#assassin's creed reflections

[blackflash9]

A subtle storytelling moment highlighted in the final Assassin's Creed Reflections comic and in Rogue, after the Kenway saga, is how Shay's and Connor's memories impact Otso Berg as a person. Shay's story and shift in perspective radicalize Otso, leading him to further dehumanize both himself and the Assassins, viewing them as identities that could never find common ground.

In the Reflections comic, Otso learns from Connor—not because of any duty or allegiance to the Assassins, but because of Connor's inherent goodwill as a man. Connor's love for the things and people he cherishes awakens Otso's own humanity, helping him recognize the humanity in his enemies whom he hated.

Legacy Transcript [ACIII] Achilles Davenport: "Your unwavering tenacity and honesty have burdened you with responsibility far greater than any one man should bear. But you, if anyone are capable. You have given an old man hope that all is not lost and for that I thank you." Desmond Miles: "I think spending all this time in Connor's memories has made me anxious. Mean his story is so painful in so many ways. Still, he never lost hope, even when his faith in others eroded." Even over 200 years after his death, Connor still inspired hope and change in those in life who need it.

[bansheesofinisherin2022]

corvo attano and altaïr ibn la'ahad..... i’ve grown quite fond of you. tho there are no sexual urges or desires... you come to me as a long lost friend whom I once picked apples with in papa’s orchard <3

[missroseplays-vp]

Riverbank

[mcphotovirtual]

[urara04]

So Assassin’s Creed jumpscared me on WebToon this fine morning

You can see I will be Sane during the run of this WebToon

[aiisstuffnthings]

Calm Waters

Isle of Skye Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Don't you just hate when you have three different versions of the same picture, and can't decide which one you like more? Well, that happens to me a lot...

[belladonicbloodsucker]

academic papers about black sails

Jones, Clint, "Black Sails as Philosophy: Pirates and Political Discourse"

Myrvang, Olav Kjetil, "Because I don’t want to be a pirate" - A Contextual Study of the Representation of Long John Silver in Treasure Island and Black Sails

Carcas, Leyres, “HETEROBAITING”: BLACK SAILS AND THE SUBVERSION OF QUEERBAITING TROPES

Schneider, Elisabeth, "RECLAIMING QUEERBAITING: A CALL TO ACTION"

Friedrich, Kathrin, "‘Evil Heroes’ in Black Sails – A Case Study: How Character Complexity and Nonverbal Actions Invite Positive Viewer Responses"

Razman, D. C. (2020) “Black Sails, Rainbow Flag: Examining Queer Representations in Film and Television” [click for pdf]

Srividhya Swaminathan, (2017) “The New Cinematic Piracy: Crossbones and Black Sails” (in ‘The Cinematic Eighteen Century: History, Culture, and Adaptation’ (2017, 1st ed.) edited by Srividhya Swaminathan and Steven W. Thomas)

Dirksen, S.J. (2019) “Constructing the Identity of the Popular Pirate: The Outlaw, Marginal Identities, and Utopia in Black Sails (2014-2017) and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)”

Min-Chi Chen (2024) “Weaponizing Monstrosity: Starz’s Black Sails and the Power of Monstrous Narrative” (in Chapter 2 of ‘Monsters and Monstrosity in Media: Reflections on Vulnerability’, 23, 2024, edited by Yeojin Kim, Shane Carreon)

Jessica Walker “Civilization’s Monsters: The Doomed Queer Anti-Imperialism of Black Sails” (in ‘Pirates in History and Popular Culture’ (2018) edited by Antonio Sanna) [entire book in pdf]

“From Dogs to Kings” https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1332062/FULLTEXT01.pdf

[overdecorated-furniture]

Writing Playlists: A Rough Guide.

As someone who can mentally visualise my story as I’m writing it - rather like a film playing in my head - I find it helps me to have a soundtrack to accompany it. That way I can work on specific parts of a WIP by listening to specific parts of my playlist. So, here is how I set up my Writing Playlists. There are many variations I use, so here are a few.

Follow the Outline, Damn your eyes!

One of the more common setups I use is to find a song that reflects the mood of a specific chapter, and then create the playlist off my story outline. I have done this with my Echoes of Eternity playlist, and it gives a nice sense of the story arc. I have a list of the songs in my world-building notebook, as it was useful to refer back to the outline when planning it. Overall, this has resulted in a very clear - if somewhat mixed media - playlist.

Did Someone say My Name?

Equally, you can just go off character vibes. Songs that remind you of what your character’s childhood was like, what they eat for breakfast, their love life, their death… This usually ends up being somewhat vaguer in terms of acting as accurate backing, but does allow an insight into the character’s mind. As well as having playlists for Characters from my WIPs, I have a lot for my favourite characters from fanfic and history.

Overtures

Finally, you can create a playlist that introduces the setting. Nature sounds, bardcore folk, fantasy rpg and tv series music for a fantasy world, for example. Or a mix of classical music, Victorian drinking songs and Assassin’s Creed sneaky music for a Victorian detective story. Creating the soundscape a character would hear is helpful for describing scenes and action shots. I haven’t done this as its own playlist, per se, but I do a lot of background music for my fanfic and short stories.

Hope this helps, and Happy writing! 🌿

[spocktheestallion]

older assassins creed games:

death to fascists. capitalism is a tool designed to subjugate the masses. corporate monopolies are inherently evil. do not trust the government. the laws of man are not reflections of morality. respect life but don’t be afraid to take it. make sure that in slaying monsters you do not become one.

assassins creed games now:

maybe the oppressors have a point guys 🥺🥺 why can’t we all just get along 😔😔 both sides have points you guys 😢😢

[blackflash9]

Whatever happened to the Davenport Homestead?

Eseosa arriving for training at the Davenport Homestead (c.1804) "Once Connor came along, it flourished again for several decades, even surpassing its former glory. Then, it suddenly vanished early in the 19th century. Any manor that can suddenly vanish is both interesting and unsettling in the same measure, though probably not a great investment." - Shaun Hastings, (c. 2012) [Database: Davenport Homestead]

The mystery of the Davenport Homestead remains one of the most perplexing enigmas within the AC universe, primarily due to the myriad factors that could account for its disappearance. A community and establishment like the Homestead doesn't simply vanish without a significant cause. According to the Initiates website, Connor's last recorded activity took place in 1804, when he trained Eseosa, the grandson of Adewale. Given that the Homestead was still in existence then, its disappearance likely occurred after that date.

The factors leading to the Homestead’s decline may also mirror the complicated legacies of its last known guardians, Connor and Shay. Their parallel narratives set the stage for the tumultuous events during the American Civil War. Shay Cormac, as detailed in the "Last Descendants" novelization, eventually returned to America, living long enough to train his descendants as Assassin Hunters. The ending of Rogue hints at a possible future confrontation between Connor and Shay, which could have contributed to the even decline of the (previously named Colonial) American Brotherhood within New York.

Shay's grandson, Cudgel Cormac (c.1863) | Art by: SunsetAgain

This decline is starkly illustrated by the rise of Varius, one of the few Assassins who survived there into the Civil War era, even with Connor—who revitalized the Brotherhood—at the helm. In contemplating their legacies, one might deduce that Connor and Shay forged a truce between the Assassins and Templars that endured for a significant time before their respective deaths. This possibility aligns with Connor’s rare willingness to seek peace with the Templars, a notion few Assassins entertained before him. Shay, while critical of the flawed ideologies of the Brotherhood under Achilles, would have recognized that Connor’s vision surpassed his mentor’s in prioritizing the welfare of people over rigid allegiances.

Both men shared a deep commitment to doing what was right, irrespective of their differing ideologies. Their interactions may have been marked by meaningful debates about the merits and shortcomings of their respective orders, echoing the possibility of cooperative endeavors throughout history. In Unity, we see hints of such interactions, and even William Miles acknowledges the existence of attempted truces between the Assassins and Templars when questioned by Desmond. This raises the question: could Connor and Shay’s alliance have been one of those fleeting moments of cooperation? However, this perspective does not fully explain the Homestead’s disappearance. Other historical events, such as the War of 1812, Tecumseh's Rebellion, and the earliest form of Manifest Destiny, also loom large in this period, potentially influencing the fate of the Brotherhood and its stronghold. It’s plausible that Connor, much like Altair before him, recognized that the Homestead had become a liability—a beacon that exposed them to their enemies. This awareness might have prompted him to relocate the Colonial Brotherhood to various hidden enclaves across America.

As the notion of Manifest Destiny gained traction, different sects of the American Brotherhood likely experienced varying degrees of success, especially after Connor’s passing left them without an influential leader to guide them amidst the resurgence of Templar influence through members such as William Magear "Boss" Tweed, a powerful business tycoon and politician, and Shay’s descendants. Thus, the interwoven fates of Connor, Shay, and the Davenport Homestead present a complex tapestry of alliances, conflicts, and historical forces that shaped the Brotherhood's legacy during a tumultuous period in American history.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Davenport Homestead: An Assassin Fake Out? Other sources, such as from former Ubisoft writer James Nadiger, as well as the fourth illustration of the Assassin's Creed Reflections comic, do give the implication that the entire "disappearance" of the Homestead was supposed to be an orchestrated trick from Connor and the Assassins to throw off the scent of the Templars.

James Nadiger: "Connor would have had his family and friends, and the American Assassins would have played pivotal roles in stuff like the War of 1812. And the idea that the Davenport homestead vanished or that he died alone would all be a fake out to throw the Templars off their scent."

Retcons (?) aside, it’s important to note that the Homestead had still vanished by 2012 when Desmond discovered the precursor key left behind by Connor. This only raises several questions to ponder about: 1.) Why the Fake-Out? – If the Homestead’s disappearance was staged, what prompted the Assassins to resort to such drastic measures? Was it a strategic move to protect a (precursor) key asset?

2.) Impact of Historical Events – How did events like Tecumseh’s Rebellion, the War of 1812, or Manifest Destiny possibly influence the decision to abandon or conceal the Homestead?

3.) Connor’s Legacy – Did Connor anticipate the need to decentralize the Brotherhood, moving away from a single stronghold like the Homestead to ensure its survival? On that note, what the hell even happened to Connor?

4.) Templar Influence – How involved were the Templars in the Homestead’s fate? Did Shay, his descendants, or other Templar factions play a role in its disappearance? If not, why does the sudden move happen, as Shaun implies?

5.) Effectiveness of the Ruse – If the disappearance was a ruse, how effective was it? Did it successfully deceive the Templars, or was it only a temporary measure? --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In conclusion, the mystery of the Davenport Homestead's disappearance leaves us with more questions than answers. Whether its vanishing was part of a strategic ruse by the Assassins or influenced by external historical events, the Homestead’s fate remains a key enigma within Assassin's Creed history. As we explore the possible connections between Connor’s legacy, Templar schemes, and the broader forces of Manifest Destiny, it’s clear that the Homestead’s story is intertwined with the survival and evolution of the American Brotherhood during a pivotal time.

[teecupangel]

I went to Barns and Noble this morning and found out theres a ‘Wheres The Assassin’ book. It’s a legit ‘Where’s Waldo’ book of just the assassin’s creed character. It sounds fun tbh, and they art was SO pretty. Now I kinda want one, but the only copy they had there was falling apart🤨.

Oooohh, yes. I've seen that one.

If you really want the book, nonny, it's still available on Amazon.

I remembered it because I checked the reviews for this book while I was trying to fill the whole 'get to $50 and it's free shipping!' promo they have at times and this one really stuck with me:

Poor Jacob hahaha

Also, apparently, Ezio's in the cracks?

I'm sure it'll be a fun book to read/play when you just wanna chill (and a much better AC merch than the other non-Culinary Codex AC cookbooks you can find on Amazon)

[askagamedev]

How much code is reused from game demos sent to publishers? Since developers don't have much time to create a good architecture at first and have to rush things, do they have to rewrite things from scratch once it gets in production?

The most common answer in all of game dev is always "it depends". Most game development falls along a spectrum with one extreme end being "well-oiled machine" (i.e. a project where almost everything is already well-established) and the opposing end being "no idea where they're going and holding on for dear life" (i.e. everything is new and vision/direction is constantly changing). Qualities like clarity of vision, team leadership, and total team experience will determine where on this spectrum each project falls.

