#I just find it weird how Gale is painted as the bad guy just because he made a mistake in an attempt to be equal to his goddess and lover

[dreamingofthewild]

I don't have any skin in the game so I probably don't have the authority to comment on this. But I find it weird how some people in the fandom put Wyll, Karlach, and Halsin on a pedestal for having come out of their abusive situations with their morals and humanity intact.

If you prefer the perfect "good guys", there is nothing wrong with that. I also enjoy stories about hero's who despite everything they have been through never lose themselves. But you can't expect everyone to walk out of a traumatic situation with a smile on their face a love for humanity immediately.

What are we saying that, if bad things happen to someone that they must remain optimistic and kind? Astarion, Lae'zel and Shadowheart are still worth saving.

I mean, Astarion can show that he is capable of changing if your character can show him empathy and kindness. Afterall, not helping him heal is how you get the ending where he continuous the cycle of abuse. Often people are quick to discard 'difficult' people rather than attempting to help them, and so they fall back into bad habits. Then that is used as 'proof' that the person is a monster.

No one is born evil. Either like Lae'zel and Shadowheart the environment that someone grew up in can affect their behaviour, or like Astarion, having all their fundamental needs stripped away. I am not saying that this excuses their behaviour but is explains it. And in real life I get that people don't always change, but this instance, they can depending on the choices that you make.

I have also mentioned before how Gale is weirdly considered morally corruptible by some because he chooses to stay with the PC after killing the tieflings as opposed to not dying. He is not giving in to evil here or showing that he is weak willed. Considering the bomb he has in his chest is his bending of his morals so that he doesn't turn into a mindflayer and explode everyone really a an evil choice?

Not to mention how he is villainised for a mistake he made where he had good intentions. Gale is one of the "good guys". His desire to survive at all costs and his ambition do not make him a bad person. With the orb he made a mistake, but he does not deserve to be punished for his lack of wisdom and curiosity there.

There is nothing wrong with liking good characters who always make the right decision, who always do no wrong, and who always remain hopeful no matter what happens to them. But I am critical of how the complex, morally ambiguous and not perfect characters are sometimes treated in the fandom. A character is not bad because they are messy and human.

I am not saying that everyone has to help them, but it's just recognising that they are all abuse victims and they all react to that abuse differently. I'm not saying that the ones who don't change are boring but it's weird to put them on a pedestal and claim that they are better because they are 'nice' from the get go and continue to be always do the good thing no matter what happens.

I guess I also love stories of redemption and the complexity of human nature.

[sketchyelvenasss]

9, 15, and 21 for everyone sound fun! (Though 13 and 14 for any Durge are also fun, if you feel like it? :))

Thank you for the ask! Sorry for the wait I had to mull over a few things :3

9) What is your OC’s greatest wish/dream/goals?

Honestly Rexander is looking forward to when he and Astarion can retire from the nomadic life they continued after they had saved the world. Not that he’s tired of looking for a way to cure Astarion’s vamprism-- that’s his main goal, but I thought that was an easy answer. It is a promise he intends to keep. He would just like to find it before he is too old so he can enjoy a quiet, slow life with him.

Aerika is constantly striving to balance his faith, love and worldly wants. A feat that has become far more complicated post the events of the game. He is happily married, but still wants to continue his expeditions to the underdark, but also wants to pursue the magical study he had largely sidelined after becoming a cleric. After a couple years Aerika does take far fewer trips to the underdark to spend more time with Gale because he does understand, even with Gale’s magic, the disparity between their lifespans. (even so he doesn't for a moment regret showing Gale he desired him the mortal man--not a deity made from him)

It is never good to wish to reverse time, but Orville can’t help himself.. Act 2 Astarion admits that he met and lured Orville’s mother to Cazador. That revelation really hurt, but Orville chose--after a lot of tears and self reflection-- to forgive him because at that point he did love him. Then Act 3 they learn everything-- that somewhere in that mass of 7,000 spawn was his mother. He wishes he could undo the pain she went through and those years she suffered down here in the dark. If he could he would have trade places with her.

15) Has your OC ever fallen in love before who their intended love interest is, or is the intended love interest their first love?

I wouldn’t call what Rex and Gortesh had love. A mutual attraction from a thirst for power and desire to display dominance? Rex really was a different person than who he became. (I work with the idea that Orin pm gave him a lobotomy when she deposed him)

Aerika wanted to get married once before. There was a young(25) tiefling named Dhymos that would volunteer to help clean the temple a couple times a week. They got to know each other well after the tiefling accidentally bumped into Aerika as he rounded a corner and dumped water all over him romcom style. For several years they were partners that Aerika took more seriously than Dhymos did. Not to paint Dhymos as a bad guy, it was just a lack of communication on both their parts, and Aerika’s long absences didn’t help matters either. When Aerika proposed, Dhymos turned him down as politely as possible.

Orville’s first love is Astarion. That is probably why it is so hard, and why despite everything he doesn’t want to let those feelings go. If he could give that up and just be mad at the elf it would be so much easier, but he can’t. He wants to forgive and love him. But feelings are complicated and are not so easily reconciled.

21) Any embarrassing secrets your OC demands you take to the grave but you will share anyway?

Not sure how much of a secret it is, but Rexander is embarrassed that he’s ticklish. It’s a weird sensation for him. So he’d rather others not now about it. Astarion takes too much advantage as it is after he found out.

Aerika is a cleric, but he’s never felt like his devotion demanded chastity. He’s not quick to tell the story that he and Dhymos were nearly caught screwing in the temple garden. It started out as a late evening date after Aerika had been gone for several months. Then they got a little carried away. Abstinence makes the fond grow harder…(something like that right? :3)

Orville is a pretty open book if he’s comfortable with someone so he doesn’t really have secrets. Though one time he did get fleeced by a woman that caught him pickpocketing. She told him he was handsome and offered to buy him a drink. Next thing he knows he wakes up in only his small clothes tied to a bed by all four posts. Wasn’t till the innkeeper came to clean the room the next day he was found.

Durge questions: Hermon Hemlock

13 + 14) Does your OC have a good relationship with their parents or no? What about any siblings, do they have any and is their relationship good?

Short answer, yes(13). I do not have a deep understanding of DnD lore so don’t mind me if my headcanons break rules or are weird in context.

Longer answer: Hermon was raised alongside Orin by Sarevok. Sarevok is more like a parental figure for him and he desires to please him as much as he wants to sever Bhaal and please himself. The relationship with his father is more like that of a god and a chosen, but Hemlock is very happy with that arrangement.

Despite everything I would say Hemlock and Orin have a good relationship. A rivalry for sure, but there is no hatred between them. Hemlock madly respects her coup. If not for some bad luck she would have completely succeeded. Orin may be slighted by Hemlock being favored since birth, but they were always competing. She would be lying if she said she didn’t watch him and take cues from his work. Hemlock honorably accepts her duel and gives her a satisfying end.

As far as murder siblings go… its a pretty good relationship XD

[juseki-taisen]

How about how the 12 warriors celebrate V-Day? (Bonus challenge being Doudecuple and Navi)

Thank you for the request @gale-dragon-writer

This was a long one! I hope you guys like!

Inounoshishi

Without S/O

This wouldn’t happen, let’s be real. If it did she planned this by choice, so she’s probably busy kicking ass and taking names...and numbers

Probably prowls bars for lonely men/women/they’s ect to buy her drinks.

Never pays for any food or drink of Valentines. She’s hot af and knows it

It’s 50/50 if she’s going to go home with someone

With S/O

Expects to be spoiled. Please spoil her

Despite her immense wealth, she doesn’t expect you to buy her expensive things. She can do that herself. What she’d really like is for a gift that’s full of thought.

If you make her a gift, she’ll play it off but she secretly loves it. It doesn’t matter how shitty it is. If you make her a cute boar figure out of clay and it’s lopsided, but you tried hard and painted it her favorite color, it’s going on her mantel in the living room.

Spoils you too. You will drown in gifts and kisses. Don’t worry, she uses amazing lipstick and it doesn’t stick to your face.

Dotsuku

Without S/O

Spends the day giving candy to the children.

Secretly gives his daughter a secret admirer letter, her confidence SKY ROCKETS

Decorates his classroom

This man is great at help kids learn about consent. No pulling pigtails, and if a boy likes a girl and she tells him no, he makes sure he knows not to keep bugging her. Same thing with the girls. If a boy doesn’t like them they’re not allowed to keep bugging them either.

Watches cute love movies with his daughter. He’s her prince charming.

With S/O

You better believe he has you help decorate his classroom

You make cute paper hearts and pick out candy

The kids leave you valentines

He takes you to dinner. His daughter comes too. You guys have a lot of fun. He buys you and his daughter a dessert. Somehow she eats here and half of yours

Snuggles on the couch and a cute movie.

Niwatori

Without an S/O

Doesn’t celebrate

She doesn’t understand why it’s a big deal

Indulges the day after on discount candy

With an S/O

Help her

She wants to celebrate but she’s in Ushii level awkward when it comes to doing anything

Picks the most popular movie out, watches it, and THAT is the basis for her whole idea

Gets you candy. Wears a cute dress. Picks a place to eat. Buys you roses, or do you get her roses? She’ll get them for you...just in case

Candy? Candy. Lots of candy.

Any small thing you get her she’s going to love. She never has really gotten gifts, and one out of love is a gift she’ll treasure forever

If you do get her flowers, she’s going to press them or dry them and keep them forever

Sharyu

Without an S/O

She had a fiancé for what seemed like forever, so a day without one is kind of difficult for her

She’s happy she’s alone, because she’s happy with who she is and now doesn’t have anyone to try and fit her into a mold that she didn’t belong

Kind of mopes though. She wants romance and someone who loves her for who she is and everything she does

Drinks hot coco and eats an ungodly amount of chocolate

With an S/O

So. Excited.

She cooks all day and makes cake, dinner, and everything else from scratch

You get her gifts and feel like it’s still not enough

Honestly? It doesn’t matter what you get her. She just love shaving you around and knowing how much you care for her for who she is

PLEASE slow dance with her in the kitchen while you’re doing the dishes. She’ll remember it forever

Hitsujii

Without an S/O

Hangs out at home

Waiting for the candy to go on sale

Babysits for his child so they can have a romantic evening

Watches random shows on TV, but avoids romance stuff

With an S/O

Still wants to hang out at home, but will go out if you want

Uses this as an excuse to DESTROY the candy aisle

Gets you flowers, they’re not red roses because that’s pretty expensive, but he gets cute ones...and a bear

Snuggles and falling asleep to bad rom coms on TV

Uuma

Without an S/O

Spends it alone

He wishes he had someone, but he’s alright for the most part

Okay he’s not

He’s a big softie inside and somewhat romanticizes the holiday more than he should

Eats cake...and chocolate 

With an S/O

The man goes WILD

Roses everywhere

Candlelight 

A romantic dinner he made meticulously after practicing for weeks

Remakes the titanic ship in a bottle, with you two as the figures on the front of the ship

He loves any gift you get him. He cries. He tries not to, but he does. 

He writes you a poem he gets to embarrassed to read. You get it in a card. 

Takeyasu

Without an S/O

Steals everything with his brother

Necklaces, candy, and even flowers just so he can light them on fire

Doesn’t think much of the holiday, never has. It’s stupid. 

With an S/O

He’s awkward. He doesn’t know how to celebrate the holiday

He gets you the basics, candy, a bear, and flowers. That’s it right? 

Oh wait, you wanna do something? Uh, can a theme park be romantic?

You have a lot of fun actually, and when inevitably he lights part of it on fire, he has stuff for smores. 

You save the picture from the tunnel of love. You managed to snap it before he lit it on fire. The tunnel was the point of origin. 

Later on down the road he plans more stuff. He may also use fireworks to do your name in the air or something

Steals you a car. 

Nagayuki

Without an S/O

Steals stuff with his brother

Gets entirely to many snacks

Does anything but Holiday stuff

With an S/O

Doesn’t want to do anything, but will because you ask him

Takes you for dinner, and he enjoys spending time with you, but because social convention is making him he’s grumpy about it 

If you’re the kind of person who is easily embarrassed, he may send you cheesy emails with stupid valentines cards

Chocolate and all KINDS of snacks

Later on down the line he’ll plan more romantic stuff, and buy you nice things with real money so you know he cares

Usagi

Without an S/O

He likes the Holiday and wants someone to do it with SOOOO BAD

Watches all those cute movies and cheesy rom coms

Has a “Friend” he takes out on a date

It doesn’t go well

With an S/O

Oh boy. He’s SO HAPPY

He gets you everything. Flower, roses (ignore the blood it’s fine), and he lets you know he’s arrived to pick you up by having his friends hold him high while he has a boom box playing your favorite song. Even if it’s metal. Even if he thinks the holiday begins at midnight. Your neighbors wont care, right?

You will go to ALL the cheesy stuff. Cute rides at a theme park, which somehow gets burned down later on thanks to someone (Takeyasu)

 A dinner and flowers, chocolate. SO MUCH CANDY. He even likes the terrible heart ones. He made you a box filled with ones that have saying that remind him of you

Cuddles, kisses, and smooches that just...don’t stop. Even in public. You gotta tell him to tone it down. 

Tora

Without an S/O

Drinks, and mopes

She doesn’t really want to date, but seeing other people happy kinda rubs it in when you’re single

Partakes in day after candy sales

She actually avoids the bars, to many couples being happy and cute

Angrily eats snacks

With an S/O

She doesn’t expect much, other than maybe being one of those annoying couples who steals Every. Booth. In. The. Restaurant. 

Please get her presents. Please. She’ll get really happy and flustered

This girl will actually try and make you chocolate from scratch. Sharyu helps. She even wraps them in a cute wrapping paper she draws herself

It’s pretty casual and after bar hopping you spend it at home. You’re with her so she cuts back so she’s not sloshed. She wants to remember being with you. 

So many cute kisses. 

Hand holding. It still gets her flustered. 

Please get your picture taken at some point. She’ll put it by her bed and fall asleep smiling

Ushii

Without an S/O

There’s a Holiday? 

He guess he noticed it was harder than normal to get a table for his favorite restaurant

Doesn’t really like sweets so the holiday just annoys him

So many people confess to him and he’s just like “Okay. Cool. Thanks” 

With an S/O

He’s not great with the holiday. He’s smart though, so he tries  to research what to do

Googles top ten most romantic gesture, luckily has the sense not to propose

Gets you candy, roses, and all the stereotypical stuff

You have to tell him to relax, because all the stuff he’s saying is regurgitated rom com lines

When he does relax, he’s actually really sweet. Stupidly sweet actually. 

“I don’t need a holiday to tell me you’re important, you’re already always on my mind, but the candy is nice I guess”

Will watch whatever you want. Is always confused by romance movies, but oh BOY does he love going out to eat with you. Hell. Yes. The desserts are amazing and now he gets to share them with you

Care you a card. It’s ugly, but he tries

Gets you a really cute necklace. It has a small ox on it, so he can always be with you. 

Nezumi

Without an S/O

Eats candy and sleeps. It’s no different than any other day, other than people piss him off more.

He doesn’t like how weird people get 

They also made out on his locker...and he needed his textbook. Please....Let him get his books

With an S/O

Uses his paths so much that he passes out and HARD CORE NAPS before you go out

Has the perfect gift.

