23This isn't an update, and I've got good news and bad news.
The bad news is that this story is really bad because I broke several major rules of writing, and I don't think it's salvageable from this point on. Meaning, this story is going to be discontinued.
BUT! There is good news. I have a rule, that I always finish the stories I start- one way or another. Since I have such a love for this story (not what I wrote, heavens no) and I really want to be able to get this story out with everything it could be- and not just what it has to be- I'm going to rewrite this story. I'm going to fix a lot of things I did wrong (mainly the god-awful cliched writing and all the rule-breaking) and hopefully I can turn this into the story I had envisioned instead of what came out.
So there you have it. I will update this story with a link to the new one once I get it started and I make sure it's not complete crap (I might write 5 or so chapters first- just to be sure).
Now the rest of this is just me rambling, so feel free to skip it if you don't care to hear about some of my inspiration for this story and my obsession with vampires.
When I first had this story idea, it wasn't actually USUK. Or it was, but that wasn't what I was focused on. I had a vague idea for a vampire story and I had a vague idea of what I wanted, but in the beginning I wasn't really even thinking about the story- I was thinking about the backstory (which you guys never got to because I realized this was complete crap before I got that far...). I had an idea for a vampire!Arthur and a slightly troubled Alfred, but I never even thought about their story. Like a lot of my stories, most of it came to me when I was (very desperately) trying to fall asleep. I envisioned these two curled up together on a bed and asking each other questions about their lives (this is very strangely how a lot of my stories get their start, and I don't really know if that's weird or not). Obviously, this isn't exactly something I'd put in the actual story, but it's a way for me to visualize both of their pasts and what effect it has on their relationship in the present.
But with most of my stories, this phase comes after I've thought up the basics of the story- sometimes I don't get to the backstory until the very end of my planning phase when I'm rushing to make everything fit together seamlessly. But in this story, it came first. Particularly Arthur's long and rather extensive history. I imagined Alfred asking Arthur these questions, and laughing at the answers he got. Often these conversations between the two were lighthearted and I almost wished I could put them in the story. But sometimes their talks took a darker turn- Alfred would ask a question and Arthur's answer would bring something from Alfred's past to the surface. These were the conversations that I decided needed to be worked into the story somehow. They were never how I first imagined them, I had to get creative and find excuses for the topics to be brought up- and even more excuses for them to be brought up when they needed to be brought up. For example, a particular conversation (which was a long, long way away in this story) between Alfred and Arthur when they're visiting... uh... someone? somewhere? (How to still talk, but not spoil things...?) But anyway, I needed some conflict between the two during this portion of the story, and I decided to go for broke and put in the worst possible argument these two could have- and it went over well. It not only brought that conflict that I needed, but it also left some lingering tension that I could use later. Of course, I never wrote most of this down. I never write it down, and I probably should...
If you can't tell by now, I was really, really excited about this project when I first started- and I still am, but my epic failure to bring it to life has somewhat diminished my excitement. I hope when I rewrite this (and hopefully it won't just turn out decent, but good) my excitement will return.
I had also been planning to write a prequel to this (which would be titled "Virgin Blood") which would go into depths of some parts of Arthur's past. But I really don't know if I will anymore. If the rewrite of this goes well, I might reconsider the prequel, but as of now I don't think it's on the table (that and I have half a dozen other projects I've been jumping at the bit to get started. Particularly a certain dark Cardverse AU that I may or may not already have 10 chapters done of...).
But, as you can see, I am still excited for this project- even if other projects have taken my full attention and love- but I do intend to redo this. I will right my wrongs and make this the story that I had envisioned- the one that deserved to be written instead of this dravel.