A lot of readers have expressed concern over Daniel's pending 'demise' at the paws of Kon. Although I have noted since the very beginning that he is not well-suited for trickster spirits and to expect a possible bad ending for him, there has been a lot of surprise, alarm, and pain among readers at the way in which Daniel's story is concluding.

Now-- right now, for a limited time only, even though there was no saving grace available for Daniel's storyline, I shall provide one!

.... assuming we can get 10 "Y" votes on SF and FA EACH! (Yes, if you post to both sites you may vote on each).

So-- if we hit rewind on Daniel's ending, then we also have an important decision to make:


How far back?

Votes should be presented as a Y or an N and if a Y is offered then the chapter and post should be referenced as #.#, so a vote would look something like Y6.3 if you wanted to rewind to the most recent decision.

That being said, get those votes in-- this option is only open through midnight (pst) on Sunday, November 4th!

If the N votes win or if there are not enough Y votes then Daniel's concluding chapter will be completed this coming week.

If you're following The Gift you may understand this journal. If not, you should go read The Gift and then vote, or just not worry about it. ;)


Assuming Option 1 wins, who IS in the alley?

1) A blue-eyed Coon Hound

2) A blue-eyed Gryphon

3) A blue-eyed Fox

4) A blue-eyed "echo from the past"


This vote is open until midnight (pst) on Sunday, October 28th or until the number of votes equals (or exceeds) the number of votes cast for option 1 on the chapter.

Happy voting!

Hello, Readers! If you're reading this then chances are you are either naturally curious or else you are following the storylines of "The Gift", my latest reader-driven story-- alternatively, both may be true! Either way, thanks for stopping by!

The purpose of this post is to provide some insight into the inner workings that hide behind the curtain of this story. Perhaps it shall provide you some insight which will help in future votes or maybe it'll just satisfy a little itch in the back of your mind wondering about the significance of choices readers have made thus far. Either way, here is some information about the characters in "The Gift":

Stephanie's highest attribute is Romance.
Her lowest attribute is Vitality.
She is on track for a positive ending with 3 or 4 Spirits.
Her most likely negative ending involves the death of a Spirit.

Among Stephanie's four Spirits, she has the greatest connection with Medved.
Stephanie has the least connection to Tom.
Her strongest Spirit is Medved.

Richard's highest attribute is Socialability
His lowest attribute is Intuition.
Richard is on track for a positive ending with 1 or 2 Spirits.
His most likely negative ending involves the loss of a Spirit.

Among Richard's Two Spirits, he has the greater connection with Jack.
Richard has the lesser connection to Balam.
His stronger Spirit is Jack.

Daniel's highest attribute is Intuition.
His lowest atribute is Athleticism.
Daniel is on track for a positive ending with 2 or 3 Spirits.
His most likely negative ending involves death or the loss of a Spirit.

Among Daniel's three Spirits, he has the greatest connection with Herne.
Daniel has the least connection to Aiden
His strongest Spirit is Herne.

Edward's highest attribute is Willpower.
His lowest attribute is Intellect.
His most likely negative ending involves death or the loss of a Spirit.

Among Edward's three Spirits, he has the greatest connection with The Ancient One.
Edward has the least connection to Tom.
His strongest Spirit is The Ancient One.

The Protagonist with the highest Spirit rating is Stephanie.
Richard has the lowest Spirit rating out of all of the Protagonists.
Out of all of the Spirits, The Ancient One has the most Essence.
Aiden has the least Essence out of all of the Spirits.

At this point, Readers may each vote on a Spirit of their choice and elect whether they would like that Spirit to gain Connection, Intimacy, Regard, or Essence.

Readers may also vote on a singular Human and elect whether they would like that Human to gain Athletics, Conformity, Courage, Intellect, Intuition, Romance, Socialability, Sexuality, Vitality, or Willpower.

In addition, get to vote on a SINGLE Human who should be granted a bonus to their Spirit rating (how productive they are when it comes to Spirit Energy).

Finally, readers may provide a contribution (posted to their FA/SF page and linked to this journal) in the form of artwork, a short story, essay, etc. If a reader provides such a contribution they may elect to provide a Spirit of their choice a +1 Essence (this is in addition to any votes).

As we draw nearer to the end of these storylines, your input and contribution become even more important!

Voting and contributions must be submitted by midnight (pst) October 6th.

As always, comments, critiques and questions are welcome.

Happy voting/contributing!

Hello again, readers, and thanks for taking time to look over this journal!

As I move further along toward completing "Battle Master", the sequel to "Slave Trade" I have decided to post another chapter of it online for my patrons over on Patreon. Not aware of my Patreon account? You can find it and all of the patron-specific posts here: https://www.patreon.com/comidacomida

Although I post the vast majority of what I put up there to SF and FA, certain uploads hit there first. In this case, patrons will be able to read Ch 5 of Battle Master by the end of this week while folks here will probably not see it until November.

Some may ask "But Comida, why November?"

To that, I say that I anticipate the rough draft for Battle Master's manuscript being completed by the end of November. Ideally, throughout the month of November I will be uploading a few extra chapters of Battle Master for my patrons over on Patreon, with Ch 5 posting on FA and SF at the beginning of the month, then Ch 6 posting toward month's end. After that, if all goes well and there is interest, my plan will be to post monthly updates on not just the progress of the artwork and publication, but also more and more chapters ultimately leading up to Battle Master's print and kindle release.

Stay tuned; I'm looking forward to sharing more information as it becomes available! As always, thank you for reading and thank you for your support!

With Chapter 4 now complete it is time to get some more input from readers before Chapter 5 begins!

Hello all, and thank you for taking the time to check out this journal. Chances are, if you're looking at this then you probably are reading "The Gift". The time has come once again to turn to the readers to get input, direction, and contributions for the stories! As you may recall, Richard (FA)'s story has been completed except for an epilogue. There are still four more stories to go!

For this intermission between chapters I'm offering some insight into the remaining four story lines' protagonists. You may note the specific information provided this time is different than what was offered during the last intermission:

Richard is capable of supporting up to three spirits; as of the start of next chapter he will have two. His stronger connection is to Balam while his weaker connection is to Jack. He is on track to have a positive ending for up to two spirits and/or a negative ending for up to one spirit. At this point, Richard's chance of dying in the story is low.

Daniel is capable of supporting up to three spirits; as of the start of next chapter he will have four. His strongest connection is to Herne while his weakest connection is to Kon. He is on track to have a positive ending for up to two spirits and/or a negative ending for up to two spirits. At this point, Daniel's chance of dying in the story is moderate.

Edward is capable of supporting up to four spirits; as of the start of next chapter he will have four (or six, if you count The Ancient One's multiple personalities). His strongest connection is to The Ancient One while his weakest connection is to Tom. He is on track to have a positive ending for up to four spirits and/or a negative ending for up to one spirit. At this point, Edward's chance of dying in the story is moderate-low.

Stephanie is capable of supporting up to four spirits; as of the start of next chapter she will have four. Her strongest connection is to Anapa while her weakest connection is to Tom. She is on track to have a positive ending for up to three spirits and/or a negative ending for none of the spirits. At this point, Stephanie's chance of dying in the story is moderate.

This is also where you can provide boosts to spirits of your liking by posting contributions in the form of fan short stories, pictures, and the like. Be sure to post them on your page and link to it in your comment in this journal so everyone can enjoy your contribution(s)!

Also, as Richard's storyline is coming to a close, there is a proposed option to let readers take over Stephanie's storyline. Here are the voting options:

a) Keep everything the same and make no changes.

b) Move Stephanie's storyline to Monday updates and let readers influence that storyline now that Richard (FA)'s story is done, leaving Friday open for other projects.

c) Add another protagonist's story to Monday and let readers vote on that one while leaving Stephanie's where it is.

d) Move Stephanie's storyline to Monday updates so readers can vote on it and do occasional 'what if' updates on Friday showing alternate endings for plot arcs not taken.

The stories will start up again on Monday, 8/27 although Richard's storyline will conclude with an epilogue this Friday (8/24).

Thanks, and please note that voting and the credit for this round of contributions is only open until midnight (pst) on Sunday, 8/26.

With Chapter 3 out of the way and moving on to Chapter 4 it is time to get some more input from readers!

Hello all, and thank you for taking the time to check out this journal. Chances are, if you're looking at this then you probably are reading "The Gift". The time has come to ask readers to help continue influencing the direction of the story and provide some more interesting information for all of you. That being said, let's start with interesting info:

Insofar as the ten attributes used to define the Human protagonists:

Athleticism
Highest is Edward & Lowest is Daniel

Conformity
Highest are Daniel and Richard (SF) & Lowest is Stephanie

Courage
Highest is Richard SF & Lowest are Daniel and Stephanie

Intellect
Highest is Richard (SF) & Lowest are Daniel and Edward

Intuition
Highest are Daniel and Richard (FA) & Lowest are Edward and Stephanie

Romance
Highest are Richard (FA) and Stephanie & Lowest is Edward

Sociability
Highest are both Richards & Lowest is Edward

Sexuality
Highest is Daniel & Lowest are Richard FA and Stephanie

Vitality
Highest is Edward & Lowest are Richard (FA) and Stephanie

Willpower
Highest is Edward & Lowest is Stephanie

Now, some specific details about each protagonist and storyline-- be sure to pay attention to possible storylines listed here:

Richard (FA)
Richard (FA)'s highest traits are Intuition, Romance, and Socialability
Richard (FA)'s lowest trait is Sexuality
His combined stats equal 37.
He has the second lowest Spirit score of all Humans.
His most attuned Spirit is Jack with a combined Compatibility/Intimacy/Regard of 55!
His least attuned Spirit is Phillip with a combined Compatibility/Intimacy/Regard of -3.
His strongest Spirit is Jack with an Essence of 10.
He is at risk of losing at least 2 Spirit next chapter. He may lose both.
It is possible at this time that Richard could pursue a romantic relationship with one Spirit.

Upcoming Storyline options for Richard (FA):

A) "The Secret" - Sabrina and Phillip reveal more of their past to Richard.
B) "Movie Night" - Richard gets a streaming service free trial so he has a night in.
C) "Saying Goodbye" - Richard realizes saying 'no' sooner rather than later will save heartache.
D) "The OTHER Kind of Date" - Richard gets some quiet alone time with Jack.
E) "The Eclipse" - At the Cats' request they head out to attend a spirit Eclipse celebration.

Richard (SF)
Richard (SF)'s highes traits are Courage, Intellect, and Socialability
Richard (SF)'s lowest traits are Athleticism and Sexuality.
His combined stats equal 41
He has the lowest Spirit score of all Humans.
His most attuned Spirit is Balam with a combined Compatibility/Intimacy/Regard of 32!
His least attuned Spirit is Aiden with a combined Compatibility/Intimacy/Regard of 10.
His strongest Spirit is Balam with an Essence of 14.
He is at risk of losing at least 2 Spirit next chapter. He will lose at least 1.
It is possible at this time that Richard could pursue a romantic relationship with two Spirits.

Upcoming Storyline options for Richard (SF):

V) "The Secret" - Richard discovers some personal information about one or more of his Spirits.
W) "Movie Night" - Richard gets a streaming service free trial so he has a night in.
X) "Saying Goodbye" - Richard realizes saying 'no' sooner rather than later will save heartache.
Y) "The OTHER Kind of Date" - Richard gets some quiet alone time with Balam and/or Jack.
Z) "Duality" - Richard explores his developing relationships with more than one spirit.

Daniel
Daniel's highest trait is Intuition.
Daniel's lowest traits are Athleticism and Intellect.
His combined stats equal 33.
He has the median amount of Spirit among all Humans.
His most attuned Spirit is Talapus with a combined Compatibility/Intimacy/Regard of 16.
His least attuned Spirit is Aiden with a combined Compatibility/Intimacy/Regard of 4.
His strongest Spirit is REDACTED BECAUSE IT'S NOT FAIR TO REVEAL SECRETS LIKE THAT!
He is at risk of losing at least 2 Spirit next chapter. He will lose 1, but likely both.
It is possible at this time that Daniel could pursue a romantic relationship with three Spirits.

1) "The Secret" - One of Daniel's spirits has been hiding something from him, but no longer.
2) "Movie Night" - Daniel goes out to a new movie theater across town with his retinue.
3) "Saying Goodbye" - Although it's a hard decision to make, Daniel tells someone to leave.
4) "The OTHER Kind of Date" - Daniel goes out for a night of relaxation with his Spirits.
5) "The Last Picnic" - On the final trip to the park something lifechanging happens.

