Today we have the actual author of Conductives and creator of Rykel, my friend SJ Aisling, here with a very special installment of My Imaginary Boyfriend! Words cannot describe how awesome it is to have the original author of a work love your fanfiction this much.
Previous episode: http://emilyrachellewrites.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-imaginary-boyfriend-episode-three.html
Hey everyone! I'm Stacia Joy, and I'm here today by the request of Emily to guest post about her fanfic of my WIP scifi/paranormal trilogy, Conductive. She wrote the fanfic for the writing/art contest I'm hosting at my blog (there are still some entry slots left!), and I've had a lot of fun reading her take on my character Rykel. So much fun, in fact, I found myself HAVING to write a scene in response to what'd she'd written! And, naturally, I was delighted when she asked me to share this scene with you all!
* * *
Hey everyone! I'm Stacia Joy, and I'm here today by the request of Emily to guest post about her fanfic of my WIP scifi/paranormal trilogy, Conductive. She wrote the fanfic for the writing/art contest I'm hosting at my blog (there are still some entry slots left!), and I've had a lot of fun reading her take on my character Rykel. So much fun, in fact, I found myself HAVING to write a scene in response to what'd she'd written! And, naturally, I was delighted when she asked me to share this scene with you all!
* * *
"Um, Rykel, who was that girl you brought to the gala last night?" Nissa whispered under the cover of the usual buzz of lunchtime conversation, leaning over the table in the pale blue and white Polytech cafeteria.
"Oh, the cute little ginger? Her name's Emily." Rykel looked up from turning his mashed potatoes into a replica of the abominable snowman.
"Emily who?"
Rykel shrugged and smashed his potato snowman. "No idea."
"Where did you meet her? I'd never seen her before."
"No biggie. Last night was the second time I'd seen her."
Nissa put down her fork and frowned at him, green eyes narrowed. "You need to stop dragging all these unsuspecting girls to publicized events! This Emily does know you have a new girlfriend practically every month, right?"
Rykel shook his head and prodded his potatoes again. "This stuff is awful. The cooking here is an insult to food. This is like trying to eat styrofoam put in a blender."
"Rykel!"
"What?"
"You're not just going to disappear on this girl, too, are you? It's really mean to get all these girls' hopes up, and then just leave."
"I don't leave." Rykel stopped torturing his potatoes and sat up suddenly.
"You do."
"I don't. I just… stop coming around."
"If you're not coming, you've left."
Rykel tossed his fork down and folded his arms over his chest, glaring at his plate. His strong jaw began to work, the muscles sliding and growing taught.
Ooooh boy. Nissa let out a long sigh. Grumpy Rykel time. I've really pushed his buttons now. "How about you actually give this girl a try, for once? She seemed really nice, the little bit I saw of her. You didn't even introduce her to anybody."
"She was really freaked out, okay?" Rykel muttered.
"Nice. So she's not a Conductive." Nissa rolled her eyes, then looked back at Rykel again sharply. "Wait. You… didn't tell her about the gala, did you."
Rykel shrugged, still seemingly trying to incinerate his plate with his eyes.
"No wonder she looked like a deer in the headlights every time one of the cameras flashed." Nissa slumped against her chair and pulled at her pet curl. "Please tell me you at least did something classy with her when you two disappeared last night."
"I took her to that Asian joint. Dragon Palace, or something. She likes chicken."
"DON'T try to use the fact that she easts meat as an excuse to dump her."
"I didn't say I was gonna dump her!" Rykel snapped, louder than he probably meant, and several people at the nearby tables turned to look at him and Nissa. He glared at them all as if they'd suggested taking a can of spray paint to his Indian motorcycle, then jerked his head to his left to stare out the wide windows sweeping the entire length of the curved cafeteria hall at the courtyard beyond.
Nissa ignored the spectators and paid some deserving attention to her chicken Caesar salad with bacon. Once the pitch of voices around them returned to their normal high as everyone went back to the conversations at their respective rectangular tables, she whispered, "Well, were you planning on seeing her again?"
Rykel didn't answer right away.
"Dunno." He shrugged.
"Well, you better get your act together, Rykel." Nissa jabbed at him with her fork, her numerous bangles jingling together. "A lot of these girls you've had around have been really nice people, and you're going to regret not getting to know one of them well, someday. So either stick with this Emily for a decent amount of time, or get it over with and tell her it was just a one time thing - your scapegoat for not having a date for last night."
