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@ deciding
Haha, wow. I don't know much about hockey (which is more than a bit ironic, I know), but I'll listen to the song just for that :)

It's ok, as long as you do write it, I don't "mind the gap" so much haha.

I definitely know about RL issues. I'm swamped with life too, I think it has to do with the fact that it's the end of the year, so much stuff to do, so little time.

And I'm very eager for anything you write, so yeah, I'll def read the next one. Short and sweet, I'm in :)

Hope life is treating you ok, and leaves you a bit of time to write!

I'm glad you like the song. It's by the same band that did "Loveless". I think I find a lot of inspiration in their music, especially for this story, because they're from Vancouver, where Delia allegedly lives. I also think it's kinda cool reference their songs because I know that they're hockey fans--Canucks fans--too. They have this song called "Big Wave Goodbye" and every time I hear it I swear it's about the riots in Vancouver after the Canucks' loss to the Bruins in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. I don't know if it's actually about that, but that's what it feels like to me.

Maybe Delia and Ben aren't the only ones who need a little time away from each other. I think I probably need a little time away from them too, haha. When it comes to sequels, I've found that I write best when I've had enough time to really miss the characters. I don't think I miss them enough yet. I said that I would probably have the first chapter of the sequel up around December or January. Honestly, end of January is probably more feasible. Sorry. But hopefully readers will be more excited about diving into the story after a break!

I'm working on a one-shot right now, which is the next thing I'm posting, hopefully in the coming weeks. It's pretty simple and sweet. I haven't had much time to work on it though. There's one other story that should be three chapters long. I have one chapter of that written. Again, not enough time. I might not even get to it before I start working on the Ben sequel. I'm swamped with real life right now and haven't had the time to even think about the content of the stories. :/

Anyway, there will definitely more music references in the sequel. I do have a handful of them picked out already even without anything written. I have a feeling you'll like 'em. :)

@ deciding
Man, I'm hooked with the song "The Gift of a Black Heart", especially the opening. Thank you again!

You HAVE to start writing the sequel, think about Roscoe! hahahaha.

Any other story you plan on writing?

Yeah, I've heard I should watch Skins on the internetz for a while, but I have so many series on my waiting list. I will think about it, though. Thanks!

I like the realness of the story, as I said. But I'm already missing this story... and the music recommendations! Please please start writing them, and give them a happy ending! hahaha

Glad you enjoyed my rambly comments :) More will come if you post more stuff? ;) *hint hint* hahahaha.
Seriously, I enjoyed it a bunch, thanks to you!

I've written a few stories that don't have happy endings and, while I feel like they're the ones I'm most proud of, they don't give the same feeling of satisfaction of being done. I was bummed, too. I get pretty attached to my characters and there's no fun in them getting hurt even when I feel like that's what has to happen in the story.

To answer your question in the last reply, I don't have a single word written for the sequel. But I have been stewing over it in my mind for months. I knew even before I started posting Call It Off that there would be a sequel. Can't really give you details but I also want Roscoe to be happy! His well-being is what's most important! Hehe.

It's been a few years since I last watched Skins. The storylines go for two series (seasons) at a time. Like, series 1 & 2 is the same characters and story, but series 3 & 4 is completely different. I think they're on the 7th series now. Anyway, if you decide to watch it, series 1 & 2 are definitely the best...but I will warn you that things don't end well for Chris/Gendry when it's all said and done. :(

I think I've mentioned before that it's important to me to make it as real as I can. Life doesn't always work it and it definitely isn't fair. And Delia's flaws and Ben's flaws don't make them bad or unreasonable or idiots. It makes them human. I think time apart may be exactly what they need. Time could change what their needs and wants are.

I agree with you that "Call It Off" is sad but hopeful. Actually, I think "Empty Apartment" is sad but hopeful too. Again, I love that you can read between the lines and see the little things. Ben walking out of the room was my favorite part of the chapter, too. I'm glad that he could leave her before she left him. It was the only sort of victory I could give him, which I thought he really deserved. Character Ben is special to me. There's no one who wants him to be happy more than I do, no matter how silly that is. :)

Thank you SO much for constantly leaving long, well thought out comments! It means a lot to me that anybody would take the time out of their day to do that. I can't thank you enough. I will repair your heart.

@ deciding
No problem on the long comment!

Yeah, overproduced is the word. I don't get why, it changes their vibe almost completely.

As for coveying feeling, I totally get it. It's amazing how listening to a song over and over or having it on your mind can actually infuse itself in the writing.
And I think they way you intermix songs and writing shows your love for both, so it's really good.

And I can't believe it's over!

I'm so going to miss this story. Not only I got to enjoy such great writing, but each chapter brought me even one song I could take away, which is a definite win in my book.
Have you written the sequel, or it's just an idea?
I really want a Ben, Delia and Roscoe happy ending hahahaha.