If the development process is disciplined and things are proceeding to plan, the demos we show to the executives are not far removed from the final versions we release to the public because things are proceeding as expected. The better-established the game and its feature set, the easier it often is to develop. Franchise games like Madden, COD, or Assassin's Creed, or long-running games like World of Warcraft have a well-established formula, very experienced teams, and a deep tool chest that allow games and game content to be built very quickly and efficiently. They are well-oiled machines that don't often have to reinvent the wheel because they've been using and improving on that process for many years already. They know exactly what they are building and are very good at delivering it. Any demo they build to show off work in progress will be very close to what will be shown in the final version of the game. Very little work will need to be redone.

If development is troubled and the team is having difficulty hitting their goals and milestones on time for whatever various reasons, then the demos will reflect that. Most troubled development executive demos tend to be smoke and mirrors, with a lot of hacks and demo-exclusive assets that are held together by bubblegum and a prayer. These kind of demos can cause the team to enter into a death spiral because cobbling a bunch of hacks together for a demo actually puts the team even further behind schedule because we can't use those kind of hacks in real production. This means that these teams need to build almost everything twice (at least) - a hacky rushed way for the demo and then the "real" way. They constantly need to "catch up", but the hacks they put in place often cause instabilities and [technical debt] that must be addressed later on, which puts them further and further behind. This is commonly known as development hell.

These are, of course, the two extreme ends of a single spectrum. Most game development projects fall somewhere along that spectrum. More experienced and established franchises lean towards the "well-oiled machine" side because they've had all the bad practices beaten out of them over the years. Most new IP and experimental gameplay tends to lean more towards the wild-and-crazy side of the spectrum, because there are too many [unknown unknowns] on projects like that. If you ever find yourself repeatedly behind the 8-ball crunching to put together many demos in a row with lots of hacks, you may wish to consider parlaying the firefighting skills you've learned into a job elsewhere.

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent Questions: The FAQ

[mariacallous]

On May 16, the gaming and entertainment news site Dexerto tweeted an image from the forthcoming game Assassin’s Creed Shadows featuring one of its protagonists, the Black samurai Yasuke, in a fighting pose. Across scores of replies, some voiced optimism, others fatigue with Assassin’s Creed’s now 14-game-long run, and a very vocal few expressed frustration and anger that a Black person was at the center of the narrative.

“Gonna pass on the DEI games,” wrote one blue-check X user, referencing the acronym for diversity, equity, and inclusion. “Why Wokeism?” asked another. Comments full of racist and sexist language filled the thread.

A more articulate undercurrent of these reactionaries, across many online forums, had a more specific set of complaints. Some alleged the race of the real Yasuke was never known, others that he wasn’t a samurai but a retainer, and another claimed he was never in combat.

These were all fairly elaborate conclusions to draw about a guy from 1581 who’s been depicted as a samurai in Japanese media many times, including in the 2017 video game Nioh and Samurai Warriors 5 in 2021, as well as his own animated series on Netflix.

They also may have been the last bit of armchair history we got on Yasuke if the conversation hadn’t been sustained by a set of accounts looking to build yet another front in the online culture war, fueling what some have been calling Gamergate 2.0. Whereas the Gamergate of 2014 focused on trying to drown out feminist voices, and the voices of women of color, in gaming culture, this second incarnation seems focused on pushing back against diversity in games of all kinds. Yasuke just stepped in their path.

The resurgence of the Gamergate moniker came earlier this year in reaction to the work of Sweet Baby. Staff at the small consultancy received a wave of harassment this spring stemming from misinformation and conspiracy theories claiming the company was a BlackRock-backed outfit trying to force diversity into games. (It’s not affiliated with BlackRock and merely advises on characters and storylines.) As the controversy around Assassin’s Creed Shadows intensified, several posts mentioned Sweet Baby, even though company CEO Kim Belair says the firm didn’t work on the game.

“I think it just comes with the post-Gamergate (late-Gamergate?) territory,” Belair wrote in an email to WIRED. “To a certain kind of person, largely trolls, we're synonymous with their idea of ‘wokeness in games’ or a vague idea of ‘DEI,’ but it's ultimately reflective of the overall misinformation that fuels this campaign.”

Gamergate was not the first harassment campaign conceived in the bowels of 4chan and its affiliate websites, but it was perhaps their crowning achievement. The attacks against developers Zoë Quinn and Brianna Wu and media critic Anita Sarkeesian, among others, ranged from doxing to rape and death threats. Its tenets and tactics eventually proved valuable in bringing people into the burgeoning alt-right movement. Even Pizzagate and QAnon can, in some ways, be traced back to what was happening with gamers online in 2014.

“Gamergate was a recruiting ground, a pipeline to leverage the loneliness, discontentment, and alienation of young men—often white young men—into alt-right politics, extremist misogyny, and outright white supremacy and Nazism,” Thirsty Suitors narrative lead Meghna Jayanth told WIRED.

If the early days of social media incubated a cultural cold war, Gamergate turned it hot. Frustrated that they were no longer the sole demographic being catered to, Gamergaters saw “the growing visibility of women, not to mention their incomprehensible insistence that games cater to their perspectives as well, as an unwelcome intrusion in a space that does not belong to them,” Laura Hudson wrote in WIRED at the time. As a result, they wanted more than debate, they wanted blood—and nothing really stopped them from going after it.

Ten years later, aggrieved gamers are focusing on other forms of diversity and inclusion, which is how Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Yasuke has become the latest point of contention.

While only so much can be truly known when it comes to history, accounts suggest Yasuke (the real one, not the video game character) was a man presumed to be from west Africa who served the Italian missionary Alessandro Valignano. He accompanied Valignano to Japan where he served Oda Nobunaga at the daimyo’s demand. Yasuke was presented with the trappings of a samurai: a house, servants, a sword. He would go on to be with Nobunaga, or near him, at the time of his death, before seeking his heir Nobutada and joining him in battling those responsible for Nobunga’s death, though unsuccessfully.

While Yasuke’s history is fascinating and mysterious, much of the fuss over him has concerned whether he was officially a samurai, a depiction that has shown up in media several times in and outside of Japan. Some insist that he may have instead been a retainer, page, squire, or sword-bearer. Others decrying his inclusion in Shadows said he looked gay.

“There is no easy way to separate the many threads of what we are seeing within the Yasuke backlash,” says Paula Curtis, a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA’s Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies. “There are legitimate complaints about the developers’ decisions regarding representation and historical engagement … There are also many discriminatory responses to the game that have been anti-Black, misogynistic, and politically motivated.” It’s important to note, Curtis adds, that Shadows’ fans and commentators, and the issues they’re raising, aren’t uniform.

When Japanese historian Yu Hirayama tweeted there was “no doubt” as to Yasuke’s samurai status, he was treated to a tirade of abusive replies in English, including one claiming he brought “dishonor to [his] family and Japanese history.”

Amid the backlash to Yasuke’s inclusion in the game—and specifically to his role as a samurai—Ubisoft, the game’s developer, issued a statement saying that while the company “extensively collaborated with external consultants, historians, researchers, and internal teams at Ubisoft Japan” on the game, “some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community.”

Without saying specifically which aspects caused concern, the company added that it was taking this “constructive criticism” into account as it prepared for the game’s November launch, and apologized. (Ubisoft did not respond to a request for comment on this story.)

Jayanth believes the apology was a case of misplaced appeasement.

“The alt-right's fundamental drive is hatred of the ‘other,’” she says. “Even if we cleansed our games of women, non-white people, queer people—which is their ask, and one we absolutely should not give in to—they would turn to insufficiently ‘masculine’ depictions of white men. This movement exists only in opposition to some polluting ‘other,’ an enemy that must be manufactured if a real enemy cannot be found.”

Revisionist approaches to history have seen a rise in recent years, especially in the interest of enshrining an idealist sense of a traditionalist past as an ahistorically conservative utopia.

“You see this in the false assertion of a purely white Middle Ages or the denial of war atrocities in World War II,” Curtis says. “Bad-faith actors may cherry-pick historical sources in order to craft specific narratives, completely ignore sources that do not support their views, or appropriate historical symbols as rallying cries to their causes.”

The proponents of Gamergate 2.0 have veiled their scorn for Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ inclusion of Yasuke within concerns for historical accuracy. Much Like the Gamergaters of old, who insisted they were defending ethics in gaming journalism and not harassing women they felt needed to be put in their place.

Gamergate then, and Gamergate now, are both ultimately about the sensitivities around who saw representation and how, made disproportionately important by how disempowered and alienated modern people feel. As games have made room for a wider array of characters, the gamers at the center of the backlash have seen this progress as a form of persecution. Games are changing, and as much as those upset over Yasuke’s inclusion in Shadows want to push back, they may not be able to stop that.

“It's certainly been strange to see us tied to a ton of games we've never worked on simply because people perceive ‘wokeness’ or progressive ideas in them,” Sweet Baby’s Belair says, “but maybe it's indicative of a greater truth that Gamergaters miss: No external consultancy is forcing studios to make their products more diverse or more progressive. The change, whatever you think of it, is coming from inside the house.”

[mcphotovirtual]

[starwriterulia]

Tomb of the Goshenite Stargazer Dragon - Chapter 4

SUBJECT MATERIAL WARNINGS FOR THIS FANFICTION ARE INCLUDED IN THE MASTERLIST POST OF MY BLOG AND THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THIS FANFICTION.

Bat dividers by @violetbudd

Minors DNI, scene cut and creator support banners by @cafekitsune

Latest revision: August 18, 2024. Added minors DNI, scene cut and "Support your creators by reblogging" banners. Added ⏭️ emoji below end of chapter banner with text explaining its function as a navigational button.

Chapter summary: Faith, nude, is experiencing a lucid dream when Ra's, also nude, appears, and holds her left breast from behind while talking with Faith about how she could make this easier on everyone if she submitted to him. Faith reminds Ra's that it was a shared wet dream, and she follows her curiosity and sexual hormones, and allows Ra's to use her mouth. Before Ra's moves on to her vagina, the eight pairs of neon red eyes of a spider-demon appears in the darkness, and uses a tentacle to throw Ra's far into the sky. Faith flirts with the demon, who speaks Nerobzal, the language of the Nero Sprits of Faith's fictional galaxy, Thalassic Space, and they have sex using the demon's tentacles in Faith's mouth, vagina and anus. But Faith loses motivation and dispells the illusion, revealing to her that she had burned part of the forest near Wayne Manor, and is in shock.

Urania comes down from the sky in a beautiful cluster of stars within a beam of light, and scolds Faith, and inserts a finger into Faith's vagina to remove residue from the dream world to prevent a Nero Spirit from manifesting or possessing Faith. She leads Faith into the forest, where Batman was waiting, telling him to call if she's needed and Zatanna is unavailable, and they go to the mansion, where Urania departs. Stephanie waited inside, and helps Faith dress before making breakfast for the two girls, during which Faith tries to talk about her Fairy Persona, Solas, and her Mermaid Persona, Ønske, but instead talks about the alphabets and translation and pronunciation rules of Neofom and Nerobzal. Batman interrupts after this, saying they were late to the Belfry, and the girls put their dishes in the sink with water and leave with Batman. After Faith's training, while Barbara escorts Faith to the bathroom to shower while Tim and Stephanie prepare dinner, Dick reflects about the session, Ra's' actions earlier that day, and the other world-ending disaster that Ra's could initate with knowledge of its ritual. The Batkids eat dinner together, then Stephanie and Faith go upstairs to have some fun.

Fandoms: DC Comics, Batfamily, no Batcest, Thalassic Space (OC; takes inspiration The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, and other sci-fi, fantasy and horror titles, as well as original concepts, such as the science and lore of the galaxy.)

[In order of appearance] Characters: Faith Lawson (TBA; self-insert), Stephanie Brown (The Spoiler), Bruce Wayne (Batman), Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Tim Drake (Red Robin).

