Fanfic Writing Tip/Halloween Costumes, Part 4a/Fanfic entries

[star_ocean_fan]

Fanfic Writing Tip #9 - Leaving Reviews and Letting Your Work Stand on Its Own

At some point, fanfiction writers read fanfiction. In fact, reading fanfiction inspires other fanfiction writers to actually write instead of dream/daydream the scenarios in our heads. I know that's how I finally got my start as a fanfiction author.

Now, there are many things I see when browsing sites like fanfiction.net, things I don't necessarily like or think an author should be doing when writing summaries and author's notes. Things in summaries like "plz read and review" are not appealing to me, and they don't draw me in to read the story. Reading in an author's note "I'll update after I receive X number of reviews for this chapter" or "What's your excuse for not reviewing?! Review, gosh darn it!" are the kinds of things that inspire me to either not pick the story up again or leave a very harsh criticism of the work and the writer's attitude. (What one may think of as being cute and funny doesn't necessarily come across that way in black and white.)

Yes. I will admit right here, right now that reviews are gravy. They're awesome, and they go a long way in boosting a writer's confidence and inspiration. Those seeking professional publication will ask established author's for a quote to garner more sales. Book reviews either boost sales or decimate them. However, in the online world of fanfiction publishing, writers aren't paid, except in reviews, and the only things reviews are good for are pointing out where we've made mistakes and ego-boosting. To me, it's in bad form to require a reader to review your work and to require reviews in order to update. That says, in my mind, "I'm a review whore. That's the only thing I care about so that's why I'm writing this story", when that may not even be true. (These are also the kinds of writers who annoy me because I will leave a review and it isn't what they want in a review. They're also the ones that tell me "it's just for fun. Don't like it, don't read it." To that, I say, "Don't want people leaving you their honest thoughts, don't ask for reviews". Yes. I have a slight mean streak.) Readers are in no way obligated to read a person's works. They're in no way obligated to leave a review.

Let your work stand on its own. Write the story. Let your skills at summarizing and writing a compelling tale lure the reader in. Pack it with emotion. Give the reader a reason to write that review to you based on the emotions you've drawn out of that person, not because you need your ego-stoked.

Addendum to last week's writing tip.

Last week I wrote about writing in a logical order and using logic to write your story. That is something that will only go so far, and I was reminded of that when I read last week's Daily Kick by David Farland. There are times when logic will need to be thrown out the window, and it's often based on the kinds of situations the protagonists and antagonists find themselves facing . . . Unexpected reactions to conflict are good. Writing a single parent leaving his two-year-old child sleeping at home alone is still bad, though, because then the reader is expecting something bad to happen while he's gone and then nothing happens and there's a feeling of being cheated out of something really good.

Also, please note, I'm coming across as harsh, and my intentions are to actually help people with their fanfiction writing. I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds the behavior I've encountered in the last decade of fanfiction writing and reading to be annoying . . . I just happen to be quite outspoken on a lot of issues. So while I may sound harsh (it's the disadvantages of text-based forums and formats), it isn't my intention. Writing fanfiction may be for fun . . . but the reasons for reading don't ever change.

Next week's writing tip . . . Writing Songfic

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Halloween In the Four-Dimensional Realm

Given that the world of Star Ocean is nothing more than a fabrication, a multi-player game, the brilliant child of the brain trust at Sphere 211, it isn't too far of a stretch to think that Halloween exists in the four-dimensional realm. It isn't too hard to believe that the creators of the game implemented many holidays and traditions into the game they themselves celebrate. To do so gives the game a sense of familiarity for the players.

How do I see Halloween in the four-dimensional realm? Well, I don't see the likeliness of a real pumpkin being carved into a jack-o-lantern. Maybe there would be what we see in stores like Wal-Mart and KMart . . . ceramic, glass, plastic, plastic covered in glitter . . . If it's a "real" pumpkin, chances are it was fabricated from a replicator.

Ghosts would probably be no different than what we see . . . white sheets or ephemeral wisps depicted in paint . . . something fleeting.

