#I hope I don't make you wait another 4 months for an update >_>

[toast-on-dandelioms]

Hello, I really a fans of your work and always waiting for the updates. I have a question, what happen if Y/n just ignore the batfam as Y/n also turn to superfam becoming their family. It also assuming Alfred A-Okay with it. Oh, also Y/n might be have relationship with one of the superboys and she love to cuddle with the lover. Well, that's just my wild imagination thinking about.

Oh well, I hope you have great days.❤️😘

Thank you for liking my work! If you're asking for part 4, it will come out soon and probably by the end of next week!

Well, I don't think Alfred would be totally a-okay with this and after a bit he would act to 'fix' the situation.

He wants you to stay at the Manor and be appreciated too by the Batfam even though they don't even know you exist.

He has tried before, talking about you to Bruce and the others but they always dismissed him with the excuse of being busy or forgetting about you the next day.

And seeing you giving up on being with your real family and finding love in another family that actually accepts you and he can't accept that.

You're supposed to be with him as the rest of the Waynes not with some alien family.

He would act like he supports you whenever you come to visit him since you mostly live with the Kents nowadays and come to the Manor to grab the things you needed since you were moving your stuff from the Manor to the Kents house.

After a while you start to come home, to come back to him even less before you just visit him maybe once a month before it turns into no more visiting him since you're busy with school, dance classes and the vigilante role you still have.

And Alfred hates it so he decides that he can't stand to watch his boys obsess over your vigilante persona when they can't even bother to notice you weren't living in the Manor anymore.

So he decides to call a family meeting without your knowledge and explains everything, who you were behind the mask and how dissapointed and ashamed that the people he raised didn't even acknowledge that you existed.

Their reaction, which were mostly of confusion before realisation bothered him but he stayed silent and used their reaction to manipulate them, make them think you weren't in the right place with the Kent family.

And after a week from that meeting, you started to receive texts from all the batfam and also kept seeing them everywhere, with Bruce at school or when you were patrolling the city.

He would always try to talk to you, which you ignored or gave him the finger while swinging away, preferring to not engage in his tries to connect with you.

Plus he would show up at your dance recitals when you never said anything to Alfred about them and he would always be right in first row with a smug smile since he knew you couldn't do anything.

Plus you already knew they knew who you were behind the mask, they said your name when you had your mask on so many times you wanted to punch their faces.

You had to skip a few days of school because Tim and Damian started to show up at your same highschool and sitting next to you in class, to which no one would say anything and it frustrated you since highschool was one of your safe places but not anymore.

You tried to ignore Dick and Jason's attempts at stalking you, not because it was noticeable since you never saw them but the spider sense made you aware you were being watched and after a bit you were able to notice them following you.

Yes you did feel proud since you didn't have any detective training like the others but still knew who was following just by using the things around you.

You vented your frustrations with Clark and Conner and they did help by letting you skip school and everything but you had to go back to school or it would affect your attendance and damage your reputation and curriculum for future colleges applications.

But one fateful day, you went to a mission with Conner and Clark since they needed a third person but couldn't bring Jon since he was busy with school, so you went in his place.

During the mission you got ambushed, Conner and Clark were at disadvantage since the attackers (not sure on the term, the people that attacks) somehow had kryptonite weapons.

Plus you were also fighting, using the tasers and also the objects around you like rocks or trees.

Yes, you did throw a tree at a group of them and you also got Clark telling you not to do it again. Did you listen though? No.

As you were fighting you suddenly got stung by something in the leg, and when you touched the spot where it hurt you saw a small dart there.

You opened your mouth to call for Clark or Conner but someone covered your mouth and held you as you fainted while Clark and Conner had to flee since the attackers were too strong with the kryptonite.

The last thing you saw was the smiling face of Dick before completely giving in the drug you got injected in your body, not hearing them fight about who was gonna carry you in the batmobile.

[facets-and-rainbows]

Update from Kazue Katoh's Twitter

The Blue Exorcist hiatus will be extended for another month (through the November issue)

[Drawing of Katoh apologizing] Sorry for all the delays!

As Blue Exorcist celebrates its 15th anniversary, I'm taking my first ever unplanned three-month break from publishing it. I think it's about time to share more information on the situation with my readers...It's a personal matter but I'd like to tell you.

I was actually diagnosed with an illness at my regular checkup in March, and I've spent the last few months working in between hospital visits.

I've finished surgery, which went well, and I've been discharged for the time being, but I needed extra time for post-op treatment so I'm going to have to extend the hiatus.

It's ended up as a long 3-month wait, and I'm sorry about that!

I'll be keeping my exact diagnosis private for now, but in my case it shouldn't be life-threatening with proper treatment.

I'm currently back to work and feeling good, so don't worry too much!

[Drawing of Katoh in a hospital bed] I actually got excited for my first hospitalization, and my first surgery, and my first general anesthesia, and my first catheter... Maybe it's a manga artist thing. I had my catheter removed by a nurse who apparently reads Blue Exorcist, haha, nothing can scare me anymore (*Catheter=a tube that goes directly in the urethra) (Nurse: Take a deep breath and I'll take it out when you exhale...)

[Drawing of Katoh at the gym] I got back to the gym 3 days after I was discharged from the hospital! They said exercise will be good for my recovery.

The current plan is:

Next month: There will be no Blue Exorcist chapter in the November issue of Jump SQ (which comes out in October), but I'm drawing a new poster for it!

The month after next: Blue Exorcist is scheduled to return in the December issue of Jump SQ (which comes out in November.)

At any rate, I'll be continuing treatment alongside work for a while, so there may be times when that impacts my work and makes you all worry...Apologies in advance! My soul couldn't rest if I died before finishing Blue Exorcist, so I'm hoping to stick around and keep drawing it while I continue my treatment.

All this has just been spurring on my inconsistency as an author, but I hope you'll stick with Blue Exorcist going forward!

Kazue Katoh, Sept 4, 2024

[Drawing of Katoh making a determined little fist] And take care of yourselves too! Get your annual checkups!

[bladeweaver-if]

Bladeweaver Demo Update (8th Nov 2023)

Please restart your game from the beginning. I have added an additional personality stat which will not be recorded if you continue from a later save. This should be the last time you'll have to do this, apologies! Now on to the post :)

Demo Link

It's been a while!

After a solid few months of writing, I'm happy to announce that another update to Bladeweaver's demo is ready, finishing up Chapter One and beginning Chapter Two - which is a completely different beast compared to Chapter One, with more variation in scenes and two different versions of how things play out, depending on your chosen mentor.

This update also includes a few bugfixes for earlier content that had been pointed out as well as some alterations to earlier scenes and stats. Bladeweaver's very much a beta, so I'm going to be tweaking lines and maybe entire scenes long into development.

If you hated this wait between updates fear not, because the next update or two will come out quicker than this one as I start writing a simpler section of Chapter Two for a while - these will be much smaller than this update, though.

Bladeweaver's wordcount has gone from 29k as of the last update to over 80k total words in this one. That's more than 50,000 words written in the last two months, which I'm pretty happy with as a newcomer to writing IF.

I estimate that Chapter Two is around a third of the way done at this point (though that's liable to change depending on what I choose to write in the future), I expect the chapters to grow in size as the story continues and becomes more complex.

I do hope you enjoy the update and, if you have any feedback, please don't hesitate to send it to me here, on itch or via the Bladeweaver Discord, where we have channels set up for bug reports and things like that: https://discord.gg/bVE5gy6BB8

Anyway, on to the content of the update (spoilers under the cut)

In this update you can:

Discover more about Callen and Sonia's relationship (Chapter One)

Choose your childhood hobby and begin building your character's stats (Chapter One)

Take a glimpse into the past, where a solemn promise is made

Experience another strange dream

Get a look at a slightly older (eight year old) MC's usual day-to-day life, which includes plenty of training and education with their chosen mentor while the other is currently absent. You have plenty of choice regarding how you feel about your education, as well as the ability to begin to choose your stats to build your character's physical and mental proficencies

Further personalize MC's personality and how they act towards people

Learn more about the general world via the new codex, as well as get a view of your character's relationships, personality and statistics (this content is a definitive WIP and will be updated and improved as development continues)

Meet Samuel Alban, or Sam as he prefers to be called, the first of Bladeweaver's 4 ROs! He's a friendly, exuberant boy who loves the outdoors and making new friends. Naturally, you can punch him in the face.

Heed the call of a phantom voice.

[fanficwriterlover]

Safe with a Ghost

18+ Readers Only

Chapter 3 : Hang On

Summary: Time is of the essence, you're feeling worse by the second, waiting for Ghost, Simon along with 141 team, to come save you is nerve wracking for both you and him. You just hope you can hang on a little longer....

What to Expect: Blood, Tears, Angst, Cursing, Panic, Affection, Guns, Graphic Description, Nausea & more....

Pet-Names: Pigeon & Little Lamb

Word Count: 3.1k

════ ⋆Safe With A Ghost MasterList⋆ ════

═════════ ⋆Chapter 4⋆ ═════════

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Almost every 10 minutes Simon would check up on you, make sure you were still safe, and honestly you were grateful. Hearing his voice distracted you from the pain in your leg. Even if it meant listening to his horrible jokes which you couldn't help but laugh about...you were glad he updated you whenever he could. Gladly, he never brought up about the incident, Simon was always good about knowing what to bring up and what not, especially because it kept your anxiety down from reimagining the whole event of that day.

As Simon was talking through the other end of the line "Hey, Pigeon, you still with me ?" He sounded concerned as you could hear shuffling in the background. Your stomach queasy from the thought of the kidnapping "Y-Yeah...just feeling a little sick." You could already imagine his eyes squinting and brows furrowing under his mask or exposed face hearing that "it's okay, I'm not dying Simon, it's just been a lot. Could be from the blood loss" you were making your way into the bathroom, limping slowly and cautiously, trying to avoid wincing and whimpering in pain, but you knew he could probably tell from your foot falls that it was unbearable to walk. Once you made it to the bathroom still holding the phone, you began looking in the mirror at your reflection. You were definitely more paler, not as bright, your eyes had dark circles and your hair...well it's definitely been scrambled from lack of sleep. Simon spoke in a hush voice "I'm sorry..." You could hear it was like he was blaming himself "It's not your fault...how far are you ? Well how far are you guys?" Simon had told you he wasn't coming alone, that he had, as he said, his team with him but you could tell they seemed more like family than people of ranking. "We landed we're driving right now, we'll make it there at best 30-45 minutes." Your brows raised, you knew the closest airport was at best 4-5 hours "Are you- nevermind. Don't need to know how many poor pedestrians you've run over" you gave a smirk despite the urge to hurl, just looking at yourself made you queasy.

Hearing you still make jokes made Simon, well Ghost feel relieved that you had the heart and energy he gave a soft huff to mask his laugh "Bloody well know ain't my fault if they lingering in my way." If Ghost looked up which he dared not to engage, he would see Soaps gapping mouth along with Gaz confused yet shocked face expression he could hear them mumbling in the car "The fuck....he flirting ?" From a familiar Scottish accent Gaz piped in, "I'm so confused who the person we've been calling Ghost is, obviously ain't the same person" Soap shook his head combing through his mohawk, "We've been fooled" in the corner of his eye he could see Price giving a good laugh, from the two shocking discussion about him but he didn't pay mind.

It was killing him still not there already with you. "You'll know when we're at the hotel. Don't answer the door unless you hear exactly what I told you to hear out for" the short silence was enough for Simon to guess you were probably biting on your lip and fumbling with your hair...he gives a sigh "Stop, fuckin pulling your hair, you'll get bald spots, then you'll be sulking in the shadows for months." This got a laugh out of you "If I didn't know better Simon, I'd think you were watching me, but hey, I'd just use your masks to hide it all" lets out another huff, even though he was smiling under his mask thinking about how cute you'd look in his mask before snapping back to the orders he gave, "I'm serious y/n, don't open the door to anyone I don't bloody care if it was the King of England" you giggled hearing this, as he could imagine you waving your hand dismissively "I know Simon, I got it. No opening doors, starve myself even if I smell something good and hang tight till I hear it." He grunts from your snarkiness, if you were in his unit he would've had you running laps till you dropped to the ground from exhaustion. "Good" he says sternly his fist clenching his now changed attire to look more like civilians.

They had changed taking off their gear all wearing clothes they got from a friend of Prices when they landed. "See you soon Simon, I love you..." he could tell you always felt like it was saying goodbye as he let a soft sigh, speaking softly in a hush voice "Yeah....love you too pigeon." He waited until you hit the end call button, looking at the incognito phone.

