Chapter 54: Okaa-san - F&L posted

This is a very short chapter. Second to the shortest, by the way (next to Date? No Way)

Here are the links:

Fictionpress 54

Soompi 54


This is short because the next chapters are going to be long (hehe). Yes, the remaining half of the Reminiscences will be next. Stay tuned until then.

Thank you again for reading F&L. --hiro

Fists and Lipsticks PDF Version 1.1 out

Finished 5 more chapters.

This PDF version 1.1 has Chapter 1 - 30:

http://www.mediafire.com/?wtmda0lgdj3


To the old readers of F&L - - Sorry if the next chapter is taking so long. Right now, I'm making revisions to my previous chapters, specifically grammar errors and inconsistency checks.

You would also notice that Meia has revised the first 25 chapters of F&L in Soompi Forums. Now, each chapter has the cute emoticons care of Onionclub. Feel free to re-read the first chapters. You'll notice some changes AND some additions (especially the staircase scene and Miyazawa and Kosuke's post-auction ball date). After reading them, I realized that the bonding between Miyazawa and Kosuke just WEREN'T enough. There MUST be something deeper, and the progression of how Kosuke has come to like Miyazawa should be drawn clearer and more dramatically. I realized that it came too dense and too fast. I don't like it that way. I'm pretty happy with the new one though. And yeah, the emoticons were really funny. Credits to Onion-club ^_^

Fists and Lipsticks PDF Version 1.0 Up ^_^

Good news to new readers (and old readers as well).

I have completed almost half of the revisions to Fists and Lipsticks. This time, it is available as a one-click download in PDF-version.

Here is the link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?vmwtewtwt3n

http://www.mediafire.com/?vmwtewtwt3n

If for some reason the link does not work, you can e-mail me and I can send it to you personally.

Version 1.0 only includes Chapter 1 - 25. You will also notice that I have added, changed, and revised some conversation lines, events, and names.

Revisions included the following:

1. Removed the excessive usage of honorifics. I heard from a Japanese friend that these honorifics are not always used in typical conversations, especially among male friends. So you may notice that some -kuns are omitted, but the -chans remain.

2. Hidemi's coffee shop - I named it this time as 'Concorde'. I just liked the name ^_^

3. As for the conversation lines, I've done some revisions to correct several inconsistencies (like the fact that only Yuken should call Kosuke as 'Kosuke', while others should refer to him as 'Yamazaki' instead). I can't give the complete details of the changes I made since they were MASSIVE. I realized that there were really many grammar and spelling errors, especially in the first ten chapters. It took me a long time to edit them. I feel good that I finally finished them. But if I happen to miss some parts, I would really appreciate it if you could point them out to me so that I can change them in the next version release.

In addition, I also added some conversation lines that weren't present before.

4. I changed the staircase scene. Yup, that sweet staircase scene. You're free to re-read it if you want.

5. I made some minor detail revisions too. Like the 'speeding ticket' for instance. Instead of having that law where "in incessant over-speeding, all people in the vehicle gets a ticket too" - I scrapped that one and changed it to something else (since I realize that it is really unrealistic and stupid, hehe...) . Feel free to check out that revision too.




The revisions for the remaining 28 chapters will be release probably in three days.

I'll post the link as soon as I'm done.

Thank you for reading F&L ^_^

Fists and Lipsticks PDF version - Soon

Due to the great number of chapters F&L has involved into, a lot of people has been requesting for a 1-click download version (or what they call the .doc version) of Fists and Lipsticks to facilitate easier off-line reading (especially for new readers who would like to catch up).

Currently, I'm starting to do massive revisions to Fists and Lipsticks (including grammar and spelling checks and correcting some inconsistencies as noted by the helpful replies from Fictionpress.com). I'm targeting next week for the release of the 1st part of the PDF version (Chapter 1 to __... depends on what I can finish). I prefer uploading a PDF version rather than a Microsoft Word document version so that the format and the text would not be easily altered.

F&L Chapter 53: Herbivore Now up in FP and Soompi

Here's a light chapter. Some humor and yeah, some cheesy ones too.