Anyways, congrats on the wrapping up, but you're breaking my heart! hahah

Thanks for leaving such a long comment!

I didn't realize VEVO isn't available in some countries :( But I am glad you were able to find the acoustic version of "New Love" on your own. I'd been listening to that for like weeks before I even knew it was different from the album version. I don't like the album version either. The first time I heard it I didn't understand why they would make it sound like that. The only thing I like is the bass line. I've actually listened to the entire album and my verdict is that the whole thing is just overproduced, so maybe it's not such a surprise that the song is a disappointment on the album.

I'm glad you like the way I intermix songs and writing. I think I probably do it too much. I guess it's just something that I've always done. So many times when I'm listening to music for the first time, I find myself thinking about whether I can use it for a story. There are also songs that I just like the feeling of, if that makes sense, and I'll try to convey that feeling in a chapter.

The next chapter is finally up! It should have been up this weekend but it was a busy weekend, and then I got sick and didn't even feel well enough to finish editing and write the notes...blah blah blah. But anyway. It's up. It might be painful. Thank you for your enthusiasm and thank you for reading.

Sometimes it's weird to edit these chapters a month or more than a month after I initially wrote them. I surprise myself, too. When I re-read over Ben's line about 7 days I was like, "oh, my heart!" There is a lot Delia has yet to realize between now and the end of the story. I don't know that she'll be able to handle it well when she gets it. ;)

Update coming this weekend! You might like it.

@ deciding
Hahahah, will wait -somewhat- patiently to find out :D

Yeah, I think Parker is aware of the potentil heartbreak. Hope Delia listens! hhaahaha

High five on the music taste? LOL.

Can't wait! :)

Hmmm. It may or may not be. I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out. :)

Parker is smart. Delia should pay more attention to what he says. I think he can see what she does, or what she denies herself from seeing.

I know exactly what you mean about the song. When I discovered them I said to myself that their music is really cute. So like a month later I went to their show and their live performance blew me away. Every song sounded better live than the recording. I actually listen to a bunch of their music while writing but a lot of the time I'm listening to live or in studio performance versions of their songs on YouTube instead of from the albums.

An update is coming sooner than you think. ;)

@ deciding
Yeah, that's the word, she's guarded. Which is not a bad thing, but I hope she realizes she's falling all the same :D

I totally agree with you on the music versions. The original is the best, it has the right balance of everything. And the tempo is perfect.
And don't know if I mentioned, but the music goes really well with the chapter.

Man, I hope you finish the last chapter soon, then. Weekly sounds amazing!

I think Ben's biggest flaw may be that he's so nice to her. Not that she's mean to him but she is pretty guarded. Maybe two weeks with him gone will give Delia some perspective.

The different versions of the song I was talking about are are all by the same guy, David Usher. Here's (link) the fast version and here's (link) the acoustic version. In my opinion, the original is the best because it seems to be the right mix of everything: his breathy voice, the female vocals on the chorus, and the sampled opera duet. The tempo of the fast one throws off the mix of the song for me. The acoustic one has no female vocals, not enough opera sample, and he doesn't sing it the same way. Just not as good. All a matter of opinion, of course.

It's taking me such a long time to write the last chapter but I really think I should finally be done with it this week. Once I finish it, I'll be done writing the story, so I should have the time to update more frequently. Weekly instead of bi-weekly, I hope!

@ deciding

Yeah, really liked the voice descriptions, super believable :)

And he's MEGA sweet. And now that I know that it picks up when they're upstairs, I can't wait! Yey it's happening this weekend!

Basically I just tried to model their show after shows that I've been to. I want Delia (and Rich) to sound like the singers in indie rock bands, who sing very well, but don't have the amazing voices that a pop singer would. The total substance is much more important than just the voices alone. I'm glad you thought it was believable.

Ugh he so is a sweetheart isn't he? Just wait until the next chapter. It picks up when they are upstairs. ;)

You're right, I did update faster since it took me more than two weeks for chapter 9. I aim to update again this weekend! As always, thank you for your comment.

@ deciding

You definetly managed to write a great chapter, not a songfic one, which is always great.

Hahaha, I like Delia and her delusions :D

Indie music is the bomb, and yeah, I think one of its great aspects is that it's unapologetic. So yeah, it may not be for everyone, but I think nothing is there for everyone, even if people would like to think so. I think there's more variety under the sun that most people realize of.

And I can't waaaaait for your next update. Seriously!

Thanks for the kind comments about the chapter! I love that you said 'aficionado' because (you probably don't remember this) I used that to describe the kids at one of Delia's gigs and the word is used again in the next chapter I'll be posting. :D I think that the chapters with more musical content with them are more enjoyable to read if you are an aficionado of music. This story is so much fun for me to write because I get to write about the hockey world and I also get to basically write a love letter to music that I love.

