zandravandra

June 11th to June 24th

Hey hi folks! Just a quick update this time to let you know I'll be delaying the next update of Her Majesty The Prince a tiny bit because...

~Act I is complete~

...and that means while I'm writing part 14, I'm also planning out Act II and the remaining half(ish portion) of the story. I'll do my best to share a few interesting HMTP-related things in the meantime. ^^

(Also my birthday is coming up and my wife is in town so I think it's a really good time to ta...

Her Majesty The Prince XV

"Were you able to watch the coronation?"

"No, thank the gods. I had to cancel—luckiest migraine of my life! The undertemple fellow I was seeing had front-row seats. Can you imagine if I'd been there when that... witch-or-whoever attacked?"

"Well I'm glad you're okay. I do wish we had more to go on, though. Have they said anything about what happened? I heard there was a stampede afterwards!"

"You heard right! But no, the Crown is still all tight-lipped about it, even three...

Her Majesty The Prince XIV

Lou opened her eyes slowly, taking a moment to adjust to the morning light filtering in through the blinds of the apartment window. Her gaze lazily clung to the painting that hung on the wall as she took deeper and deeper breaths, easing herself out of her sleepy haze. She still wasn't as well-rested as she'd hoped. But she had also made it through the night without dreams or nightmares, so she figured she'd chalk that up as a win.

She stretched, pushing the covers into even more of a h...

May 28th to June 10th

Hey hi folks! That story just won't stop, will it? I thought I was more than halfway done last update, but Her Majesty The Prince keeps getting bigger than me and my beta readers expect—but it'll result in such a better book in the end that I gotta keep going.

I'm going to do my best to shift it from "24/7 hyperfixation" territory into a more sustainable place so I can keep working on my other projects on the side. I was fine with a 2-3 week pause, but since the finish line keeps gett...

Her Majesty The Prince XIII

For the longest time, there was nothing else.

Just echoes in the dark. Stray whispers in the murky fog. A world of vitreous smoke, illuminated by distant lightning in thunderclouds. And in the center, where it all began, there was her.

And she was drifting away.

It took a lifetime of wandering to find her again, an existence spent searching the formless unknown. An eternity of sifting through ghosts in the mist, a cavalcade of grey on grey, expressions frozen on faces that v...

Her Majesty The Prince XII

Lou looked down at her bunk one last time. A modest bed, pushed up against the wall, surrounded by others just like it. She truly had been prepared to spend years here. Maybe she'd have made her last night in it more meaningful, had she known. She wasn't quite sure how one would go about doing that, but after hearing so many of Sleeves's stories about their aunt, Lou had gained a soft spot for rituals.

She looked through her side of the nightstand drawer one last time—finding a half-f...

Her Majesty The Prince XI

"I messed up," Lou said as she frantically shook Chiffon awake. "I messed everything up. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do!"

"Mnnh, what's wrong?" the taller maid asked as she reached up to rub her face. "It's okay Glasses, it's okay. We'll figure it out."

Lou's face was wracked with worry as she grabbed large fistfuls of the bed covers. "I couldn't even do this simple thing. All I had to do was... All I had to do was keep it safe! I don't know what's happening, I d...

Her Majesty The Prince X

Lou sat on the bed as the Prince went about his bedroom getting dressed. The morning light seemed dimmer; sounds, muffled. She was still stunned by what he'd told her: he wanted her to leave.

All those years spent wrapped in her old body felt like a footnote, a series of unremarkable events leading to the moment when their lives magically, dramatically intertwined. The majority of her time in the body she now called her own had been spent here, in his castle. More than the village where...

Her Majesty The Prince IX

"If you had just one night with the Prince, what would you do?" Chiffon asked, twirling the broom in her hand before moving on to the other side of the banquet table.

"Define one night," Sleeves said as they moved from place to place, artfully folding napkins and setting down cutlery. "Are we in his room? Do we have privacy? Can I choose what we're doing with our time?"

"Let's see..." Chiffon pondered as she methodically swept the next section of the upper hall. "Yes room, yes pri...

May 14th to May 27th

Hey hi folks! So uhhh wow, the last two weeks.

I fell into the most powerful writing fugue state since the original Squid Maids and as a result I'm most of the way through a new book?? I didn't even know I could be this creative anymore, it's been such a shock. But a welcome one, as it's been incredibly validating to be able to create at a pace I haven't known in years. I should be back to my regularly-scheduled other projects by next update, as I'm pace to finish this story so...

Her Majesty The Prince barbie & ken mugshot meme

I couldn't resist!! here's my current two favorite characters who will not leave my brain until their story is told

Her Majesty The Prince VIII

"Alright Loulou," the Prince said with a smile as he threw her discarded dress off to the side. "One night. Make it count."

