Berlin Confidential

WHAT COMES BETWEEN SEX AND FEAR???

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:03:20 -0500

riker-wears-a-skant:

pedicatio:

nothingbutthedreams:

dorkery:

FÜNF

I love you.

Oh my god.

I LOVE LANGUAGE JOKES

I should not be laughing anywhere near as much as I am.

GERMAN !

OKAY so here’s the thing folks. We said we were gonna update during the week and it did not...

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:12:49 -0500

OKAY so here’s the thing folks. We said we were gonna update during the week and it did not happen. Because life happened instead. And because working on the same art continuously is a difficult thing to ask of a person when they’re doing it in their spare time.

The illustrations for 44 will probably be done soon. HOWEVER we’ve decided to delay its posting just a little while longer. The reason is we want to make ABSOLUTELY SURE there are no more unscheduled breaks between any chapters for the remainder of Part Two. For reasons I think you’ll understand and appreciate. And this week we’re going on a trip, and when we get back we’ll need some time to settle back into routine, so.

We apologize again for the ongoing delay, but once we get started, we’re gonna stay steady. So you have that to look forward to. Keep the faith. We love you guys. <3

sidebar

Sun, 05 May 2013 11:22:58 -0500

I will never, ever forgive Eli Roth for ruining the world “hostel.” A whole generation of Americans who would have no reason to know what a hostel is now largely associate the word with horror, violence, and sexist torture porn. We’re trying to find a good replacement for “bed and breakfast” in this chapter and Allison suggested hostel and I had to say no. Doesn’t matter that people, including probably all of our readers, still know what a hostel actually is. It still runs too great a risk of association for me to feel comfortable using it, and THAT’S SOME FUCKING BULLSHIT RIGHT THERE.

FUCK YOU Eli Roth.

IDIOMS ARE HARD and other stories

Sun, 05 May 2013 11:12:00 -0500

Still editing! Meanwhile, there’s three illustrations for this chapter, two of which you saw in progress during the WIP postathon, a third of which has yet to be started and is going to be more time-consuming. Emily will be assisting with the drawing portion of the illustration process, but it is possible that the chapter will not be ready for posting on this day. However even if we do post it late, the next several are written already and we’ve started thumbnailing sketches, so there will be no more unannounced breaks between updates until Part Two is finished. Yay!!

STAY TUNED

So this is a thing that we just realized had happened I know the...

Sat, 04 May 2013 18:17:33 -0500

So this is a thing that we just realized had happened

I know the obvious solution is “well why not just end Part 2 on 49 chapters” but look Emily is extremely nitpicky about these things and likes it to be neat and precise and symmetrical and also believes it’s nice to start Part 3 (as we did with Part 2) on the “1” number (21, 51) so we have like, a clear idea of how many chapters there are per Part. “But like why don’t you just count them” I hear you saying YEAH WELL I’M THE AUTHOR OKAY WE’RE GONNA END IT ON CHAPTER 50

(if it makes you feel better Allison also thinks Emily is ridiculous)

Anyway now it’s time to suddenly come up with enough stuff to make a Chapter 49. Fortuitously, if we had to suddenly make up a filler chapter, this is one of the rare places where it would actually be doable. Woooo adventures!

editing is happening AS WE SPEAK

Sat, 04 May 2013 12:14:58 -0500

Emily's Dad: Meanwhile, ch 44 is making me laugh
Emily: YAY
Emily: wait in a good way?
Emily: I mean Doctorow is at top-level sass, so
Emily's Dad: no, the writing is laughably bad
Emily: hahahahaha
Emily's Dad: yes, it's the Doctorow stuff
Emily: whew

we are now sitting together to read through all the chapters and apply edits

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:21:40 -0500

Allison:
Emily:
Allison:
Emily:
Allison:
Emily: I'm sorry I read so slow.
Allison: What? I was zoning out.

okay so after yesterday's adventure Emily ended up writing not only chapter 44 but chapters 45-47 basically in one sitting so that happened, look forward to some upcoming shit

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:19:00 -0500

“Tell me about the war,” said Herr Inspektor. Doctorow did not react, putting the cigarette in his...

Wed, 01 May 2013 18:44:45 -0500

“Tell me about the war,” said Herr Inspektor.

Doctorow did not react, putting the cigarette in his mouth and leaning hazardously close to the flames to light it. He leaned back and released a plume of smoke into the cold night air. “No,” he said. “Not until you’ve earned it.”

“Earned it?” The Inspector began to protest, but Doctorow interrupted him, handing over the cigarette.

“Tell me something first,” he said. “Something you’ve never told anyone.”

“What?” The Inspector took the cigarette, bewildered. “Why?”

“Because I haven’t spoken about the war to almost anyone,” said Doctorow, “and not at all in years. I don’t intend to start just because you asked me. You go first.”

First pass of Chapter 44 is officially DONE. Going to read through it and send it off to the editor while we frantically try to get the illustrations finished on time. Thanks everybody for humoring us with this experiment.

“You’re a goddamn lunatic,” said Doctorow. “You know that?”

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:05:31 -0500

“You’re a goddamn lunatic,” said Doctorow. “You know that?”

in media res!

