouldn't say anything. You had to learn somehow and Bridget wished she had found someone who was willing to help her learn when she was first started out instead of just calling her a newbie and ignoring her. Gamers could be so mean sometimes. "I don't think they're that hard, honestly. Pretty fun if you think about it. But I guess they're not for everyone."

Maxine: Maxine listened to their stories with an interested look on her face she wasn't surprised by their past experience considering the way they moved around as if this was nothing different than what they would do on any other afternoon. "I'm not sure if it'll be something for me. This the first time I've played anything and so far I can't really say I'm a fan." When the gamr maker and his little drath mechanics crossed her mind, she pulled a pained looking face

Ezekiel: Seeing the worried look on her face, Ezekiel slowed his pace a bit and places a hand on Max's shoulder. "Whether in here, or in the real world, there will always be things that are...unfriendly. Humanity never got where it was dwelling on its fears, and you would not have made it this far if you let those fears shackle you. Besides, this is a video game, there's always a way to beat a video game." He flashed a wide smile at Max and gave her a gentle shove to help close the gap between her and Bridget before turning his gaze to the ceiling briefly.

Bridget: Bridget turned while still walking full force to notice that her party had slowed. She could understand why Maxine would be upset about the whole situation; it must suck to try out a game for the first time and then get stuck in some sort of weird death machine. But still, Bridget didn't see any reason to dwell on things that you couldn't change. So instead, she pressed forward and kept walking. She brought her map up again and realized that where they needed to head was an island. This immediately raised a thousand questions in her mind. How would they get there? Was there some sort of transportation? And most importantly, did it work the same as a normal MMORPG? Would they simply click on a NPC and instantly travel there or would they have to endure the process like in real life? This whole business was giving her a headache and it made her walk even faster. Turning to the others as she walked, Bridget said "Well apparently where we're headed is an island. So I hope you brought your lifevests."

Maxine: Startled by the sudden touch, Max jumped slightly, but quickly found it to be more comforting than anything else. There's always a way to beat a video game. This she would try to remember. "Thank you," she said warmly, almost giggling when Ezekiel shoved her forward. She glanced over Bridget's shoulder, trying to catch a look at the map. "An island? So what do we do, rent a boat?"

Ezekiel: "Finally, some good news!" He quickly jogged forward to look at the map, using his hand to measure distance like a compass. "That's not too far of a journey, maybe a day or so if the weather holds. If we could grab a small schooner or a skiff we'll make great time, since the ferries are always skirting around to the side." The grin on Ezekiel's face could not be bigger, he hadn't been able to sail for nearly 5 months before entering D.I. His pace quickened severely.

Bridget: Bridget looked at Ezekiel like he was growing an alien out of his head. "You a sailor?" She asked, curious. She had no idea what a schooner or a skiff was but if this guy knew what he was talking about, she would gladly let him figure it out. Bridget was never too fond of the ocean, even though she lived pretty close to one. She had no idea if they had to rent a boat or how any of it worked. She was severely missing the way a real MMORPG worked, where she would just click on a NPC and it would magically whisk her off to an island. Instead she had to figure out where a boat was and actually ride in it.

Maxine: "Well, someone's getting excited," Max said, a soft laughter in her voice. The look on Bridget's face was calming, letting her know that she wasn't the only one who had no idea what he was talking about. "So what's the new plan then? Find a harbour, find a ship and see how things are working out from there?" She wasn't the type for this kind of stuff. Just with winging it has never seemed to be sufficient. She would rather spend hours and hours planning something out, taking every detail into consideration, but right now this really didn't seem to be an option. It seemed like they actually had to improvise.

Ezekiel: "One step at a time. Once we get to the harbor, we can assess our situation. If there isn't a cheap way to cross aside from the ferry, my idea is to commandeer a smaller vessel so that we can avoid the massive throng of players heading that way." He kept his eyes  fixed on the horizon, taking a long whiff of the air. "You can already smell the salt!" The faster we get to a ship, he pondered, the better chance we can find a secluded spot to plan our route entirely.

Bridget: "Sounds good to me" Bridget answered. She preferred to plan things out as she went along and changed it as she saw fit. It was easier that way, especially in a game where you could die by making the wrong choice. Bridget just laughed at Ezekiel's enthusiasm and shrugged towards Maxine. At least he was enthusiastic about it and seemed to know what he was talking about. When Ezekiel mentioned being able to smell the salt air, Bridget turned to him and said "Can you really smell it? I mean, you have to think that your body is not actually here. It's where you linked up to. So you could be locked inside a one-bedroom apartment, far away from any ocean, and yet you can smell it. Pretty trippy, huh?"

Maxine: "That's the plan, then," Maxine nodded, somewhat defeated. Improvisation seemed to be key here and that would be something what would take quite some time for her to get used to. At least she could remind herself that Ezekiel actually knew what he was doing to comfort herself. She couldn't help but pull a face at Bridget's explanation. She wasn't wrong, obviously, but exactly that was the problem. Despite the obvious reality of their current situation, she still liked to remind herself that she wasn't lifelessly lying around in some arcade in Bristol while being stuck in some kind of video game limbo. "That's a pretty grim thought, don't you think?"

