Last extra one for a while. Ruby Palace Launch Date! & Vignette! · 11:34pm Apr 4th, 2023
Well, since I finalized things so close to my upcoming birthday, I decided I'll launch it then. I have a 30 page literature review to write for school, so it will give me the time to do that and work the last details out. Friday, April 28, Ruby Palace will launch! Tuesday, May 2nd will begin the regular, weekly, roll out. Tuesdays!
What will be available to read upon launch:
- All of the vignettes are compressed into four arcs.
- All pilot episodes. There are several.
- Episodes 1-5
I'm taking care of y'all. There is plenty to read, even if you don't (re)read the vignettes. They are not required to understand the story. The pilot episodes are the official start. Episode 1 is them diving into Aincrad. All of the setup to the girls diving is done in the pilot episodes. Heavy on the plurality.
Vignette – Departure of an Angel
August 19 - Friday
It was a normal day at the shelter for Fluttershy. Well, not really. Everything that needed doing was normal. Baths, cleaning cages, food and water changes; none of the work changed. Fluttershy was the change, simply because this was her last day volunteering with them, at least for a few months. When she got back, all of the animals should have been adopted. Hopefully. Fluttershy was also the shelter’s best “homer.” She could find the perfect pet for anyone who entered. Even for people who were “just looking,” if Fluttershy was there, they left with a new friend.
The shelter had plenty of volunteers, but only one Fluttershy. They had thrown a small party for her the night before, after they closed for the evening. It was both a sendoff and a celebration of all she did for them. Fluttershy hadn’t realized just how much she was there, supporting them and the animals. She worked almost as much as their few employees. Of course, there were things she couldn’t do as a volunteer, but that simply meant she freed up the staff to take care of those matters.
Sunset was in Japan. Rarity and Twilight had started the journey earlier in the day. Rarity’s packing emergency was fixed in time, whatever it had actually been. Going forward half a day made the timing weird, specifically when it came to the social media posts. Fluttershy would be leaving in the morning. Once they were all there and in the same time zone, it would make more sense.
Fluttershy was on the same flight as Pinkie Pie and they had seats besides each other on every flight. That was either going to be an absolute disaster, or it would be a blast. Either way, it wouldn’t be boring. Annoying, chaotic, fun, funny, or loud, were strong possibilities, including all of them at once, but not boring.
Fluttershy was looking forward to the trip and to doing school in another language. The different, yet similar, system was something she wanted to experience. She had seen and read a lot of popular media depicting it, but now she would get to experience what school in Japan was really like. No filters, no translation issues, no stereotypes, real unadulterated experience. Not that she would necessarily get by without making mistakes. Mistakes were bound to happen, especially in such a strict setting, such as a school. Customs and expectations were different. The best way to solidify what she knew was to actually practice it, day in and day out, even through any mistakes. Fluttershy didn’t plan on using the foreigner's excuse. Yes, she would be forgiven more easily for breaking social norms and expectations, but she was not going to allow herself to think the net was there. It was the best way to ensure she actually succeeded.
Rarity and Twilight had big send offs from their families, going out to dinner and such. Pinkie Pie was likewise doing something boisterous with what family was in town. Maud was in Scandinavia doing research for her doctorate. Rainbow Dash would likely be doing something with family the night before too. Applejack literally had family stuff all weekend.
Fluttershy was as well, but they were not going out, even for dinner. Her parents were opting to do stuff at home. Her mother was making a meal, likely including a lot of vegetables from her garden. Fluttershy loved her family, but she was bold compared to her parents. They preferred to stay in, but she wished they would go out, without anyone having to worry about making dinner or cleaning up afterwards.
Fluttershy opened the door to her house. She could smell the delicious meal her mother was making in the kitchen. Her father was not home yet and neither was Zephyr Breeze. Fluttershy was all packed. She had done that the day before. She just had one last thing to do, but it required Zephyr Breeze.
For now, she went to her room. Everything was neat and tidy. She unzipped her backpack and Angel popped out, happy to be done with the ride back home from the shelter. He also was happy to have her all to herself. Fluttershy left him, briefly, to get him stuff from the kitchen. Her mother had kept many of the “scraps” and extras from the vegetables that were not going into the dinner for various reasons.
Angel didn’t mind them because he liked the taste of fresh vegetables. Something picked only an hour or two before tasted a lot different than the fresh stuff at the grocery store. He enjoyed the salad Fluttershy made him, while she lay on the floor and petted him. Fluttershy was either watching him eat, or looking at her luggage, anticipating her departure.
“Oh Angel, I’m certainly going to miss you,” Fluttershy softly said, with a little sigh, as she ran her fingers through his white fur. He butted her hand with his head, acknowledging her concerns, and went back to eating. “Part of me wishes I could take you, but then I would be distracted with caring for you and I would miss so much because of it.”