I'm so glad you thought I was able to show what she was doing and not just tell it. When I was younger I wrote stories where music also played a huge part but I didn't know how I could write a chapter tied to a specific song without explicitly including the song. I would always have to include the lyrics (kind of like songfic, you know?) to get my point across. This was my first time trying a music chapter with only description. The thing I worried most about was that this part of the chapter would come across as too tell-y. This was a struggle for sure but I always say that I don't like easy so it was a fun challenge for me.

The thing you said about being half in love is clever. I like that. I think that Delia doesn't ask questions that she doesn't want the answers to. If she were to ask herself how she felt about Ben or if she asked Ben how he felt about her, I don't think she would like the response, since she's so determined not to fall for him. As for Ben, I'm sure he likes getting laid but maybe he likes her for more than just that, too. That's all I will say for now. :P

I am the worst at talking about indie and subgenres within indie. The question I fear the most from people I've just met is "what kind of music do you like?" I always feel like I'm going to offend them. It's easy to talk about music unapologetically with friends who are into it as much as me and we are also very critical of shitty music. I figure that Delia, who is a musician, would be that way too. I don't want anyone reading to think that she's like looking down on Ben and his teammates for not being the usual crowd at her shows. That would go against the principles that indie is rooted in--it's for anyone and everyone that wants to be there. Anyway, from the start I've always thought that it would be hard to make people want to read this story because it's about Ben and it's about a girl who is in a very specific music niche. That's why I hope to retain the readers that I have and I wouldn't want anyone to stop reading the story because they're offended. But if they are, well, I guess it's just too bad. Indie is kind of offensive to mainstream anyway.

@ deciding

Hahaha! No, I'm not a native English speaker, but that's such a good compliment. Thank you! And that I totally get your story..., that's an even better one! Really appreciate it. :)

About the women in hockey. Yup, they totally exist, in any sport. In my country soccer is really big, and those types of women are present also, among the normal girls.

But it's funny, when I was reading the chapter I thought exactly what you said, I thought "no wonder the hockey players have high school sweethearts as their actual girlfriends or wives, there's a lot of predators in their line of work that want them for their money, fame or because they liked their face on google". And I guess that's what Delia realized as well, that Ben's a really nice guy, but between a demanding job and a kinda difficult dating atmosphere, it must not be easy.

Which actually ties in with HER atmosphere. Being part of a band is similar, in a way, to Ben's job... which made me think that this could ultimately work. (I was trying to figure out how they could work as a couple).

I mean, they both have demanding jobs that require away time from their... "hometown"? "home"? (I know Delia's hometown is not where the action happens, but I don't know the exact term). So, the more I think about it, the more I think that they could be a cute and steady couple.
Because this is the thing, I've noticed that usually the girlfriends and wives are stay at home girls, they either manage the kids or the house. And I think Delia is SO not the type, but in a way, that doesn't mean she won't want a family or kids someday.
And I think I like the idea of an independent woman who dates a hockey player, because I think it's not only realistic (in my mind, at least), but also outside of the norm. And I think that makes it more special.

Buuuut, I could be totally off and you'll take the story through another path, and that's totally ok! I think I'm just thinking out loud. :P

As for the point of the chapter, I think that's one of the reasons why I enjoy your writing so much. Usually in the stuff I read (not only hockey stuff, I actually have read a bunch of fanfiction, and of course novels and such), there's the story that happens, and sort of to appease the reader, there's some sexy scene or some racy interaction.
And usually it's totally disconnected!, which really annoys me.
I love sex as much as the next person, but I usually end up skipping the scene completely, it just doesn't add anything to the story.
And usually the sex just makes both parties confused almost instantly (like, after the first time they do it or close enough).
That's why I love this story, it's so real. Like when Ben wanted to see her come, and also gave her a nickname. I think that's very telling, yet very subtle. Lifelike.
And now it was Delia's turn in the last chapter, where she realized it's a bit more than sex, not only when she was on the game, but also when they were in bed.

And so, yeah, that's why I'm enjoying your writing immensely, each chapter has a purpose. And it shows (in a good way). That's why the sex doesn't feel disconnected, on the contrary, it feels organic and relevant. Which makes it sweeter :D

Glad to be able to see more bed interactions in the future, they are always good!

As for the music, don't worry, I'm a very eclectic gal also. I listen to a LOT of music. I'm not into such hardcore music, but it depends on my mood. I listen to Sex Pistols, Metallica, Ac/Dc, Black Sabbath, among others, in regards to metal. But then I also listen to freaking Massive Attack, Radiohead, and a bunch of people in between, from Johnny Cash to Joni Mitchell.
I love music, and I'm always willing to listen to new music. Even when I don't dig it, I always want to know about music or bands.