Just when his mind was still ringing with your giggle, Soap had to ruin it by nudging him as he scooted back over while they were in the van. He groaned hearing the Scottish man rest his hand on his shoulder "Aye, how's the little lass holding up ?" Ghost didn't glance up from staring at his hand where the phone sat, he grumbled softly "She says she's aight, but she sounds tired..." He looked sharply at Price "I think she's lost a lot of blood despite what she's cared to admit." Price stared back at him as he leaned over to ask Nik how far they were from meeting their destination "We're about, best, 20 minutes, and that's with speeding my friend !" He says in his accent. Soap removed his hand from his shoulder giving a more somber look "She's still hanging there at least LT, we'll get to her on time. Can't wait to meet the little lass. I'm offended you never let us meet her !" This made Ghost grumble "I would have rather she never met you" Soap placed a hand to his heart as Gaz rolled his eyes from Soaps theatrical exasperation "You wound me LT...or is it you worried the little lamb would like me more than you" as he gives a smirk wiggling his brow. This made Ghost give him a deadly stare "Johnny, you flirt with my girl, I'll have you cleaning the barracks till your dying breath " Gaz lost it, rolling out laughing as Price whistled, lighting another cigar "Shouldn't have tested him Johnny boy" Soap was reeling with horror "A-alright LT, I hear ya loud and clear sir" This gave Ghost a subtle smile despite what he said, he was somewhat glad the team will be meeting her, it almost felt like a heavy veil lifting off his mask. This made him reminiscence the day he revealed his face to you....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You both were strolling the streets one night after leaving the pub, honestly you had to escort him out because a man in there was flirting with you and Simon and the man said some words before it turned into a fist fight. Obviously, with Simon's military background he easily took down the man without much of a fight. Pinning the man down onto his face and pulling on his arm until it snapped. After clearing things up luckily with your medical background (which he hated watching you treat the man) you began making guesses what he did for a living as you both strolled down the streets. "Are you an undercover cop ?" "oooh ! I know you're a body lifter ?" "Noooo wait wait, your a yoga trainer ?" "Taekwondo instructor?" "Wrestler ???" Your ask with curiosity your eyes beaming with excitement dying to figure out what he does. Simon, was walking beside you hands in pocket as you made your guesses, each guess sounding stupider than the next as he grumbled with a huff answering each with a "No".

Just when he thought you've given up your shake your arms up above your head "For fuck sake Simon ! Give me a damn hint !" He cocks his brow at you, glancing down at your frustrated face expression, he smirked a bit seeing how cute you were angry, he could imagine as a cartoon character with the smoke blowing out of your ears and face boiling red for a dramatic effect. He looked ahead tho, grunting "Don't bloody tie me to some wrestler, I ain't into that bunch of rubbish fights" You peeked at his face trying to read him as you both happen to be crossing a bridge as you stopped looking at the stream below.

Simon stopped to look at you, as his eyes casted at your body against the moonlight, your hair flowing, almost like in slow motion from a movie but you pushed it away briskly. You were breathtakingly beautiful to him. You look at him "Simon, we've gone on dates now for what couple months now ? When are you going to open up to me ?" You bite your lip, not the coy way though, almost like you're biting your lip to make your tears not come down. "I want to know you better...I want..." You sigh softly looking away "Nevermind" but Simon says in a deep soft voice "No, tell what's on your mind Pigeon." You look back at him surprised, blushing at the pet name as you take a deep breath, facing him fully. "I want to be that someone for you Simon. I want to be the person who remembers every detail about you. I want to be someone you trust and open up to when things get hard and you need someone. " if you thought your cheeks were red, under Simon's mask he was brighter. "Simon, I want all of you. Your darkness and light. Whether you're a friendly ghost or not. I want to know you for Simon and Ghost." You take a breath, you didnt realize how quick you were talking as you were catching your breath now. There was silence between you two. Your words still in the air as he looked into your eyes to find any lie behind them.

You were trembling, almost scared you said something wrong "S-Say something.... because I don't want to be disappointed or hurt if you-" in that second, Simon had removed his whole mask. Truly removed it, not partial, not mouth mask, truly off. If you thought your mouth was wide, it was wide enough to place an apple in your mouth. Simon strided up to you looking down at you, as you still were admiring his handsome features as he spoke softly, lifting your chin "You talk too much Pigeon" he smirks at your now processing face, scrunches up as you start coming to your senses "Y-Yeah well..." He frowns at you "Shut up..." He crashes his lips down onto yours shushing you from making your comeback as you both held each other. It was the moment you two agreed to never hold secrets, least as much as Simon could tell you and when you officially marked the day you were dating.

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It was hard to believe it was 3 years ago Simon thought, felt like yesterday you were just someone he saw at the airport after a mission and you were a clueless American trying to figure out where to go from there. Snapping back to the moment, Nik speaks out loudly "We're 5 minutes away ! I'm going to park in this alley to keep our distance ya ?" This perked up Ghost, he couldn't believe you were so close yet so far to reach. Everyone seemed to be on the edge of their seats ready to take action as Price put out his cigar. "Alright you lot, remember we're around civilians, keep your weapons hot yet hidden. Don't need to get too much attention. If you come across any hostiles, eliminate quietly don't want to cause them to get more backup." Everyone nodded their heads as Gaz spoke "So what's the plan Captain?" Price looked sharply at Ghost as Ghost looked at him "Ghost, Soap, you two make your way into the hotel. Get y/n out safely through the back." Ghost nodded his head as Soap responded "Aye" Gaz you take the back way, where they'll exit. Keep it clear. I'll watch from the building across from this hotel. I'll be the sniper. I'll be your eyes. Nik will watch the entry if anyone suspicious goes in." Price looked around at each ones face before landing back at Ghosts "Alright. Let's go get the little lamb" a nickname the 141 started calling you, as Ghost didn't care, he just wanted to get to you.

Soap and Ghost walked casually shoulder to shoulder, microphones attached to their hoodie, hands in pocket as they made their way to the alley where it takes you the back entry way to the hotel. Their eyes scanned their surroundings as they made their way closer to the alley, Ghost caught at the little coffee shop some men pretending to read newspapers as he mumbles softly "Two men, 4 o' clock, eyeing building" Soap side glances seeing them as he says lowly "Aye...I see em LT, you think they onto us yet?" Ghost kept his eyes locked onto the hotel "Let's hope not Johnny...Price you copy?" Took a few seconds before Price responded "Yeah, I heard ya Ghost. I'll keep me eyes on them. You're clear right now. Gaz will follow behind exactly 5 minutes after, once you've entered and keep it clear. " As they got closer to the alley they make a casual sharp left blending into the shadows as they make their way to the door "Yeah, we copy, tell your guy to watch the cameras." Soap gets to the door first opening looking behind Ghost as his eyes narrow a bit, no words needed to be spoken, someone had their eyes on them. Continuing their way, they enter now in front of a spiral of stairs. They both had their hands where their weapons were expecting the men to follow behind to corner them and start a shoot out. Soap watched Ghosts back while he kept moving, Soap checking behind him every minute. As they were making it around to the 3rd level, they heard the door open.

They froze looking at each other intently. They were followed. Hearing the ascending foot step, Ghost focused intently on hearing the footsteps calculating how many they were going to be dealing with. Silently he lifted his fingers saying the total "7" Soap seemed to have calculated the same amount as he gave a slow nod. Pulling out guns would alert others of their presence. So they decided to handle this with a more, physical touch. They were leaning against the railing acting like they were just chilling, as the men appeared, all shifting for a moment uncertain, as they began to walk by them, in that split second Ghost and Soap locked eyes nodding as they had their blades out and fists up. The men were ready for this as well as they put up a hard fight. 3 went after Soap while Ghost took on 4. Soap worked quickly, clashing the first one into the second before working on stabbing the third in the chest. Flipping his blade he readied himself for the third man who got up faster lunging at him to punch, Soap kneed him in the stomach, however not expecting him to be also holding a knife as he grazed his shoulder, he didn't stop though striking down onto the man's back then stabbing at the neck. Than seeing the final guy rush towards him a knife went embedded into his head. Soap looked to his left seeing Ghost had already finished his 4. Soap pushed the limp body "Bloody hell LT, how the fuck you finish off 4?!" Ghost shrugged "Another time Sargent. You still fight able?" Soap touched his wound nodding his head "Damn right, could take on an army LT" Ghost grunted with approval as he rushed up the remainder of the two flights.

He never ran so fast before you were so close, he could almost smell your scent finally arriving up E 17 he froze knocking on the door almost Morse code. He waited for you to answer now...few seconds turned to a minute, than another, and another. He attempted a second time thinking maybe you were asleep, but again nothing. Soap who was watching his back looked up at him almost concerned "LT..." Ghost didn't want to hear it. He started kicking at the door with all his power until it gave in. He literally broke the door off it's hinges as he rushed in, seeing the pool of blood on the bed, eyes frantic "Y/n !" He noticed the bathroom light on, running in, as he stopped dead in his tracks, seeing your almost, lifeless body in the bath tub. You were pale, he made his way to you quickly lifting your head checking your pulse as you mumble softly "Y-You came..." Ghost heart almost felt like it wasn't beating. Seeing you losing so much blood and your normal glow faded, he didn't wait a second. Scooping you into his arms holding you close to his chest, he shouted at Soap to hurry and grab a blanket, when Soap laid his eyes on you, he wrapped you with the blanket he found saying in a soft voice "LT, she's -" Ghost was blazing with fury as he narrowed his eyes at him "Let's move Sargent !" He didn't wait up for Soap, running down the flight of stairs, skipping some steps with ease. Hurriedly making to the door, he heard Soap radio "We're coming out....it's not looking good. We need to get to base ASAP ! Bring the van Nik !" Everyone responded through except Ghost his hold on you was tight yet gentle. Gaz opened the door so he didn't, his eyes showing immediate concern but Ghost wasn't having it. The sound of Niks van screech to a halt, Gaz and Soap opened the vans doors letting Ghost in, Price jumping into the passenger, as he glanced back seeing you, his eyes widen, everyone could see it. It looked like they were too late. Price yelled for Nik to drive, flooring it, as Price began calling Laswell telling her to give them a clearance to run through traffic and lights. With which was approved. You were in his lap, you could feel and smell the familiarity of him, your eyes barely staying up as you saw he was fearful, you could see where his mouth was under the balaclava, moving but you weren't registering if words were being spoken, you were only able to catch three words. "-Hang on y/n!"

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Thanks for Reading !

ꨄ︎ I know this was a CRUEL cliffhanger but I have to keep you on the edge of your seats... I'll be posting Chapter 4 soon !

ꨄ︎Taglist : @jadama20 @lunamoons-posts @babygirl-panda19 @kat-nee @marshallowy @bi-witch-bxtch @unit-1021 @wwe1rdc0re @crazy-phan-girl13

[veevz-drawz]

DoaHD | Entry 4: I Felt a Spark

A/N: Hi again, I've been gone for like… Almost two months now? Sorry about that lol, a lot has happened. I got a boyfriend! And turns out when you're in a relationship you don't have a lot of free time to do what you want… So I broke up with him! (jkjk I just wasn't as into him as I thought)

Anyways I started pharmacy school so updates will probably halt for the time being :/. I plan to slowly write portions of the next chapter (which will be 100% more interesting than this one I swear) throughout the semester, but I'm probably not going to publish it until the end of my first clinical rotation in the winter, so I apologize in advance for the wait.

Taglist: @minecraftninjerkid @ryctone @shipperlewaterkitty | Google Form to be added to taglist

Previous | Masterlist | Next

She didn’t come up with anything.

Strawberry Tea Cookie stared at her sketchbook in silent disappointment, the pages looking more like the aftermath of the Dark Flour War than the meticulous planning of a seasoned fashion designer. The rising sun’s cold rays swam across the pages, searching for any sort of golden lining in this mess, yet all it did was confirm that her glory days were long gone.

Crumbs, she’s hopeless.

The designer sighed and slammed her book shut, tucking it out of sight between two couch cushions. She reached for her cup in order to take another sip of tea, her frustration growing upon realizing her cup was empty. Tiredness dissolved each speck of flour in her dough, arms weighed down by thick molasses as she tried picking up the teapot, which was, disappointingly enough, also empty.

Strawberry Tea Cookie turned to watch the sun slowly climb its way up the sky, displacing the inky blue she got accustomed to with shades of periwinkle and orange, stinging her already hardened eyes. She let her head fall within the comforting darkness of her arms, hoping to get some rest before they land in the Crème Republic.

.

.

.

“Ohhhh, I’m so nervous,” a cookie whispered to her friend. “What if I don’t get an apprenticeship?”

Hundreds of cookies crowd around the small bulletin board that stood in the center of the academy’s lounge. On it was a long piece of paper printed with students’ names and their mentor for upcoming term.

Amongst the anxious chatter were loud cheers as students found they had a match, or quiet sobs from those who didn’t quite make it on the list. Yet all decrescendoed into curious whispers when a certain freshly baked designer, glazed in shades of scarlet, stepped into the atrium.

“Did you hear..?”

—Pierce the fabric, loop the thread.

The sea of students parted for her, stepping into line with every click of her tempered chocolate heels to form a straight path towards the bulletin board.

“What!? There’s no way!”

—Pierce the fabric, loop the thread.

She stopped in front of the board, quietly scanning through the long list of names. Despite her aloof demeanor, the uncertainty within kept rising like bread dough as the alphabetical list trickled closer and closer to where her name would be.

All these apprehensive whispers… That can’t be a good thing.

Sangria Cookie…

Sapodilla Cookie…

Sour Cherry Cookie…

Star Apple Cookie…

“Well, it’s a given…”

—Pierce the fabric, loop the thread.