Zombies, ghouls, and demons wouldn't change from what the players see in their gaming experiences. Witches would have gone from ugly old crone to cute and sexy little caster.

All of this would translate into what the worlds and cultures in the Eternal Sphere would see for their Halloween traditions.

Now, if you ask me who would celebrate Halloween out of the four-dimensional beings we encounter in Till the End of Time, I'll address that in the Halloween costumes sections.

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Halloween Costumes, Part Four, Segment One

By now, we're seven hundred plus years into the future of the Star Ocean series. Customs have been traded and upgraded, new holidays added into schedules, and more than one culture celebrates All Hallow's Eve. For this part of the Halloween Costumes segment, I'll be focusing on the following characters: Maria Traydor, Peppita Rosetti, Sophia Esteed, Lieber, and Marietta. I'm also going to toss in Belzeber and Flad, from the 4-D realm.

First up is Maria.

Of this particular group for today, I actually find her the hardest to determine the kinds of costumes she'd wear to go trick-or-treating. Her personality is far different when we first encounter her than what it was as a child. Was she the princess/ballerina type? Personally, I think her parents might have raised to be a little of both the girly type and the boyish type. Her mother is a scientist, her father a soldier . . . heck, she could have dressed up as a soldier-scientist hybrid as an homage to her parents. I do think princess and ballerina, too . . . maybe even a Featherfolk or Lesser Fellpool, too. This would, of course, continue until the destruction of her home and the deaths of her parents. I do feel that Cliff and Mirage would try their best to get Maria to go trick-or-treating once she's in their care, because it would offer up a sense of normalcy after everything she's endured. I'm just not sure Maria would go for it because of everything she's endure. Losing your parents at a young age and in a violent manner like that tends to force a child to mature emotionally in many ways than it would others who haven't lived through such trauma.

Peppita is a little easier for me to decipher. She wants to be famous, and she's learned to dance. Princess or ballerina or even dressing up as a famous dancer/singer/actress would be her style.

Sophia is also very easy for me, and I can see her insisting upon themed costumes with Fayt, much in the same way Reimi would with Edge and Crowe. Fayt would have an easier time drawing the line on what he wouldn't want to hear for costumes with Sophia. It would simply depend on what she'd want to dress up as for Halloween, and I can see her wanting to be a princess. Almost every single year. It is a fascination with her, princesses. (This is based on the kinds of responses Fayt can give her when she's joined the party and in places like Aquios and Airyglyph.) And the dress would be pink or maybe pale blue or lavender . . . but mostly pink. I'm pretty sure that's her favorite color. (She wears a lot of it.)

Lieber . . . Oh, Lieber . . . yes . . . I believe Klausians, after years of dealing with Earthlings, would celebrate Halloween. Lieber, before meeting Cliff and Mirage and falling in love with Maria, would want to be something . . . dynamic . . . heroic . . . noteworthy. He's very  much a romantic at heart. Knights, poets . . . elves . . . those would be what he'd want to dress up as for Halloween.

Marietta is another one I'm finding a little difficulty in determining. In truth, interactions with her (and Lieber) are on the limited side. Still, I think Marietta is tough, despite some of her cringing in a crisis (but then who doesn't?) . . . a pixie or a fairy from Klausian folklore would be cool. She has the features for something so delicate (at least in modern day Disney portrayals) . . . I could also see her (or even Sophia) wanting to dress up as Raggedy Ann, if that somehow is revived after World War III . . . and I think a fighter pilot. She becomes a member of Quark and is the communications officer on The Diplo. A fighter pilot isn't too far-fetched.

Flad is still a kid so I'm sure he'd head out trick-or-treating to his neighbors' homes. He'd be dressed as either his character persona from the Eternal Sphere or some other kind of character, i.e. elf, menodix, etc . . .

Finally, the second add-in for this, Belzeber.

