#pet projects

Two things have happened that have caused me to think of a new pet project, a questionable thing considering I already have a lot on my plate. Also, I seem to be burning myself out at work without work even overworking me, which is a topic for another time.

But last night I started Book of Hours, which was something I had been meaning to do. I decided to start it because I really didn’t want to play Immortal Life, which had kind of outstayed its welcome. I swear at some point I will finish that game (but I should also maybe accept the fact it might not happen).

Despite the fact it was very hard to get into Book of Hours, because I am not that bright, and not as curious as I should be in a game like that, I was still inspired by the game. A game like Book of Hours where you’re playing an unseen and unnamed character is always ripe for storytelling in my head. 

Then, today, my stationery sub box arrived and things got interesting. I knew that the theme was Dark Academia and I knew that whatever notebook was packed into the box, there was a 50/50 chance it wasn’t going to be my thing. 

And then it arrived…

Here’s the thing, it’s technically not my thing. While it is a beautiful notebook, it’s not a theme I normally would like for myself. However, I took one look at this and thought, an art/writing book based off of the Book of Hours. I have the inks to write it and a lot of stationery to work with, I could do this.

At the same time I’m like… I have so much to do, why?

In This Life ( And The Next ) - Soulmate AU Where both Vera and Goro know they’re each other’s soulmates, but Goro’s disgust at her mercenary background and Vera’s unyielding hatred of the corporation he serves, as well as her disappointment that her soulmate is an Arasaka bootlicker, makes it impossible for them to get along.

( Lots of angst and a steady slow burn that won’t drag on for thirty chapters. It’s mostly an Enemies to Friends to Lovers sort of thing because I am fascinated by soulmates that don’t immediately fall for each other at first sight or don’t always get along. )

Afterlife Cafe - Coffee Shop AU is in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, where Vera and Jackie work part-time as mercenaries and baristas at Rogue’s coffee shop, The Afterlife, the only cafe in Night City famous for its use of organic ingredients to make coffee, tea, snacks, etc. Goro Takemura is a regular who goes to the Afterlife for its tea and a chance to speak to the quiet, purple-haired barista who speaks fluent Japanese and gets his order right every time.

( Not the usual cute and quirky coffee shop au because Night City is terrible, and the baristas are forced to defend themselves and their customers whenever a gang war breaks out in front of the cafe. However, it’s not all doom and gloom because I’ll be focusing on Goro and Vera’s growing relationship. Also, I’d love to see more coffee shop aus in the cyberpunk universe! That’d be awesome! )

Stray Dog Among Wolves - Bodyguard AU. In which Vera is the favored bodyguard of Yorinobu Arasaka. Unbeknownst to him, Vera struggles with her hatred towards the corporation that wiped out her entire nomad family and stole her away when she was a child to mold her into the perfect weapon. For years, she has blended in and plots to use the Arasaka civil war to make her escape. Goro Takemura, the right hand of Saburo Arasaka, is the only one who sees right through her facade and vows to expose her. But when Yorinobu murders his father in a fit of rage and frames both bodyguards for his death, the two must set aside their differences to clear their names.

( I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever write this because I have a feeling that the fic will be at least sixty pages long due to political intrigue, Arasaka family drama, Yorinobu being a hot mess, and Vera being tired as hell of the constant bullshit she finds herself in. Will have Enemies to Lovers because the sexual tension between her and Goro is out of control. ) 

Running Backwards - Next Gen Time Travel AU. When an accident thrusts Hikaru Takemura in the year 2077, she is forced to help her unknowing parents expose Yorinobu’s crime. But it’s hard trying to bond with two people who are nothing like the loving parents she left behind especially when one of them has an expiration date. Honestly, how the hell did they manage to live this long to conceive her? 

Leslie: No, but I think if we just worked a little harder we could really make this thing happen.

Tom: I don't quite care for working a little harder or for making it happen.

Jerry: I have no problem working a little harder, I'm just not sure I want this project to happen.

Donna: All for making it happen, but I'm not working a little harder for it.

Title: 僕のジョバンニ  “Boku no Giovanni” - My Giovanni Author: Hozumi Publication Status: ongoing (since 2016) currently at 5 volumes

A young Tetsuou watched a performance by Giovanni Bazonni and was inspired to become a master cellist. But he knows that living as he is in an out-of-the-way Japanese island means his musical aspirations are unlikely to be realized. A boy named Ikumi is the sole survivor of an accident at sea off the coast of his island. He saved himself by swimming to the beach, claiming he found his way to safety by following the sound of beautiful cello music, and is convinced that the player was Tetsuou. The relationship that forms between the boys is deep and complicated, and only gets more so as they grow up...

The art is fantastic and the story is really engaging. It’s a josei manga that allegedly doesn’t have any BL, but I honestly get the impression that there is at least a *hint* of it. However, it certainly isn’t explicit and you can choose to read into it or not. 

For better or worse, this will be the first series that gets released because the process to translate it is simpler, since I’m translating from a language I read fluently. It’s continued from the now-defunct group ShoujouSense, who scanlated the first volume and almost all of the second.