Strawberry Tea Cookie…

She perked up at the sight of her name, eyes immediately darting across the dotted line to see…

…Blueberry Raisin Cookie.

A small smile cinched up her lips, that overwhelming nervousness washed away by excitement and pride. All those years working her dough off at this school— the countless all nighters, the constant stream of harsh critiques, the seemingly endless assignments— finally paid off.

“Wow Strawberry Tea Cookie, congrats…” her classmate whistled, standing beside her. “Bet you’re excited to get to work with Professor Blueberry Raisin Cookie…”

To apprentice under the Hollyberry Kingdom’s most renowned fashion designer—who hailed from the very family that first established oat couture—was an opportunity that not even the most esteemed alumni of the Royal Berry Institute of Design could imagine receiving.

And it had just been bestowed upon her.

“Yeah…” Strawberry Tea Cookie’s smile grew wider. “I am.”

Her classmate chuckled, which caught the young designer’s attention. She turned and shot them a quizzical expression.

“Sorry, sorry.” They looked away bashfully. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen you smile like that.”

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime, it’s only natural that I would smile.” Strawberry Tea Cookie replied matter-of-fact-ly, still confused on what was so funny. 

“No, no, I’m just saying…” They laughed. “Ah, nevermind…”

A gentle shake of her shoulder pulled Strawberry Tea Cookie from her dream—back into the world where she was sore and barely cognizant of her own existence.

“My lady, we’re almost at the Créme Republic,” Strawberry Butler Cookie whispered. “Everybody’s gone outside.”

The designer groaned, tiredly lifting herself from the table and standing up. She stumbled on her first few steps, dragging herself across the cabinet like one of those jellywalker creatures.

“Lady Strawberry Tea Cookie, did you stay up all night?” Strawberry Butler Cookie inquired worriedly, though his tone also held a dash of annoyance. “You know very well that’s not healthy for you!”

“I…” The former heiress sighed as she grasped the doorknob. Of all the things that have changed in her life recently, her butler nagging about her less-than-consistent sleep schedule had remained… well, consistent. “...Thought I could create something meaningful.”

She opened the door and stepped outside.

A gust of strong, cold wind practically slapped Strawberry Tea Cookie awake before subsiding into a light breeze. Crisp, fresh air reinvigorated her very dough like she had been sprinkled with more life powder. As she made her way across the airship’s deck, the gales combed free the sticky knots tangled within her hair, alleviating that gross feeling.

Strawberry Tea Cookie leaned against the metal guard rail, scarlet eyes widening in awe as she took in the sight before her.

Amidst the azure blue sky decorated with cotton candy clouds shone a brilliant city piped in white. Grand mansions bordered the Republic’s edge, away from the main landmass through long, jutted platforms that made the city look like it was built on a shattered plate; each shard was held up by pillars rising from the sparkling sea. Lining the pristinely polished roads were blocks of small, condensed homes with roofs the color of the vibrant sky. Square bushes edged the vast maze of waterways, like the border of royal frosting the Great Witches pipe on a freshly baked cookie before filling them in.

Strawberry Tea Cookie’s eyes followed the canals deeper towards the city center, trailing up a tall waterfall before meeting its source.

“Wow…” The designer breathed, her voice so quiet that no other cookie could hear, only manifesting as a puff of condensed air lost to the sky.

At the heart of the Republic stood a giant, colorless murex shell that floated above all else—unfeeling and apathetic—immune to crumble like a timeless icon. Much like a roll of fruit leather pulled from the center, the shell was voluminously layered at the top, showing off its immaculately creased grooves that tightly cinched to an eventual fine point at the bottom.

Imposing spikes of all shapes and sizes decorated the shell’s head like a monarch’s crown, reaching for any fragment of light to capture and reflect back as a beautiful halo of white. Arched windows carved around the shell’s spire poured out fresh water, collecting in streams around the structure’s many grooves before gradually falling down to the city below.

To Strawberry Tea Cookie, it was like a unique hybrid between a polonaise skirt and a mermaid tail dress, two styles from vastly different eras and with even more conflicting construction methods. It would be a challenge to combine the two together. However, it was similar enough to Chocolate Bonbon Cookie’s everyday dress, perhaps she could reference its pattern and then add an additional layer for that polonaise look.

She’ll definitely need to visit that place the moment her schedule clears up. Not only is it important to see one’s source material up close, but a true artist must understand its purpose so as to not misappropriate its symbolism.

“You seem to have an idea, my lady.” The designer was snapped from her thoughts by Strawberry Butler Cookie’s comment. She turned to face him, his expression glimmering with wise joy.

Strawberry Tea Cookie glanced back to the brilliant view of the Créme Republic. Her breath hitched, stuck in her inhale as she truly took in the sight before her. A long lost excitement bloomed within as the ship descended, and the designer couldn’t help but let that exhilaratingly nervous anticipation spread up her lips in the form of a wide, genuine smile.

For the first time in forever—as cliché as it sounded—she truly realized how vibrant and beautiful everything was.

“Yeah,” she finally let go of her held breath, turning to face Strawberry Butler Cookie. “I think I finally do.”

He only chuckled in response.

.

.

.

Strawberry Tea Cookie and her butler were the last to leave the airship and join the others on the airfield. As they approached Hollyberry Cookie and Wildberry Cookie, the figure they were talking to turned his attention to the pair.

“Ah, you must be the guest Hollyberry Cookie was talking about~,” the stranger, with a voice full of smooth—oddly practiced—cadence, said. “Miss Strawberry Tea Cookie, yes?”

“Lady Strawberry Tea Cookie,” she corrected before dipping into a curtsy. “This is my butler, Strawberry Butler Cookie.” He nodded at the cue of his name.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you both, Lady Strawberry Tea Cookie and Strawberry Butler Cookie.” The cookie before her gave a courteous bow. “My name is Clotted Cream Cookie, consul of this fair city.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Consul—” Strawberry Tea Cookie cut off when a strong arm looped around her neck, yanking the rest of her words out with a strangled high pitch.

“Strawberry Tea Cookie, you’re being far too modest!” Hollyberry Cookie pulled the designer closer with so much strength that the latter was lurched forward, almost losing her balance. “Consul, this fine lass here is the future leader of House Strawberry, one of the most renowned designers in the Hollyberry Kingdom, and my granddaughter’s personal stylist~.”

Strawberry Tea Cookie felt the jam within her crystalize at those claims—the majority of which were now false.

The Consul’s eyes perked up, seemingly impressed by her obsolete feats. “My, I’m honored to be in the presence of such an esteemed guest, then~.”

“You’re too kind, Consul.” Strawberry Tea Cookie let out a strained laugh while releasing herself from the former queen’s grip, wanting to do nothing but escape this situation.

Make a good impression.

She froze in her place, those subconscious words pulling and posing her to face Clotted Cream Cookie once again. “...I should be the one honored to be in your presence.” She pitched her words higher at the end, hoping to sound more sweet but instead coming off as if she were choking on durian fumes.

An awkward silence ensued, with Strawberry Tea Cookie unable to think of what to say next.

“Well, tonight we are celebrating the reconstruction of the Crème Republic,” the Consul mentioned with a polite, charming smile. “You and Strawberry Butler Cookie are more than welcome to attend.”

Would she have enough time to go? Getting settled into her new home will most likely take the entire day. 

But she remembered the way her mother became the definitive head of House Strawberry. Through courting the eldest son of the Oolong Dynasty and conducting complex business negotiations, she was able to establish a strong tea trade agreement that worked in House Strawberry’s favor. These imported teas, combined with the refreshing selection of fruits found deep within the Cranberry Forest, quickly became a household staple throughout the kingdom. The economic prosperity that followed immediately convinced Goji Berry Cookie to select Strawberry Mousse Cookie as their next leader. 

If Strawberry Tea Cookie could continue expanding House Strawberry’s trading network, it would surely increase her chances of taking back her heirship. As far as she knew, all her cousin did was paint and nothing else. He was not exposed to the business side of House Strawberry like she was, and perhaps she could use that to her advantage to expand her feats beyond fashion.

“We’ll be sure to attend,” Strawberry Tea Cookie gave another curtsy. As she dipped, the tiredness that was temporarily lifted instantly came crashing down. While she absolutely despised entertaining strangers, it was something she must do in order to prove herself. “Thank you so much for extending this invitation.”

“It’s only natural to invite friends of Hollyberry Cookie and Wildberry Cookie,” Clotted Cream Cookie chimed. “I’ll be looking forward to your appearance this evening~.”

“My lady, the carriage is ready to take us to our accommodations.” Strawberry Butler Cookie announced.

“Why don’t we come along and help you unpack?” Hollyberry Cookie offered, her retainer nodding in agreement. “You have at least twelve full juice barrels worth of stuff, it’s going to take you until the next morning to go through everything, haha!”

Strawberry Tea Cookie glanced at the wagon with all her packed belongings, which seemed even more comically small compared to the carriage from the day before. 

“If you two wouldn’t mind,” Strawberry Tea Cookie turned back to answer them. “The help would be greatly appreciated.” Especially from two of the strongest cookies in the Hollyberry Kingdom.

“We would be more than happy to help,” Wildberry Cookie assured. “And I could give you all a tour of the Crème Republic afterwards.”

“Thank you, but we would like to decline,” Strawberry Butler Cookie cut in, interjecting before the designer could agree to Wildberry Cookie’s offer. “My lady had quite a… restless night, it would be best if she didn’t over exert herself before tonight’s party.” He shot her a finalizing glare, which Strawberry Tea Cookie matched with an annoyed one.

However another pulse of exhaustion struck her right after, and she found her initial irritation immediately transformed into gratitude for her butler’s intervention.

Perhaps she overdid it a little… But does she even have the luxury to take a break?

“Clotted Cream Cookie, why don’t you join us?” Hollyberry Cookie, who was in the process of boarding the wagon, asked. “The more hands, the merrier!”

“Thank you, but I’ll have to decline,” the Consul smiled as he took a step back. “I’m afraid there are other items that I must attend to before tonight’s celebration.”

“To the sharpest piping tip as usual, Consul,” the former queen teased. “Very well, that leaves more fun for us~!”

Strawberry Tea Cookie couldn’t help but feel amused at the fact that Hollyberry Cookie seemed more excited to go than she was. But perhaps it was another opportunity to spend time with cookies she deemed close.

.

.

.

.

The wagon, pulled by two cream coated cookie horses, slowly made its way down the azure streets of the Republic, gently rocking against the many bleached shells unevenly mixed into the pavement. Despite the wall of buildings blocking out most of the sun’s rays, a few slivers of brilliant light managed to weave its way through the thin alleyways, accentuating the road’s pearlescent shine that glimmered with prosperity and new beginnings.

As her friends chatted amongst themselves, Strawberry Tea Cookie settled into the ride by watching the cookies going about their daily lives. She observed as they greeted each other in passing, darting in and out of the many luxuriously decorated storefronts the street had to offer. Some stayed to chat, their conversations lost to the whims of the wind that lightly blew on hanged laundry and ruffled the newspapers cookies were reading. Others were more in a hurry, barreling past those who walked with leisure towards an unknown destination, their ambitious worry uncaring as the neatness of their clothes waned.

Each cookie here seemed to radiate an aura of nobility, both in the way they dressed and acted. Their clothes were timelessly dandy and darling, much unlike the more loose-fitting garments the Old Vanilla Kingdom was known for. Waffle cloaks and cotton robes were replaced with more form-fitting suits, its colors paled to the simple warmth of the past. Despite its origin, they were a perfect blend between the clothing upper and lower class cookies wore back in the Hollyberry Kingdom—which could serve to benefit Strawberry Tea Cookie when developing her new collection.

But for now, she should focus on studying Republic attire. She already pinpointed a few boutiques to visit once she had settled down, and tonight’s celebration should give her a better understanding of how cookies here dressed.

The wagon stopped in front of a house that was sandwiched between two storefronts. It was a double layered, rectangular building coated in white buttercream stucco; thick, flat white piping bordered the leveled roof and where the two layered floors met. The upper layer had a set of rectangular, blue double doors that opened to a balcony full of bougainvillea jelly cube flowers. Its vines crept down to the lower layer, surrounding the front door and the triple paned window adjacent to it, both of which were also framed in blue. Underneath the window was a stubby planter the same width as the sill, holding an assortment of lush green shrubbery.

This seemed to have been a shop converted into a residence.

Strawberry Tea Cookie was the first to hop off the wagon followed by Hollyberry Cookie and Wildberry Cookie, Strawberry Butler Cookie stayed behind to unload everything with the—albeit unwelcomed—help of the coachcookie.

“The owner said that the key should be here somewhere…” The designer mumbled as she sorted through the multitude of rocks found at the base of the planter. But with a bit of digging, she managed to find a bronze key taped to the underside of a medium-sized rock chocolate. She immediately dashed to unlock the door, just in time for Strawberry Butler Cookie to carry in the first bundle of luggage.

Upon entering the foyer, which was connected to another room, the four cookies were greeted with walls frosted in buttercream white and floors made of geometrically arranged brown sugar cubes. There was a set of stairs going to the second floor, and a corridor that led to the living room.

