#Maura’s great adventure

[baura-bear]

The glares are awful but. Ron Speirs cabinet. Reserve chute. Medical supplies. Plus! A cute street sign in Gettysburg

[susanvstorm]

rizzoli & isles, but my take (gay)

ie how i would rewrite it. hcs and ideas that might one day turn into a rewrite-fic

maura is bi. had her first experiences with women given she went to an all girls school, but she likes men and women equally, no preference. it's discussed openly from the very beginning, especially since

jane is a lesbian. has known since high school, is cool with it but hasn't told her parents to avoid awkward conversations, which is why her mother keeps trying to pair her up with "nice guys"

maura is autistic. most people know it, jane is great at accommodating her when needed (ie what she already does in canon)

storyline wise:

despite being both queer, and both aware, none of them have made moves. unusual, since maura likes jane, and maura is bold when interested in someone. however, she knows jane and knows how easily spooked she is, so she takes what she can, whenever she gets it.

the first season is all about that: approaching each other gently, carefully, in a dance everyone can see –and everyone is cheering for them. setbacks are made when hoyt comes back: jane is afraid that, since he goes after couples, she'd put maura in danger.

every man jane has a relationship or fling in canon, in my take gets filed under the "lesbian jane's adventurous adventure trying to escape her mother's straight matchmaking, without her mother learning of the lesbianism" / casey, however, was her best friend in high school and the first person she came out to. they were very close, she cares about him, but they lost touch when he enlisted. they reunite when they do in canon, and casey tries to push jane towards maura.

in season 2, things evolve: after hoyt catches them, when they're at the hospital getting checked up, they share a tender moment, a kiss, even. and jane makes a joke about how hoyt could see it even when she didn't, or something along those lines. from then on, they make it official, albeit very private, but: major setback, jane shoots her girlfriend's father.

E02S3 is when they seal the deal: after a huge fight, after almost dying, they realize they don't want to live without each other, hence get back together and are going strong. it's all rather private, still, due to jane not being out.

now, the question is, how and when does angela find out? i'm half thinking she always knew and was actually just trying to push jane to tell her by sending men her way. which only angers jane more.

more to come!! rambling is not over nosir!!

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"What do you think Ulyssa's going to talk about today?" Adrian asked wearily. "Yesterday's briefing on garden maintenance was something else."

"She's just working on the easiest tasks in the court records," Trent replied. "Give her a break. I'd pick garden maintenance over the budget allotted for defense too. She's trying her best."

"And you're being too generous. Ulyssa is just fine at making decisions. She's certainly made some big ones in recent history."

"And there it is," Trent sighed. "You do know that you're not still married to Roman, right? He didn't cheat on you with Ulyssa, though you certainly act like you were the injured party. It's not like you're not benefitting from the queen regent. You did recieve the notice about Adrienne, haven't you?"

Adrian groaned, remembering the gold lettered notice that had been directly delivered to the house from the palace.

"Ulyssa's gone too far. I haven't told Roman yet, because I know that Maura will shut that down the instant she wakes up. Making Roman's daughter a princess? It's unheard of and will only draw attention. People haven't forgotten her affair with the man, and making Rien a rank higher than her sister and her father will only look like favouritism and a desperate attempt to win back Roman."

"I'll keep that in mind. I wasn't intending to lust after Roman with my actions, but seeing as you're something of an expert on that subject, I'll be more careful in the future."

Adrian and Trent froze in place, mortified to be caught gossiping by the true monarch of Twikkii Island.

"Your Majesty," they said in unison, bowing their heads respectfully and hoping that she hadn't been standing behind them for too long.

"Adrian, I would have thought that you had better political instincts than this," Maura chided her cousin, gingerly sitting on a nearby lounger. "Rien saved my life and likely those of several of my children. There is no greater noble rank than duchess that I could elevate her to without making her her sister's equal. The last time I checked, Luciana hasn't provided the Crown with patriotic service, and her sister has. The two girls are, therefore, not equal to each other and Rien must be raised higher to compensate. When you have to bow to your daughter at royal events, perhaps you'll remember her service and endeavor to act like she would."

Adrian remained silent, bowing his head. The queen was truly back and she was pissed. It didn't matter how well Adrian had acted in the heat of battle, Maura had to punish him and likely anyone else she blamed for the loss of her children. Adrian could understand that need, even if he couldn't defend it.

"As always, you are wise," he replied formally. "I'm sure that Adrienne will continue to serve the crown loyally."

"Gentlemen, do we have any leads about this unprovoked attack on our great nation? Ulyssa informed me that there were bodies recovered."

"Unidentified still, I'm afraid," Adrian answered. "Crystal Cove has granted us emergency access to their genetic database, but nothing came of it. There was a weak match, but the comparison DNA was too degraded to identify it. The Pleasantview coven is working on a magical solution."

"How nice of Claudia. I'm sure that she'll ask us nothing in return for this help."

"How are you feeling?" Trent asked carefully. "I wasn't informed that you were conscious. We've all been so worried."

A dark look passed over Maura’s face, but a small smile graced her lips.

"I was cleared to return to work early this morning. Ulyssa has done her best, but this situation needs an expert to handle it."

"Shouldn't you be resting? You almost died, Maura. Are you in pain? Do you need us to get you anything? You can take the day off and spend it with your children. No one would think less of you if you did."

"My children need to see action being taken to protect them. They need to see how a monarch devotes themselves to their country. I'll have all evening to spend with them, but first, I have to do my duty and keep them and everyone else safe. Get me everything you can on the DNA match from Crystal Cove. I can ask Claudia for the coven's report, but I want to see to scientific results myself."

"Of course," Adrian said quickly. It wasn't technically his job to prepare data for the queen, but he would do it anyway. The job of a duke was to serve the crown however they could after all. Maura had teams of researchers and experts, but maybe she was distrustful of non family members at the moment. Adrian certainly couldn't blame her for that.

Maura was silent for a moment, clearly weighing her next words carefully.

"I don't know where my father is buried. If he was buried, that is. I need to know where his grave or remains are or any monument currently standing in his memory. I need the records of who paid for any memorial for him or any artists commissioned to make a monument. I need his itinerary for the day he went missing and where he was last seen. Get Crystal Cove to run a search in their genetic database using a sample that I'm sure they have from me. I want to know where his DNA shows up. Does he have siblings, cousins, or even other children? If they won't grant the search, use Claudia's name and I'm sure they'll comply with our requests. And gentlemen, this is to stay between the three of us. No one can know that I am asking for this. If anyone does ask, say that it is because I am planning my own chamber in the family mauseolem, and I want my father added to rest next to my children. If they ask about the DNA, say that it's Claudia's idea, and I'd imagine most people won't challenge you further."

"Your father?" Adrian repeated. "That should be easy enough. I'll make some calls."

"I'd appreciate it, along with your discretion. This is a sensitive matter, unrelated to our terrorists. After my brush with death, I just have some personal questions I need to answer."

"I'll see you tomorrow. I need to cut things here short for another appointment. Remember, be discrete."

Maura paused for a moment.

"Thank you two for doing what you did at the cottage. My life was saved because you two acted swiftly and took control of the situation. You did good work and helped carry Ulyssa through her duties as regent afterward. I trusted you with my life, and you protected me. However, so did Spencer and Alysiara, and you failed them completely. If anything else happens, and my children are hurt again, there will be consequences. You're dismissed."

Adrian and Trent rose and tried to leave Maura’s sight as quickly as they could. Her mixed message of gratefulness and anger wasn't something they wanted to continue to hear. Both of them would try to fulfill her requests, as far away from her as possible, until the queen's mood settled. She was enduring a senseless loss and coming to terms with nearly dying herself in a similar manner to how she lost her mother. It would take a long time for Maura to completely heal from this dark period in her life, and until she had, her half-brother and cousin planned to stay out of her line of fire.

As Maura began her slow descent to the throne room to openly hold court, a visitor to the castle strained their ears, hoping to pick up any gossip that might be travelling around the many rooms.

It was all above board, of course. The general agreement stated that when Lukas approached a building owned by a monarchy in the living world, they would present themselves in their female form, so that palace security had ample time to identify them. Lukas' female form had been gained after their second reincarnation as an abandoned infant. They had been raised without their memories as a regular human child in an orphanage in Crystal Cove. Because they did not recover their memories until they were a teenager, Crystal Cove had Lukas' fingerprints, DNA, and medical records as they would any other orphan in their system. After Lukas nearly toppled the Crystal Cove monarchy as a young teen, security had been put in place against them, assuming that they could not take another form outside of their reincarnated female body. Lukas proved them all wrong once they came into their full power as an adult and could switch between their various reincarnations at will, making the monarchies tremble at the thought of a god they had no leverage on, who made no secret of their desire to rule the living world even of it was not allowed. All the living world had against Lukas was the information collected on their female form, and Izanami had encouraged his spouse to make some silly peace deal with them under threat of divorce. He really gave the humans too much credit.

Lukas had spent their entire existence sneaking around the living world and influencing certain events to their benefit. Even a known security profile couldn't slow them down, as much as the humans hoped it would.

Lukas needed every piece of information they could gather about the attack on the Twikkii Island monarchy. It was their job to maintain order in the living world and prevent dark forces from tipping that balance to their husband's realm. Death was separate but equal to Life, and balance must always be upheld between the two. A mysterious attack mirroring the murder of the previous queen was something that might just tip those scales, and Lukas needed to know why. Strangely enough, none of the humans seemed to want to help them gain this knowledge, so what other choice did Lukas have but to sneak around palaces, maybe "borrowing" some new earrings if they had time?