Word Count: 11570 (Back to having a long chapter due to how much dialogue I tend to write, WHOOPS.) 15439 (August 10 revision, HOLY SHIT, I mean of course it got longer 'cause I added part of Chapter 3 onto it, but HOT DAMN)

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5

Content warnings: Nightmare related imagery, brief non-consensual breast holding, oral (male receiving), vaginal and anal teasing and penetration with a lucid dream manifested tentacle, face teasing (female receiving) with a lucid dream manifested tentacle, rough consensual vaginal and anal sex with a lucid dream manifested tentacle, dirty thoughts à la Dick Grayson about Faith's ass, thighs and boobs (it it may be slightly OOC, but then again... it's probably fine LOL)

I approached my high school that was also UNBC Prince George and the most horrifying yet thrilling indoor water park that could ever exist, taking large strides towards the front doors of the school and entering, slowing my pace as I neared the gymnasium hallway. The canteen to the left was open and tended by familiar faces, and to the right was a Japanese subway station clad in neon pink, and down that way, on the left side of the hall, was a McDonalds. The way its white, red and yellow lighting merged with the neon pink gave me a headache. I entered the gym, which no longer captured its appearance as I remembered it, basketball hoops, metal support structures, the laminate flooring and the bleachers with an opening to the locker hallway, and from there two stairs to the mezzanine, and displayed the water park with white tiles and blue tiles of various shades, cautionary signs on the floor and walls, and two massive pools that were probably from Vancouver or Surrey. I had flashes of going down the waterslide of too many impossible tubes, the drain-slide of doom, and the shocking feeling of my foster dad not quite catching me, and the curiosity of what would have remained if I had died, that day. Would my subconscious be trapped in the pool, or would it become one with the water and cease to exist?

I heard a man hum lustfully behind me. He slithered an arm over my left shoulder and cupped his hand around my breast. "Are you usually naked in your dreams?" It was Ra's, of course. I didn't even need to turn around to confirm that.

"No." I felt my body awaken as we were transported to the street in front of the high school at night, the yellow light of streetlamps keeping away the creatures and spirits that I couldn't name or describe, but the goosebumps on my skin had felt. Ra's had attracted an audience of Nero Spirits, and they would love a show. I rubbed my eyes and yawned while I said, "But, yawn, whenever I check what I'm wearing, or make any conscious effort to get information or change the Script, things break, and I wake up violently." Ra's hummed. "Are you bothering me because you've found my dragon tomb on Earth and want to tell me you're coming back for your new wife?"

"No, although I do very dearly want that. I was wondering if you could tell me how to get past that spider of yours so I can make that come true, and you won't have to worry about training for what would be a short, futile and rather painful battle, for you."

"Like hell I'm telling you that. Ra's, when I say, 'Stop, or it'll kill you', I mean it, and it won't be me who kills you."

"Oh, aha ha ha, how cute. You think anything in your little galaxy can hurt me or take my life?"

"You brought this upon yourself. You should have recognised how dangerous Platonia is, when you first stared into it. If you continue, and if you manage to defeat me, or whatever, I literally will be unable to stop what comes next until I'm resurrected, and Earth won't have much time for the heroes to gather the Four."

"What are you talking about?" Ra's said, curiously. He moved to stand in front of me. He was naked, too. I couldn't help how my face reacted, my lips parting and my eyes locking onto his cock, six inches and quite girthy. "You like what you see."

"I mean, I do like older men, and it was a shared wet dream."

"Then make this easier on yourself," R'as took hold of my shoulders, and forced me to my knees. His dick was becoming erect, and was close enough to my face that I could smell his pheromones. "And let me fuck you, Faith."

I was lost for words. And I was really curious. Also, it might make Ra's stop pursuing me. "I have a gag reflex, by the way." I said, taking his dick in my right hand and stroking it as I licked and kissed around his tip.

Ra's moaned in his throat. "Yes, mm. Why don't I help you with that?"

"I'm open to that." I said. Ra's started to insert his cock into my mouth, his left hand holding the back of my head. I sighed, my shoulders relaxing.

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Better than my dildo. You have a pulse."

"Oh, yes. Relax, relax everything, and just breathe through your nose calmly. I'll do the rest."

"Do you want me to swallow?" I said, making eye contact.

"Yes."

Oh God, my hormones. "Mm, fuck me." I slackened my jaw, inhaling. R'as pushed his dick into my mouth, and as I gagged and my eyes fluttered, he laughed with a smug expression.

"Good?"

"Mhm." It kinda hurt and was really awkward, but holy shit if wasn't a good hurt.

"Good." Ra's said. He grunted, and began to fuck my face. I moaned and concentrated on the rough feeling of his cock using me like a fleshlight. Breathing through my nose was so, so awkward and uncomfortable for the first fifteen seconds.

"Yes, like that. You've got it, now." I moaned, and reached my arms to hold the back of Ra's' legs. "Yes, good. Good, girl."

Ra's persisted, never easing up on his treatment of my mouth, and I felt the wetness of my cunt, and imagined how it might smell with the scent of Ra's' dick in my face. "You're wet for me, Faith." Ra's said, sultrily. I nodded a little, softly moaning. "Are you going to get on your hands and knees so I can fuck your little pussy?" I moaned.

"Nanoz." Said a masculine voice from the darkness behind Ra's.

"What was that? What did he say?"

I pulled my face down, removing Ra's from my mouth. "He said 'no'."

"Who was that?" Ra's looked over his shoulder as eight pairs of neon red eyes appeared.

"The demon I call Nerobzal. I don't know his actual name."

"It isr toz' preciozuzsr phzozr yabozuz toz knanozwz, labozve." I fluttered my eyes and blushed. I looked at Ra's face. He looked pissed.

"He said, 'It is too precious for you to know, love'."

"Well, get in line, pal."

"I azmam thze labinane."

"He is the line." I said. Ra's scoffed.

"Iphz yabozuz ever tryab toz tozuzchz mamyab labozve azgazinan, I wzilab' give yabozuz pazinan eternanazlab."

"'If you ever touch my love again, I will give you pain eternal'." I translated.

Ra's scoffed louder. "No pain you could ever give would qualify as pain to me." The eight-eyed demon was silent. "Makes you think twice, doesn't it?" Six. "Your 'love' is my bitch now, you hear me? I'm going to take her home a-AAAAND!" Ra's was lifted into the air by a scraggly neon red arm with a clawed hand, and swung about in tight circles like Thor winding Mjölnir.

"Send him home, honey." I said, kindly.

"Glabazdlabyab." 'Gladly.' The eight-eyed demon threw Ra's, whose scream followed his body into the silence of the dark.

"And the next time he tries to search for my dragon tomb, hunt him, and do anything but kill him. Batman wouldn't be happy about that."

"Yabesr, I uznandersrtaznand. Wze mamuzsrt plabazyab bzyab thze ruzlabesr ozphz ozthzersr, srozmametimamesr." 'Yes, I understand. We must play by the rules of others, sometimes.'

"Thank you. Do you… want anything from me as payment for this?" The demon hummed seductively. I felt his voice vibrate throughout my body, and I moaned loudly, my torso suddenly so heavy that I had to bend forward, leaning on my arms with my ass raised as I looked into the highest pair of the demon's eyes. "Labet mame plabeazsre yabozuz phzozr thze timame wze hzazve labephzt." 'Let me pleasure you for the time we have left.'

"Oh, yes! Yes, please!" I opened my mouth wide, licking the air. Three neon red tentacles, each with a tip the size of a naval orange and growing in width as they disappeared into the darkness, and another lanky arm came from the shadows. One tentacle placed itself in front of my face, and I desperately licked it and used my lips and jaw to put it my mouth to suck on, moaning. The demon grumbled four times. "Does that feel good, honey?"

"Yabesr." 'Yes.' I continued licking and sucking on the tentacle as the other two slathered my feet in the demon's liquid. The two tentacles traced up my legs, covering them in slick. When they reached my ass, the two arms he had produced grabbed my ass cheeks tightly. I moaned, sticking my tongue out. The tentacle I had been sucking on playing with my tongue, and moved around my face.

"Ohhhh, yes, honey, yes. Use me, honey, use me!" I pleaded. The tentacle pushed itself into my mouth, and I relaxed my jaw as it entered, flickering around, making me drool onto the asphalt. The hands spread my ass cheeks, and the two tentacles teased my holes, around and in the beginning of each opening. I moaned and gasped in pleasure, looking into the highest pair of eyes, and the demon hummed to me.

The tentacle lingering around my cunt entered, and I released a long, sputtered moan around the tentacle in my mouth. "Yes! Ohhhh!" The tentacle in my pussy began to thrust, the liquids that began to fill me making my head light with ecstasy. I tilted my head to the right with the sensation, the tentacle in my mouth beginning to pass into my throat, and I moaned softly.

The tentacle near my ass hole plunged in. "OH!" I gasped, moving my head back suddenly, leaving behind the tentacle in my mouth. "Oh, fuck yeah!" The tentacle in my ass worked quickly. "Oh, yes, honey, yes!"

The demon's tentacle that had been in my mouth travelled around my face, and I grabbed onto it with my left hand to lick it. "Wzhzazt wzilab' yabozuz doz wzhzenan hze chazlab'enangesr yabozuz azphzter yabozuz hzazve received trazinaninang phzrozmam thze mamozrtazlabsr yabozuz hzazve bzephzrienanded?" 'What will you do when he challenges you after you have received training from the mortals you have befriended?'

"I will try to win."

"Wzhzat iphz yabozuz labozsre?" 'What if you lose?'

"Will I not wander the darkness and find you?"

"Yabozuz wzilab', iphz thzazt isr wzhzazt yabozuz truzlabyab wzaznant." 'You will, if that is what you truly want.' The demon moved the tentacle from my face to my breasts, bringing forth two more tentacles. "Bzuzt yabozuz azre nanozt wzhzozlab'yab mamazde phzozr mame, labozve." 'But you are not wholly made for me, love.' The new tentacles wrapped around my waist and upper right thigh, hoisting my leg. "Yabozuz azre mamozrtazlan." 'You are mortal.' The tentacle that was in my cunt moved rougher, but not violently, aiming downwards and making me moan.

"Oznanlabyab yabozuzr srpirit isr eternanazlab." 'Only your spirit is eternal.' I hummed in acknowledgement, nodding. "Iphz yabozuz wzaznandered thze dazrknanesr' wzithzozuzt cozmamplabete cozmam'itmamenant toz phozrever be boznanded wzithz mame, azsr thze Labazdyab Wzhzoz Srozuzghzt thze Azrmamsr ozphz az Nanightmamazre, yabozuz wzozuzlabd never labeazve Inanphzernanoz." 'If you wandered the darkness without complete commitment to forever be bonded with me, as the Lady Who Sought the Arms of a Nightmare, you would never leave Inferno.'

"Wze wzozuzlabd be tozgethzer inan thze Perimameter ozphz thze Naninanthz Circlabe, buzt yabozuz wzozuzlabd be uznanazblabe toz die toz beginan ozr enand Red Srtozrmam Eazrthz, mameaznaninang wze wzozuzlabd hzazve creazted thzazt srcenanazrioz phzozr nanothzinang, aznand Thzalabazsr'ic Srpazce wzozuzlabd labozse oznane ozphz itsr Plabazyabwzrighztsr. I doz nanozt thzinank yabozuz srhzozuzlabd sreek mame." 'We would be together in the Perimeter of the Ninth Circle, but you would be unable to die to begin or end Red Storm Earth, meaning we would have created that scenario for nothing, and Thalassic Space would lose one of its Playwrights. I do not think you should seek me.'

I sighed. "You're right. Ra's has learned about Red Storm Earth now, right?"

"Yabesr, hze hzazsr. I hzeazrd hzimam labazuzghz phzrozmam thze roz'mam wzhzere yabozuz aznand Azrgozphzazelab wzere labazid toz resrt. Hze szazid it wzazsr perphzect." 'Yes, he has. I heard him laugh from the room where you and Argophael were laid to rest. He said it was perfect.'

"Thanks for letting me know. If I lose, Red Storm Earth will have to be ended, as it normally would."

"Yabesr. Aznand I wzilab' azccept mamyab rozlabe azsr oznane ozphz thze demamoznansr yabozuz mamuzsrt depheazt." 'Yes. And I will accept my role as one of the demons you must defeat.'