The living room was illuminated by a wide, arched window that opened into a quaint courtyard shared by other buildings. There was a tall lamp in the corner where two long, beige sofas met; marshmallow pillows dyed in various shades of red decorated each couch, matching the carpet’s color underneath. At the center was a short, ovalish coffee table with a few magazines neatly arranged across. There was a bathroom adjacent to the corridor’s entrance, right under the stairs.

The kitchen, only separated by a single counter from the living room, had wooden counters lacquered with melted sugar spanning the entire perimeter of the area; white cabinets connected the counters to the floor. In the middle of the kitchen was an island counter surrounded by four cracker stools. Above it was a crate-esque structure where various kitchenware hung from. There was another window above the sink that looked out to the courtyard, along with a door in the corner to exit.

“This isn’t as fancy as the kitchen back home,” Strawberry Butler Cookie commented as he inspected the stove and fridge. “But it’ll do,” he quickly glanced at the pots and pans provided, grimacing at their battered forms. “Good thing I brought my own supplies…”

Another small corridor, which doubled as a sort of pantry, connected the kitchen back to the seemingly empty room next to the foyer. Said room, as Strawberry Tea Cookie stepped into it, was completely flooded with natural light due to the curved windows that almost touched the ceiling. Maroon curtains, tied at the ends in a pretty bow, partitioned off each window panel. At one corner was a sugar lacquered desk and chair, and in the center was a long wooden table with a basket on it.

The basket had an assortment of dried fruit and chocolates, along with a note from the owner of the residence that read: “I cleared this room so you could have some space to work on your designs. I hope this and the new decor make you feel more at home!”

Strawberry Tea Cookie smiled, her host was so much nicer compared to her previous landlord, who kept raising the rent every month until her and Mont Blanc Cookie decided staying in that dingy shoebox wasn’t worth the coins.

Stepping up to the second floor led to a guarded landing made of hardwood, which curved in an L shape along the stairs. It had three rooms; a storage closet was at the backmost of the house, followed by two bedrooms.

The bedroom next to the storage closet had a curtained window overlooking the courtyard. It was quaint; unremarkable with only a simple twin bed, desk, and dresser. Strawberry Butler Cookie took that room.

Next to that room was what many would consider the master bedroom, given how it was the largest and in possession of the balcony. The room was furnished with a queen sized bed decorated in red pillows and blankets, it also had a small vanity that doubled as a desk, along with a walk-in closet. Given how her butler claimed the previous room, Strawberry Tea Cookie was left with this room—not that she was complaining.

“We should start unpacking,” Wildberry Cookie mentioned, watching the location of the sun from the balcony. “The celebration will start in a few hours.”

“I agree,” Strawberry Butler Cookie turned to exit the bedroom. “At the very least we should get the big ticket items set up, like my lady’s sewing machine.”

“Then let’s get to it!” Hollyberry Cookie exulted, raising her fist. “With the four of us, we’ll get everything settled in no time!”

[nerdieforpedro]

12/10/2023 - Weekend Update

Nerdie! Look at you staying on a schedule.

I know! Being half-way organized. It's kinda nice.

We'd never thought we'd see the day. So what's new?

I made some fic posts this week:

Sard'ika Sessions - Session Two (Din Djarin x plus size female reader)

Christmas List (Robbie Reyes x reader)

The Brave, The Bold, The Dirty - Fanfics that I adore (Volume 3)

A New Tradition with Frankie (Frankie Morales x GN reader)

We also spread positivity though everyone's ask boxes and exchanged lovely messages with each other and loved on each other.

Read anything this week?

I did. A large portion of it is in my Fanfic appreciation post volume 3 which the link is above. I also started a volume 4 because I love highlighting different author's works that I've enjoyed. 😀

I'm just going to pick my top three for the week:

Don't Drink the Punch by @wildemaven (Soft Dave and female reader. I'm a fan of soft Dave. He can be soft and sweet. He and the reader are married and they're at a work event. It's lovely.)

Exposed by @maggiemayhemnj (Ezra and female reader. Turns out this is her first fic. I was flabbergasted. The Imagery, word flow and cadence are all from someone who's pen name is one word, like Cher or Homer or Ms. PayDay.)

Insatiable by @pedge-page (Frankie Morales and female reader. Part three of their three part emotional sexual odyssey with Frankie and the female reader. There's big feelings and lots of smut abound. But there is a sweet end to it.)

What happened outside of fanfics this week?

I was sick most of the week. I ended up in the ED at work and was out for the week. Thankfully I'm on the mend and should be ready this upcoming week for work and beyond! I caught up on different FBI shows, watched Loki with my mom (she wonders if he's going to be at a convention - I'm hoping not so she won't bum rush the man,) and bought a book on flowers. I've also been starting back up on learning Spanish again.

What's coming up this week?

I'm working on another Robbie Reyes fic - likely to be a one shot but dark because the Rider is dark. Gabriel Luna had a birthday this past week, @musings-of-a-rose sent me all the pictures so this is where we are in life right now. All Luna’ed down and what not.

I'm gonna try for some more fluff, maybe with Dieter, Frankie or Benny. Not sure who. We'll see.

I could, possibly, be working on one of my other series that I started and dropped like a hot potato. Maybe they'll have new chapters. People were reading them, which was the weirdest thing.

Session Three of Sard'ika Sessions will be up on Wednesday. The Way is paved with Space Smut according to the Maker. 🫡 We'll be at the mid-point so we're in for a shift, but no worries. Session four, five and six took up a lot of pages in my notebook and it was all outlined with a lot of things. Maybe some more improper beskar use? Might need to touch base with The Armorer on that. 👀 Didn't know that was included in the ancient ways either.

Nerdie, don't be messing with The Creed like that.

To be fair, I did mention in Session one that there would be liberties taken with both The Creed and The Way so the latter sessions are where more of those liberties are taken. Maybe a lot, maybe a little. You'll have to read and see. Different Mandalorians see The Creed differently, why can’t I?

I am curious about what liberties my Space Sister @linzels-blog would make with The Creed. 🤔

Wait, why is it weird that people were reading your other series?

Since I haven't updated them for months, I didn't expect them to get any comments, then they did. It was very sweet and got me thinking, maybe I should finish that at some point, or at least add to it. I'm trying to focus on one at a time. Can't be crossing streams.

We get it, but that joke though? Could have done without that. Any last thoughts?

I need to work more on the pickled Peña project. Haven't finished that yet. Stay safe and hydrated. There are nasty bugs that are wreaking havoc on people's noses and sinuses. We’re very happy that @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin and @for-a-longlongtime have lived to tell their stories.

Also check your knives and watch your tips. I guess you can palm the tips or take them and do whatever as long as you're safe about it.

Nerdie, what are you talking about...? Do we want to know?

If you know, you know and if you don't, find some hot tips. 😘

Stay safe and don't get any in your eye,

Love Nerdie 💜

(escapes to a certain moodboard 🍆)

Nerdie! You can't just say that and leave! 😠

[divineerdrick]

Munitorium Field Manual for April 25, 2024

Alright! It's time for the next balance pass, and it looks like we're on schedule for quarterly points updates and 6 month dataslates. I'm still hoping we see a new mission pack this year too!

Balance in 40K right now is the best it's probably ever been. However that's cold comfort for some of the armies that are trailing, especially if you're facing off against the new hotness. In the video and article, GW acknowledged a few factions that are specifically being targeted.

Adeptus Mechanicus

Wildly considered the weakest army in the game right now, lowering the point costs any further isn't going to make AdMech players happy. The army is currently the most expensive army to play in the game, and points buffs will only make that worse. Still, they're apparently getting some. Hopefully they'll be carefully targeted, like on Cawl. But AdMech needs rules, not points. GW acknowledged this, but the faction might bet stuck waiting another 3 months.

Space Marines

GW has acknowledged they've written themselves into a corner here. If they buff the underperforming Space Marines, aren't they also buffing the overperforming Black Templars? This means buffs to Space Marines have to come with some buffs and nerfs to the other Chapters. Hopefully a lot for Deathwatch. They're in such a dire state they need their own batch of buffs.

Necrons

We all predicted Necrons would dominate, and they are. It's no surprise they got called out for nerfs. Sounds like at the very least C'tan are getting hit. I don't like the idea of nerfing units because of a good detachment. I'm hoping they'll just reign in the Hypercrypt later.

Orks, Custodes, and Tau

These books just came out but they're getting their true point costs in this MFM. Orks will probably need some nerfs, or they're just going to replace Necrons at the top. Custodes needs buffs, probably in both rules and points. I'm glad they pulled the 4+ FNP from the main detachment, 'cause otherwise you'd never play anything else. But unfortunately it appears to just be gone. In fact nearly all the tools Custodes had to feel and play as an elite army are gone. So while point changes will be nice, they're probably going to need more.

Tau are getting their book after this MFM, so they will be getting their points costs in a little later.

Tyranids

Although not mentioned, I can't help but touch on my faction. Many win rates have Tyranids sitting around 45-46%, just within GWs window of being okay. But as Art of War's Adam Camilleri recently discussed, Tyranids are not in a good spot. When you dig into their win rates you find a troubling trend.

Tyranids are doing fine on bottom tables and outside of competitive. This is good! This means the army has a low skill floor, and makes a good entry point into the game. This is especially important when you consider how popular the faction is and that it's one of the launch factions.

But as you go up deeper into events, Tyranids start to underperform hard. They have a very low skill ceiling. Their main tricks are all skill checks, so any skilled opponent isn't bothered by them. The end result is that Tyranids haven't claimed a single podium at a major event. Compare that to AdMech, with two podiums and a much smaller player base, and Tyranids start to look like they may be the true weakest faction in the game.

Let's hope they don't get overlooked . . .

Again, I'm going to do this more by vibe than specific changes, unless something really strikes me.

Adepta Sororitas

For a faction that is doing this well, this almost all looks like internal balance changes. Crusaders and Deathcult got a strange nerf to their 2 man units, making them completely inefficient now. But the big nerfs are to the Triumph of Saint Katherine and the Blade of Saint Elynor. This will probably steal one small unit from the average Sisters army.

Adeptus Custodes

Oh wow! That's just all good news. And boy do our Golden Gods and Goddesses need it right now! Unfortunately these green changes are from the Codex, not from the Index. Still there are buffs here. I just don't think it will be enough to stop them from plummeting into D-Tier again.

Adeptus Mechanicus

There are infantry buffs here that probably have AdMech players wincing, but a lot of these are targeted where they need to be. Cawl is down 30 pts. Kastelans are down 20. Destroyers, Dunecrawlers, and Disintegrators are all down 10. Now if we can get some rules changes . . .

Aeldari

The Galaxy's former rulers could still use some nerfs, but this still feels mostly like internal balance changes. The only serious nerf here is Fuegan. Also GW would like it if you didn't take Shadow Spectres.

Warp Spiders still haven't gotten a real nerf. I mean, come on!

Agents of the Imperium

The Callidus finally gets a nerf, and it's only 10 pts. Pretty sure that's still auto-include in most lists. Henchman are now 50 pts base and Kyria Draxus is up 10 as well. This is actually a pretty serious nerf to Custodes.

Astra Militarum

Guard needed more love than they got last time, and now they're getting it. While indirect has been further nerfed, and both Bullgryn and Kasrkin took a hit, Scions, Leman Russes, and Hellhounds all got buffs. This feel like a tad too much internal balance tweaking, but the Leman Russ buffs are going to help a lot.

Black Templars

GW says it's time to pay for those meltas! Also, Crusader Squads have taken another of those weird, minimum squad hits. Larger squads are probably still going to be really good. Sword Brethren finally took a nerf.

Blood Angels

Those are some big nerfs to Death Company and some big buffs to San Guard. Strangely Mephiston also got a buff. Don't threat over that buff to Death Company Intercessors, you're still paying the same cost overall with the nerfs to Priests and Lemartes.

Chaos Daemons

Okay! I've been trying to pay more attention to how Daemons are doing. And they seem to be in a pretty good place! There's probably some internal balance that can still be done, but I think it's fair that they saved their time and manpower for the factions that really need it.

Chaos Knights

This is a little bit surprising. Not only could the Traitor Households use a little love, but Wardog spam is still the only real way to play the faction. They really should have given the big knights a few buffs.

Chaos Space Marines

Last time CSM took the triple tap, and boy did it hurt them! Fortunately, GW is trying to give them a little love without rolling back any of the previous nerfs. There are a lot of buffs here, and some of them are pretty hefty. Hopefully this will help them a bit.

Dark Angels

The Dark Angels Codex was almost universally disappointing. But here are a few nice point bumps on some of their more popular units. Also, Lion El'Jonson went down a full 50 pts!

Death Guard

Another MFM, another quarter of Blighlord Terminators getting left behind. They could have used some targeted buffs, and that one has been needed for a bit now.

Deathwatch

Do you play Deathwatch? Well apparently GW doesn't think you do. The objectively worst faction in the game gets no buffs. They better get some rules changes soon.

Drukhari

Drukhari really benefited from their new detachment, but they could still use a little love. GW thinks they're best staying where they are for now. The pains of making that exactly 50% win rate.