Edward
Edward's highest traits are Vitality and Willpower.
Edward's lowest traits are Intellect, Romance, and Socialability.
His combined stats equal 33.
He has the second highest Spirit score of all Humans.
His most attuned Spirit is The Ancient One with a combined Compatibility/Intimacy/Regard of 20.
His least attuned Spirit is Tom with a combined Compatibility/Intimacy/Regard of 5.
His strongest Spirit is The Ancient One with an Essence of 70.
He is at risk of losing 1 Spirit next chapter but this is not guaranteed.
It is possible at this time that Edward could pursue a romantic relationship with two spirits.

6) "The Secret" - One of Edward's spirits has another piece of important information to drop on him.
7) "Movie Night" - With so much going on, Edward decides to go out and unwind at the movie theater.
8) "Shoring Up" - Having spent so much time with specific spirits, Edward decides to spread his attention to others.
9) "The OTHER Kind of Date" - Edward chooses one or two spirits with whom to share a relaxing night out.
0) "It's Pronounced 'Cameo'." - Edward runs into another Seer readers may recognize.

Stephanie
Stephanie's highest trait is Romance.
Stephanie's lowest traits are Conformity, Sexuality, and Willpower.
Her combined stats equal 30.
She has the highest Spirit score of all Humans.
Her most attuned Spirit is Anapa with a combined Compatibility/Intimacy/Regard of 29.
Her least attuned Spirit is Tom with a combined Compatibility/Intimacy/Regard of 11.
She is not at risk for losing any spirits and may likely keep all four.
It is possible at this time that Stef could pursue a romantic relationship with three spirits.

^) "Weaver" - Stephanie learns more about what it means to be a Weaver and not just a Seer.
$) "Shadow" - Stephanie and Anapa look for more ways to communicate and increase understanding.
@) "The Oath" - Stephanie spends more time with Kyle and they grow closer.
&) "Luchik" - Stephanie learns more about Medved, his relationship with her family, and more.
#) "Open For Submission" - Stephanie finally has a chance to submit a manuscript for a novel!

Now we discuss the important "reader contribution" portion of this post:

As you can see, there are many listings for character attributes. A reader may vote for a single attribute to increase or decrease for EACH Human. This may be a direct reflection of their own statistics or can be an election to adjust their relationship (Compatibility, Intimacy, Regard) for one of their Spirits.

Readers may also elect a story concept for EACH Human, INCLUDING Stephanie! Please note that readers that follow on each site should only vote on ONE site.

Also, to double-check that readers are paying attention, votes should be presented in the following manner:

Place your votes in letter, letter, number, number, symbol format as a five character code at the END of your comment. So, for example, if I wanted to choose the first option for each story line I would vote as AV16^ after I place my votes for attribute increases/decreases.

This is also where you can provide boosts to spirits of your liking by posting contributions in the form of fan short stories, pictures, and the like. Be sure to post them on your page and link to it in your comment so everyone can enjoy your contribution(s)! Now is also the time for questions!

Thanks, and please note that voting and contributions are only open until midnight (pst) on Monday 7/2.

PS: Vote for Kon! *peace sign*

A journal was out last week inviting readers to ask questions of the author and of spirit characters involved in "The Gift".

Here are those responses!




Q: Why does Kon get to break the 4th wall but none of the other spirits can?

As a Yokai, Kon is more than a Trickster spirit. He has some very particular and unique talents to 'work around' reality's guidelines. To coin a phrase: rules are made to be broken. Yokai are the experts of epitomizing that outlook. I'd let Kon explain things further, but if I gave him an inch he'd take--

Six and a half inches? *ear wiggles* Maybe seven? *licks lips* I could never be a waiter because there's no way I'd settle for just the tip. *tail swishes*


While they have seen change in their time, how do they deal with the changes at the rate they are going on today?

Some spirits tend to be more receptive to change while others tend to get stuck in their ways, falling further and further behind as the world passes them by. Those who deal with change usually have the closest connection with humanity, living among it even though they do not live as a part of it. In general, the older a spirit the more difficult it is for them to accommodate the shifting tide of human nature.

Even those spirits who do as well as possible to keep up with the constantly changing human condition rarely have more success than, say, a 70-something learning how to use the internet; some can and some simply have to step away from the computer. This is why certain spirits like Medved just can't come to grips with certain elements of society while others like Talapus manage to mesh with only a few hiccups.


How many ways can a spirit come into existence and what are they?

Just as a human is born, spirits also come into being but, rather than being born, their method is referred to as Originating; humans are 'born' and spirits 'originate'. There are three (or possibly four) methods for this:

1) Genesis - Although much more rare these days, some spirits simply 'pop' into being due to an outside factor that reverberates between the physical world and spiritual existence. An example of this would be Green, the Green Dragon part of The Ancient One, who came into existence with the origin of the dinosaurs due to the combined spiritual energy created by an entire planet full of life.

2) Inception - While not an uncommon method for spirit Origination in this day and age, this method was much more common during the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. When new ideas and theories and ways of thinking are generated by mankind spirits tend to Originate from that creation and inspiration.

3) Propagation - An incredibly rare way for spirits to Originate during any age in history, it is all but unheard of in the common era. Spirits are incapable of creation and this includes giving birth to offspring but, in limited circumstances, such as the intervention of a human or with the assistance of incredibly powerful amounts of spirit energy, it has been said that a spirit can give up their life to create two 'offspring' spirits, each containing half of the spirit energy of the parent.

4) Commencement - Supposedly the most common way for spirits to Originate in this day and age is for a human soul to transcend its physical existence and metamorphose into a spirit form. The vast majority of this theorized form of Origination suggests that a human soul, once it is done living, can 'come back' as a spirit. As no soul has ever 'come back' with a memory of its human life there are many spirits that do not add any credence to this theory. If it is true, however, the vast majority of young spirits are probably from this form of Origination.


Do spirits that come from a different type of life, remember any of their past?

The vast majority of spirits have crystal clear memories, able to recall anything and everything that has ever happened to them and, in some cases, vaguely remember things that happen to humans who are close to them. In the case of spirits who are theorized as Originating via Commencement, none have been verifiably able to recall anything of their former existence, leading most spirits to consider Commencement similar to the human theory of 'past lives'.


Can a spirit share memories with a seer, safely?

Memories are a very touchy and shaky subject when it comes to spirits; memories bring up emotions and emotions create spirit energy. Spirits are able to sense memories of humans with whom they are close and share their own memories (and the memories of others) with those humans. We have seen a case, for example, in which Anapa shared memories with Stephanie in her storyline and an even larger and more meaningful example of that is coming up. In most cases this is done safely assuming the spirit has any talent for it, though some more aggressive or 'evil' spirits can also cause emotional (and even physical) damage using the same talent if they know how to wield it as a weapon.


What is the purpose of a trickster spirit like Talapus?

Trickster spirits such as Talapus exist as a force of chaos in an otherwise orderly world. They exemplify the fact that nothing runs smoothly forever and that even the best well-laid plans ultimately fall apart when exposed to 'that one thing'. They exist to make certain that humanity moves ever forward, and to encourage us to find the next best thing so that we do not sit on our laurels or accept what we are told without questioning it. In that regard, Tricksters are both a force for good (encouraging us to always strive for something better) but also a tool of ill (causing us pain or stress or loss). For more information on Tricksters of mythology, which closely align with Trickster spirits, I highly encourage studying the works of Joseph Campbell; he has some amazing written works and lectures on the topic.

What the author is trying to say is that Tricksters keep humans from getting to full of themselves.

Not exactly, but I suppose that's one interpretation, Kon.


In what ways can a Weaver affect the world that a Seer can not?

Seers are human that focus on their own life or how their life resolves in the human frame of mind. Weavers are humans who learn more about spirits and help affect the spirit world and not just keep their attention to the world of man. Neither has more power than the other, but Weavers generally tend to learn more about how they can affect spirits than a Seer does. Simply put, when it comes to spirits a Seer is more reactive and a Weaver is more proactive. Another way to explain it is that both CAN, but only a Weaver DOES.


If Naturae Spirits draw their spiritual sustenance from parts of the physical world untouched by mortals, why would some of them go after a seer in the first place?

Naturae Spirits are few and far between in this day and age because there are far too few places left for them with which drawing spiritual energy is possible. As such, the need to continue existing drives them into the realm of humanity and they find another source of spirit energy. In that case, once the Spirit begins to change its habits, it loses the classification of Naturae Spirit and becomes a different kind.

Likewise, though not common in this day and age, a spirit who loses their humanity connection may become a Naturae Spirit; one good example of this is the Naturae Spirit of the Grand Canyon, who was once a Tribal Spirit to a now extinct tribe of Native Americans. Incidentally, she is doing quite well for herself these days seeing as humans contribute a huge amount of spirit energy just by visiting it.


There are four questions sent out by readers which will be answered by spirits. I will, of course, be answering for The Ancient One and Medved, while Kon will be free to answer for himself. Ready, Kon?

I was ready ever since this post started! Lemme at em! *tail swishes*

Alright. First question: Do you think a genuine love can exist between a Seer and a Yokai?

Next question?

No, Kon. The purpose of being asked questions is to answer them. Can a Seer and a Yokai be in love?

Well, it's easier than for an oblivious human and a Yokai to be in love, sure. If a Yokai is stupid enough to fall in love I guess anything's possible.

So your answer is 'yes'?

Next. Question.

Okay. Next question: how do you test a human?

Hmm... I suppose it depends on the kind of test. If I'm trying to find out how best to manage a human I'll probably just watch em for awhile so I can get a good idea of what their pressure points are. You know: what gets em to do whatever I need em to do.

Okay then. Thank you Kon.

I like being thanked, shitsureina Kuma. *tail swishes*

Actually, that brings up a very good question! One of the readers wants to know what that means.

*ears raise* 'Tha't? Oh... it is a pronoun that refers to something not immediately close to the speaker. I like these questions! Keep em coming!

No, no... not 'that', Kon... the reader wants to know what 'shitsureina Kuma' means.

Oh... right... *tail swishes* ...but if I recall, that was a question they had for YOU, not for me.

So? You know what it means. I don't.

And is admitting you don't know something a bitter pill to swallow? *tail swishes*


Okay... moving on. Here's a question for The Ancient One: The reader wants to know if there has always been three of The Ancient One and which came first.

The Ancient One, in fact, is the combination of three individual spirits who did not used to be joined but are now. Green is the eldest of the bunch, and has never been truly connected to any human. Red is much MUCH younger than Green, having come into being somewhere around 2000 BC and was connected with cultures all around Asia and some parts of Eurasia and Indonesia. Ch'upikaq is technically the 'youngest' of The Ancient One's three parts and he came into being somewhere around 1000 to 900 BC where he was worshipped as a god. He had numerous names throughout the centuries among the many cultures throughout Mesoamerica. As the varied cultures paying homage to Red and Ch'upikaq died out or lost influence, Green brought them together for mutual survival and they have worked ever since to regain enough individual power to be rid of their triumvirate presence.


Our final question is reserved for Medved, and the reader asks if he would ever consider going back to Russia or if he preferred where he is now.

Medved loves Russian and loves discussing Russia and most things Slavic. That being said, he has focused his presence on serving as Guardian for its peoples and the families who originated therein. As a Guardian spirit he is, at current, more closely attuned to the family he chose to protect and, more recently, a Seer. If he were to lose connection to that seer and that family he would most certainly return to Russia in order to continue his service, only, with a new family. That being said, he would be overjoyed if, for some reason, his Seer elected to travel to Russia, as he misses it greatly. Specifically, he says "V gostyakh khorosho, a doma luchshe.", or: "Being a guest is good, but being at home is better.".

Thank you all for your questions and I hope these answers have been insightful!

I'm gearing up for another primer on spirits and information about spirit matters as it pertains to the Reader-Directed story: "The Gift".

Through next Thursday (the 10th) I'll be collecting questions from readers right here!

If you have any questions about how 'spirit-things' work or general questions about specific spirits please feel free to leave your questions here! Questions asked on each site will be posted in a singular upload for both sites, so ask away! I'll answer three questions from any given reader, and you may ask a singular question from any spirit of your choice.

Like Kon!

Or any others-- I'll be Seer on their behalf. :P

But not Kon! I can answer any questions myself!

True, but readers may want to provide Essence to other Spirits, and any questions directed at a spirit will gain Essence for them.

In that case, DEFINITELY Kon! *tail swish*

ANY spirit, Kon, not just you.

Fine... but if I can get 100 essence before the end of the story then you have to have an awesome artist commissioned to draw me for the world!

No promises.

