a.u.

Updates

Hi friends!

Cailin here. I'm a firm believer in letting stories speak for themselves without author intervention, but I thought this would be the best place to put this.

First off--UH WOW OKAY. "a.u." is a Watty Award 2019 winner! I think I've said that a billion times both here, other sites, and in real life, but it still feels very surreal. Thank you to Wattpad, the Watty judges, and the Wattpad community for all the love they've given this story. I mean it with full sincerity that I never expected this to blow up in the way it did. I had a total of one (1) person read this story before posting it to the public and they were very confused by the entire thing. Which, like, valid. But seeing so many "get it" or just enjoy the ride has been the best possible feeling an amorphic energy-based minor deity like me could have.

As a special thank you for all the support, I'd like to share with you a oneshot starring the "a.u." leads that's been sitting in a notebook for the past year or so. It's called "that time you weren't there" and it's got Boys™ with Feelings™ in it. I'll post it as its own story, as it's meant to be enjoyed separate from the original.

I've been back and forth on posting this. On one hand, I think it's a fun thank you to all of you who've taken the time to read this story. On the other, I don't want to do any false advertising. "a.u." is a standalone book. I don't plan on continuing the story of Damian and Alexander outside of the snippets I jot down in notebooks and whatever vignettes I daydream about when I really should be doing work. Maybe one day I'll go back and rework the original story (if you get me in the right mood and maybe a little inebriated, I could tell you the things I'd be willing to redo), but I won't do an official continuation. Lame, I know. But I feel strongly about it. (and like no one has even asked me to do one yet so I don't foresee a lot of arguments)

Is this oneshot canon? I dunno, use your own judgment. I think it is, but I'm also a supporter of the "death of the author" theory. Anything that exists outside the original canon is up for grabs, especially with a story like this. Love it? It's canon! Hate it? Substitute your own reality! I'm not gonna pull a JK Rowling and tell you everything about anything. Where's the fun in that?

In the meantime, if oneshots aren't your thing or you're looking for more, might I suggest checking out my other work? "Road to Arcadia" is a story I wrote this past year essentially founded upon my anger over climate change. Not a lot of romance, but it's still queer as fuck and definitely more grounded than this story. It's got a special place in my heart, so why not give it a go? I've got a few other plans up my sleeve that I can't wait to share with you all! Curious what those are? Would recommend following me to get updates. I try not to get all "like, comment, subscribe", but the creative process doesn't always adhere to timelines and following is the easiest way to find out what the heck I've been up to.

Thanks for the support!

DreamerCail/Cailin