Chapter 53 in FP

Chapter 53 in Soompi

As you may have noticed, the previous chapters and this one has been a little bit like 'filler chapters' (well, not really. These chapters are necessary, but compared to the other ones, they don't contribute much to the plot). This is because I am establishing a smooth transition from drama to heavy emotional drama to a little comedy (like this one) then later to heavy action. I'm just doing a little 'building-up' as far as the characters are concerned.

And while things are getting a little too romantic around these past few chapters, I'd say they would be really necessary. As much as possible, the bond between the characters (Ayane to Kosuke, Kosuke to his friends, Kosuke to his father and mother, Ayane to Crosse... Ayane to Aya.. and the list goes on...) must be stressed in preparation for the later chaps. There are still pending scenes like the second half of the 'Reminiscences' and the big 'heavy action' transition I was talking about. I don't want to 'shock' my readers by putting those scenes right away.

As you might have expected from the very first time you opened this story, this is a "gangster" fic... and with the present chapters, there hasn't been a "full-blow" of "gangster-ness" in the story - up to this point, just little fights here and there, puny school brawls, nothing much, eh? However, this would be reserved for later. Lots of things are still bound to happen, lots of secrets to be revealed, and yeah... Ayane's gonna go "mad" at some point. That's the "heavy action" part I'm talking about. I hope that you, the reader, will still be there to give it a read ^_^.

Thanks again to all the readers ~ hiro

F&L Chapter 52: On Emergency Kits and Refuge now up!

No Kosuke-Aya scenes... but is a must read for Shizuki-Yuken Fans ^_^

And also, we get to know more about Tomo too.

52 Fictionpress

52 Soompi

So there, I'm too lazy to put up some good author notes... so till then!

Fists and Lipsticks Trailer - New and Improved

Meia bragged me for almost a week, asking me to teach her some more about video editing.

We started with a few of our personal videos, but then later she had this crazy idea to come up with another video for F&L - this time, not a promotional video but a TRAILER.

I guess the bragging-sessions were worth it. It came out... Wow... ^_^



Kinda pixelated though (since the videos were only downloaded randomly via YouTube)

F&L 51 - Confessions - - - Up in FP & Soompi

A must read for Kosuke x Aya fans ^_^

It feels kinda weird to revert back to 3rd person writing after 5 long chapters of 1st person narrations. This chapter tells what happens during their confinement in the hospital after the Tsuzuya brawl, which (if you recall) left the two of them with the most injuries.

I've made a plot sequence change too, in case you have noticed. I stopped in Reminiscence Part 5, so I haven't revealed the flashback which would narrate how Aya Miyazawa ended in a coma. Well, to unveil that part, I came up with a better plan. So let's keep that suspense for now (*grins*)

I realized that even though some people requested to be taken off from the PM list in Soompi, the number of readers has been growing through the months, both in FP and Soompi. To this reason, I've become more inspired to write and finish this story.

Thank you very much to everyone who has been with me all throughout the ride.

`hiro

F&L Reminiscence Part 5 Chapter 50 posted

Haaaaa.... Chapter 50...

Man, I suddenly realized how long this story is now. I just hope I'm not starting to bore the readers. But anyway, here it is:

Chapter 50 in Fictionpress

Chapter 50 in Soompi

I could say that this chapter, by far, is one of the best (if not the best) chapter ever posted for F&L. There are lots of emotions poured out here, specifically by Yoshida Ayane. This chapter is long btw (13 pages in MS word) and centers on Yoshida Aya and Crosse Williams' untold relationship in the past. This will stress how deep their relationship was, and how it will be upturned with Miyazawa Aya's entry to the scene.

Aside from this, the origin of how the Circa Constellation got it name will be briefly noted here, but not detailedly. I'm leaving the flashback for that in another separate chapter.

I've realized that I cannot actually fit in all the reminiscences in 4 chapters just as planned. Now, I think I'm going to exceed 7 now that I look at it... But I'll weigh things probably according to my judgment of the plot from here on.