I bet some readers' be willing to help fund it. I'm vvveeerrrrrrrrrrrry photogenic, you know

ANYWAY, that's the current plan, so ask your questions!

Please note: I may purposefully refuse to answer certain questions, but feel free to ask them anyway because there's no telling what's off-limits unless you ask!

Who is going?

Should I go?

I went incognito to day one of year 1. Has it changed much?


Info, people! INFO!

Greetings and salutations readers!

Assuming you've clicked on this Journal you probably have at least passing interest in my current ongoing story/stories of "The Gift". This update is to let you know where we will go once Chapter 2s start for the five storylines. As this is a reader-directed story, we are now moving onward to having reader input on what will be involved in the stories in question!

There will be no "The Gift" updates this week, except for Stephanie's storyline, which is NOT directed by readers. The remaining four will start up again next week and this week will be an opportunity for readers to provide input, ideas, contributions, etc. Also, it will be a chance for everyone to vote on what plot like they'd like their favorite storyline(s) to follow.

So-- let's get right down to it. Here are the current characters involved with each storyline:

1) Richard's (FA) Story includes Jack the Gryphon, Anapa the Jackal, Phillip the Cat and Sabrina the Cat.

2) Richard's (SF) Story includes Balam the Jaguar, Jack the Gryphon, Treboada the Wolf and Sabhana the Wolf.

3) Daniels Story includes Kon the Fox, Herne the Elk, Talapus the Coyote, and Aiden the Bat

4) Edward's Story includes the Reptile Spirit known as The Ancient One, Medved the Bear, Tom the Rhino and Treboada the Wolf.

5) Stephanie's Story includes Anapa the Jackal, Kyle the Raven, Medved the Bear and Tom the Rhino.

That's how it is... but not how it HAS to be! Do you have a favorite spirit so far for a given storyline? How about a least favorite? Make it known and you could add to or subtract from a Spirit's energy reserves, strengthening or weakening them accordingly. How about a favorite Human character? Vote for them and give them a much needed boost or a much deserved blow to their own statistics.

Now-- more than that, it is time to decide how the stories presented thus far will develop! What follows are five possible directions a given story could take. For each storyline the actual effects of these plot devices will differ and it is possible to select the same plotline for more than one storyline. Here are options-- please be advised that readers may only vote for ONE storyline per site (if you're on both sites you may vote for one plot for one story on each site but may NOT vote for the same storyline on both sites). Voting for more than one storyline means I will only count the first vote. Here are the options:

Plot Device 1: An unusual activity or event disrupts the Human's daily schedule and the spirits step in to offer "aid".

Plot Device 2: The Human encounters narcotics/drugs and the spirits weigh in on such activities.

Plot Device 3: One or more spirits discusses religion, religious activities, religious rituals, and/or deities with the Human.

Plot Device 4: The Human goes through his or her "regularly scheduled" day with one or more spirits.

Plot Device 5: The Human spends his or her free time with one or more spirits.

Voting, submissions, contributions, and questions are now open! The window closes for the aforementioned interaction on midnight (pacific time), Friday the 13th.

Kon interaction is now open too! *tail swishes*

We didn't discuss this, Kon.

True, but you didn't FORBID it either, sakka kuma.

*sigh* Alright... questions for Kon will also be an option.

And if I get enough mortal attention then you have to post that one story of mine.

I would have thought you'd want that to stay personal... and, besides, we'd BOTH have to get permission from the commissioner before that can happen.

Well, any attention is good attention, right? Besides, maybe it'll do a lot of good to undo all of that bad blood everyone feels toward Yokai and I'll get even more support! *tail swishes*

Okay, Kon... fine. IF you can get ten individual acknowledgement of supports from mortals and IF the commissioner gives their blessing then I'll post your personal background story before Chapter 2 starts. If not, you have to stop asking. Do we have a Bargain?

We have a Bargain!

There you have it folks-- favorite spirit, favorite human, preferred storyline vote, and decide whether or not Kon needs more spirit energy by giving him your attention. See you again soon with Stephanie's first Chapter 2 post on Friday!

Updates on "The Gift" and other stories will continue as of next week-- my hiatus continues. Thank you for your patience.

- - -

My time away lasts longer still
as I taste again a bitter pill.
The stories by the wayside lay
but I shall return again Tuesday.
I speak once more of deaths affairs
that takes a father from his heirs
pulling my thoughts to family
and placing obligations upon me.

It has been a lengthy road
as doctors tried to fight and goad
the cancer out of where it lay
inside my dad with intent to slay
the vile tumors seeking to end him
with weakness to heart and mind and limb.
But in the end as has happened before
you may win a battle but still lose the war.

Between the arguments of kith and kin
I find myself stuck too firmly within
a world unkind to one with an empath's heart
and I feel as though I'm being torn apart
by the demands and the fears of the family
who were not as close to my father as me.
They don't know his wishes or final thoughts
which means many battles of financial plots.

Having no way to describe how I feel
I've turned to rhymes in the hope I'll deal
with that which I have no way to cope.
Regardless I shall continue to hope
that the pain will pass and I'll focus anew
and bring yet more stories here to you.
Until then I beg you all will wait
as I address the issues of my dad's fate.

This is not a sudden loss as we have known
for months as the cancer has spread and grown
but no matter how well prepared you might be
there is no way to deal with such a loss simply.
So I find myself grieving even as I work hard
to protect everything from family who were jarred
by the loss of one we had all loved so much
because they do not know what is safe to touch.

This journal is not a call for sympathy
I am taking a break and must say simply
that my life has changed. Since losing my dad
I find myself going from scared, angry, to sad.
And such a mindset is not a productive one
but I hope soon to return to the fun
of providing you all the stories to read
but first I must deal with this pressing need.

The life of a writer brings many demands
much more than is solved by keyboard and hands.
And yet metaphors come to mind as I look
I find myself comparing death to a book.
I want to scream and shout and cry
"Help me!" but I realize that I can't even try;
far too many depend on me to be stable
and complete the papers upon the table.

It's hard to be calm and say my goodbyes
when I can't keep the tears out of my eyes.
My dad's chapter ended before I was ready
and right now I am fighting to keep myself steady.
And nothing right now feels like it should;
it hurts since that book is closed for good.
Yes, all pain is temporary and I'll be back
but for the next few days I'll be in black.

So please have patience; I shall return
as soon as I can have my turn
to grieve. Once all of this is concluded
and my mind is once again unpolluted
by the emotions that are running unchecked
and my life no longer feels a'wrecked
I look forward to once again presenting
stories on end without relenting.

I've have quite a few things going on so I will be holding off updates for a bit.

Expect quite a few "The Gift" posts upon my return.

"The Gift" is not my first reader-influenced story series and, as those of you who have been following along through past iterations such as Fathom's Phantoms, The Lead Crown, and Splintered Light may know, there have been issues in the past with voting 'fraud'. We're not talking active, malicious cheating but there are some problems with stuffing the ballot box. Many accounts constantly interact with the stories during voting opportunities who do NOT read the stories. These accounts are encouraged by very active and very enthusiastic readers who say "Hey-- go to this link and copy/paste this as a comment!"

Let me be clear that this is in direct and spiritual opposition to the purpose of providing power to the readers; if the owner of an account does not read the story then there is no reason for them to vote. For those of you who are familiar with the behind-the-scenes activity regarding Splintered Light will know that it was originally planned to last almost twice as long as it did. Why did it end early? I was no longer in a position to continue dealing with the voter fraud. I truly appreciate that the storyline means so much to some people, but I cannot have a small group of people ruining the opportunities to help direct the story for everyone else.

To that end, I have to take a very stalwart (and nigh vindictive) stance against such practices during "The Gift". Since about half way through The Lead Crown I have collected a database of votes and have a method to determine 'inconsistencies' in voting. This continued through Splintered Light, and I am maintaining the practice in "The Gift"-- it has already identified issues. To that end, I will sadly be invalidating nearly 25% of the votes that have been made regarding the human protagonists. I don't like invalidating votes, but, as I noted, I cannot move forward with a reader-directed story that is being directed by one reader influencing numerous non-readers for his/her benefit to the detriment to the honest votes from other true readers.

So-- I am hoping to move forward with a clear understanding of how voting will work... rules, you might say.

Kon's Note: Oh come on... why do we NEED rules? That's just more restrictions to make things less fun.

First of all, stacking votes makes things less fun, Kon... and second, you don't get to have a "Kon's Note". You aren't involved in voting or decision-making.

Kon's Note: You get an Author's Note when I'M talking, so it's only fair. And, I want to point out, you're messing with votes that affect my story line, so I am VERY involved!

Sorry, Kon-- Yokai concern is overruled for the sake of clarity so readers will have a better understanding of what to expect.

Fine. But I don't have to like it.

So, for anyone just wanting to READ "The Gift" stories, there are no actionable items, but for those who wish to help influence the story lines, I am breaking votes down into two categories: those I KNOW, beyond a shadow of a doubt are 'clean' voters, and those for whom I have any amount of doubt. The former people will be able to vote whenever applicable and their vote will be counted toward directing the story line. For those of the second variety, their votes will only count for 50%. No, I'm not providing a list, because of the opportunity that I am presenting here:

All readers have the opportunity to speak up on this journal on either site (you don't have to do so on both sites). By commenting "I swear" below you are attesting that you are following along and reading all storylines on which you vote. Your votes are your own or, if not, it is only because you are discussing the storyline with another reader (or readers) and choosing in concert based on your opinions rather than the request of someone else. By commenting "I swear" you acknowledge that you will declare along with your vote any time you have chosen to vote based on the suggestion, plea, bargain, or vote-trade with another reader (acceptable, so long as it is declared), but again, you are acknowledging that you are an active reader of the story line in which you vote rather than working as an extra vote for whomever you are backing. By commenting "I swear" you also attest that you will recuse yourself from future voting if ever you cease reading whatever story line "The Gift" on which you had been previously voting. Finally, by commenting "I swear", you are attesting that you are using no more than one account per site to vote on the story lines housed there.

Do you want them to sign in blood too?

That's not helping, Kon-- I don't really want to get this anal, but I also don't want overly enthusiastic readers ruining the experience for other readers or myself.

Fine. I'll be quiet--

Thank you.

--If you let me have another post for interacting with these lovely mortals.

We'll discuss it at a later point, Kon. Not right now.

I'll hold you to it!

So-- to summarize: there are already signs of voter 'fraud' and I can no longer allow it without addressing the issue. Readers who will be partaking in the voting process will either get a full vote if I have no doubts about the genuine nature of their voting. For those I have even the slightest doubt, their votes will only count for 50%-- or nullified if I am certain they are stacking votes. Anyone commenting "I swear" on this journal who wishes to take part in the vote will automatically be assumed to be truthful and genuine in their voting.

What if the people swear, and then break their Pact?

Well, Kon... first of all, mortals don't make Pacts with other mortals-- that's a spirit thing... they're just swearing that their intentions are truthful.

And if they aren't?

I don't want to think anyone would be quite that duplicitous, but if that's the case, and I am certain beyond a shadow of a doubt, then I will probably take 'drastic measures'.

And what are 'drastic measures', oh honored Author?

Honestly, I'd rather keep this pleasant and upbeat, which is the only reason I'm letting your antics go unaddressed... so let's just say I hope it doesn't come to that, but may result in me having to learn about what block, ignore, and/or hide options are available on FA and SF.

Ouch.

Like I said-- I'd rather not have to deal with that. Regardless, I'm looking forward to having a fantastic time with 'The Gift' and I hope all of my readers are equally excited, and equally willing to 'play fair'.

That's great for the future and all that, but what about the people who have been cheating? How are you gonna punish them?

I don't want to punish anyone, Kon. Having to adjust votes by going back and giving those people 50% credit for how they voted is bad enough. I just want things to run smoothly and fairly from here on out.

Well... how do you KNOW those folks were cheating?

As I said, I don't KNOW they were cheating, and my 'evidence', though comprehensive, isn't fool-proof. My point is to make sure that people can enjoy the story without the frustration of one or two readers with a coven of followers stuffing the ballot box. If people were cheating then they know who they are and we can leave it at that. If they aren't willing to comment "I swear" on this journal then they will continue to get their 50% vote until I can continue to track a continued repeat of negative behavior, in which case, the same as if they swore they'd play fair and didn't, I will take whatever action is necessary to end the problem.

Wow! That sounds pretty dramatic.

Nah. I don't like drama. I just want things to go back to good, and I'll do what I have to so it can be, or else I'll just put an end to these reader influenced stories, which would be my last resort.