Out of the enemies I've encountered in Till the End of Time, Belzeber has to be one of two of the power-hungriest characters (the other being Duke Vox). I don't lump Luther, Azazer, or Berial in that category for other reasons, which will be discussed at a later date. As the child of a powerful information technology magnate, Belzeber would be the child of entitlement, and his costumes for Halloween would reflect that - corporate businessman every year. He might switch it up every now and then, depending on who his friends are (which I do see him having Blair, Luther, Azazer, and Berial for a group of friends . . . for a while) . . . he might dress up as the hero to Luther's villain . . . but I don't see him deviating away too much from what he truly wants to be in his life - a powerful businessman controlling the 4-D realm.

And thus concludes today's segment of Halloween Costumes, Part 4. Tomorrow will see Cliff, Mirage, Robert Leingod, Ryoko Leingod, Blair, Azazer, Nel Zelpher, Roger S. Huxley, Adray Lasbard, and Clair Lasbard.

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Halloween Fanfic Entries

This was written as a surprise giftfic for missnox!

Title: Halloween Culture Shock
Characters: Albel Nox, Fayt Leingod, Maria Traydor, Sophia Esteed
Pairing: Albel Nox x Fayt Leingod
World: Till the End of Time
Rating: PG13
Warnings: male/male relationship, language, violent urges (It has Albel in it!)
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean - Till the End of Time. The game and the characters from the game belong to tri-Ace and Square Enix respectively. I don't profit financially from writing this.
Summary: Albel receives a culture shock when Fayt invites him to celebrate Halloween on Earth.

Albel could only stare, wide-eyed and . . . confused as well as angry, at the scene before him.

The house in front of him looked dilapidated. Painted in dark colors – mostly black – and strange shapes were painted in the allegedly broken windows. Other . . . things stood by the door, moving and making strange noises whenever anyone approached, and the two wenches wanted to enter.

And the people . . . the desire to attack them and spill their blood surged strongly through his veins. He held back, knowing it would upset the two wenches with him and Fayt.

At first, it was because he didn’t recognize them as individuals dressed in costumes. Many closely resembled the monsters and demons he fought on his homeworld, and he wondered how the blasted creatures found their way to Earth.

Fayt noticed his discomfort and edginess, and so he promptly explained to him it was a custom of theirs around Halloween to wear costumes. It astounded Albel to hear that there was a similar tradition of trying to fool the demons that roamed the plains of Elicoor II on Earth. When he inquired, Maria and Sophia were dumbfounded by his logic. They’d never heard of such a thing. Halloween was what it was, and they’d never questioned it. Fayt, however, simply nodded and agreed that’s what he’d heard about Earth’s customs.

Now, Albel simply wanted to kill everyone in his path because they were acting like complete and utter fools. The adults who weren’t in costumes were laughing at their children who were wearing something for the holiday. They were snapping what his three companions called pictures and quite enjoying themselves. The adults who wore disguises (and thankfully were several “blocks” away) were drunk. Albel smelled the liquor on them when they’d walked by, and they were obnoxious. More than one man wolf whistled at Maria and Sophia, calling them good-looking and wanting to “get” with them . . . whatever that meant. It didn’t help the women were no better than the men as he and Fayt trailed behind the wenches. The lack of respect for the spirits of the dead by these people bothered Albel, and it bothered him that it bothered him because he’d never once considered himself as respectful towards those who had passed on to the next life. In his mind, their problems were over, and, if they were stuck on the wrong plane for all of eternity, it was their fault. Not his. (Though he wouldn’t hesitate to cut such spirits down if they crossed his path, either.)

“What do you guys think?” Sophia asked. From the corner of Albel’s eye, he saw her grin. “Shall we go in?”

“Might as well,” Maria said with a sigh. “But I guarantee you it won’t be as scary as what they’re trying to promise . . .”

“What do you think, Fayt?” Sophia asked. She pointedly ignored Albel, and probably for good reason. The two of them truly didn’t like each other and often tried to compete for Fayt’s attentions and approval. As she moved, the gauzy material attached to her conical hat floated like some ephemeral ghost. It matched the long, pink dress she wore. According to her, she was a princess of some kind, but Albel never heard of one dressing so . . . oddly.