An option is to stop here in Part 5 and resume the reminiscence after the hospital scene of Aya and Kosuke... Or probably continue until part 7 and reveal about the 'accident' that left Aya in a coma before I present the Aya-Kosuke scene after the school incident.

Right now I'm still deciding on that... and so - - -

Any suggestions are welcomed ^_^

Thanks ~ hiro

F&L Reminiscence Part 4 CH49 Posted - Hardship in 1st person writing!

Wow, it actually took me a while before I finished this one - -


F&L 49 in FP

F&L 49 in Soompi


Actually I have two reasons why it took me a while to post the next chapter. One is that I just came from Mexico for an English conference (which was pretty cool btw. Mexicans are really nice people!).

Second reason was that I personally had difficulty in writing this chapter. I had to ask Meia's help, since this chapter was written in first person and was meant to be 'filled with emotions'. This is the chapter where I unfold the true relationship between Crosse and Yoshida Ayane and how the tides turned for them when Miyazawa Aya came in the picture. This is a pretty long chapter too (9 pages in MS Word) and a lot of things happened and were revealed here.

Thanks for reading F&L, especially to the new readers both in FP and Soompi. ~hiro

Reminiscences

F&L has been updated again for this week.

48 in FP

48 in Soompi

I'm actually getting the hang of this 1st-person narration. Although sometimes I still sound 'mechanical' (which I'm trying my best to avoid doing), so far everything is going smoothly as far as the narration is concerned.

Now that I look at it, I think I won't be able to compress the 'Reminiscences' into 4 parts. Probably it would reach up to 5. I'm avoiding uploading chapters that are too long too, since it may end up tad boring for the readers.

The secrets are slowly coming into the open, huh? Well, there's more coming... and I really hope you will be there until this story comes into an end (which wouldn't be anytime soon I guess - lots of pending scenes has not yet been written to this moment. You could imagine them swirling around my head, crazy to break free and reveal themselves! Man, that's difficult, mind you!)

I'm actually happy of the direction of my fic, and happy because of the feedback I've been receiving. Thanks a lot everyone!

Reminiscence Part 1 & 2 up!

Here it is - the first 2 of the 4 part "Flashback" chapters that would tell about Miyazawa Aya's past and how she came to the situation she is in right now.

This would answer a great fraction of the questions that I've planted in the previous chapters, although not entirely. You'll see a part of her childhood, how she came to meet her gang mates, how she landed in a race then later an underground race, how she met Crosse Williams and Yoshida Ayane in America, and the 'accident' they were talking about.

Here are the links:

Fictionpress 46 & 47

Soompi 46 & 47


After the 4-part flashback chapters, you'll surely love the next one *grins*.

F&L Chapter 45 Up in FP and Soompi

Wow, FP actually has some cool new updates. This time, it's easier to edit newly uploaded documents since the file does not disappear in the archive right after updating.

To the readers, I'm sorry for the late update. You see, this week was pretty busy for Meia and I. It was Meia's birthday last Feb13 then Valentines Day on the 14th, so yeah it was pretty busy (and we were pretty busy, haha! Leave it to your imagination *grins*.

Enough of that, this is my fiction blog, not my personal life's blog for heaven's sake!

Ahem...

This chapter is really long (14 pages). I originally planned to break it into two chapters, but then to make up for the late update, I decided to upload them all altogether. Finally, Aya and Kosuke meets again after more than a month and he surely missed her huh? And yeah, it was a pretty emotional scene... and a little surprise... and little revelations right and left.

From here on, the story would mellow down a bit from action to drama... Like one reviewer said, Aya has some massive explaining to do!

Hope you'll still be there to catch the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing and reading!

F&L Chapter 44 up in FP and Soompi

44 in Fictionpress

44 in Soompi

A chapter of moderate-length... but some other revelations revealed here. And the whole Tsuzuya now knows of the 'big-secret', but everything does not end there. There are still many unanswered questions.

I consider this as a transitional chapter though, just like the INTERLUDE chap. The next chapter's going to be big too. Yes, Kosuke and Aya are about to see each other after a long time! You wouldn't wanna miss that huh?