So... you gonna wait for those folks to apologize after they read this?

No, Kon. I don't need or want anyone to apologize. I just want people to enjoy the stories and, if they are voting, I'd like them to play by the spirit of the rules.

Hee hee... the 'spirit' on a story about spirits. I like it.

That wasn't meant to be funny, Kon.

I think you're too easy on people. Those are easy rules to follow!

Making it easy is the point, Kon. It's supposed to be easy and fun and enjoyable. That's really all there is to it, folks. If you have any questions please feel free to list them below-- and, by all means, ask questions if you feel you need to before you attest that you will follow the simple guidelines regarding the votes. And, of course, if you don't plan on voting you certainly weren't required to read all of this, but I appreciate that you did anyway! :)

Kon's Note: Oh-- and if you're one of the ring-leaders of these little vote-stuffing circles, then let me make things VERY clear--

Kon, you don't get to make notes on my--

VOTE FOR ME! *peace sign*

That's not helping, Kon.

I know. I know. Honestly though, lovely mortals: risking an early end to my story makes me sad. Don't make me a sad Yokai by not playing fair. Please? *puppy dog eyes*

We come to the first of several options in ways readers can help affect the outcome of the four "The Gift" story lines.

Spirits in the upcoming Reader-Directed story "The Gift" rely on spiritual energy provided by humans. They can receive this in a number of ways, from the physical, such as being gifted with offerings of food or objects, to the more immaterial, such as by being given a name, or dedicating events to them. In this case, readers will have an opportunity to provide the 16 spirits of "The Gifts" with additional spiritual power before we begin. Now, while it is impossible to tell yet which spirits will be chosen for the storylines, I am providing readers a low-impact, low energy method to provide their favorites a little boost. Spirit selection is coming up soon but now is a great time to give your preferred spirit(s) a little boost!

Below are 48 quotes from songs across a wide spread of musical genres. Select one lyric, identify the band/artist and the song's title, then state which spirit of which it most reminds you, and why. Then provide your own lyric, band/artist, and song title and say why that reminds you of the spirit in question. If you correctly identify the song I provided then your selected spirit will gain power. This will be consistent for any and all story lines in which your selected spirit appears. That's all! Easy, huh?

A few ground rules though: any lyric listed here can only be used (successfully) once. Likewise, you may not select one of the 48 songs I've provided from which to draw your lyrics, even if they are different lyrics from that song. Likewise, any songs chosen by readers who cast their gift to spirits before you are also off-limits. Yes-- this will conceivably make things harder as you go. Also, since this involves lyrics, there is obviously no point in choosing songs without lyrics, and selecting a song such as, for example "Tequilla" by The Champs (na na na na na na na, TEQUILLA!) would be a bad choice because providing the BEST spiritual energy to spirits requires a little more refinement. The amount of spirit energy provided to you for your chosen spirit will depend on how suitable your gift.

In case you need a refresher on the spirits, here are the links to their details:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/26070456/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/26082219/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/26092815/

And, yes-- you may empower spirits once per site, but you may not use the same songs on each site, and yes, each song CAN be used once per site, so if you see your preferred song is gone from this list, go check SF and use it there! When a song is used it will have the title and artist attached, and be highlighted in bold.

So-- here we go:

“Yeah, I know, it's everybody's sin: you've got to lose to know how to win."

“Take back your life and let me inside. We'll find the door if you care to anymore."

“The truth is out, the lies are old but you don't want to know."

“If you close your eyes does it feel like nothing's changed at all?"

“I had to find you, tell you I need you. Tell you I've set you apart."

“I used to rule the world. Seas would rise when I gave the word. Now in the morning I sleep alone; sweep the streets that I used to own."

“Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got until it's gone?"

“Where is the moment we needed the most? You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost."

“Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused."

“They say we are what we are, but we don't have to be. I'm bad behavior but I do it in the best way."

“I've got the scars from tomorrow and I wish you could see that you're the antidote for everything except for me."

“If your body matches what your eyes can do you'll probably move right through me on my way to you."

“And now we're grown up orphans that never knew their names. We don't belong to no one; that's a shame."

“Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me. Til then I walk alone."

“Here comes the rain again falling from the stars. Drenched in my pain again, becoming who we are."

“I'm alive for you. I'm awake because of you."

“I'll never rest until I can make my own way."

“You learn to live like an animal in the jungle where we play." -Guns n Roses, "Welcome to the Jungle"

“You break me down, you build me up Believer. Believer."

“Whatever it takes cause I love the adrenaline in my veins. I'll do whatever it takes because I love how it feels when I break the chains."

“Let me lay down beside you. Let me always be with you."

“I'm proud of who I am. No more monsters, I can breathe again."

“Living might mean taking chances, but they're worth making. Loving might be a mistake but it's worth making."

“Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside Heaven's door and listen to you breathing; that's where I wanna be."

“I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn't even matter. I had to fall to lose it all, but in the end it doesn't even matter."

“I've become so numb I can't feel you there; become so tired, so much more aware."

“I can feel it comin' back again like a rollin' thunder chasin' the wind. A force is pulling from the center of the earth again."

“Trust and I seek and I find in you every day for us: something new. Open mind for a different view, and nothing else matters"

“Heed me. Love me and feed me. Kiss me and free me. I will feel blessed."

“Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten."

“If you can hear me n now, I'm reaching out to let you know that you're not alone."

“Someday, some how I'm gonna make it all right but not right now. I know you're wondering when."

“You let me desecrate you. You let me penetrate you. You let me complicate you." -Nine Inch Nails, "Closer"

“What have I become, my sweetest friend? Everyone I know goes away in the end."

“I come along but I don't know where you're taking me. I shouldn't go but you're reaching, dragging, shaking me"

"It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep because my dreams are bursting at the seams."

“Every move you make, every vow you break, every smile you fake, every claim you stake, I'll be watching you.

“I don't really care if nobody believes cuz I've still got a lot of fight left in me."

“Tears make kaleidoscopes in your eyes. And hurt, I know you're hurting, but so am I. And love, if your wings are broken, please take mine til yours can open too."

“It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there. It's hard to believe that I'm all alone."

“Trying to keep an eye on you like a hurt, lost, and blinded fool."

“The night is calling; I have to go. The wolf is hungry. He runs the show."

“Walking down the street distant memories are buried in the past forever"

“I choose to live and to lie, kill and give and to die, learn to love and to do what it takes to step through."

“Feed my will to feel my moment drawing way outside the lines."

“We don't deal with outsiders very well. They say newcomers have a certain smell."

“I look deeply into your eyes. I smell your hair and caress your thighs."

“Her hips move and I can feel what they're sayin', swayin'. They say the beast inside of me is gonna get ya, get ya, yet."




This opportunity to empower spirits will be up until midnight (pacific time) on Friday, January 26th.

Contribute away!

Thank you to everyone who took part in the voting process-- between FA and SF there were a total of 64 accounts voting on the intros!

It is now time to announce the winning introductions and the sites on which they will be housed.

This is also the beginning of the next voting period where we attach Humans to the introductions!

So, here are the winning Introductions for each site:



FurAffinity:

Jack - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8577803/

and Kon - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8580250/

SoFurry:

Balam - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8576565/

and "The Ancient One" - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8581409/

Congratulations to the winning spirits and--

I TOLD YOU I'D WIN! THANK YOU, MY LOYAL MORTALS

-and now that Kon has that out of his system, it's time to vote on which human you'd like for each story. If you've already forgotten your options, here's a link again: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/26059774/

As the stories are now separated by site, FA readers may only vote on FA stories, so, here's the question:

Which human do you want for the storyline involving Jack?
Which human do you want for the storyline involving Kon?

I know what human I want for the storyline involving me!

That's nice, Kon, but you don't get a vote, and you don't get to influence the vote.

Selections are NOT exclusive, so technically the same human COULD be chosen for all four storylines. The human with the highest total score per storyline will be chosen. The votes may now begin and will continue through midnight (pacific time) on Wed, Jan 24th!

Questions, comments, and, of course, voting is welcome!

So are gifts of spiritual energy!

Author's Note: And now for a word from the story's resident Fox Yokai:

Hello, my lovely mortals, Kon here. You know... Kon, like Genghis Khan.

Author's Note: That doesn't work in the written word because it's not spelled the same, Kon.

Thank you Mister Author, but our Bargain was that you'd let me put up a post about what I want to post, so if I want to introduce myself like--

Author's Note: We agreed on that only if you don't confuse the readers. Learning about spirits is confusing enough without misinformation.

Well I hardly think that some witty banter about how to pronounce my name is confusing but, fine. To begin, let me be the first to thank you all for voting me in as one of the main two story lines on Fur Affinity. I am truly--

Author's Note: Kon, it is only Thursday night. Technically readers still have one more day to vote so even though you are currently tied in first place with thirteen votes, Talapus is right behind you and Jack with 12. It wouldn't take much to--

So I'm 'tied', am I? I'm told we Foxes are good at--

Author's Note: What I'm saying is that it may be premature to celebrate your--

And there's a Coyote Spirit behind me? So you're saying there's a chance it could be a three way tie? Do your readers know how filthy that sounds? Will the administrators let you get away with posting something so--

Author's Note: You're getting off track. Our Bargain DID set a time limit, you know.

Then stop interrupting me!!!! Anyway, where was I? Oh-- right. Thank you all for your interested in including a Yokai into this wonderful upcoming story. I know humans and Yokai haven't always had the most positive relationships, but I am warmed by your willingness to give me a chance. That being said, I DID want to provide you some additional insight to make sure that these four dating sims--

Author's Note: Stories. They're stories, not dating sims.

Oh, right... so just because you're an author you reserve the right to call them stories? I mean, come on-- the main character is a college aged human and all of these characters are going to be surrounded by four perfectly accessible spirits who are pretty much fawning all over them throughout the entire 'story'? You don't call that a 'dating sim'?

Author's Note: No. These are four separate story lines that go into great depth about the spiritual connection that humans share with--

But there will be deep relationship plot lines?

Author's Note: Yes, but--

And the possibility of a little four letter word starting with "L" and ending in "E"?

Author's Note: Of course, however the--

And, unless I'm very VERY mistaken, there's a chance that some 'adult material' could be involved at some point or another?

Author's Note: *sigh* Fine... call it whatever you want, Kon, just so long as the readers know it--

That it's a dating sim. Right! So, anyway, as you are all helping the human characters to get the best possible endings in each of the stories there are a few things you need to know about spirits. First: the best possible ending in the story involving me is to have the human focus on me and only me. If I can gain enough spiritual energy from my human then--

Author's Note: What did we discuss about misinformation, Kon?

What? That IS the best possible ending!

Author's Note: For YOU, perhaps.

Well, if you're putting a qualifier on it, I suppose, but you're missing my point completely, Mr. Author.

Author's Note: And what point is that?

That, in order to provide the best benefit to spirits, it is important that humans pay attention to us because of the spiritual energy it gives us...

Author's Note: This is true.

...and, when given the option on HOW to provide that energy to us, it is always best for the human to take the lead because the active decision is part of that pact.

Author's Note: Also true.

Of course it is. AND, when forced to decide in what way they will Gift us this energy, it is usually better to make that choice themselves than ask a spirit how they want it because the act of making that choice is another form of the pact... as long as they don't come up with something stupid or silly or totally wrong for the spirit who is getting the Gift. For example, I really DON'T like olives, so if a human is burning an offering of olives it--

Author's Note: You're off topic again.

No I'm not-- I'm letting the lovely mortals who will be making decisions for the humans in these stories know that I don't like olives so they won't make the mistake of--

Author's Note: Okay, so you're not off topic-- you're cheating by giving the readers hints so they can maximize character actions to your benefit.

Well, that's YOUR fault then, isn't it? You didn't tell me I COULDN'T give them hints-- you just said I shouldn't confuse them.

Author's Note: ...

Okay-- so where was I before the interruption? Ah yes. This is where I am going to increase your interest in having the human character choose me over all the rest of the spirits by giving you a surprise excerpt out of the really hot sex scene we have when all of the other spirits are banished! Roll the clip!

Author's Note: There is no clip.

But I wanted the readers to see the party where I have the human worshipping my chest, and licking my nipples while my fingers are--

Author's Note: There his no clip.

Then how are the readers supposed to find out if I top or bottom?!?!

Author's Note: Well, seeing as you're 'flexible' in that way, they get to help choose that IF it happens in the story... assuming you're paired with one of the male humans.

Oh! Right! The ladies! I'm licking my lips. They can see me licking my lips, right?

Author's Note: Not unless someone draws fan art on your behalf.

