Beneath Their Masks Chapter 3 Is Up!

Beneath Their Masks Chapter 3 Is Up!

Chapter 3 is up! Thanks to everyone that's left comments so far! Those really make my day! :)

“Bye, Ann, I’ll see you when you get back.” Makoto said, as she heard the telltale click of the front door. “Alright. Time to get some work done.”

Makoto reached under her pillow for the stack of student council budget sheets she had stashed. They were gone.

“Wha-?” Makoto exclaimed, voice hoarse. “I could have sworn I put them here…”

Makoto leaned forward to check under her pillow more thoroughly and all that she sees is a small post-it note with a smiley face and a heart.

“Busted!” Ann says, coming back into Makoto’s room.

So I had a lot of fun making megaten (in)correct quotes so I'm doing it again :P

This time it's more persona focused but I managed to implement some SMT as well (involving my weird headcanons :P)

It's cheesy to say but I wrote something from the heart. I want to say it was cathartic to get some of the things I've been thinking out of my head, but it honestly made me feel worse. Oh well. At least characters in fiction can get the catharsis and support they need.

I messaged my wonderful and very cool beta reader about it and I feel kinda bad because like, I know this is heavier shit than I've been writing. Honestly complete tonal whiplash. I basically prefaced it by saying like "this shit is heavy and a complete bummer to read so no hard feelings if you don't wanna subject yourself to that" but still...

It's like being a taste tester for someone and all they've been sending you is cakes and then, completely out of left field, they send you like, haggis or something. Awful analogy but I sleepy.

Anyway. I'll give it a little bit and then post it. I want to make sure I'm representing the subject matter properly and getting all my thoughts out, but also I want to make something that I feel is real and true to my experiences. Ya know? Not as a self insert or a character shoehorned as a proxy for myself, but like...I dunno. I'm rambling. Bah.

BRB letting the intrusive thoughts win (also happy birthday to me i guess????)

Fear not, I'll properly tag anything that could be too extreme. Don't worry.

It's uh, all a bit extreme. Sorry! I'll try not to make this a habit...

Beneath Their Masks is continuing on schedule (somewhat), but don't be surprised if I do some other stuff in the meantime. Just haven't been in a really fluff-y mood this week. Sorry.

When I was in high school, I used to go to the coffee shop across the street before school started. I would hang out there and read for about an hour, and of course drink coffee. I would make coffee from home (24oz), get the largest coffee they had (32oz), and then get a refill of that before I left (32oz). If I was feeling really spooky, I would get two shots of espresso added to my BLACK COFFEE because I'm a goofy guy. A little mischevious. So yeah, anyway, I would drink 88oz of coffee, and then make coffee to drink at home when I got back, thus bringing the amount of bone hurting juice to right around 102oz.

Anyway, it never occurred to me that the reason I could power through so much caffeine was that it affects people with ADHD differently. I wasn't (and still am not) diagnosed, but this is going on my list of points to bring up with my doc when I eventually get diagnosed. Oh boy, I can't wait.

Akechi: Can I have a house blend, but with seven shots of espresso added?

Ren: Absolutely not. Just do cocaine.

Beneath Their Masks Chapter 6 is Up!

I really like this one. I feel like I got to depict a lot about Makoto and Ann's relationship dynamic here, in a bit of a more intimate context.

Ann wasn’t ready.

Sure, she was dressed up and walking over to the restaurant, trying to force her feet to remember how to walk in heels that were this high. But that didn’t mean she was ready to get where her feet were shakily bringing her.

By the time she had arrived at the restaurant, her nerves had almost completely boiled over, but she maintained her composure. Glancing around, she picks Makoto’s table out in the center of the room, barely even recognizing her. Although, as she scans the room, she notices Yuuko and Kyoko at a table on the far side.

“I wonder if this was their idea…” Ann mused to herself, stepping around tables to seat herself across from Makoto.

Makoto was quiet. If she was nervous, she was doing a good job at hiding it. Makoto had always been good at putting on a brave face, save for a couple instances of letting her mask of confidence slip (in private, of course). However, this was a completely new level. Ann wasn’t sure how to feel.

“You look good.” Makoto finally said.

“Thanks, you too.” Ann said, internally slapping herself in her head at the nonchalance of her reply. “That dress suits you, Makoto.”

“As does yours, Ann. Who would have thought that red was your color?” Makoto said, with a slight smirk, alluding to Ann’s alter ego of Panther, clad in red leather.

Beneath Their Masks Chapter 5 is Up!

Chapter 5! I really like this one and the one that follows this. There are going to be a couple chapters that take place around the same time and/or are continuations of each other. This one was definitely difficult to write without making characters seem OOC. Also, holy shit, I learned more about dresses and dress terms writing this than I have in my entire life. It was definitely...interesting. Well, I hope it's good! (I say, being the person that wrote it...)

Ann made her way to the coffee table, picking up the remote to turn up the TV. As the smooth jazz tune grew louder, Ann heard the bedroom door open out of her sight.

“Hey Makoto, didn’t you see this artist live at that jazz clu-” Ann started, turning towards the bedroom door.

Ann dropped the remote. It clattered to the floor, bouncing under the sofa.

Makoto was standing in the doorway. She wore a dress that held an undeniable aura of authority and sophistication, but with a sharp edge of sensuality. Black like a moonless night, the dress clung to Makoto’s body like a shadow, both complementing and accentuating her statuesque figure.

The bodice was covered in intricate embroidery that formed delicate feathery shapes. The neckline plunged deeply, further sharpening the dress’s sensual nature. The long sleeves cascaded down her arms like inky waterfalls, loose near the wrist, but tight enough near her upper arms to print Makoto’s toned muscle.

As Makoto stepped further into the living room, the hem of the dress trailed behind her. The gold hem stitches caught the low and warm lighting that engulfed the entire room. Ann could distinctly hear the clack of heels with each step.

Makoto’s aura was different. Ann couldn’t place her finger on what exactly was different, but she seemed like a completely new person. She wasn’t just Makoto Niijima, high school student, and younger sister to Sae Niijima, esteemed public prosecutor. She was Makoto Niijima, Ann’s girlfriend. No, Ann’s Queen.