To Maura’s relief, the first person to appear before her throne was Claudia, who had insisted that court be canceled for the rest of the day so that two monarchs could address their nations' security. Maura didn't have the patience to hear from strangers when her energy was already starting to fade. The doctors had warned her not to push herself, and Claudia's arrival had been the perfect excuse to retreat back to a comfy chair and ignore the rest of the world.

"You look better than I'd expected," Claudia began, eyeing her cousin with worry. "I know Mom and Dad said that you weren't scheduled to die, but you gave us all quite a scare."

"How do you think I feel? I thought I was dying. My two children are dead. My...."

Maura trailed off, unsure of what she wanted to say to her cousin. Claudia was her best friend and her family, but she also ruled the most dangerous country to exist in modern times. But there were also things that only Claudia could tell her, and Maura needed answers.

"Claudia, I know we have to talk about how we're going to move forward from this attack on a national level, but there are...things that I need to discuss with you on a personal level. Some things that only you can answer. Can I trust you not to breathe a word about this to anyone?"

Claudia looked intrigued at the question, but didn't immediately say no.

"Even Miruna? I try to make a habit of not lying to my future wife, but if it's that important, I may make an exception. Is it important?"

Maura nodded quickly, only to discover that moving her head too fast was still painful.

"It is, but Miruna is trustworthy, and she might know a magical solution," Maura conceded. "I don't even know where to start. All of this has just been one giant nightmare that never seems to end. When...when I was unconscious, I dreamt that I saw my mother. Or maybe I did see her, I have no idea what's true or not. But she had Alysiara and Spencer with her and when I woke up, it was true that they had died, so maybe that proves that my dream was something else entirely."

Claudia leaned back in her chair, absorbing her cousin's words before composing her reply.

"You were dying," she confirmed darkly. "For the longest time, we weren't sure that you would make it. My parents didn't have a concrete answer on your condition for days. From what they've always told me, the dying can end up in the afterlife prematurely, visit, and then return to the living. It doesn't happen often, but it's not unheard of. Your experience is probably genuine from what I've learned from having two reapers for parents. What did your mom say? Did she reveal the names of her killers? Maybe something scandalous about the family? I mean, the Siews have always had money, maybe Grandma buried secret treasure just like the Darktides of old. That would be a twist."

"Claudia, I'm being serious," Maura insisted. "There was no treasure, no ID on any of her killers, nothing. No, it was worse. She said that my dad’s still alive."

"No!" Claudia gasped, looking just like she had as a teenager when they'd play Truth or Dare. "But Grandma killed him, I thought. She never denied it and I thought for sure that she-"

"Nope. They declared him missing and then dead so that my mom could get remarried," Maura confided. "I have Adrian and Trent digging through records and investigating what they can, but it was a long time ago. I might need your help with some of it."

"My help? Sure, but I can't ask my parents to confirm if he's alive or not. They get pissy when you try to get a simple yes or no answer from them about dead people. Well, so-called dead people in this case."

"No, it's not your parents who can help, but the queen of Pleasantview," Maura replied, her eyes pleading with her cousin for help. "My mother said that the Red Queen might have been involved. He was headed for Pleasantview when he went missing and she was a psychopath, so maybe there's something there."

Maura held her breath, hoping that Claudia wouldn't find the question and implications about the country she ruled offensive. To her relief, Claudia laughed.

"Oh, god, yeah, that's a fair assumption. I don't think we've even scratched the surface on half the shit she did. I assume you want me to confirm or deny her involvement?" Maura nodded. "I'll have my best researchers on it. I'll lie to them about why, of course, but I simply don't have the time to do it myself. I've been rather busy these last few days trying to calm the global community down."

Lukas frowned. The queen's father? How was that relevant? It likely wasn't, and Queen Maura was just venting after her visit to the afterlife. It was fair for her to do, as annoying as Lukas found it. Mortals always got emotional when they first glimpsed the existence waiting for them after death. Still, this sounded like it could be juicy gossip, even if it didn't help Lukas' plans.

"Is that all you learned from your visit? It must have been incredible to see the realm of the dead. My parents talk about its beauty all the time."

"It was...memorable," Maura replied. "I think I was just in the welcoming center. Lots of skeletal decorations and unsettling things as far as the eye can see. I think I'd rather spend a few more decades in this realm, thanks."

"It's hard to believe that one day, this realm won't be ours to protect. When we're dead, what will we do with all our free time? No more long meetings or ceremonies that seem to last forever. I can't imagine it."

Maura smiled thinly.

"It's too recent a possibility for me to think about. I plan to keep those meetings for as long as I can. Adrion would probably prefer it that way."

"Right, sorry. I was raised by dead people, I have no sense of normal boundaries. Let's just move on from that entirely then. I'll search my records for your dad, and we'll regroup later. How are you managing otherwise? Is there anything you need help with? Purely out of cousinly love, I promise. I swear to god Ulyssa thought I was trying to steal your silverware the way she was watching me. The last thing I need is to conquer a kingdom where the monarchs seem to be targets."

Maura shot her cousin a look that conveyed her disapproval of that last sentence, but Claudia seemed oblivious.

"Oh yes, I've been bombarded with information all morning to catch up, but Ulyssa mentioned something unusual to me," Maura said. "Something about you buying a bedroom in the cottage? Right after an attack that could have killed any one of us, you suddenly want a legal piece of that lot. Why? What possible use do you have with a part ownership in our family cottage? And don't say that it's part of a cunning invasion plan, I'm really not in the mood for jokes."

Claudia smiled, suddenly very interested in their conversation.

"Oh, that. That is part of a cunning plan, though not for invasion. It's for protection. I own most of Pleasantview, a tower in Crystal Cove, the ruins of Sedona, and now part of a royal property in Twikkii Island. I just need something in Strangetown, but honestly, who needs Strangetown? Even when Empress Anastacia ruled the Crystal Empire, Strangetown was the lone hold out. They like being alone on the global stage, so let them protect themselves. It doesn't matter if they're my mom's family or not."

"And your plan is? My painkillers are wearing off, Claudia. You're going to have to skip over your distain for your great-uncle and his weird beliefs."

"Right. Well, you know that I've been following Theo's magical career and helping when I can, right? He's truly talented, and the coven expects great things from him. I was reading a progress report on him a while ago, and it all just suddenly seemed too obvious. Maura, I've been to the archives where they will search for your father's records. I've spent days living in there, pouring over what's possible and what's been done in the past. In the old days, Tredony not only survived, but thrived because of magic. Ancient magic. Blood magic."

"Oh my god, Claudia," Maura groaned, suddenly feeling a headache start in her already sore head. "What have you done? Blood magic? Are you serious? You know that they stopped teaching that for a reason, right? Didn't they have to dust off books in some dark, guarded crypt for Theo to learn from? If no other sensible demon practices blood magic these days, why should you?"

"Because Theo can control it," Claudia replied quickly. "Because no one else uses it, so they can't undo it. Because it's something whoever is after our family can't manipulate. It will keep us safe. It turned the small nation of Tredony into the powerhouse Pleasantview is today. Even Miruna supports this plan, and she's seen what Theo can do."

"Even if I thought that this was a good idea, how the hell does blood magic figure into your land buying spree? If you've somehow destroyed the cottage even more than it already has been this week with strange magic, my mom might just visit me again as a ghost and murder me herself. I'm supposed to protect it as strongly as I would the palace. I swore an oath as queen to keep it for future generations to enjoy."

"And you are," Claudia insisted. "We are. Blood magic needs names and titles, and ownership of something to be effective. You have to throw yourself fully in the spell for it to work. You give up a part of yourself. You show the world a part of you and bind magic to it. To protect something, you have to claim ownership, that it's now a part of yourself that you can wield."

Maura stared at her cousin, trying to follow her logic. She read reports about Theo from her international security team, but there was very little included about how magic worked.

"You know that Roman and Abe got demon married, right?" Claudia explained with a sigh. Maura looked like this was new information to her, though Claudia doubted it was. "In demonic marriage, you give up a part of yourself and receive a part of your partner in exchange. You cut a part of yourself out and bind it with magic, and in turn, you receive ownership of a piece of your partner. You sacrifice something to own that you want to control. I own parts of various countries and can therefore cast magic on them. I can protect what I need to protect, and help the innocent people that I don't actually rule at the same time."

Maura tried not to visibly recoil at this admission.

"So, you owning a piece of the cottage will let you cast blood magic to protect it? God, Claudia! What if you're wrong? What if someone can undo your magic some day? Every living soul outside of Strangetown could be at Theo's mercy if he ever decided to stage a coup and never even know about it!"

"Victoriana is his sister by blood," Claudia replied soothingly. "My heirs will share blood with him every generation after I'm gone. From what I'm told by the coven, this makes a very large difference magically. It'll be fine."

"Well, at least you only have your hands on the cottage," Maura sighed, rubbing her temples. "At least the palace is safe from your scheme."

When Claudia didn't immediately agree with her, a familiar sinking feeling washed over Maura.

"The palace is safe, correct?"

"Well, it is because of my magic," Claudia replied cheerfully. "Theo and I paid a visit to the palace while you recovered, so it should be safe from now on."

"Did Ulyssa sell you the palace too?!"

"Uh, well, technically, I already do own the palace," Claudia offered, earning a glare from her cousin. "I am the living heir of the oldest heir of our grandmother, and with that blood claim, magic actually sees me as the true queen of Twikkii Island."

