#I feel that my own idea of what Lanolin could have been would at least have made for a more *tolerable* character haha

[true-blue-sonic]

I honestly kinda get but kinda don't get Lanolins angle.

Like Silver knows Duo is Mimic as he was potentially almost killed by him but he when he tells Lanolin, he doesn't actually provide any proof. Same goes for Whisper, she just says that Duo is Mimic and THEN trys to prove it which seems to mean putting Duo in danger or atleast risk of injury. From Lanolins POV, it probably looks like these 2 well respected team members are bullying the newbie with a weak excuse and are progressively getting more aggressive, escalating name calling to physical harm.

She didn't really know Silver personally before this Duo problem and probably thinks he's just a vindictive person who still hasn't gotten over Duo 'running off to get help'. With Whisper, I presume she just thinks she's being paranoid which when you have a nemesis like Mimic it something that could happen. Plus I don't think Whisper had actually properly told Lanolin just how dangerous Mimic can be so Mimic might not register that high of a threat since he isn't exactly destroying citys like Eggman or the Zeti.

However, I don't understand why she's taking the direction she is. She's incredibly disrespectful of Silver which I can only presume is because she now thinks he's a bully (otherwise I can't think of a reason) and she's incredibly disrespectful of Whisper, I could see her annoyance for Silver maybe bleeding over to Whisper now she's on his side but it feels very meh.

I feel like if Lanolin just had a page to explain her train of thought then alot of this could be sorted and I hope she actually starts giving Duo the side eye since now 2 people are saying he's Mimic.

I think you nicely describe the issues I see with this current plot, yes.

I mentioned it in my ask to Beevean as well, but this entire plot is fully dependent on not letting characters do or say entirely reasonable things we can expect of them, as to not fall apart. In issue 63 alone, Silver should have provided proof, namely that he got kicked, and Whisper should have backed him up, because she literally says later that she saw it herself as well. Silver also should have said that Duo's face changed to something super ominous, because in that same scene with Whisper later he says he saw so! And Lanolin, Whisper and Tangle should have noticed that Duo says to them he couldn't do anything to help Silver, but that Silver says Duo just ran away without saying anything while Duo himself protests he was 'getting help'. This isn't a small thing, this is Silver literally nearly dying because of Duo's (in)actions, and there could not be a greater discrepancy between what Duo first tells the girls ("I couldn't do anything") and then later says to defend himself against Silver ("I was getting help"). There is so many should have's, but all of these will make the dramatic irony plot fall apart, so the characters cannot say them! And thus we get the highly unfair scene of Lanolin immediately picking Duo's side and tearing into the literal saviour of the world as if she's his boss (no, Silver is not part of the Diamond Cutters, he's just training with them) and knows far more about heroing and psychic powers than he does (ma'am, in your first mission in the field ever Whisper, you, and Sonic got captured and Tangle almost got shot right through her head). Silver meanwhile is mischaracterised as immediately folding under that scolding, Whisper suddenly becomes a coward who does not back Silver up until all is said and done, and Tangle does not point out Lanolin is being overly bossy again. So basically in that scene, everyone is written terribly, but it is a necessity to keep the plot going. In that way, I can accept it is not fully Lanolin's fault that she doesn't know what is going on, because she's stuck in a badly-written plot with all the above should have's ensuring that she'll nicely not find out the truth until it is too late... but her terrible personality and constant immediate defending of Duo do not help in her figuring anything out, either.

And besides, Lanolin does, or at least should, know Silver's feats. She was there for the Metal Virus Arc where Super Sonic and Super Silver saved the entire world! Duo literally confirms people not allied with the Restoration at that time know of Angel Island! Silver was part of the Resistance for six months! He's got tons of credibility and a presence during prior events where he absolutely necessary to stop things from going to shit to back him up, where he was a team player and overall a very helpful person. We are never shown where her sudden disdain for him comes from, meaning we can only fill it with theorising that link right back to the should have's (e.g. "She thinks Silver is irresponsible because he nearly dropped those rocks on her!" -> Silver should have pointed out he dropped them because Duo kicked him). As for Whisper, from what I can tell Lanolin does indeed not know that Mimic specifically is the one who betrayed Whisper's old team... but instead of doing something more sensible like asking "Why do you think that?" or "Why would he do that?" when Whisper accuses Duo of being Mimic, she instead becomes defensive immediately. No surprise, no shock, no concern, just immediate defensive anger with her usual pissed off I Can't Stand You Actually facial expression. Why does she trust Whisper so little that she can't even hear her out normally? Why does she immediately assume Whisper is lying when she is presented with such an outlandish claim (too outlandish to come up with out of nowhere, imo) that still indicates they could all be in terrible danger? I can accept the idea that she thinks Silver is still mad about nearly being eaten by a Giant Chopper, but why did she react in the way she did to Whisper, who by that point had done nothing to indicate she should not be listened to?