Plays co op video games with you

He doesn’t like people, so you get take out and stay home

You watch movies, but they’re movies like Princess Bride, Warm Bodies, and love stories that aren’t so normal and are more fun

If you’re LGBT he goes out of his way to find a good movie ahead of time, because he loves and supports you and this day is about you two damn it! (The other’s would try to do this for their S/O, but would have a harder time. since most of them are not great with technology like Nezumi is)

So much candy and snacks

Selfies and filters

You fall asleep together and nap

get him a gift. He’ll know it’s coming but it still makes him happy

BONUS CHALLENGE 

Doudecuple

Without an S/O

Doesn’t do a whole lot. Has wine and watches the mortals below

Maybe messes with people just a bit to amuse himself

Does his own thing. He really doesn’t care for the holiday

With an S/O

Wine and a dessert charcuterie board

Gets you an expensive gift, but practical. A coat, a scarf. Something to keep you warm and cozy you can use everyday and think of him.

Makes the impossible possible. A romantic setting with only a few people

Getting the tickets for some play or show the last minute

Please do something cheesy, it’ll amuse him, and he’ll secretly keep it

ON THE FLIP SIDE

He may get a gift from you, then anyone who goes in his office will see it. 

“Look what my Love got me. Have you beheld it?”

It doesn’t matter if it’s stupid. He’s keeping it forever 

Navi

Without and S/O

Stays home and has snacks and chocolates

Maybe organizes his hat collection

Watches fun game shows or anything without romance

With S/O

Has a special hat he wears for the occasion

Gets you one too

Gets you candy and a single rose, as well as a teddy bear

Uses his tablet to find the best places to go with the best rating. Uses his ability to multiply to hold your place in line so you can actually do other stuff

Ferris wheel. He has to hold his hat on but you guys get an AMAZING picture together. It’s his screensaver. He texts it to Nezumi. Nezumi and him start having a couple picture off. Next year, double date. 

[hockeysweetheart]

@mega-aulover  I made you a quick fic   Happy Birthday again 

Name of it ( thinks of one) Baby steps...

This is about Peeta becoming a father and his journey though fatherhood. Now I know how you recently lost your own father so this is another  somewhat honor thing for him as well. I hope you like it...   Hope you don’t cry to much But it is okay if you do I personally had a hard time not tearing up a bit writing this. 

Now it is a little rough but I made it quickly  it could use a bit of clean up... But I wanted to get this out for you 

She shows me the Positive test . She is pregnant I am going to be a father..  This is our first child together...I go and talk to her belly and say hello I am going to be your daddy.. She thinks I am crazy but allows me.  But she is just laughing at me… She tells me “well 9 months from now you will get to meet this child”… I laugh and say “ I can wait”. We Do make an appointment to make she she is pregnant and the baby is doing well. I am giddy as I leave  for work that day. I tell my coworkers and every customer.. I tell them “ My wife Is pregnant”.. they all look at me like I am crazy.

I keep thinking of how I will be a father. The doctor appointments go well. Katniss gets bad morning sickness. But I am there all the steps of the way she has crazy cravings If she wants I try to get or make some combos are weird but I don’t judge.. I read some parenting books in my spare time. Katniss says it’s a waste of time maybe it is but I want to be ready…  Being first time parents for the both of us we are excited.  Katniss’s belly is growing everyday.

Around 21 weeks we find out the gender of the baby.  Well its not until 22 weeks because Katniss’s sister Prim is throwing us a gender reveal party. Nothing big but small…  for our close friends and Family The day comes and of course I bake all the goodies for the party… My coworker makes the cake But Lets me decorate it I have no clue what colour will be inside… Katniss and I cut into the cake and the colour is pink… We are both so excited… we would have been happy with either boy or girl…But I know one thing my little girl will be spoiled she will have her way to get her way with me… How do I know that now Because this little girl will be like her mother and  she knows how to.

We set up her nursery lots of pink for her. It just happened that way. Katniss’s parents buy a lot of clothes for us.   Some were Katniss’s   old baby clothes… I paint some flowers on the wall…

One day we are just watching a show and suddenly Katniss moves off me and tells me the baby is kicking and asks if I want to feel… That is when it hit me for real it was like I was in a dreamland before… I say stumbling “ wow.. Uh... sh.. she  is really in there”… Kantiss looks at me like I said something stupid… and says “ Really Peeta Mellark, you with smooth words are now stumbling” I laugh and say “ I guess this baby left me speechless” I lean in and Kiss her and she tells me “ for someone so speechless you are saying a lot of words”...Before I can speak it is her who kisses me to stop my words…  

Katniss has a few contractions we go to the hospital and they tell us to go home because the baby is not ready yet…

I walk in after work and Katniss is standing in the kitchen with a puddle around her… she says “ I thought I was having a bad contraction and next thing I know my water broke, It  happened a minute ago”… I tell her “ we need to get you to the hospital”…. I walk right out of the door Katniss still standing at the door “ Am I coming to she asks”.. Right I say in my head and go and get her  and guide her towards the car “ Okay honey  don’t walk to fast”… Katniss looks at me “ You are treating me like I am about to burst”. Well the baby could come anytime so she just might…On the walk to the car that is about 2 feet away we have to stop a lot so Katniss can have a contraction and when it’s over we move on… She was literally in the doorway when one hit of the house… When we reach the car I open her door and buckle her in… she says “ Peeta do you have the baby bag” Crap I knew I forgot something. On our last appointment the hospital did help us figure out the car seat so that’s already in.. I walk back into the house and grab the baby bag and walk back to the car. When I get there she is having another contraction I ask her “ Have you been timing those”… She looks me dead in the eye and says “ No I am just winging it over here or course I have that was 2 minutes apart from the last one”…  I drive fast enough that Katniss is not telling me faster… we Arrive to the hospital and Katniss is in a room before we know it… Seeing her in pain is hard for me… All I can do is let her hold on to me..  The doctor comes in and says “ ready to have a baby” if Katniss’s glare could kill she says “ No I am just  here because I really like hospitals”… The doctor gives me a look and I just smirk. I want to tell him “ That is nothing buddy you should see her at home” But I keep quiet..  They check on the baby say everything looks good…  Katniss is in active labor…. When she feels it’s time she is holding onto my hand so tight it hurts but I let her… I support her though it. The delivery nurse says I see the head Katniss you are doing so well one more Push.. She is screaming out of pain this whole time and gives one more push… Then I see my daughter who is crying… They put her on Katniss  she is beautiful and perfect to me. I cut the cord and they take her to clean her up and make sure everything is okay… Then I hold her for the first time… She has my blue eyes and Katniss’s hair colour. She has my nose and Kantiss’s lips… I cannot stop looking at her… I am whiping tears away from my eyes I ask Katniss  “what do you want to name her?” she Answers “Everleigh. Her name is Everleigh” She looks at me and asks “ Do you have a middle name?”… I tell her “ Raine”… Katniss says “ Everleigh Raine I like it”.. Me still holding Everleigh I ask her “ Like your name”… I am wiping tears from my eyes I tell her “ I am your daddy”.. and I give her a kiss on the cheek…  Katniss and I spend a few hours with Everleigh before family and friends come to see her…   I am handing her to family members as they come and visit. I am surprised when My brothers and father comes and see her…  

A few days later we leave the hospital Katniss is healing well. We bring Everleigh back for appointments…  We go home and start our new life as parents… Katniss carries her into the nursery and sets her down in the crib….I walk over at her… Everleigh sleeps though the nights. Sometimes we wonder what we got out ourselfs into but say we wouldn’t change it.

Soon she is crawling Walking and Talking hitting all the milestones… Her baby teeth are coming in. Some nights she keeps us up and some she sleeps though. I remember her first steps Katniss brought her to work and we sat on the floor trying to get her to walk between us and she took her first step… and for the record her first word was dada as much as Katniss says no it was wasn’t.  she is growing way to fast Katniss tells me not to blink and I will miss it..

Next thing I know she is 5 years old. She now has a younger brother… Katniss and I bring Everleigh to school for her first day.. Her hair is in 2 braids and she wears a red plaid dress like I recall Katniss wearing on her first day of school… Ev is a little shy but she warms up pretty quick..  I am fighting back tears my baby girl is growing up too fast for my liking.. It seems like last week she was only taking her first steps

She is now 16 Where did time go. I Have 4 kids now. Everleigh is still my little girl she will forever be…  And same with my other daughter Oakley… My two sons Kaleb and Carson are very protective of their sisters.. all are growing up so fast..  Everleigh sure got her mothers attitude not always a good thing. But she gets good grades so do my other children  Katniss is right you blink and you  miss it. One day Ev comes home and tells us she is interest in a guy. My first instant is to get Katniss’s weapon… But I say when will we meet him… A few days later she brings this tall guy who doesn’t look like 16 he is a year older then her Ev told us. He looks at least 20…  He looks scared when I invite him in good I have done my job… Everleigh comes up to him and says Mom. Dad this is  Nathan Hawthorne… Katniss nearly chokes on her tea at the last name… she tries to cover “ Well that is wonderful honey”. Everleigh asks “Mom what is wrong”  I try to cover “ So who are your Parents Nathan”… Nathan answers “ Gale and  Madge”.. Kartniss lets out a sound Ev says “ Mom do you know him” I grin and  say “ Oh yes she knows him all to well”.. Katniss tells Ev “ Gale and I were friends never in a relationship we tried but then I met your father”…Everleigh  tell us “ That’s great then you guys know each other”… Everleigh asks her voice she knows I have a hard time to say no too “ Daddy can I date Nathan”… I look at Katniss and Nathan and Everleigh and say “ Yes you have my blessing but Nathan you hurt my little girl you will have me to answer too”…

They have been dating for a few months now… Everleigh comes home in tears… Katniss comforts her… I ask her what happened.  She tells us  Nathan cheated on her… I march out of the door and Katniss comes after me and says “ Where do you think your going”… I tell her words I never thought I would say “ To the Hawthornes ”… She says “ Well  you are not gonna stop me from coming are you”… I am shocked and say “ Guess not”… Katniss gets into the car as we drive to Gales and Madge’s house.. I knock on the door and Gale answers the door he says “ Heard our kids are dating” I tell him “ Not anymore”.. He said “ Oh, why don’t you come in”.. I go into their house and Katniss follows she says “ Hi Gale” and walks right past him and gives Madge a hug… we all sit  in the dinning room I explain everything. Madge says “ We had no idea we are so sorry about that” Gale asks “ are you sure its our Nathan we are talking about”.. Katniss says “ Unless there is another  Nathan Hawthorne”… Just then Nathan and another girl walk in… he said  “ Oh  no” when four pairs of eyes look at him…  Gale says “ Nathan where is Everleigh?”… Nathan says “ umm she broke up with me, This is Ashley”… I stand up but Katniss grabs my shoulders.  I get out “ Then why did  my daughter say you cheated on her”.. Ashley chimes in  “ Wait you told me that you guys broke up weeks ago” Nathan starts to sweat “ umm ummm”..  Ashley says “ now your speechless well guess what your single now”.. Katniss beside me is trying hard not to loose it… Ashley literally walks out and says “ Mr and Mrs Mellark I have to go apologize to Everleigh” Katniss says “ you know where she lives she might still be on the couch crying her eyes out”. After Ashley Leaves Gale turns to Nathan and says “ Nate I thought we raised you better then that”…Katniss says under her breath “ Runs in the family” then we leave and head home… When we arrive we  see Everleigh and Ashley talking… Laughing… well at least one good thing has come out of this day… Everleigh has a few heartbreaks and I realize I have to do this again…

A few short years later I am getting ready in a suit.. To Give Everleigh away…  She is now 23. Since she got engaged we reflected back on her life. I still have one more daughter to give away if she chooses to.. Her Husband to be is one awesome guy. He reminds me of myself. He showed me he would put her first.   His Name is Cody Mason.  His mother is Johanna. His father is not in the Picture but Johanna must of done something right. We have known Johanna for a while now… years. Cody is only 4 years older then her… They started dated in  college as My baby girl left to go study at District 7  college… She brought Cody home for one break and I instant knew this man who be my future son in law… The other children are growing up to fast as well as Oakley looks so grown up in that brides maid dress and My oldest son Carson is  going to go to school in the fall Kaleb  and Oakley I still have at home but I will blink and I will prepping for 3 more weddings before I know it. I knock on the door to see if she is ready.. And she looks at me and says. “ Yes I am, The real question is are you ready” With tears threatening to make an apprentice I say  “ never ready to let you go but I know this the right man for you”… Ev gives me a kiss on the cheek and whips away a tear that escaped me..  and gives me a big hug…  We walk down to the chapel the wedding will be in and I get in place and the doors open and I walk her down the aisle.. when I am asked who gives her away I say her mother and I… they give us hugs and I go and sit down and watch her get married… she is now A Mason… I get flashbacks… Everleigh and I share a father daughter dance that is when It hit me..  Katniss and I give a speech …

Before I know it I am In the Hospital room holding my first grandchild…

[garden-ghoul]

Subway Stops in the Evil City

If you don’t want to read a full list of all 143 subway stops in the Evil City and how they got their names, this post is not for you. If you do, rejoice!! For reference, a copy of the official MPATH subway map here.

TARR - The Trestle & Ainsdale Rail Road, with its first line completed in 1894, was the very first subway in Evil City. It is one of only two non-union lines, rents out shared subway stations to the U at great price, and is fiercely territorial about union rail lines going through its territory.

Trestle - Downtown of Trestle, named for the Trestle Carryfar Bridge (in turn named after some guy named Trestle). Probably should have been incorporated into Evil City, but wasn’t. Originally a railroad town, officially founded in 1871. Famously terrible train station mentioned in ‘Sleeping on the TARR Tonight.’ I’d like to say it’s the worst one, but in the interest of journalistic integrity I cannot say that. It DOES have some fun fence murals, and fare machines, but it’s still Trestle so they’re always out of order.

Nilton - A neighborhood of Johnstown, just inside the Evil City border. Depressing station. Grimy and full of trash but mostly just sad. No fare machines.

Johnstown - A mill and manufactory town founded by someone named Johnathan who I’m sure has a surname but I can’t be bothered to find out. The Johnathan Swift Bridge at 9th Crossing is named for him. The station has some really cool paintings, but apparently the TARR didn’t authorize them so they keep getting painted over. I’d just let them make my station prettier, but I’m not the TARR big cheeses! No fare machines.

Reliable - Although the Reliable Cable Ferry was replaced by the Mauricio Reliable Bridge when the TARR was built, the neighborhood is still called 8th Crossing. It’s an okay station. It’s fine... for a TARR station, which means it actually sucks. No fare machines.

Ratlands - Today a jazz club, when the stop was named I think Ratlands was some kind of pub. A fun fact about the name: rats have always been associated with intellectualism and, today, jazz, and were actually trained to carry messages during the Munyenem War. There aren’t any far machines, but the turnstiles are permanently broken ‘cause of token suckers so it’s impossible to get on a train by paying a fare anyway.

Pearl Road - An important road that crosses both the Mauricio Reliable and Helia Adamant bridges and defines the boundary between Sospero and Jubilation. Pretty cool architecture and has fare machines. One of the more pleasant TARR stations.

5th Crossing - Since this stop was named, the Sinklow Cable Ferry at 5th Crossing has been replaced by the Helen Highwater Twin Bridge. I don’t know why they don’t name stops after cable ferries... maybe they’re hoping to get rid of all of them one day. Usually someone is busking here, which I love! And it has fare machines, which are broken half the time in a way where you can just whack it and tokens come out.