For her part, Maria stayed more true to herself – a gunman wearing a short skirt. Albel wondered why she even called it a costume. She looked no different in her disguise than she had when he first met her.

‘At least Fayt kept his costume simple,’ Albel thought, admiring the former swordsman in his green poet’s shirt and long black pants. He resembled a nobleman, sword at his side. Albel simply decided to not wear some kind of a costume. It reminded him too much of Gemity and the sickening notion that their entire world was nothing more than a play thing for the likes of Luther Lansfeld. ‘Damn wenches . . .’

“I think if you and Maria want to go inside, go ahead,” Fayt said after a moment’s hesitation. “Albel and I will wait right here.”

“Speaking for me now, are you, fool?” Albel said, growling. He hated it when Fayt did that yet he also didn’t mind. The last supposedly “haunted” house they entered, he nearly decapitated the host.

“If you’re sure . . .” Both women looked like they wanted Fayt to go into the building with them, leaving Albel to his own devices.

“I’m sure,” Fayt replied. “Go on. We’ll be right here when you two come back out.”

‘Maybe,’ Albel thought. A wicked grin touched his lips, and he didn’t care if either woman saw it. ‘If I have my way, we won’t . . .’

“All right . . .”

Slowly, reluctantly, both women turned and headed for the ramshackle building. They kept glancing back at the two of them until they reached the door. Then they disappeared within the depths of the home, leaving Albel and Fayt alone.

When they were out of sight, Fayt stepped so he and Albel faced each other. Green eyes stared at him, concerned.

“Are you holding up okay?” he asked. Fayt tentatively reached out and touched Albel’s cheek, causing the Glyphian to scowl.

“Of course, I’m fine,” he scoffed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you’re here and you’re tense,” Fayt replied back. He didn’t stop touching Albel’s cheek. “I feel like I should have warned you about this . . .”

“You should have warned me about this,” Albel bit out. “Then I could have said no and gone on with my life.”

“You said you wanted to be here . . .”

“Don’t remind me, maggot.” He leaned into Fayt’s touch. He couldn’t help himself. There was something about Fayt . . . Albel felt some of his ire draining away.

“You don’t have to stay, you know,” Fayt said. “You can always return home . . .”

“I could . . .”

Except he knew that he wouldn’t ever leave Fayt. Not after everything the other man had done for him. For the first time in his life, he felt strong, stronger than he ever imagined possible. Something about Fayt drew out all kinds of possibilities from within him, and, being the selfish bastard he was, Albel didn’t want to lose that. Ever.

Growling low in his throat, he grabbed Fayt by the wrist and pulled him close. Their lips smashed together in a heated lip lock, and the kiss caused Albel to forget, for a second or so, his shock and annoyance at the garish Halloween celebrating taking place around him and Fayt. It would be over soon, at the stroke of midnight, and Albel knew precisely how he wanted to end his night.

It just couldn’t end soon enough.

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This was written as a surprise giftfic for Rachel Snowden on deviantart.

Title: A Trick For a Treat
World: Till the End of Time
Characters: Albel Nox, Fayt Leingod, Sophia Esteed, Maria Traydor, Lieber, Luther Lansfeld
Pairing: Albel Nox x Fayt Leingod, Maria Traydor x Lieber
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Language, male/male relationship, violent tendencies
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean - Till the End of Time. The game and the characters from the game belong to tri-Ace and Square Enix respectively. I don't profit financially from writing this.
Summary:  Albel decides what he wants the most for the Hallowed Night’s festivities.
Author’s Note: The Hallowed Night is what I’m calling Elicoor II’s Halloween-type holiday.

 

Night had fallen over the kingdom of Airyglyph. Outside, snow fell at a lazy pace, dusting the tops of homes and shops alike as well as the streets and the green, orange, and black gourds with their ghastly carved faces.

By now, most of the city’s residents had retired to their homes. The day of honoring the dead and a successful harvest had come to a close. Children, their bellies filled with tasty treats, were, without a doubt, falling asleep at that very moment.

Albel didn’t care.