And like, adding to that... why would Lanolin assume that Silver and Whisper suddenly are bullying Duo anyway, when neither has shown him any badwill beforehand? Whisper was totally down with him joining the team since they needed volunteers, no issues there. Silver was friendly to him until the Chopper incident, with not a hint of bad blood or envy or whatever negative emotion you might ascribe to it. And you are right: we are never shown why Lanolin is so protective of Duo, just that she values the newbie far more than a teammate she's been on a mission with before and the actual saviour of the past and future. Lanolin is written like an altogether terrible leader (cannot de-escalate situations and only makes them worse, clearly favouring one member over the others for no reason, cannot hear all parties out first before immediately jumping onto the defense) and to me as just a rude, unpleasant character on top, and we simply don't know 1. why, and 2. if this is intentional in a 'meta' sense. Nobody calls her out on her behaviours, but we do see that characters like Tangle are quite disheartened by her words and actions, and she herself admits she's bossy. So she's a character aware of her flaws who does nothing to become better: how nice. But overall, there's a lot of questions around why Lanolin acts the way she does, and why she can easily be taken as altogether hating her teammates (if her facial expressions around them are anything to go by) or at least not trusting them. And the comic is doing very little to answer such questions or indicate if we should root for Lanolin because she's 'doing her best' or dislike her for her nasty personality instead, unfortunate as that is.

So yeah... I don't know what is going to happen. All I know is that I do not care for it much: Silver's got quite the happy ending with someone who actually respects him and listens to him, and that is all I can ask for, haha. At most, I would love it if Mimic gave Lanolin the callout of a lifetime for trusting his random ass over the two far more experienced people around her, and allowing him an easy escape with her constant interrupting, distrusting, and scolding of her teammates so that he didn't have to keep scrambling for excuses. And if Lanolin admits she's been a terrible leader who only escalated things further with her actions and who clearly does not respect her team members for no reason, that would be nice too. We'll see what happens: I am going to predict there'll be absolutely zero consequences for Lanolin and her behaviours and actions, then it can only become better, haha.

[sonicfanj]

...continued

Moving out of my more hardcore personal biases, there are my logical biases that also lead to another of my "no" reasons. back in 1993 Sally was unique for a Sonic character, especially if you were oblivious to the Japanese direction of the IP. These days though she is redundant and offers nothing unique. The girlfriend who opens up Sonic's heart is covered by the character Ohshima-san personally had inherit Madonna's traits. The hard working Princess who will do whatever it takes for her kingdom has been taken by Blaze. The leader of a ragtag group of civilians and military has also now been taken by a mixture of Jewel and Lanolin in IDW. She's literally left with nothing to make her unique, no less recuring. This redundancy, makes for a hard "no" on it's own, but when you also realize that she can potentially cannibalize the roles of 4 or more characters, she starts looking very unfavorable in world building an diversification. Throw in that her entire foil to Sonic role is designed for a Sonic that is nothing like Game and IDW Sonic, and her concept itself loses direction and focus making her a weird warping parasitic sponge. Sally doesn't deserve to gain a reputation like and SEGA of Japan (SoJ) would never allow it. So even outside of my own "no" reason, Sally just ends up a bad fit and simply doesn't work with where the IP is now. This finally brings me to my "yes" reason. My writer's pride Sally as a character had a huge impact on the USA and Australian Sonic fanbases, shaping generations of Sonic fans. My biases aside, this alone speaks to the impact of her character and not attempting feels like a waste. That her send off was nonexistent seems simply wrong. That said though, as talked about above with her narrative redundancy, bringing her back isn't easy. Further, she shares a trait with Amy that (non)fans have been celebrating the removal/retconning of. Conceptually she is built around Sonic and huge portions of her character story is based on her interactions and relationship with Sonic. While the wrapped around Sonic construction of her character is something looked down upon, at least in Amy's case (it's never been considered a flaw for Tails or Metal Sonic, even when the former was written fully as a stalker in the second Paramount movie). in Sally's case it brings with it a different problem. The Sonic she was written to be wrapped around was a SEGA of America reconceptualization after Sonic was already approved as he he was in what is now best known as SEGA Sonic, but both Sonic Team and SoA. While Sonic Team and the parent branch continued to work with the original final approval, all SoA licensed projects worked not with Sonic team's Sonic, but SoA and Greg martin's Sonic. As Sally's character and development is all rooted in this version of Sonic, and not Sonic Team's, both removing or keeping it would cause her character to fail. If you remove it, she isn't Sally any more from literally her concept up, but if you keep it she's completely incompatible with Sonic Team's Sonic. While one could argue that she is more than just being built around Sonic, professional writers couldn't even see that with Amy who has quite a lot to her despite being even more constructed around Sonic than Sally. The above conundrum does however stir my pride as a writer. The idea of not addressing feels wrong on so many levels and I think any writer with any real pride should address it. Part 2 of 3

Would you at least like to see Sally Again?