I nodded, and raised my cheeks to smile. "Oh, to finally see the climax of Thalassic Space!"

"Yabesr, it wzilab' bze quzite thze srpectazclabe." 'Yes, it will be quite the spectacle.' I nodded more. "I labike thze nanazme yabozuz gazve mame, labozve. It hzazsr aznan inanteresrtinang buzt srimamplabe ozriginan." 'I like the name you gave me, love. It has an interesting but simple origin.'

"Thank you. You won't leave me after this, will you?"

The demon laughed. "Nanoz. Wze hzazve beenan tozgethzer phozr srix hzuznandred aznand eighztyab srevenan yabeazrsr, aznand I hzozpe wze azre tozgethzer phzozr srix hzuznandred aznand eighztyab srevenan mamozre. Azsr equzazlab creaztive maminandsr wzhzoz srozmametimamesr mameet toz hzazve srex, inan dreazmamsr." 'No. We have been together for six hundred and eighty seven years, and I hope we are together for six hundred and eighty seven more. As equal creative minds who sometimes meet to have sex, in dreams.'

"Hm," I smiled. "This isn't a dream."

"Nanoz, it isr nanozt az dreazmam. Raz'sr azlab Ghzuzlab creazted az pazthz ozuzt ozphz thze tozmamb azsr hze phzlabed, wzhzenan hze wzozke mame phzrozmam mamyab wzeb aznand reazlabisred mamyab srize aznand pozwzer. I phzozlab'ozwzed hzimam toz az mamaznansrioznan aznand enantered thze roz'mam yabozuz srlabept inan azsr hzisr shzazdozwz. Wzhzenan hze remamozved hzisr clabozthzesr, I mamozved bozthz ozphz yabozuz hzere. I wzazited phzozr hzimam toz be nanuzde sroz hze cozuzlabd phzyabsricazlab'yab phzeelab mamyab Lawbzal, wzhzenan I grazbbed hzimam." 'No, it is not a dream. Ra's al Ghul created a path out of the tomb as he fled, after he woke me from my web and realised my size and power. I followed him to a mansion and entered the room you slept in as his shadow. When he removed his clothes, I moved both of you here. I waited for him to be nude so he could physically feel my Lawbzal, when I grabbed him.'

"Cool! Big, strong demon!" I giggled.

The demon hummed. "I azmam sroz veryab phzozrtuznanazte toz hzazve phzozuznand srozmameoznane sroz kinand, bzeazuztiphzuzlab aznand inantelab'igenant toz hzazuznant." 'I am so very fortunate to have found someone so kind, beautiful and intelligent to haunt.'

I smiled with my cheeks. "I'm glad to have met you in person, in this life. And I'm glad that we love each other."

"I azmam glanazd phzozr thzazt, toz', labozve. Nanozwz, hzozlabd oznan. Labet mame phzinanisrhz inan yabozuz." 'I am glad for that, too, love. Now, hold on. Let me finish in you.' I hummed, eagerly. "Labet mame cozmamplabete yabozuzr wzisrhz, aznand I wzilab' tazke mamyab pazyabmamenant." 'Let me complete your wish, and I will take my payment.'

"Let's do it, honey." I said, cheerfully. The demon pushed the tentacle in my vagina as far as it could go. I laid on my stomach from the overwhelming situation. "Oh! Oh, oh!"

"Isr thzazt toz' mamuzchz?" 'Is that too much?'

"Oh, I think you're right against my cervix, please try not to go further, it hurts as it is, and I don't think I would enjoy a dance with death that intimately."

"Veryab wzelab', labozve." 'Very well, love.' The tentacles continued to pump into my pussy and ass. But I was having trouble staying in the fantasy, and three seconds later, I released the illusion. I laid on a small clearing in the forest near Wayne Manor, and my solar magic had melted the snow and scorched the grass, and six layers of trees had been turned to ash.

"Oh my God, I did that!"

A cluster of golden stars spanning fifty kilometres (31 miles) gathered in the sky, and from the cluster came a golden beam of light that shot to the ground, four feet away from me. Urania must have given a Celestial Globe to Batman or the League. "Daughter," She said melodically, as she closed the distance, standing with her arms on her hips at my feet. "Were you not only pretending to have self-cestuous intercourse with your Animus in the forest, but role-playing as demon-spider and its wench?"

"Yes." I said, sitting up and crossing my legs. "I don't feel sick anymore, though."

"Tsk. Do you need me to look at your vagina and make sure you are not dying?"

"No, Mother. I lost motivation, just now. I didn't finish, or penetrate myself too deeply."

"Good. Still, I will clean you of any residue from the Dream World on Paper so that no Nero Spirit possesses or follows you." Urania knelt before me, and inserted a finger into my vagina. A soothing warmth captivated my body. Five seconds later, Urania removed her finger, and wiped it on her toga. "Oh, look at what you have done, in two minutes! You know how quickly your O-star eye burns everything around you, if you have lucid or waking fantasies without supervision! We are fortunate you had a sexual fantasy only involving yourself and your Animus instead of a destructive one like Red Storm Earth!"

"Yes, Mother. I'm sorry, I was dreaming and forgot I'm not on Earth-33 anymore, and that I have magic now."

"Mhm." Urania nodded firmly.

"I should have recognised the illusion I created, but I didn't because I wanted the fantasy so badly."

Urania held my hands in hers. "I know why you fell into the design of your subconscious, sweetheart. You are a lonely woman, and yes, most fault lays with your foster parents and some with your adoptive parents for not guiding you or talking to you about the how and why of relationships so you could at least use that knowledge to better your life. This was true during your life as a demigoddess, too. This dilemma of loneliness is also in part your fault, in this life. You understand the rules of monogamy, and the reasons for those rules, but when presented with online dating, you broke the rules of trust and exclusivity. You have not dated since August of last year, though that was two boyfriends later."

"Yeah." I exhaled. "Yeah. I keep making myself fictional love interests, but it never has, and never will, fill the hole I made."

"Precisely. Tell me, how did it actually feel to have intercourse with your Animus, in that form? What did your narration not describe?"

"I felt the strange, heightened sensation of having sex in a dream, but it went on for too long. That's when I remembered I don't have any real experience to base the scenario on. My depression broke me out of it, and, uh, I think that's fortunate."

"Yes, you are fortunate that your consciousness remembered its truth, albeit heavy on your emotions and health." I nodded, looking down. Urania sighed and lifted my chin with her left hand. "Ulia, I know you were only trying to please yourself and not have to ask for help. You have always had a hard time asking for help, even as a demigoddess. But this is something you should ask for help with. You are very lucky that your Animus has a tether of five kilometres (3 miles) to your physical location so that this short-sighted decision could not take you into the city, where all of the world would have beared witness to your debauchery and the natural horrors that the solar fire and gravitational vaccum sealed in your eyes that you were gifted to use for creation by your father can bring. Ask for help, next time. And not just when you need to be touched."

"Yes, Mother." I said, meekly. "I will ask for help, next time."

"Thank you. And I better see it! I do not want to see you put yourself in any more compromising situations, situations that will make the people who are supposed to trust you doubt your intentions, who you want to use your powers for, why you want to use magic, and I know this is especially important to you right now, why you are worthy of being Batgirl, if part of the Batfamily at all." I frowned as Urania said the last clause of her argument.

"You're right." I said, defeated but not broken. "I won't do this again."

"Thank you, Faith. Thank you." The second time, softly. Urania inhaled, stood up by pushing on her knees, and offered her left hand. I lifted my cheeks in a smile, and accepted the help to stand. "Let's get you back inside." We walked into the forest, where the grass became snow.

"Thank you for coming to help, Mother."

"It was my pleasure, Ulia." Urania wrapped her left arm around my right, and leaned close to whisper into my right ear, "When you do have sex with a penis, your IUD, Kyleena, won't do anything because of your reawakened spirit." I groaned into a laugh, smiling. Urania laughed in the way a mother who knows she's won would. "I love you." She said, melodically.

"I love you too, Mother." I said, kindly, and leaned into Urania, smiling with my cheeks and eyes. Urania hummed, pleased, and moved her weight away from me.

"Is all well, Batman?" Urania said, looking to her right. I inhaled and looked that way, and saw Batman emerge from the snowy trees.

"Yes. The only thing affected was the clearing, and those trees."

"Good. Her flu has been conquered, so I expect you will give her a meal and proceed with training?"

"Yes."

"Good. If she does anything like this again, but in the city, and you for whatever reason do not want to ask for Zatanna's assistance, or are unable to have her aid, please summon me with the Celestial Globe that I gifted you."

"I will, Urania. Thank you."

"Thank you, as well. For your patience, this morning, certainly." Urania said. Batman hummed. We reached the front yard. "All right, daughter. I will leave you, now. Until next time. Please try to behave yourself."

"Yes, Mother." I said, blushing bright red. "Thank you, Mother." Urania sighed with content. A smile came to her face, and she hugged me. I returned the hug, and several seconds later, Urania separated her body from mine.

"I will be on my way." Urania left for the sky the same way she appeared.

"Come on, Faith." Batman said, and walked with me inside the mansion.

"You're friggin' crazy, girl!" Said a feminine voice from upstairs. I looked, and there was—

"Stephanie!" I called out, beaming. Stephanie was not in costume, and leaned against the centre railing of the great hall stairs.

"Hi, crazy!" Stephanie replied. I laughed. "So like, you pretended to fuck your male-self, and you went out in the cold snow naked?"

"Yeah. I mean, I was sleeping naked, so."

"Faith!" Stephanie parkoured over the railing, and came towards me and Batman. "Faith, Faith, Fa-hey-haith." She put her hands on my shoulders with a smug grin. "You're crazy." I laughed. "And I will eat you out, tonight."

"Stephanie." Said Batman.

"Shut it, Bruce. Let's get you not naked, some food in your stomach, and then we'll get you to the Belfry."

"Oh-kay." I said, in my silly-time-at-work voice.

"OK?" Stephanie tilted her head forward, eyebrows raised.

"Yes, OK." I said, normally, with a light laugh.

"OK!" Stephanie linked her right arm with my left, and tried to skip, finding immediate resistance. "La—! Hey, why—?"

"I can't skip, either."

"Oh, right! Physical disability! You can't do shit, right now! I'm sorry."

"It's OK." I said, laughing. "We'll just walk, briskly, like the gays do."

"YES!" Stephanie and I began to walk at a fast pace. "Yes, we will walk briskly, like the gays do!"

"Woo hoo!"

"WOO!" Stephanie and I laughed. I heard a little something from Batman.

—

Faith and Stephanie entered the guest bedroom, and Faith searched in her dufflebag for something to wear. She chose black leggings and a full-length sleeved olive green shirt, vivid blue boxer briefs, a light blue sports bra, and black socks. Stephanie looked at the contents of the bag without touching anything. "Hm, you like earthy and jewel tones, eh?" Faith had brought a short-sleeved olive green shirt, a burgundy tank top, a dark blue shirt with a large rose pattern, two purple shirts, one full-sleeved and the other a T-shirt, and a brown tank top. She had brought two other pairs of black leggings, two pairs of black shorts, a grey pair of shorts, a pair of dark grey jogging pants, and a brown skirt that caught Stephanie's eye. Faith had brought two weeks' worth of black or dark coloured boxer briefs and a handful of loose-fitting bikini briefs, also black or dark coloured, black and grey socks, a pink sports bra and a purple sports bra that were the same style as the one Faith had picked to wear, and a grey sports bra with spaghetti straps and two darker shades of grey and black making a pattern of small lines.

"Yeah." Faith said, putting on the undergarments she picked. "Check out that brown skirt with the brown tank top, that's my favourite outfit."

"Yeah, I was looking at the skirt, lemme get a better look at it." Said Stephanie. She produced the item, letting it unfurl. "Ooh! That is so cuuuute!"

"Right? Thrift store find, along with the top I pair with it."

Stephanie pulled out the top, and gasped, seeing the dark olive green crochet work on its front. "Oh, that's so cute! I bet you look fabulous in it, with the skirt."

"Oh yeah!" Faith said, putting on the shirt she had chosen. "They look so good together that I get asked if it's a dress, and then I pull on the top of the skirt to show it's a skirt."

