So Ikon and I got to chatting the other day. Always dangerous, but this time the results were even more dramatic than usual: Bloodlines, a new short story set within the DSHnD universe.

Nooj, Paine, and a conversation about the future.

This was top secret. So secret, in fact, that it didn't even make the works-in-progress list I posted the other day. We had a great deal of fun writing it, and we hope you enjoy the read.

I don't expect this sort of thing to happen on a regular basis, but neither can I promise that it will never happen again. ;)

As of yesterday, with the posting of a brief epilogue, DSHnD is now complete.

Happy, sad, accomplished, bereft, bewildered ("What do you mean, 'it's done'? How can that even be possible?"), grateful (to readers and cheerleaders and always, always Ikon), drained, content... too many emotions to pick just one.

I had been joking with various friends about throwing some sort of wrap party when the story was finally finished, but now that I'm here, various RL stresses have me too wiped out to even contemplate it right now. So I'll just content myself with this official marker entry (which should have been made yesterday, but, again, RL. Such a bore, that RL). And with thanking you all again. Thank you. Again.

The last chapter of DSHnD is posted.

It is impossible to really describe how complicated my emotions around this fact are, so I'm not even going to try.

Many many thanks to everyone who has followed along, to anyone who has ever left a review and to anyone who might have been lurking. And those of you who were waiting until it was finished? Have at it!

The penultimate chapter of DSHnD is posted for your reading pleasure!

And yes, you did read that right. Unless something changes drastically, there's only one more chapter, and likely an epilogue, to go. I can hardly believe it myself.

The next chapter of DSHnD is posted. On a Wednesday, even! ;)

Read and enjoy.

Well, everyone who was wondering when DSHnD would wrap up can rest easy. Parron has written the definitive conclusion to our little AU tale.

A happy ending?

Ikon, I think we can stop writing now.

;)

If you care, you probably already know this, but just in case: a new DSHnD chapter is up.

I apologize for the schedule having become rather more erractic lately. Life has just gotten in the way more often in the last couple of months, and we'd rather have something good than rush a chapter out. Next week should be on Wednesday as per usual. Of course, I've said that before. ;)

Tonight we had a fine, fine dinner at a Vietnamese fusion place. Not every dish was a gem but most of it was very good. Some of us ordered tea with our dessert. Our pots were presented to us by a tea sommelier (note to SE: that is the proper term), who informed me that my oolong was unusually tannic and so should be steeped less time than usual. And he gave SE equally specific advice for perparing and enjoying her pueh-ehr. Most impressive. As was the tea. (He was right about the tannin, though. One of the strongest oolongs I've ever had, and I barely let it steep at all.)

And now I sleep. Very glad tomorrow is Friday. This has been a long week.

As life returns to normal, so does the DSHnD posting schedule. The new chapter is up and ready for your enjoyment.

I think our regular readers will find that it contains something rather... unexpected. ;)

So the chapter is early once again, even if my announcement of it is late. Latest chapter of DSHnD is up. Come on by!

Last week's chapter was a day late. To make up for that lapse (and because we couldn't sit on it another minute longer!) this week's chapter is a day early.

Enjoy.

The latest chapter of DSHnD is posted for your reading and commenting pleasure.

Someone recently asked me how many chapters this story was going to have. I didn't have a good answer then; now I have a better one. It's going to be more than thirty, but I think not many more. Certainly not as many as forty, unless kunstarniki has secret plans for an extensive new subplot. ;) So let's use 35 as a rough guess for now. We are approaching endgame, that much I know for sure. So strange, to feel the end coming.

Another thrilling chapter of DSHnD is now available, in the usual place. Read, review, enjoy. :)

Considering that as recently as Monday morning I was telling Ikon that I didn't think I'd have everything written in time, I'm pretty damn proud of this one. ;) I'd like it regardless, but the fact that I got it done under the gun makes me feel even better about it.

The new chapter of DSHnD is up. All the usual comments apply.

Between writing and chatting yesterday was good but now I am way too tired. But at least we have a good start on the next chapter -- we have our jump back, and that's an excellent thing.

DSHnD makes a triumphant return from hiatus (or a return, anyway) with this chapter, posted in its usual place. Read, review, enjoy!

We caught up and more over the break, so we hope not to have to pause in our posting schedule again, but given the unpredictibility of life who knows? I was glad for the break, though -- I ran afoul of some awful writer's block about halfway through, and it was much easier to work past it with the pressure off. (Not that the pressure is imposed by anyone other than myself. But having internal permission to skip a week was helpful.)

The latest chapter is up, as per usual. Read, review, enjoy, and so forth.

The next chapter of the ever-growing collaboration is posted as per usual. Read, review, enjoy.

So now we are in a new situtation for this endeavour: the next chapter isn't written. Like, at all. We have a couple of paragraphs and that's about it. We've mapped the whole thing out (actually we've mapped almost the whole story out now, which is a little scary because it means the end is sort of in sight, the first time I can really say that) so we know what needs to be done, it's just a matter of actually doing it. I don't doubt that we can, but this is the first time in a while that I've really felt the self-imposed Wednesday deadline breathing on my neck. (Not that I think anyone is so dying for each chapter that they care if we slip. But the discipline of a deadline has helped me a lot, so I want to stick to it as much as I can.)

Latest chapter of DSHnD is posted.

I have been longing to post this for weeks. Well, maybe longer. Like, since before it was even written. But we couldn't get here until we got here, if you know what I mean. And now here we are. Phew.

Really curious as to what people will think of this one....

Fandom: FFX/X-2
Rating: G
Wordcount: 300
Spoilers: None
Pairings: N/A
Request: Nooj. Auron. Yuna. A kitten. For iamleaper.
Notes: Set within the Death Shall Have No Dominion AU.

( Rescued )

The lastest chapter is posted in the usual spot. Read, enjoy!

The latest chapter of DSHnD is up at the usual location. Read and enjoy!

For once we don't have the next chapter completely finished -- a key scene that's going to be non-trivial to write only exists in outline. But the chapter after that is almost completely done and has been for weeks, and it's one I've been dying to get to and I can't believe how close that one is to being presented to our public. So I have an incentive.

Also, dear god what have I done? (Scroll down to the bottom.)

But it will give me a good central place to store all my Paine plot bunnies that aren't developed enough for real stories. And as far as I can tell the mod only pokes you if you don't post anything for two months, so it's not like there's lots of pressure. It shouldn't take away from my other writing time. Or so I keep telling myself. ;) We'll see what happens.

(Oh yeah, more lines.)