Genestealer Cults

GSC is sitting at 49% though, so they get a few targeted buffs. It's almost all on vehicles, but the slight buff to Aberrants is nice. The vehicles honestly need a detachment to help them out though.

Grey Knights

The Knights from Titan are doing pretty well right now. So GW decided to see if they can fix a little internal balance. As usual, they're trying to make the core Space Marine infantry more appealing.

Imperial Knights

The Knight Households are doing just a little worse than their Traitor counterparts. But they'll find no love here. Maybe GW will finally fix bondsman abilities in the next Dataslate.

Leagues of Votann

Again, Votann needs units. But for now they have to settle on slightly cheaper infantry. Oh, I guess Uthar took a buff too, but he needs rules not points.

Necrons

There is green on this page. Why is there green on this page? Even outside of Hypercrypt, Necrons are still doing quite well. If Orks weren't waiting in the wings, I'd be really worried this was another situation where the internal balance changes leave the top faction exactly where they were.

All of the expected targets took massive nerfs, except for Wraiths. But they let us know that ahead of time. There are some serious buffs here though! Destroyers got some nice drops, as did the Catacomb Command Barge. Necrons are gonna be just fine.

Orks

Again, these colors are based on the Codex, not the previous MFM. Even still, this is nearly all good news for the Greenskins. Squighog Boyz took a really heavy hit. But a lot of stuff either stayed the same or actually went down. Boyz at 85 pts is good news for everyone looking forward to Green Tide. With Badrukk gone, the Flash Gitz need that buff! Orks are going to be in a good place.

Space Marines

They really just don't know what to do with the Angel of Death right now, do they? The Codex Chapters really need some love, and I just don't think this is it. This looks more like an internal balance pass than a buff to an ailing faction. The Terminators could definitely use the buff, but I think they could have left Eliminators and the Stormraven alone for now. I don't think this is going to do much to help the faction as a whole.

Space Wolves

Space Wolves were doing fine. They were about as even keel as you could get. It's their detachment that needs love, not their points. I don't understand how you give them any buffs while ignoring Deathwatch.

T'au Empire

Again, we're getting points changes in their Codex and then in another MFM later. Nothing to report here for now.

Thousand Sons

What am I looking at here? They nerf a few enhancements but otherwise it's all buffs? I have a feeling they legitimately don't know what to do about KSons until they can do another Dataslate. It is true that they're running really tight on points with barely enough units to actually play the game. But that army just hurts people. I can't imagine giving them buffs right now.

Tyranids

Gargoyles are going up again. This probably still isn't to the point where you don't take them. But honestly, again, handing out nerfs to a bottom army always feels bad. Other than that, it's all good news. Maybe we might see the Swarmlord on the table again!

World Eaters

All good news here, and definitely needed. World Eaters got a double tap last time, so this is good. I don't know if this will put Berzerkers on the table, but it would be nice if it does.

Final Thoughts

I have a feeling GW is playing things a little bit cautiously. They've got new Codexes, coming in hot, one right after another, and with a meta this tight they're probably afraid of doing too much. Plus I think they need to figure out Space Marines more.

This feel very much like a band-aid to try and make things a little better before they deliver whatever rules they're working on. I feel like Necrons are going to be fine. They won't be on top anymore but they'll still be strong. Orks are coming in hot, ready to take their rightful place at the top of the pack. Sisters and KSons are also going to be in good shape. Custodes are going to be taking a nose dive, probably right back to the bottom rung.

The changes to AdMech and Tyranids are going to help, but they're not going to make us strong factions. I think CSM is in slightly betters shape, but they're not going to be anything like what they once were. Dark Angels will do a little better, while Black Templars will do a lot worse. Blood Angels and Space Wolves should be fine. I think everyone else is going to be staying roughly where they were.

And if you play Deathwatch, apparently GW would dearly like you to stop.

[matchtaco]

I Assumed Your Words Didn't Affect Me (But Each One Still Haunts Me)

Charles was in a complicated situation, he didn't know what to do, he didn't expect Max to ask him again what happened at the party. It had been his fault, he brought it up, but he hoped Max would ignore it, as he had done in the past.

But no, there he was, the Dutchman looked at the floor, he was waiting for Charles to respond. Zhou had told him that one day it would happen to him, but Charles liked to think that luck would be on his side.

Clearly, he was wrong, now the Chinese driver would make fun of him, and Logan would get mad at Zhou for making fun of him which would cause Oscar to get mad at Logan for being mad at Zhou, and then Yuki would accuse Oscar of liking Zhou to end with Mick making fun of him of Charles.

or

where Charles tells Max anecdotes of his 20 years of life

SPIN-OFF: I Told Myself You Don't Mean A Thing (But Without You I Fell Apart)

Chapter 1: Confessions to the Rhythm of Complicit

the bathroom scene in chapter 4, and Max and Charles talking after Charles's accident in chapter 6 lol

READ IT HERE

so... this is a present for my friend for her birthday and for you who read "I Told Myself You Don't Mean A Thing (But Without You I Fell Apart)", for having waited more than a month for me to update and as now I will pass two weeks without doing it (at least) was the only thing I could do, if they have

the infamous scene of the party and Charles in the hospital, but now there is a reliable narrator.

TW: Spoilers about the main fic, I don't take care that if they read something they didn't want to know lol

Let me know about other scenes in the fic that you want me to have another pov and I'll do it!!

[samioli]

hi, I wanted to give you a lil update. So I had messaged you like, almost a month ago because I asked out a guy I had a crush on, and he said he was interested but not right now because of health problems.

so I still don't have a 100% conclusive like, answer of when it will be the right time. but I do believe he is interested. we've hung out a couple of times since the night I asked him out. he is one of my friends and we have done board game days still like our group regularly does. he has given me a couple of hugs and is always very nice and sweet. he has also been texting me more even though he's not good at texting typically.

anyway the reason I write this today is because yesterday we went to the ren faire. It was 6 people total and I drove 4 of us. It was me and him, and then in the backseat my younger brother and one of his friends. my two best friends drove separately. we met up and we mostly stayed as a group but broke into pairs a few times. also, almost all of us were dressed up. I have a pirate outfit I've been perfecting lol.

anyway again getting to the point (I could ramble on with background and setting and stuff forever). I needed help with my corset, and was going to ask my brother but he was a bit busy with his costume. so my sweet lovely big guy crush sees me struggling and offers to help and I swear I was so red I could've just exploded on the spot. like hello, that's my boobs being propped up in this low cut pirate shirt and you're right there helping me and gah. I'm blushing just recounting it tbh!!!

and he was just a huge sweetheart all day. ever offering assistance, making goofy jokes, and just generally being a good guy and a good friend. I am so smitten apparently. we drove back kind of late into the evening, and listened to my playlist until I offered him to play whatever he wanted. he has great music taste and we're constantly sharing with each other. he was excited and it is delightful hearing him lowly singing along to the songs he knows and loves. so I kind of. told him that. and he thought it was sweet and said he liked it when I was singing with him too which like. I'm normal. I'm just glad that it was dark with again how red I must have been from blushing.

as we got close to his house to drop him off, I said "look I have a confession. I think I've been remarkably normal" which is a very funny and normal thing to say. I explained that I was trying not to have my behavior be uncomfortable or put any pressure on him, but I did buy him a flower from one of the wandering flower vendors at the faire and I was hoping that he would accept it. Tati, he was so sweet about this. He was like "for me?" I said "I think you deserve flowers. And yellow ones for some reason remind me of you a bit" so he took when i dropped him off and gave me a big hug and said "thank you for everything today" and looooook. I do think I've been remarkably normal considering he is like. on my mind. a LOT.

anyway, his health stuff is doing a bit better, because he's had some appointments at the beginning of the month. they're still figuring out what to do besides just wait and make sure the worst of the symptoms don't come back again, but the most concerning symptoms went away recently and he felt up to ren faire. plus we sat on like, all the benches to take a break.

my favorite word is apparently anyway, but I will here instead transition by saying I hope you've enjoyed my silly rambling crush story and I hope you're rooting for us as much as I am. I am going to talk to him again about it in like another month and see where things are at and such. but wow. uh, I just really wanted to gush out a lil like 'update' because I appreciate your advice and wisdom when I sent you that ask a while ago. I am still overthinking about it all the time. I kind of love him. If it wasn't obvious heehee. ty for reading

Anon. I'm so so happy to hear this update. I don't really have much to say other than

I'm rooting for you two!!!!

[totaldramafan-lauri]

Some strange facts about some random anon like me!

I keep checking everyday those past few months when the update came when I still didn't find your tumbler account so I didn't have any knowledge of what was going on but I didn't stop doing that even though I found your Tumblr account everyday because apparently it became a habit.. checking and refreshing my browser page to see if getting updates was the best thing that happens to me with the chapters .. like chapter 8 I think got released on my birthday so I was very happy that I think I got it as a gift from you even though you didn't knew! So even if you didn't know that fact thank you ^-^!

I keep re-reading the parts where Golden cheese is angry because that was kinda a little attractive!.. You made it so well that I was surprised, just a question.. were you getting possessed when you were writing golden cheese or something because you did her so well lol!

I like her firm and dominating.. I just want to imagine it and I'm already getting sleepy due to the high overlord in my mind XD..

Like reader share some of that light- ahem!.. went overboard there..but what I said was true.. I got attach to golden cheese even with the lack of content when I found your fic :))...

I'm happy and kinda sad about the fic ending now.. like I mean I have been here since chapter 3-4.. even though I think that's not kinda long..I think?.. I basically got attached since that's too long that I will eventually get attached! Even if it's just writing! I waited for it.. I waited even if my time was wasted, I waited and it was worth it.. I was happy!.. I'm happy reader have found golden cheese cookie again at ending 2.. now I don't know where I should find another golden cheese fic again because apparently.. no one write her much since all the attention went to Burnt cheese due to his natural attractive nature with that long hair..

I would eat and gamble all that yummy food that people would write fics about golden cheese because it's the most delicious thing I can have in crk for awhile.. since I recently just join because I was raging at the lag months ago so-..

Take care by the way! I hope this brightens your mood like the other anons!

AAAAAA, h-holy crap! Yeah, this did make me happy! Thank you so much! I was already feeling a lot better about myself today, so you didn't have to do anything to cheer me up, s-so don't worry about that.....I-I was just a bit stuck in my head yesterday....^^;

Y-yeah, it's a shame that she doesn't get a lotta X Reader fics....I checked that tag recently, and the whole thing was me, like ONE other fic, and some older compilation stuff from pre-her release (when most of her characterization was just people speculating cuz we knew so little about her). She deserves so much more! Sh-she's just SUCH a cool character....! B-but sadly, I did see it coming, cuz back during her update, i-it really did immediately seem like Burnt got all the simps....I-it felt like I was in my own corner.....Wh-which is why it's such a pleasant surprise to me that my fic's gotten as much love as it has!

I-I do have ideas for other fics about her, and....i-if I ever do get to those, it'll probably be just for the sake of giving my fellow simps more food, cuz.....th-there's so little of it.....>///////>

A-also, the whole "it felt like you were possessed by the character while you were writing them" is SUUUUUCH a good compliment to give a fic writer, you have no idea....I-I really had so much fun writing her after I got the hang of it, so hearing that I did that good a job makes me feel very.....very good.....Cuz, I DID try to make her as in-character as I could, even if I got a bit indulgent in the last few chapters......X//////D

R-really, thanks so much for sticking with me for so long....( If you're telling the truth that chapter 8 was posted on your birthday, then wow, that's VERY lucky, cuz that was a really important chapter, for....o-obvious reasons, pffff.....) I-it's good to know that I was able to keep someone's interest for this long....Now, if CRK sticks true to their word and we DO see her again in canon soon, the game'll do the work for you while I take a rest from writing for a while! We'll see when that happens tho....So....y-yeah, thank you....!

[comfortlesshurt]

September 2024 Plans!

As promised, I'm focusing on editing this month! No fandom update--you're still stuck with my Voltron obsession. I plan to publish one new chapter or oneshot tops since I'm focused on other things. (I have not been in a mood to finalize drafts, so I keep starting or working on them but not finishing.)

Had another mid-month change of plans, so if you saw the original goals, no you didn't!

General goals:

Newly published WC: 3,022/3,000

Have VLD surpass SM WC: 51,386/100,258

Since I missed the for funsies goal last month, here we are again aiming for 250k overall hits on AO3 by the end of the month! (Is it important? No, but it will make me feel good to be able to say I have a quarter of a million hits, you know?)

Recycling some goals from last month:

Finish 40k in 42 days by 9/14

Finish one bingo prompt

Full outline for LTS(LTFH) fic 1

Seven Songs of Suffering:

Did I forget I said I was gonna do a September challenge? Hell yeah, I did! These will be on the shorter side, and I'm not promising to do all seven. (But all seven is the goal in theory.) Since I forgot, I'm giving myself an extra week to wrap these up, so they're now due 9/21.