Rockrist - I don’t actually know why this one is called that! There’s not a Rockrist Street and I don’t know of any kind of encyclopedia of subway station names, so it will remain a mystery. This is a butt ugly station and also if you are on the wrong platform you have to leave, cross the street, and pay another fare. And no, of course it doesn’t have fare machines.

Clagg & Starling - Named after the Clagg & Starling Petrochemical Plant, which I believe famously set the Howlbank River on fire in 1952. I think maybe everyone who actually uses this stop works there. No fare machine.

E St. - The station is on E Street. All the north-south roads in the western half of Eimett have letter names. This station is very boring to look at in kind of a peaceful way. No fare machine and no-one ever uses this station even though it’s a mostly residential neighborhood.

Eimett - A residential neighborhood. Only good thing about this station is the reappearing graffiti that says EIMETT SOUP. No fare machine.

Steady - Named for the Rosalind Steady Bridge that replaced the Steady Cable Ferry at 4th Crossing in 1854. Gross but in an average kinda way. Surprisingly has working fare machines.

South Bank - I wouldn’t call this South Bank because it’s in the Narrows, but I guess South Bank technically includes the entire waterfront of South Ward? This station is unnecessarily snazzy because of all the expensive apartment buildings in the Narrows, and nobody even uses it because Archbow is two blocks away. Also, no fare machines. But at least you can jump the turnstiles because even cops don’t bother to go there.

Archbow - Named for the Eleanora Archbow Tunnel they dug for the Coastal Line. I assume this station was called Pull-together Station before Eleanora Briarcliff paid for it to be renamed. Either way, this was still the Pull-together Cable Ferry for about 20 years until they built Crosslightly over it. An actually nice and impressive station, which when it’s clean and empty reminds me of a museum. Not that it’s ever either of those things, but in old photographs it’s so pretty. It has fare machines for both TARR and U/NECR tokens, and also one of those weird horoscope scales. If you jump the turnstiles here you stand a pretty good chance of getting written up or arrested.

Municipal Intersection - This one’s named for a really ugly courthouse building everyone calls The Intersection, and apparently they have for like 200 years. I think this station is only well-maintained because it’s shared with the U. Kinda pretty. Only U/NECR fare machines. Like all shared stations they actually have guards here, so no jumping.

Benbassat - Named for the administrative building of the Evil City College of Architectural Design. Since this building was very famously built in 1929, the stop must have been called something else when it was named, but I don’t know what. Very artsy, they must have let the ECCAD students at it. Of course it has a U/NECR fare machine, I always feel like the TARR fare machine here was also built by students? It feels bootleg. Anyway this station also has guards.

Redding - Named for Redding University, which was founded in the 1800s some time. For downtown, this station is shockingly bad. I think the Redding students keep complaining and the TARR never does anything, so every so often they have a cleanup day and it immediately gets gross again. No fare machines.

Leekeeper’s Bridge - The bridge to Leekeepersland has a NAME but the TARR doesn’t care, huh? Kind of dilapidated but in a way that inexplicably feels oceany, so it’s nicer. No fare machines at all.

Wharf St. - On Wharf Street? Yeah it was on Wharf Street. Basically Leekeeper’s Bridge but they sweep once every two weeks instead of once a month. No fare machines.

Longshoreman’s Rd. - It has a REALLY good sandwich shop in it, but otherwise it’s almost exactly like Wharf and Leekeeper’s Bridge. No fare machines.

Ainsdale - And we’ve come to the other terminus of the original TARR line! Ainsdale isn’t so much a town as a neighborhood in the port district but maybe it was more of a town back then. A lot of the people who use this station are genuinely dock hands, I think. It’s very grimy. The fare machines actually work, though.

Nusquam St. Bridge - On to the TARR north line, which was completed in 1909. I think this might be the only bridge in the city that doesn’t have a name! When the TARR extended service north of the river, nobody could agree on who should sponsor it, so the money came out of the TARR’s budget and it was never named. It’s super weird to see a bridge with no charms on it, but who’s going to put charms on a dead bridge? Another fun fact about this one is that the subway stop is on both sides of the bridge, which is like a mile and a half long, and each of them only gets trains bound one direction. They’re really badly maintained and don’t have fare machines, so they’re a nightmare to use. Just avoid this stop(s) altogether. If they ever name the bridge it will probably be a better station, maybe check back in 40 years.

3rd Crossing - This station is named for the Faithful Cable Ferry it stops next to, not the neighborhood of 3rd Crossing, which is on Billygoats Bluff. Huge cable ferry transfer station, so the TARR actually puts in a little effort. Most of the effort is that the fare machines work and they often have guards there. Sad little mosaics.

Gale Rd. - Gale Road is North Bank North Bank. So nobody ever uses this stop, they all have chauffeurs or something. And there’s no fare machines anyway. Clean, though.

Cornet Shrive - After the neighborhood, which I guess is named after the Little Cornet River? They have the coolest Jhinyad grocery stores there where you can do a full tea and lunch ceremony. This station has great buskers, both musicians and storytellers. No fare machines, and pretty gross.

Kill Neck - I THINK Kill Neck means “the narrow part of the river” in another language but I forget which one. An absolutely nasty TARR station. For some reason there’s always at least one seagull in there. No fare machines.

MPABT - The Metropolitan Port Authority Bus Terminal. It always cracks me up that they have a bus to Iron Mountain, as if anyone would not just take the ferry. This is the actual worst station in Evil City. It’s full of trash at all times, smells indescribable, and I think if I ever went into the bathrooms I would probably die. They have fare machines, but I’ve never seen anyone dare touch them.

Doghouse - Apparently Doghouse, the neighborhood, is named after part of the glass manufacturing process (so is Cold End). The doghouse is where the molten glass comes through before you pour it. This station is almost as infectious as MPABT, but it doesn’t have fare machines. I kind of feel like something bad is going to happen to me there.

Fireproof - Yeah this is named after an asbestos processing plant. Clean, in a depressed sort of way, and without actually being clean. No fare machines. Sospero - Sospero is called that because it’s SOuth of PEarl ROad, get it? I think the southern boundary is Linden Road. I’m pretty sure this was the terminus of the northern TARR line until it connected up with the southern one in 1948. Nasty in an almost perfunctory way. Everyone in Oxbow is too tired for fare dodging. They just put tokens into the turnstile when they want to get through. It’s so sad. No fare machine.

Narrows - Back to South Bank for the 1948 line, Narrows is named after the neighborhood, which is at the place where the river narrows. There’s nothing wrong with this station, except no TARR fare machines, but what were you expecting?

Delmer - I assume this is named after someone? Like maybe the library is in Delmer Square or something? I literally only get off here when I need to go to the library. It’s a nice station and has plaques about the library’s history, which I have only read on the northbound side because I’m not a tourist, and has well-maintained (relatively) fare machines for both U/NECR and TARR tokens. This is the one station where the U and TARR trains share track, which means there are turnstiles that take both types of tokens. But why would you use TARR tokens when the U ones are 5 cents cheaper?

Queen St. - Severin has never had a queen so I don’t know what this is about. Maybe it’s because it goes to Queenstock? But why is Queenstock called that? This is another kind of fancy neighborhood, but people in Martinet Heights think riding the train is somehow morally superior. Very clean station but no fare machines.

Medicins - This means medicine or doctor or something in Arinese I think. There’s like 15 hospitals in Martinet Heights, including the teaching hospitals for ECU south campus. Kind of nice for a TARR station, but surely the doctors don’t take the train. Maybe the nurses’ union complained and that’s why it has fare machines.

Trapezoid - Named after the large bronze trapezoid set into the plaza. My friend’s grandma said it’s actually a conspiracy the city covered up when a bunch of people died and the trapezoid used to be a memorial plaque, and when I went asking around a lot more people confirmed that there used to be a garment manufacturing company called Trapezoid there until it burned down in the 19-teens and a bunch of people died. Now it’s all office buildings so everyone who gets off at this stop is very stressed. Okay station though, with trapezoid tiling. No fare machines.

Firesein Park - I guess the neighborhood is named for the park. It’s a pretty cool park even if the landscaping sucks, they have concerts there in the summer, which I don’t think they have a permit for. Sometimes the cops bust up the concerts, when they have nothing better to do. The station is always super gross. I think some people vandalize the fare machines on purpose.

Mosslow - Mosslow is kind of like a mini neighborhood between Firesein and Little Orele, which was probably named that because it’s in a dip. Quiet station, nothing architecturally interesting, but good graffiti outside. No fare machines.

Little Orele - Lots of immigrants from the Ohrland have been coming here since I think the 1870s and recently there have been even more because of the Ðlyan annexation and the immigration quotas in the Big One, so the neighborhood is spreading out into Tolly Bank. Best pickles in the city and some very cool murals, including in the station (again, illegally, but they never get painted over). No fare machines.

Strongox - The cable ferry at 6th crossing used to be called just The Ox, which owns, and was replaced by Ɱora Strongox Bridge when the TARR southern line was built. Pretty cheerful for Oxbow, which means you can have a nicer time at certain funerals. No fare machines.

7th Crossing - It’s named after the neighborhood, because they definitely replaced the Steel-Grip Cable Ferry when they built the line. I approve of this one because Munye Steeleye is a very cool name for a bridge. It’s weird for the TARR to go through an actually nice neighborhood, but it wasn’t one when this line was built. Everyone in Longwood uses the Millstone Junction Line anyway. No fare machines.

Longwood Heights - I think it’s funny that they didn’t name this stop Longwood, considering it was built before the Longwood stop on the Millstone Junction extension. It’s nice now because so many artists get in--they’re like raccoons. They put in fare machines just to paint clouds and stuff on them. If you pick a random person in this station there’s 50/50 odds they have a taco in their pocket.

Clearwater - I think it’s VERY funny that there’s a town named Clearwater like a mile downriver of the Muddy River confluence. People there like to take the TARR one stop and immediately transfer to the Millstone. No fare machines.

Confluence DoubleDown - Apparently DoubleDown was established in 1930, and apparently there’s nothing in that weird nebulous area that might or might not be West Montrose except the DoubleDown. This station is the most depressing place I’ve ever been. No fare machines, but you can buy TARR tokens at the checkout in the DoubleDown.

Scrippetts - I think this one is named for a historic pharmacy that got turned into an X-Drug a while ago?? This is a terrible station, only good if you want to walk three blocks and transfer to the B-M Line. It does have a fare machine, but no guards so nobody ever uses it.

Coastal Line - Completed in 1901, the Coastal Line has a reputation for being used mostly by rich fucks in the North and South Wards to go to the beach. But you can also use it to get from my house to a transfer station, so it’s not all bad.

Palisades - The train station is associated with a little shopping center that probably didn’t exist before it was built. I’m pretty sure everyone who lives in the Palisades has two cars and only takes the train for the novelty value. The neighborhood is named for the columnar basalt cliffs north of the harbor, which look like a stakewall. This station is insanely cute in a way that makes me kind of mad. And I lowkey feel like I’ll get arrested for loitering. Does have fare machines, but no guards, because can you imagine rich people jumping a turnstile? They might ruin their manicures.

Brandywine - Named for Brandywine Shoal, a bar district ‘where sailors went to get wrecked.’ Now all the bars are way too expensive for sailors to go to. The station has some pretty funky murals that I’m a fan of, but no fare machines. Maybe they’re afraid drunk rich people would try to vandalize the machines and then sue them for injuries.

Anchor St. - Anchor Street is actually named after the Steadfast Anchor that they keep in the tiniest little public park and it’s worn shiny on the tips from people touching it for luck. You’re not allowed to put charms on it so people leave them around the base of the plinth. The station itself is nothing special. No fare machines. It’s Coastal Line so it’s nice.

Bessemer Forge - There used to be a major forging operation in North Bank! There was one in Queenstock too, unless that was smelting. Bessemer Forge was owned by Charles Bessemer and operated up through the 50s, when it moved out to Oxbow. Also has history plaques, but I’ve never read them because I have no reason to be on Cross Street. I can’t remember if this one has fare machines. Probably, because it’s a ‘transfer station’? That’s just a little joke for all my Orbital Line non-acknowledgers.

Alliance Square - Dedicated on Alliance Day 1722 for the 50-year anniversary of Severin’s formation. Only tourists get off here, and only the stupid tourists who transferred because they didn’t realize you can get off at Millennium and walk. Does have fare machines, because tourists.

Millennium - The Millennium Center was built in 1900 in anticipation of the new millennium, showcasing the architectural specialties of Evil City. The Millennium Fair drew a huge amount of international attention for its flashy futuristic aesthetics and predictions for the year 2000. At this point most of them are probably not going to come true. The station is gorgeous, and was built alongside the Millennium Center with the same aesthetics. It’s also a tourist attraction, so has fare machines.

Union Station - The Coastal Rail Company, the Sea Gate Railroad, and Millstone Passenger Rail united in the early 1900s under the authority of MPATH and completely refurbished Oxbow Street Station into the daring architectural feat it is today. If it weren’t so busy it would be very clean, but it is. You can catch actual heavy rail trains up the coast from here, following the Pike. Not only do they have fare machines, you can also buy tokens from an actual person behind an actual desk. Decent sandwich shops, but overpriced.

Queenstock - Maybe the word queenstock is actually a reference to some kind of smelting jargon? I need to find a book on smelting. This area is where all the students go drinking, so this not a lovely station, especially on weekends. I’d avoid getting off here. Does have fare machines.

Ring 55 at Big Tern St. - Big Tern Street might be named after the island or after the Tern’s Nest or both, I don’t know. I always thought it was dumb to name this station after the ring road around the old city center. You could have just called it Big Tern Street. Cleaner and much less busy than Queenstock, pretty spare decoration and no fare machines.

Long Shore - Longshore is a term for currents or sediment deposition running along the shore rather than into it, which I don’t think is what’s going on here. Probably it’s back-derived from ‘longshoremen.’ But this is the station by my house! I love Long Shore Station, it’s really easy to get into downtown but it’s not super busy, and the ocean waves tiling is so pretty. And. It has. Fare machines. So there.

Flatlands - It’s in Flatlands. The lands, they are flat. Nobody uses this station except people who missed getting off at Long Shore because they were reading or something. Really boring decor. No fare machines.

Lookout Rd. - Lookout Road is named for the Lookout, the lighthouse on Lookout Point, which is where this road goes. Tourists get off here. The station is pretty for them, though, and has not only history plaques but some really lovely art of the Lookout. And yes, fare machines.

Brambling Hill Beach - For rich fucks who want to tan. There aren’t actually turnstiles here. I’m not sure you... have to pay to get on the train here? Fuck the rich.

Brambling Hill - For rich fucks who want to do some shopping. My theory is that all the sunburned and shopping-addled rich people couldn’t handle the concept of turnstiles, or paying for public services, so they took them out.

Millstone Jct. Line - When it was built in 1922 the Millstone Passenger Rail ran from VISTA to 9th Crossing Boulevard; in 1940 it merged with the Sea Gate Line to share track and improve coverage, and in 1943 it extended further south to give service to Birchbrake.

Valentine Institute - It always trips me up that this station isn’t officially called VISTA. It’s just more elegant, guys! The Valentine Institute for Science, Technology, and Arts is maybe the most famous liberal arts college we have. They wouldn’t let MPATH build a line through their campus, so when they wanted to build an extension they had to put the other half of VISTA Station a quarter mile away and make people walk through the tunnels under the college. Architecturally it’s pretty nice, and there are fare machines at both ends.