"It what?! What the hell are you playing at? I'm the legal queen!"

"Legal, yes, but not magically legitimate. Magic operates by strange rules, you know that. Someone pulls one sword from a stone, and they're magically legitimate. You don't need to throw a fit about it."

"And Victoriana is going to magically inherit my throne instead of Adrion? She'll have blood magic control of the security of my nation and Adrion won't?"

"Maybe?"

Lukas glanced around them, hoping that the raised voices didn't attract unwanted attention. So far, very little of their eavesdropping was relevant. The laws of magic weren't unknown to the deity, but it was still good to have confirmation that Pleasantview was messing around with blood magic.

Now, there was a throwback. Lukas had assumed that the days of blood magic were at an end. All those demons fighting against each other in increasingly sadistic ways had been frustrating to deal with. Izanami used to keep a bottle of scotch on his desk whenever casualties of blood magic hit his death list, only to have their carcass resurrected or the ties to their blood magically littered over the centuries, sending false reports that stumped even his reapers. Lukas dearly hoped that those days were behind them.

There were rituals that could transfer magical authority to Maura or her son, but Lukas had no interest in revealing that magic at this time. If the issue festered and the state of the living was threatened, maybe, but some things were better kept quiet until they were absolutely needed. So far, none of this gave the deity the information they needed.

"Master Maricourt knows what he's doing. Miruna trusts him completely, and with Evren's knowledge of an alternate world and its magic, plus Theo's abilities, the Pleasantview coven can be trusted to attempt controversial magic."

Claudia was still defending her plan when Lukas resumed eavesdropping, making them groan. Someone had to move this conversation on the right direction.

"Something important has been brought to my attention," Lukas intoned, focusing their attention on Claudia.

"Something important has been brought to my attention," Claudia repeated, looking surprised to be speaking.

"Something from the coven. It's very important," Lukas added. With all the dubious sources the queen received her information from, Lukas was betting on her coven being the most likely to have news that would benefit the deity.

"Something from the coven. It's very important."

"More meddling from the witches?" Maura asked with a sigh. "Where else have they put blood magic in my home?"

Claudia frowned, but felt compelled to continue speaking, even if she didn't know why.

"No, it was something brought to me from Master Maricourt. He was informed of a series of prophetic incidents among his coven that the queen should be aware of. Apparently, there is a list of names being spoken from the dead or the supernatural that no one has been able to piece together. Sometimes, it is one simple name, other reports list several names. No one knows how they connect to each other or what they could mean."

"Names?" Maura repeated. "What names exactly? Maybe I've can help tie them together."

"Unlikely. Even my oldest scholars can't figure it out. I was beginning to think that it was just a hoax among the witches, but Edana Darktide has devoted most of her time to solving this riddle lately, and she isn't one to chase after riddles. I'm not really sure why I'm telling you this. This is something still being investigated. I must be getting sentimental after nearly losing you."

"Gee, thanks. It's nice to know that it only takes me almost dying for you to loosen your tongue. What are the names? Maybe while we're searching for my father, we can run down these names too."

Claudia shook her her head.

"No, we have them identified, it's just what they share that we're missing. The first name given was Atem Spector, son of the Grim Reaper. The second was Riley Reeves, we're confident that this is Life’s sister, though we have found very little else about her. The last was Alicia Wenlock, a former resident of Crystal Cove, who married into the monarchy. Alicia lived during the Demon Wars, we think Atem was first written about when Strangetown fell into destruction millenia ago, and we have no timeline for Riley. None of it makes sense yet, but we're working on it."

"Those don't sound familiar to me. I wonder why these names keep popping up. Has there been any lately, especially after the attack on us?"

"Not that I know of. Things have been quiet since the attack according to Master Maricourt. I'm sure that the quiet won't last long though."

Unknown to the two monarchs, Lukas nearly started hyperventilating in the palace corridor. It was careless to lose focus when they were supposed to be hiding, but their mind and heart were racing wildly and all concern for secrecy was gone.

This was worth the effort of coming here. The mortals were engaging with prophetic visions and the leader of the Pleasantview coven and his ex-wife were collecting a long list of all too familiar names. Lukas could add even more names to that list.

Morganna Grunt. Victoria Evans. There were likely more that they were forgetting, but Lukas had been just a tiny bit busy being discorporated at the time of their deaths, so they felt justified in not having a conclusive list of victims memorized.

They remembered when Atem nearly set the headquarters of the Strangetown reaper team ablaze, looking for answers about his mother, Morganna's, mysterious disappearance. They couldn't forget the helplessness of watching Alicia and Victoria's bodies turn to nothing, not even ash. How Riley....

No. They couldn't think about her. They refused to think about Riley or the way her death had destroyed their family in ways that hadn't healed over the many centuries.

But why were mortals hearing these names repeated? That was what Lukas should be focusing on. They couldn't change the past, but they could influence the future. No one else should have to suffer the pain the Lane family had suffered. Any mention of the names of the lost had to be investigated. It was severe enough that Lukas would probably have to involve their husband going forward. Izanami would smother them with protective concern, but he needed to be told that his realm might be in danger again. That his spouse might be in danger again.

"I'd better go catch up on appointments, but I'll be back in an instant if you need me," Claudia vowed, rising to hug her cousin. Despite her irritation with Claudia's magical choices, Maura held her cousin as tightly as she could. They had cheated death and couldn't afford to slip up now. Even the thought of losing her frustrating cousin brought unwelcome tears to her eyes.

"Come back soon. We'll talk when we have more information about our conversation today. And Claudia, next time, just tell me that you're stealing your ex-boyfriend's kid to do dark magic in the place I live. I am the queen, no matter what blood magic thinks of my claim."

"Of course. I don't plan on any more spells involving you in the near future, but I'll keep that in mind."

Blood magic. People collecting Riley's name like it was a trading card. Memories of a demon with golden eyes cackling as Lukas' body rapidly deteriorated before their family's eyes. It was all too much to handle. They had to leave this place before they were discovered, but Lukas' feet felt glued to the floor.

Izanami. He would know what to do. All they had to do was teleport home and Izanami would fix all of this.

[kirinblueko]

Ok, I really need to share this.

I've been playing Wildermyth recently. It's an indie RPG with a couple of story campaigns and some generic ones.

You can create your own characters to go on adventures together, and random events will happen during the journey. It's really great that you have choices on characters' pronouns, appearance, sexualities, characteristics, etc.

And, of course, with my rizzles brain, I made a Maura and Jane (and Mulder & Scully :P) in the game.

AND THEY ARE SO CUTE!

Sometimes it's surprisingly in character I cracked up.

This one is how they got together.

The events were randomized, so it doesn't happen every time. My Maura actually fell in love with two other characters before I finally got this one😅. I also got this event with M&S, and because their characteristics are different, the dialogs are actually slightly different! I love the details that are put into this game.

[einsteinsugly]

How I would overhaul That 90s Show, via my verse. Downstairs People (or The Kids are Alright, I haven't decided).

The Premise: 1998/99. Away from the city lights, it's either summer camp or spending a couple of weeks at their grandparents' abode for the Forman and Hyde kids. With lots of adventure, and lots of shenanigans. Just like the good 'ol days.

Here, there are really no clear parallels to the OG gang, other than Chelsea being an artsier Donna and Kate having main character syndrome like Eric. They're tweens (like they should be), figuring out themselves, with no filter. No Disney-esque facade, no superficial diversity. It's a deep dive, into what makes kids tick, as they interact with the world around them. Much like season 1 of That 70s Show, whereas Netflix's That 90s Show? Reeks of The Conners (so. much. retconning, to the point of it being an obvious AU), and Girl Meets World. A dumpster fire mixed with outright mediocrity.

Main:

Kate Forman: Eric and Donna's 12/13 year old daughter, and the central character of the series. In Chicago, she's the endearing popular girl with straight As. As a budding activist, and with a bohemian flair. Can she reinvent herself in Point Place, and can she ever relax and just be a typical kid, with typical adventures?

Becca Hyde: Jackie and Hyde's 12/13 year old daughter, who's struggling to come to grips with her budding bisexuality. She has a crush both on Leonardo DiCaprio and Lindsay Lohan. Her on-off boyfriend Danny, and her best friend Kate. And meeting Mel brings it all to light, slowly but surely.

Adrian Forman: Fez and Laurie's 13/14/15 year old son. Abandoned by his mother at a very young age, he has little to nothing in common with his flamboyant, bisexual father. He spends his summer with his grandparents every summer, because he identifies so much more with them. Red in particular. But as he goes through growing pains, and lovingly eyes the girl next door, he'll have to confront the fact that maybe, just maybe? He isn't as much like his grandfather as he thinks, as the generational divide becomes more and more apparent.

Chelsea O'Connor: The girl next door, and the granddaughter of Red's childhood best friend Arch. Quiet but rebellious, she's an artistic soul with a love of music. Her parents, Edie (Arch's daughter) and Elliot, are local music teachers with nightly "concerts" that drive Red crazy. Her parents might be...eccentric, but at least they helped bring Red and Arch back together again, after decades apart.

James Hyde: Jackie and Hyde's 10/11 year old son, and the "little brother" figure for Adrian. Well, and he's Becca's literal little brother, and he drives her insane. With his wild schemes, and entrepreneurial dreams.