Ooh! So readers can give me extra spiritual energy too with gifts of art?

Author's Note: Well, this is a Reader-Directed story, so there are LOTS of ways then can help support their favorite spirits... and not just you.

You mean I'm going to have a whole army of mortal supporters?

Author's Note: They aren't just yours, Kon.

So, first order of business, my loyal followers, is to make sure that The Ancient One is taken out of his story line as quickly as possible. After that, we--

Author's Note: They aren't just yours, Kon.

-- have all of you vote unanimously to retroactively include me in the other storylines too, and that way I--

Author's Note: They aren't yours, Kon, and we've already established that you can only be in one storyline.

...unless the Readers vote otherwise?

Author's Note: No. Just one storyline. Period.

You really don't trust your readers that much do you? I'm sure we could always--

Author's Note: Just one storyline. Now get to the point so we can finish this part of the Bargain. You're running out of time.

Okay. Okay. So, my lovely mortals, due to brute overpowering in the electronic medium, our glorious Author has kindly requested I conclude our time together. The purpose of this contact, among many, is to give me a little extra time with all of you. I deserve it because I can't be in more than a single little story line, and you deserve it, beacause, well, it's me, and everyone deserves more me. Anyway, the most esteemed Author and I have crafted a Bargain and, as part of that, it is my job to answer questions of any and all sorts you, my lovely mortals, might have for me. I realize that the sheer magnificence of a spirit may be so overwhelming that you can't come up with anything less than a dozen questions but, alas, I have promised the benevolent and most reasonable Author that I will only answer a maximum of one question per reader. After all... our bet has something to do with that.

Author Note: Kon, remember what we--

I know-- I know. I'm not allowed to talk about the specifics of our Bargain or the bet it contains but, rest assured, I'm still confident I'll win. So-- feel free to ask any question... any question at ALL, and I will be Bound to answer it. There is one exclusion though; there's a specific question that I won't answer if asked because I--

Author's Note: Let the questions begin! Kon will answer one question per reader (just one per reader-- not one per reader per site) through 11:59pm (pacific time) on Saturday, the 20th. If you are supportive of Kon and want to help empower him, he will gain spiritual energy for each question he is asked and--

And NOW who's saying too much about our Bargain?

Author's Note: YOU can't talk about the Bargain. I didn't make any such restrictions on myself, remember?

Ah... well played, Sekushina kuma. Well played.

Author's Note: I don't speak Japanese, but I know 'kuma' means 'bear'. Did you just call me a bear?

Not precisely.

Author's Note: I--

Alright, lovely mortals -- let the questions begin!

Well, the time has come to decide which story lines will be used in The Gift.

Over the course of last week I presented six possible story lines with six different spirit characters introduced as part of them. If a storyline involving a character is not chosen it will not exclude that spirit from showing up in another storyline but the primary spirit characters will get a slight bonus over other spirits in the stories as they play out.

If a storyline is selected then it will be further fleshed out later when we assign human protagonists to them; that is to say, the intros will likely change a little, but nothing significant.

As a quick review, the story lines presented can be summarized thusly.

A) The protagonist lost his/her younger brother when he drowned in a river over summer break. During the funeral the protagonist touched his/her brother's cheek at the same time as a black furred jackal man. If this story line is chosen then Anapa the Jackal Spirit will be assured a place in "The Gift".

B) The protagonist moves out of his/her home into a poorly maintained apartment. S/he is electrocuted to death in a freak wiring accident but is brought back to life almost immediately by a humanoid Gryphon spirit. If this story line is chosen then Jack the Gryphon Spirit will be assured a place in "The Gift".

C) The protagonist and his/her friends went to Mexico during summer to celebrate their graduation. During their stay the protagonist was separated from the group and gained the attention of a humanoid jaguar spirit, who later saved him/her in a car accident that resulted in the death of all of his/her friends. If this story line is chosen then Balam the Jaguar Spirit will be assured a place in "The Gift".

D) The protagonist and two of his/her friends are going on a road trip to celebrate their graduation. At one of their last stops they sit in on a Native American celebration where the protagonist is met by a humanoid coyote spirit posing as a human performer. He reveals himself to the protagonist even though nobody else seems to notice anything out of the ordinary. If this story line is chosen then Talapus the Coyote Spirit will be assured a place in "The Gift".

P) The recent high school graduate protagonist moves to Cherry City so s/he can be close to his/her mother, who was institutionalized when the protagonist was a pre-teen. During the visit the protagonist learns that his/her mother had somehow been communicating with an ancient spirit or, more specifically, a powerful spirit who had three personalities with a different form per personality. If this story line is chosen then "The Ancient One", a nature spirit taking the forms of a western dragon man, a furry eastern dragon, and a feathered serpent will be assured a place in "The Gift".

S) The protagonist moves away from home and into a much larger town with the intent of starting his/her adult life. After a long day of work s/he is finishing off his/her chores by taking out the trash only to run into a very strange fox and shows him some kindness by giving him some leftover chicken. The fox turns out to be a fox spirit. If this story line is chosen then Kon the Fox Spirit will be assured a place in "The Gift".

Remember that the story line is the focus of the vote, as the story lines will have a specific effect on the stories as they unfold. Don't worry if a story line involving a spirit you particularly like isn't selected as there will be opportunities to include that spirit in another story line soon. So, with that out of the way, here is how voting works:

As a reader you are welcome to vote on both FA and SF; please do not use multiple accounts to vote more than you allotted number. To vote on each site you will provide two votes for the stories you'd like to have voted on the site where you vote, and another two votes on two more stories you'd like to see shown. Once all votes are tallied I will try to have all four top choices presented on both sites, but you will only be able to vote further on the stories on their respective sites.

For example, if we determine that A and B will be posted on FA while C and D are posted on SF then I will be posting all four stories on both sites, but when it comes to reader direction, only those readers with an FA account can influence stories A & B while readers with an SF account will influence C & D. If you have accounts on both sites, well, you can affect all four stories!

So, with that being said, please cast your first two votes for stories you want to actively be able to influence through SF, and then vote on two more stories you'd like to see unfold, knowing that only readers on FA can actively influence it.

Voting is open through midnight (pacific time) on Friday, January 19th!

Questions are now welcome as are comments, and, of course, votes!

Tonight is our final storyline-- the sixth of four. The time will come when readers on FA will have to select what two storylines will be presented on FA and readers on SF will have to figure out which two storylines will be put up on SF. Yes-- two storylines will not make the cut.

So-- when it comes to this storyline you may take note that this spirit, in addition to apparently having a multiple personality disorder, is a little more aggressive than some we've already met. That doesn't mean that he is a bad-guy, per se, as he has almost the same chance of being a good-guy as he is an antagonist; a lot of that will depend on reader decisions as the story progresses.

Because of the amount of control readers have of the storyline there is a solid chance that one or more storylines could include adult material of a m/f, m/m, or f/f nature-- of course, that entirely depends on the paths the audience chooses.

Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to help direct where "The Gift" is going, as one of our first priorities will determine which two storylines will be posted on FA, and which two will go to SF.

The Gift
Intro P
copyright comidacomida 2018

My childhood wasn't what you'd call 'happy'. It wasn't 'traditional'; it wasn't 'magical'; it certainly wasn't comfortable. When I was twelve my mom was committed to a mental hospital so I spent my teenage years with my grandparents. My dad wasn't in the picture because my mom was the victim of rape when she was sixteen. You can imagine how critical my grandparents were of me when I was sixteen, and it didn't get any better.

When I turned eighteen I decided that I was done with all of it. I took the money I'd put together from working summer jobs and borrowed some money from my grandfather so I could move west. I'd like to say that I chose Cherry City because there were lots of job openings, because it had a great public transportation system, or because it had great opportunities for high school graduates but, if I was honest to myself, it was because my mom was there at the Oregon Mental Hospital.

I didn't really have positive memories of her, but I didn't have horrible memories either. You could say that it was more about closure than anything else, but after I managed to get settled into a small apartment on the north side of town I made my first trip out into the city to go for a visit. Although my focus at that point was to get answers from her I didn't realize that my visit to the hospital would actually just give me tons of new questions... not to mention flip my understanding of the world upside down.

My mom wasn't the kind of 'crazy' you'd see in a movie; there weren't any vocal outbursts or explosive violence; she didn't talk in tongues and she didn't have any obsessive-compulsive urges. She did suffer from extreme depression however. Oh-- and she heard voices.

She was pretty lucid when I got there, and I had a chance to visit her alone in her room. The doctors made me give up anything sharp on me, including my belt because it had a metal buckle; apparently she'd tried to commit suicide three times during her stay. I have to admit that it was a little intimidating to hear that but I had to speak to her because I needed that closure so I could start my life over fresh. The lady that was waiting for me was nothing like the woman I remembered from my childhood.

My mom looked like she'd aged way more than six years and she had the scars of her past suicide attempts visible since her patient gown had short sleeves; they looked like pale double number signs on each wrist and forearm and she was already pale to start. She apparently hadn't spent any time outside her room, let alone outside and none of the other patients wanted anything to do with her... apparently she freaked out the doctors too, and that said a lot since there were supposed to be cannibals in the high security part of the facility.

But, regardless of how odd she looked, my mom didn't look like she was all that intimidating. At least, she didn't until she started talking with someone who wasn't there. I had trouble tracking what she was saying and I'm not entirely sure it was all in English. I'm pretty sure she knew she was my mom but a lot of what she said didn't sound like it was directed at me and that made it hard. After about two hours, I had to try and get through to her so I could know without a doubt. "Mom... you know who I am, don't you?"

She looked past me, her brows furrowing for a moment as if she were listening... just not to me. Eventually, just as I was about to say something her eyes finally focused and she smiled. "Hello, honey... I'm so glad you finally came to visit."

I let out a breath, trying to figure out if that was clear enough or not, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "I wanted to, but Nana and Pop thought it wouldn't be a good idea. This was the first chance I could get."

Everything went quiet and I wasn't sure whether she was trying to make sense of what I said or just didn't 'get it'. Right when I was about to say something though she spoke up first, turning her wrists toward me. "They wouldn't let me die, you know."

It was a pretty strange segue, but at least she was talking. I reached out, almost ready to touch her hand, but I pulled back, finally starting to get a sense of why the staff was so intimidated; interacting with her was just... strange. "Well... that's what they're here for, Mom. The doctors and nurses here are supposed to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

She laughed, almost hysterically. "The doctors? No, Sweety... they don't do anything. They don't do anything."

My mom just contradicted herself and I had to point it out. "But... you just said that they didn't let you die. It's their job to protect you."

Sighing, she looked past me. "I was getting to that."

I leaned so that I could intercept her gaze. "What were you getting to, Mom?"

She smiled sweetly, her attention wholly on me once again. "I told them about you, you know. I told them about my baby... about how special you were... and they wanted to meet you."

A chill ran up my spine. Even though I knew that everything was just in her head I couldn't help but feel that I was on the spot... like an ant under a microscope in a lab... or a magnifying glass under the sun. "Mom... who's 'they'?"

My mom's smile turned impassioned in a way that seemed almost impossible for a woman who was supposedly so depressed that she'd tried to kill herself on multiple occasions. She spread her arms out in a way that looked eerily like a crucifixion pose and, before my eyes, the scars on her wrists opened, and blood began pouring out onto the bedspread like crimson curtains. I cried out in alarm, but she just continued smiling as she whispered. "You'll see, my love... you'll see."

I shouted out for help, calling for the doctors, or an orderly, or a nurse-- anyone who could help. Jumping forward, I grabbed hold of each of my mom's wrists, slapping my hands over the open wounds in a desperate attempt to staunch the blood. My palms pressed down on the cuts and, at the same time, I felt a bony grip clamp down on each of my shoulders and a soft, sinewy voice slithered through my right ear. "We've been waiting for you."

I was so caught up with trying to stop my mom from bleeding to death that I was almost able to convince myself that what I'd heard was someone talking in the next room-- the voice must have come through the vent or something. The grip on my shoulders tightened and it almost felt like claws were digging into my flesh. A voice spoke into my left ear and it was unmistakably close. "Do not waste your time. She is the past, and you are our future."

The door to my mom's room opened, and I spun around to plead for help from whoever showed. "She's bleeding and--"

The words stopped coming as I found myself staring at some kind of a lizard-- a man-lizard. He was covered in pine green plates, except for his chest and abdomen, which were adorned with smooth-looking yellow banded scales. He had gold bracelets and an armband, and wore a black leather loincloth at his waist hanging from a black leather belt. The moment his emerald eyes met mine I watched his slit pupils widen slightly. He spoke with the aggressive, grating voice I'd heard in my left ear. "There. Now you See."