Angle stopped eating and embraced her, nuzzling his head on her cheek. Then he hopped back and continued with his half-finished meal.
I know,” Fluttershy said, understanding the meaning. “You want me to go. It’s a dream come true and it’s a short trip. You are such a good friend, wanting what is best for me.”
A knock came on her door and Fluttershy called for it to be opened. It was Zephyr Breeze.
“You wanted to see me when I got back?” he said.
“Yes,” Fluttershy said, standing up. “With me gone, certain responsibilities for Angel will fall to you.” Fluttershy grabbed the list from her desk. She presented it to her brother. “Mom and Dad will do some things. I already worked out what works best for their schedules, but the rest falls to you. It’s just morning and evening feeding, along with changing the water in his cage every other day. They will bathe him and clean his cage. I already took care of anything vet related, so he should be good for the rest of the year. It will take you all of five minutes each day. Plus, some quality time would be appreciated. He is sweet, especially if you take care of him.”
“Are you sure?” Zephyr Breeze asked. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”
“You’re in high school,” Fluttershy stated. “It’s only a little more than what you will have to do for school. I have confidence you can handle it. It’s a good way to prove to everyone that you can be more responsible in life.”
“Okay,” he said, cautiously taking the list. “I guess I can do that."
"He needs you and I need you," Fluttershy pressed. "We both know you can do it. We are relying on you. It's important that I come back to him being well taken care of."
"Okay," Zephyr Breeze said with a nod. "You're right, I can. Maybe I'll be as good with animals as you are. I've never tried it before. Maybe I'll be better than you."
There was no way he would be better than Fluttershy, but she didn't have to tell him that. She needed his spirits high.
"Oh, and if you can remember, read him the posts on our social media account and show him any photos," Fluttershy added. "You would want to be updated on your friend if you were him."
"Uh, sure," Zephyr Breeze said, nervously scratching the back of his neck. "I've never talked to animals like you do, but I guess I can try. After all, it's just reading what you post."
"That's all I'm asking," Fluttershy confirmed. She looked back at Angel who had finished his meal. He had flipped the bowl upside down and was contently leaning against it. "And all Angel would want."
"Yeah," Zephyr Breeze replied, still nervous about that duty.
Fluttershy hugged him. He never saw it coming but she wasn't going to let him leave without it. He might annoy her at times, but he was her brother. He was family and she loved her family.
"I'll miss you, Zephyr," Fluttershy stated.
He loosened up and hugged her back. "Don't go leaving us behind after the trip. It would break mom and dad's heart. Four months is about the longest they could bear."
"I'll be back," Fluttershy assured him. "I'll be back because this is my home. It's a dream trip come true, but this is my home. Family is here. I couldn't bear to leave everyone. I like where I live. I have no complaints and want to live here forever. But trips and experiences are never a bad thing. It's only four months. It will go by quickly."
The two of them were called to dinner. It ended the sibling hug. Zephyr Breeze went to put the list in his room. Fluttershy picked up Angel and placed him in his cage so he could rest safely. Then she washed up and joined her family for dinner. One final dinner before her trip.
Can't wait!!!
Can't wait, but please don't put link behind a spoiler, it screws with those of us on mobile.
5721328
I'm so sorry! I didn't realize it would do that! I didn't think about mobile!
5721329
Its okay. I honestly do look forward to this fic. Loved your last one.
5721342
Ruby Palace is going to be epic! I'm really excited about it. It's been a long time coming. I can do some things I couldn't do in Aincrad because it's the full crossover. The girls have a prominent role from the beginning. Sunset is an epic character. Fluttershy is a blast. Pinkie Pie was redesigned for Ruby Palace and it's way better character that fits her better! Applejack underwent some fixing took. The supporting OCs are amazing. Then I get to play more with Kirito, Asuna, Agil, Lisbeth, and Klein. So many new floors and challenges are coming! We upgraded aspects of SAO's canon system and mechanics to operate better in certain regards. Lots, lots, lots of fun!
5721343
Dang it! Now I'm more hyped! Gonna play some Fatal Bullet till the 28th I guess.
At least something is going right! Looking forward to the words.
5721343
Sounds great! I'm so happy to finally read the news that you are finally ready to start posting all these snippets into a proper Ruby Palace prologue arc and officially start the Ruby Palace story for real! How long has it been since you started posting all these snippets until you are finally ready to start the story for real?
5721408
Besides "way to long," uh, first Vignette was posted November 16, 2021. lol. Grad School!
Huh, this'll either be a good experience for Zephyr to grow as a person or Angel's gonna die because of Fluttershy's unexpected extended stay in Japan.
*cracks knucklez* I’m ready
5721681
Finally someone to comment on the vignette! Lol.
Sooooo ready for this! :)))))
Been looking forward to this for ages!
Time to dive into the vignettes finally now that there's a firm release date.