Monument - Named for an obelisk dedicated to the Birchbrake wreckers and Evil City soldiers who died in the Munyenem War in the 1620s-30s. I always thought it was weird that it’s in Millstone rather than in North or South Bank. It’s kinda cute because it has one of those little news shops where they sell candy. But no fare machines. You can’t even get tokens at the shop.

Millstone East - The eastern part of Millstone. They do have the park here that the original millstone is in, but it doesn’t have a name. The stone, I mean, the park is called Millstone Park. This station always freaks me out a little because it’s so clean. No fare machine.

Azalea Lynn Beacon Drive - Named for the longshoreman and labor rights activist who got us the 8-hour work day. She was shot in the 60s and everyone knows the police had her assassinated. Fun fact, I went to Azalea Lynn Beacon Primary School. This stop is the amount of grimy I expect. It has murals from local schoolkids with quotes and portraits and stuff about ALB. Fare machines usually work.

Linden - There is literally nothing interesting about Linden. Or the station. Or its lack of fare machines.

Marshland - You can walk straight from my house to the marshlands up the Ainsdale Estuary if you take Pier 14 Road. There are some really nice walking trails and sometimes we go birdwatching. This station nominally serves the neighborhood and the depressing little mall on the other side of the estuary, but it’s usually almost empty. No fare machines.

Tern’s Nest - Named for the neighborhood on the hill. Like all hills, it’s inhabited by rich people. I’m not sure if terns used to actually nest up there or if it’s just the sort of place people thought they would nest. I want to climb the rocks but it’s all private property. Nice station, no fare machines.

Legion - Named for the headquarters of Legion Inc. When the station was named in 1922 Legion probably just made paper but now they make plastic stuff as well. The headquarters, built in 1920, was one of the first buildings to showcase Evil City’s trademark structuralist-geometricalist style. You can tell they’re proud of it because the station is built to match. Plus they put the exit right across the street from the building so you come out looking at it. No fare machines.

ECU North - There’s an ECU campus in West Ward too, but it doesn’t have its own subway station. This station is always trashed because of college kids. Does have fare machines. On average one is working at any given time.

Elm Creek - Technically this station is named after the neighborhood/creek that comes down through North Ward, but literally everyone I know calls it Refrigerator Building Station. Because of the refrigerator building owned by United Severr Refrigeration, which has really cool turn-of-the-century architecture and plays little animations in neon on Kingkiller Day. The station has kind of a weirdly corporate vibe. I don’t like it. Does have fare machines though.

Pikes Crossing - Named for the intersection where the tollpike crosses the ring road. It’s possible that the pike was once an actual pike with defensive barriers, maybe back in the 1600s? This is a weird null zone where it’s not quite residential yet but it’s no longer nice or businessy, and it’s not part of any neighborhood. Nonetheless, it’s always completely packed at rush hour. No clue why. Does have fare machines.

Eichelborough - This is very obscure trivia but Eichelborough (pronounced Eckelberg, he was foreign) is named after Eichel Strash, who fled the breakup of the Empire in the early 1700s and somehow got a town named after him. This station has inexplicably bad vibes. No fare machines.

Nasser Rd. - A road. This is also in Eichelborough but a less worse part of it. The station is still a little depressing I guess, but in a normal subway station way. No fare machines.

Cadbury - Named after Cadbury Park, where there is a statue of someone named Cadbury. Apparently people in Cold End really don’t like her because someone keeps graffiti-ing the statue to say ‘Cadbury Sucks Eggs.’ The station is also a mess most of the time and I think the U has given up cleaning graffiti off most parts of it. Has permanently broken fare machines.

Cutty Heights - Another hill full of rich people. Station is hilariously gross, which means none of the rich people use it. I guess who uses it is people who work at rich people’s houses, and people from... Clermont? Is that a real place? No fare machines.

Rush - I do not know why it is called this but people joke it’s because the platform is standing room only at rush hour (which would mean the neighborhood is named after the station, which is very funny). It IS weirdly busy for a commuter suburb. I’m not sure what the station looks like, I’ve never seen the floor. Does have fare machines.

Tanna St. - A street. Nobody ever uses this station. Due to some kind of stupid districting thing it’s not even in Evil City. Awful architecture and no fare machines.

9th Crossing Blvd. - 9th Crossing Boulevard is also Highway 117, which they did a good job not naming the station after the highway. It’s named for 9th Crossing, now the Johnathan Swift Bridge. Very busy station, and actually pretty cool architecture characteristic of the early 20s. Has fare machines! They work!

Promenade - First station on the southern extension of the Millstone Junction Line, completed in ‘43, and from here on the stations are aboveground. The Promenade is a mall, but a fancy old mall from when Sunrise was a new suburb for upper-middle-class people. So the station is also kind of fancy and has patterned brickwork instead of just being cement. And it has fare machines.

Blount St. - If you get off here and you’re wearing a hoodie you get arrested on sight. A very nice looking station that somehow manages to have the vibe that it hates you, personally. The fare machines don’t actually charge you more, but you feel like they want to.

West Castle - I went to the library to look up a map and it turns out there IS a town called Castle east of West Castle (I realize there’s literally an O-Line stop called Castle but in my defense who cares about the O-Line?). They do have a castle but they built it in the late 1800s for tourism reasons and it’s not very good. There’s a casino in it now. Anyway this station is the terrible and inexplicable terminus of the Brinell-Montrose Line, which would mean it didn’t even GO to Montrose when it was built?? It has a sandwich shop which sucks SO bad. The fact that the fare machines work feels weirdly like an insult.

East Montrose - This is the boring part of Montrose. The station: painfully average. No fare machines.

Sliver St. - I understand that this street is named after the cotton thing, due to Badgett’s concentration of textile mills, and therefore is pronounced ‘slyver’. This station is absolutely in the middle of nowhere and it’s just aboveground so you have to pay your fare on the train itself. No fare machines, obviously.

Riverbend - There is no river, stream, or creek here. Maybe it was named as a joke. This is right by the highway and has the distinction of being less smelly inside than outside. It’s not totally enclosed though and it gets really cold in winter. Has fare machines that WE deserve.

Herringbone Rd. - The fact that for the stop in Smelt they picked Herringbone Road is excellent, because it really highlights the fish half of the fish/ironworks pun. Herringbone Road is also Route 40/82 there, so it’s obvious why they picked it, but I’m still pleased. It also has a herringbone mosaic pattern on the walls of the shelter, which is so cute. Didn’t expect to like a station in Birchbrake this much, but here we are. At least it doesn’t have fare machines.

Duliamen - Duliamen has got to be a foreign word but I have no idea where it comes from. Sound vaguely Munyenem. The edge of Birchbrake is kinda a cool area and has some good cafes with an offputting industrial vibe. The station has a minimalist raw concrete thing that kind of scares and comforts me at the same time. No fare machines.

Lamplighters - Named for the Birchbrake lighthouse keepers who lived in the neighborhood. Famously affiliated with the wreckers who foundered merchant ships by tricking them with lamps, and then used the same technique to take down an entire Munyenem fleet. And people say Birchbrake isn’t badass. This neighborhood is way cute so it’s kind of disappointing that the station isn’t. No fare machines.

Birchbrake Center - Honestly I’m not sure they needed three stops in downtown Birchbrake, it’s not like it’s a shopping destination. I will note that the Millstone Junction Line is almost completely useless for 70% of the residents of Birchbrake, but they have a pretty good bus system so it doesn’t matter that much that the subway coverage is so bad. This station has fun murals and fare machines.

Breakwater Rd. - There is no way they ever had to build a breakwater in Birchbrake Harbor, the water is already VERY broken by the time it makes it past the Gravediggers. I always forget this station exists. Fare machines? No fare machines? Who can say.

Iron & Steel - Named for the Iron and Steel Institute of Severin, a trade institute founded in 1788. They have the most amazing museum of steel jewelry. The station has an exposed beams aesthetic that kind of reminds me of the Millennium Center, but it’s probably modelled after the Institute, which did it first when they retrofitted and remodelled in 1897. Does have fare machines.

Blunt Leadenhall - First station on the western extension, completed in 1955. Blunt Leadenhall is a place that makes lead pipes and stuff. I guess it’s historic now but I don’t know why they would have wanted to name a station after it in 1955. It has plaques about the leadworks that I am confident not a single person has ever read. No fare machines.

Longwood - Yep! It’s in Longwood! Unlike the TARR station a block away, they let the artists in on purpose and commissioned a super cool mural about the history of the Evil City. No fare machines though.

Vinegar Hill - A neighborhood in Longwood Ward. I was hoping I would find something like they used to brew vinegar there or it smells sour for some reason, but nobody seems to have any idea why it’s called that. Nobody uses this station. No fare machines.

Southgate Center - A shopping center constructed in 1949. Charmingly old-timey and yet irritatingly upper-middle-class. Almost exactly like Promenade except worse in every way. No fare machines.

Crizzling - Yep! It’s in Crizzling! I guess it was very important for people from Crizzling to be able to commute into the city and that’s why they built this entire line. A totally pointless station that really tests my enduring love of all subway stations. It’s not even underground. And it has no fare machines.

Brinell-Montrose Line - Originally the Sea Gate Line, built in 1921 to serve the Montrose area, it later joined the union with the Coastal and Millstone Lines. Unusually, one of its termini (West Castle) is in the middle of the line, because the Millstone Junction Line extended past it in 1943. I have a theory that West Montrose actually used to be the terminus but they changed it so there wouldn’t be twice as many trains on part of the track.

Grove - It’s my understanding that there is a grove of elm trees. I have no idea who uses this station, and it has no identity to match. And no fare machines.

Brinell South - There is nothing in Brinell whatsoever. It’s only notable because it’s on a grid system unlike any other town I’ve ever been to.

Brinell North - Yanus Brinell thought that his stupid town would become a real city if it had some subway stops.

M54 - He was wrong. Oh, yeah, this stop is called M54 because that’s the intersection number. The grid system has letters going one way and numbers going the other way and it makes everything sound heinously stupid. And to add insult to injury, ALL the stations in Brinell have working fare machines.

Arcair - Renamed for the Arcair Building in south Linden when the Seagate Line became the Brinell-Montrose Line. Arcair is a refrigeration and air conditioning company based in Iron Mountain. This station is corporate in a way that’s trying to be cool and totally misses the mark. Bad! Does have fare machines.

Dearborn - A neighborhood in Brambling Hill. I think this is where everyone lives who works in the fancy shops and at the boardwalk. The station is kind of depressing-cute and has no fare machines.

Karona Rd. - A road, not in any particular neighborhood because neither Flatlands, Canal Road, or Brambling Hill wants to claim it. Kinda middle class, unremarkable station with no fare machines.

MPAFT - The Metropolitan Port Authority Ferry Terminal. I love taking the ferry to other cities, the boats are so nice. This station kind of rules, it’s very boat-themed and has all these white-painted catwalks in a way that makes it fun to run around. And, of course, it has fare machines and you can buy ferry tickets in the ferry terminal part.

Six Bells - Named after the Bellringer (officially known as the Six Bells Light). This is the only lighthouse I know of that also had bells to tell time and deliver storm warnings to the city and the people fishing in the harbor. It was built in 1605 and continuously improved until it was sturdy enough to stand for hundreds more years. The Longshoreman is my local lighthouse but I think the Bellringer is just cooler. Very cute station that seems like it was designed by the same people as MPAFT, and has fare machines because there’s honestly not much reason to go there unless you’re a tourist since MPAFT is so close.

Longfellow - Named for the Acacia Longfellow Bridge, which as the name suggests is the longest bridge in the world! It barely beat out the Miette Crosslightly Bridge at 2nd Crossing, which had been the longest bridge in the world for the previous 8 months in 1921. They used to be the Takes-a-village and Pull-together Cable Ferries, which were maybe even more impressive feats of engineering since it’s still almost 3 miles of river to cross and they did it in the 1700s. There’s not much at this stop, though, just a little neighborhood of old houses cut off from the rest of North Bank by the Brandywine Estuary. Badly maintained in kind of a cute way, no fare machines.

Sea Gate - This neighborhood is named for the fact that it’s the gateway to the sea, which I really feel should have been on Back Head or Cape Hook but nobody lives in either of those places, so. Mostly insanely expensive old greenbrick apartments with nice river mouth views, very nice architecture but pretty grimy and no fare machines.

Sentinel St. - Named for the fact that it goes toward the Sentinel. Sea Gate Station is also on Sentinel Street, and Sentinel Street Station is also in Sea Gate, so theoretically their names could be switched. Another pretty but dirty station but does have fare machines. I’ve been trying to figure out if this was the terminus of the Sea Gate Line way back when, because it couldn’t have used Union Station, right?

Tomisin Square - All the way back south since the rest of the stations between North Bank and Montrose have been covered above. Tomisin Square is named for a family who came down the Hallasford River in the 1700s with a bunch of good seeds and farming practices and made South Castle a thriving agricultural region. Very good shops, and the station has cute art. Yes fare machines!

West Montrose - IF this station was built to be the terminus of the Brinell-Montrose Line that would explain why it it looks a little like a fancy wine cellar. Despite the dumb fancy station, West Montrose is where it’s at. Cool independent stores, pretty good cheap restaurants, and surprisingly interesting architecture. More evidence for the original terminus theory: it has fare machines.

Hwy. 40 at Sarch Rd. - I hate the name of this subway station. It is named after both a highway and a street that is really horrible to say. Sarch. Eugh. The station is in the most depressingly pointless part of Montrose and also both grimy and depressing, and has no fare machines.

Salom Pier - Named for one of the piers in Badgett, mostly used for shipping raw cotton in and cloth out to the Howlbank. An okay station. A fine station. Whatever. I can’t remember if it has fare machines.

Nine-Mile Drive - Named for the road that runs from the Hallasford River north of the confluence to the southern edge of Badgett. My map of the Evil City greater metro area confirms it’s about 11 and a half miles long. Kind of a warehouse-y car dealership-y area that I wouldn’t go to if you paid me. No fare machines.

NECR - The North Evil City Railroad completed its first line in 1947. Although it is not a union line and isn’t administrated by MPATH, it’s still known as part of the U and has a far more cordial relationship with the union lines than does the TARR. If you say ‘en ee cee ar’ you’re a cop.

Locust St. - It seems strange to me that NECR decided to put its southern terminus in a place that already had such a high density of subway stations. There’s a Bido literally right outside Locust Street Station but because of the transfers involved it’s much easier to walk from Wharf Street.

Cross St. - Skipping all the way to North Bank, we have the unimaginatively named Cross Street Station.

North End - Yeah, it’s in North End.

Greenmarket Square - Site of a farmers’ market from the 1500s until now! The only place with prices better than your average Goods Barge is the part where they sell vegetables at a discount because they’re starting to go off.

Edgewater Rd. - This road seems to be named for the very short distance it follows the edge of the Barrow River rather than actually being near the coast.

Barrowmouth Ferry - If you want to get literally anywhere by ferry it’s easier to go to MPAFT and they have more destinations. But the Barrowmouth Ferry (if you’re not from around here: pronounce it Ber-mith) has been running for a couple hundred years and they don’t want to stop now.

Roselawn St. - A street.

Woollingfuoy - I love to say Woollingfuoy. Never been there, though.

Backbarrow - Ditto Backbarrow.

Garlsbrood - I LOVE to say Garlsbrood. It used to be a pretty important railroad town, but these days the trains don’t need to stop as often and GST is out of business.