I'll start by asking that you bear with me, as my answer will be rather long due to it not being a simple yes or no despite the structure of the question. The problem as such is that I approach the subject from several different points of view, and they don't all land on the same answer. A simple both undermines the complexity of my relationship with the subject matter, and I feel does not satisfactorily address why it is not. To begin then I'll break down the "no reasons and then move on to the "yes" reason. Of the "no" reasons, the simplest is just that Sally never entertained me. Back when I was a kid and dropped anything originating out of SEGA of America (SoA) due to thinking my then favorite character, Metal Sonic, was about to appear in SatAM only to get roboticized Uncle Chuck, Sally nor the Freedom Fighters had any pull to make me regret it. In fact, while I remembered the tonally dark art direction and that they used their own character rather than Eggman, I actually forgot about the Freedom Fighters themselves. It wasn't until Generations first trailer came out and I finally got involved with the online fandom that I even heard about them again. But there was no nostalgia on my end as they never appealed to me enough as characters to care. However, vitriol quickly started to paint my perspective. For the next two "no" reasons it must absolutely be noted that I am an Amy fan, she's my second favorite character in the IP after only Sonic (still love Metal though), and exclusively a SonAmy shipper for ships involving Sonic himself. This bias unquestionable paints my perspective, especially learning about the shipping wars on the back end combined with the entitlement of Sally fans to insist that Sally should replace he character made by one of Sonic's creators in the games. As someone who is hugely behind the creative vision of Sonic's creators, this becomes another point of emphasis on my bias. During those early years in the fandom, Sally, the Freedom Fighters, and Archie Sonic on a whole became a personal affront to me and it would take me several years to grow up and actually give them a chance. However, even then, Sally only started to appeal to me when after the SGW and she appeared to have a sisterly relationship with Amy. At this point I was actually growing invested in her character, but as soon as it was time to travel the world they had no further interactions before Archie's end relegating her back to being uninteresting to me. More so than that though, just from he position of being an Amy fan and a SonAmy shipper, I don't want to see Amy's name dragged through the mud again by her own most vile of fans who hate Sally and would feel threatened if she was brought back (yeah, I've experienced being a victim of the nastiness of Amy fans just because I look at Amy differently from other fans), nor by the unpleasant and entitled Sally fans and Sonally shippers who would unquestionably come out of the woodwork to attack Amy , her fans, and insist she isn't needed now that Sonic's real love interest has finally returned. I don't want to see the shipping wars return, and that's enough reason on it's own to not want to see Sally back.

Part 1 of 3

[raevenlywrites]

The Ties That Bind 6 of ???

I wish it could have been any room but a bedroom, but how much opulance had I expected from a farmhouse on the edge of the kingdom? Honestly, that they had space such as this was probably a testament to how well they worked their crafts. Or maybe not. I truly how no idea how most of my kingdom lived, I was quickly realizing.

I was also stalling, trying very hard not to think of what I was doing as I paced the room while Zane sat politely on the bed, the only furniture in the room.

It was not helping things.

Adelina’s look had said more clearly than anything else could have that she at least had rolled around in the not so purity of Zane’s snow. Goddess, what a clumsy metaphor. I wanted to speak poetry, to give my thoughts the same imagry and beauty that Zane spoke with, but all I could feel was the cold lump of ice in my gut, mirrored by Adelina’s stare. It was as if she fixed me in that pale gaze still, and it was almost enough to keep me from going through with it.

 Almost.

 I turned on Zane, arms flapping helplessly at my sides.

 “Say something, will you? I hardly no where to begin.”

 Zane smiled, and even with its hint of mocking, it still flared heat from my belly to my cheeks. Gods, that smile. He was cruelly beauitful, and that smile said he knew it. It made it almost impossible to feel the queen equal to his king, knowing he knew so much more about bedrooms than I.

 This isn’t a bedroom thing, I firmly reminded myself. Current surroundings notwithstanding.

 “Haven’t you said it all, beautiful Danica? I’m here to propose marriage to you.” His eyes flicked to my hand. “Though we seem to be short one ring.”

 “Elanor,” I started, turning for the door.

 “Don’t.”

 The word was soft, but it froze me in my tracks. I stood with my back to him, willing myself to turn around, to face him--

 But he was suddenly at my back, the heat of him so intense, so like the way Rei would approach me--

 I whirled, suddenly so much easier to face him than let him stay at my back and lie to myself. This wasn’t Rei, would never be Rei--and if I could go through with this, would never be Rei again.

 “I thought serpents were supposed to be cold,” I said nonsensically, and with more bite than was really polite. But curt anger was far superior to fright or... longing. I could admit at least to myself that having him at my back had filled me with longing. Not for him exactly, but... for letting go. For letting myself love someone, take comfort in someone.

 I had always assumed it would be Rei, knew it could only be Rei, but now...

 “And I thought avians were supposed to be polite.”

 I stepped back from Zane with a little gasp, shocked that a cobra of all people would school me on my manners. Wasn’t I allowed a little emotion even in this! But he was right; now was not the time to come apart.

 “Forgive me, Arami Zane. I meant no insult.”

 Zane made a sound low in his throat that stood all my feathers on end. It was a simple grunt of displeasure, a swallowed word, a stifled comeback, but it curled through my gut in a swirling mix of fear and titlation.

 He was still so close.

 I could feel the door at my back, my chance to flee, and simultaneous pinning me in. I was backing myself into a corner, letting Zane Cobriana push my back to a solid point of no retreat. I felt the scream start to bubble up--

 “Danica. Breathe.”

 I did exactly the opposite, holding my breath as I wanted for his next action. He made that sound again and stepped away, spining to begin his own restless pacing.

 On the one had, the motion was frightening, all that pent up potential. On the other, he’d given me room to breathe.

 “How can I possibly ask you to marry me when you can barely breathe in my presence? This isn’t going to work.”

 The words came not with the anger I expected, but almost a sort of... despair?

 Defeat.

 “Zane...���

 I reached out for him, not knowing what I intended to do, but knowing that I didn’t want to leave him feeling so helpless.

 He stopped his pacing, blinking at my outstretched hand. I watched his chest rise and fall with a breath of release. He spoke with his eyes still on my hand, as if afraid I might bolt again if he looked directly at me. He probably wasn’t wrong.

 “You meant to offer me comfort at the Mistari camps too, didn’t you?”

 I nodded, realized he might not have seen it, and gave a surprisingly firm, “Yes.”

 To my utter amazement, I didn’t flinch when he reached out, took a step closer, and brushed the barest touch of fingertips against my palm.

 My heart thundered, my whole body trembling except for that hand, held so carefully still. I would not flinch. I would not.

