Note: This episode is set during Warrior Of Hearts’ third book, although it can likely be read as a standalone, it may contain spoilers for books 1, 2 and 3.

Dearest friend,

It was my darling angel’s day off today.

I watched him fiddle with his phone on the couch all afternoon, once I was done with my own work.

David seemed very invested in whatever it is he was doing. And when I could not take the thought of being far from him any longer, I strolled out of the kitchen, then into our living room, as I left behind the leftovers from yesterday’s pizza on our marble counter.

David barely noticed me.

He was grinning at the tiny screen between his hands, that shone a glimmer of cyan light onto his features. “David,” I whispered. “What are you doing?”

I slid my arms around his back, then cuddled up behind him.

He tensed, but relaxed shortly after, likely once he realized it was only me, and not some strange, mythical creature, who had come to take him away because he was simply too adorable for this world. “I…”

David gulped.

He sighed. “Don’t laugh, okay?”

“Now—” my hand found his stomach, my tone was playful. “When have I ever made fun of you, sweetheart?”

My lover could only groan upon hearing my words. Although I could not see his face, I was just about certain that he was rolling his eyes in this very moment.

Yet, he was not angry, for he soon placed his fingers over my knuckles, then laughed ever so slightly.

David took a deep breath. He was silent, just as he tends to be, before he starts a rather long explanation. “There’s this website I like called Tapas,” he started; and I knew, right then and there, considering the enthusiasm in his tone, that this was definitely going to be one of his more lengthy descriptions.

But, I didn’t mind. I could listen to him speak all day, with that sultry voice of his.

“It’s like…” David cleared his throat. “It’s for comics and novels, a-and they’re hosting this event, where we can support our favorite creators by giving them Ink—Ink kind of equals to real money, but also you can earn Ink for free by playing games or watching ads—and if the entire Tapas community gives enough Ink to their favorite creators between the 20th and 22nd of November, we’ll get a percentage of the tips back, plus the creators get paid each time we give them Ink! So I’m, uh…” He fell silent.

His voice grew quieter by the minute. “I’m really invested now,” David said, “a-and I’ve been playing games and watching ads this whole morning to save up!”

“Oh.” I paused to take it all in. “I think I’ve heard of them, yes,” I nodded. “However… I do have a question, darling.”

Another chuckle left my lips as I urged David to turn around, so that we were both looking at each other now. “Isn’t it possible to buy Ink, too?”

David parted his lips. “W-well… yeah. B-but I don’t know if I can really—”

I kissed him before he could finish his phrase.

When we pulled away from each other for an instance to catch our breaths, I smirked. I looked him in the eye. “Tell me how much Ink you need, sweetheart,” I said, whilst I took his phone into my own hands, then left another kiss against his cheek. “I’ll buy it for you.”

David shook his head. “Alex, no, come on. You don’t have to do that. I’m used to—”

I pressed my lips to his once more. “If it means I get to see more of your lovely face today, darling, then, please, let me free you from your Ink-farming duties.”

Friend, it took a while, but David eventually agreed—in fact, he was so happy with my gift, that we made out for quite a while after that, and, well… you know us. We got a tad wild, too.

But that, is a story for another day!

David seems to enjoy this Tapas website quite a lot. Perhaps… I shall also take a look at this Inksgiving event; it seems delightful!

What about you, friend? Will you be partaking, like David?

I hope you will enjoy Inksgiving, if you are! Thank you for reading me, as always.

Yours truly,

Alexander

Author’s Note!

Hello, fellow readers! I hope you’re all having a wonderful day!

As you can probably tell from the title and contents of this episode: Inksgiving is upon us!

For those of you who would like a quick summary of the event, here are a few key points:

What is Inksgiving?

Inksgiving is an annual event on Tapas during which you can support your favorite creators AND get rewards in return!

From the 20th to the 22nd of November 2020, every drop of Ink given to creators on Tapas will contribute to an overall goal! Once the event ends, participants will then receive a certain amount of bonus Ink during the following month, dependent on the amount of Ink that was donated during this event—for example, if we reach 20 million in support given during Inksgiving, Tapas will give you 20% of the Ink you donated back!

How do I get Ink? Is it free?