High Hill - Cute town. Kind of kitschy. More train memorabilia than even *I* think is tasteful.

CNR Research Park - The first stop on the northern branch of the NECR, which was completed in 1954. Nobody I have asked has any clue what CNR stands for, or what they research. Maybe another government conspiracy??

Breitseid Place - An experimental suburb of Backbarrow that reportedly has prefabricated houses they have to decorate a LOT to make you forget they all come out of the same mold. Kind of creepy.

Newkirk - What on Earth is in Newkirk? Commuters, I guess.

Orbital Line - Widely agreed to be the most useless rail line, it was completed ten years ago during the economic boom from war manufacturing. Since large portions of it are aboveground or utilize existing tunnels it was relatively cheap to build despite its long track length.

Sharpe St. - Starting up in Sea Gate we have Sharpe Street, named for Mayor Ghiris Sharpe (1878-1886), who was one of the most corrupt mayors we’ve ever had, and that’s saying something. Outrageously sucky station for North Bank, as if the O-Line needed to prove how much it doesn’t deserve to exist. No fare machines.

Callen Yards - A railyard that has been in use since the mid-1700s. I believe this is technically the terminus of the O-Line because it’s where trains go at night (service stops at 1am). And yet it has no fare machines. The architecture is so boring, but given that it’s in Callen Yards that’s forgivable.

Graves Hill - Perhaps the one hill in Evil City not occupied by living rich people. Most of the people who die in Ends or Kill Neck Wards have been buried there, rich or poor. The difference is you’re not allowed to walk on rich people’s graves. They have little wrought-iron fences. I like this station, even though people do live around there it’s always a little somber. No fare machines, though.

South Ends - Ends sucks and I don’t like to be there. I don’t know why it has the vaguely ominous name it has and neither does anyone I’ve asked. This station would be nice if it didn’t have an aura of being in Ends. No fare machines.

Broodway - Named for the road that goes to Garlsbrood. Even stronger Ends aura, but near some okay shops and it does have a sad little mural and one (1) fare machine.

Fester Highlands - If I hadn’t decided to ride the entire circle of the Orbital Line that one time I never would have seen Fester Highlands. I wouldn’t be missing much. I can’t remember anything about this station.

Backstairs - I’ve heard that Backstairs is supposed to be kind of a pun on the fact that it’s at the back end of Hell’s Gate, but if so I don’t get it. It is, however, definitely the coolest neighborhood in the ward. The station has great decoration by local artists, and some art pieces that are made to look like fare machines but don’t give you tokens, so if you’re dumb enough to put your money in there the artists get it as “donations.”

Swift - Named for the Johnathan Swift Bridge that replaced the Swift Cable Ferry at 9th Crossing in 1837. Station that wants to eat you I guess and has no fare machines.

10th Crossing - Named for the site of the Take-it-easy Cable Ferry, the only cable ferry in Evil City still operational besides the one at 3rd Crossing. Take-it-easy has been in dire financial straits since the early 40s when a road bridge was built nearby, especially since the ferry operator (Mr. Milonnillo, he’s kind of famous) refused to raise prices. But since the Orbital Line station was built, a lot more people use the ferry to cross over to it because the parking is so bad! I think Mr. Milonnillo’s friends decorated this station because it’s unusually cute for being in an area no-one gives a gull’s ass about. No fare machines, but I’ve heard Mr. Milonnillo will sell you tokens because people sometimes give them to him instead of money.

West Trestle - Due to the terms of the rental contracts the TARR got MPATH to agree to for shared subway stations, nobody is allowed to build subway stations in their territory, which includes the entire town of Trestle. So MPATH built a station juuuust outside the town boundaries. It’s the only way to get from Trestle to Montrose without taking an incredibly stupid route, so it’s pretty busy and pretty disgusting. Does have fare machines.

Muddy River Park and Ride -  A supremely redundant train station right across the river from Crizzling, but I can’t stay mad because the name sounds like a theme park. Muddy River Slip and Slide. Boring open-air station with fare machines.

Hwy. 19 at Hallasford River - This might be the only genuinely useful station on the Orbital line, because prior to 1974 if you lived in the far suburbs you would have to walk several miles and cross at least one river in order to get to the nearest train station, and parking was probably a nightmare there anyway. Depressing, disgusting station with no fare machines.

West Castle East - No, this is not a station in Castle. No, even though it’s 2 blocks from the Brinell-Montrose Line there’s no stop there and you can’t transfer. West Castle is a fake town anyway. Bad architecture and no fare machines.

Castle - Yes, this is a station in Castle. Castle is a very slightly less fake town but the fake tourist castle really hurts their case. The station is really gaudy and they have way too many ads for the casino. They have a slot machine and a bad little news shop but no fare machines.

Bondurant St. - I don’t really know that much about the history of Birchbrake, okay, everyone I could ask is from Evil City or Ramshead. All I know is there’s a Bondurant School of Metallurgy at the ISI. Anyway this station isn’t too bad. Hasn’t got the shine worn off it yet, but no fare machines.

Near North - Another neighborhood of Birchbrake with a lot of warehouses. It’s just north of downtown, which I imagine is how it got its name. The station disappointingly does not match the nearby MSJ stops and is very boring. Fare machines here for some reason.

Brigantine - Brigantine is a weird little not-quite-a-town between Brinell and Long Neck Bay. I can’t tell if it’s trying to be Brambling Hill 2 or if it just wants to be left alone. Don’t think anyone ever uses this stop, and it has no fare machines.

Long Head - Named for the headland north of Long Neck Bay, which is named for the long neck of land that makes it extremely difficult to get into Birchbrake Bay (waves Wreckers Day lantern). Absolutely no reason for there to be a stop here, I can’t remember anything about it.

GST - Garlsbrood Shipping and Transit was a short-lived rail company that only operated from 1897 to 1909. According to old maps it originally went from Garlsbrood, through Ends, to Linden, where I think they were planning to extend to Birchbrake, but they went out of business shortly after building a rail bridge right next to the Nusquam Street bridge. I can’t find anything on what the bridge’s name is, but nobody uses it now. This section is for rumors I’ve heard about ‘the Ghost Line,’ an unreliable rail line made entirely of abandoned stations with tragic pasts. I am not including non-tragic stations on the historic GST Line.

Garlsbrood Station - Okay, just one, but only because it’s spooky. This is the original terminus of the GST. No tragic past here as far as I can tell, unless you count the GST going out of business. It’s closed down but there’s a cool illegal skate park inside and the skate punks say sometimes a completely empty train comes in.

Station in Long Shore - Another original terminus. GST used to own a dock there, and the rails still exist, but I’ve personally never seen a train stop there. It’s where Azalea Lynn Beacon worked and organized, so my aunt calls it Beacon Station.

Secret station under 5th Crossing - I can’t believe the TARR would have ever let another rail company dig under their lines, and I can’t work out the geometry of this, if the GST crossed the river at Nusquam Street. But I’ve been down there and there is a station in the same style as the terminus in Garlsbrood. I didn’t explore too much because I think there were people living in there and I didn’t want to meet them. The only tragic past I can figure for this one is the time Clagg & Starling set the river on fire in the 50s.

Station near the White Star chemical plant in Backstairs - This station is on private property, so maybe it was intended to be used for deliveries to the plant. Again, it isn’t actually on the route that the old maps show for GST, and I wouldn’t even put it on this list if my friend didn’t insist that it’s haunted by the ghosts of people poisoned by improper cyanide storage at White Star 20 years ago.

Johnstown Flood Station - This one is pretty well documented, partially because it has a long informative plaque about the 1848 Johnstown Flood, and partially because someone I know has actually managed to get on a train there! She said it was black with a gray stripe and had more of a nose than the modern subway trains (I’ve never found a photo of the GST from when it was running so I can’t confirm). It was raining hard that day and the river was rising really fast, so she took shelter in what she thought was an abandoned subway station--so imagine her surprise when a train picked her up!

Trapezoid 2 - She got off at the next station, where it wasn’t raining, and it was straight up Trapezoid Station, nothing in between. Except that when she went aboveground there was a burning building in Trapezoid Plaza. She went looking for a pay phone to call the fire department but she couldn’t find any anywhere. Eventually she went home to use the phone there, but the fire department thought she was making a prank call, and when she went back there was no building, on fire or not.

Station in Eimett - The entrance is between two TARR stations, and it’s boarded up. I didn’t manage to get inside, and I can’t figure out what tragedy would have happened there, so this is more of a speculative one. But there aren’t a ton of abandoned subway stations downtown because GST is the only one that actually went out of business instead of merging and keeping its stations.

Station at the bottom of Cutty Hill - My friend’s uncle swears this station wasn’t here 15 years ago, before the phosgene riot, and he’s lived in Fresh Pond his whole life. He said when he was released from the hospital there was a new train station two blocks from his house and nobody else thought it was weird. He admits he could be having some kind of memory problem from being poisoned, but it’s also not on any maps and doesn’t belong to ANY railroad company we could find. My life’s mission is to get my hands on some bolt cutters and break in there.

[future-fangirl]

Get What You Want

The idea from this story came from a couple of high school experiences and the usual high school AU fanfiction out there. And a conversation with @savvylark about demisexuality. Somehow it turned into this. I will warn you that Katniss is a bit OOC in this story. She is living in a present-day setting so she isn't so terrified of relationships and romance. And Everlark shippers, don't worry, this is an Everlark story even if it seems like it isn't. I had the unrequited love thing going on in high school though in my case the guy I liked was more like Peeta than Gale. So parts of this are inspired by that. I remember the whole desperate desire to look "hot" so that guy will notice you. Newsflash, it rarely does work. Edited to Add: I am having major formatting issues with all my writing. I am going to try to fix it but it's driving me crazy.