 His hands were soft with lanolin, silken with a familar texture like Elanor’s. As he laid his palm gently in mine, I thought of all the nights of comfort from Elanor’s hand, of how good it felt to sleep curled up beside someone else. I thought very firmly of comfort and safety, and not of the other things such long, clever fingers could do. It was a small mercy that I was so uneducated in the ways of lust at that moment. If I’d had more than daydreams and my own infrequent self-explorations, I doubt I could have beared it. But thinking of Zane’s hands only as a source of comfort, of knowing he saw the gesture for what it was... It gave me the strength to bring my other hand to rest over his, to not panic over the fact that that movement brought me another step closer, to look at that elegant face that was so pointedly not looking at mine.

 He clasped his other hand to ours, joinging us both, and went slowly to his knees.

 “Please. Danica Shardae, please. In whatever way you can think to help me end this, please. I am entreating you to take me as your mate, your general, your slave, just help me end this.”

 Slave?

 I swallowed hard.

 “Zane, please, get up. You said yourself it would never work--“

 He turned those crimson eyes up to me, shining with open tears. I couldn’t breathe. Of all the horrible things legend said he could do with those eyes, offering me vulnerability and grief was not one I’d been prepared for.

 I dropped to my own knees, not trusting myself to be able to stand in the face of so much naked emotion. I had the wild urge to kiss those tears away, to gather him close to my chest and just hold him. Adelina or no, I knew the look of someone who had withheld themself, too afraid to openly love, for fear of what such a target could cost.

 We both already wore such targets.

 Who safer to love than the leader of the enemy’s side?

I had to stop thinking like that. How could I ever ask my generals to do what I could not? Zane was a fellow monarch, a prince, a future ruler. He had never been my personal enemy and he never would.

 I was ending this here.

 I pressed my forehead to his, eyes closed against the raw sight of his face and the wild terror of my actions. I pressed our foreheads together and knelt over this tender new seedling of peace, determined to see it through.

 “Alright,” I said. “I promise. We’ll find a way.”

The Ties That Bind Tag list: @thehellinsideyourhead @therecouldbecolorsandlove @adventuresofacreesty​

Raev’s Gen Tag List (should I tag you guys in this? It IS a thing I wrote. I’m gonna say yes unless you guys are like “no of course not we’re sick of hearing about your stupid fic for a twenty year old book XD)

List is currently: @lordkingsmith @writinglyra @drbibliophile @mperialscribe @adie-dee @lexiklecksi @writinginslowmotion @apollon-arium @raenawrites @adventuresofacreesty

[treatian]

The Chronicles of the Dark One:  Breaking the Curse

Chapter 15: Next Steps

When he left Emma Swan the night before, he was confident that he'd done his job right by only doing part of it. He'd meant to inspire her to go and run for the office of Sheriff, and he felt certain he'd done that, but only by choosing to leave out certain details of the election. Like the debate. After all, Regina had located them in the United States of America. It was a democracy. Candidates weren't supposed to be voted into office just on a technicality or a popularity contest. The people had to know what they were voting for and who. When a Candidate for the position ran in opposition, the charter called for a debate. Somehow, he didn't imagine Mrs. Swan would be too pleased about the idea of debating, in fact he'd been so worried about her reaction to it that he'd left that part out of their conversation. He'd let her put her name in for the position, let her dream about it, decide that she wanted it more than she knew she did…then he'd make sure she knew about the debate. Hopefully, by that point, she'd be so determined to become the Sheriff that having to debate Sidney Glass would seem like a small obstacle to overcome.

But he knew it wasn't.

While he thought the idea of Sidney Glass becoming Sheriff was laughable, and he was somewhat convinced the town would agree, he had to remember that he had the Curse working against him. If they were in the Enchanted Forest and everyone had their memories intact, he had no doubt Emma Swan would win their hearts. But she was a stranger in a small town here. A stranger who made no secret of the fact that she was enemies with the Mayor. And Sidney Glass…he was familiar. He was highly unqualified, but he was friendly. He was gentle, and one might even say he was kind and good so long as his mouth wasn't pressed against his mistress's ass.

In a perfect world, Emma would be the obvious candidate. But in this Curse they were living in, they were in the furthest thing from the perfect world. However, after sleeping on it, after pacing the shop this morning and agonizing over what he was going to do, just when he was tempted to pull out the old spinning wheel instead of just imagining what it would be like to spin wool-he thought he had an idea.

It was risky. It involved several moving parts. It meant putting a lot of trust and faith in the idea that he knew Emma Swan and Regina and how they'd react to certain events that he was about to set in motion and if something went wrong, he knew that it was possible someone could end up dead.

For Baelfire, he was willing to take that risk.

The bad news was that for his plan he needed to work quickly. But the good news was that if his plan didn't work perfectly, and no one ended up dead, of course, he'd have one week to fix it. The Charter called for the election of the Sheriff to be announced one week prior to the event. He supposed that might mean he'd have at least a week, but he knew Regina. She wanted things her way, she was going to do just enough to make this happen but no more. He'd have a week. Would it be enough? There was only one way to find out.

That morning, when Dove sent him a message that Emma was on her way to the Mayor's office, he called his spy away and to him. While he awaited his arrival, he pulled a file he'd brought from home, one that he hadn't seen in more than eleven years and hadn't expected would ever come in handy. It was a copy of the report that he'd received on Emma when Regina had adopted Henry. It was her criminal history. A sealed juvenile record, he'd gotten it only by chance, but he'd kept it all these years. Perhaps Mr. Gold had hoped that one day it might come in handy. He hoped today was that day and, in anticipation, had made a couple of copies so he could keep the original, and as for this copy...he had a good idea where to send it.