Leah Forman: Eric and Donna's 8/9 year old daughter, who loves stirring the pot. Green Day is her soundtrack, and she's having the time of her life. With her best friend James by her side, and not those snotty girls at stupid camp.

*****

Recurring:

Kevin and Daniel "Danny" Acosta: Buddy Morgan's stepsons, and Leo's great-grandsons. They spend their weekends with their mother (and Leo's granddaughter) Maura. Kevin is Adrian's best friend, a STEM nerd to the max. And Danny is a reckless, rebellious skater boy, and Becca's on-off boyfriend. Who Hyde hates.

Melanie "Mel" Parker: Raquel's daughter, Colette's niece, and Becca's secret girlfriend. She drags a socially awkward Becca to many local hangouts, from Mt Hump to Grooves.

Arthur "Arch" Holland: Chelsea's grandfather, Edie's father, and Red's childhood best friend. Oh, and current best friend.

Eric: Aw, Dad has a best friend!

Red: Wipe that damn smirk off of your face!

They fell out after fighting over a girl in high school, and they firmly went their separate ways. With Red going the more conventional route, and with Arch floating around for awhile before starting a construction company. Ever since '80, when the O'Connors moved next door, they've been reconstructing their friendship. Step by step.

Hannah Kelso: Kelso and Brooke's 13/14 year old daughter. She loves the Backstreet Boys, all things Disney, and animals (including stuffed animals). In 1998, she chooses summer camp ("it was my last chance, to be a kid!"), and in 1999? She chooses to hang out with her boyfriend Tommy in Chicago, but Fez and Kelso still try to set her up with Adrian, with bad results.

Hannah: But Daddy, I have a boyfriend!

Kelso: C'mon, you guys would be like Red and Kitty!

Hannah: And Adrian has a girlfriend!

Fez (with a gasp): I didn't know that!

Kelso (patting Fez's shoulder): Now you do.

Hannah (loudly clearing her throat): That means you can stop trying to set us up...

Kelso (with a crazy laugh): Yeah, right...

Fez (interjecting): Rome wasn't built in a day.

[lovehoarder]

Larry seems interesting, could you tell me about him?

Oh Geez. Thanks for asking.

Uh so, sparksnotes version: gay radioactive mummy who i love so very very much. I hold him in the palm of my hand so gently and I help him catch up on like 70 years of no human contact.

Me rambling abt the mummy under the cut

A longer version would be that he's a pilot and a repressed gay man from the 50s & after an experimental flight he gets exposed to the Negative Spirit which gives him powers but he also becomes Super Radioactive, like, being near him is the equivalentto a nuclear blast radioactive. The bureau of normalcy (best way I can describe them is Weird Cops. They arrest people who are Weird and run tests on them.) Takes Larry and runs just. The most brutal tests on him.

Eventually he gets out and Niles (Niles is Complicated. We're not talking about him) gives him his bandages which keep the radiation in and is also Why He Looks Like That, but have the downside of not being able to actually touch anyone. He can be near them now, but he can't be close to them :( so he is very angsty about that but he's getting better.

Some highlights

He really likes botany. He's got a greenhouse he manages.

Hes gay. Canonically gay and during the first season they cover his relationship with his old flame and its told through dreams and it turns out that its not just Larry Dreaming its his bf (John) too and the negative spirit was giving them a empathetic link and. Larry got to see him and like. Gain some closure and its so so beautiful and I love it so much

I am very emotional over that whole plot line. But. Continuing.

One of my Favorite episodes is the intro for Danny, an explicitly Genderqueer street who uses they/them pronouns and houses queer people.

In this episode, there is a fantasy sequence where Larry imagines doing karaoke with a drag queen (Her name is Maura and her and Danny both become semi-reoccurring characters on the show)

This is another thing about standing up to his past bc he confronts the bureau and fucks them up & i love him for that.

He frequently Fucks Off and does his own thing. This leads to Three Things, all of which are amazing and I love them.

Another favorite episode of mine (Any Larry centered episode is a Great episode in My Mind) He fucks off to space with the negative spirit and that means that he's not there when the team goes on vacation and DIES. He gets home and their bodies are delivered to him. He has to go into the afterlife and get them back and it is terribly sad but I love angst and it ends well.

Because of the same space adventure. He... he he gets pregnant. The negative spirit... impregnates him??? He has a grub child that eventually becomes Keeg & that. Is a plotline. He is wearing a Hawaiian shirt the whole time.

Finally, he fucks off to go find Mr. 104, or Rama, while the rest of the team is Going Thru It. Keeg essentially sets them up & they are vaguely boyfriends by the end of the season :)))

Hes so so dramatic. His body actor is really good at giving expressions thru his body but it just makes him look so so dramatic and I love it dearly

He... sits like this v almost always

He also sits on surfaces that shouldn't be sat on

He has Cartoon character syndrome. He rarely ever changes his clothes but its fine bc his outfit fucks.

And I've gotten a bit silly but I love him so so much I want to hug him and give him kisses and I love the show so so much for just making him gay. Doom patrol was the first piece of superhero media that I saw that addressed queerness head on and not just vaguely imply it so its really special to me I really like fucked up "superheroes" who fail at actual superheroing. I love my weird little dysfunctional found family so much and I love Larry so much.

[influencermagazineuk]

Stacey Solomon appeared emotional after reportedly having a heated exchange with her husband, Joe Swash, in the street just before leaving for a high-profile trip to Las Vegas. The 35-year-old Sort Your Life Out host is currently enjoying a luxurious getaway with SpaceNK, accompanied by influencers like Maura Higgins. However, it seems that she has been living on edge before finally leaving. The trouble started with a public spat between the couple with a reported row reportedly with Joe, whom she married in 2022. Witnesses said that Stacey seemed distressed and was comforted by members of her TV production crew. JonathanLGardner, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons One published in The Sun on the mother-of-five trudging along hands shoved into the pockets, the long brown puffer coat pulled up and tied and her head down, shows her at one point leaned into a colleague's shoulder for a consoling hug. The incident happened next to the train station of Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex, where witnesses alleged that they could see Joe, 42, visibly distressed. The witness said that the EastEnders alumnus came out from the building alone, smoking his vape, and then sat on the nearby stairs. "Stacey came out of the building in tears; she looked very emotional and hugged someone," reported an eyewitness. "Joe appeared to be tense, and both of them left separately, after what seemed like an animated conversation.". He was animatedly talking to someone in the production crew, but about 15 minutes later, Stacey walked over to him; she shouted something, and they both scurried in different directions. The situation in the meantime was described as "very tense," so that level of intrigue is added to the couple's lives. Reality Show Featuring Stacey and Joe Stacey and Joe, known for their 'realness' and authenticity in public life, are in production for a brand-new reality series called Escape to Pickle Cottage. The BBC show will offer viewers a glimpse into their lives, as they live out their lives in the charming £1.2 million Essex home. The couple have three young children together - Rex, 4, Rose, 2, and Belle, 1. Stacey is also mum to Zachary, 16, and Leighton, 12 from other relationships. Joe has a son, Harry, 16, with a previous partner. A source familiar with the show teased, "Who needs the Kardashians or the Osbournes when you’ve got Stacey and Joe?" Fans can expect candid insights into their blended family life and the couple’s dynamic as they juggle parenting, work, and their relationship. The show did create a lot of interest, especially since there were promises of going through the ups and downs in life at Pickle Cottage also as seen in the tension moment before Stacey's trip. Even though the dramatic tear-jerking incident has happened, Stacey seems to be having a great time on her Las Vegas adventure since she continues posting stunning pictures of her glamorous trip on social media. Some time away might work wonders for the couple to reboot before getting back to the busy filming schedule and family life. As the fans await the launching of Escape to Pickle Cottage, Stacey and Joe still prove and exhibit openness that shows that real life may be far from perfect even in the limelight. Read the full article

[jaydonsjam]

Man-Thing IX

Man-Thing #13-14

Man-Thing #13 - writer: Steve Gerber | penciler(s): John Buscema, Tom Sutton | inker: Tom Sutton

Man-Thing #14 - writer: Steve Gerber | penciler & inker: Alfred Alcala

Man-Thing fights pirates in the sky! I really enjoyed this arc because of how bonkers it was. It reminded me of some of Steve Gerber’s really strange and mystical Man-Thing stuff which I find myself enjoying more than the typical inter-personal stories Man-Thing gets involved with in the swamp. We meet a crew of people who are venturing into the Bermuda Triangle because a scientist wants to investigate the mystery of it. Man-Thing finds himself on the ship because he feels anger coming off of two crew members. Maura Spinner is the name of the scientist and she turns out to be a pirate queen who was granted immortality by a Satyr named Khordes. She had no memory of her previous life though. When Maura was a pirate queen, she and her crew including Captain Fate had found treasure in a tower but then Khordes appeared and offered them a choice between leaving Maura with him and they could take all of the treasure. Her crew jumps at the chance and leaves her in the tower. She curses them to endlessly sail forever which Khordes then makes happen. Although she stabs him. It’s better if you read it because I know it’s a lot of information and I think it’s interesting enough to check out. There’s a cool backstory here and I think the exposition does a good enough job to explain the pirates and the Satyr. There’s some cool moments of Man-Thing regenerating with the help of the magical tower from ooze to monster again. The action is your typical Man-Thing fighting where he’s just smacking, slapping and throwing fools left and right. This was just a fun horror adventure story.