"But how do I make him notice me?" I sat down beside Johanna on her bed and played with the hem of my t-shirt. Johanna was the girl to go to when you wanted to know how to play sexy. She was two years older than me and knew how to drive guys crazy. We had been friends for years but so far I had avoided her attempts to make me over into something hotter. I wasn't very good at sexy. In fact, I really didn't like it at all. But it was the only way to get him to notice me. Gale was mine and I was his and anything else was unthinkable. Well, ok, I had a crush on him and he still thought I was the cute cousin. We weren't actually cousins but we looked alike enough people thought we were. He was two years older than me and we had been friends for years. Recently though he had started hanging out with the older kids. And now that he was in college I saw all the posts on Facebook with the hot blonde girls. And even though I had made a couple of awkward advances he hadn't taken the bait. I was getting a little desperate. Was there something wrong with me? I mean, I knew I wasn't as pretty as Glimmer Williams but I wasn't ugly. I wore glasses, had worn braces, read books, sprouted obscure fandom knowledge and wore a wardrobe of a librarian. Still, my hair was nice and I thought my features weren't that bad. I was flat chested though. "Did you try what I told you? The lip bite thing and the smiling and the touching your hair." Johanna answered. "Yeah, and it didn't work. He just kinda ignored me. He spent all the night with Cashmere." I sighed remembering how they had spent the whole night making out while I sat there and tried to pretend it didn't bother me. "I even asked if he wanted to dance. But he didn't." Johanna winced. Then she sat there for a couple of minutes and said, "Maybe you should make him jealous?" I hadn't had a boyfriend. I was scowling and irritating and most people found me scary. I sat alone with my other friend Madge and read books. I hadn't even been kissed. I was almost eighteen and I hadn't been kissed. I wasn't sure about kissing, it seemed a little weird, but people were supposed to enjoy it. "I could try. Maybe once he figures out I'm not a kid he'll be interested." "Listen, Katniss. Don't lose yourself trying to get some guy to notice you. I've been there, done that. And it's not worth it." I nodded but wasn't particularly paying attention to Johanna's advice. I had a mission. Find some guy who would make me look desirable enough to get Gale to notice me. I thought down the list of boys in my class. Cato? No, he was the kind of guy who carried knives in his pocket to look tough. Marvel? No, he was just plain creepy. Thresh? No, he was Gale's friend and he wasn't the kind to agree to my plan. Peeta? He'd be perfect but he'd never agree. Peeta Mellark was the golden boy of our class. He was class president, debate champ, wrestler and extremely popular. With his golden-haired good looks and bright blue eyes, he looked almost as good looking as Finnick Odair who was a senior and considered to be the hottest boy at Panem High School. Finnick was very much taken though. He only had eyes for Annie Cresta who spent most of her time reading books and swimming. I liked Annie. Her story gave me hope. If Annie Cresta could snag the hottest guy in the senior class I could surely succeed in my mission. But Peeta was also nice. He was the kind of guy who helped old ladies across the street and volunteered to tutor students. But what could I offer him? I didn't have a lot of money. I doubted offering to wash his car would do it. And what else could I offer him? Then I remembered something. His last girlfriend was Cashmere. And Cashmere had spent the whole night making out with Gale. If I pretended to get with Peeta it might make Cashmere jealous too. Possible Peeta could get her back. And even if he didn't he would get revenge on her. It wasn't a very nice thing to do but I wasn't known for being nice. The next day at school I cornered Peeta in the art room. He was painting a picture of a dandelion. Peeta smiled as I came up to him. "Hey, Katniss." "Hi, uhh… that's really pretty." I motioned to the painting. "Oh, thanks. I love dandelions." "I was wondering if…" I paused and then tried to gather up my courage. Finally, I blurted out my plan. I stumbled through a lengthy explanation and stared at my feet. I was messing this up so badly. "So you want to fake date to get his attention?" Peeta looked confused. "Well yeah, but I thought maybe with Cashmere…" I really regretted doing this. I was crazy to have gone to him. I should have found some guy like Bristel. Not the golden boy of Panem High. "Cashmere and I broke up without any hard feelings. But I'll do it." Peeta said. "Why?" I didn't understand why he was doing this. "Because I don't have a girlfriend so I can do it. And because I certainly don't mind spending time with a pretty girl like you." He grinned at me and I felt myself blush. Nobody had ever called me pretty beside my mother and sister and Madge. "But I…" I paused trying to collect my thoughts. I didn't want any feelings involved. Not that I was fooling myself into thinking that he would ever like me. "I know. It's not real." He nodded and added, "He's a lucky guy. To have a girl like you interested in him." "Oh no," I mumbled. "I'm nothing special." "You have no idea, do you? The effect you have." Peeta said softly. I guessed that was one of his motivational speeches. He wanted to make me feel better. "So uhh… how do we do this? I've never actually had a boyfriend." I confessed. "How about this? I pick you up Saturday night, assure your mother I am not a serial killer and we go see a movie." "Great," I replied. My mother would be relieved. She kept asking why I didn't have a boyfriend and why I spent so much time doing things like hunting and not hanging out at malls doing my makeup. She'd like Peeta. He was the kind of boy parents liked. He'd probably go to a great school. "It's a date, Everdeen." He winked exaggeratedly making me laugh. Then the bell rang and I ran off to my English class. I knew on Saturday Gale and his friends always went to the movies. He would be sure to see me with Peeta. On Saturday Prim helped me find the perfect blouse to go with my nicest pair of jeans. She helped me put a little makeup on and then sat and gave me advice. I was a little scared when my fourteen-year-old sister started talking about kiss proof makeup. But Prim said she read it in a magazine. She was way too young to be kissing boys. Peeta rang the bell and my mom opened the door. She looked him over critically then called, "Katniss, he's here." I saw Peeta turn the charm on my mother full force. He asked her how her day was, offered to help take the casserole out of the oven and talked all about the recent debate tournament he was in. By the end of their conversation, my mother was smiling and had lost any suspicion. Prim attacked a plate of cookies Peeta had brought by. I wondered why Peeta had spent so much time and effort on me. I was just a fake girlfriend. "So what movie do you want to see?" Peeta asked. I considered for a moment. Gale had talked about seeing Black Panther. And I wanted to see it as well. "What about Black Panther?" I suggested. Peeta grinned. "You have excellent taste. I was worried you'd want to see some sappy romance." "I don't like that kind of thing," I replied. "Ahh…well some sappy romances are ok. I draw the line at creepy or rapey." Peeta replied. He hadn't struck me as the romantic kind but now that you thought of it he was the kind who'd cover a girl in chocolate, flowers and make her breakfast. "It's just unrealistic. The whole soulmates thing. My parents were like that. And then my dad died. And my mom just lost hope. I don't want that kind of thing. I want something less…intense." I flushed wondering why I was telling him this. I didn't talk about my dad to anyone. "My family is the opposite. My parents didn't really love each other. They got married because I guess mom got pregnant. And then they got divorced. I think love exists. It's just most people are selfish." The movie was great. I wasn't much for Marvel movies but this one was great. It was nice seeing people who weren't white onscreen. I was one of the few people in Panem that weren't lily white. And I had faced a lot of discrimination growing up. My dad was from Brazil even though he spent most of his childhood in England since his dad was British. That explained why my last name sounded so British. Prim looked so white she could have appeared on a propaganda photo for white nationalism. But she wasn't. I remembered that time she had defended me in a store when a woman was accusing me of shoplifting just because I looked "suspicious". Prim knew more about my dad's roots than I did since she was interested in that sort of thing. But this was Panem and most people thought Trump was great and racial diversity was unnecessary. Perils of living in a small town in the south. I saw Gale in the corner with his friends. I was surprised to see Madge sitting next to him. Madge was the mayor's daughter but she was still my friend. I felt a flicker of jealousy as I watched her sitting there. Maybe he liked Madge? She was his type. Blonde, curvy and glamorous. But Madge knew I liked him. Didn't she? Peeta bought me popcorn and sat down beside me. In order to seem more authentic, I leaned my head against his shoulder. I didn't mind it actually. He smelled nice. Like cinnamon and something faintly sweet and spicy. And he was strong. I had never been much for gym rats but Peeta didn't seem like a gym rat even though he must spend a lot of time working out to get this physique. When the movie finished he grabbed my hand and ostentatiously went over to the others to say hi. I watched Gale's reaction. He just grinned and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "So you finally got yourself a boyfriend? Don't scare him off with the arrows." I rolled my eyes but inwardly felt disappointed. Gale didn't seem to notice my outfit or how I had a boy interested in me. In fact, he seemed just kind of amused and almost happy for me. Madge seemed so excited. She whispered in my ear how great it was that I was dating Peeta. "He's such a great guy. And he's cute too." Somehow my disappointment didn't seem as great as I expected. I had just had a nice time. Even though I had failed to make Gale jealous I had watched a great movie. And Peeta was just as nice as Madge said. He was easy to talk to. I found out over the next few weeks that being his "fake girlfriend" had definite perks. He gave me baked goods, posted inspirational posts on my Facebook page, and sat with me and Madge. We sometimes spent hours texting back and forth about books, movies, and TV shows. I talked about how I would probably be spending my first years of college at the community college since like many kids in Panem I couldn't afford the state university. He talked about how he wanted to be an artist but his mom wanted him to get a degree in business. We went to see more movies and he took me to Winter Formal. When I posted a picture on my Instagram Gale posted an emoji with a smiling face and wrote, "You two are way too cute." I shut off my phone and tried to sleep. It was starting to dawn on me that my plan wasn't really working the way I had intended. Gale and I were no closer than before. I certainly hadn't convinced him to date me. And something else hurt too. I'd grown used to having Peeta Mellark in my life. I wondered what it would be like when we were no longer texting about Star Wars, web series and science fiction novels. I had started to notice how handsome he was. I mean I had noticed before, I'm not blind, but I started noticing and finding it affect me. His eyes were so blue and his eyelashes were golden but very long so they looked like they'd tangle up but they never did. I found him easy going but sometimes he had a toughness that reminded me he didn't win debates or wresting championships by being nice. There was one thing I had to try before I fully accepted the fact that my feelings for Gale were unrequited. I needed to show him I wasn't completely innocent. Maybe if I kissed someone else that would show that I wasn't a child anymore. The problem was that I had never been kissed. And I wasn't sure if Peeta would even want to kiss me. Pretending to date and hanging out wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it was fun. But he might draw the line at kissing. I mean, I wasn't anything special and kissing me wouldn't probably be that great. I didn't know what I was doing. That night as we walked by the little lake my father used to take me to fish I blurted out, "Would it like…um.. freak you out to kiss me? Cause I've never been kissed and well…I" "Wanted to know what it's like?" Peeta finished. I glanced down at my feet. Yeah, honestly I did. Right now wasn't about making anyone jealous. There was no one around to see. I just wanted to know what this kissing thing was all about. People seemed to like doing it in movies. "Yeah, I'd like to. And well, I was thinking it would be good…practice." I saw a shadow pass across his face but he smiled at me. "Ok. Everdeen. You start." I lunged forward and pressed my mouth to his. But I completely miscalculated and ended up knocking noses and teeth. I felt red creep across my face in embarrassment. I was hopeless. "Ok, well, here. Close your eyes." I closed my eyes feeling the weight of his gaze on my face. "Tilt your face towards me." I tilted my head a few inches. "And here. This is a soft kiss. The kind you can do in public." His lips pressed against mine for just a couple of seconds. His lips were warm and soft. A little warmth seeped into my body. "And?" I asked. That didn't seem like the most spectacular kiss. It was nice but I had expected something a little more…intense. More like the movies. I might be an inexperienced person but that didn't mean I didn't watch R rated movies. "This is a real kiss." I felt his mouth descend on mine again. This time he nipped at my bottom lip until I parted my lips a little. Then he sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. His hands found their way into my hair and I pressed myself closer to him. I found myself eager to explore. The warmth was growing inside and seemed to want to find a way to leak out of me somehow. I started running my fingers through his hair. All too soon he pulled away. "Was that what you were looking for?" he asked. I nodded. Now that I had discovered I liked kissing him I wanted another one. But probably it had been just a kind gesture on his part once he figured out I was so hopeless at it. "Yeah, I" I hesitated and finally said, "I really liked it." "And this is how you make out." I sighed in relief when he kissed me again. This time I kept my mouth half open and focused on trying to mirror his actions. Then I felt his tongue press against mine. For a second I was a little grossed out. Then I felt the warmth inside me start burning down my fingers and legs. A moan slid out of my mouth making me blush. This was a little too intense. But I didn't want to pull away. It felt so good. When he kissed the side of my neck I sighed. It didn't matter anymore if all of this was fake. "Wow," I whispered when he finally pulled away and grinned at me. He gave me another kiss right before I left the car to go into my house. It was much closer to the first type but it still left a smile on my face. My mother saw me and said, "You like that boy?" I hesitated to wonder when that had happened. But I still felt obligated to try to complete my plan. And besides, there was no way a popular, handsome boy like Peeta Mellark would ever like an average girl like me. "Yeah, he's nice." She laughed and said, "More than nice if that mark on your neck is any indication." I had expected her to be mad but I always forgot my mother was pretty modern and cool about things. She believed me when I told her we hadn't done anything more than kiss. I told her I wasn't ready for anything else. "That may be true. But I'm not taking any chances. You're going to start taking birth control. It's good to help regulate your periods anyway. I just want you to be safe." My mom had already talked about sex and had encouraged me and Prim to come to her with any questions. So far I hadn't had any need to. I was always surprised at how my mom dealt with this. I didn't think I needed birth control. I was definitely not ready to have sex. But I also knew people who had thought the same thing and had gotten into trouble. So I let her discuss birth control options and all those other embarrassing details. The next week I went to Madge's birthday party. Peeta was invited but had to cancel after he got the flu. I went by myself. For some reason, I felt much more confident. I decided that now was the time to confront Gale and ask him if his feelings for me had changed. I sat there and drank soda and played some weird game with Annie. Annie and Finnick were being ridiculously adorable. It almost made me envious. Even though I didn't believe in soulmates I didn't doubt their love. I stepped outside and started as I saw two people on the other side of Madge's ridiculously huge pool. Madge and Gale. Kissing heatedly. I felt my stomach drop as I saw Gale draw back and look her in the eyes. It was different than with Cashmere. I knew neither Cashmere or Gale meant anything serious by it. They were just looking to have a good time. But Madge was well…my best friend. And …She was kissing the boy I liked. And of course, it was Madge. Madge who looked perfect with her amazing pale skin, blue eyes, and full figure. Madge with her piano playing and perfectly applied lipstick and intelligence. I felt resentment surge up in me. Madge had known about my feelings. I thought I made them clear enough. I had told her about a year ago I liked Gale. But I hadn't said anything more. And then I started dating Peeta. Of course, I started dating Peeta. "Katniss…" I saw her turn and look at me. She looked shocked at my expression. Then she pulled away and raced towards me. "Katniss, I thought…" "You thought what…" I spit out. All I could think of is how much time I had spent crying over someone who would never like me. Who would like my best friend instead? I remembered what Johanna had said. Belatedly I realized she was right. "I thought that you and Peeta. Once you started dating. I mean you weren't going to date someone while liking someone else." Madge looked near tears. "It wasn't real. We just pretended to date. I was trying to make him jealous. I told you I liked him. And then you went behind my back to date him." I felt my stomach flip. I glanced up to see Gale was standing near Madge. He looked shocked and almost angry. At me. Shame filtered through me. I was so stupid. Stupid to ever think anyone would really want…me. Ordinary Katniss Everdeen with her weird habits and inability to see things the way they really were. "I didn't know, Katniss. How was I supposed to know you were fake dating Peeta. Which was a low blow. Peeta has been crazy about you forever. And you can't see what's right in front of your face." Madge turned and ran into the house. I paused trying to digest what she had said. Peeta crazy about me? That was impossible. Then I remembered his kind words when we first started this experiment, all the thoughtful gestures and those melting kisses by the lake. Had I misinterpreted everything? Did he really like me? And what's more, did I like him back? "I didn't know, Katniss." I looked up to see Gale looking at me. "I thought you were just joking around. But I guess I've always seen you as the crazy kid sister." "I know. I was stupid. I knew it I just hoped…" I trailed off feeling miserably embarrassed and wanting to throw myself in that pool. "And Madge is right. Don't throw away something right in front of your face. I know you well enough that you aren't a very good actress. But you and Peeta looked pretty real." "I'm sorry. I messed everything up so badly." I sank down on a chair by the pool. Gale handed me a can of Coke and I took a few sips. "We all do from time to time. And I know what you mean. Last year I was just determined to have the complete college experience. A few hangovers and bad hookups later I realized that wasn't what I wanted from life. And Madge is one of those people." "I'm glad," I whispered. "And remember, Catnip," I turned around. "If you break up with Mellark you won't get all those cheese buns you like so much." In spite of myself, I laughed. I found Madge and apologized for accusing her of something she hadn't done. I had been the one who was less than forthcoming. I went home and had a good cry over it. I felt a little bit like a fool. Part of me was starting to realize I hadn't been in love at all. I had just been fixated on the only boy who ever paid me any kind of attention. And liking Gale was safe especially since he hadn't returned my feelings. There wasn't anything vulnerable about that. I didn't feel that same mind-numbing warmth that I felt that night at the lake. Admittedly I had only kissed Peeta but I still felt it even when I wasn't kissing him. The next day Madge changed her relationship status to "In a relationship" and posted a picture of her and Gale together. I posted a cheerful comment congratulating them. I then sent Peeta a text saying that when he was better I wanted to talk to him. Later that day he replied that he was really sick and probably wouldn't be able to see me for awhile. I forced myself not to worry. Peeta was healthy and strong and even though the flu had been bad this year he was able to fight it off. When I told my mom he was sick she marched off to the deli to get chicken soup and ran it by his family's bakery. I sat there and fought back insecurity. Then I went up to the door and saw Mr. Mellark open it. "Katniss, how are you?" he asked. "Please, isn't there something I can do?" I was definitely not a nurse. "You shouldn't be here. You'll catch this thing. But if you want to go up there for a few minutes I'm sure he'll appreciate seeing you." Mr. Mellark said. "Hey Peeta," I said as I walked into his room. He looked pretty awful honestly. His face was red and he looked so pale other places and he just looked sick. "Katniss," he croaked. "Why are you here?" "Had to check on you," I replied. "The act is over. Why do you care?" he replied. I realized he must have seen Madge's post. Did he think I cared that little about him? Yeah, he probably did. I had never indicated that he was anything but a means to an end. No wonder he was upset. I hadn't been a very good friend. "Of course I care. You're my friend. And we have to talk when you're better. My mom got some chicken soup." I opened the window to let in a little fresh air. "Ok," he said wearily. "Remember we're madly in love. Feel free to kiss me anytime." I laughed. He was quoting that stupid movie we watched a few weeks before. That dystopian young adult movie where the hero said those exact words. "Hmm not right now. I don't want to catch your germs." I went home feeling a little better. Once Peeta and I talked I felt sure I could resolve the differences between us. But it was almost two weeks until I saw him again. I caught his flu and spent the next week coughing and shivering under the covers and regretting coming to see him. I didn't want to talk to him at school. There were way too many people around. So I asked him to meet me after school at the lake. I sat there nervously trying to think up something to say. Hey Peeta, I want you to be my boyfriend for real. Sorry for fake dating you almost three months to get another guy. No, that sounded crazy. I looked like a ditzy girl who didn't know her own mind. "Hey Katniss," Peeta stood before me with a smile but it didn't seem like a genuine one. I noticed his eyes still looked sad. "Hey," I replied. My brain was stuck in a panic loop. I wasn't sure what to say. "I just want to know I'm not blaming you. I mean you were nothing but honest about this whole thing. I was the stupid one who thought things might be changing. I know Gale's like most girls dream and I can't compete. I'm just sorry things didn't work out for you." Peeta sat down beside me on the picnic bench. I blinked, not sure how to respond. Peeta honest thought he wasn't able to compete with Gale. He was popular, handsome and just so charming. "That's not true. You're like the most popular person at school. Everyone likes you." "Yeah, well, believe it or not being popular doesn't make you hot." Peeta shook his head sadly. "Now stop that right now. Stop with the nice guy so girls don't like me bull shit." I glared at him for a second. "I think you're hot. And sweet and basically the best boyfriend a girl could have. Fake or otherwise. It's kinda terrifying. You brought not just flowers for me but also ones for my mom and sister. Prim is still raving about it and my mom basically signed my future away." "Katniss, I really appreciate the pep talk but…" "But what?" "I like you for real. It's not a game for me. It never was. And I know you have feelings for someone else. I get that. I can't pretend anymore, though." Peeta flushed and looked away. "And I was so blind. I didn't see what was right in front of me. I was so focused on what I thought I wanted I didn't notice what I did want." "And what did you want?" "You," He tried arguing with me but I wrapped myself around him and continued, "I want what we had before. But this time for real." His eyes brightened and I smiled. I then dove in and pressed my mouth against his. I had missed kissing him. It felt so good to have his arms around me anchoring me in place and feel the warmth flowing through my veins again. "You like me, real or not real?" he asked as we pulled away for breath. I leaned in again and murmured in his ear, "Real."