In addition to the report he also grabbed the cloth that he'd been covering in lanolin the day before when Emma had first stopped by. It had still been drying but he gave it a fresh coat and then plopped it into a plastic bag. By the time that Dove arrived, everything was prepared.

"I have important work for you and not much time to explain it. Even then, I'm afraid this work is going to fall into the category of 'easier said than done.'"

"I'm listening," Dove announced without even a wince. He wasn't one to back down from challenges, at least not in this life.

So he handed him the file on Emma as well as a $100 bill. "Give this to one of your friends, Scarlet maybe. See that it finds its way to Sidney Glass for the evening addition of the mirror and make sure his sources are kept confidential." Dove nodded as he took the file. No questions. That's what he appreciated about this arrangement. But he wondered, would he feel the same way about the next part.

He handed Dove the bag with yhe lanolin soaked cloth. "This next part is of…let's call it questionable legality."

"It's a good thing my employer is a lawyer, then."

"Good answer, Mr. Dove. I'd like for you to arrange an explosion for me…at the Mayor's office."

He paused, just to look in Dove's eyes and see how he reacted to that bit of news. Nothing. Not even a wince. Nothing until Dove himself seemed to suspect the reason he'd stopped talking and said simply "Do you see me blinking?"

He smiled. "Not one bit, Mr. Dove. That's promising. Tonight, after the Mirror has been published Emma Swan will go to the Mayor's office. That's when you need to set the trap. After the events of today I'm sure the Mayor will be working late. Set up a bomb to go off. Nothing big, just flashy, a bit of fire, a lot of smoke, easily extinguished."

"I understand. But it does seem a bit dark for my usual work."

"Oh, worry not. Emma is fit enough, no matter what she feels about the Mayor she'll get her out in one piece. And if it makes you feel better, before you set the fire, you should call 911 first. I believe there is a payphone nearby, not traceable. Just be sure that before you go inside, you call the Mirror as well."

"The paper, Sir?"

"I give you instructions for a reason, Mr. Dove, I expect they won't be questioned. Unless of course you find yourself unable to-"

"No, Sir," he interrupted. "Scarlet to deliver the file. Then tonight when Emma Swan goes to the the Mayor call the Mirror, set the bombs, leave. That's when I'll call 911."

"Good," he beamed, noticing he'd adjusted the plan to align with his own priorities. "Excellent thinking, Mr. Dove. And of course you can rest assured that you'll be well compensated for this little…errand. I believe your parents just submitted a request for a room with more light. How convenient that one is about to become available."

Any nervous energy or stress that Dove might have been exuding suddenly seemed to vanish. In fact, he let out a sigh that seemed to be one of relief. "Thank you, Mr. Gold. That would be…I'd very much appreciate if they could get to the top of that list."

"And so it shall be, if you do this for me."

"I won't let you down, Sir."

"Good. That's very good, because there is one last thing that I'm going to need you to do. I need you to make this job…sloppy."

Suddenly Dove's confidence seemed to deflate. "Excuse me?" he shouted, going nervous again. "Sloppy? Sir…you…you want me to be caught?"

"Oh, no. No, no, lad, quite the contrary. I want me to be caught. Plant this…" he tapped his cane against the plastic bag the cloth resided in, "somewhere…visible."

"But, Sir-"

"It'll all work out for the best, Dove. Trust me."

But he didn't. And considering their history, not to mention his reputation, he couldn't exactly blame him for that. If it were him, he probably wouldn't trust him either, if only because he knew that if it pointed back to him too much all he had to do was offer up Dove on a silver platter to promote reasonable doubt and he'd be home free. He didn't trust him, but fortunately he watched as Dove took the packages he'd left him and muttered, "if you're sure…I'll take care of it."

[fisherfurbearer]

minor optimism even though things are sad and 🅱️ ad

on a mildly optimistic note here's a little ramble about what i was planning on doing in this pivot point year of 2020 :

- overhaul our Many Garden areas with native wildflowers and grasses we have a BIG front garden but it's all ferns and some sort of evergreen groundcover...would be so cool to replant it and get some native inverts thriving in there too

- fix my two raised garden beds for vegetables and plant stuff on time - get into 🅱️ eekeeping and join the county 🅱️ eekeeper's society its the most logical next step into my Plans. low maintenance, very rewarding, new bug friends, and theres even a fan club for it

- take an online grafting master class with the incredibly cool lady who runs my favorite Apple blog and hopefully get my first fruit trees?? whatever i graft in the class and probably some hardy figs and maybe mulberry got big plans for raising Babbits and Ducks/Quail on mulberry and forages and i just love figs so much man im so thankful for the wasps that sacrifice their lives to become Fig and theyre just really tasty and its cool how hardy they are

- get into Fishing...visit Jessie's opa and go fishing together

gain some experience and have a nice time. plan on learning how to fish and process (humanely!!) for consumption...would be a great first step into that side of things and id feel a lot better eating what i catch myself

and if we get to it, id love to plan out making some fenced areas in the backyard (we have a .47 acre plot with a tiny house. its surprisingly nice and has a couple really big trees in the back and a little brush/wooded strip seperating us from the highschool) for my Berry Patches. if not next year, then the following year is a good goal. i want to start with strawberries, then work my way into 🅱️ luebs and 🅱️ rambles. i got BIG PLANS ABOUT THIS guys you have no idea. i also want to raise Babbits and Coturnix Quail and Ducks but im not sure what the order for that would be.

anyway i Had really big great wonderful plans. end goal since it looks like we might be here for the next 4-6 years was to do a simplified version of my Future Big Plans...have a little table at a local market, sell mostly fiber art and preserves.

i wanted to call it The Sterling Sheep -- Sustainable Fruits and Fibers !

i thought it was cute...been in my head for a year now and it still sticks.

i wanted to do...