Control - Halsey

Sweet but Psycho - Ava Max

Bury a Friend - Billie Eilish

Daylight - David Kushner

Secrets - OneRepublic

I Can't Decide - Scissor Sisters

Rescue - Lauren Daigle

Editing by priority:

All are getting a technical review and a review of summary/tags, but some older fics are getting some extra help. This is NOT intended to be complete by the end of the month. It's just a list to keep me on track for when I don't feel like drafting new stuff.

Emeto: title change, style update

Flu: title change, style update

on the run: deadass don't remember this one, so we'll see

5 Times Lance Doesn't Matter +1 Time He Finally Does

Smiling 'cause you're used to it (a house that's always haunted)

Chemicals, chemicals in my brain (where'd you go, where'd you go anyway?)

Nowhere to call home (so I'll pack and run away)

5 Times Peter Struggled with Spider Metabolism, +1 Time Tony Helped: possible style update

Whump Bingo: major edit--these were barely edited in the first place, oops

Anywhere but Here: style update

Sick Days

Take the worst situation (make a worse situation)

We are the reckless (we are the wild youth)

Cocktails and Consequences: content edit since I barely drank before I wrote this and didn't research alcohol at all

Sickdays 5.0 Day 7: Temperature: title

See me here (meet me here)

And it hits between the eyes on this side

Sickdays 2.0 Day 2 & 5: Sick at a Party & Gently Tinged with Red: title, brainstorm for a closing chapter

Sickdays Day 5: Rapid Onset: title

Impressions

Sickdays 4.0 Day 1: The Oblivious Partner: title

Sickdays 4.0 Day 7: Chain Reaction: title

Sickdays 5.0 Day 6: Public Illness: title

I've got you stuck on my mind (and it's driving me crazy)

Days locked in a haze (trying to forget you)

Sickdays Day 6: Public Illness: title

I want to know who you are (I want to know who you were)

Will you stay with me for another day? (I don't want to be alone in this state)

I'm keeping you at bay (and I'm lonely)

Sickdays 5.0 Day 3: Caretaking Focus: title

Weightless (only wait for a fall)

Hiding It

I feel strange

Bullies and Bailing: possible content edit because I just don't like this one at all

Made a Mess

Season Three

Oh god

I'm not saying I told you so...

Sickdays 5.0 Day 4: Not the Norm: title and possible content edit because I HATE this fic with a burning passion

Accident

Don't ruin this

Rapid Onset

No Right Side: content edit because I don't like how this came out

Frostbite

Happily Ever After

Wes

Touch of the skin brings trembles and shivers

Favorite Outfit

Sleepless folks watching light grow (through their early morning windows)

Folklore

Origins

Ember

Monster

Red

Food

Peace

Road Trip

Fentonworks

+2 anonymous works

LTS(LTFH):

As always, I'll be working on this in the background. Still hoping to have the first fic ready for the new year!

Fic 1: reach 50% completion on 100k rough draft (reach goal: 60%)

Fic 2: reach 40% completion on 50k rough draft (reach goal: 50%)

Fics 3 & 4: note ideas, adjust outlines, & just generally figure these out.

Side stories: add content as it comes up in main fics.

Longer term:

As always, this is a loose plan and I may adjust future goals based on current performance.

September 2024 - editing published works and drafting LTS(LTFH).

October 2024 - currently looking into Whumptober; if not that, it's another big LTS(LTFH) month.

November 2024 - still NaNoWriMo (though now unofficially), definitely LTS(LTFH) as the project. I won't be starting from a blank doc, but I never was a NaNo rule follower, and I'm just happy to add 50k to a project or split it between two or three.

December 2024 - LTS(LTFH) major content and continuity edit plus first technical edit. (Or possible writing break month. TBD.)

January 2025 - LTS(LTFH) fic 2 & 3 & aspiring first publish date for fic 1.

February 2025 - LTS(LTFH) fic 2 & 3.

[chiimeramanticore]

Part of the Band - Chapter 22 - Old Habits, Fresh Starts

Chapter summary: The gang goes to Showbiz to sign up as the venue's band. Beach Bear reunites with a friend. Dook tells an embarrassing story. A/N:

I may have been gone for four months but I assure you. this fic only dies when I do I don't have anything special to say for this chapter lol so notes from me are short today. here's hoping it won't be another 4 months until I update again 👍

Chapter word count: <- Chapter 21 - Chapter 23 -> Read it on AO3!

The restaurant is still preparing for opening day by the time the band arrives. The place smells strongly of paint, and you can't turn a corner without almost knocking someone over with supplies in their arms. Still, the group makes their way in and manages to find the cat they spoke to at the copier store.

"Hey, it's you guys!" He says upon catching their eye. "I wasn't sure you'd actually show up. But, ah– I am glad you're here, of course! I assume you're here to sign up to try out."

"Try out?" Mitzi asks.

"Sure," the cat says. "You guys aren't the only band who wants this stage, y'know. Nothing wrong with a little healthy competition, right?" He chuckles, though it comes out a bit tense. "I'll, ah, take you to see the boss."

The cat leads the group down a hallway toward the manager's office. They pass by a kitchen, and another room that seems to just be an open space.

"What's that?" Dook asks.

"Oh, that'll be the game room," the cat tells him. "We're expecting a bunch of arcade cabinets to come in soon."

Dook shoots an excited glance to his left, his gaze being met by Mitzi. She looks equally excited about this.

"Bet you guys'll get Space Invaders?" Mitzi says.

"Bet I'll cream you in it," Dook says to her.

"You wish!" Mitzi giggles.

Finally, the group stops outside the manager's office. The cat turns to them. "I think he's still finishing up with another group right now, so give him a minute first. I gotta go worry about these painters we hired who act like they're allergic to tarp." He bounces on his feet once, then turns to leave.

Beach Bear snickers. "Good luck, uh... I don't think you ever told us your name."

"Oh! Call me Crusty," the cat calls back. "Good luck with the boss!"

"Call him Crusty," Dook murmurs. Then, to Beach Bear, "Sounds familiar." Beach Bear scoffs, playfully nudging Dook.

The hallway they've all been led into is narrow, and not exactly comfortable in a large group. Thankfully, it's only a short while before the door to the office opens.

"Finally," Beach Bear says, approaching the door. He moves to step inside, only to be caught face to face with someone trying to leave. A mouse, with brown fur and blonde hair, only barely comparable to Beach Bear in height by way of the heels she's wearing.

"Mini?" Mitzi says, but she doesn't get a response. Mini and Beach Bear have locked eyes, and neither seem to be able to break the uncomfortable silence that follows. That is, until Beach Bear's mouth twitches into something resembling a confused smile, and he laughs.

"What are you doing h–?" He glances behind her, seeing a small group behind her also waiting to leave. A dog, a gorilla, a wolf, and... another polar bear. His smile quickly fades.

"I have other stuff going on," Mini replies calmly, quietly. "I hope you don't think my life revolves around you."

Beach Bear's eyes are transfixed on the other bear. "I... don't," he murmurs.

"I should be asking what you're doing here," Mini continues, still just as quiet, as if this conversation isn't for others to hear. "We signed up first."

"...Healthy competition," Beach Bear finally pries his eyes away and back to Mini. "Least, that's what Crusty said."

"We didn't know there was gonna be another band," Dook tries, but goes equally ignored.

Mini chews her lip for a moment, looking Beach Bear up and down. "You could let us out."

Beach Bear seems to be sizing her up just as much as she is him. "...You look good," he says. There's nothing sarcastic in his voice when he says it, but her expression finally sours anyway.

"You could move," she reiterates, a bit louder now.

Beach Bear steps aside, but then reaches an arm out, blocking the doorway. He glances back toward the other bear, but addresses Mini, "Who's the new guy?"

"Name's Bosco," the bear replies. His voice is deep, and he carries a perpetually sour expression on his face. Beach Bear bites his lip, a failed attempt at hiding his smirk. After another knowing look at Mini, he finally moves aside fully, letting them all out. Dook watches the group pass by him– Bosco is tall, taller than Beach Bear. Is he meant to be a replacement for him? Then, he looks toward Mitzi. She seems as surprised as anyone else... did she not know what her sister was planning?

"Well, ah–" He starts.

"Hey, what's with the hold up here?" A rat stands impatiently in the doorway. He's stout, about Mitzi's height, and is holding a fat, smoldering cigar. "You guys the next group or what?"

"Uh, y- yes!" Billy Bob stands. "Yessir. We're the Rock-afire Explosion, and–"

"Save it." The rat returns inside his office, waving a hand behind him for the rest of the group to follow.

The office is a small, smoky room, with stacks of paperwork and other little messes strewn about the desk and the floor. The walls are a dark olive green. A window on the right wall has its blinds pulled tightly closed. A paint can sits by the wall, left open. It seems even this place hasn't been exempt from the chaos of construction. The boss's desk sits at the center-back of the room, with a plush leather chair to match. The rat assumes his position in the chair, flicking his cigar over an ashtray. At the front of his desk is a name plaque: "Chuck E. Cheese - Chief Entertainment Officer."

"So," he says. "Real ragtag kinda group you guys got here. What kinda music do you do?"

"Rock and roll," Beach Bear answers.

"Well, hey, not entirely," Billy Bob says. "I might wanna write some country music, too."

"And I wanna sing pop music," Mitzi chimes in.

"Can't go wrong with a little soul, too," Fatz adds.

"Alright, alright!" Chuck says. "I'm puttin' you down as 'eclectic'." He doesn't move to write anything down. "Besides, having a multi-genre-capable sort of band works for us, needing a cover band and all that."

"A huh?" Billy Bob says.

"A cover band?" Chuck says. "Didn't any of you read the flyer?"

"That wasn't on the flyer," Beach Bear says.

Chuck pulls open a drawer on his desk and slaps a copy of the flyer onto the table. "There," he says, a finger pointing toward some small text along the bottom edge. "Says we're looking for a cover band. Is that gonna be a problem?"

"No problem at all," Billy Bob says quickly. "We're all fine doin' song covers, aren't we, guys?" The rest of the group all murmurs awkward agreement. "See? No problem."

"Alright, alright," Chuck mutters.

"Any other fine print we might've missed in there?" Fatz asks, half sarcastically.

"Oh, we can go through all the terms if you folks wanna," Chuck responds, fully sarcastic. But intent on following through, he opens another drawer and retrieves a stack of papers, slapping them down on the desk in a similar fashion. "Basically outlines the pay, the hours, the clientele–"

"Is there something special about the clientele?" Beach Bear asks.

"Sure is," Chuck says, "they're human."

The room goes quiet for a moment, everyone apparently at a loss for words. Then, after a beat, Mitzi says: "Why?"

"My mother was half human herself, on her father's side," Chuck says plainly.

"Really?" Dook says.

"No," Chuck says. "But we are still a human-friendly establishment. Not exclusively humans, mind you! But, y'know, they'll be around. That a problem?"

"No problem," Beach Bear says this time. "We're fine with humans." No one protests outright, but the air hangs a little tenser in the room.

"Good," Chuck says, and the tension finally eases. "I'm assumin' you're all willin' to work nights and weekends and what-have-you?"

"Of course," Billy Bob says.

"Great." Chuck opens a third drawer and pulls out a clipboard with a form on it. "Whichever of you is the most literate, come fill this out." Everyone looks at Fatz– save for Fatz, who looks at Beach Bear.

"What?" Fatz says. "He's the English major."

Beach Bear rolls his eyes and approaches the desk. He takes the clipboard and a pen from Chuck and moves to the side to fill it out.

"While he's doing that, any of you have any questions for me?" Chuck asks the rest of the group.

"...Is your last name really Cheese?" Mitzi asks.

"Your last name is Mozzarella," Dook says.

"Oh, right," she whispers. "What's the E stand for?"

"Entertainment," Chuck replies.

"That can't be your real name," Dook blurts. Chuck only responds with a smile.

Thankfully, it doesn't take much longer for Beach Bear to finish filling out the form. He hands it triumphantly to Chuck, who looks it over.

"What'd you say your band was called again...?" He squints, holding the paper an inch closer. "The Rock-afire Explosion?"

"That's us," Beach Bear says.

"Hm. Dumb name."

·–—–·

"So... Humans, huh?" Beach Bear says. The ride home has been pretty silent between the two of them, and Beach Bear only speaks up once they've pulled into their driveway.

"Yeah," Dook responds. "What do you think?"

"Ah, I don't care," Beach Bear says. "They look different, sure, but us working on stage doesn't really mean we'll have to interact with them. It'll be fine. Why, what do you think?"

"I dunno," Dook says. "I don't think humans are bad... I just don't know much about 'em."

"They're just people," Beach Bear assures him. "They're probably more scared of us than we are of them, ha."

"Should they be?"

"No! Of course not. But, I dunno... I guess I get their perspective. If I created a new form of life and it ran off and started doing its own thing, I'd probably be a little freaked out about it too."

Dook ponders this for a moment. "You don't think they think we're, like, monsters, right?"

Beach Bear laughs. "Probably not you. You're a big cuddly puppy dog. Me, though? I don't think most humans will ever even see a real polar bear in their lives."

"Have you seen one?" Dook asks, and Beach Bear shakes his head. On this note, they both leave the car and move into the house. Beach Bear heads to the kitchen to root around for snacks, while Dook wanders to the couch. He sits sideways, keeping an eye on Beach Bear.