Thanks to all the reviewers of Chapter 43 BTW. I gained a lot of readers apparently, although not all of them left a review. In Fictionpress, I gained more than 2,000 hits and some new subscribers. Same went with Soompi, where people are really excessively nice ^_^.

Thanks thanks thanks, everyone!

The BIG Chapter 43 now up in FP and Soompi

That was a big bulk of info I let out here... *sigh*

But hey, it went great huh?

Chapter 43 in FP

Chapter 43 in Soompi

An error for the previous installment, btw. I uploaded Chapter 43 earlier in Fictionpress, only to realize later that I actually uploaded the unedited file. I immediately re-uploaded the chapter after spotting the horrendous spelling and grammar mistakes in the final version (tsk tsk tsk...).

And yes, Aya finally appears in this chapter. Well, I could say - - the Ayas *grins*

But still the mystery lingers huh? What could be the reason behind this? Well, I guess you have to continue reading to find that one out ^_^.

The next chapter will cater a lot more action... But there would be a transition from action to drama in the latter parts. Why? Because I wouldn't want to kill you with heart attack by putting the suspense one after another after another after another... You might sue me in court :( - - poor hiro... (lol)

Well I hope you liked this chapter. If you have any inquiries, feel free to e-mail me, alright?

And again, silent readers are welcomed ^_^ Just don't plagiarize my work. I'll get really mad if that happens.

F&L Chapter 42 up in FP and Soompi

Yup, a fast update for the weekend ^_^

42 in Fictionpress

42 in Soompi

There's a big revelation in this chapter - and I bet you NEVER saw that coming *grins*.

Wow, I'm actually very excited to reveal the secrets one by one. I also feel good reading the speculations from the readers and I feel good that although the guesses were NEAR my actual plan, still no one guessed it 'exactly'. So that must mean my stealth is working pretty well *hahaha*.

Thanks to the readers... Really you guys know who you are. Thanks from the bottom of my heart!

F&L Chapter 41 up in FP & Soompi

41 in Fictionpress

41 in Soompi


I kinda had a hard time making this chapter for a reason I do not know. Maybe it's because I'm too tired of playing NBA in the PS2 - hahaha...

It was a rather short chap (6 pages in MS Word). And voila! Another set of unanswered questions! (Sorry readers, am I literally cracking your head already or what?).

A big surprise in the end, huh?

Aya's big come back is drawing near ^_^. Man, I'm enjoying writing this fic a lot now. The fact that it's approaching its climax and as I start revealing the keys to the secrets never fails to give me that excitement.

I'm very happy to have some new people reading my fic (mostly from Soompi forums). Man, the people there are very very generous! Once I get the time, I plan to return the favor to them at least by reviewing their stories to, even though I'm not really acquainted with Korean terminologies, celebrities, and culture.

Soompi people:
kawaii999
PinkCloud92
kute_me_not
w00dchild.jnR ---> The poster maker! Thanks for submitting to us a nice poster ^_^
xaznxxangelx
chng234
Angel Cakes ---> Special thanks for the generous review for Chapter 40 ^_^
rikuu
~~PuhPuhMuh~~
SteFF1004
james18
babygiirl16
Sw33t SiMPLiCiTy x3
raven
stephypham
cream1004
xtrammieex
xradiostarx
nashi kanata ---> fellow Filipino (although I'm half ^_^), thanks for your interest in my fic
yamaki_LOVE
wookie<3
ms.joongie
blaise7259
MRS.CHANGMIN(:
qiianer
renchew
strawberrylova79
windy_vang
loveme100x ---> Thanks for the recommendation of F&L in the Recommended Fics Thread!
angelgurl1058
xong_thao
iLOVEyunho=)
yippieyeah
littlemisstiny --- > wow, I saw your per-chapter reviews. I could only drop my jaw and grin. Thanks!