FIBER ART* [3D needle felting, 2D felting, handspun yarn, crochet**] SOAPMAKING [felted soap, handmade soap ... mostly beeswax and lanolin based, which comes from washing wool anyway. why waste it, you know? and it fits perfectly with beekeeping] BEE PRODUCTS [honey, honeycomb, beeswax] FRUIT PRESERVES [mostly berry-based, focus on native berries***] PICKLED PRESERVES [mostly cucumber based, but also onions and other such pickleables] FRESH/DRIED MUSHROOMS, MAYBE HERBS [i really enjoy mushrooms, and theyd fit well into the theme of preserves and culinary enhancements]

*would probably also sell ink drawing originals in person as well. **still need to learn this! wouldnt be as big of a focus but itd be fun to branch into other fiber arts for sure. oh and even before i get my own sheep, id want to source all of my fiber from local small businesses or farms raising sustainable heritage sheep. i want to join the livestock conservancy and participate in the shave em to save em program to get started on that and hopefully build good relations with folks. ***i want to focus on locally adapted heirlooms and natives in the future, mostly perennial fruit trees, but what better place to start with 🅱️ erries? i want to grow mullberry, blackberry, boysenberry, raspberry (red/gold), chokeberry, honeyberry, blueberry (blue/pink), gooseberry (red/green), elderberry, wild grape (v. labrusca/v. vulpina/v. riparia), and strawberry (standard/wild)

anyway thats the dream. and if i could at least make the same amount i make at walmart currently, or a little less, id consider it pretty dang successful. i have really good feelings about it. had really Great feelings about it until tonight happened, but i dunno man. i dunno.

not much else left to say. but this is whats been on my mind is all. feels good to talk about it. i dont want to think about manager Y anymore, its just not worth it. 🅱️ ees? 🅱️ erries? 🅱️ ushrooms? theyre worth it.

[thegirlsinthefirehouse]

Descendants, Chapter 34

-----

“Bottles, storage bags, storage trays...” said Holtzmann as she looked at the plastic box in which they had put all the breastfeeding supplies in while they were trying to finish getting organized. 

“Lanolin cream, nursing pads, breast pump... did this thing really cost that much?”

“Yes,” said Abby with a slight mutter. “They’re not cheap.” She ran an arm across her chest. Holtz looked amused at her wife, but didn’t say anything. She went back to the bin.

“Gel pads?”

“For when my nipples are sore. They can chafe and even crack if I’m not careful.”

“Do you think we have enough of everything to start off?” asked Holtz. “How much do you think you’ll need to pump?”

Abby shrugged. “Probably depends on how full I feel and how much they are eating.” She sat down beside Holtzmann. “And if something comes up, how long we’ll be gone, and that sort of thing.” She looked at the coffee table, still feeling perplexed about the whole thing even with everything she had learned over the past few months. She looked at her wife.

“Do you think we’ll need a babysitter right away?”

“Maybe?” said Holtz, unsure. She frowned. “There are going to be times when there is a bust that’s going to need all of us.”

“You think?”

“Might I remind you of two weeks ago? My ankle still smarts.”

“That’s because you didn’t rest it enough. I told you.”

Holtzmann rolled her eyes. “I had to get away from you fussing over me.”

Abby gave her wife a sideways look. “Who then proceeded to get a cold and stayed in the lab--”

“Only because you kept making me rest...”

“You could let me take care of you,” huffed the paranormal researcher.

“You’ve used up your time. Now you have to wait for the next sickness or injury. But I am still on the clock.”

“I don’t think I can take another year of you smothering me,” scoffed Abby.

“As long as you are feeding and providing care for our child--”

“So until they are 35 then,” smirked Abby, knowing where this joke was heading.

“Exactly,” grinned Holtzmann. She kissed Abby on the cheek. “You’re getting it.”

“Idiot,” said Abby, pushing on Holtzmann’s shoulder as the blonde smiled. She sighed.

“So babysitter?”

“We could look into professional babysitting services,” shrugged Holtz. “And there is always daycare.”

“I don’t like the idea of leaving our kid with strangers when they're so young,” Abby said with a frown.

“I’m not sure we’ll have much choice if there is a real emergency in the city, Abs.”

“I know. You’re right,” sighed Abby. She ran a hand through the back of her hair. Holtzmann took that moment to rub Abby’s baby bump. At 34 weeks, she didn’t think her wife could look any more beautiful. She leaned in and kissed Abby on the lips, much to her surprise. Holtz closed her eyes, content just to kiss her lover and not think about anything else for a few moments. Abby pulled back briefly and rubbed Holtz’s face lovingly.

“So supplies?” Holtz said after opening her eyes.

“I think we’ve got everything we’re going to need,” Abby said. “I’ve got a thing for covering up downstairs if I need to. We have a breastfeeding pillow in the baby’s room. I think we're all ready to go, at least, that’s all I can think of. When I can think.”