Giant-Size Man-Thing #3

Giant-Size Man-Thing #3 - writer: Steve Gerber | penciler & inker: Alfred Alcala

Yes! Dakimh, Jennifer Kale and Korrek return in this Giant-Size issue! This was by far the best and my favorite giant size issue of Man-Thing that I’ve read so far. It felt like a continuation of my favorite arc of Man-Thing and it had a great ending. I was sad to see Dakimh die but since he’s a wizard maybe he’ll come back? I guess we’ll see. Alfred Alcala’s art was great although I wish it would’ve gone weirder since they were back to the castle in the sky and Korrek’s homeland. I loved how Man-Thing dispatched the evil wizard and the trope where he didn’t believe Jen that something was behind him. There was a lot of great action with sword fighting, magical spells and Man-Thing just smashing people. I hoped there’d be more of an interaction between Jen and Man-Thing but she was more focused with Dakimh and Korrek. I definitely want more Jen and Korrek so I hope they come back before the end of Gerber’s run. This was definitely the best of the batch of Man-Thing issues I read for this post.

Man-Thing #15

Man-Thing #15 - writer: Steve Gerber | penciler(s): Tony DeZuniga, Alfred Alcala, Rico Rival | inker(s): Alfred Alcala, Rico Rival

A candle gives off hallucinations to an old friend of Ted Sallis. This one was weird. I don’t know if what I read was the true account of Ted and Sainte-Cloud’s relationship or if it was mixed with false hallucinations. I gotta say this one was weird and unethical because when Sainte met Ted she was 17 and he had to have been in his mid to late twenties-thirties and even asked her to marry him. I just found the underage aspect of this story to difficult to enjoy or move past. I didn’t look up age of consent laws in the 60’s but maybe it was fine back then but it’s just gross and wrong in my eyes. This was probably one of my least favorite issues I’ve read of this comic and if I ever do a reread of Man-Thing, I’ll skip this one. I liked seeing the differences of thought and politics between Ted and Sainte but there wasn’t much here for me to enjoy. I will say it’s pretty scary when she sees Man-Thing come out of Ted’s bedroom and chase after her. That was excellently done but that’s about it. Next up is Werewolf By Night!

[baura-bear]

Before the winter storm there was Joe Toye

[mauraxhiggins]

It sounds like a lot of us have been running on new adventures lately! My mum told me the other day to remember to soak it all in, even the smallest of moments. Hi Alessia, I'm Maura and I am doing great. Very tired, but soaking up all the moments.

I can not tell you how much I am looking forward to having some off time. This past month has been so crazy. I wouldn't have it any other way though. I think I will be spending time with the family and just having some me time. How are you doing? Oh, I should introduce myself. I'm Alessia.

@hfrpstarters

[flashfuture]

Okay but in a siduation where like just like old times Hal and Ollie are on a mission and like they have to run by Conner’s place for something and obviously Hal doesn’t really know Conner all that well, other than he’s Ollie’s son whom he loves and Kyle is friends with him, read: he knows Kyle friends with him, so imagine his shock when he gets there and Oliver and Conner are talking and Kyle pops out just half awake and he and Conner kiss before he gets coffee and realizing oh hey other people, of course by this point Ollie is pretty unphazed but Hal is like “um...am I missing something.”

I’m just imaging just like Hal being reminded that oh right I was out of the interpersonal relationship gang for a pretty long time huh. Like he doesn’t know Conner or Linda, the wife of his basically nephew. Hal probably has a lot of getting to knowing to do but he’s probably happy he even gets the chance.

Yeah Hal and Conn only met on young Hal’s time-traveling adventure which Hal forgot so blank slate there. He hears great things from well everyone really.

So they show up to the apartment block in San Fran and Ollie being Ollie just strolls right in with the key Conn gave him and goes for Conn in the kitchen, 

Kyle inhales his coffee stares at Hal and you can tell they’re mentally doing the spider-man meme but Kyle is too tired and Hal is too shocked. 

“Yeah they’ve been dating a little since after I kicked it” Ollie shrugs and Conn rolls his eyes and Kyle kisses his temple again and it’s adorable. 

Hal just shrugs and ruffles Kyle’s hair which gets him a glower. In the morning Kyle really does look like a disgruntled kitten. Conn is sort of just sticking by Ollie while internally panicking because he already did the meet the parent with Maura. He didn’t realize big brother Hal was gonna be a thing judging by that intense stare. 

Kyle assures him after that Hal is harmless but Conn isn’t too certain. He got the shovel talk from Guy which was oddly creative and that same intense stare from John. And they call Hal the mama bear of the group so yeah Conn is not looking forward to whatever that talk will be. Maybe Roy can give him advice. Roy is one of Hal’s nephews in spirit after all. 

Okay yes yes and Wally gets to break it all down and Hal is so happy to get to know everyone and see how much Wally has grown up. Even Parallax!Hal said he was proud of Wally so not crazy Hal would be bleeding pride. 

And when Barry comes back and asks about everyone Wally starts but Hal leaps in and pulls out his own construct pepe silva type board of everything he’s worked out. Wally grins and leaps up with his Uncle Hal happy to tell Barry together. 

And Barry is just grinning like yep those are my boys 

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Ulyssa rushed to the cradle she had placed in her bedroom. The infant was crying, and with all the tears currently being shed in the castle, the queen regent thought it would be best to keep a close eye on the child. On her child.

The little girl stopped wailing as soon as Ulyssa picked her up. It brought back so many, now painful memories of her own children growing up. Alysiara had fussed whenever she was about to be put down for a nap to the point where even the nannies couldn't get her to sleep. She'd happily sleep in Ulyssa's arms while Maura held court.

This baby was hers in the same way that Georgiana was Maura’s. Ulyssa repeated that sentence in her mind every time she had to feed or change the baby. This little girl looked a lot like her father, but then again, so did Georgiana. There were bits of Maura in her face as well, but her eyes were all her father's.

"It's okay, baby. I'm scared without your mom too," Ulyssa confessed, holding the infant close. She couldn't understand all the words Ulyssa needed to get out of her system. "We'll be okay, though. She'll wake up and we can try to be a family again. You'll see."

"Ah, you're not as fussy as Alysiara," Ulyssa remarked sadly. "You're like Viola, shy until you get hungry. That's pretty good; we could use some more shy family members."

"Go to sleep, little princess. The nanny will be here soon."

The nanny was due to arrive within the hour, to Ulyssa's relief. She could handle babies, she and Maura certainly had enough of them, but dealing with a newborn, a country, funerals for her children, and praying that Maura woke up soon, all seemed impossible. She could delegate baby duties to a trained professional while trying to keep up with the rest of her responsibilities.

"Your Majesty, there are guests at the door. Security has cleared them. It is safe to approach."

Ulyssa groaned. All this security didn't feel like it was to protect them. It felt like it was some kind of test of patience just to get breakfast. We're they really any safer with all these "safeguards"? They had thought they were safe at the family cottage, and look how that turned out.

Ulyssa reached the door and had to check behind her for a camera or a group of people waiting to jump out and yell "surprise"! She couldn't have predicted the identity of her guests even if she'd had a hundred guesses.

"Your Majesty, it's great to see you again so soon."

"It's just Claudia at the moment," the queen replied, smirking at her daughter. "The three of us are simply foreign citizens, out for a walk on the royal estate."

That was an understatement. Despite Claudia's words, the three people on her doorstep were very much not a simple thing to acknowledge. Firstly, if you had asked Ulyssa to picture Claudia with her hair done up like a teenager, she could have never imagined what was before her. Victoriana was easy enough to expect to be with her mother, but Theo? The last Ulyssa had heard, Theo was away in a foreign school for almost killing his boyfriend with his broken magic. To see him casually strolling the palace gardens with his half-sister and the queen of Pleasantview? Had Roman approved this visit, or was it one of Claudia's games?

"Thanks for meeting with my lawyer about the cottage," Claudia exclaimed, greeting Ulyssa in a superficial manner. "He said that everything went through just fine and i have you to thank for it. Maura’s going to be so proud of the way you've handled things in her absence. Her doctors are saying that she might wake up soon, are you preparing all the documents and papers she's going to need?"

Ulyssa felt gross just listening to Claudia try to be nice. The papers giving her a legal stake in the cottage were already signed, what else did she have planned if she needed to butter Ulyssa up like this? She would ask how Claudia knew about what Maura’s doctors were saying, but she already knew the answer. The queen of Pleasantview knew everything.

"Anyway, I thought I'd drop by and see your newest daughter," Claudia continued, ignoring Ulyssa's attempt to answer her last question. "She's upstairs, right?"

"Yes?" Ulyssa was still trying to figure out what exactly was happening here. "The nanny is doing to be here soon. I think she's almost asleep-"

"Perfect! I'll just say hi before she falls asleep. Victoriana, Theo, run upstairs and signal to our security team that we're safe. You know how they worry when we're out of sight these days."

Before Ulyssa could stop the teens, Victoriana and Theo were on their way upstairs to complete Claudia's command.

Theo did pause long enough to give his godmother a dirty look. Clearly, his feelings for Ulyssa hadn't changed since she'd last seen him.

"Oh, isn't she the cutest?" Claudia cooed, reaching into the cradle to hold her cousin's baby. "She's got that Siew fierceness, you can see it in her eyes."

Ulyssa craned her neck, looking for signs of where the Bellamy half-siblings might have run off to. Security was still on high alert, so they had to be being watched by someone, surely. What reason did Claudia have Theo for anyway? There was no honest reason that Ulyssa could think of for Claudia to have her ex-fling's teenage son sneaking around Twikkii Island when he could be home with his parents or safe at school. There was still a week left in the semester, wasn't there? After everything that had happened, Ulyssa had no sense of time. It could suddenly be Winterfest tomorrow for all she knew.