"Oh yeah." Stephanie said. Faith pulled on the leggings. "All good?"

"Uh, lemme brush my hair and wash my face."

"Sure, baby." Faith's cheeks reddened as they rose to smile, and Stephanie smiled in acknowledgement. 'I don't think she's ever been flirted with by a girl. This must be really special to her. Don't fuck this up, Steph!' Faith picked up the black vented hairbrush in her bag, strode to the bathroom, and went to work. "You're being so rough to your hair!"

"Yeah, well, if the curls win, it's a rat's nest, except for some parts in the back and front that stay curly."

"Mind if I help?"

"Sure!" Faith said, extending her right arm backwards. Stephanie entered the bathroom and accepted the brush. "I haven't had someone else brush my hair in a long time, that would feel nice."

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" Stephanie said, beginning to gently work the brush through Faith's hair.

"I'm getting it dyed, on Thursday."

Stephanie gasped. "Ooh, what colour?"

"Red."

"Ooh, that'll look nice! Are you just getting it on what's grown out for a bit of an ombre look, or are you getting it all bleached and dyed, or just some streaks that'll get done?"

"What's grown out, plus a bunch of streaks."

"Nice!"

"Yeah. It'll be bright, but when I do it again, it'll be burgundy."

"Oh, that's going to look amazing on you."

"Mhm." Faith nodded, humming and smiling with her cheeks.

"You should let Bruce know, so he can make your costume match!"

"Oh, I will."

"Good." Stephanie continued brushing Faith's hair for another minute, then dangled the brush over Faith's right shoulder.

"Oh, you can put it back in my bag, if you want."

"Sure." Stephanie exited the bathroom, and Faith opened the cupboard under the sink. She found a white face cloth, and ran it under hot water as Stephanie returned. "You don't use soap, or anything?"

"Eh, I use a face-cleaning wipe in the evening, if I feel gross or put on makeup for once, but this is usually enough to wake me up." Faith wrung out the cloth and applied it to her face.

Stephanie laughed. "You're not already?"

"Sorry, should've said "clean my eyes". I get eye mucus pretty bad."

"Oh yeah. So you don't sleep well?"

"No. Even with my meds, it takes about three hours if I'm on my phone, which I usually am, just to watch a YouTube video." Faith folded the cloth, and set it on the edge of the sink. She walked out of the bathroom with Stephanie, towards the door to the hallway. "It takes two, or less, like, sometimes I'm asleep in the first half hour, if I'm really tired and just need background ambiance."

"What do you like to watch to help you sleep?" Stephanie asked, as Faith opened the door, the pair leaving the bedroom. Stephanie closed the door, and the girls went downstairs.

"People playing or talking about video games, horror analysis videos, be it about a movie, game or what have you, and now and then I'll watch something funny. I usually gravitate towards whatever SMOSH uploads I've missed."

"Oh yeah. You like their modern stuff?"

"I like their modern cast, yeah." The two crossed the open part of the hallway, passing the great hall stairs and nearing the reception room. "I think they're funny, and they seem friendly enough. Sometimes I watch a MARVEL movie on Disney+, or an episode of Young Justice, Justice League or Justice League: Unlmited on my TELETOON+ subscription through Amazon Prime."

The girls rounded the corner, to the right, walking through the servery to a narrow hallway, and taking the first door on the left to the kitchen. "Have you watched the Netflix Gotham show yet?"

"I watched two seasons, I think? I forget where I left off. I thought it was really good." Faith opened the door to the kitchen, Stephanie following and closing it.

"It was! Whatchu in the mood for?" They stood near the island.

"Good question, my stomach doesn't like eggs, but it does like hashbrowns and meat."

"How do you usually cook your eggs?"

"Uh, well-cooked? The yolk is hard. I flip it over to cook it."

"That's over-hard. Have you tried scrambled?"

"That's sort of how I make an omlette? It doesn't make a difference."

"Maybe your tummy just doesn't like eggs."

"Yeah, it doesn't like lactose or gluten, either."

"Well, that's a bummer."

"Gluten is more of just a pasta thing though. I feel bloated, and if it's not cooked all the way and I don't eat carefully, it gets stuck in my eusophagus and I have to puke so I can breathe again."

"Aw! Why do you eat like that, then?"

"'Cause I'm usually trying to get back to writing, or solely watching whatever I was watching."

"Ohhh, OK."

"Also yes, gluten and sugar are why I'm overweight."

Stephanie clicked her tongue. "Hey. Your weight is just fine, Faith."

"I mean, I guess it is, but my joints and feet don't like it. I can stand for even less time because of my weight."

"Hm. And I guess you don't work out because of your disability."

"Yep, that's the thing."

"Aw, that sucks. Well, we'll take it slowly with you, and we'll get you into a shape that works for you!"

Faith lifted her cheeks to smile. "Thanks."

"So, no egg?"

"Well, I do need the iron."

"Meat has iron."

"Honestly, with my anxiety today, anything I eat this morning might not stick with me."

"Ah, that's why your stomach doesn't like eggs, or breakfast, I'm guessing, in a more broad term."

"Yeah." Faith nodded.

"Well, you should still eat." Faith nodded more. "How about I do the cooking, and you do the dishes?"

"Sure!"

"OK, have a seat at the island." Stephanie said, walking to the fridge as Faith rounded the corner of the island.

"Yeah, no."

"'No', what?" Stephanie placed ingredients from the fridge on the counter.

"I can't sit here." Faith sounded stressed. "They're too tall, and they don't have backs. My back'll get sore, and I'll have anxiety from sitting high up."

"You know we're gonna work on that, right?"

"I know."

"Oh, who am I kidding? There's a little table set, over in the corner, baby." Stephanie obtained a frying pan from the cabinets.

"Oh yeah, I saw." Faith went and sat at the table.

Stephanie laughed, turning on the burner. "Why didn't you just go there instead of stopping to have a panic attack about the stools?"

"Because I always make things difficult for myself."

"I think you told me that before." Stephanie opened the butter plate and cut into the butter with a spatula, plopping it on the pan.

"Oh, probably. If not, you figure it out pretty fast, from knowing me."

"Yep." Stephanie turned and leaned her back on the counter as the burner heated up.

"Haven't watched Titans, and I think I'll keep holding off on that."

"Yeah." Stephanie and I laughed. "Do you have a favourite Batman or DC movie?"

"Ooh, honestly? I thought Matt Reeves' The Batman nailed what it was going for. It was nice to see Robert Pattinson have a role that he was good at, well, at least I think he was good at." Stephanie turned to move the melting butter on the pan. "Sure, you could argue he's missing the massive build that Batman has, but he got the eye expression and mannerisms pretty spot-on, and they actually wrote Batman to care for people, that time. I'm looking forward to the next one."

"Nice." Stephanie cracked two eggs on the edge of the pan, and opened their contents onto the butter, tossing the egg shells into a green plastic bin beside a wood panelled bin under the island.

"I haven't watched any other DC film besides the first Aquaman movie with Jason Momoa."

"Oh, OK." Stephanie stabbed one of the yolks, and reached into a cupboard for seasonings. "What seasonings do you like?"

"Garlic, and a little bit of seasoning salt."

"OK!"

"It wasn't bad, honestly. Yes, seeing a whore with no common sense made me wanna eat her intestines every time she was on screen,"

"Pffft, oh my God, Faith! Savage!" Stephanie was placing bacon on the pan.

"Oh, bacon?"

"Yeah, you don't like it?"

"I'm picky with it. Do you have something else? Like Canadian bacon, or sausages?"

"I think I saw sausages in there, yeah." Stephanie sealed the Ziploc bag that held the package of bacon, and went into the fridge. "Yep! How many do you want?"

"Two, please!"

"And how much hashbrown?"

"Oh, it's the cut up kind?"

"Yep. Is that OK?"

"Yeah! I usually buy the patties. Um, but go with about a quarter of a cup."

"Sure, baby." Faith exhaled happily, Stephanie watching her happy expression and smiling back before focusing on opening the Ziploc bag containing the package of sausages and placing two on the pan.

"But she could have been a worse actress. She did the minimum, but I know sure as fucking shit that Mera deserved better."

"That's for sure." Stephanie leaned her back against the counter, glancing at the pan.

"I think a new star with the same beauty and a lot more talent would've made all the difference."

"Oh, absolutely."

"But other than that, it was not a waste of my time. It scratched the itch I had of a decent underwater fantasy adventure, but the itch was still there."

"Ooh, nice way of putting it."

"I hear Lost Kingdom was a mess, and I don't wanna waste my time when I could read something on Tumblr or AO3 that would be so much better."

Stephanie laughed, and turned to flip the eggs and meat. "Do you mostly reblog DC and MARVEL stuff?"

"Mostly DC, and now and then a smut fic with the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or 2023's Mortal Combat 1 men."

"Pffft!"

"I have a type, but I also don't. It depends on what the horny needs." I laughed.

Stephanie removed the food sealing clip from the bag of hashbrowns and shook its opening over the pan. "Sorry, but I'm eyeballing this."

"Oh no, that's fine, I do that too."

"I couldn't see what you were doing, after your shadow-spider-demon disappeared and there was a beam that came down from a cluster of really pretty stars," Stephanie turned to Faith as she replaced the clip on the bag. "Which, hey, um, why did it have tentacles?"

"Because I wanted tentacles. My Animus is a shapeshifting Neo Spirit."

"Right, OK." Stephanie put away everything into the fridge. "Are you still a virgin, though?"

"Yeah, it was just an illusion."

"Ah."

"You know how, when you hump something, for me it's my bed or maternity pillow,"

Stephanie choked on air. "Yeah."

"Your body like, really gets into the fantasy?"

"Mhm."

"It was like that, but it was me and the ground."

"Ah, OK. How did you not wake up while crawling out of the window à la Kayako into the cold snow when the sun was just barely rising and then scampering off I think almost 1000 feet away to then hump and not only melt the snowy ground, but burn it along with a bunch of trees?"

Faith laughed with Stephanie. "Expert-level Dreamer mages, really meaning you have the skills equivalent to twenty years of training, are able to be so entranced by their own spells that they won't wake up without outside interference. But, like with sleep-walking, you must only wake a Dreamer if they're about to harm themselves, another living being, or a residential building, or have already done so. The best way to do this is with your voice and gentle physical contact, though the latter may not be effective or safe for the interrupter, and the former may not be effective with a normal voice. This is one of the reasons that Dragon Kin who can use the Thu'um and merfolk who can use the Mother Chords are so useful in Thalassic Space."

"Ooh, so someone like you, or a mermaid?"

"Dragon Kin include Dragon Form, Dragon Skin and Dragon Born people. Each are self-explanatory. Merfolk are, too, but some are born directly from Mother Mermaid and are called Mother-Born, and some Dragon Kin are direct offspring from Father Dragon and are, of course, called Father-Born. I'm not either of them."

"Oh, OK. I was gonna ask, 'cause that sounds cool!" Stephanie turned off the burner, reached up into a cupboard for plates and down into a drawer for cutlery, and filled the plates with food. "Do you want juice, milk, no, sorry, no milk for you," Faith laughed. Stephanie chortled. "Or just water?"

"What kind of juice is there?"

"Uh, let's see." Stephanie looked in the fridge. "Orange, apple, and peach mango."

"Orange."

"Same." Stephanie grabbed the jug and placed it on the counter. "Do you want a big glass or a little one?"

"Eh, a little one." Stephanie located a tall glass and a short glass from the cupboards, and filled them, then put the juice back. She brought the plates over, a fork on each plate, then the glasses of juice, Faith saying 'thank you' each time. "Wow, you've got really good table manners."

"For that part." Faith said, cutting the burnt pieces of egg away with her fork as Stephanie sat in a chair across from her. "Everything else I take after my dad, R-I-P."

"Pfft." Stephanie cut into her egg, and ate it. "So you eat like a redneck?"

"I eat like I'm in a hurry, again because I've got things to do,"

"Mhm."

"And because of my little arms and how I can move my wrists," Faith put down her fork and touched the area of her forearm above her wrists on the underside of her arms with the pinkie and ring finger of both hands. Stephanie's jaw opened. "I sometimes make messes when moving things. Even at work, that's how I drop stuff. Plus, having small hands." Faith cut into her egg, this time to eat it.