Well, he mostly didn’t care that everyone, except for the night watch, had retired to their homes after a day of celebrating. He didn’t care that night had fallen, for it signified the end of the day and most of its festivities.

There was one thing he did care about, though he was loathe to admit as much. As he stared out at the kingdom through a large bay window, his gaze kept traveling to the festivities taking place within the palace walls. Around him, the king, his queen, and their court, along with Fayt Leingod, those wenches Sophia Esteed and Maria Traydor, and that whining, crying, overenthusiastic scum named Lieber, continued to celebrate the day. Dried cornstalks rested in the corners along with dismantled bales of hay. Someone had brought a scarecrow into the inner courtyard, and several of the noblewomen danced in a circle around it.

He felt on edge, though he couldn’t explain why. Something about the party, indeed about the entire city, felt off, like someone or something didn’t belong. It was enough for Albel to ground his teeth in frustration. He surveyed the room yet again and fought the urge to growl then gut the man approaching him.

“Nothing’s going to happen, you know,” Lieber said, a smug expression on his face. “The Captain and her companions have seen to it.”

“Has she?” a voice mocked in Albel’s mind. It sounded like it belonged to the Creator, Luther Lansfeld. “Are you certain it was Maria Traydor who succeeded in defeating me? Or was it another? Someone you wish to keep all to yourself?”

“I know about the Creator’s fall,” Albel said, calm, collected, though he wanted to do nothing more than just rip Lieber’s guts from his body. Slicing his throat open would be just as satisfying. “Unlike you, I was there. I know who delivered the final blow.”

“Right,” Lieber said. He clearly didn’t believe anyone else had a hand in bringing Luther down to his knees. He believed it was all Maria, Maria, Maria. Albel knew the truth. He knew the fight had come down to Fayt and Luther fighting. Everyone else had tired too easily in combatting the Creator, resorting to doing nothing except keeping Fayt healed. The intensity of the fight had nearly cost Fayt his life at the end . . .

Albel shoved the thoughts away and glared at Lieber. The other man still wore that damned, smug expression, like he knew better than what Albel did. He growled at the maggot before him and clenched his fists, his actions not going unnoticed. Maria, Sophia, and Fayt approached.

“Is everything okay?” Sophia asked, her voice so sickeningly and disgustingly sweet. Albel could smell the spiced wine on her breath, and he wanted to gut her, too. She clung to Fayt, rubbing her breasts against him in what Albel perceived to be a provocative way.

“Everything’s fine, wench,” Albel snarled. He kept his voice low. The last thing he wanted to do was attract his king’s attention or the attention of that old fool, Woltar.

“If everything’s fine, you don’t need to be so rude,” Maria chided with her usual cool and authoritative voice. “The least you can do is mingle with everyone else and pretend like you’re having a good time. We have many reasons to celebrate tonight, you know.”

“What she said,” Lieber added glibly. The only one who didn’t say anything about celebrating was Fayt. Albel wondered at that until he met the younger swordsman’s gaze. Sadness reflected from those pretty green eyes. Wait . . . did he just think Fayt’s eyes were pretty? What was wrong with him!?!

“I don’t have to join the celebration if I don’t want to, maggot,” Albel said, suddenly calm. “If I wish to ensure my king’s safety, it is my business and my business alone. Go on. Go back to your celebrating. It’s hardly worth my time anyway.”

With that, he turned his back on them and returned his gaze to the snow-dusted kingdom outside the palace. In the sky, a full moon bathed the world with its light. Somewhere in Kirlsa, Arias, Peterny and the Sacred City, the residents there celebrated the Hallowed Night, but Albel found his thoughts more on Fayt. Why the sadness? What did he have to do in order to get that fool to quit moping over his losses? Things were done. They were over with and for the better . . . mostly. The others shuffled away from him, and he heard the slight smacking sound of two people kissing – Lieber and Maria, no doubt. Albel wanted to vomit at the thought of those two together. Not because he had a crush on Maria, but because such displays usually disgusted him. Sophia giggled drunkenly.