"Princess Victoriana is just using the washroom," Theo announced upon entering the room. "Our security team wants us to move on shortly. They're not comfortable with our being in the castle when another strike could come at any time."

"Understood. Theo, would you like to hold the baby? You probably have enough experience holding children with the size of your father's family."

"No, Your Majesty, I'm fine here."

Theo looked as interested in seeing the infant as any typical fourteen year old boy. If it had been Adam's baby, that would be a different story, but someone else's crying, smelly kid hardly seemed worth Theo's time.

Ulyssa used Theo's reluctance to position herself beside the teen before he could bolt away. She would likely never have a chance to speak with him like this again.

"So Junior-uh, Theo. How have things been lately? I heard that you were admitted to one of the hardest schools to get into. That must have been quite an honour."

"It sucked and they took away my phone," Theo replied curtly. "I still haven't got to see Adam yet, but at least I can text him again."

"Well, what did you learn?" Ulyssa tried again. She'd clearly forgotten how self-absorbed teenagers could be. Maybe it wasn't his age, but his bloodline. God only knew what went through teenage Roman's head.

Theo shrugged. He kept his eyes averted from Ulyssa at all times.

"I learned that the life deity thinks that I'm practically a demigod and that Adam has a talent for making crystals now. I'm going to go back to school next semester, and they're probably going to have to assign me to the advanced classes. Maybe even some university level courses."

"Uh, huh. Well, I'm happy that you're back home safe. What are you doing hanging around with Claudia? More advanced magic lessons?"

It was a gentle probe, but it was probably too much. Claudia's well trained ears missed nothing, or so Ulyssa assumed.

"He's helping my mom with a project," Victoriana replied, skipping past her brother. She made a silly face for the baby and tickled her softly. "Very hush hush. Can I hold her?"

"Very," Theo agreed, still avoiding his godmother as best he could.

"Does she have a name yet?" Victoriana asked, rocking the infant in her arms.

Ulyssa looked at Claudia expectantly before answering. The name had only been entered into the records that afternoon, but Ulyssa had no doubt that Claudia already had that information. Claudia did her best to look innocent under Ulyssa's stare, but Ulyssa was quickly learning some of the queen's tells.

"It's Coby. Princess Coby Augusta Ulyssa Siew," Ulyssa answered wearily. Just when had Claudia learned this information? Was she secretly psychic, or did she have spies in every corner of Ulyssa's life? "Her Majesty was very fond of her father, and it's a unisex name, so I thought it was fitting. I hope she agrees."

"You couldn't have waited?"

Another snarky question from the cocky teenager. Ulyssa wasn't sure how Roman dealt with his son's attitude.

"No, there are laws in place about when an heir is registered and a name is needed rather quickly," Ulyssa replied. "They have to make sure that she's the daughter of the queen and her titles need to be assigned very quickly after birth. The process is all very formal."

Ulyssa could read the next thing Theo wanted to say as easily as if it were written on his forehead. How had Princess Georgiana gotten through that process if she wasn't the queen's biological daughter? Maura had seen to all of that in her authority as the monarch, something Ulyssa couldn't do now even with her role as regent. The crown had wanted a name and Ulyssa had given her one.

"Well, it's been fun, but we really should get back to our walk around the grounds," Claudia declared, handing Coby back to her mother. "Theo, are you all set? Victoriana?"

Both teens nodded, and Ulyssa could feel her stress rising exponentially. They were up to something and barely trying to hide it. Whatever plan Claudia was working went far beyond Ulyssa's understanding, and Claudia knew it.

"It was nice seeing you and little Coby," Claudia lied, suddenly slipping back into her well practiced monarch cadence.

"Yeah, you too," Ulyssa said as politely sarcastic as she could manage without offending the foreign monarch. "Stop by any time."

"Tell Maura that I'll be by to see her," Claudia called as she began to descend the stairs. "Tomorrow probably. We'll have lunch."

Ulyssa frowned. Well, that was cryptic. Was Claudia guessing about Maura’s condition, or was she aware of some secret information that even Ulyssa didn't know? Had her reaper parents given her information known only to the guardians of the dead?

Ulyssa released a frustrated sigh and turned her attention back to the infant. First, she would take care of finding their nanny for Coby and then she would pour herself a large, strong drink and continue to look over the remaining documents she had to review before holding court tomorrow and put all thoughts of Claudia Goldman and her schemes out of her head.

[here4rizzles]

I’m wondering if the kid I was years ago on Tumblr will like what became of me?

Let me explain. I somehow ended up reading fanfiction again, MY fanfiction to be exact and I... didn’t hate it? I mean some of it was good, some of it was cringey but some of it... i LOVED. 

Imagine that, years later I enjoyed reading my writing. Especially that which I wrote as an emotional outlet and translation of my real feelings to a Rizzles setting (”72 Hours”, some of you may remember it). How RAW and STRONG my feelings are there, how detailed and honest. I’ve put my entire self into the character(s), and I could feel the ghost of my 19-year old self in my head.

And this morning I read the reviews of readers who read not only the story I told but “Maura”’s character, the real one. They made estimates and predictions based on the character, a lot of which ended up true, but I was too busy being Jane in love with Maura to even entertain these thoughts over 6 years ago. 

That story ended 4 years ago but that’s besides the point. I’m more nostalgic about the story of my Tumblr times and the Rizzles fandom, a story which for me ended earlier than that. Looking back, I don’t think I ever felt so strongly a part of something, so supported and understood, welcomed, celebrated even, at a time when the real world around me wasn’t understanding me (and let’s be honest, I was far from even telling it what there was to get). I miss the people, the jokes, the support, the interactions, the joint pining and anger and love and sadness and frustration and everything that came with it. I miss the fandom. But I don’t “want it back”, because it’s foolish to think you can repeat or replicate a love story like that :)

Now, my 25-year old self is an amalgamation of the ghosts of everyone I have ever been. Some ghosts are stronger, some quieter, but they’re all there asleep in my head and get stirred once in a while, to remind me what I’m made of, which paths I traveled to get here, and that I have so much to go still.

I’m wondering if the kid I was years ago on Tumblr will like what became of me? For some things she’ll think I’m FUCK YEAH super-awesome-badass. You go girl. But for some she’d shake her head in disappointment and wonder where it all went wrong. 

All the steps I take throughout my life are so that one day, all of the people I’ve ever been will be happy with and proud of the last person I will be at the end. 

And I still have things to pour out that I currently don’t have an outlet for. My stories and feelings and problems are different now, more dimensional, my dilemmas and struggles more profound. Or maybe that’s just how they seem now, and maybe that’s why I need to start writing again. Because, as I was reading, I felt my endorphins going up, I felt the joy, the excitement and the overwhelming urge to write again! And fanfiction is a great way to separate what’s inside you from yourself at least an arm’s length, enough to be able to see it from the outside, enough to be able to talk about it and describe it as more than a mush of feelings and colors and memories and vibes and whatever it is when it’s still inside. So on a lighter note, where’s the community now? Which are the pairings? Where’s the quality stuff? In which corners of Tumblr is the unity and friendship hiding, and where do we have quality characters to work with?

While my physical body is in quarantine, maybe the rest of me can go on an adventure...

TELL ME! Message me! Guide me!

I miss you all. I love you all. I hope you all look back with a smile.

[moscarific]

Yuletide Letter 2020

Dear Holiday Hero,

It’s a weird Yuletide this year. Normally, the arrival of Yuletide is a bittersweet marker of the passage of time, but this year, it’s a sign that 2020 can only abuse us for so much longer before it goes away. I’m certain that the story you write for me will be one of the bright spots of this year! I’m a gold star Yuletide participant: I’ve signed up every year, and written at least one story every year, since the challenge began. That’s great news for you, because over the years, I’ve learned that the best Yuletide gifts are the ones that weren’t quite what I had expected, and also that gifts are satisfying and joyful for me as long as it’s clear that the author put effort and care into them. Basically, as long as you avoid my Do Not Wants and run spell check, I’m going to be over the moon with excitement at whatever you write for me.

My biggest non-obvious DNW is babyfic. No pregnancy, no babies, no little kids. I’m also a grumpy Jew, so I’d prefer not to receive stories with strong Christmas themes. The “five things” format is not my favorite. Please don’t center your story around ships that I did not ask for.

But I like a lot more things than I dislike! Normally, I would be reading my Yuletide gift on the way to my annual family dim sum lunch, but I’m pretty sure that’s canceled this year. So give me something I will laugh out loud at while waiting for the takeout to arrive, or just escape into. Porn is optional, obviously, but: oral sex, eroticized hands, exhibitionism, shower sex, gender play. I like experimental structures and styles, as well as more standard ones, and I am fine with whatever POV and tense you choose. If you are the kind of person who does multimedia or interactive fiction, or just clever footnotes, I am all for that. All of my requests this year have strong and distinct voices, and I would love to receive a story that embraces their sound and feel. I like stories that stick close to canon or present interesting “what if” canon divergences, and I also like superhero and In Space AUs.

I tend to write the fic I want to see in the world, so you’ll get a good sense of me by browsing my AO3 account. My AO3 bookmarks are a recs list, and therefore a great way to see what kinds of fic appeal to me and make me happy.