"I see." Stephanie chuckled, eating more egg. "What does that feel like?"

"It feels like I'm pulling on a muscle. My wrists are little sore, now, but it's not bad." Faith shook out her hands, and massaged the underside of her forearms.

"Are you flexible elsewhere?" Faith scooted back her chair, held her left foot with her right hand, and held it up to her head, her back barely having shifted. "Damn! Not bad."

"Yeah, my leg ain't straight, but it can go there."

"Nice. So really, the only issues here are your hypotonia, scoliosis, and your weight."

"No, my deformed feet, too."

"Right. I saw, when you were walking around naked. It looks painful."

"Only when I walk for too long, or I bump it against something."

"Right, I think you said that in the group chat." The two were silent, for about ten seconds. "Oh, how does your Fairy Persona work? 'Cause your Mermaid Persona works with your magic pearl, right?"

"Yep! Do you remember her name?" Faith drank some juice, then began eating her sausages.

Stephanie paused, chewing bacon. "I don't think you said that, in the group chat."

"Oh yeah. It's Ønske. And my Fairy Persona is named Solas."

"Ønske. What's that mean?"

"Desire."

"Ooh. Does they have their own stories, like your Dragon Persona?"

"Solas was earned by my demigoddess self after she saved some people for Danu, the Celtic Fairy Queen. Sunrise coloured wings until a new moon, then black and sparkly.”

Stephanie hummed with a mouth full of food, and swallowed to talk. “Cool!”

“And Ønske’s story is Anastasia, but in Thalassic Space."

Stephanie gasped. "I love that movie!"

"Honestly, who doesn't? Losers, that's who."

"Real."

"People who don't like musicals."

"True."

"And probably some guy named Daren."

"Ha! Some guy named Daren, ha ha!"

"No offense to my uncle Daren, he's a nice guy, I'm talking about the neckbeard Daren."

"Mhm."

Faith rested her fork, still in her hand, on the plate, just before she move onto the hashbrowns. She looked into Stephanie's eyes, making the other pause. "Do you want me to try and tell Ønske’s story, or is that enough for now?" Faith released her fork, and drank juice.

"Yes! Yes, I want to know the story, hee hee hee." More of a cackle than a giggle. Stephanie stabbed some hashbrowns and ate them. Faith giggled at Stephanie's cackle. "Ønske was born on planet Bafsina, meaning 'basin' in Neofom." She began to eat hashbrowns, too.

"What's that?"

"Oh, I think I only told this to Bruce, so I'll say it again. Man, I hope the others read the lore from TSRPG so I won't have to say this a third time. You know the rule for repeating exposition, in stories, right?"

"Yep! Three times is the max, unless you want your readers to get annoyed and bored."

"Unless it's for comedic affect."

"True."

"Neofom is the language of Neo Spirits, who are the opposite of Nero Spirits, who speak Nerobzal, and originate from the Suspensions of a person's Soul Bridge, while Nero Spirits are from the Underside. They represent self-love, dreams, and good memories, and again, Nero Spirits are the opposite."

"And you said your Animus is a Neo Spirit?"

"Yes. My Shadow would be a Nero Spirit. My Ego, which is just me, is the Canon Spirit."

"Oh, so the Map of the Soul is part of the lore, too?"

"Yeah, it helps to explain what everything is in terms that people would be more familar with."

"Who are 'people'?"

"The future readers of my novels."

"Ohhhh, oh, of course, sorry."

"It's fine." Faith chuckled. "Oh, I should say, though, since Bruce is definitely listening right now,"

"Yep."

"Argophael was speaking Nerobzal."

"He was?"

"Yes, but in character, because we were role-playing."

"Oh, OK. So Neo and Nero Spirits know each other's languages."

"Yes, and there's a petty rivalry over which is more natural for the Soul Bridge born Spirits of Thalassic Space to speak. As a reminder, and please repeat this to everyone, when anyone is doubting if I'm doing this to torment people, or if the Spirits are actually in control: the characters of Thalassic Space, meaning those named in the novel, are all Actors of the Rondo Theatre, and some come from the other eight Theatres that are run by the other muse children. All of us are friends and colleagues, and most of us are dead, in a coma, or are lucid dreaming. The only person, right now, who could potentially ruin the Theatres and their Actors is Ra's."

"Right. I'll remember that, Faith, thanks." Faith nodded. "Can you run me through the alphabet of each language, if that's not too complicated?"

"Sure! It's just a letter substitution language. Each has twenty-six letters, like the English alphabet. Rule number one: when writing and speaking either language, if you would repeat a translated letter, you do not write or speak the second letter, and put an apostrophe in the place of the second, and speak a light exhale, like," Faith vocalised a short exhale through her mouth. "Which you would right out as h, if you were to substitute the apostrophe for a letter." Stephanie mimicked the exhale. "Yes, just like that."

"Cool!"

"Rule number two: when reading or speaking either language, keep the tone of the word in English while merging the pronunciation of the translated letter, unless it conflicts with the tone of the syllable in the translated language. For example, mommy and daddy in Neofom is mam-ot-mam'-yab af-nad dafd-dyab. Note how the translated words now have more syllables, as we are wanting to speak each translated letter, secondly, that the expected e sound associated with the letter y becomes the translated letter entirely, which is common but not always applicable, hence why we keep in mind the tone of the word in English to guide how we speak a translated word, and third, that the accent and pace becomes breathy, slowed, and romantic, in the case of Neofom, or intimidating, in the case of Nerobzal. This is also meant to evoke memories of the bonds between Neofom and Neo Spirits, and Neofom when used in Elevifeb spells, as it is with Nerobzal and Nero Spirits, and Nerobzal when used in Eledisfeb spells.”

"I think you lost me, there."

"Oh, that's fine. It's in the planning document. I think the only people in the group that this will be interesting to are Bruce and Tim."

"Yeah." Stephanie laughed with Faith.

"So, for Neofom: af, spelled a-f, in reference to the word after, b, c, d, e, ph (fuh), spelled p-h, pronounced like the Vietnamese pho, again referencing the word after," Stephanie hummed. "G, ho, 'cause Santa, and yes, spelled h-o," Stephanie giggled. "K, la, chosen because it's a melodic word, ma, associated with motherhood, na, sounds like the babble of a baby, ot (oht), spelled o-t, and you say the o like a Skyrim Nord, not aught,"

Stephanie giggled more. "Not aught, OK."

"And chosen because the English word it sounds like, oat, of course, is associated with deities of agriculture, p, q, r, si (sigh), not see, because when you first come to the North Pole, you will sigh in relief that you are literally in the safest place in the galaxy,"

Stephanie hummed. "Wow, two Santa Claus references."

Faith giggled. "I dunno if I told you this, or Bruce, or none of you, but Santa is one of the eldest three Astral and Ebony Giant Elves, specifically an Astral Giant Elf. Do you know who Nerobzal is?"

"Yeah, he's the big bad of Thalassic Space, right?"

"Yes. Do you remember what his angel name was?"

"Uh. Uh."

"I'll take that as a no. It was Erophael, like ey-ro."

"Erophael. And your Animus is Argophael."

"Yes. Do you know what Argo was, in Greek Mythology?"

"Uh. No." Stephanie heaved a laugh. "I'm so sorry!" She swallowed the last of her hashbrowns, and drank more juice.

"Oh, it's fine. It was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Part of the main novel is supposed to be an analogy of that because Thalaassic Space has pirates, and the captain who sails some of the main characters from Canada to England has a similar life story." Faith finished her meal. "Her deadname was Jason." Faith chuckled.

Stephanie laughed. "Oh, OK. Cool! Are there lots of trans and gender-queer people in your stories?"

Faith nodded. "Oh yeah, lots of 'em."

"Is ero Greek, too?"

"It has multiple meanings. In Creek, it means squirrel. In Esperanto, it means 'a bit, a single element, piece or component of a large mass or collection'. And in Finnish, it means 'difference, distinction,' is an ellipsis of avioero, meaning 'divorce', and also 'resignation, discharge, dismissal, separation, parting, and rid'. All relevant to who Erophael was, and became as Nerobzal."

"Huh. Wow, that's really well-thought out."

"Honestly, I typed out something that sounded like Argophael, and then I discovered it meant all those things, so I've kept it."

"Is that how you come up with everything?"

"Yep!"

Stephanie went limp in her chair, jaw open. Faith laughed. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, most of the lore is me picking up a random thing from either Norse, Greek or Egyptian mythology, and rarely Buddhism and ancient Chinese mythology, even though Vishnu and the Four Symbols are most powerful, I don't actually have much fleshed out for them. I see if it fits, and try again if it doesn't. I usually get it right on the first or second try. And I connect things as I go, taking inspiration from my actual dreams and from all the media that I like, all so that people can both find familiar things and new things when they discover Thalassic Space."

"That is brilliant and so fucking cool, Faith!"

"Thank you! Uh, where was I? Oh! ut (ooht), like in root, v, wa (wah), like the baby from the "Look at the little baby" asdfmovie,"

"Wah!" Stephanie giggled.

"Wah!" Faith giggled. "X, yl (yihl), z."

"Mm, no footnotes for yl? Also, I wanna see all this written out, so I can see it in my mind."

"Yeah, nothing to note about yl. Also, uh, sure, I didn't bring my phone with me, though."

"I did! Here, lemme give you my Notes app." Stephanie produced her phone, unlocked and interacted with it, and offered it to Faith.

"Thank you."

"Mhm!" Faith typed on the phone. She set it down on the table.

"Ohhh, OK, I see. You even typed out the other language, and labelled them for me."

"As you can see, for Nerobzal: az (ahz), which doesn't have lore relevance but is supposed to sound like Black Speech from The Lord of the Rings,"

"Hell yeah!"

"Bz, which is literally part of the word-slash-name Nerobzal, c, d, e, phz, the sound of insect demons, collectively called The Hive, and is where lots of the rape porn comes from,"

"Eugh."

"Yeah, as a monster fucker, I actually fear infestation. The phallic parts I'm OK with, but they're always too big, and then there's the whole nesting part, and I just," Faith shuddered with her whole upper body. "Nope. No thank you. Sex is not supposed to be painful or life-endangering, much less non-consensual."

"Damn right."

"Next is g, hz, again, insect noise, k, lab, mam, nan, all three are Black Speech inspired, oz, which, if you say awz instead of ohz, fuck you," Faith said, casually. Stephanie guffawed. "P, q, r, sr (sir), which is relevant lore-wise because sometimes Nero Spirits call the Four Princes of Hell Sir or Sire instead of Master or Prince, t, uz (ooze), which evokes images of plague, relevant because of the undead of Nerobzal's army, also insect demons again, because ew," Stephanie made a vomiting noise. "V, wz (whz), meant to remind of the wicked voice of the Domain of Platonia, somewhere between a whisper and a rumble, x, yab, Black Speech inspired again, and z."

"Wow! That's cool! Thanks for the big, fun lesson, he he."

"You're welcome! You now know a little more about the chaos in my brain, yippee!" Faith mimicked the meme.

"Yippee!" Stephanie echoed. The girls giggled.

"And, uh… oh. Oh, we got here because you wanted to know the story of my Mermaid Persona, and then I was also gonna tell you Solas' story."

"Oh yeah, right." Stephanie laughed, Faith joining.

"You can do that later." Bruce said, stepping into the room. "You wasted almost ten extra minutes, just talking about lore, and we have to get to the Belfry."

"Whoops!" Faith said. She moved her eyes to Stephanie. "Later."

"Yes, later. Let's go." The girls put the dishes in the sink, Stephanie running water over them, then they exited the mansion with Bruce. Faith stared, mouth wide open, as the three walked to the black 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre.

"Have you ever been in a car like this?" Bruce asked, a little smile on his face.

"You mean one that probably costs at least half a million?" Faith replied.

"Yes, actually, it was over half a mil'."

"No, never."

"Hm, well. Do you want to ride in the front?"

"Yes, please." Faith said. Stephanie giggled, and entered the right back door as Bruce and Faith entered the driver and passenger doors.