Yes! You can definitely get Ink for free by playing games, watching ads or taking surveys—all of the free Ink promotions can be found in your Ink shop on Tapas! :D

For those who would prefer to buy Ink, that’s also possible! Check out Tapas’ Ink packs in your Ink shop if you’d like to get your hand on some sweet deals! Special ink packages will be available during the entire Thanksgiving week of this year! :)

What rewards are you offering?

Individual rewards are as follows:

REWARD 1: Warrior Of Hearts Re;Imagined!: A Warrior Of Hearts short story, where David is sent into the past to help Alexander, before the two of them knew each other—is this a dream, or reality?

 > Donate 350 ink or more to unlock Chapter 1.

> Donate 450 ink or more to unlock Chapter 2.

> Donate 650 ink or more to unlock Chapter 3.

> Donate 850 ink or more to unlock Chapter 4.

> Donate 2000 ink or more to unlock all four chapters at once! (Save 300 ink!)

*A fifth, bonus chapter of this story will be available on my Patreon ( ), however, due to its mature nature, this bonus chapter is not an ink reward.

REWARD 2: Receive a special Warrior of Hearts or Android Affection wallpaper of your choosing, with never-before-seen artwork! <3

 > Donate 1350 ink or more to unlock Ian’s wallpaper (Android Affection)!

> Donate 2050 ink or more to unlock Alexander’s wallpaper (Warrior Of Hearts: Bravery and Sword)!

> Donate 2500 ink or more to unlock both Ian and Alexander’s wallpaper! (Save 900 ink!)

REWARD 3: All rewards special pack!

 > Donate 3500 ink or more to unlock all six rewards (two wallpapers and Warrior Of Hearts Re;Imagined Chapters 1-4!) (Save 750 ink!)

All rewards will be posted to your Tapas wall! If you would like them sent to your email instead, please send me a personal message on Tapas with your email and I will send you your rewards as soon as possible, thank you! :)

*Please remember to specify which reward you are interested in when making your Ink donation!

Tag-Team Inksgiving Race! Readers’ Special: Community Rewards!

This time around, we also have goals and prizes for our reading community as a whole, with a tag-team Ink race that everyone can participate in! Even donating only 25 Ink can make a huge difference, so there is definitely a chance to reach these goals and redeem these prizes all together! :D

The reader’s special Ink goals and rewards are as follows:

75’000 INK = Rooftops At Sunrise—Daily Updates!: My new free-to-read Slice Of Life/LGBTQ+ series Rooftops At Sunrise will be updated daily until the story is finished, instead of once every few days, on Tapas! :)

230’000 INK = Reader’s Choice! Couple Character Digital Wallpaper!: I will post a poll where readers will be able to choose which couple they would like to see featured in a special character wallpaper, that will then be posted later on to my platforms, for every fellow reader who is part of our community to enjoy! :)

350’000 INK = EMBARGO—Daily Updates!: My BL/GL/Horror series EMBARGO will be updated daily until the story is finished, instead of once every ten days, on Tapas! :)

500’000 INK = The Halfling: BL/Fantasy/Dark Romance Novel—Early Release!: My series The Halfling will be released in 2021 on Tapas—that’s one year earlier than initially planned!

1'000'000 INK = Heroes Don’t Bleed: BL/Dystopian/Sci-Fi Novel—Early Release!: My series Heroes Don’t Bleed will be released in 2021 on Tapas—that’s one year earlier than initially planned!

1’650’000 INK = Beloved Dignity: BL/Romance/Fantasy Novel—Early Release!: My series Beloved Dignity will be released in 2021 on Tapas—that’s one year earlier than initially planned!

If you’d like to track the goals and our progress live, I’ve also made a page just for this purpose on my official website. You can check it out here:

I will also be posting updates about our goals to my Twitter page @BeauVanDalen ( ), and on my Tapas wall, so feel free to follow me there, or subscribe to this series to receive notifications, if you’re interested! :)

*All 2-3 wallpapers will be made public in 2021, this is for readers who would like the chance to get them early + a high quality version for their personal use!

*If you donate before Inksgiving, you will still receive the rewards, but only at the start of, or during Inksgiving!

*All clickable links to the websites mentioned in this episode can be found down below in the description! :)

Thank you so much in advance to anyone who will consider donating Ink! You’re awesome, and I wish you a wonderful Inksgiving! <3