‘Fools. All of them.’

“Yes, they are fools.” The ghost of Luther Lansfeld appeared before him. The blond smirked at him. “And you, Albel Nox, are their king.”

“Why you . . .” he whispered.

“Ignore him,” Fayt murmured. He stood next to Albel, his hand on the Glyphian’s arm. “He’s only an illusion.”

Albel nodded then narrowed his eyes. He gazed at Fayt.

“If he’s an illusion, how is it that you can see him as well as I?”

“Decide, Albel Nox. Decide. What is it that you want the most right now?”

“I don’t know,” Fayt replied, his voice soft and faraway. “I just . . . can . . .”

“Trick or treat, Albel Nox. Trick? Or a treat?”

‘What kind of question is that?’ Albel wondered. ‘Trick? Or a treat? What game is it he’s playing?’

“Trick? Or a treat?” Fayt asked. His hand touched the window. The image of Luther Lansfeld disappeared. Somehow, Albel knew he didn’t like where this was going, and he scowled.

“And I’m supposed to know this how?” he asked, haughty.

“Because you’re the one who knows what he wants. Trick, Albel? Or a treat? Decide.”

Albel growled, this time low but still feral. Fayt only had time to look at him before Albel grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him off. Strange things were happening that night, on the Hallowed Night, things he couldn’t make sense of one way or another. There was one thing, however, that he knew for certain.

Fayt Leingod was his and he’d be damned if he let anyone take the younger man away from him.

 

****

This was written as a surprise giftfic for Charryblossom over at deviantart.com

Title: Lonely Hallow’s Night
World: Till the End of Time
Characters: Albel Nox, Nel Zelpher, Clair Lasbard, Adray Lasbard, Tynave, Farleen, Fayt Leingod
Pairing: Albel Nox x Nel Zelpher
Warnings: mild language, implied sexual situations
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: I don’t own Till the End of Time or the characters of Fayt Leingod, Tynave, Farleen, Nel Zelpher, Clair Lasbard, Adray Lasbard, or Albel Nox. They belong to tri-Ace and Square Enix. I don’t profit financially from writing this story. I do profit from surprising people with these stories. XD
Author’s Note: Canon pairing. Not much else to say about it except I could have used Charry’s character, Charry, but I never asked her for permission to do so . . . plus I know from her cosplay photos, she’s an Albel x Nel fan.
Summary:  Nel and Albel stare at the moon on the Hallowed Night.

 

She stood atop the parapets, the wind tugging on her hair and her clothes. Below her, torches and candles were lit, and people walked towards the church. Each person wore a shroud of either white or black, their faces obscured by cowls. Gourds of orange and green lined the streets leading to the castle and the Church of Apris.

Next to her stood people she trusted to help her carry out her mission of keeping the city safe from attack – Clair, Tynave, Farleen, Adray, and Fayt. Of them, only Fayt knew little of the custom of her people, but he understood enough to keep his thoughts and his questions to himself. He understood that, with most of the city’s residents heading towards the church for early evening prayers, the Sacred City was vulnerable. The black scarring of the pristine walls was proof of the week’s events.

War had come to Aquaria once again, but this time not in the form of Airyglyph. Another nation, this time from Greeton, had come and rained destruction upon the lands. No city in Aquaria was safe, and Airyglyph had fared no better, according to the messengers sent from Woltar.

Still, the war hadn’t stopped the residents from observing holidays and the rituals surrounding them. Candles in hand, every man, woman, and child walked in a somber procession towards the church. Inside, the High Priestess would conduct her sermon, instructing the lambs of Apris to keep their faith, to keep fighting the good fight, and she would offer words of encouragement to lift the spirits of the living. At the same time, the spirits of the dead would be encouraged to cross the ephemeral planes to the next life while the veil between worlds was at its thinnest. Afterwards, the celebrations would commence, children feasting on the meager harvests of the lands and the adults drinking mulled wine.