Here are the individual requests from my sign-up, with a little more detail added here and there. 

And Then We Danced (2019): Merab, Irakli

I am deeply invested in making sure that these two are going to be all right. I'd prefer for them to be all right together, although genfic that focuses on a happy or hopeful future for one or both of them would work for me, too. I'm fine with a little canon-typical violence and homophobia here, as long as it's something they overcome and not the focal point of the story. Maybe they run away together shortly after the events in the movie. Maybe they reconnect years later and realize they're still in love. Maybe they're living in the same real-world trash fire we are, and reach out in the midst of the pandemic and the impending war in Armenia. Maybe they exist in a happy fanfic fluff bubble where they cook each other delicious Georgian food and have sex in the woods. Maybe it's an AU, and they meet on a spaceship 500 years in the future. Maybe it's just an extended description of the two of them dancing together beautifully.

DNW: Stories centered around pregnancy, babies, or raising children. Strong Christmas/winter holiday themes. Featured or endgame romantic/sexual relationships other than Merab/Irakli.  Extensive, graphic descriptions of homophobic violence. Character death or serious, lasting physical harm to requested characters.

Doom Patrol (TV): Danny the Street, Maura Lee Karupt | Agent Wilson

Danny and Maura, and the episodes that feature them, are a glitter ball of hope in a dark time. I'd love to read stories about what happens within Danny: adventures or problems that occur, or explorations of the traditions and culture that develop among the Dannyzens. If you want to go in a romantic or sexy direction with this, I'm up for it, not least to see how you'd do it. Danny loves everyone, but they do seem to have a special place in their heart for Maura, which I would enjoy seeing explored. Both Danny and Maura represent queer diversity in ways we don't often see on TV - play with that and celebrate it in whatever way you wish. I also love how heroic and fundamentally good both characters are, in quirky ways that suit their abilities, so I'd enjoy seeing them face and defeat a villain in a unique way. A self-contained story centered around the Dannyzens would be great, but feel free to bring in the main Doom Patrol crew if you want - I'm especially interested in Danny's relationships with Larry and Dorothy, if that's a direction you want to go in.

DNW: Stories centered around pregnancy, babies, or raising children. Strong Christmas/winter holiday themes. Stories where transphobic or queerphobic violence is a central plot point or threat to the requested characters. Direct engagement with real-world political events or the COVID-19 pandemic (metaphors are fine). Character death or non-canonical serious physical harm to requested characters.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Mo

I want to know so much more about Mo. Get her out of her sassy best friend rut and put her in the limelight, please! The glimpses of her relationship with faith and her church were fascinating, and I'd love to know how that grows and changes. If you want to go in a romantic direction, I'd be happy with Mo/Eddie, Mo/Simon, or Mo/Zoey, and I'd be excited to read anything that celebrates her fat, Black, genderfluid body. I'd also enjoy reading the AU where she, and not Zoey, has the heart song superpower. Or an In Space AU. Or a musical.

DNWs: Stories centered around pregnancy, babies, or raising children. Strong Christmas/winter holiday themes. Stories where transphobic or queerphobic violence is a central plot point or threat to the requested character. Anything more than a passing mention of Zoey/Max.

Thank you so much! You are a Yuletide treasure!

[antiquatedfuture]

Antiquated Future Holiday Newsletter Of Zine-Like Delights

First off: We just made our 2019 bestsellers list! (We love lists.) Of the over 600 different items in our shop, these are the 20 zines, 10 albums, 5 books, and 5 miscellany things that sold the most. In other news: We now have all our favorite calendars & planners in stock, we're having a temporary store-wide cassette sale (that also includes a decent handful of LPs and CDs, as well), a zine sale on select titles, and we're restocking things every single day. In terms of holiday stuff: We'll be sending orders most days until December 23rd. We'll also be tabling here in Portland, Oregon at Publication Fair on December 22nd, for all your last-minute gift needs. And, if you can, please support the many fine brick and mortar stores that sell Antiquated Future goods. Oh, also: we just celebrated our 11-year anniversary! Thanks (as always) for supporting what we do and making it possible to continue this long. We're so grateful.

NEW ZINES Cat Party #2- Essays and comics about cats. Highlight: a wild, long-form fairytale cat comic from Dame Darcy of MeatCake fame! ($3) Cat Party #3: The Collectible Cat- An entire Cat Party issue about cat collectibles. TV lamps, cross-stich samplers, bone-China mugs, and the stories behind their existence. ($3) Country Songs For Driverless Trucks- A second short collection of short poems from Murder City Devils' frontman Spencer Moody. Playful, silly, occasionally gruesome. ($5) Delicate Pipes- A distilled personal history of digestive issues. Coming at the material from a variety of different approaches and interspersing collage work, Delicate Pipes is part personal zine, part art object. ($7)

DRIVEL #1- It's finally here: the new zine from our all-time best-selling zinester, Gina Sarti! Welcome to DRIVEL, her new zine series, an old-school variety zine in all its glory ($5) Eulalia #2- A gorgeous little zine dedicated to friends dealing with grief and to a late great cat. Words and images in tribute, in support, in mourning. ($5) Lullaby for the Drowned- A heartfelt, compact zine from Jonas (Fixer Eraser, We the Drowned, a million other great zine series). ($1)

Mugs- A mug-shaped zine about mugs called, simply, Mugs. Collecting them, loving them, stories about them. ($4) Pro Wrestling Feelings #7- The latest issue of everyone's favorite wrestling zine. A cool deep-dive for wrestling fans and a curious peek into a very specific subculture for everyone else. Comes with two wrestling DVDs! ($10)

Radical Domesticity Zine Gift Pack- All current issues of the ever-lovable Radical Domesticity, wrapped up and stuffed full of extras. Comes with a handmade card, a double-sided fortune teller. Nicely wrapped, tied with a bow. ($20) Self-Guide- An illustrated series of "ten guiding principles" from Portland zinester and comic artist Michelle Zellers. Inspiring, useful, aesthetically pleasing. ($4) Shared Sentiments- A visually lovely, simple, straightforward zine that brings a lot of joy. The perfect little gift for the person in your life who likes perfect little things. ($4) Terrestrial Invaders- A series of encyclopedic entries written as though insects are constantly at war with humans. So good and weird and fun. ($1.50) What's a Per-Zyne?- An introduction to the personal zine (by way of a big box, full of zines, opened decades ago). ($1)

NEW CALENDARS & PLANNERS

2020 Famous Faces Calendar- Paintings of legends from across the musical map: soul to country, garage rock to jazz, surf to folk revival, and beyond. From Shana "Crawdad" Cleveland, from La Luz and Shana Cleveland & The Sandcastles. ($8) 2020 Justseeds & Eberhardt Press Organizer- A stunning planner, unlike any other. Each month features a full-color, politically-minded spread from a different Justseeds artist. (Pocket & Planner-Size) ($15 & $18) 2020 Lunar Phase Calendar Poster- The lunar phases among night-blooming flowers. ($18)

NEW STICKERS Cat In Mirror Sticker- Some mirror time. For all self-appreciation states and existential crises. ($1) Deth P. Sun Sticker Pack- Five stickers from comic artist extraordinaire Deth P. Sun, detailing the adventures of a cat-like creature traversing fantasy realms. ($4) I See It All Surfer Cat Sticker- Good eyes, on a surfboard. ($1) Pumpkin Patch Sticker- Cute ghosts, black cat, pumpkin patch. ($1)

NEW POSTCARDS Home is a Feeling Postcard- The feeling of home. Perfect for all wanderers. From letterpress artist Hope Amico. ($3) Keep Writing Postcard Pack- An assortment of postcards from letterpress artist Hope Amico and her long-running Keep Writing postcard project. Get yourself a pack of five or a pack of ten. You won't regret it. (5 for $10, 10 for $20) What Have You Got To Lose Postcard- A handsome letterpressed tooth. ($3) You Are Your Only Critic Postcard- An ever-important letterpressed reminder. ($3)

NEW BOOKS All Friends Are Necessary- A new novella from Tomas Moniz, one of our all-time favorite writers. ($12) NEW MISCELLANY Raven Notepad- A raven, looking cool and spooky. On a notepad. ($4) Zine Fest Bingo- One perforated sheet of four bingo cards to play during those long days at zine fests and events. A lot of fun for those who love zine culture. ($2)

NEW MUSIC Adam Lipman- The Slouch- An absolute gem of low-key indie rock. A casual croon over warm tones, a rhythm section moseying sweetly along, feeling good. Musical contributions from David-Ivar Herman Düne and Franklin Bruno (Nothing Painted Blue, The Extra Lens). (cassette tape) ($8) Failed Flowers- Faces- Led by Anna Burch and Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good to Me, City Center), Failed Flowers is an overlooked supergroup of power-pop perfection. Released on Slumberland, as part of their 30th anniversary seven-inch series. (7" + digital download) ($8) Half Shadow- Dream Weather Its Electric Song- Long one of Portland's best kept secrets, Half Shadow makes dream narratives into softly psychedelic minimalist dark-folk anthems. (LP or cassette tape) ($8 & $15)

Haunted & Comme À La Radio- Split LP- A split LP of "not noise, not music, not poetry" from Haunted and Comme À La Radio, two artists pushing boundaries. Spoken word cut-up broken-sound collage. (LP) ($20) Lisa Schonberg- UAU: Music for Percussion- From ace percussionist Lisa Schonberg (Secret Drum Band, Kickball, Explode Into Colors) comes a song cycle made at "the intersection of art, ecology, entomology, and bioacoustics." (CD) ($7) Strange Parts & Ogikubo Station- Split Tape- A split between psych-poppers Strange Parts and punky power-pop band Ogikubo Station (Mike Park of Asian Man Records and Maura Weaver of Boys). (cassette + digital download) ($8) Various Artists- Dreamlife: A Summer Mixtape to Benefit Womanly Mag- A benefit compilation full of gifts: synth-pop, bedroom-folk, post-punk, hip-hop, electro-pop, and many things in between. (cassette + digital download) ($8)

NEWS *In addition to the wonderful novella above, Tomas Moniz just released his first full-length novel, Big Familia, on University of Chicago Press. *For all you zine readers and creators who have opinions: Quimby's Books zine queen Liz Mason is conducting a zine survey, as part of a bigger project. Make your voice a part of it!