The Spectre slowed as it rolled into the Belfry and came to a stop and its ignition was killed. Stephanie quickly left the vehicle and opened the passenger door while Bruce exited at a normal pace and walked ahead. Faith's laughter echoed in the garage as Stephanie helped her out. Faith stumbled, and Stephanie, already holding her arm, snapped her other hand to support Faith's back.

"Is she OK?" Dick chuckled, as Bruce stopped at the computer screens, where Dick, Barbara and Tim had gathered, Barbara giggling along.

"Oh, just ask her." Bruce said. Stephanie guided Faith for a few strides, then released Faith. She was still laughing as the girls came to the others.

"YOU GUYS GO THAT FAST ALL THE TIME?!" Faith said, laughing. The others laughed. "I mean, I guess you do, with all the stuff you do on the rooftops, but holy unsprayed cat in a crate," More laughter from the others. "That was insane, and really fun!"

"We were running late because Faith decided to yap about the languages of Thalassic Space, and almost was going to yap about the stories of her Fairy and Mermaid Personas, which is what she was originally going to yap about." Bruce said.

"I'm still kinda confused on the rules, but Faith just confirmed to me how friggin' cool and smart she is." Stephanie laughed.

"Thanks." Faith giggled.

Tim said, "Yeah, I read, like, everything in your planning document, and you were super thorough with every possible detail, but all of it was easy to understand. Well, at least to people who can see the whole picture as you describe every last detail."

"Thank you! Yeah, big brains are who Thalassic Space was made for."

"Oh, it shows."

"I bet the rules of the languages made sense to you immediately."

"Oh yeah, that was easy to understand. And I mean that as a compliment." Tim said. Faith nodded.

Dick said, "You ready to start, Faith?" Faith nodded more. "Awesome." He gestured with a hand for Faith to follow him and Barbara to a more open part of the room. "First things first: stretching."

"She's actually kind of flexible!" Stephanie said. "She can touch her head with her foot, if she holds it."

"Oh?" Dick said, eyes returning to Faith.

"Not standing up, yet." Faith laughed. Barbara chuckled.

"Well, that'll make things a little easier, even if you can't do it while standing, yet. Still, this is day one, so we're just going to see what you can and cannot do, and do some exercises together. If you feel like it, we'll show you a few moves. We'll get to making you stronger and faster as the days roll on, 'kay?"

"OK!" Said Faith.

Faith dropped onto the couch on the upper level of the Belfry with a cold, wet rag on her forehead, wiping it around her face and neck, the pits and neckline of her shirt wet with perspiration, her chest heaving but slowing down. Barbara sat beside her, and Dick beside Barbara, Stephanie taking a seat on the arm of the couch to the right of Faith, Tim and Bruce standing in front of the couch. The sun was beginning to dim. Bruce handed Faith a bottle of water. "Thank you." Faith said.

"You're welcome."

"You still feeling OK, hon?" Said Barbara.

Faith nodded. "Yeah. Still feels better, but also super strained."

Dick said, "You only fell from your knees popping five times."

"That's a lot for one day, much less a week."

"And hey, we caught you, the other eight times." Tim said. "And! No knee dislocations!"

"Woo hoo!" Faith raised her stiff, tired arms in celebration, only able to reach her forehead. "Ow."

"Woo hoo!" Tim raised his arms at the elbow. The group laughed.

"Like we said," Said Dick. "At some point, you should be able to carry on, despite whatever your body does. Even if that's to safety." Faith nodded. "But you did good, today! Really good!"

"Yeah!" Said Tim.

"You sure did, Faith." Barbara said.

"Yeah, that was kind of impressive, your legs obviously aren't weak right now, you've just got a situation." Stephanie said.

"If you keep this up, it shouldn't be long before you'll able to go out with us." Said Bruce. Faith smiled with her cheeks. "How's that sound?"

"Sounds great! Thanks, everyone."

"You're welcome."

"You're very welcome!" Said Dick.

"We're here for you, hon." Barbara said.

"Heck yeah!" Said Tim.

"Always, baby." Stephanie said.

"'Baby'?" Repeated Tim, with a chuckle.

"What? I told you I'd pick her up, if she wanted." Stephanie said. Faith giggled.

"Yeah, you did." Tim, Dick, Barbara and Faith laughed.

"I brought your bag in the car, Faith." Said Bruce. "I thought you might want to stay here, so we don't have to bring you back and forth."

"Oh, perfect. Thanks, Bruce." Bruce hummed.

"I'll get it out for you and bring it up here, and then I think I'll head out."

"Thank you." Bruce nodded, then walked to the stairs to the lower level.

"All right, who's hungry?"

"C'est moi." Faith said, with a scoffed 'moi'. The group laughed.

"All right, you and me, Steph, let's get dinner out of the oven, and make a salad."

"OK!" Stephanie slid off the arm of the couch, and went with Tim.

"Shower time, miss Faith?" Barbara said, making eye contact.

"Yes, pliz." Barbara giggled, then rose to her feet, offering her hands to Faith. Faith accepted the help, and the two walked to one of the doors upstairs. Dick watched. Watched.

Hummed to himself. 'Babs has a perfectly formed ass, but Faith has a lot of ass. So much that it's part of her thighs, and mm, her thighs! Barbara's thighs are so, soooo good, don't get me wrong. And I'm not trying to say I'm going to jump into Faith-alley just for a taste, a feel. But I would. I totally would, if I wasn't trying to be loyal to Babs, for once, aaaand if she wouldn't beat the crap outta me.'

Bruce had ascended the Belfry and knocked on the bathroom door, giving Faith's dufflebag to Barbara, who closed the door afterwards, Bruce leaving for the stairs and his car.

'Barbara's got nice boobs, though.' Dick almost whistled, releasing the breath as an exhale instead. 'Hoo, that was close! Bab's got an even bigger personality, though, and a big mind and heart. I know her. She's just a beautiful, gorgeous woman.'

'Faith had a reduction for a very valid reason. I'm not saying I wish she hadn't had work done. I am curious to look at what she looks like, though. They bounce just as well as any other boobs do. She kept frowning at her legs and stomach, and Faith said she feels so bulky and bloated.'

'Babs told her that was OK, that it's a normal thing to feel that even she and Steph feel. It's a womanly experience, to do something and feel your body do something you don't like. Hell, even men feel that way, but in different places and with different thoughts behind the 'ick'. And Faith looked at her arms, and told us that she hated them 'cause it was taking more effort to connect hits with them. She has to lean and lunge for it to work, and right now, it's arguably her hardest task, aside from re-learning how to run and jump. But she'll get there. We all know that time is key, here. She's got a good attitude about it all, aside from that. She sure likes to make jokes.'

'Tim, Babs and I talked before Bruce, Steph and Faith got here. I'm sure Steph has realised this, too. I don't even need to think if Bruce has, I just know he has. But the reason Faith does it so frequently has to be her way to cope with anxiety. Her experience as a child who was told to stay in her room and be quiet, sometimes without toys or even permission to read or write. She had to sit and think until her mom came in, or called her out, and…' Dick sighed. 'All of us know what isolation like that is like.'

'I'm not saying we should steer her in the direction of using comedy less often, no, that's a part of her that we all enjoy, and she's not bad at comedy, either! She makes herself laugh because silence reminds her of that isolation, and she wants to make others laugh to try and make friends. It's not a stretch to think that's why she became a stortyteller, too. Friends; that's something we all know, including Faith, that she desperately needs. I think our strategy of not just going along with her jokes but guiding her back towards the relevant topic has been working out. And, while Faith was in the bathroom earlier, Bruce said that in a casual conversation where she isn't using laughter she might say something really out of nowhere that might hurt our feelings, and respond to that being called out with anger. I don't think so. Neither does Tim, Barbara or Stephanie.'

'Tim and I think she would freeze up and be unable to even apologise, but her face will say everything, and Babs thinks the frozen state will have a break, but her face will stay the same, except for her eyes, and she'll say 'sorry' then. Stephanie said Babs had taken the words right outta her mouth. That made sense to Tim, Bruce and I, too. Bruce told us what she did, around 5 AM. Hoo, wanna talk about someone who needs Zatanna as a tutor! And I mean that respectfully. She has Sagittarius A, a black hole for her left eye, and the O-type star from her now non-fictional galaxy for her right eye, if she uses, I think, her demigoddess powers! That's just wicked cool!'

'Sure, she burned some of the forest near the mansion, but as a creation dragon, she could have reversed the damage, right? And we haven't even seen her use the black hole, yet! All of us agree that, if Faith can be taught to control when and how much she uses her magic, and gets her strength back plus whatever else we can give her, she'll be golden! And that's really, really exciting. All of this is probably on her mind too. She'll be counting on us to remind her of it, until she won't need it, or at least as often.'

'Let's be honest, it'll be the latter. And that's OK. We all know that the past isn't something you can just leave behind. We carry it in different ways. Faith carries it in her heart, and is trusting enough to share it with others, as is in great need of doing so. She's a wonderful fit into the team.'

Dick sighed, Ra's face and retellings of his actions flashing into Dick's mind. 'I sure hope all of this will be enough to tell him to leave her the hell alone. If not, and he actually kills her in that one way, we're all going to be in deep trouble. We talked about who could summon which unicorn, too. It's one hundred percent possible to stop Red Storm Earth before the one hour mark, hell, the ten minute mark. But I have a sinking feeling that it won't be that easy. And I don't even know why. Tim doesn't either, and he read all of the lore.'

'Oh. It's that Ra's could use Platonia again, right? Is that how he entered Faith's dream? That led to her Animus leaving the dream world to defend her, among other things. I'm sorry, are we sure that was an illusion? It probably was just an illusion, Dick.'

'Platonia recognises Ra's as a demon, not a human, so after the first time he passed through, and found Faith's dragon tomb, it stopped trying to eat him. And, if he has a Nero Persona, it sounds like we're royally screwed. The Invitation of Nerobzal sounds just as scary as Red Storm Earth, even if it works differently. I have to make the comparison that I know everyone else has probably made: Faith is like Raven, in that if things aren't under control, things will be really bad. Could we even prevent all of that? Could Faith prevent all of that? We were going to ask her, during dinner. I bet there's lore that Faith hasn't written down, yet. She should write it down, and some more, so it's all there and Ra's can't cheat. Or cheat again.'

Dick's eyes were drawn to the bathroom door as it opened. He drew in and held a breath as he beheld Faith: her hair was very curly and voluminous, although the lower half was mostly still wet, and, bra-less, Dick could make out what her boobs were like, better than he had before. She had changed into black shorts and a purple short-sleeved shirt. 'Damn! Oh my God, her legs are so yummy looking.'

Barbara cleared her throat. Dick closed his mouth and blinked, making eye contact with her. "Sorry." He said to Faith, "Sorry."

She giggled. "You're fine with me, I'm too tired to sing Ashnikko lyrics right now."

Barbara said, "Pffft."

"And I'm not the probably slightly angry redhead." Faith walked to the stairs.

"Oh wow! Would you look at that!" Barbara said, approaching the couch, Dick swiftly standing up. "That would be me!"

"I swear that my eyes are the only thing that will go anywhere near her, Barbara."

"Oh, good! I'd hate to have to punish you for infidelity." Barbara patted Dick's upper chest. Dick just nodded. He followed her downstairs and to the table.

They heard Faith cheering, Stephanie echoing her and Tim laughing at them. Dinner was ready. Barbara sat at the left head, next to Tim, Stephanie at the right head, Faith occupying the chair to her left. Dick had three options: take the empty chair beside Tim, and play it safe but always have to look at Faith when he raised his head, or sit beside Faith, and accept Barbara's challenge. 'Oh, hell.' Thought Dick.

He sat beside Faith, who had her right foot crossed over her left thigh. She looked at him, her hair thankfully too wet to graze his arm, and she smiled with her cheeks at him. He returned the smile, then Faith sighed, looking at the meal before them. They were having chicken wings, salad and baked potatoes. Dick looked at Tim, who made an expression with one side of his face, looking at Barbara. Dick looked at Barbara, who rested her chin on the back of her hands, elbows on the table, and flashed a smile at him as they made eye contact. 'Oh boy.'

Barbara mouthed, 'I love you.' And scrunched up her eyes, smiling.