Ezekiel: "Just because it may seem dull, doesn't mean it still isn't wonderful. This place gives people a second chance that might be otherwise impossible," states Ezekiel flatly, absentmindedly rubbing his right as he says so. "And as for the salt, it doesn't matter whether I'm smelling it out the window in Juneau, or smelling it here just over the hill. It let's me know I'm alive, that I am able to do something." He stops shirt just after saying this, seeing the massive crowd around the docks.

Bridget: Bridget took both of their answers in stride. "Well, exactly. It is beautiful. And amazing how fully immersed we are in the game. You can literally smell the ocean. I'll take that over my shitty life anyday. Except for the whole you die here, you die in real life thing, you have to admit that this is a pretty steller concept. It's a gamer's dream come true." She meant every word of it and hand't even considered the idea that there might be people out there unable to do certain things in real life, who were now able to do those things in this game. Shame about the whole killing you thing. Bridget follows Ezekiel's lead and looks to notice the massive crowd standing around the docks. "Looks like we're not the only ones on the quest." She said before turning to Ezekiel "So what was that about the skip or crooner or whatever? You know how to make the boat-thing go into the water and make it go to the island?"

Ezekiel: Ezekiel scanned the edge of the small village, looking for a corner of the dock that wasn't filled with players. He saw one pier of to the left that was fairly deserted, aside from an elderly man who looked to be fishing. "I suggest we head over there, see if we can't persuade that man to lend us a boat, if he has one." He kept glancing toward the flock of people by the ferries. He hoped they could get out of the harbor before some of them tried to chase them down for a free ride. "If I walk up to him, can you two keep an eye on the pack over there? No need for us to turn into another ferry."

Maxine: Maxine decided to stay quiet. This was not her place to prove a point and ruining other people's happiness wasn't something she took an interest in. Instead she decided to let them enjoy their "second chance". For her, it was nothing but a curse. She should be studying for her A levels and filling out college applications right now, but instead everything she worked hard for all her life seemed to be just slipping through her fingers.

The view of the crowded docks didn't exactly add to her already barely there optimism either. Unsure of what to do now, she gave Ezekiel and Bridget a questioning look, hoping that one of them had a plan and Ezekiel delivered. "Sure, no problem. We'll keep watch," she said, giving a small nod before ah started observing the crowd.

Ezekiel: "Alright, try to stay behind cover is possible, and give me a warning only if it is dire, otherwise I'll have to break the conversation with the npc." With that said, Ezekiel started walking towards the fisherman, taking care to walk slowly and keep from drawing attention. Upon reaching the old man, Ezekiel tapped on his shoulder asking, "got a sec to chat old timer?" "Wanting to perfect your cast are ya? Well sit down and I'll teach you a thing or two," triggering a fishing skill tutorial. This was obviously the wrong guy to talk to.

Bridget: Bridget shrugged at Maxine before finding a tree to sit under and watching the crowd. They were all standing in line to presumably hitch a ride to the island. Bridget did her best to listen but most people were talking in hushed whispers or not talking at all. She hoped Ezekiel knew what he was doing because otherwise they would have to find another way to the island and time was running out. Bridget was pretty awkward in life and friendships weren't really her thing, so instead of attempting to talk to Maxine, she just stayed quiet and waited for Ezekiel's return.

Maxine: Maxine gave a weak smile in return for Bridget's shrug, but preferred to stand rather than sitting down next to her, hoping that Ezekiel wouldn't take too long. She tried her best to stay focused on the crowd but found herself distracted by the uneasy silence between her and the other woman quickly. "Do you like sailing?", she asked after clearing her throat, a poor attempt to start some small talk.

Ezekiel: "No no no, I don't a tutori..." Ezekiel spattered as the old man began his very in-depth guide to fishing. Well, at least he could use the cover to inspect the ships. Most of the smaller ships were rowboats, which would not help with speed, not to mention he would probably have to do most of the rowing. Ezekiel did spot one small skiff with a mast about 50 yards away. He decided he could make a break for it and start untying, once the tutorial ended...

Bridget: Bridget's attention was brought to Maxine as she appeared to try to start some small talk. Bridget politely smiled and answered "Can't say that I do, actually. The beach is my enemy." She lifted up her freckled skin and pointed to her ginger hair as if that was explanation enough before adding "I bake like a lobster. It's not a very pretty sight." She laughed, making sure to keep an eye out on the crowd. She squinted to look for Ezekiel, who seemed to be stuck in a NPC dialogue. She hoped it was going well. "What about you, much of a sailor?"

Maxine: Maxine laughed genuinely at Bridget's explanation. "Yeah, I get that," she said, motioning at her own fiery red hair. "No, not really. Sailing is kind of a big thing in my hometown. My father always tried to take me when I was a kid, but I never really go the hang of it." She shrugged slightly. Squinting she followed the other woman's gaze to where Ezekiel was still talking to the old man. "You think he's right?", she wondered out loud.