[captainquestionart]

hey my man, amazin work on act omega- the team behind it is wonderful!! im lookin to make a fanventure myself, could you give any tips as to pixelling in gg and how to edit images? you know like basically any recoloured, edited clusterfuck of an image in homestuck that hussie does (planets, for example) + how you tilt to have them at different angles? sorry if this sounds like a loooot and you can completely ignore this ask(!), but im just clueless and motivated, my guy

Thank you for asking! I never get asks and I’m always glad to help with any questions like these.

…Anyway, the team behind Act Omega is definitely wonderful, take it from me. My job is typically to do all sorts of sprites/ sprite edits (like the ones in the [S] Resume animation) and I draw the characters and/or backgrounds for panels often enough, so I can definitely give you some tips on those things.

Most editing effects like the ones you asked about aren’t really my domain - a lot of them are done in Photoshop by (among others) our amazing art director @joyfulldreams (she’s seriously great go follow her please), so I asked her for some additional tips.

(This is probably going to turn out long enough to be annoying to scroll past, so I’m putting it all under a read more.)

First off, I have to clear up that when it comes to editing the typical Homestuck sprites (like the ones in [S]:Resume), GraphicsGale hasn’t been my main tool.

The first thing I did for Act Omega was drawing some talksprites (for Tumblr asks, mine were never actually used). I used to do that in Gale, but as soon as I tried it using Paint Tool SAI’s aliased brush (Legacy Pen) instead, I decided that was more comfortable. Most of my work for Resume, redrawing sprites from Collide we couldn’t find elsewhere, was done that way too.Pros of using SAI (and probably Photoshop too? Not 100% sure) for sprites compared to Gale include:

The layers are much, much easier and more intuitive to use than Gale’s. To me Gale’s layers kinda suck and using them is always a pain.

Using a sketch is easier too, and you can make it semi-transparent

Gale doesn’t really do pen pressure, which is most important in talksprites but still can be helpful for the regular sprites too.

That said, when I had to make entirely new animations (like the one above), I had to use GraphicsGale, with its handy preview feature, and it is perfectly possible to use only Gale for everything. Rotating things also had to be done in Gale and then manually cleaned up a little, since SAI will turn anything you try to transform into an ugly anti-aliased mess.

So, bottom line is, I personally prefer to use Gale and SAI in combination, but that’s not strictly necessary. If you’re going full-on Gale (and now I’m gonna assume you haven’t used it too much before), here’s

A few quick practical tips on using Gale I wish I had figured out earlier:

The default settings of Gale include a 1 pixel brush and a 3 pixel brush, but no 2 pixel brush. Since pen pressure won’t save you here, that’s inconvenient. The less you need to go back and painstakingly correct your lines to be the right size, the better. You’ll want to make that brush yourself by opening a new file in Gale, 32x32 pixels, and 1 bit (2 colours). Make it look like this and save it as a bitmap (BMP) image: 

And then find this option:

and put your bitmap in there. Gale will recognize that as a custom 2px brush.

If you want to make your images have a transparent background, make sure you tick that box in the options of the frame, not the layer (the little ellipsis button next to each Frame thumbnail -see below). Gale still has no way of telling if your BG is transparent or just white, so I recommend always working with a different color as a background. That way you can tell from the animation preview - if the BG looks white there, it’s transparent. Also make sure these settings apply to every frame by changing “current frame” to “all frames”.

If you want to change the opacity of something (like, say, god tier wings on a troll), you need to save the image as a .png first and tick the box “With Alpha Channel” underneath…

     …then open the image again. Only then will the transparency slider above the palette sliders actually work. You can also use the thick blue pencil button:

    …to set your pencil tool to opacity mode, which will make anything you draw over into the opacity set by the slider.

Now for some more Homestuck-specific tips:

You’re probably better off making sprites in separate parts (a layer for the head, one for the body, one for the arm(s)… from the start. It’ll save you a lot of trouble when you need to animate them. In fact, it might not be a bad idea to also put all of those parts into a neat spritesheet so you don’t have to look too far when you need to reuse something.

(I didn’t see this one all the way through because there was too much to do but you get the idea)

If you don’t already, make sure you have a big folder of references from Homestuck, both panels and sprites, just so you know how The Huss would have done it. That might be more important for Act Omega since we’re trying so very hard to be as close to canon as humanly possible, but it’ll be very handy regardless.

What else is there… well, I could say some more stuff about the art style itself but I figure if you want to start a fanventure you’ll probably have the basics of that stuff down already.

Now, for what Joy had to say about editing images:“Say you need for example a scene on Prospit or Derse, then the process goes like this:1. Find an image (or images) on google that are generally of italian cities and cathedrals. A lot of iconic “Derse and Prospit” images actually come from pictures of the roof of the Milan cathedral, but generally you should get the gist with the Florence skyline and by cobbling together a bunch of cathedral images. 2. You want to use Photoshop tools like the magic wand or selection tool to cut out the sky and anything else that isn’t the actual building. Usually anyway depending on the image. If you have a picture with a bunch of tourists you could just crop them out or use the clone stamp tool to make them disappear oooooo.3. Turn the entire image grayscale, and (optional at this point but you might want to do it eventually) bump up the brightness and contrast. 4. Then you want to eye-drop pick from a canon Derse or Prospit image the light and dark Derse/Prospit colors. For prospit its like a bright saturated yellow and a more dark orange color? You can actually play around with the two colors you use to vary contrast and stuff if you’re putting together a bit scene. 5. Copy the cathedral layer and lock the opacity, put it above the original layer, and fill it with the solid light color. Set the layer mode to overlay.6. Do this again but with the darker color, and put it below the original layer.7. Lower the opacity of the original layer. It should start to look how hussie makes it look.8. Sometimes to give it an additional rough pixellated look, I’ll go to image>adjustments>posturize and play around with it. It gives the image some of that gif-ified look.But basically when it comes to hussie-fying images these are some of the basic main principles you want to keep in mind. The posturize effect, using overlay layers, and finding images and mashing them together creatively.

Also another key thing to note is that when you resize or transform things, there are different transformation MODES. In order to transform pixellated stuff, you want to use Nearest Neighbor. That will preserve sharp edges, but sometimes it can distort things and make it look weird. In situations like that Hussie often uses Bilinear instead, and then sharpens the transformed part. He usually ONLY does this when he is making things smaller or rotating them, not to enlarge anything, because then the blurred/sharpened-ness of it becomes way more obvious.This is honestly the best advice I can give. A lot of it is kind of fucking around with blending modes and layers until you get the right LOOK lol.”

(-Joyfulldreams 2017, give her a round of applause)

…So that’s pretty much some general technique pointers. I’ll post them publicly in case anyone else would like to know.I hope I haven’t just been stating the obvious here, wasn’t entirely sure what I could say that would really directly be helpful, but in any case, if you have any more specific questions you think I might be able to help with, please feel free to send me a PM.

[knightsoflight]

Chapter 1

Three young people must fight the darkness to survive. Warning: Fowl language and intense/uncomfortable moments. DO NOT REPOST!

"Let's go!" Said a young woman wearing a black trench coat with a green and purple striped shirt. She had black spiky hair and she was long and thin just like her friend. She was that of black and Hispanic heritage with ebony skin. When she spoke it was full of energy. Her eyes were an olive green.

"This girl is my friend, Tenna Green. She's the only friend that managed to stay beside me the longest. She and I have been friends, not long since I graduated high school. We live a few rooms from each other in an apartment complex. Her best qualities are cooking, bugging people to hang out with her or to go out and at the very most, be a great friend. She's loyal through and through."

"No!" Her friend, a girl with pink hair in pig tails replied.

"Come on, Devi!" Tenna said "We haven't went out in about weeks! I'm serious, you're starting to give off this creepy Howard Hughes vibe..."

"Really?" Devi sarcastically replied "I thought it was longer. It couldn't be long enough!"

"And this this is me. My name is Debra Dynast but I hate my name so I changed it to "Devi" since I was a kid. I'm what you would call one of those "struggling artists". I work for a company as a designer. I design anything from posters to covers, whatever and in both digital and traditional means. I prefer traditional but there was a demand for using digital, so I learned digital just to keep up with the job. When I'm not working for work, I'm painting for myself and myself alone.

Why I'm struggling to be alone? Well, you'll find out soon enough. I can't just tell you everything, you know?"

"Oh, come on Devi." Tenna replied to her friend. "You need to live a little!"

"I stopped wanting to live years ago..." Devi replied but then broke down after a while of Tenna just staring at her and said "Fine, I'll go! But in return I'll kill you afterwards."

"YAY!" Tenna said in her overly cheerful way.

"Spooky!" Replied her small familiar, a toy plush skeleton doll who squeaked to let him out of her trench pocket.

"See, Mr. Spooky is glad you're coming too!" Tenna replied. "Say, what about your little friend?"

"Tenna, we've been through this..." Devi said "She's not my friend. She's just proof that I'm going insane and I told you no magic!"

"But how come you can hear voices?" Tenna said.

"Cause I'm going insane as I said!..." Devi said. "Now drop it and lets go! You wanted to go, now lets get this done and over with..."

"Okay..." Tenna replied. "Crabby..."

"Okay, I gotta tell you at least this bit...Lately, there has been this little voice in my head...At first I thought I was going insane, especially when this little voice takes the form of this little doll that looks almost like me...It's like one of those plush chibi rag dolls, but with screws for eyes. I would hear this voice in my head, since this one incident that ended tragic with my last boyfriend. At first I thought I was going crazy, until my dear friend Tenna, showed me Mr. Spooky.

Apparently, anyone who can use magic, gain a doll like familiar born from their hearts. Tenna has magic in her blood, being on her mother's side, she came from a long line of witch doctors and shamans and such. So apparently, this thing was a part of my heart in the form of a familiar. I dunno if it's magic in my blood or just something I gained, but whatever reason, I didn't want to be apart of it. Least around that time."

They went into a brown car and drove off into the city. They stopped by at a Chinese Restaurant  called "Eat or Die". It was a hole in the wall type place. Kinda small but decent and clean, least a bit cleaner than some restaurants near by.

After getting out of the car, Devi sighed "Oh god...The world...."

"Oh shut up, hermit!" Tenna said "You'll like it here. No one works here. Everything is automatic."

"Well I like the name..." Devi replied with a small smile.

"Yeah, it use to be eat or don't, but they weren't making money."

As soon as they entered, they were greeted by an automatic voice that said "Welcome, please be seated...OR DIE!" The last bit startled Devi a bit. Tenna was just more enthused as she said

"Mmmmm....Death..."

They sat down near the window in the restaurant and Tenna asked "Okay, now that I used my super ninja skills to take you and get you into a comfortable state of mind, mind telling me what's wrong?"

"You know what's wrong..." Devi said.

"You're afraid of your powers..." Tenna replied "There's nothing to be afraid of!"

"Yes there is!" Devi told her friend. "I mean, don't you find it weird that we even have these powers and these weird creatures?"

"Well, to me it just means we have magic in our blood." Tenna said "And so we got powers and now we get to use em. Instead of being afraid of them, why not just accept it and practice it, so you can have control over it?"

"You don't understand, Tenna..." She replied

"That's not just the reason why you're afraid of yourself, is it?" Tenna asked.

Devi looked at her oddly and sighed.

"Oh come on, Devi!" Tenna said "I'm your best friend! You can tell me anything!"

"Yeah, you're my only friend." Devi replied with a cool smile.

"More the so reason for me to help you." Tenna replied with a smile. "I mean, why are you so afraid of accepting this?"

"Well..." Devi replied

*flashback*

Devi~ "Long ago while I worked at a book store, I met a somewhat strange young man. Well strange was putting it mildly, as I would have found out, but we somehow clicked. We were both painters with a passion, but at the same time something told me that there was something strongly off about him. His name was Johnny C. Kestral and instead of going by "John" or his full name, he went by the nickname "Nny". Yes, like "knee" the joint. I told you, he was eccentric.

He had jet black hair, pale skin, wore a lot of black and leather, was tall and long with green eyes. There was something mysterious about him, but not the cool, calm, collect kinda guy. He was outgoing and laid back, but something just came off of him as odd. Not just because he wore the same kinda dark outlook as I  and the whole "Nny" thing, but just over all.

He was like the wind, something I could feel and be around, but slips out of my grasp when I tried to hold on. And just like the moon, he would disappear sometimes. When I tried to grasp just what he's all about, he disappears as quick as a gale and yet, he was like the moon. Mysterious and yet captivating. He would go off on his own for a while, sometimes for weeks and just come back without explanation.  I just wanted to know more about him. He had a charm that, to this day still works, despite what happened. Childish, laid back, simple yet wondrous and so mysterious.

If I knew what I know now about him...I wonder if I would still have welcomed him in my life.... to try to save him...?

While we watched the city from a large hill, upon a mountain road, he asked me what makes a person who they are and what would happen if they lose their most defining trait? He said he asked that because he hadn't drawn anything in a while."

"Hmm..." Devi said calmly as she looked up at the sky and smugly with a smile said "If I could never paint again? Not possible! For me, to not paint, is to not live! I'd cease to exist!"

"Or maybe you just feel like you're dropping into insanity, trying to keep it back with your abilities."

"Nope!" Devi replied, thinking he was just joking about it.

“I guess that’s just me...” He whispered.

“What?”

“Oh, no nothing!” He said with a smile. "The fix is probably obvious. Maybe, I just need to stand back, look at the situation from a different perspective..."

"Maybe not." she said. “I mean, look at the city. It looks so pretty from a far but look closer and you see the ugliness of the human kind.”

He took a deep breath and smirked “You honestly think that?”

“Hmm?”  Devi looked confuse.

“I dunno, you have such feeling about you that makes me feel happy. It’s just kinda weird hearing something that harsh, from someone that gives me such a feeling.”

“Johnny...” Devi said in surprise.

“But I guess that’s what makes us alive.” He replied with an upbeat tone. “The good and the bad, the salt and the sugar. All that stuff...”

Devi let out a giggle and said “Yup!”

His hand became shaky and he felt nervous for some reason. He looked at his hand in slight worry.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked

"Oh, nothing!" He said and looked up at the stars. "Please...let me have this night to feel good." He thought to himself. "Where I’m not a warrior. Just a civil human being."

Devi ~"We were having a nice time. I thought maybe there could be a chance for me to be with someone."

"But I thought wrong..."

After a moment long moment of quietly looking at the sky, something became wrong with Johnny.

"Kill her..." Said a strange voice in his head.

"What?" He asked it.

"Kill her! " It said again.

"But why?" He asked it.

"She has the power hidden within her that can possibly destroy you!" The voice said in his mind.

"What!? No way!?" He shouted

"No way what?" Devi asked

"Uh..." He said "Nothing..." He jumped off the car and felt his head pounding.

"Johnny, are you sure you're okay?" She asked

"Yeah..." He replied.

"If you don't kill her, she will destroy you!" Said the voice in his mind.

"She's just an innocent girl..." He said quietly as he put his palms to his head in agony. "Leave her be..."

"Do not question us, Johnny!" Said his thoughts. His hand began glowing a purplish glow, as he held his hand tightly as if he was losing control of it.

"I will not kill her!" He screamed

"Johnny, what's wrong?!" She said as she jumped down from the car and walked toward him. A look of worry on her face as she came close to him.