A moment later the dragon faded like a cloud blown away by the wind as whomever entered the room banished him, walking straight through the dragon as if he hadn't been there. It was the orderly who I'd seen outside in the hall. "What's going on?"

I held up my arms, showing the copious blood pouring down from my hands-- realizing too late that they were clean. "Wha-?"

Turning around, I saw my mom laying on the bed staring at the ceiling, arms splayed out with a serene expression on her face. The orderly quickly pushed me out of the way, going to tend to her immediately. He nudged past me with such force that I stumbled toward the wall, but I didn't hit it. The smooth muscle of a sinewy body caught hold of me as various curls of a furred body repelled me-- steadied me. The next voice to speak was that calm and composed one that had greeted me in my right ear. "Worry not for your mother, Seeker. She is free."

I was stunned. "What?"

The orderly repeated himself, which was not what I'd just heard. "Go wait outside in the hall please."

He forestalled any further argument by immediately talking into the walkie-talkie that hung from his shirt pocket, putting me out of his mind. I stayed there staring at him as he inspected my comatose mother, unwilling to look away, but unable to take in what I was seeing. "She's... she's dead, isn't she?"

The orderly proceeded to ignore me, but there was another presence in the room who did not. A strange sense of serenity came over me as a feathery wing folded around my shoulders like a cowl, and the eerie feeling of warm scales comfortingly caressing the side of my face almost made me piss myself. A new voice, decidedly masculine but somehow gentle in a way I had never known urged me onward. "You do not need to witness what is next, child."

I slowly stumbled my way out of the room, accompanied by the curled scales of a feathered serpent hanging off of my back. There was so much I didn't understand, not the least of which being how I realized that every form and every voice belonged to a single individual. As a number of hospital staff passed by me it became obvious that nobody else had taken notice of what was suddenly weighing me down, figuratively and literally. "What's going on?"

The comforting loops of a feathered serpent were replaced by the hard, controlling talons of that green-and-gold dragon as a horned, plated muzzle pressed itself up against my left ear, voice oozing with a kind of otherworldly hunger I could not completely identify. "What is going on? Your mother has asked to be released, and she has brought us you to take her place."

Whether I wasn't able to understand or just chose not to, what I was hearing didn't quite make it all the way through my brain. Turning to face my oppressor, I--

For those of you following along, this is the fifth story intro I have presented for "The Gift", a reader-directed story that will read similarly to a choose-your-own-adventure story mixed with a dating sim kind of game. All versions of this story will involve a high school graduate moving to a new city from their original home without friends and without family, accompanied only by their own thoughts... and four spirits. It is also important to note that each storyline will involve a different human protagonist and four different spirits-- to be chosen soon by you, the readers!

There is one more intro to present, and my patrons on Patreon are going to be selecting the spirit. Once the four storylines are selected we will flesh out the main (human)characters more clearly, providing them more depth, more of a background, more drive to their lives, and yes, even confirm their sex/gender! So, incidentally, that does mean that, even though the fox called the main character "Hiro", that is NOT his/her name-- just thought I'd throw that out there.

Although this introduction includes some casual nudity there are some storylines and chapters that may include adult material of a m/f, m/m, or f/f nature-- of course, that entirely depends on the paths the audience chooses.

Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to help direct where "The Gift" is going, as one of our first priorities will determine which two storylines will be posted on FA, and which two will go to SF.

Finally, yes: the Intro letter is not an error. Thanks for noticing. :)

The Gift
Intro S
copyright comidacomida 2018

In high school I learned that America was becoming more and more urbanized as the years went by. Apparently people who grow up in cities were more likely to stay in cities than people and people who grow up in the country tend to move toward more urban areas. It's a double-whammy since more people are born in cities where the population is already higher. It's like my high school statistics teacher always said: a double exponential growth curve. Don't ask me what it means though-- I barely passed that class.

What I'm getting at is that I fell into the second group; I grew up in eastern Oregon in a town of under 10,000 and moved to Cherry City, a town over 15 times the size. It isn't the biggest city in Oregon, but it's definitely one of them. I did wait until I graduated and, even though it was my mom and dad's idea first, they ended up deciding to stay where we'd been and I made the move alone. It was a big step on starting my adult life but I was ready for it. Well... I THOUGHT I was ready for it.

Any self-sufficient adult knows that every month is a numbers game; you have to make as much money as you spend or else you're in a bad way. Fortunately I managed to pick up a summer job at a local fast food place. I was still trying to figure out whether I was going to take some classes at the local community college or if I was just using my job as a springboard to something a LOT better than flipping burgers-- actually, it was more like putting them on a metal conveyer belt that rolled them through a hot oven, but you get the idea.

Between the cash my parents gave me to help get me started and the 20-hour-a-week minimum wage job I was able to rent an apartment. It wasn't a NICE apartment, and it wasn't exactly on the nice side of town, but at least it wasn't a crappy apartment and it wasn't on the bad side of town. I guess you could call it 'perfectly middle of the road', but actually I think an average apartment would have been nicer. At least the property management company kept things in good repair and the rent wasn't super expensive since I signed a lease for a year.

I got a studio apartment, which means there were only two real rooms: the first was a combination of a living room, kitchen, and bedroom while the second was a bathroom. From what the rental agent said the square footage was actually pretty good for the price but, to be honest, it wasn't anywhere close to what I was used to since I grew up in a huge ranch-style house. For over a week I couldn't help but dwell on all the things I missed about living at home: a room specifically for my bedroom, lots of windows, and someone who handled all of my cooking and laundry. That nostalgia lasted until my second Friday at the apartment, and that was only because something else happened that took up my attention.

That Friday I worked until ten. Even though the bus ran right by the restaurant my apartment was only five or six blocks away so I figured I'd save the two bucks and walk. Considering it was so late I decided to stop by a supermarket on the way and I picked up some pop and an eight pack of fried chicken. Considering I wasn't about to eat eight pieces of chicken in one sitting I figured $5.99 was more than worth it to have a few meals ready to go.

I was home before I knew it, and sitting down at the small table I'd brought with me from home. Granted, it was an old lamp table my mom got from her mom, but it was more than enough for a household of one, and the folding metal chair I sat in wouldn't have looked right at a real dining table. Either way, it didn't make sense to spend any money on a new table with matching chairs since it was only me at the apartment. With my dinner complete I went and tossed all of the bones and the paper plate into the trash, then tied off the bag and took it out.

The trash bin at the apartment complex was on the other side of the parking lot from my apartment so I had a short walk to get rid of my garbage. The two street lights that should have helped me see were both out so I was left carrying the trash bag in one hand and my cell phone, with flashlight app on in the other. It wasn't a very complex or difficult chore but, having just finished six hours of minimum wage drudgery I was already more than tired enough that I was almost on top of a wild animal before I'd realized it. At first I thought it was a small dog, but I was wrong.

Foxes, despite what some people say, can be found in Oregon. I'd heard stories from back home that gray foxes were the most common ones west of the Cascades so I was surprised to see that it was actually red. I'd never seen a red fox in person and I was surprised at just how beautiful its orange-red coat was. It had black-tipped ears, which matched the black fur of its legs and paws. What really caught my attention though were its eyes: deep ruby, and almost glowing as they reflected the light from my cell. That stunned admiration ended immediately when it let out what sounded like a warbling growl, and it dropped down off of the lid that covered the trash bin.

The predatory sound, despite the thing being the size of a small dog, was still enough to surprise and frighten me. I know, it may sound silly being afraid of a fox, but it caught me off guard, and its growl was pretty intimidating. Still, I managed to overcome my initial response when I realized that it was probably just hungry and thought I was trying to get between it and its food. Keeping an eye on the animal, I reached into my trash bag and pulled out a chicken wing; I'd only nibbled at it and there was still plenty of meat on the bone. Pulling a hunk free, I slowly knelt down and held it out to the four legged visitor. "Okay then... come on over. This'll be a lot better than what's in there anyway."

The sound the fox made halted immediately and it flicked its tail; I don't know if you've ever seen a fox in real life but as I watched it I couldn't help but think that its face was so expressive. Sure, foxes might look like a dog at first glance, but as I knelt there and watched it I saw body language, tail movements, and complex tweaks to its eyes, lips, and ears. It inched closer, then pulled back, then tip-toed closer. It actually came toward the chicken at an angle that put my hand between it and the meal; for a moment I thought it was going to bite me-- and then it zipped to the other side of the trash bin enclosure with the morsel in its muzzle.

Standing, I considered my good deed complete; not only had I given the thin-looking little furry visitor a snack it had also vacated the container so I could more easily get rid of my own garbage. It seemed like everything was going well until I hefted the trash bag up and the entire side opened up, spilling garbage all over the concrete. Sighing, I closed my eyes before gazing skyward. "Really?!"

Turning back to the task at hand I made ready to pick up my mess piece by piece, then paused when the fox emerged from beneath the bin where it had been hiding, half of its body visible as it kept its rump and hind legs back under cover. It sniffed at the air, apparently taking in the sight of my garbage in a curious manner. I had to do a double-take before I realized that I must have been mistaken; when I first saw the fox I thought it had red eyes, but they were very distinctively green. Was there more than one?

Even as I pondered that question, my four legged companion eased the rest of its way out from beneath the trash bin and sat down with his rump on the concrete; I did a double-take when I realized that it-- that he had his tail casually wrapped around his forepaws... from both sides. I had never seen a fox with two tails before. What was even more unusual was the way he cocked his head to the side, his eyes creating perfect little upside down V's that you'd expect to see on an anime character. As if reading my mind, the world decided to be particularly confusing; he opened his muzzle and clearly declared "Konbanwa!"

My response was hardly anything to write home about. "Uhhh....?"

He cocked his head the other way and, before my eyes, the fox's body enlarged, elongating until a naked fox man was kneeling before me, his two tails wrapped around his body in an entirely contrived PG-13 way. He cocked his head the other way, raising an actual humanlike, fur-covered arm to rub at the back of his head as his smile widened, eyes still perfect upside down V's. "Kon'nichiwa. Hajimemashite. Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

He followed up the greeting with what looked like a formal bow. After that we remained standing there in silence for a few seconds as I figured out exactly how I was going to respond. He eventually opened his eyes again; they gleamed greenish in the indirect light from my loosely-hanging cell's flashlight. That same smile remained on his muzzle as if it were painted on permanently, and I felt even more uncomfortable. A gruff voice from behind grunted at me aggressively. "Move! You're not the only one with trash to pitch, kid."

The fox's smile actually grew wider, and both of his tails came loose from their casual curl, revealing the light gray of his groin and what lay nestled there completely without shame. "Oh. English! That will be fun too."

I stepped aside to let the man behind me get access to the trash bin; my attention went from the fox to the newcomer then back to the fox. "I... uh... we--"

The man paused after chucking his trash into the bin. "We?... Whatever."

He walked off as if seeing a naked fox man standing in the trash area weren't anything out of the ordinary. I opened my mouth to say something but realize I didn't really have anything I could say to him, so I looked back to the fox, who had stepped closer; apparently while I wasn't paying attention he'd found some clothes, and his body was covered in blue jeans and an unzipped black leather jacket. Apparently my curiosity was written on my face and his smile widened as he pulled out a comb and ran it through his mane. "Don't worry... he can't see me. Nobody can. Just you, Hiro."

Originally I had trouble figuring out what to say before that moment, but after that incomplete explanation I--

I'm continuing on with providing yet another introduction to the fourth of four storylines present in my newest reader-directed story "The Gift". All versions of this story will involve a high school graduate moving to a new city from their original home without friends and without family, accompanied only by their own thoughts... and four spirits. It is also important to note that each storyline will involve a different human protagonist and four different spirits-- to be chosen soon by you, the readers!

As a proviso to my earlier statement about this being the fourth of four storylines, there will, in fact, be a total of SIX presented, and it will be up to you, the readers, to choose which we will pursue! So, keep an eye out for two more storylines, one involving a __________ as the initial spirit contact, and the other being a _____________.


Please be advised that any, or perhaps all of the "The Gift" stories may include adult material of a m/f, m/m, or f/f nature-- of course, that entirely depends on the paths the audience chooses.

Also, yes I HAVE noticed that the story letters are not in order-- that will only get 'weirder', and it is for a reason. :)

The Gift
Intro D
copyright comidacomida 2018

All around Oregon are rivers, cities, and forests named after Native American tribes or people or words. I grew up with names like Winema, Umpqua, Klamath, Chiloquin, Willamette, Tillamook, and Clatsop but that didn't have anything to do with my day to day life... except for laughing with my friends about tourists who couldn't pronounce them right. There's even a joke among people in the Willamette Valley when people from out of state call it "Will-uh-met-E"; the little rhyming saying goes "It's Will-am-it, damn-it."