Ezekiel: After finishing the tutorial, Ezekiel didn't bother putting away the fishing rod, instead using it to help his guise as a player not on the current quest. He approached  the boat, finding another rod, some rope, a set of oars, and what looked like a basic tackle and aid kit. Ezekiel glanced around quickly to make sure no one had followed, then set to untying the yardline and anchor hoist. Just as he finished, he quickly flashed a gesture to the others waiting in the trees, then he started pushing the boat from the pier.

Bridget: Bridget laughed, taking her mind and eyes away from the crowd and Ezekiel for just a moment. "Well I guess we're about to have our own personal sailing lesson. Sucks that we can't have a loading screen. Instead we have to actually deal with this." She then looked down at her pale and freckly skin "Hope sunburn isn't a thing here..." before she looked up to notice Ezekiel gesturing towards them and pushing a boat into the water. Bridget said "Sink or swim time" before getting up to head as discretely as possible towards Ezekiel and the boat.

Maxine: "Well, let's hope we'll get to the other side safe then. Sailing is a lot harder than it looks." She pulled a face before looking up, blinking into the bright sunlight. This sure did feel real. "I'm afraid it might just be." Looking over to where Ezekiel was launching the boat, he gave the other woman a firm nod before heading down to the pier. "What took you so long?", Max asked with a teasing smirk.

Ezekiel: "Sorry, old guy was a fishing skill tutor, nothing I could do." Ezekiel breathed while hurriedly tying and untying knots. " Watch your heads with the Boom, and can someone grab the rudder?" The beam on the bottom of the sail swung wide across the boat as Ezekiel pointed to the level at the back of the small ship. Ezekiel glanced at the receding sun and asked "So who is gonna take first watch with me? I'm gonna need someone on the rudder all night if we plan on being there tomorrow afternoon. The other can use the small cabin to get some rest."

Bridget: Bridget followed Maxine to where Ezekiel was spouting off some more boat lingo. She stood there for a moment--perplexed--before eventualy getting into the boat and shrugging at the other woman. Bridget wasn't really tired so she decided to volunteer. "Sure, I'll do the watch thing. How long do you think it's going to take us to get there? There aren't any sea monsters out here or anything, right?"

Maxine: Maxine furrowed her brow, frantically trying to remember what her father told her about boats when she was little. She gave Bridget a thankful look, obviously relieved when she volunteered. "Sea monsters? You think there are sea monsters in this game?" Saying she was concerned was an understatement at this point, looking straight up frightened as she climed on board.

Ezekiel: "Alright, that should do it," mused Ezekiel as the sail filled with wind and the boat lurched forward. Ezekiel took a step back to admire his handy work before replying, "I wouldn't worry about sea monsters, the only place I've heard they exist is in an Atlantis-like quest, but you need to be able to breathe under water before the quest will allow you to start. What I would worry about is another group of players, but no one on shore seems to know how to swim." With that said, Ezekiel sat down on the side railing and started mulling over the map.

Bridget: "Well that's good." Bridget responded about the sea monsters. She wasn't ready to be drowned and/or eaten today. When the boat moved, Bridget wasn't sitting and she nearly fell out on her way down. "Jesus!" She yelled "I don't think we'll have to worry about anything with that kind of driving...er, sailing." She had hoped that the others knew what they were doing because Bridget was making it up as she went along.

Maxine: Maxine gave the sail a content look. It seemed like for now things were going good, yet she decided to keep quiet about that, trying not to jinx it. "Watch out!", she gasped, instinctively grabbing Bridget's wrist when she threatened to fall overboard. "Are you okay?" She looked over to the shore after giving Bridget a quick concerned look, just now noticing how fast they were going, judging by how far away it was already.

Ezekiel: Ezekiel had a look of contempt on his face. Based on how little wind they could feel, he estimated that they shouldn't even be moving a quarter of their current speed. "Judging by our unnatural speed, you two don't have very long to come up with our next step. We will mostly get there well before dawn breaks." Ezekiel then set to scavenging around the boat, seeing if there was anything else on board worth taking longterm.

Bridget: Bridget could do nothing more but nod in response, glad that someone cared about her wellbeing. Bridget liked to think she had a plan, but really she didn't; she was making it up as she went along. She would likely figure it out as she got there and go from there. The boat was moving a rapid speed and Ezekiel noted that it was much faster than it needed to be. "Well good, at least we won't be stuck on this boat for long..."

Maxine: "That's good, isn't it? The faster we get there, the faster we can finish this quest," Maxine offered with a shrug. To be honest, she didn't have a next step prepared. To her, it was almost a miracle that she made it this far in the first place. "So once we're in Hatun, all we need is to find a guard and ask for a translation, right?"

Ezekiel: "That's what I'm assuming." Ezekiel leveled the small telescope he found below deck at the horizon. He couldn't see anything aside from one of the npc ferries, which wasn't saying much considering how dark it was. "Either of you hungry? I've got to use the fish I caught it that tutorial before it rots."

Bridget: "That's true" Bridget nodded, hoping that they could complete the quest in time although the outcome wasn't looking good. They had started too late. "Yep, I guess just find a guard and get a translation on this thing." Bridget shrugged. When fish was mentioned, she nodded "I'm always hungry. What kind of fish is it?"