"Cut it out!" Rykel's voice crackled, and his eyes flickered brighter blue as he shot a glance at her. "Don't tell me what to do!"
"I'm not. Calm down, Rykel." Nissa sighed, blowing a strand of her curly copper hair out of her face. "You're going to melt your chair again if you don't. I'm just saying that maybe your idea of dating isn't the best idea."
"Said the girl who's never dated. Even though I've offered several times."
"Rykel, we're friends. And that's why I'm talking to you about this. It's also why I don't take your offers, but that's an entirely different conversation. Please, just think about what I said, at least. And maybe introduce Emily to me and the others."
Turning to face her again, Rykel leaned his elbows on the tabletop and pressed the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He took several deep breaths, his eyes closed.
"I think she'd be too scared to meet you guys," he muttered.
"Why would she - Oh no. You didn't tell her about us, did you?"
"Not about you and Alec and everybody else. I kinda almost fried her when I shook her hand the first time, though, so I sorta HAD to give an explanation." Rykel glanced up at Nissa, his slow, cocky grin began to spread across his face behind his scarred hands.
"Rykel, you are NOT supposed to just go around telling people you're a Conductive!" Nissa slumped back in her chair, her oversized 'Team Conductive' hoodie scrunching up her back. "Gosh, Danton is going to have a coronary."
"Only if he finds out." Rykel straightened and cocked back his head, flicking his blond hair out of his right eye.
"Emily isn't going to go around telling everyone, do you think?"
"Nah. I don't think so. I made her promise not to."
"How did you manage that?"
"By telling her I'd see her again. She was psyched."
"Are you actually going to see her again?"
"I think so. I put my number in her phone."
"You… in HER phone? What?" Nissa sat up and put her hands on her hips.
"She dropped it. So I picked it up. But I hit a lot of buttons on the way to giving it back to her."
"My gosh, Rykel. You're such a jerk. I don't know how any of these girls fall for you."
"Cause I'm also awesome." Rykel put his hands behind his head, and Nissa relaxed, knowing the action was a sign that all danger of Rykel's losing control through anger was past.
"In a really jerky way." She rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. Want a ride after lunch? I've gotten the Indian all cleaned up."
"YES!" Nissa bounced in her chair, curls flouncing in all directions, and Rykel grinned even more broadly, chuckling.
"Nice, Nissy. Real nice. Should I put my number in your phone, too?"
"Oh, the cute little ginger? Her name's Emily." Rykel looked up from turning his mashed potatoes into a replica of the abominable snowman.
"Emily who?"
Rykel shrugged and smashed his potato snowman. "No idea."
"Where did you meet her? I'd never seen her before."
"No biggie. Last night was the second time I'd seen her."
Nissa put down her fork and frowned at him, green eyes narrowed. "You need to stop dragging all these unsuspecting girls to publicized events! This Emily does know you have a new girlfriend practically every month, right?"
Rykel shook his head and prodded his potatoes again. "This stuff is awful. The cooking here is an insult to food. This is like trying to eat styrofoam put in a blender."
"Rykel!"
"What?"
"You're not just going to disappear on this girl, too, are you? It's really mean to get all these girls' hopes up, and then just leave."
"I don't leave." Rykel stopped torturing his potatoes and sat up suddenly.
"You do."
"I don't. I just… stop coming around."
"If you're not coming, you've left."
Rykel tossed his fork down and folded his arms over his chest, glaring at his plate. His strong jaw began to work, the muscles sliding and growing taught.
Ooooh boy. Nissa let out a long sigh. Grumpy Rykel time. I've really pushed his buttons now. "How about you actually give this girl a try, for once? She seemed really nice, the little bit I saw of her. You didn't even introduce her to anybody."
"She was really freaked out, okay?" Rykel muttered.
"Nice. So she's not a Conductive." Nissa rolled her eyes, then looked back at Rykel again sharply. "Wait. You… didn't tell her about the gala, did you."
Rykel shrugged, still seemingly trying to incinerate his plate with his eyes.
"No wonder she looked like a deer in the headlights every time one of the cameras flashed." Nissa slumped against her chair and pulled at her pet curl. "Please tell me you at least did something classy with her when you two disappeared last night."
