E. W. Selke

I have read and reread the upcoming update over and over because it's a rather emotional and important chapter (in my humble opinion)... But I think I'm finally done working on it! One last read before chapter 20 comes out! 
          
          I can't believe I've been publicly sharing one of my works for over a year now. Slowly, but surely, I've reached the middle of this book. I wonder how long it'll take me to write the remaining half... I wish I could work on this full-time. I'm almost sure that treating this passion project as a job would ruin my relationship with it, though.
          
          Focusing for a long time is still an issue, and I can't tell if it's long covid or something else. Naturally, that messes up my ability to read and write (the fact that I write long phrases and like complicated words does not work in my favor). Maybe it's best to be patient with myself and this book and to hope the world will be patient with me as well.
          
          I don't know if I'll manage to write another chapter before it's 2024, so, happy holidays if you're reading this!

Do you ever wonder if dreams are sneak peaks into other worlds or realities? While it may not be true to our existences, maybe that applies to fictional worlds? 
          
          I had a funny dream today. It was kinda like, "What if D&S's family issues were even more dramatic?" I just thought I'd leave this pocket Alternative Universe here. Thirty seconds before I opened my eyes today, these two had a far more complicated life than the one my conscious brain was able to tell.
          
          Evan's religion differed from Skye's, and her family followed Auror's main religion. The principal/Academy wasn't on the students's side and immediately told Marjorie about the roommates's closeness (explaining his cultural background through an over the top visual simulation). Also, the Howells were divorced, and Skye was way more confrontational. She wasn't doing well in her studies and responded to bullying with violence, though she was aware of the consequences of injuries she inflicted and deep down worried about the people she hurt. Evan's presence was one of the few things that calmed her down. Mealtimes were still important to them. 
          
          (1/?)

The headache is on, but the chapter is out! 
          
          I'm a little nervous with the pacing of this one and the way I chose to present things in a non-linear structure. It's something I'm not really fond of due to formatting issues, but I think it made sense here because I wanted readers to piece things together almost as if from Evan's perspective, or kind of at the same time as him. 
          
          Also, I really wanted to showcase some of Shay's strengths, and I hope I pulled it off. I genuinely love my little walking matchstick. Yes, this is my nickname for him, though he's kinda tall and not exactly built like a stick. In sum, I have horrible taste for nicknames, and he deserves much better, but here we are. 
          
          Oh, Shay, if only I had it in me to write a book about you... But if I did, it'd be filled with student drama instead of juicy personal gossip. He's gotta be the least problematic and most chill guy in Brigantia. Students and coworkers are to blame for all of his headaches. Shay needs vacay. 

Me: Drizzle and Spark is my comfort space :)
          Also me: (checks a side-character's tragic backstory on their notes)
          Me: Drizzle and Spark is a soap opera......?

Writer's guilt, anyone?
          
          I know Skye's turn for sad arc has come and (kinda) gone, but now that Evan's time is about to kick off, I kinda don't wanna leave him on the cliffhanger I had originally planned because... "My poor boy," and "I don't know when I'll be done writing the comfort part." 
          
          But, oh well. What's written is written (said the writer who's 100% able to rewrite it)... 
          
          Coming soon: Kendrick drama 

Not me just realizing I let a few mentions of Allie's old name slip by! :T  They should all be properly fixed from my part now. 
          
          Also, the next chapter is coming up soon. I know, I said this a bunch of times already... But, no, I mean it. xD
          
          The first anniversary of a dearest companion's passing happened take place in this month, and I underestimated how upsetting it'd be for me. Grief is a tricky thing to navigate, and the fact that this chapter is all about grieving didn't make it any easier. My sleep schedule is all over the place. It'll get better, though. It kinda has to :P

It's been so long since I've published an update, but I'm glad to say I've finally written chapter 16. I just need to read it fully and attentively one last time before publishing it. Heads up: it's around 10k words. I hope it'll serve as a sort of compensation for my hiatus...
          
          I'm still grieving a few losses in my life, so I guess my brain needed to take its sweet time to address grief in this book as well. This means that, yes, this is the "Samhain" chapter I've been mentioning for months now. It took me so long to write it that it's almost Samhain again. My goodness.
          
          The next chapter I have planned for this story will be more emotional. I don't know when I'll actually get to it, but I'm excited to start working on it. Let's learn a bit more about Evan and his family in the upcoming chapters!!

Reminder that any publication warnings you get from D&S today are just Allie's name update! Story updates won't reaume until I do this and finish editing ch 16! <3

Tea with Madeleine!
          
          Did you guys know that Madeleine is actually a borrowed name? 
          
          When I first started working on D&S, I knew Skye and Evan needed a support network that could help them explore things and thoughts that they couldn't or wouldn't with their families. Skye's closest friend and classmate, in fact, has received a borrowed name from a much older character of mine, but her name never felt appropriate to me. 
          
          I used to think that, since Madeleine the 1st (let's call her that for now) comes from a rather dark world and was already a support character to a love story, this would be an opportunity to give her a newer, happier incarnation... But I knew Skye's friend wasn't that Madeleine. Not to mention, there's a place for Madeleine "the 1st" in D&S's canon. It was a major goof from my part to never have made this connection until I realized a name drop (although minor) could happen at some part of the story and cause confusion. I need to fix this ASAP.
          
          I was discussing this with my close and sweet friend, who's also one of the few readers of D&S. She's now somewhat aware of Madeleine's role in this universe and in her original world. If anyone's curious: I can tell you that Madeleine has ties to Terra's equivalent of a church and Auror's main religion.
          
          My friend then suggested, "What about Allium [for Skye's friend]? She's a flora witch, right?" It just clicked nicely. Allium flowers can mean grace, patience, and unity. She can have a cute little nickname, too. It's perfect. Almost like she had picked her own name through the multiverse, hehe!!
          
          It might be a little too late and a bit odd for those who have already started reading D&S, and I apologize for this sudden change, but I believe it had to be done before more readers would come. 
          
          TL;DR - I'll be updating a character's name as soon as possible. 
          
          Please be kind to Allie, Skye's (and Evan's, too!) good friend and classmate. <3

Are Wattpad notifications broken to anyone else? I opened my app today to find things that I couldn't tap. I'd get "network errors" and had to fish comments in my story by browsing chapters onw by one... 
          
          Apologies if anyone's getting replied to multiple comments only now! I've also started giving hearts to comments that were made before that was a thing! I'm really sorry!