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:00:00 -0500

Herr Inspektor looked up, dazed, and immediately his eyes locked with two others, bright yellow and low to the ground. The wolf stood only a few paces from them, staring at them, still and silent.

“Gott verdammt,” hissed Doctorow. His arm was moving slowly and gently, reaching for his gun. “Stay as still as you can.”

Herr Inspektor stared at the wolf and the wolf stared back. He felt its eyes penetrate him, the gaze reaching deep into his core. Tugging at him. He knew this stare.

“Wait,” he said, his voice weak, breathless. He took a faltering step forward.

“Göttingen, stay put!” said Doctorow in an urgent whisper, his gun withdrawn, arm half-raised.

“Don’t shoot,” said the Inspector, a little more firmly. “Don’t. I think… I think I know this wolf.”

“What?” Doctorow tried to take hold of him again, but the Inspector slipped through his fingers, inching quietly toward the beast. The wolf continued to stare, its tail swishing gently.

“Dammit, don’t be an idiot!” said Doctorow, keeping back, grip still tight on his weapon.

Herr Inspektor ignored him. He reached out, his hand trembling hard, reached with his bandaged finger toward the creature’s snout.

At last the wolf moved, lifting its head toward the outstretched hand. The Inspector shuddered back a step, and he heard a sharp click as Doctorow cocked his gun. Herr Inspektor steeled himself and held out his other arm to keep Doctorow at bay. Before he could flinch away, the wolf pressed forward, pushing its snout into the Inspector’s offered hand.

The Inspector heard himself gasp and realized his entire body had gone rigid. He could hear Doctorow breathing heavily.

The wolf made no further advancements. It seemed to be waiting. Slowly, fearfully, the Inspector uncurled his fingers and gave its nose an experimental stroke.

The wolf made a noise halfway between a snuffle and a growl, and the Inspector pulled his hand back sharply. The wolf moved back, looking up at him, staring again into his eyes. Then, after a breathless, infinite moment had passed, it turned and darted away, into the shadows of the forest.

Doctorow and the Inspector stood very still for several moments after that.

“What the hell just happened?” said Doctorow at last.

Herr Inspektor breathed out, feeling lightheaded. He turned to face his partner. “The sun’s going down,” he said. “We’re camping here tonight.”

Doctorow stared at him, mouth slightly agape. He drew a breath as though preparing to argue or demand an explanation, but then he released it in a puff of air. “Fine,” he said, turning away. “Fine. If another friendly woodland predator shows up, though, I’m shooting the in the face.”

salparadisewasright replied to your chat: me: It's really hard for this scene not to be...

Wed, 01 May 2013 16:43:13 -0500

Silly, this is the Internet, where all characters are gay men! Even the women! Even the inanimate objects!

Sal sums up the internet.

me: It's really hard for this scene not to be homoerotic.

Wed, 01 May 2013 16:03:04 -0500

me: It's really hard for this scene not to be homoerotic.
girlfriend:
me: Really, really hard.

[emphasis added]

Wed, 01 May 2013 15:28:49 -0500

“I will try again without the insults,” said Doctorow with a heavy sigh. “You know we can’t keep this up forever. And if we go in too deep and run out of supplies at the center, we’ll be in a heap of shit trying to get out again. I’m trying to keep you alive, Göttingen, do you understand that?”

“I understand.” Herr Inspektor continued to stare into the middle distance, the blur of overlapping trees causing him to feel dizzy.

“Good.” Doctorow set down his pack and knelt to dig through it. “So, if you can give me a rational answer this time, is your confidence here well-founded or not?” He produced a small bag filled with berries and handed it to the Inspector, who took it on instinct.

“I…” Herr Inspektor looked at the fruit in mild confusion. “I am not making it up, if that’s what you mean.”

“It’s not, really.” Doctorow stood up and heaved his pack back over his shoulder with a grunt. “Eat some of those, Göttingen. Picked them this morning, they’re safe. You need to keep your energy up.”

quick fyi: this is not the FULL CHAPTER we're posting... there's gaps between these pieces, and we're not going to post the whole thing today. Just some setup to get the ball rolling.

Wed, 01 May 2013 15:25:03 -0500

tension etc

Wed, 01 May 2013 15:22:55 -0500

“Do you have any idea what it is we’re looking for?” asked Doctorow after another swath of silence had entrenched the air and the earth around them. “Any markings or… signposts?”

“Signposts?” The Inspector laughed, a hoarse, pained sound more akin to a cough. “What do you suppose this is, a bed and breakfast?”

“I liked you better when you didn’t have a sense of humor,” grumbled Doctorow, marching dilligently forward. “Like it or not, these are legitimate questions, Inspector. What are we looking for? How will we know when we’ve found it?”

“I don’t know,” said Herr Inspektor with deep, weary exasperation. “I don’t know, Doctorow. I haven’t the faintest notion what the entrance looks like any more than I know precisely where it is. But I have confidence in my ability to find it.”

“Why?” demanded Doctorow.

“Because I do,” snapped Herr Inspektor.

“What, with your women’s intuition?” said Doctorow.