*On January 2nd, we’ll be kicking off a new series at Powell’s City of Books called First Word. We’ll be curating a night of readings and music in the biggest indie bookstore in the world! Very exciting. Free and open to the public. See you there. Until next year, Antiquated Future

[ginnyzero]

Writing Romantic Chemistry: Pt 1

Recently, Becca who actually went to school for this stuff, wrote a good post about romance novels and how they’re different than other novels. For the full gist, go ahead and read it for yourself. What I took away from it is that in romance novels, unlike most other novels, the main conflict is between the two main characters. There is something keeping them apart, poor communication, denial, secrets, or lies. At the same time, there has to be something pulling them together both personally and socially. An outside force is attracting these two people who normally wouldn’t be together into each others orbit where they have to overcome their difficulties and ‘give in’ to that personal attraction.

Romance is pretty popular as a genre and as a subgenre in books and shows and movies and some are better at it than others. (Most action movies are pretty bad at it.) There are procedural shows like Castle that were built around the entire idea that someday the two main leads would get together and have a happily something or something. There are procedural shows like Bones where they tried to push it, forgot about it and then fell back into it when they were running short on plot ideas for the main characters. Then there are procedural shows like Rizzoli and Isles where the love lives of the main two women are cliff notes in the overall friendship.

I’ve read a lot of urban fantasy where romance is a major subplot and I’ve mentioned some of the tropes I’ve seen in previous blog posts. Tropes like serial dating and love triangles and the type of drama that if two people actually had a conversation like grown adults everything bad could have been avoided. Or peril could have been avoided if the main characters were actually doing their jobs instead of trying to solve crime. A lot of the time, these romances don't feel successful.

And in order for a romance to feel successful the characters in question need to have and keep or maintain that ‘spark’ or what we generally call chemistry. And let’s face it, there are a lot of characters out there that don’t have a lot of chemistry with each other and we’re supposed to go on faith that they’re good for each other. (I’m looking at you Letty and Dom.) And as writers we have to know where that spark is at its brightest point and if the characters don’t move to the next level then that spark is going to flicker and die. (cough, Castle and Beckett.)

The first thing I’ve discovered about creating chemistry is that you need to get the audience invested. In order to care about your couple, your readers or watchers need to care about them as people. There are a lot of books that I can’t get invested in the main characters because the book is so focused on the plot, the mystery, the not so great adventure, that the writer has either not written about the character in the first place or has been encouraged by an editor to cut all of it out in the interest of word count. (Most highly recommended urban fantasy.) Leaving the characters to the reader to feel like card board cut outs that I just can’t get invested in. In order to care about the character, I need to know about the character.

Problems with his female characters aside, Jim Butcher is actually fairly good at this. In the first book about Dresden I learned that he likes to open doors for women, he enjoys steak sandwiches and warm beer, his alarm clock has Mickey Mouse on it (because no one with a heart can hit Mickey Mouse), he is owned by a big cat and his place is a hodge podge of textures, old paperbacks and yeah, he’s a magic geek. It may not seem like a lot, but that is the type of information and the way it is presented that lets me get to know and get invested in the idea the Harry Dresden is not that bad of a guy and I could like him.

A lot of books that have romance as a subplot especially if they are going the serial dater or the love triangle route, only take the time to flesh out the main character. Sometimes they don’t even do that. If the writer doesn’t flesh out the main character or the other side of the love plot, then why do I care? (I don’t.)

After you flesh out the characters and get the readers invested in their lives, then you can get the characters invested in each other. Sure, they’ve got outside forces working on them to get them into the same orbit. But once these outside forces are removed, what do the characters see in each other that will make them stick together. Yeah, people feel intense emotions under stress. They often feel attraction and investment in the other person just because of those high stress situations. But what about after that?

A good example I feel of this is Kent and Jane from Rizzoli and Isles. Sure, the show got canceled before they really did anything with Kent and Jane and in the last few episodes they threw an entirely out of left field FBI guy for Jane to 'feel attracted to.' (Note: This is bad. We didn't know this guy. We didn't care. It felt pushed and rushed because it was.) But Kent and Jane had chemistry. They had sparks. And the way it started is that first, given that Kent was such a late comer into the series, they let the watchers get to know Kent a bit first. As we already knew and are invested in Jane and her happiness. He's an odd ball, but professional, limited social skills with a sense of humor. They 'revealed' that Kent had a bit of a crush on Jane after some distraction hi-jinks with Maura (moral and ethical quandary there as a conflict) and started having Jane and Kent bounce sarcasm and jokes off each other. Jane tended to ignore him but his puppy dog eyes were adorable. The question was would Jane ever notice Kent as more than a colleague? (I think they were going for yes... I mean come on, the whole bit with the watermelons in that one case. "But Kent, what did the watermelons do to you?" And the kilt!)

And then the series got cancelled. And we lost this great romantic conflict which drives me crazy. (And I didn't like Kent at first. I swear. I despised the way they introduced him. Ugh and then he grew on me and yes, see, that is good writing and I fell for it!)

There are different types of attraction. There is physical attraction, usually the first thing a person notices about the other. There is mental attraction, appreciation of their brains and the way they think. There’s verbal attraction, a liking of the way they talk, how they talk and what they talk about.  There’s emotional attraction. They like the way that person feels things. What makes these characters compatible that there is chemistry between them?

And what is keeping them apart? Things like other relationships, getting out of bad relationships, not being ready for a relationship, trust issues, moral quandaries (such as not being a person who does casual sex,) and the ever easy, DENIAL. Maybe there is a power imbalance or an age gap or job restrictions (can't date within the office or superior officers.)

Then as a writer, we have to fine tune the sense of ‘now is the time.’ A romance plot follows the same rules as every other plot. At the highest point of the conflict, the character has to act or the relationship will wither and die. And if the characters don’t act, the opportunity is missed, the readers are disappointed and they start looking for the next two big relationships for those characters to get invested into. If those aren’t presented in a convincing manner, then they might just stop caring about these characters all together.

It can be easy to try and drag a relationship out with them almost getting together and then last minute something interfering. All of this is for the sake of drama or trying to up the ante or push it off or make the tension that much greater. And a lot of times, this fails dramatically. (See Castle and Beckett.) The writers may still try to push the characters together even though they missed that natural point in the conflict where it was the right moment, the right time story wise to do so. And then, they have to find a new conflict to keep the series going.

Because, once that conflict is resolved a lot of writers and writing rooms don’t know what to do next. They have to manufacture another conflict in the place of the ‘will they, won’t they.’ A lot of times it ends up being on the woman’s side of “am I really good enough for him?” (Men in fiction never are as insecure as they are in real life. It’s not “macho” enough.) Even if that woman has been extremely self-confident before then and pushing the guy away because she doesn’t think he’s good enough for her. There are a lot of other conflicts than that, money and child rearing and living arrangements and 'how do we tell our friends, do we tell our friends?' come to mind. (But maybe they are just too boring.)

There was a lot of outrage in the fandom of BBC Sherlock when Watson got married and had a baby with Mary. “How is Watson going to go on adventures with Sherlock with a baby?!” Well, you do what normal and rational people do, you hire a sitter? You take the baby with you? (Doyle wasn’t good with female characters to begin with, BBC’s interpretation didn’t help matters.) But these are the adult problems. How do you juggle a job and a family and hobbies and friends and keep your romance alive? Everyone has to do it. But media just tries to ignore it because UST is so much more entertaining. (Supposedly.) Babies have a bad habit of ending up kidnapped or disappearing for the story entirely (Bones.) Women who may be rivals for the main character’s romantic affections are killed.

Or there ends up having to be a conflict in the marriage that may mirror how they got together. Bad communication. Denial of self or the opposite, selfishness. The characters may get involved in a new danger. Maybe there is an affair and trust is lost and has to be regained. Hardships  like disease and accidents are all tests of character that really show what people are like on the inside.

There is a reason why most romance series focus on a bunch of couples one right after the other who were introduced in previous books rather than focusing on a single couple. Every time a reader gets a new book there is a new thrill of ‘will they or won’t they?’ And the possibility of a different couple conflict. (Of course most romance novels are happily ever after or happy for now, so it’s more of a how than a real question.)

So, romance is tricky to write because it so depends on the fleshed out personalities of the characters. And how the reader feels about the characters is really going to depend on their own biases and views of romance too. From my observations of fandom is that somewhere out there in the great wide internet, there are going to be people who are going to put the oddest people into relationships and can get behind almost anything. And it may not at all be what the creators intended. But the people who consume the media see chemistry or a spark and decide to view it as romantic rather than filial love.

Just goes to show you can't predict anything!