Still, it's one thing to know how to pronounce a few words and entirely another to actually see anything more than a passing white-wash of their culture. I didn't get my real Native American experience until the summer after I graduated high school. Dakota and Ashton, two friends of mine and I were looking for a good road trip and one of our goals was to choose our sites of interest based on silly pieces of trivia. One of those stops-- the last one, in fact, was Astoria, a city on the Pacific Ocean in northwest Oregon. Why did we choose it? Well, the movie "The Goonies" was filmed there.

The second goal was to find something interesting in each town completely unrelated to the trivia that brought us there. We got to Astoria at the end of our trip after passing through Portland and we were right on time for a celebration of the Chinook culture. The Chinook Nation was a huge collection of tribes spreading throughout the Pacific Northwest-- specifically Washington and Oregon. Considering it was an irregularly held exhibition for a single day and happened to be taking place on the very day of our visit it seemed like a no-brainer. Better yet: it was free. For recently graduated high school students 'free' is a very strong magnet when it came to event planning.

The audience had maybe eighty or ninety people, which wasn't too bad for a tourist event that didn't get much publicity. Dakota and Ashton settled onto one of many woven blankets already set out for the audience and I chose a place on the grass next to them. They spent time talking and laughing between themselves while I watched a dozen performers setting up for what looked like some kind of drum-accompanied dance. The moment it started I was completely enraptured by not just the movements of the dancers, but the beat to which they danced.

The performers were all dressed in a collection of leather, hide, and feathers, and the all had performance masks that looked like they were shaped to imitate animals of some kind. No two masks were alike, and the same could be said for the dance moves. While it might seem like several dancers following the music in different ways would be chaotic the fact that they all kept the beat perfectly in their own way made it work, and I found my foot tapping along with them.

A voice spoke up from behind me and to the left from the walk way through the blankets set out on the park's grass. "You look like you should be up there dancing too."

I didn't know exactly what the man meant; being mistaken for Native American was never something I would normally expect since I'm about as white as cotton but, as I turned to look at him, I saw what appeared to be another performer, except his mask was particularly odd. I had trouble figuring out what animal he was supposed to be. Rather than address his question I choose a different topic. "Is... is your mask supposed to be a monkey?"

The figure snickered from behind his mask, the long, flowing dusty-colored pelt laying across his head jiggling with the motion; he put his whole body into it, causing the hanging tail from the back of his outfit to give off the impression that it was wagging. "What? You can't tell? it is supposed to be Man."

At that point, Dakota turned look at me and noticed the man for the first time. A quick elbow later and Ashton also took notice. "Wow... audience involvement too? Cool!"

The performer laughed again, twirling once before almost kneeling down next to me even as his mask raised to look over my shoulder, and he announced quite clearly in what must have been his native language. "Kopet, pelton ten'as. Naika tikekh mesi'ka sikhs, wake mesi'ka."

Both of my friends shrugged and went back to talking between themselves; they obviously didn't feel the attraction to the amazing music that I did-- I could almost feel it mimicking my heartbeat. A moment later I realized that, even though the man was kneeling, the tail hanging off of the furs on his back was still flopping back and forth on the ground. It left me confused. "What-- I-- is that...?"

The man kneeling next to me laughed again. "Do you like my mask? I made it for you, you know. Well... not SPECIFICALLY for you, but for the person I chose."

I glanced back to Dakota and Ashton, who were pretending as if the man weren't there, then back to the performer, who was removing his mask. "The--- what?"

Everything stopped when I watched the mask come free of his face and beneath the hood of feathers and hides there was... nothing. I was so surprised, in fact, that I barely registered it when he put the mask into my hands, and then, suddenly, everything became so much clearer, and so much more complex. Looking down at the mask I was holding I saw my own face staring up at me, as if perfectly rendered on a porcelain doll. Shocked, my attention rose again to the emptiness where the performer's face should have been, and it was no longer empty. The wide, sharp-toothed grin of a coyote had filled in the absence.

His canine eyes held in them an otherworldly purple hue, almost like an amethyst held up to a light source, and his expressive face was full of humor. "So... do you like it?"

My eyes were glued to the strange figure as my brain caught up with the situation at hand. The man was, in fact, a coyote-- a coyote that walked on two legs and wore Native American clothing... only less of that was animal hide and more appeared to be his actual fur. When I continued to fail to answer his questions his grin only grew, almost to a surreal expression of complete and unadulterated humor. "Coyote got your tongue?"

When I finally gained enough brainpower to do anything other than stare slack-jawed I immediately looked back to Ashton and Dakota for support but, despite glancing my way they didn't seem to realize that anything was any different than how it appeared at first. The coyote man snapped his fingers to get my attention. "They can't see me. I didn't want them. I chose you."

I had no idea what he meant by that at the time, and it was obvious he expected a response. Taking a deep breath, I--

I'm continuing on with providing yet another introduction to the third of four storylines present in my newest reader-directed story "The Gift". All versions of this story will involve a teen moving from Eastern Oregon into a fictional town called "Cherry City, Oregon". For those familiar with Oregon may realize that "Cherry City" is based closely off a real location, but I don't have to go into specifics-- just relax and enjoy the story!

As you may have noticed, the humans presented in these stories start things off by meeting a spirit; despite what you may have presumed, none of the 'furry' spirits presented are deities-- just spirits. More on that later of course, but what you will need to know is that each storyline will involve four spirits which will interact with the main character.

The main character will be further filled out by reader selection, which will be detailed in the near future.

Please be advised that any, or perhaps all of the "The Gift" stories may include adult material of a m/f, m/m, or f/f nature-- of course, that entirely depends on the paths the audience chooses.

The Gift
Intro B
copyright comidacomida 2018

Can you remember anything about your birth? I can't. What I can remember is the time I died. I know that sounds like a strange way to start a story rather than finish it, but I suppose you could say that everything about my death was strange, or the fact that I'm around to talk about it. I guess to fully explain it I should go back to the beginning... or at least far enough so it doesn't sound so... awkward.

See, after I graduated high school I had enough money saved up from summer jobs and gifts to move to Cherry City. I figured that living in a small eastern Oregon city limited my options and eighteen years of 'not a lot' needed to come to an end. The one thing I didn't consider was how expensive things would be in a big city-- I just figured it'd all be dirt cheap because how much less shipping would be involved for stores along a major interstate. It was one of a lot of lessons I ended up learning.

I didn't have any plans after moving except that I wanted to get my life started as an adult free from school, grades, and teachers. College wasn't exactly on my mind but I didn't rule it out, which was just fine since, whether I wanted to do a two year degree or a bachelors, Cherry City had a number of different places I could go. That really didn't factor into my immediate life after moving though; I wanted to get settled, get a job, and start being self sufficient. Step one had to be getting a place to live, and I found one in my price range... unfortunately it sucked.

There were some pros and cons to getting a two-bedroom-one-bathroom dump; one positive was that I was able to handle the security deposit and several months of rent without having to worry about a roommate; one negative was that the place was a dump. The house was within walking distance of the mall, tons of fast food places, and a ton of hang outs. Then again, it was a dump. It came with a fridge and a microwave and an oven and they all worked. Unfortunately, not much else in the place did-- and that included some of the lights, the heater, and, half the time, the hot water. No, it didn't have AC, but I grew up in the desert, so some 90 degree weather was nothing.

Still, the fact was that it was MY house; it wasn't my parents' place; it wasn't an apartment; it was a house, and I didn't have to listen to anyone-- other than my landlord but he didn't live there with me so he may as well not have existed. It was MY place, and I was riding high on the surge of success that came with having my own place. I blew a few more bucks on getting a TV and got a great deal on a black leather sofa, a bed, and a recliner off of Craig's List. After that, all I had left to do was get some shopping in so I could have some pots and pans and plates with utensils. Not bad for my first week.

The one downside of moving half way across the state was that I didn't have any friends, but the prospect didn't intimidate me much; I'm not exactly what you'd call an extrovert, but I never had trouble meeting people so I wasn't worried. What the downside to that was that I had to move everything myself, and that meant I had to rent a moving truck. Do you know that they don't like renting vehicles to eighteen year olds? So, short summary of THAT experience: I had to use rope to tie a black leather sofa to the top of the old station wagon my folks gave me for my sixteenth birthday, and I had to get the couch into my place all by myself.

Yes, it was as bulky as it was heavy, and yes, it took me most of an afternoon to get it thirty feet from the drive way into the living room. To be honest, though, it was worth it; I'd always wanted a black leather couch. Following that long chore I was sticky and smelly, so the obvious thing on my mind was a shower. I hadn't gotten around to buying a shower curtain so the result was going to be getting water everywhere; I cursed my luck and resolved to get it the next day, but I didn't foresee a lethal wiring problem.

A short in the wires running in the wall combined with the electrical not being up to code turned the puddle on the floor into a lethal trap, and who do you think was around to set it off? Can you imagine letting out a relaxing sigh as you finish up a nice hot shower only to set your foot on the linoleum floor of the bathroom and get a strong enough jolt to stop your heart? I wouldn't recommend it.

You know, when media discusses death they talk about a white light, or about a peaceful blackness, a celestial choir singing, and any other number of peaceful-sounding scenes, but, personally, that wasn't my experience. I remember feeling a sudden jolt, surprisingly similar to what I always envisioned being kicked by a horse would feel, and then confusion, followed by a strong sense of pain in my chest and a complete helplessness. I remember wanting to breathe but not being able to; I wanted to struggle and scream but there was no body for me to do any of that. I wanted to see what was going on, but it was just blackness. I couldn't see, I couldn't scream, and I couldn't breathe... until a breath did it for me.

Have you ever been somewhere that the air you breathe had a taste? Maybe some deep forest that had an earthy flavor or the back-of-the-throat salty tang of the sea. I'm not talking about a scent-- I mean something so much a part of where you are that every bit of it is infused with something so incredibly primal that you can't help but feel it with all your senses. That was the kind of breath that filled me; it tasted like a campfire and a spring brook-- like mushrooms and the ocean-- it tasted like a field of grain and the mist in a green valley-- more than anything else, it tasted like life.

I sat up, coughing and shivering, naked on the floor of the bathroom floor, vision blurred as I stared up at the golden-brown-colored ceiling. It took a few seconds for me to blink away the haze from my eyes and, as I did so, I strongly recalled that the ceiling was supposed to be that cheap white popcorn textured stuff. A moment later the distinct rumble of a deep voice with a rich British accent spoke quietly "Death does not come for thee today, child."

I raised a hand and held it to my head; out of nowhere a pulsing headache pushed its way through the numbness I felt, and the only response I could muster up was "Huh? I'm not a kid. I'm eighteen."

An almost feral rumble jolted me from my spot on the floor; it sounded like the snort of a horse caught off guard by a sudden move, only far more... predatory. It took a second, but as I managed to blink away the last vestiges of blurriness from my vision things became clearer-- and suddenly much more confusing. Staring down at me was the largest eagle I'd ever seen, its amber eyes focused wholly on me with a sense of surprise and confusion. The eagle's feathers parted at its neck, which was connected to the broad shoulders and tawny fur of what I could only describe as the body of a man combined with a lion.

Even stranger was that the body was covered in what looked like a shirt made out of small chain links. During my attempt to make sense out of what I was looking at the creature-- the gryphon drew back, the feathers on his neck puffing out as he pulled away, talon-like hands clenching and unclenching in the air before his beak parted, moving delicately and with purpose as he formed the words. "You... hear me? You can SEE me?"

He rose up as he pulled back, standing on leonine hind legs like a person would, and I saw that he had leather pants-- not the normal kind, but the ones you'd expect to see in some Camelot movie. With a sword at his hip and large, partially unfurled eagle wings, he made quite an impression, and I couldn't help but think that I was hallucinating. Regardless, taking in a steadying breath, I--

Hopefully everyone has enjoyed the little snippet of "The Gift" I provided yesterday, which was one of four different introductions to four different stories that comprise the whole of the project. "The Gift" will be a reader directed story, not unlike, say, a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book, or a visual novel, or perhaps one of dozens of 'dating sims'. That is to say readers, rather than I will direct how the story unfolds.

As I continue to present more of these introductions you will see that there are several similarities as well as many differences between the stories being told, but all will involve one human, the protagonist of the story, and their initial and continued interaction with spirits that inhabit our world. Keep an eye out for more journal posts throughout the week and I will provide you with four introductions, and then you can look for opportunities for these to be further fleshed out by you, the readers.