"I took her to that Asian joint. Dragon Palace, or something. She likes chicken."
"DON'T try to use the fact that she easts meat as an excuse to dump her."
"I didn't say I was gonna dump her!" Rykel snapped, louder than he probably meant, and several people at the nearby tables turned to look at him and Nissa. He glared at them all as if they'd suggested taking a can of spray paint to his Indian motorcycle, then jerked his head to his left to stare out the wide windows sweeping the entire length of the curved cafeteria hall at the courtyard beyond.
Nissa ignored the spectators and paid some deserving attention to her chicken Caesar salad with bacon. Once the pitch of voices around them returned to their normal high as everyone went back to the conversations at their respective rectangular tables, she whispered, "Well, were you planning on seeing her again?"
Rykel didn't answer right away.
"Dunno." He shrugged.
"Well, you better get your act together, Rykel." Nissa jabbed at him with her fork, her numerous bangles jingling together. "A lot of these girls you've had around have been really nice people, and you're going to regret not getting to know one of them well, someday. So either stick with this Emily for a decent amount of time, or get it over with and tell her it was just a one time thing - your scapegoat for not having a date for last night."
"Cut it out!" Rykel's voice crackled, and his eyes flickered brighter blue as he shot a glance at her. "Don't tell me what to do!"
"I'm not. Calm down, Rykel." Nissa sighed, blowing a strand of her curly copper hair out of her face. "You're going to melt your chair again if you don't. I'm just saying that maybe your idea of dating isn't the best idea."
"Said the girl who's never dated. Even though I've offered several times."
"Rykel, we're friends. And that's why I'm talking to you about this. It's also why I don't take your offers, but that's an entirely different conversation. Please, just think about what I said, at least. And maybe introduce Emily to me and the others."
Turning to face her again, Rykel leaned his elbows on the tabletop and pressed the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He took several deep breaths, his eyes closed.
"I think she'd be too scared to meet you guys," he muttered.
"Why would she - Oh no. You didn't tell her about us, did you?"
"Not about you and Alec and everybody else. I kinda almost fried her when I shook her hand the first time, though, so I sorta HAD to give an explanation." Rykel glanced up at Nissa, his slow, cocky grin began to spread across his face behind his scarred hands.
"Rykel, you are NOT supposed to just go around telling people you're a Conductive!" Nissa slumped back in her chair, her oversized 'Team Conductive' hoodie scrunching up her back. "Gosh, Danton is going to have a coronary."
"Only if he finds out." Rykel straightened and cocked back his head, flicking his blond hair out of his right eye.
"Emily isn't going to go around telling everyone, do you think?"
"Nah. I don't think so. I made her promise not to."
"How did you manage that?"
"By telling her I'd see her again. She was psyched."
"Are you actually going to see her again?"
"I think so. I put my number in her phone."
"You… in HER phone? What?" Nissa sat up and put her hands on her hips.
"She dropped it. So I picked it up. But I hit a lot of buttons on the way to giving it back to her."
"My gosh, Rykel. You're such a jerk. I don't know how any of these girls fall for you."
"Cause I'm also awesome." Rykel put his hands behind his head, and Nissa relaxed, knowing the action was a sign that all danger of Rykel's losing control through anger was past.
"In a really jerky way." She rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. Want a ride after lunch? I've gotten the Indian all cleaned up."
"YES!" Nissa bounced in her chair, curls flouncing in all directions, and Rykel grinned even more broadly, chuckling.
"Nice, Nissy. Real nice. Should I put my number in your phone, too?"
* * *
Stacia Joy is a mainly-self-taught writer and illustrator, and her debut fantasy novel, Becoming the Chateran (Book One of the Chateran Series), is due to be released soon. When not writing or immersed in art, Stacia Joy enjoys numerous pastimes that include Irish dancing, playing the folk harp and piano and composing music, singing, dressing up, and petting kittens. She is nearly fluent in sarcasm, has suffered from sesquipedalianism for years, and often tosses helpless people who barely know her into her books as inspiration.
To learn more about Conductive, her other writing, and her art/illustrations, just drop by Stacia Joy's blog, Facebook page, or Tumblr.
No comments:
Post a Comment