And then she woke up.

Lou inhaled sharply, her eyes opening wide. She stayed still, waiting for her eyes adjusting to the morning light and for her mind to adjust to the transition from dream to reality. She winced from the embarrassment. She thought she was finally free of those dreams.

Wait. Had that actually happened?

It was awfully da...

Her Majesty The Prince VII

"As I told your collea—" Frederic stopped, correcting himself. "As I told the former royal decoys, you have resources at your disposal. I will personally give you a glowing reference on behalf of the royal guard, no matter where you wish to go."

Lou looked up at the last painting of Her Majesty, hanging by itself in the remote gatehouse that had been used that day as the impromptu meeting room for the final debriefing of the royal decoys. Back when she had suggested the idea,...

Her Majesty The Prince VI

"Stay here, I'll get you something to drink."

Lou looked up at the underside of the canopy that loomed over the Prince's bed. She had seen the outside of it many times over the years, but never from this angle. She hadn't imagined she ever would.

Well... no. That wasn't entirely true. There was that one idle daydream all those years ago. But in that one, she certainly wasn't wearing a maid uniform.

"Did you get a new one?" she asked, pointing up to the canopy, her eyes drawn...

Her Majesty The Prince IV

A lot of things had changed after the Witch-Fiend's foiled attack on the castle. Security had been tightened; ramparts, fortified. Rooftop and other outdoor celebrations were, understandably, less frequent—and when they did occur, they were heavily guarded. No one was willing to take further chances considering just how close the capital had come to losing its beloved head of state. Even if the latter had come out the other side not only unscathed, but stronger.

The Prince's quarters,...

Her Majesty The Prince II

The knight's utterly perfect mask of politeness let no other emotion shine through as he handed the letter to the young lady before him. A piece of the finest paper, impeccably folded, sealed with the unmistakable crest of the head of state. "Once again, thank you for your services throughout the past years."

"Of course," the lady replied, her flowing curls bobbing as she curtsied. No sooner had she returned to a standing position than she began tugging at one of the corners of the pape...

Her Majesty The Prince

"Were you able to watch the coronation?"

"What I could see from La Cime's rooftop terrace, anyway. What about you?"

"A friend's lover rented out his Uptown balcony for a party."

"Oh, lucky!"

"Hardly! It was elbow-to-elbow and the company wasn't that great. Honestly I should've gone with you, regardless of how I feel about La Cime's hors-d'oeuvres."

The two socialites at the next table merrily chatted away over their extravagant drinks of syrups and whipped cream ...

April 30th to May 13th

Hey hi folks! As you may have noticed, I've resumed writing Full-Contact Psychotherapist. It's a short story I've been meaning to finish for a while now, and the past few months have gotten me inspired to the point where I'm approaching another writing fugue state. I'm excited to wrap this one up, especially because I have something exciting in store planned for it with a contributor—more on that when it becomes official!

I've also got some fun streams coming soon, primarily to do wit...

Sneak Peek: Full-Contact Psychotherapist, chapter 3

The woman had just put a folded towel down on the floor under the coat rack, no doubt in a bid to collect the copious amount of rainwater dripping from the overcoat of the stranger, when the latter emerged from the bathroom.

“I do apologize for that,” they said as they extended a hand. “Let’s try that whole first impression thing again, shall we?”

“Uh, of course,” the woman said, taking a hesitating step forward. They both shook hands.

“It’s very nice to me...

April 16th to April 29th

Hey hi folks, I can finally share the big news: I got married! <3

My lovely wife and I had a cozy little ceremony with witnesses last week, which took quite a lot of time and energy to prepare (some of the life stuff I've been alluding to here and there). But, suffice it to say, I'm really happy. I get to be a wife, with a wife!! ^^

Tomorrow I hope to hit the ground running and put that newfound vigor toward completing some of the things I've been working on. It's goin...

April 2nd to April 15th

Hey hi folks! One more quick update because 1) life stuff (derogatory) seems to have thankfully settled down and 2) I'm working on some big life stuff (positive) that I'm excited to talk about once it's confirmed.

I've still got a busy year of projects ahead, starting with fulfillment of Cat Wishes Stories and continuing with the Crowdfunded Life comic, Kickstarter odds and ends, Substitute Familiar 2, and some more surprises. Phew!

It's been a very up-and-down time lately, so tha...

March 19th to April 1st

Hey hi folks! Another quick update this time because the aforementioned Life Stuff has been trying to make a comeback but I'm now better equipped to deal with it (and have an updated prescription for a longstanding medical issue that may help keep it under control even better).

I'll have some news to share about all this sooner rather than later, but in the meantime, thank you so much again for your support! You keep me going, and I want to show you where I'm going to next. Let...