“Pregnancy brain is a bitch,” nodded Holtz.

“And I think mine has gotten even worse,” grimaced Abby as she rubbed her side from a contraction. “I can’t even think about focusing on writing up my answers to this written interview for some science magazine that I can’t even recollect the name of.” “Let Erin handle it,” said Holtzmann.

“I need to do my part,” Abby protested. “It wouldn’t be fair to Erin. We’re going to need a quick call babysitter in the future.”

“I have blackmail,” said Holtz casually as she twirled her fingers in her hair. “She’ll babysit.”

-----

“Angie said everything went smoothly,” said Patty to Erin. “No surprises. They're already on their way back here.”

“Great,” said Erin, nodding as she handed off some files to Kevin to put away. “Glad these low impact solo cases are going well.”

“Me too,” said Patty. “They need to get that training in.”

“They’ll need it working for the state,” agreed Erin. “We’ll be taking care of the city at least. It won’t be much of a headache for them.”

“What are we going to do? I know we've talked about it before, but never really came up with a plan,” said Patty. She gestured around the room. “It’s great that the Ghostbusters are expanding, but what’s going to happen when we get older? There’s only so many times we can keep taking hits before--”

“We’ll hire replacements when the time comes,” Erin stated. She sighed, looking out a nearby window. “I haven’t wanted to think about that just yet.”

“It is hard to think about the fact that we are getting older,” agreed Patty. “We’re not all crypt keeper yet, but we’re not exactly spring chickens.”

“Sometimes when I’m out with you all I still feel like I’m in my 20’s,” said Erin. “But then when I get up in the morning, I feel like I’m 90 by how everything wants to crack or stiffen up.”

“Man I feel ya,” Patty nodded. “My joints in the morning sound like a bowl of Rice Crispies.”

“Not to mention, if we all have families...” said Erin, trailing off. “We’re going to want to take time for our kids. There’s graduation, recitals, games...”

“I’m glad I never did the family thing when I was dating in my 20’s,” said Patty. “I can’t even think about some of the dudes AND dudettes I went with trying to raise a kid.”

“I was focusing on schooling and the work,” said Erin. “Dating and family weren't the first things I thought of.” She went quiet for a moment. “Which was probably a good thing. I can’t imagine having a family without you all in their lives. Our children will be well taken care of by their aunts.”

“They’d better. And someone’s got to make sure Holtzy doesn’t kill her own kid. I guess it’s a good thing that one’s coming first.”

“Mine will probably be the last,” said Erin. “2-7 years. Two if I’m lucky.” They both stopped and watched as the new GB team had come in from the garage. Jen went downstairs with a couple of smoking traps and Diana came over to Patty and was happily telling her about what had happened. Beth just sat down on the couch with her hands over her face and Angie was already digging through her locker for her clothes, ectoplasm dripping off her jumpsuit.

“They’re Ghostbusters already,” grinned Patty.

“That they are,” said Erin proudly, looking over the new team. It was an accomplishment she was quite proud of. At least the future of the state of New York was looking bright.

-----

Holtzmann was happily kicking her feet against the chair not too far from Abby in the doctor’s office. She was now at 36 weeks and the nurse who had taken Abby’s weight and blood pressure said offhandedly that the baby could be born now without too many problems. While Holtz knew Abby wasn’t too happy at the thought (Holtzmann couldn’t blame her), she was absolutely delighted. She wanted to hold and love their child as much as she could.

But right now, the baby was still in Abby’s body, who was sitting on the exam table looking uncomfortable. They were needing to check the baby’s position and see if she was starting to dilate any and her wife was not all about the exam. And it didn’t help that from here on out, this was going to be a weekly thing till she gave birth.

“Should I set something on fire to make you feel better?”

“That would make this place feel a little bit more homey,” said Abby. “The smell of smoke and singed hair.” Holtz snickered at the memory.

“That was your fault, not mine.”

“And who set the lab on fire?” scoffed Abby.

“Technicalities,” sniffed Holtz. The door opened about that time, and the doctor and a nurse came back in. Holtzmann watched as the doctor determined that their baby was facing sideways and definitely was not head down. He asked if Abby had felt them move around a lot and he laughed when they both answered in the affirmative. He then explained that the position was not an issue at the present and that their little one would probably move a lot before and during labor. One internal exam and a testing swab later and they were done. Holtz had loved getting to hear the baby’s heartbeat, but Abby had really looked uncomfortable during the exam.

“You okay?” asked Holtz as they had left to let Abby get dressed.

“Yeah, it’s just... his hand is so far up in there,” she said, stepping back into her pants. “If that’s how far the kid has to come...”

“Then they’ll make their way down through the birth canal and be born like every other human on this planet.”

“You make it sound so easy,” sighed Abby as she pulled the curtain open.

“You’re just thinking too much,” said Holtzmann, standing nose to nose with her wife. “Now can we get out of here?”

“Yes,” nodded Abby. “Please. I want to go see that new movie with Aziz Ansari you promised. Comedy will be a welcome distraction.”

----- Abby was surprised when her phone rang on Valentine’s Day. She hadn’t been expecting anyone to call her on a holiday. Her temper automatically flared to stellar proportions when she saw who it was. She practically smashed the accept button into oblivion as she took a deep breath before speaking in as shrill a tone as she could muster without anyone noticing.

“You have a lot of nerve to call me after all of this with Erin. You’ve got about two seconds before your ears start bleeding.”

David sighed on the other end of the line. “I know I’m the last person you want to hear from right now, but let me say something before you hang up?”