Please be advised that any, or perhaps all of the "The Gift" stories may include adult material of a m/f, m/m, or f/f nature-- of course, that entirely depends on the paths the audience chooses.


The Gift
Intro C
copyright comidacomida 2018

I've only ever been out of the United States once, and that was during summer break right after I finished my senior year of high school. Since my group of friends decided to vacation down in Mexico I had to use a good part of my graduation money to get my passport. Fortunately, my friend Dina's parents owned a ranch not far from Prineville and they offered to cover the cost of our trip. It was a great way to end high school and, even though we were heading off to separate colleges, it was our final week to bond.

Dina was Chuck's girlfriend, then there was Aaron and June, Allie and Travis, and of course, me, flying solo. I guess you might think it was embarrassing to be the only one going along without a 'special someone' but, truth be told, I never managed to find a connection, and I figured there'd be plenty of time in college... or after college... or, whenever, I guess. On the plane Dina kept joking that I'd probably run into the love of my life while we were in Mexico, and then after we got there Travis kept trying to point out possible hook-ups.

By day four I was spending more of my time alone than with my friends, which I guess you could say was really how high school was anyway. Sure, it was fun to hang out every now and again but really I never felt like I was myself when I was surrounded by everyone. When they were out partying I stayed in my room; they'd head to check out the local clubs and I'd just sit on the beach. The only thing we really did as a group was on the last day of our stay, and that was a guided tour of the jungle.

We were staying at a resort in Oaxaca, which I guess is pretty famous for its Mayan ruins and Travis, who wanted to study anthropology at PSU took a real interest in it. Allie, who wanted to do anything to keep in touch with Travis after high school was planning on moving up to Portland with him and do the PSU pre-nursing program. Out of all of us they had their lives after high school figured out, and that caused some stress during our day trip since Aaron and June were arguing over whether they'd go to OSU or U of O. That discussion ended when Chuck just suggested they go to different schools, which started a whole new argument. I guess that was just one more reason why I was glad I didn't have a relationship.

Our guide didn't really seem to take an interest of any of the arguments, but did occasionally ask everyone to politely keep it down. Apparently, according to the tribes that used to live in the jungles of Oaxaca the area we were in was considered sacred, and we needed to respect that. Since I hadn't said a word I didn't find that very hard, but Dana and June just going on and on about I-don't-remember-what. Eventually our guide came to a stop and refused to continue until everyone was willing to be quieter. Travis laughed about it and made some stupid joke about the man being darker inside than outside.

It was racist, yeah, and that pretty much sums up Travis, but he did bring up a pretty good point. It's not like there are a ton of Mexicans in Oregon, but there isn't a huge shortage either, and our guide was darker skinned than a lot of them. He was one of the 'pueblos indigenas', which I took to mean he was Native American based on how it was explained by the interpreter who helped us hire him. It really did explain why he was so upset about everyone not observing the customs and being respectful. Well... except me, I guess. I didn't really have any reason to talk. It turned out that those introverted ways saved my life.

Toward the end of our hike into the jungle there was a section of rocky cliffs we had to walk around. The trail wasn't particularly wide but it wasn't like we had to scoot along it with our backs against a cliff. I'm not a huge fan of heights, so I was walking carefully at the back, moving between various roots, stones, and bushes that jutted out of the rocky wall to our right. Every now and again I'd glance out to the left where a long, steep slope disappeared into the jungle that stretched out below us; a long ways off past that I could see the area where the guide parked our jeep. It was during one of those horizon-gazing moments that the rock I'd been holding onto for balance came loose.

I had just enough time to shout out a cry of alarm before I tumbled over the ledge. The world went upside down then right side up, then sideways, flying past me as I went rolling down the slope. I'm lucky it wasn't steeper, I guess, and doubly lucky that when my fall was stopped by a tree I impacted backpack first, which took up most of the shock. It was still enough to knock the wind out of me, and it was while before I could answer any of the calls from above. When I finally did, it was pretty basic. "I'm here!"

I'd fallen a good distance, and it wasn't incredibly easy to make out what they were shouting, but eventually I pieced it together: they couldn't get down to me, but if I kept walking beside the hill eventually we would meet up. I confirmed as loudly as I could with an "OKAY!" and started walking.

If you've never been in a jungle before I can't possibly explain the feeling, especially since I grew up in the high desert and I was in a pretty low rainforest. All around me living things made noise... or didn't make noise, and that made it all the worse. Every little drop of water coming down from the canopy gave me a shiver, and every time one landed on my head or my back I couldn't help but wonder if it was a spider falling on me and, if it was, how poisonous was it? I lost track of time, but I kept telling myself I would meet up with everyone soon. Just one more turn. Past one more tree. Over one more fallen log.

It wasn't all that long past that when my mind started playing tricks on me. I thought I was seeing shadows. I thought I was being watched and followed. I couldn't escape the feeling that there was someone, or some THING after me. It caused me to quicken my pace until I was almost jogging, which, thanks to constantly slipping on wet stones and tripping over fallen limbs did little to actually speed up my travel. Just as I was finally starting to realize that what I was seeing wasn't in my head, I also came to another conclusion: the dark shape in the shadowy undergrowth wasn't following me or hunting me; whatever was out there was guiding me.

It wasn't any overt, obvious guidance like pointing or shouting "Hey! Stupid! Go THAT way!". It was much more subtle, as if whatever it was had been watching me move and responding to the way I tried to avoid it. I was being shepherded-- and there became no doubt in my mind that it meant no harm. I know it sounds a little crazy to be stuck in a jungle in the middle of nowhere, and suddenly come to the conclusion that there was some strange 'forest guide' there helping me out, but... well... yeah-- that's pretty much the case. And the crazy thing? It really did help me find my way out of there.

All of my friends were happy to see me when I showed up scraped, battered, and exhausted. They asked tons of questions, and I told them everything... except for the shadowy figure who helped me. We had our afternoon looking around the ruins, which was okay, I guess, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that I was still being followed. Even as we went back to the jeep I hadn't been able to escape that paranoia, and it only got worse when I swore I saw something move among the bushes in the reflection off of the side view mirror.

Everyone left me alone for the last night of our stay in Mexico; maybe they thought I needed time to recover from the fall in the jungle, or maybe they just thought I was in a brooding mood because I spent more time looking around and listening to the word around me rather than taking part in their conversations. Even the following morning after we got to the airport or during the flight back that same feeling of being followed and watched stayed with me. When we got back to PDX we all piled into Allie's mom's minivan, which she let Allie use, and we started the long trip back to Prineville. It had been a long day, and Allie fell asleep at the wheel, so we never did make it home.

I awoke in the hospital a day and a half later. In the scheme of things I was none-the-worse for wear: some cracked ribs, a dislocated arm and some lacerations. The doctors had been able to explain everything except the location and angle of the scratches, which continued to stump them even during the next several days before they released me. I, however, had no trouble realizing that the cuts had been from the claws of a humanoid jaguar who had wrapped himself around me to take the worst of the impact. I know, it might seem like a strange conclusion to come to, and I would have thought the same thing if not for the fact that he was there with me in the hospital room, staring at me with rich, amethyst-colored eyes.

For the first time since falling into the jungle, I no longer felt as though I was being observed from secret; my watcher had made himself known. My parents, who were in the room with me showed absolutely no indication that they knew the jaguar man was there and, even as I continued to stare (with him staring right back), their talking went in one ear and out the other. Eventually they decided that I needed some rest, and they promised they'd be right outside. They stepped out, intent on leaving me alone with the otherworldly predator.

At that point, injured, and alone in the room, there was only one possible thing for me to do, so I--

After some time away from doing stories guided by reader input I am ready to present a new one.

Over the next few weeks I'll be providing information about the upcoming Reader Directed Story, entitled "The Gift". The premise involves-- well... we'll get into that later. For now, here's a sample introduction. I look forward to revealing more soon!

The Gift
Intro A
copyright comidacomida 2018

Someone once said that death is not the end. For the longest time I just considered that to be a metaphor, or some philosophical deep-speak. I don't feel that way anymore... not since the death of my baby brother, Billy. For me, everything began on the day of his funeral. I guess it sounds a little morbid, but that was the day I discovered that there was something... else.

Summer break in eastern Oregon includes all kinds of outdoor activities but when it's really hot out the best way to spend it is swimming. Even though most of the land is desert there are still some good swimming holes and the one I showed him when he was ten included a rock jutting out over the river; nothing beat cannon-balling on a summer day, but diving-- no... no diving. Billy didn't always listen.

I'd just graduated and I'd already moved across the Cascades into the valley. I found out about it on the phone the day he disappeared. My mom had called to see if Billy had said anything about going to a friend's. It took the sheriff two days to find his body. He was fourteen. I went home immediately and stayed there through the funeral. There's nothing I could say to explain what it was like because no words could describe it.

The day of the funeral was as horrible as you'd expect, especially since the sun was shining and the birds were chirping and all of the kids in town were out on the streets watching the procession go by. We didn't live in a big place so everyone knew what we were going through. I guess you might think that having the sympathy of an entire town would be comforting, but, to be honest, I remember wishing that they'd just stop staring.

My mom chose to have the ceremony as an open casket; at the time I didn't know what to think when I went up to see Billy. It had been my first funeral, and I was trying to just focus on everything going on around me instead of thinking about him. When I couldn't hold out any longer I took my turn and went up to the dais. Whoever got him ready for the funeral did a good job of making him look like he was sleeping but they got his hair wrong. It was just some little detail, but I remember being really angry about it.

There are all sorts of stories about reasons why people touch loved ones at their funeral and I can't for the life of me figure out why I had to touch Billy's cheek-- maybe it was the extra blush the mortician used, or maybe I just had to be sure. Seeing him was one thing, but feeling it was another. Closure, maybe? I got something else.

The moment my hand touched his cheek I realized that I wasn't alone at the dais. A hand covered in a black furred glove touched Billy's left cheek at the exact time my finger touched his right. His skin was cold, and felt... wrong, but my attention had already shifted to whoever was rude enough to take away my private moment with my brother. I looked up, ready to choose a target for the anger that had been building up in me, only to stop when I saw a face that was entirely wrong.

Framed by tassels of gold, silver, and opals was a canine head of black fur; it was attached to a much more humanlike body, finely sculpted like a Roman statue, only instead of it being marble it was covered in fur the same color as a raven's wing. The man or, rather, the jackal man was wearing something that looked a little like a Roman toga, only not-- it was a strange moment, but what really struck me as odd was that he was staring at me in the same way that I figured I was staring back at him. His eyes-- believe it or not, they were the strangest part of him: rather than having any whites to them they were as jet-black as his pupils, and the colored part of his eyes were purple-- like, a rich lavender.

He pulled his arm back immediately, eyes focused on me and only me. The jackal cocked his head to the side as if confused, and when he spoke it was in no language I'd ever heard, his smooth, soft voice emerging from his muzzle with the crystal clarity of any person speaking from a normal mouth. "Nane atooui."

Stumbling back from the dais, I would have fallen if not for Kurt and Ashton, two of my brothers' friends who had come up to pay their respects; they might have only been freshmen, but they managed to hold me up. Kurt, gave me a strange look, asking "You alright?"

It was only at that moment in which I realized I was the only person in the room who could tell the jackal was there and, as I turned back to him, I watched him step through the coffin. He held a paw out to me, and spoke in halting English. "No. ari-ehmot. Do not run..."

At that point I --

Well, here it is, 2018, and I'm looking at how much of the next book in the Sorrani Chronicles I have done, and how few chapters of it I've actually posted, and it got me thinking:

It sure has been awhile since I last posted a chapter of Battle Master.
Should I go ahead and post another chapter?


Thoughts?

Did you know that I'm helping a periodical anthology get up and running? We're almost ready to get our kick starter going!

An amazing group of furry authors and artists are coming together to provide a collection of illustrated erotic stories that take place in a specific setting. Each release will feature a different world with different subjects and different subject matter, and we're starting off with a pretty fantastic one in the near future!

Beyond, Vol 1: The Priesthood of Draco focuses on a world where the furry denizens worship the divinity of dragons. It features artwork from  SpottyJaguar  MoltenGoldArt  Mystikfox61  Demicoeur  Honovy and  misterstallion

Writing will be provided my yours truly,  sisco  Gruffy  Stinkdog  Amethyst_Mare and  aussieclyde

Stay tuned for more information-- I'll be providing kickstarter details as soon as it's made available.