For Nel, there was no comfort to be taken in the Hallowed Night’s events and traditions. Too much had changed from the time she met Fayt Leingod and came to terms with her reality. There was no comfort in knowing that he, her beloved, wasn’t there with her to stand guard over the holy city . . . and to feel their child as it grew within her. She gazed up at the moon, remembering the feel of his rough caress when they were last together . . .

* * *

He stood atop the city’s stone walls, the last line of defense against the Greeton invaders. Thanks to their air dragons and Aquaria’s runological weapons, the invaders were beaten back but not completely thwarted. It would be a long time before the war ended, if past experience was any kind of an indicator.

On this night, this lonely Hallowed Night, Albel wished for the spirits of the dead to rise. He wished they would take with them the foes of Airyglyph and Aquaria, rob them of their miserable, maggoty lives. While he usually relished the warfare, the slaughter of his enemies and the warmth of their blood spilling over his hands, Albel secretly longed for peace. Things had changed in the time he met Fayt Leingod and took it upon himself to help the younger man in his quest to save the universe. The one he despised turned into the one he loved and cherished the most on Elicoor, and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to reach her.

In the Royal City, gourds of orange and green lined the streets, and the residents walked towards the Church. Candles and torches lit the way, and the soft murmur of humming reached Albel’s ears. He didn’t care much for the Church of Apris, not knowing what he did about the so-called God everyone longed to believe in, and he often scoffed at those who did believe. However, he couldn’t deny that, in dark times, religion offered some kind of light, some kind of hope to keep fighting the good fight. It just galled him to think they were calling upon the one person in the universe who had tried to destroy them.

As he gazed up at the moon, he wondered how she fared on this lonely Hallowed Night. He hadn’t heard of her death, but he knew that, if she were gone, he’d truly curse her to eternal damnation for leaving him alone. Albel hated to be alone, even when he demanded it. He recalled when they were last together, his body aflame with desire as he took her . . .

***

This was written as a surprise giftfic for Kojika on deviantart.

 

Title: Carving the Pumpkin (Part Two)
World: The Last Hope
Characters: Edge Maverick, Faize Sheifa Beleth
Pairing: Edge Maverick x Faize Sheifa Beleth
Warnings: Male/male relationship, implied sexual situations
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters of Edge Maverick and Faize Sheifa Beleth or Star Ocean: The Last Hope. They belong to tri-Ace and Square Enix respectively. I don’t profit financially from writing this story.
Summary: Faize and Edge share some time alone on The Calnus and discuss the ways to carve a pumpkin.
Author’s Notes: Yes, I know I have a story up called Carving the Pumpkin, featuring Luther Lansfeld and Fayt Leingod from Till the End of Time. The idea of carving a pumpkin with Faize was just as appealing to me, and I’m not above rehashing story titles where appropriate.

When Edge and Reimi first mentioned the Halloween tradition of carving a pumpkin, Faize wondered at their sanity. He wasn’t one who believed in things like demons and ghosts. Logic dictated that such things couldn’t exist, not in a modern filled with technology. There were also the traditions of eating baked sweets and candies as well as wearing costumes. Meracle and Lymle were already onboard with such ideas, declaring this Halloween holiday to be one of the absolute best. Faize retained his doubts on the matter until he could observe more, despite his misgivings of continually celebrating such an arcane holiday.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but be curious about this pumpkin carving and wearing of costumes. There really wasn’t anything like it on Eldar, and Faize more than liked to learn about new things. He craved to learn as much as he could, and the fact that Reimi managed to grow a pumpkin so they could carve and eventually eat it in some form, well, Faize, in a sense, felt he’d died and gone to heaven. There was just one problem he hadn’t counted on when he’d volunteered to help carve the gourd.

He had no idea on how to actually carve the thing!

Faize stared and stared at the orange plant that was bigger than his head. Papers littered the floor underneath it, a large kitchen knife to the side. Apparently, carving a pumpkin was a rather messy affair, one Reimi often left to Edge (because she couldn’t stand for things to be messy). In his hand was a black marker, something both Edge and Reimi said he’d need.

“Is everything all right, Faize?”