So no, I don't see myself listening to D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S., but I do listen to The Ramones hahaha. And I like to know the existence of both bands.
As for Comeback Kid, I liked a lot more, but I will listen to them again when my rocker mood strikes again. For the past month I've been very peppy, listening to !!! (Chk Chk Chk) and Daft Punk, or very mellow, listening to The Lumineers, The XX and Explosions in the Sky (and Oasis, but I always listen to Oasis hahaha).

So yeah, I'm always open to new music. But thanks for including it, even more so now that I know you had me in mind. Thank you!

And no problem about the comments, your story deserves them :)

Ahhh you just...you totally get my story. :) Are you sure you're not a native English speaker? One of the first things you touched on in your comment was exactly what I hoped people would take away from this chapter. It is faulty for Delia to focus on those two types of women (and you're right, those stereotypes are present because those kinds of people do actually exist - I write based on what I've seen, and I have seen those women among all different kinds of women at hockey games) but I don't think she's wrong in her understanding of Ben's world or what he's surrounded by. I think that's why most of the players' wives and girlfriends are women that are from their hometowns or their high school sweethearts or they met away from NHL hockey.

I'm so glad you got the point of the chapter. One of my goals for every story I write is for each chapter to have a purpose, to move the story forward. The purpose of this chapter was not for Delia to realize that she loves hockey or for her to be enchanted with the crowd but rather for her to get Ben's situation. She once said that she didn't get Ben's loneliness and that she didn't have to. Yet now she does.

You'll be happy to know that all the things you mentioned regarding their bed interactions are things you'll see more of as the story goes on!

Oh man. I knew that I was going to highlight all the music stuff for the notes for you. And then I realized that I was starting it with the chapter where all the music references are to hardcore bands. Oops. I don't know if you're used to that kind of music and I know that's not exactly listener-friendly upon first listen. Apologies. The music selection that inspires me is very eclectic though. In the next chapter it's completely opposite from this one. There's plenty more ahead that you may find appealing.

Thanks for leaving such awesome comments always!

@ deciding
No! You're breaking my heart, telling me you took out the music stuff from your notes. I read the notes and the extended notes, so yeah, leave the music aspect in! Love, love, LOVE the music you leave in.

I like the way you view writer's block. You take it in stride, and don't let it make you anxious. I think that's brilliant.
And I love that you have so many stories planned, I really like the way you write, and the vibe of it, not to mention the music you include, so I'm really into your writing.

I honestly can't wait for anything you decide to post, be it a one-shot, a three-shot or a full multi chapter story.
And of course, I'm increeeedibly curious, so of course I want to know what they'll be about and who's it going to be about and all the little details in between, but I'm sure it's going to be awesome either way.

Anyways, I can't wait for your next update and I hope you'll have a fantastic day :)

It's funny you mention the music in the notes. I didn't even realize there was at least one music thing for each chapter in the notes for this story. Every time I go to write those notes I find myself taking out music stuff because I figure that anyone reading the notes is doing so for more insight on the story, not for me to tell them that a line or a paragraph was inspired by a certain song (and yep, there are many of those). Now that I know even just one person likes the music, maybe I'll think twice about keeping the explanations in the notes. :)

I think I might have the opposite problem of writer's block to the point where I don't really believe in writer's block. The saying that I like to go by is: you write when you write. It's not a constant thing that is on all the time. Sometimes I write. Sometimes I just read. Sometimes I just think about what I could write about for long periods of time. I'm not one of those people who is good at writing on the fly. I try to think out entire detailed scenes in my head before I write anything down. I am always thinking. I have too many ideas but not enough time to write them! So yes, I do already have the next story in mind before I finish writing one.

At the moment I have two more chapters of Call It Off to write (that's not how many chapters are left in the story; I have chapters written that need revision and editing) and I already have ideas for four new stories in mind. One is a three-shot, another is a one-shot, and the other two are multi-chaptered stories. There are certain players I want to write about and I found ideas that I think work for them. I'm not sure if I'm actually going to write both of the short ones, but I know the next story I post will be either a one-shot or a three-shot.

@ deciding
Interesting about all the player choices.

I agree with you that the Ben Eager one is your best one yet, and it may have something to do about the total self indulgence bit :)

Also, I wanted to tell you that I love your music recommendations (the ones you post in each chapter). I read Islands and loved the music you featured in "Alone". Explosions in the Sky is amazing, and I'm getting to know even more music with Delia and her music related story :)
Discovering new and amazing music is always a plus, so thank you!

And just because I'm curious, once you finish one story, do you usually have another one in mind? Or a player you'd like to write about? Or not a player, but something?

Anyways, I'm off to relisten to The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place, thanks again!