"What if I do somethin' embarrassing?" Dook asks.

"What do you mean?" Beach Bear replies, his head inside the fridge.

"Like, on stage, in front of the humans. What if I say somethin' dumb?"

Beach Bear is quiet for a second before responding, "What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?"

"...Huh?"

"What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?" He repeats, finally moving to look at Dook. He shuts the fridge and moves toward the couch, soda can in hand.

Dook stutters a few times, unsure how to respond. It's not something he was planning to recall today. He's not even sure what his most embarrassing moment is. Beach Bear joins him on the couch now, sitting to his right.

"I can go first, if you want," he offers.

"I didn't know we were takin' turns."

"Sure. Like..." He thinks for a moment. "Mine was in the eighth grade. I had a crush on this girl– her name was Mindy." Beach Bear begins to describe his classmate, and Dook feels himself growing... disappointed. Of course Beach Bear likes girls. Had he been assuming he'd ever have a chance with him? Of course he doesn't. He finds himself withdrawing from the story, something about Beach Bear wanting to impress her during a school talent show and doing a poor job.

"Alright, your turn," Beach Bear says, and Dook blinks.

"Uh..." He'd already forgotten he was supposed to tell a story, too. "For me, it was..." He's still drawing a blank. "...It was also a girl. I, uhh, I wanted to impress her, so I..." His eyes meet Beach Bear's, who's watching him intently. He's so earnest... It's so unfair. "...So I joined her band," Dook says. "We were young, so the band didn't work out. And... turns out she didn't even like boys. So I never had a chance, anyway."

"Man," Beach Bear says. "That does suck."

"Why'd you ask me to tell you that?" Dook grumbles. He feels his face growing hot– he really has embarrassed himself.

"Because," Beach Bear says, putting a hand on Dook's back. "If you say something silly while we're on stage, I guarantee you it won't be as embarrassing as our most embarrassing moments. So you're gonna be fine!"

Beach Bear laughs, and Dook feels some awful mix of desire and shame. He wishes he could slap Beach Bear's hand away– how could he touch him like this after all but rejecting him? Yet at the same time, he wishes the moment could last forever, feeling the warmth from his palm bleed into his own body. It's selfish, it's greedy... it's humiliating.

If he can't keep it together, it could start getting in the way of the band, and cost them their job at Showbiz. He can't let that happen– not just for his own sake, but for everyone's in the band. So in that moment, Dook quietly makes a resolution to himself: he must swallow his feelings for Beach Bear, for good.

[holy-batmans]

I’m having a lot of thought’s about your Temptest of oblivion fic and I know you might never finish it so I’m gonna ask you some questions.

You don’t have to answer all of the questions or you can just ignore the whole thing …

Does it have a happy ending or does it end in tragedy?

Is Dick underage when they finally get together or do they wait till he is of age?

Do they even end up together?

How do Dick’s parents react?

Would Bruce’s parents even support it?

What does Alfred think of them????

I’m sorry if this is a lot but I cannot go another day without knowing

You might be seeing me again if you don’t mind because I have plenty of thoughts about abof lol your stories compel me.

First thank you!!! Its so nice when people talk about my fics and Temptest of Oblivion was one i REEEALLY loved back in the day.

Stupid fact no one asked for but in my doc drafts i called it "seasons of love" (so LAME i know 😭) but because i would outline everything for it by year and then month of each year to try to fit with the sorta flow you can get in school. Idk but it was different from any other i did / have done before and I always liked that for it 🤷

I will answer SOME because normally i'm a dillhole and like to keep things close to the chest but Lorde have mercy I no longer have that right when it comes to these old fics that got lost in the sauce of my life.

Please don't read further if you don't want minor spoilers on a long un-updated fic

1. Yes, this is one that i did always want to have a (somewhat) happy ending because they deserve it damnit and I am often so rude and mean to my favorite blorbos.

2. Something i grabbled with a lot but it was going to slowly progress and yes, probably. (if youve read my other fics then yea, thats usually my MO)

3. They are in LOVE and i cannot keep them apart

4-6 🥴😈🫣 in no particular order or comparison.

Truthfully I'm a hopeless idealist and still have so many outlines and drafts that I always like to think i'll post back to it when my life aligns for it again. I hope it's true, because this was one of my favorite, melancholic babies and it makes me so god damn giddy and happy to hear you loved it so much too????

thank you omg 💖

[astral-athame]

((Okay, so... it's officially the 23rd (And has been for 2+ hours here actually ^^;). With that said, I'm gonna give ya'll a little update for the remainder of the year:

Today (12/23): TONS of baking (I have 4 pumpkin rolls, a batch of kkwabaegi, chocolate chip cookies, mini apple pies, and mini chocolate cupcakes to make) both before and after the Christmas party at my grandma's. This is gonna be rough- I don't want to have to see my mom and my step-dad, but I do want to see my grandma because it's been 4 years and I miss her and I always regret not being able to go to my grandpa's funeral in 2020...

Tomorrow (12/24): Christmas at my sister's (which is why I have so much baking to do ^^; Only the kkwabaegi is for today's party, everything else, including the pumpkin cupcakes and the sugar cookies I already made, is for tomorrow). This is gonna be a fun one, but it'll probably be a long day.

12/25: Probably nothing too big. We might go over to our dad's for a few hours (though he'll be at the party tomorrow, of course) to hang out with him and our step-mom for a bit.

12/26: Possible Christmas at step-grandma's, it depends on how she feels. Even when she feels good, though, these parties are usually only 3 or 4 hours at most. Just some time to eat and chat and such. Nothing big.

12/27-12/29: I don't think there's anything going on those days so- freedom!

12/30: Christmas party at my Aunt's place. This is gonna be nightmare levels of rough because, again, I'm only going to this to see one or two people, but I'm REALLY not looking forward to seeing my Aunt Alice, her husband, or their daughter. They're judgemental as hell and give only the most backhanded of compliments (if they give compliments at all). I'll probably come home from this feeling drained and maybe even wanting to cry so... ya know. Not likely to be a good day. Hopefully it'll be short.

After that, I go back to work on the 2nd or 3rd (gotta wait for the call) to learn how to substitute in the kitchen (because I told them to put me anywhere except bus monitoring). Dunno how much I'll be subbing in there, but they want to get me trained which will be at least 2 or 3 days of short shifts. I also need to find time post-Christmas to make a phone call to cancel our internet service for our old place because APPARENTLY they didn't disconnect it despite me saying that we DON'T FUCKING LIVE THERE ANYMORE. So guess who just spent an extra $110 on wifi that I don't even have or use at a place that I haven't lived for almost 2 months now?? And then another $145 on top of that for the wifi service at our current address? Seriously, fuck corporations.

So, yeah. Busy busy busy. I'll try to be about when I have time, though! I hope you all are having a nice holiday season <3))

[guzsdaily]

Predicting and programming: enemies for life (part 2)

Day 42 - Dec 17th, 12.023

This is the direct continuation of yesterday's post. I hope that I'm able to continue my daily journals as usual, but there's a strong possibility that one day or another I will not able to post, or need to post after midnight. Also, the entries probably will be shorter or just small updates sometimes even on weekends, but I will try to write them on the morning to be able to have time and brain to do something bigger and with better quality. And some posts I could even need to split into two if I need to stop writing one in the middle, like what's happened yesterday. There's no need to go into details, I don't want to expose my personal life nor of the people around me, I just want to inform that this end of year is not being great to my partner, so I want to be with her as much as I can to help and support her to whatever she needs to.

"A ghostly server"

Like I said in the last part, the application was complaining about not having a server, and the stranger, it was complaining about not having the development server running. This as a production build of the application, the embedded web-app were a static one, a static HTML file, why was it complaining about the server!? I tried searching around the Tauri's GitHub issues, but there was nothing about it, and creating an issue wasn't in my mind at the time because again, I am short in time and couldn't wait for a fix.

So because Tauri wasn't working, and I didn't even want to think about how to fix this problem, I switched back to CapacitorJS. This process was somewhat easy, because both of them are a "wrapper", so I just needed to move the web app part of the application from a template to another, but it was somewhat time-consuming (I'm not so accustomed to Vim and my new file explorer, so navigating was somewhat slower, and like every JavaScript project, just setting it up a template can be time-consuming). But after setting it up, Capacitor compiled, and the app was working as normal without any differences.

Framework hopping

While that was happening, when I started the project, I also wasted a lot of time choosing what framework to use. "Why?" One, JavaScript is an ecosystem that in general can be somewhat overwhelming with choices; Two, I already used SvelteKit for my last application and projects, so this time I wanted something different; Three, I wanted to try something more "native-like".

Web as Native

I started trying to use Framework7, because it has a collection of components and routing that emulates the native-app experience, and most important to me, it had the updated Material Design 3 (Material You) design; with Svelte, my primary UI framework of choice. But it didn't work that well. The routing wasn't how I liked it to be, and Framework7 is a somewhat old framework as it seems (it uses Gulp as its build system and the last commits were a month ago, the project is not that active), it stills a great project, but somewhat difficult to integrate with newer thing like Svelte 4 and Vite. After not being able to, I tried to KonstaUI with Svelte, but ended up with the same results. If you know something about this area of trying to make web apps feel like a native app, you are probably thinking something like "why you didn't use Ionic?", and the main reason is that it stills uses Material Design 2, and personally I like more how the newer version looks. Also, Ionic doesn't have official support for Svelte, and even knowing that the community package is good, I already used it in the past and wanted something new to try.

So, after probably hours, if not a day, trying that, I hopped into another idea. I found something called Beer CSS, a library that creates a Material You look and app using just CSS pretty much, so I could use any framework that I liked! Nonetheless, because it was pure JS and CSS, I thought it would be good to use Astro, so I could also take advantage of its new View Transitions feature, and could use Svelte still for the interactivity blocks. But as you can already tell if you know Astro, it's probably not the best idea to use a static site generator (SSG) as a mobile application framework, however it was working, and I was being able to create something and actually develop the application part of things and not just continue setting up new projects.

Lack of documentation

But then some cracks started to open. Beer CSS's documentation is not the greatest for me, it's mostly code examples and there's pretty much no words about customization and how the CSS words and/or how to manipulate it, and it seems that you really need to follow Material's system and hierarchy to it to work properly. I don't have time for this, and I already wasted 2 to 3 days fighting my way around all of this.

Also, while this was happening, the problem with Tauri also happened, which for some reason also made me switch from Astro to SvelteKit. Why? I don't know really, for me the problem with the server could be related to it, but of course it didn't work, and I had to switch to Capacitor like I said.

Blank screen and broken dreams

And then, another problem appeared out of nowhere, the built app with CapacitorJS started to have a total black screen when I opened it. There were no errors in the console, warnings on the screen, nothing, the app simply stopped working, and I couldn't find anything about it on the issues, and being honest, at this point I had already wasted around a week and couldn't handle it anymore. The idea of not being able to give at least something in time was storming my mind and I ended up wasting another day procrastinating, because I couldn't handle and think of solutions.

I had so many ideas for this app and now everything stopped working, I was exhausted, this was supposed to be something special for my girlfriend, and I don't want to lose the date again, even more now when she's passing difficult times in her life. I need to do and try something.

Compromises

This is where I am right now. I have less than a week to finish this project, and the app itself is way unfinished than I anticipated it would be days ago. So, what we do when this happens? Compromises, I already had in mind that I would create just some features until the date and then update over time, but now it will be just one feature and as an online website for now.

One of the features of this app is an interactive messaging page, to give complements and things like that, but for now I will try to repurpose it to some predefined messages and just express out of my heart to her using it. Do I want to be simple as that? No, but it only what I can do for now, and hopefully I will be able to add more things as time passes, I really want to do something special and specific for my girlfriend. Thankfully, porting it to a native app in the future won't be so hard, and I already have some ideas now on how to fix the past bugs that impossibilitaded me from porting it, however I will try to focus more on the features themselves for now.

Knowing my girlfriend, she will understand, but again, it's more of me to her thing in my mind.

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Today's artists & creative things

Song: Hello, World - by Louie Zong I don't know why, writing this post just remembered me this music.

---

Copyright (c) 2023-present Gustavo "Guz" L. de Mello <contact.guz013@gmail.com>

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License

[aberrant-webnovel]

Chapter 2 - Interview

Chapter 2 - Interview

I tapped my feet a bit while waiting patiently. I was brought to a waiting room at one of the labs after Auntie Harper found me and Silva. I wonder if Silva is going to be upset with me for not hurrying. She didn't want to get caught by Harper.

I just stared around at the room I was in. It's a white room. Bright, enameled paneling lined the ground. Easy to clean and looked nice. The ceiling has similar paneling to the ground, but some of the panels were a bit different. An electrical charge being linked to it caused the panels to glow and produce light. This type of lighting was common in the whole of the HQ.

There's a few chairs in here, but I'm the only one sitting and waiting. There are two doors. One of them links to the hallway I was guided through to enter this room. The other door led to one of the testing areas.