FP people:
Yas 'Yz' Shah ---> thanks for your enthusiastic, energetic reviews! never seize to make me happy when I open my inbox ^_^
Saiyan Tear
goblinishelves
KittyKaiya ---> thanks for the generous amount of reviews. I'm glad you like F&L
Vanilla.Chocolate
MistyRose14 ---> Geez, what to say to you? Thank you for your per chap reviews ^_^
Keemii
xXMisz-meXx
Esther
peaceout


And some people were asking about silent readers - Well, as far as I am concerned, I do not have anything against silent readers. I treasure them just as I treasure those who leave reviews. It just amuses me that in Fictionpress for example, my fic has A LOT of hits (I mean, a lot) but the reviews do not seem to match up with that. Though I must admit that I feel quite sad that I had a drastic decrease in reviews as far as FP.com is concerned, the overwhelming feedback in Soompi compensated for that. For Soompi, I would sometimes spot silent readers too (both anonymous and signed). They would drop by the fic whenever a new chapter is up. Well, to you guys, Thanks a lot for reading my fic. The mere fact that you take time to stop and drop by even you don't leave a note is a big thing for me.

Some, however, drops review via e-mail (perhaps they're shy to post up in the forums or FP?). And really, I really appreciate those little notes of appreciation. Motivates me to do better for every chapter. ^_^

Yeah, I welcome silent readers to my fic... but what I do NOT tolerate is plagiarism (heck, who doesn't anyway?!). So to readers, can I ask for a favor? When you see my work someplace else being owned by some old geezer from God-knows-where, can you please tell me about it and send me the link... and also help me BASH them? Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

F&L Chapter 40 Up in FP & Soompi

40 on FP

40 on Soompi


10 pages in MS word - quite long, but I could say it is one of the most beautiful chapters I've come up with, especially to Yuken-Shizuki fans. The big revelations are about to come out, so everyone hang on to their seats ^_^.

I finished chapter 40 inside a hospital room. Last night, Meia's dad was rushed to the hospital due to dyspnea. Gladly, he's alright now and recovering. I had to go all the way to Florida and help Meia go to places to run a few errands. She was so worried, but at the end of the day when things stabilized, she's now alright - so are the rest of her family.

So kids, don't smoke alright? Smoking is bad for the health. You'll just land in the hospital. (*points ridiculously to self - - - alright alright, I'm sorry. I won't smoke anymore Meia ^_^)

I'm also thinking about changing genres in Fictionpress. One reason is because I am getting fewer reviews nowadays for a reason I don't know. In Soompi, however, things are different. The reviews and feedback are actually getting more as I update. Another reason is that the Manga section of FP is becoming a haven of MalexMale, FemalexFemale fics (which is NOT evident in F&L btw...). Maybe I'll transfer it to Romance section and see how it runs from there.

F&L Chapter 39 up in FP & Soompi

Another update for the week!

Fictionpress 39

Soompi 39


I included some Shizuki-Yuken scenes. Kosuke's back in the chapters, but unfortunately still none of Aya (I know you guys miss her, but she won't show up for another... i think 2 chapters?). There would be a brief Seiichi scene - an 'implied' fight scene by the way and a reminiscing mood for Kosuke.

In the next one, we'll be having some Makiko-Tomo-Kaede meeting and yes, another Shizuki-Yuken scene that readers would love.

Again, thanks for reading Fists and Lipsticks!

F&L Chapter 37 *Up*... and Promotional Video uploaded in YouTube

My AN is kinda late, but it's better late than never. For some reason, my connection 'time out' whenever I access Blogger for the past few days, I dunno why....

Oh yeah, chapter 37 is up - - Fictionpress 37 Soompi 37

It would be a rather... action-packed chapter in the first half, but would turn quite dramatic in the end. Kosuke will act differently - and you'll be surprised ^_^


I realized that I haven't posted this one yet here. Above is the new Live-Action poster. Meia collated the pics while I made the poster. And still, I don't have any idea who those actors/actresses are... well except for Aya Ueto (who is HOT by the way hahaha...) and Ikuta Toma (whom I've seen in Hana Kimi).

And after nagging me for a week, Meia finally finished the promotional video for Fists and Lipsticks. Here's the video:



Cool huh?

To the readers, thanks for reading F&L! I'd take the inspiration to make the next chapters even better ^_^