Perhaps it was one smart remark too many. Before he could account for himself, the Inspector had swung around and raised his fist to his partner, a growl of frustration escaping his dry lips.

Doctorow caught his wrist easily and held it tight, staring down at the Inspector. They were both cold; Doctorow’s fingers were icy even through his gloves, and their mingled breaths formed visible clouds on the air between them.

“Don’t,” said Doctorow softly. “I know you’re angry, Inspector. But don’t take it out on me. I’m trying to help you.”

The Inspector looked away sharply, but apart from the ferocity of the gesture his anger had dissipated as quickly as his cold exhalations. “I know,” he muttered.

Schildhorndenkmal, Grunewald, 1904 “Hey,” said Doctorow after a...

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:38:49 -0500

Schildhorndenkmal, Grunewald, 1904

“Hey,” said Doctorow after a long while. “Göttingen.”

“What,” said the Inspector, more curtly than he’d necessarily intended.

“Stop a minute,” said Doctorow. “I want to show you something.”

The Inspector turned and saw Doctorow standing at the mouth of an open trail leading in toward the river, away from the main forest.

“I doubt it would be over there,” said the Inspector. “We should stay off the main trails. This entrance is going to be buried somewhere deep. We should be moving away from the river, as I’ve been saying.”

“I know you’re eager to leave our main water source, but just keep your pants on a minute longer,” said Doctorow. “This isn’t about the search. Come here.”

Endeavoring to conceal his reluctance, the Inspector circled back over to Doctorow, who led him up the path, onto what he realized was a small peninsula feeding into the river.

“This is Schildhorn,” said Doctorow. He pointed to the right, to the small bay created by the twist of land. “That’s Jürgen Lanke. I used to fish here, when I was boy.”

Herr Inspektor glanced up at Doctorow in some surprise. Doctorow ignored him, looking ahead. “I came here quite a bit with my father. That was when I was very young. My only fond memories of the man, really.”

Herr Inspektor followed him quietly, waiting for him to say more, but he did not. They walked for several minutes until they were at the end of the peninsula, and found themselves standing before a tall stone pillar topped with an ornate cross.

“A grave?” asked the Inspector.

Doctorow shook his head. “A monument,” he said. “Built by some old king, back when this was Prussia.” He gazed up at it for a moment. “It’s so much smaller than I remember.”

Herr Inspektor stood there quietly, waiting, but it seemed Doctorow had nothing more to say. After a moment Doctorow sighed and looked at the ground, shook his head and turned away. “All right,” he said gruffly. “Back to it.”

They began to walk deeper into the forest, keeping approximately northeast, away from the river.

feedback

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:28:06 -0500

hladgerd: Wait we don't get to see HI and Doctorow bumbling around the forest trying to catch a rabbit?
me: No, sorry. That is a present for your imagination!
hladgerd: When are we gonna see them cuddling together for warmth
me: hahahahaha
hladgerd: HI is shivering uncontrollably and Doctorow just grumbles something about hypothermia and like scootches over and spoons him
me: Oh god stop tempting me
hladgerd: "What... are you doing" "I'm making sure you don't DIE, Herr Inspektor"
me: I LITERALLY JUST WROTE A LINE LIKE THAT IN DIFFERENT CONTEXT

small talk

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:12:00 -0500

“They probably think we’re both dead,” grumbled Doctorow as he washed his hands in the freezing water of the Havel River, along which they had been walking for the past ten hours. They had paused for their one meal of the day, some grotesque concoction Doctorow had thrown together with bitter herbs and a haphazardly captured rabbit, and they were now preparing to move on. “I wonder who’s been appointed to replace you.”

“Probably Klein,” muttered the Inspector. He was going through his pack trying to find anything he could leave behind. The load was starting to get to his back.

“Hah,” said Doctorow. “Never. No, it’ll be Brun or Dittmar… Someone who’s been around for ages and has no idea what’s going on with this case. It’s a shame. They were fine detectives in their day, but now they’re too old, too traditional. The Hauptmann doesn’t go in for tradition, that’s why he liked us so much.”

“And that’s why he’ll probably promote Klein,” said the Inspector, and he hissed in pain as he sliced his finger on the straight razor he’d carelessly wrapped in a towel. “Shit!”

“What’d you do now?” Doctorow stood up and stretched. “Promoting Klein would be cause for a departmental revolt. He’d never do it. He doesn’t have any good options, though. If we ever make it back we are going to have to face his wrath, and he’ll be angrier than a hive of provoked bees, you can count on that.”

Herr Inspektor said nothing as he sullenly bandaged his finger. It was a shallow cut, nothing that needed mentioning.

“Look,” said Doctorow. “We’re no closer than we were when we started this. We’re being as systematic as we can but it’s just about impossible with only the two of us, and you with no tracking skills. We can’t realistically survive more than a few more days out here, and it’s getting colder by the minute. I think it’s time we discussed our options.”

“We’ll find them,” muttered the Inspector. He straighted up and slung his pack over his aching shoulders. “Even if we don’t, then I’m sure they’ll find us.”

Setting the scene.

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:58:06 -0500

Setting the scene.