In the corner of the room is a screen. It's a standard liquid crystal display, but it's an older model so the body of it was a bit bulkier. Newer model are slim and sleek, easy to mount, and don't break very often. This one seemed in good condition. The picture quality was clear and the sound coming from the speakers were easy to understand. Not distortion at all.

[Thanks to the efforts of our local Vault Breakers, another important discovery has been made. Following in the footsteps of the great 60th Chief, the 61st Chief, Harper Dirge, has found recording devices from a recent foray into a Class 3 Vault. She and her personal guard had spent two weeks inside and returned with no casualties. The tech brought back seems to be able to be reverse engineered to give us new light on the purpose of the Vaults. "It'll be a few months before the tech will be implemented," says R&D Commander Varun Dirge. "We have also collected various records from the same Vault that we hope to be able to full study." Now we just hope that more enlightening information comes in future updates. Thank you for your time. I've been Lillian Moss from Igneol Broadcasting Channel 4 News. Stay strong, Domain!]

The outro played before product advertisements began to follow. But what was that about Auntie Harper? She just got back from a two week deployment?

"Geez, Auntie really is the best out there, huh?"

"Well she did learn everything she could from nana."

I turned around to see Silva closing the door behind her as she entered the waiting room. I didn't even hear her come in. She's always been like that, though. I wonder if she's trying to join the Scout corps?

Just kidding. Her dream has always been to join R&D.

"She didn't scold you too much, did she?"

"Oh I definitely got an earful. Every time I'm scolded, I'm just thankful she's my Auntie and not my mom. I'd probably be all worked up all the time like she is if I had to put up with that at home."

"Yeah, I can see that. I don't see her very much so her scoldings are rare. Seems like she let you stay, though. She on board with you enlisting?"

"She kind of just relented. Dad came in to save me from the "Fireball" and talked her down a bit. In the end, she said that if I can prove through the testing that I can join, then it's fine. After that, I just came right over here. Testing should be starting soon."

"Nervous?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm not very strong. But I don't want to fight, anyway. I want to join dad in the R&D corp. If I can prove that I'd useful there, then I can enlist."

I'm really proud of Silva. She was just a bit older than me, but was often picked on and excluded for being smaller and weaker than others. She has long, beautiful hair that seemed to make other girls jealous, too. They'd often throw paints at her to ruin the color. One day, she dyed it all blue and yelled at the girls. She told them there wasn't anything to be jealous and mean about anymore. She was laughed off, but all of us in the family saw it as the first time she fought back. That blue hair because her signature style and frequently touched up the color with dye. Ever since she found that courage, she studied and worked hard to learn what it took to join the Vault Breakers. Being her father's daughter, it was natural that she'd pick up whatever her dad taught.

"You're gonna make it, you know? Not a single person in the family thinks you're not capable."

"Yeah? Well I guess I gotta live up to that then, huh?"

"Yup! Live up to our expectations! You owe us!

"Oh, I owe you for believing in me, now?"

I missed our back and forths. Silva was shy, but she lit up when we'd talk and play as kids. Neither of us have siblings, but she was just like my big sister.

The door to the lab area creaked open and a tall, tired man came into the room, closing the door behind him. He had a clipboard with various documents. He flipped through a few pages and then looked up at us.

"Ymir Sorenson and Silva Dirge. Legacy applicants, yeah?"

He looked at us with a cocked eyebrow. I don't have any idea what kind of opinion he had of us. Our families were famous in this place, but it's not like everyone in our bloodlines was some monster of a soldier. Both Silva and I lack any of the intimidation or coolness that Auntie Harper or Gajjet had. I wasn't really anything like my father or grandfather, either.

"Well let's see if you're up to snuff. We're going to move to another room in the labs. I'll walk you through the legal paperwork and what to expect from our testing. Oh, and I'm Dr. Clive Earnest. Nice to meet the two of you."

Dr. Clive nodded his head like a tiny, informal bow as he greeted us. Then he just opened the door to the lab area and gestured for Silva and I to go inside. So we did.

The hallway we entered wasn't as bright and inviting as the waiting room. It was a narrow path over dark steel panels and steel framework for walls. The lighting was a series of old lightbulbs. That type of lighting was only commonly used in poorer homes since they were cheap to produce.

Through the hall was a doorway that lacked any door. It was just a passage through to a large section of the lab. We passed through with Dr. Clive following behind. Stepping into the lab was exhilarating.

The room before me was massive. High ceiling and long walled areas to allow plenty of room for all sorts of machines. As I walked into the room, my eyes were drawn to a work station at the back left side of the room. Different guns were being disassembled, tuned, and reassembled by a few diligent workers. I recognized something on the work station.

A Mk.6 Caliburn. I heard stories about how Gajjet used one of those when she was trailblazing through Vaults. It's a heavy gun, fires heavy rounds, and has an imposing black steel finish. The model over there wasn't my nana's gun. But it was the same kind of thing.

"Hurry the hell up, Ymir! You always stare at things and get left behind."

Silva grabbed my hand and started pulling me along. She was right. I did have a bad habit like that. Hopefully that doesn't hurt my scores in the test.

"Yeah, yeah! Geez! I'm coming!"

We hurried along to a room in another corner of the lab. It seems like there are a few private offices over here. Some were reserved for officers, others reserved for the testing. We went to an unmarked room, but not after passing some of the others. We saw the plaque for Uncle Varun's office, but his curtains were pulled so it wasn't possible to see into the office. Knowing him, he's hiding a catastrophic mess inside there and would be embarrassed to show it.

"Both of you, please take a seat in this office here."

Dr. Clive unlocked a room with a keycard and opened the door. There were two chairs with felt seats in front of a desk. Behind the desk was a nice faux-leather desk chair.

I followed Silva into the room. We each took a seat. I was on the right, she took the left. Dr. Clive sat down in the single desk chair and began to open up drawers in the desk. After a few, I saw two stacks of documents assembled and presented to my cousin and I.

"Start by reading the liability contracts. Once you understand them, I'll collect your signatures. Then we'll fill out the personal information documents."

I started the slog of reading through the contract. A lot of your standard clauses existed. We'd sign as proof that we're consenting to the tests. They possess a risk of physical harm at times, but the safety precautions were actually very detailed. In the event of physical harm, I won't take action against the Vault Break HQ. I would also be awarded compensation for medical expenses and given personal treatment by the Medic corps if I so wished.

I continued to read. As I reached the end, I nodded to myself and resolved to sign the consent form. I looked to Silva. A cold sweat was forming on her brow. The anxiety was clearly getting to her right now. I know Silva wasn't too strong and she was already worried about the testing. Even if she was just here to study tech and join her dad's team, but she still had to go through the formalities.

"Hey, I know you can do this. Even if it's hard, I'm gonna be here too. We're gonna pass together. Okay?"

"… Yeah. If you're going to be here and you believe in me like that, then I can do this too. Yeah…"

We both were resolved now. I trusted her to have my back, too, but I wasn't going to mention it. I didn't want her to feel any extra pressure. I know she was resolved, though.

"Then if you're both ready, please sign here."

I was presented the consent form. I signed it. Ymir Sorenson.

Silva signed hers after watching me. Silva Dirge.

"Thank you. Now, let's go over the personal information. We'll begin with simple stuff. After that, I'll interview you both."

We received the next set of documents and started to fill out the blank area.

[YMIR SORENSON] [AGE: 19] [BLOOD TYPE: B-]

[HEIGHT: 68 INCHES] [WEIGHT: 136 LBS]

[EDUCATION: SECONDARY SCHOOL, GENERAL EDUCATION]

[WORK HISTORY: WAREHOUSE ASSISTANT, DELIVERY DRIVER]

[CHARACTER REFERENCE: ?]

"Excuse me, but how should I fill out this part?"

I pointed at the section for "character references" and asked this question. Dr. Clive looked at it and nodded.

"Ah, well you're both legacies. We have a bit of preferential treatment to the family of our officers. The Dirge family and Sorenson family are long-standing and both have served the Vault Breakers. Just put the names of any family currently serving as Vault Breakers and we'll just be doing a short interview with them a short time later. As long as they don't refuse you to join, we'll take that as enough."

So we were going to get special treatment because of Auntie and Uncle? I guess I can't complain about that, but I don't love it. I wanted to really earn this.

"Well I'll put down Varun and Harper then. Silva, same for you?"

"Yeah, they're the only ones in our family currently serving."

"Then let's do that."

[CHARACTER REFERENCE: HARPER DIRGE, VARUN DIRGE]

I filled out the rest of the info to the best of my ability. It was just simple things like my address and and some contact info for immediate family. I gave them Harper's contact info since my mom couldn't speak. She wouldn't be able to talk on a comm system.

Silva gave Varun's info. He was probably the best for that. He did his research here and was a Commander to boot.

"Very well. Then let's talk about why you're enlisting. I'll be jotting down notes for reference. Let's start with Miss Silva. Please tell me your reasons."

I watched her lips quiver a bit. I don't think she was expecting to go first. If Dr. Clive was testing her nerves, then perhaps the test had already begun.

"My father, Varun Dirge, is an inspiration to me, sir. As far back as I can remember, I was with my father in his workshop at home trying to watch and learn from him. I may not be fit for battle, but I want to follow my father. So my goal is become part of my father's team in the R&D corp."

"That's very admirable. But just so you know, Commander Varun doesn't have a regular team. He only ever takes on two assistants here and instead delegates tasks to other teams in his corp. He also works most closely with Chief Harper. You intend to rise up in the field to the level of assisting our top brass, then?"

"Yes, sir. I've known about that from the beginning. I won't join my father right away. I will join the corpS and prove that I'm an asset to everyone."

"Thank you very much, Miss Silva. Now, Mr. Ymir, please tell me your reasoning for joining."

It was time for me. I didn't feel too many nerves in this test so far. Not even many now. So I looked Dr. Clive in the eyes and told him my reasons.

"I grew up hearing stories about my nana. Gajjet Dirge, the Hellion of Igneol Domain. She's a legend that won't be forgotten. I want to reach her heights."

"So you want to be like the Hellion? She was trained by Yorrick Bartman himself. Not a single Vault Breaker on the continent can hold a candle to those two."

"Yes, sir. I want to follow her path. But I don't want to just follow. I want to surpass Gajjet Dirge."

"…"

A moment of silence took over. I didn't know what Dr. Clive was thinking. Only that whatever it was, he began to grow a serious demeanor. He'd been lax and friendly til now.

"So do you know what the Hellion's greatest feat was?"

"The knowledge she retrieved and used to advance our understanding of the Vaults, right?"

"She escaped a Class 5 Vault."

"What do you mean? Something like that has never been found."

"Yorrick Bartman died in that Vault. He saved Gajjet Dirge and a young woman."

"A young woman…? You mean… mom?"

"That's right. She never told you that she was pulled out of a place like that?"

"Not exactly. She said it was Class 3. Wait, what do you mean a Class 5? Doesn't that mean my mom was surviving somewhere like that?"

"I think you need to somehow get her to tell you. I've read all the files that the last R&D Commander left on the topic. But we don't know what your mother went through. Only she can really fill you in."

"…"

Mom was found in a Class 5 Vault? Isn't that some place that's so terrifyingly dangerous that creatures have never been recorded? Aren't they supposedly strong enough to break out on their own? Why haven't I heard that a place like that exists?

"I can tell you this. It's not a secret in the R&D corps. We just have a policy that we don't talk to the media. We leave all that to the Commander. So don't go talking about this with the people who don't need to know."

"Yeah, I can do that."

Silva was silent for a few seconds, but then responded the same. She hadn't made any comments so far. I wonder what she thought about this stuff.

"So Gajjet Dirge, Yorrick Bartman, and a C-Ranker Scout called Carlyle were tasked with breaking into a Class 3 Vault. An initial entry brought back a report of very little aberration activity, but the ones that were encountered were tough. They were of a type we hadn't yet identified. The crew wasn't supposed to take too long with the job since Gajjet was one of our up-and-coming elites. She hadn't met a Vault she wasn't able to learn about and conquer. From her own report, it took about three days to reach the heart of the place. That's when they discovered your mother. After rescuing her, they seemed to have triggered a defense system. The three of them took six more days to fight through the swarms of unknown enemies. They made it to the blast doors and I think we all know the rest."

"So what was going on in that Vault?"

"We later tried doing some more investigations, but we discovered that something about the Vault changed. Now, even at the safest levels of the Vault, those aberrations were swarming. Multiple parties were dispatched, but there were too many casualties so we pulled out from the investigation. It wasn't until some started escaping that we had to act with urgency. An elite Runner team dispatched the escapees and a Breaker team was sent to seal the Vault. Since that day and even now, we have it under surveillance. We refuse to allow media anywhere near it. Because of the level of power those things have and how tenacious they are with trying to escape, we had to classify it as the first Class 5 Vault in history."

"So Gajjet made it all the way through that place and still escaped? That's where they found mom?"

"Yeah. But your mom couldn't tell us about it. She didn't have the clearest memory. Even after she learned to communicate through writing, she told us only about the same as what Gajjet reported. And only the last couple days or so of the escape."

"I don't know what she'll tell me, but I'll try to talk about it when I see her."

"Maybe you'll learn something nobody else could."

"Yeah…"

Mom. What have you been through?