He looked up as Edge entered the room, relieved that the one person he admired the most had finally arrived. Now he could ask some questions!

"I’m afraid to say that, no, everything isn’t all right,” Faize replied. “I simply don’t know where to begin in carving this thing.”

“Oh? Would you like a hand?” Edge asked.

“Please!” Faize nodded, grateful.

"Okay then. Well, to start, you need to draw a face on the pumpkin,” Edge said.

“A face?” Faize blinked.

“Yeah. Like this.”

Edge crouched behind him and grabbed a hold of his right hand. Faize felt his face heat up and his heart started to race the instant their bodies came into contact. Their bodies molded together almost too perfectly, and Faize struggled to keep his attention on what Edge was doing rather than imagining what they could be doing. He watched as Edge guided his hand along the pumpkin’s surface, drawing two large triangles for the eyes. One was right side up, the other upside down.

Next, Edge drew another triangle in the center, this one slightly smaller than the first two. He then finished by drawing a strange, geometrical shape for the mouth. The entire time, Faize felt himself trembling ever so slightly, and he kept willing himself to remain calm.

“You see?” Edge said when he finished. “Easy.”

“O-oh . . . of course,” Faize said. The pumpkin’s face looked weird to him, and he still didn’t quite understand what he needed to do next. “I see . . . so I use the marker to indicate where I want to make the pumpkin’s face. I . . . I get it. . .”

“Yeah. But first, before you carve out the face, you need to empty it of its guts. You do that by cutting the top off.”

By now, Edge had released his hand and moved away from Faize. He immediately picked up the knife and started to cut around the broken stem. The young Eldarian watched in fascination at how adeptly his Captain worked with the knife. His motions were smooth, fluid, and Faize wanted those hands to be on him instead of the pumpkin. Oh, how he adored Edge and would do anything for him!

Once the top (now called the lid by Edge) was removed, the scent of wet pumpkin guts wafted over to Faize, and his nose crinkled. He couldn’t be sure if he was disgusted or intrigued or both by the smell. It wasn’t lost on Faize that Edge was removing his hand armor.

"Well, shall we?”

Grinning, Edge shoved his bare hand into the pumpkin and started to pull out some strange, string-like substance and white pellet, seed type things. Faize recoiled from the pumpkin for a moment. Those were pumpkin guts?

“We’ll give the seeds to Reimi when we’re done,” Edge said. “They’re good roasted with a little bit of salt. They’ll make a great snack when we’re on the bridge . . . just don’t tell Reimi I said that, okay?”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Faize replied. Hesitantly, he stuck his hand into the pumpkin and felt the squishy slickness of the guts. No wonder Reimi didn’t like to carve pumpkins! Still, it was fun working with Edge on the pumpkin.

When they were finished, the guts were in a pile and ready to go to Reimi, and the pumpkin had its face. Still grinning, Edge produced a small votive candle, orange to match the gourd. He stuck it inside the pumpkin.

“What are you doing?” Faize inquired, very intrigued.

“Just wait and you’ll see,” was the reply. Edge removed the tray from the room, returning a minute or so later. Faize could only stare, wondering why his friend had placed the candle inside the pumpkin, as he waited.

Upon Edge’s return, Faize noted the older man had a box of matches in his hand. He also closed the bay windows, lit the candle, replaced the top of the pumpkin, and shut off the lights. Faize stared in amazement as the face Edge helped him draw had come to life under the glow of the candle.

“Wow,” Faize said in a breath. “That’s . . .”

“Yeah,” Edge said. “We don’t know why people used to do this, but the effect is still cool.”

“Indeed . . .” Faize couldn’t stop staring. “And everyone on Earth does this?”

“Most everyone,” the other said. “At least, the cultures that celebrate Halloween. Not everyone does.”

“Oh . . .”

For a while, the two of them sat in silence, watching the candle’s flame flicker and dance and enjoying each other’s company. Faize had to admit, if only to himself, perhaps some things were worth keeping in terms of celebration. Content in the moment, he smiled.

 

 

(more fanfic in another entry)