"It's nothing!" He yelled at her.

"This is certainly not nothing!" She told him. As she touched him, he pushed her away.

"Don't you DARE touch me!" He said with madness in his eyes. Dark form of energy fired all around him.

"What's going on?!" She yelled "What's happening to you?!"

"I'm sorry..." The fading voice of Johnny said as he stretched his hand out and what looked to be a sword made out of purple dark aura and matter, shot out of his hand. He raised it over his head as if to hit Devi with it. "But now I have to kill you!"

Devi looked at him frighteningly and raised both hands "No!" She could feel a strange energy pulsing from her body, as he took the energy sword and slammed on her. However, the strange energy pulsing from Devi was protecting her from the attack. Suddenly the energy from Devi pushed forward and blasted Johnny away!

She looked at her hands afraid of what she just did. She took off and never looked back. She eventually got home and locked herself away.

*Flashback ends*

Devi ~ "Not long after that, was when I started hearing that tiny voice in my head and started seeing her..."

As they walked out after getting done eating, Tenna began trying to talk to Devi again.

"Well okay, that does explain a lot why you confined for solitude for so long." Tenna replied "But you can't just stay in solitude for the rest of your life. I mean, you got powers, instead of keeping that all inside, you should learn to use them."

"But I don't wanna use them!" Devi said "I mean don't you ever wanted to be normal again?"

"Who said we were ever normal to begin with?" Tenna asked smugly.

This made Devi's just drop and put her palm to her face and said "Okay...good point..."

"Besides, maybe if you practice them and who knows, maybe that voice that you keep hearing is your familiar, trying to speak to you. If the voice is a familiar, maybe it just wants to be your friend." Tenna said

"She's not my friend..." Devi said "You never heard Spooky talked to you before he appeared, did you?"

"No, but that's because I didn't push him back or anything. He just was born from my heart, least from what my family said. He appeared one day and we've been friends ever since!"

"It's almost sickening how you accepted it so easily...." Devi replied annoyed and then got serious again. "That little voice.. won't shut up about this strange 'darkness' that's supposedly coming."

"Darkness?" Tenna replied

Mr. Spooky popped from her shoulder pocket and went "Spooky?"

"Yeah..." Devi replied "She keeps ranting on about this darkness. She won't tell me what she means. I'm not too sure even she knows. If she's going insane then I feel that I might be too. She keeps saying I'm the only one to stop it."

"I see..." Tenna replied, not really sure what to make of it.

As they kept walking, Tenna began to ask with a grin "You know what you need?"

"Don't say it...." Devi sighed.

"You need to get out more!" Tenna replied

"ACKKKKKKKK!" Devi replied.

"I'm serious!" Tenna replied "You spend way too much time being cooped up! You wonder why you're going insane! I know I would be going insane if I didn't get out much."

"Yeah, I don't think so..." Devi replied sarcastically "Tenna, you say that all the time!"

"That's because it's true..." Tenna replied "If you're not going to practice your magic, well, get out more and see if that helps. Socialize, get some fresh air! Keep your mind off of stuff and maybe that little voice will shut up or at least calm down....Maybe she's a part of you that's frantic because you don't socialize much or get out often."

"I don't need to socialize with more people, especially since that thing keeps popping up. It might pester me during a conversation and besides...People are sick beings." Devi said this coldly. "Why would I need to socialize with the likes of them? They're nothing but breathing organisms that take up air."

"Oh come on!" Tenna replied as she pat Mr. Spooky on the head. "Quit being a Debbie Downer!"

She looked at them uncertain with herself. She and her friend walked out in town.

"Maybe, try mingling might help.." Tenna replied in a cheeky way.

"You mean go on a date with someone..." Devi replied in a revolted fashion "And that is not gonna happen either! I'm bad at dates and most people I dated were jerks...OR psycho killers! I gave up on that along time ago!"

"Come on... Okay, so your date with that Eddie dude wasn't so great, considering he kept thinking about sex and not clearly on the road. Least you lived....And your last date was a psychotic spooky dude, that wanted to kill you for.... some... reason....You lived! It doesn't mean all guys are all bad!"

"Oh, I know that for sure..." Devi replied as she remembered a tender memory..."Believe me, I know not all guys are bad..."

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #128 - The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Spoilers below.

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: Blu-ray

1) This film is a classic of American cinema. If you ever want to learn how to tell a slick story, watch this film. Because outside of one or two musical numbers, there is nothing in here that doesn’t need to be. It is all entertaining and slick.

2) Judy Garland’s iconic performance as Dorothy Gale.

In the original tale Dorothy was a pre-adolescent eight year old, where as Garland was 16 upon playing Dorothy. They had to have her in a tight corset to keep her boobs under wraps. Now that I’ve said that fun anecdote...

Garland is pretty great as Dorothy. She is able to perfectly capture her childlike wonder, heart, and innocence in a way which makes the audience feel like a kid. It brings us into this world of youth and fairytales through a compelling and fun character. Dorothy comes off as compassionate and loyal, and while a bit of a damsel towards the end we understand that she is just a child who is thrust into this world and desperately is trying to get back home. Garland is perfect in the role and the film needs her to be as iconic as it is.

3) The decision to have various characters and lines (“Well your head ain’t made of straw you know!”) be echoed in Oz gives the film a sense of magical realism (a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction). I would not go far enough to call the film an example of that genre, but it definitely has some of those elements.

4) “Over the Rainbow”

Without a doubt THE most iconic song in the film. In my opinion there are two songs from cinema which perfectly capture a child’s imagination: “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory and “Over the Rainbow” from this film. The song was almost cut from the film, with studio heads fearing it would bore kids! Can you even imagine? The film’s light melody and childlike innocence is what truly carries it. It connects with anyone who has ever longed for someplace better, for a far off land filled with adventure and intrigue. Garland’s vocals do the beautiful composition amazing justice, making the two inseparable. Honestly, it’s THE moment from the film and the movie hasn’t even gone to color yet!

5) The relationship with Dorothy and Toto is wonderfully strong. I wonder if there’s a backstory to that. Like maybe Toto was a gift to her from her late parents or something like that. Either way, any dog lover will appreciate it.

6) The fact that Professor Marvel (played by Frank Morgan, who later plays the titular Wizard) is a total phony doesn’t have so much weight the first time you watch this film. It does however become wildly important after the film’s end. Also the fact that Dorothy is so quick to believe speaks wildly to her youthful innocence.

7) It took me a while to realize why Dorothy is so desperate to return home when she has a whole song about wanting to be elsewhere, and only recently did I realize why. She thinks her Auntie Em is sick! Professor Marvel told her that her running away made her sick and heartbroken, and it is this belief and love for her family which drives her through the rest of the film.

8) Dorothy looking out the window in the middle of the twister has some wonderful sight gags.

9) The transition from a sepia tone world to a color one is remarkably seamless. Credit to the director, cinematographer, and editor(s?) who worked on this film for that. Bravo.

10) One of the reasons the film is such a classic is largely because of its wonderful imagery. All of Oz is wonderful fantasy, using the brightness of technicolor to its full advantage and creating a storybook world that appeals to the eyes of children and adults everywhere. The entire color palette is like that of a rainbow, something very fitting considering the main song of this film.

11)

Glinda [upon meeting Dorothy]: “Are you a good which, or a bad witch?”

Oh, if only it were that simple.

12)

Glinda [after she hears Dorothy’s opinion that all witches are ugly]: “Only bad witches are ugly.”

Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, dude.

13) While watching this film I kinda thought Glinda was being a little TOO chipper, and that the ready celebration of death was a bit odd. Then I remembered a fan theory which painted the supposed Good Witch of the North as the villain. Read at your own risk of childhood ruining.

14) I don’t love this film as much as others, although I do admit its pretty damn great. So it’s at risk of offending the purists out there that I say I think the whole Munchkinland song goes on a little too long. Also some of the Munchkins - probably because of their costumes - freak me out. Mainly the Lollipop Guild.

15) THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST!!!!

She’s so freaking evil, I love it! The Wicked Witch of the West is one of the most iconic film villains of all time, possibly even more iconic than some legends as Darth Vader. Margaret Hamilton plays the Witch with DELIGHTFUL villainy! You can tell she’s having a lot of fun in the part and we as the audience are having fun because of it. The Witch is simultaneously both in line with the stories we hear as children while at times being truly threatening. Even as an adult there are times I go, “holy cow, this woman is EVIL!!!!!!” That is amazing to me. Hamilton was a fan of the books and was delighted to hear she was being considered for a part, and that enthusiasm just infects ever green skin cell of this baddie. Some stories are only as good as their villain, and The Wizard of Oz has an INCREDIBLE villain.

16) The Ruby Slippers.

In the original story the slippers were silver, but the filmmakers changed it to ruby in order to take full advantage of the technicolor process. These days the ruby slippers are such an iconic piece of film that there’s a pair in the Smithsonian institute. Just like everything else in Oz, it captures our imaginations totally and completely.

17) Follow the Yellow Brick Road.

Okay, but what happens if you follow the Red Brick Road? Am I the only one curious about that? Where does the Red Brick Road lead? Wonderland? Neverland? Cleveland? CAN WE GET A SPINOFF ANSWERING THIS QUESTION PLEASE!?!?!?

18) The Scarecrow.

(Let’s all take a moment to realize how relevant and awesome that line is in 2017.)

Out of the trio, the Scarecrow may well be my favorite. He is just so sweet and kind, despite of (or because of?) his naivety. Some fun slapstick comes about from his character, and...I don’t know what else. For some undefinable reason he’s just my favorite of the bunch!

19) This film does have some nice humor.

Dorothy [after interpreting the rusted Tin Man’s words]: “He said oil can.”

Scarecrow: “Oil can what?”

20) According to IMDb:

Ray Bolger was originally cast as the Tin Man. However, he insisted that he would rather play the Scarecrow--his childhood idol Fred Stone had originated that role on stage in 1902. Buddy Ebsen had been cast as the Scarecrow, and now switched roles with Bolger. Unbeknownst to him, however, the make-up for the Tin Man contained aluminum dust, which ended up coating Ebsen's lungs. He also had an allergic reaction to it. One day he was physically unable to breathe and had to be rushed to hospital. The part was immediately recast and MGM gave no public reason why Ebsen was being replaced. The actor considered this the biggest humiliation he ever endured and a personal affront. When Jack Haley took over the part of the Tin Man, he wasn't told why Ebsen had dropped out (and in the meantime, the Tin Man make-up was changed from aluminum dust to aluminum paste as one of its key components). However, his vocals remain whenever the song "We're off to see the Wizard" is played. Jack Haley's vocals were never used during the song, but were used for "If I Only Had a Heart" and "If I Only Had the Nerve." Ebsen's vocals are also heard in the extended version of "If I were King of the Forest," though the spoken segment has Jack Haley. Although no Ebsen footage from the film has ever been released, surviving still photos show him taking part in the Wicked Witch's castle sequence.

21) The various reprises of “If I Only Had _____” (A Brain/A Heart/The Nerve) are some of my favorite songs in the film. Not only is the tune itself sweet and memorable, but they each serve as slick simple introductions to each character’s core conflict.

22) Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! I don’t have anything to say about that line I just wanted to include it in my recap post.

23) Although the Scarecrow is probably my favorite of the trio, the Cowardly Lion is the funniest I think.

The idea of his cowardice allows for a great amount of physical humor and humor in his dialogue. He’s the comic relief in an already very funny and sweet cast.

24) Apparently the actors playing the trio of characters would often show boat and try to steal the scenes from one another, to the point where the director (or whichever director was working that day, as this film had a lot) had to shout at them to let Judy Garland be the star because it was her story.

25) Man, these guys get to the poppy field WAY sooner than I remember!

I also didn’t remember that it got resolved by “Deus Ex Glinda” just casting a magical spell to kill all the poppies with snow. Which is weird considering it should be one of the most memorable scenes in the film.

26) Frank Morgan - the actor who played The Wizard and Professor Marvel - also plays the sentry in Emerald City, the coach driver in the city, and a third guard in the city. Now that we know of The Wizard’s tricky ways, I wonder if all three of these are not meant to be the same character.

27) There are parts in the Emerald City sequence I find a little on the lengthy side, a little superfluous. The songs where all of Dorothy’s squad is getting treated well is fine, it’s short enough. But I totally forget about the entire “King of the Forrest” number any time I watch the film and honestly don’t think the film needs it. But that’s just me.

28) I think part of the Witch’s truly threatening nature is through the strong visuals this film uses. “Surrender Dorothy” is a particularly memorable sight, as black ash fills the sky of an otherwise happy place.

29) I will say though, even though I find the whole “King of the Forrest” song a bit pointless, it does have this nice bit:

Lion: What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage!

30) Probably the time the Lion is at his funniest is when the group is approaching The Wizard.

Also The Wizard is kind of a jerk.

31) Dude, there’s a door just a few feet away. You DON’T need to go through the window!

32) Where the heck did the Scarecrow get a gun? Where’d the Tin Man get a giant wrench?

This movie is weird. I love that.

33) The Flying Monkeys!

Another example of incredible imaginative imagery.

34) Okay so...why does the Witch want the slippers? I mean we have theories in all OTHER forms of Wizard of Oz media. They belonged to her sister, they have the power to jump worlds, she wants a little color in her wardrobe, but the film itself never gives a reason. She just WANTS them.

35) I always really appreciated the devotion the three friends had when going to rescue Dorothy. I don’t know, it just sort of moves me the friendship they were able to craft in such a short time.

36) So this scene with the guards singing:

I did a production of Our Town YEARS ago and there was this girl in the cast who said she grew up thinking these guys were chanting, “Oreo! O-RE-o!” Which, you know, makes sense. That was funny enough on it’s own. Then Wreck-It Ralph came out...

37) For some reason “Night on Bald Mountain” plays as Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Man go to rescue Dorothy from the which. Because why not, I guess.

38) The fact that water melts the witch - while iconic - sort of comes from nowhere. Was there something earlier in the film that was supposed to foreshadow this? It’s very Deus Ex Machina.

39) The Wizard revealed!

A for effort dude.

40) The scene where The Wizard is handing out the gifts for everyone (a diploma for Scarecrow which works as a brain, the “heart” for Tin Man, a medal for lion) is very funny. Frank Morgan benefits from his fast talking yet sincere nature.

Scarecrow [after receiving his gift]: “How can I ever thank you enough?”

The Wizard: “Well, you can’t.”

And then I love this too.

Dorothy [after The Wizard talks about getting here in a runaway hot air balloon]: “Weren’t you frightened?”

The Wizard: “Frightened? Child, you're talking to a man who's laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe... I was petrified.”

41) I either don’t understand the lesson here or I do and I dislike it. Dorothy has this line of how if she ever wants something again, she’ll just look in her backyard because “there’s no place like home.” While I appreciate the sentiment of, “There’s no place like home,” the idea of home is not defined by the place you grow up in. It’s the place where you feel the most safe, the most comfortable, the place you miss when you’re not there. It’s usually defined by people, not location. Good people who treat you well. So while Dorothy does have that back in Kansas, the line about her backyard throws me.

The Wizard of Oz is a classic and for good reason. It’s colorful and vibrant imagery will stick with children of all ages, and through all its parts combined it just captures the imagination of childhood perfectly. It’s mostly pure, innocent, but not in a naive or babyish way. It’s an entertaining treat everyone should see at least once.