“I’m listening,” said Abby tensely, maneuvering away from anyone’s ear range.

“I’m having something sent to Erin at the firehouse. Make sure she opens it? I know you’re the only one she’ll listen to.”

Abby sighed. “Please tell me it’s not related to this holiday.” When David didn’t answer, Abby knew it was.

“It’d better be something good.”

“It’s something she wants,” said David. “If-- if she agrees, open the door for me?”

“Open the--?” Abby threw up a hand in the air, exasperated. “Fine, I will let you know.” She hung up the phone.

When a knock came on the door of the firehouse, Abby knew what it was. She somewhat calmly went over to the door. When a courier appeared, she glanced around them and noticed David standing on the street corner. The physicist almost wanted to flip him off, but instead, she focused on the person in front of her with a nod in greeting.

“Does Erin Gilbert Vickers work here?”

“Yes, she does,” said Abby. “I can take whatever...”

“She needs to sign for it.”

“Of course she does,” muttered Abby. She went and got Erin up from the conference table where she had been conversing with Beth. Erin looked confused at the courier.

“You Erin?”

“Yes?” said Erin, looking confused. He handed her a confirmation slip to sign. When she did, he handed her a brown envelope and two dozen roses.

“These are for you.”

“Thank you,” she said, now really confused. He tipped his hat, and Abby shut the door behind him, still feeling irritated.

“Are those from--?”

“David,” said Erin. She went quiet for a moment. “He remembered.”

“Remembered?” asked Abby, frowning.

“He promised me flowers,” she said, smiling a little. “When we went skiing last year. There was this guy-- his girlfriend had torn her ACL when they were up on the slopes. She was sitting in the lobby, looking upset about how things had turned out. David and I were talking to her, trying to take her mind off things. He had told her he was going up on the slopes again before they headed back home. But instead, he had gone to town and brought back roses. I don’t know how he got them or even where he got them, but it was so sweet. We were talking to them and I jokingly said something about never getting any red roses before for Valentine’s Day. He said he would make sure this year I would get them.” She looked wistful before shaking her head.

“I should throw the damn things away. And the envelope.”

“Why don’t you open it and see what it says at least,” shrugged Abby. She couldn’t believe she was doing this for the guy who hadn’t spoken to Erin for weeks with barely any contact between them except for a few texts. They were married, for goodness sake.

“I guess I should,” said Erin. She grimaced.

“I really hope it’s not divorce papers.”

“If it is, you’d better hold tight onto the front door unless you want to see your best friend commit murder,” muttered Abby under her breath.

“Hmm?” said Erin.

“Nothing,” said Abby, trying to look innocent as she watched Erin slide a finger under the edge of the envelope, opening the tape. She took out a few sheets of paper, frowning.

“It’s an application...” she said, her eyes lighting up slightly. “For adoption.” She looked up at Abby. “A ma-- married couple adoption?” She flipped the papers and read through quickly.

“Our home study is in April? Our home study is in April!!!!” She looked shocked but was smiling from ear to ear. “But wait... our?” She was frowning again. “Does this mean David wants to...?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” said Abby. She opened the door to the firehouse and yelled quite loudly.

“David Jemison Vickers! Get your ass in here!” Abby moved well out of the way as he cautiously walked in the door. Abby’s loud voice had gotten the attention of Patty and Holtzmann, who came up when they saw David, eyes narrowed and arms crossed. Abby went and stood with them as Erin rushed towards him, kissing him. But then she pulled back and slapped him hard. All three of her closest friends cheered while the others looked on in confusion.

“I know I deserved that,” he said, rubbing his cheek with a grimace.

“You did,” said Holtz. “And it made for excellent footage.” She grinned as she put away her cell. “Come on ladies, let’s give them some privacy.” Holtzmann and Patty both turned around to leave, but Holtz had to grab ahold of the belt loops on Abby’s jeans and make her walk away backward, her arms still crossed and glaring at David.

“Erin...” he began rather timidly, nervously fixing his hair. “I know I was an idiot. I didn’t speak to you for some time. I-- I fucked up.” He sighed. “I was scared. And you know that. I don’t want for us to not be us. I love you.” Erin was frowning as she looked at him.

“Then why the hell did you never come back to the apartment? David... I didn’t know where you were! You could have been dead for all I knew! The only way I even knew you were alive was the charges you were making to the bank account and that you were still teaching your classes.”

David swallowed hard. “I know.” Erin glared hard at him. He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Even though I have taken on lots of battles in the courtroom and the classroom, I could never do that with you. And yes, I thought I really didn’t want to have children. It still scares me to the core. But... I had a long time to think about what I want. And what I want is for you to be happy. So I might have had a friend who pulled some strings.”

“David...”

“I know I shouldn’t have, but this way I cannot get cold feet. You and I-- we’ll raise a kid. Together. With all the insanity that comes with it. I want this.”

“Are you sure?” asked Erin. “Because if you’re doing this just to satisfy me...”

“No,” he said quietly. “I thought my legacy was always going to be just teaching... but maybe it isn’t.” Erin happily squealed at that and kissed David softly.

“You still have a lot to make up for,” she said sternly.

“I know,” he said. “And I was also halfway afraid your friends would attack me on the street if I tried to come home to the apartment.”

“Oh, I might just let them still,” said Erin. She glanced at them, amused that they were trying to pretend to be looking the other way. “I’m pretty sure Patty and Holtzmann still have plans for you.” She grinned when David shuddered, shaking his head.

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