'I love you too.' Dick mouthed back, and smiled, his eyes failing to get with the program, blinking for help to the ceiling instead.

Barbara parted her lips to respond when Faith said, "Man, ya'll didn't think to get fixings for the baked potatoes?" There was only butter. No ranch dressing or sour cream, and no cheese, green onions or bacon bits. Stephanie wheezed a laugh.

"Sorry, we were on a budget." Tim said.

"Fair enough. Still, my dad would be sad." Faith giggled. Stephanie and Barbara laughed.

"OK, well, dig in!" Said Tim. Faith unfurled her leg onto the ground with a thud, and used her hands to move four chicken wings onto her plate. Tim laughed. "You know there's tongs, right?"

"Yeah, but this is faster." Faith said, while the others began to fill their plates. "Also, I don't care. I'm not putting them back, and I didn't lick my fingers or touch a dog or cat, or have a dog or cat lick my hands, and I just got out of the shower." Faith took a bite, the others laughing.

Dick thought, 'I guess she's also just a natural comedian. I'm sure she's learned how to be this funny, but it's still a good part of her personality.'

"OK, all right." Tim said. "Are you gonna scoop the salad with your hands, too?"

"No! What am I, a dog in a sweater controlled by a human?" More laughter from the group. Faith reached over the table. The group started to chuckle. Her arms were short by about a foot. "May I please have the salad?" Faith said, chuckling. Barbara and Stephanie giggled with her.

Dick laughed and said, "Sure." He moved his plate a little to make room for the bowl, then Faith used the salad tossers to put salad on her plate.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Dick moved the bowl back. Faith picked up the chicken wing she had started. She stared at the wall for one second, and the next second, she tucked in her lips and her cheeks became red. "Uh-oh. What are you thinking, miss Faith?"

"I'm not a dog in a sweater," Faith's sentence devolved into wheezing laughter. "Controlled by a human." She pointed at Tim. "Silent Hill 2."

"Oh God." Tim said. Faith laughed. "The dog ending." The others laughed.

"I'm gonna write in the planning document that the next time Ra's goes into Platonia, it shows him the Door of Nonsense and triggers that ending, but the credits all say names of the Batfamily."

"Oh-ho-kay!" Tim laughed with the others.

"A-ha-and," Faith sniffled. "When he exits, the door will keep cycling him through different horror and JRPG titles until he demands to go home." She giggled, and bit into the chicken wing she held.

"OK, hon!" Said Barbara, the others laughing a little.

Tim asked, "Do you have any ideas on how to cut Ra's out of Thalassic Space that would work long term?"

"Mm, besides the Invitation of Nerobzal? We all know he won't agree to have the Departed take his memories and knowledge of Thalassic Space." Tim and Barbara hummed in agreement. "But if Ra's doesn't find out about the ritual, which is the only other disaster-level event he could learn about and trigger that I implemented in the lore so that zombies and demons felt more natural and important to the possible events of Thalassic Space,"

"It fits nicely." Said Barbara.

"Thank you. Uh, yes, I have one other idea, but it's not in the planning document."

"What's your idea?"

"I would commission the Father Born and Mother Born to hunt him non-lethally, and not only remove that information from him but program his brain to ignore it and deny it as true, no matter what methods he or others may try to use to restore it." The others hummed in interest, Faith taking another bite of her chicken wing.

"That sounds like it could work. You should write it down." Barbara said. Faith nodded.

"How would you convince the Father Born and Mother Born to help you?" Dick asked.

"I would give them each a treasure or sexual pleasure, or assist them in other ways, in exchange for this. I wrote down the names of the current Father Born and Mother Born somewhere."

"Yeah, it's not in the document." Tim said.

"I think it's currently exclusively in a story called Realm of Album, in which I'm summoned to help the Mages Guild there because the elf king is having problems that only a Jester Playwright like me could help with." The group hummed in interest. "I can't remember their names, off the top of my head. I'll open the document later and tell you before I put them in the document, Tim."

"Sure, OK."

"Like I said, the idea isn't written down, but it would work because of how the Guilds serve the people, and that's why it would pass the legislation of At'fman Lawbzal."

"What's that?" Stephanie asked.

"It means 'Amen to the Fate of Man, Law of Beyond Zone Acceleration Lord'. The first clause-word is what people who worship the O-type star's spirit say while raising their right arm, then left arm, diagonally." Faith did this motion. "It's the 'Praise the sun' gesture from Dark Souls, but as steps of a contemporary jazz choreography." Barbara wheezed, choked on her food a little. "Da da da," Faith sang breathily, lowering her right, then left arm, the others laughing and Barbara drinking water from a glass. "Da da, da da." Faith ended the routine with her arms raised, two da's per arm. Faith rested her arms and took a second to eat again.

"The second clause-word reminds worshippers of the O-star's spirit that Nerobzal is not evil and is actually an Actor, who is so dedicated to and perfect for his role that he fools hateful people, who I'll just call Kaleido because it's accurate to the lore, into believing he's real and the true God, hence the 'Lord' part of the clause-word, and why he's called Hebzal, Himbzal and Hisbzal by Kaleido, who believe in a literal theatrical act. Other Actors, like Neo and Nero Spirits, call Nerobzal's Actor he, him and his because they're Actors, too. The idea is for the Neo and Nero Spirits to shock Kaleido time and again by using those those pronouns and revealing that he's just an Actor, discrediting their claims that Nerobzal is God." Dick and Barbara hummed with intrigue, and Stephanie hummed in awe. Tim hummed, nodding. "'Beyond Zone Acceleration' is a reminder that the magic Kaleido are using is from Sagittarius A, meaning it's Eledisfeb, and Kaleido want to use it for evil instead of to naturally balance out Elevifeb, because that's just how magic systems works, and ecosystems, hence why Kaleido are so crazy and unwilling to listen, just as radical right-wing people are."

"Oh OK," Stephanie said. "So, the politics in Thalassic Space that you're arguing for is left wing."

"Yes." Faith gave a firm nod.

"That makes sense."

"You can't be gay or an ally, much less dress alternatively, in particular goth, and be conservative."

"That's right!" Said Barbara. Tim hummed in agreement.

"It is the people who take advantage of the Actor's in-story powers as a Fallen Angel who are the enemy."

"Right." Dick said.

Faith started her second chicken wing. "Kaleido was chosen as the name that conquered the mostly vampire cult of Kitsch in northern Italy, which worshipped demons and Satan respectfully and safely, because the people who abuse and murder those who don't fit their expectations of a human and-or a Christian look into chapels of God through the kaleidoscope created by the painted glass often used in churches rather than looking at the Bible and recognising its merits and faults in modern times."

"Ohhh. I actually really like that."

"Thank you! That confusion and misdirected anger is what the Cult of Asherah was supposed to clarify so the crimes that have happened across time could be prevented. But the Yahwehists, all those years ago, proclaimed Asherah to be an idol and the people who served her idol worshippers. The career of prostitution has been bastardised by too many men and women for too long."

"That's true!" Stephanie said.

"Even in modern times, when prostitution makes a lot of money, it's not safe to be a prostitute." The others hummed and nodded. "So, I fixed that, in Thalassic Space." Faith bit off and chew more chicken. "The Thieves, Assassins and Mages Guilds all support and shelter prostitutes and those at risk, allowing the revived Cult of Asherah to educate people about safe sex and how to protect themselves and others from predators."

"Kitsch wasn't a malicious organisation until the Cànova siblings fulfilled the Fool's Promise, which is the part of the Fool's Poem that describes what happens to people who submit themselves to Nerobzal. It was just supposed to be directions for the makeup artists and costume designers of the Theatres in the Dream World on Paper to use for Actors. Magdalene and Malakai took it seriously, and they roped Mamazsr'azcre into it too." Faith looked at Dick, Barbara and Stephanie. "His name means 'massacre', in Nerobzal."

"Oh!" Said Dick.

"Grand Vampire Lady Brunetta heard Father Dragon shout it in the sky in the dream she had, the night she went into labour, and she and Grand Vampire Lord Müth interpreted it as a challenge to overcome, which he was doing until Magdalene and Malakai came to drag him into their plan to murder their parents and seize Kitsch. They didn't know why Müth and Brunetta were in the master bedroom and didn't fight back. The reason was hidden by the Four Symbols of Chinese astrology until the third incarnation of the O-star's spirit returned to Thalassic Space to help the people stop Kaleido once and for all."

"Oh!" Said Dick, as Faith ate more. "Sorry, are you the third incarnation of the O-star's spirit, and that's why you have it for your right eye, when you use your demigoddess powers?"

"Eh, sort of? I'll get there."

"No worries."

"Why were Brunetta and Müth vulnerable?" Barbara asked.

"Brunetta was pregnant while Magdalene and Malakai counselled with dark sorcerers to find a portal to the Lightless Realm, where Krampus used to reign over the Astral Elves and where the siblings discovered a copy of the Fool's Poem in Krampus' hut."

"Oh, that answers a question I had." Said Dick.

"Oh, good." Faith giggled. Dick chuckled with her. "So, if you're wondering, there's no way for Ra's to learn about what he's getting himself into, in my dragon tomb."

"He deserves to find out the hard way."

"I hear that, yep. Um, the flight of the Astral and Snow Elves from the Lightless Realm and Lightful Realm, which Santa used to reign, is a story for another time. Believe it or not, I can stay on topic, when it comes to my lore." The others laughed. "Brunetta had an intersex child named Maury, a derivative of Maurice, which means 'dark skinned', because they were the first and only Obsidian Infant, their body made from one of the Eledisfeb-filled asteroids of the asteroid belt to the west of Sagittarius A. Its existence was seen as proof that Sagittarius A was not a destructive astral object as it is in the Milky Way galaxy. There's an asteroid belt of Elevifeb-filled asteroids to the east of the O-type star, too, but I can't tell you who has the first Goshenite Child because spoilers."

Barbara said, "Wait, is it your demigoddess-slash-dragon self?" "Nope! It's a child born in The Double Eight of Thalassic Space, but it's not my child."

"Hm, all right."

"There's also lore about the Oracles finding out what Sagittarius A* actually is, thanks to Hirokou, a member of the Cloud Casters, seven students who met when they enrolled at Cedillo Imagination Magic Academy in Princess Georgina, which, yes, is UNBC, Prince George. The Cloud Casters volunteered and were chosen by the Oracles to help the third incarnation of the O-star's spirit feel more welcomed. Again, skipping the lore."

"Thank you." Said Tim. The group chuckled. "As simple and good as the reveal is, thank you for skipping it this time."

"Maury had been sensed by the Four Symbols upon his conception, and when they were born, had split them into four Crowns, which they gave to the Guilds to present to the people of Thalassic Space for them to hide until the third incarnation of the O-star."

"Where was um, Mamaz…?"

"Mam-az-sir-h-az-cre. There's an apostrophe after the translated s, so there's a short breath."

"Mamazsr'azcre."

"Yeah, you got it!"

Dick said, "Mamazsr'azcre."

"Yep!"

"I don't even need to try." Tim said.

"Yeah, I don't doubt that." Faith said. The group laughed.

"I'm gonna skip on that, thanks." Stephanie said. Faith giggled. "Mamazsr'azcre was helping his cat anthro friends, Dohannar and Wysherah, free anthros and elves from the human traffickers that Magdalene and Malakai had wriggled into, thanks to their vampiric charisma, before they got frustrated with certain human traffickers for being fake radical right wingers and decided to find the Fool's Poem to put everyone under their boots."

"Right." Said Tim. "Faith, why don't you eat for a couple minutes, and I'll take it from here?"

"OK, yes, thank you." Faith sighed. The group chuckled.

"No problem. Magdalene and Malakai started a fire on the farm that Mamazsr'azcre, Dohannar and Wysherah sheltered people at."

"Uh-oh!" Said Dick.

"Malakai disembowelled Wysherah, who was nine months pregnant."

"Holy smokes! That's just evil!"

"Magdalene and Malakai won a mixed magic and melee duel against Dohannar and Mamazsr'azcre, and as Dohannar laid unconscious, Magdalene whispered into her brother's ear the Fool's Poem. Mamazsr'azcre tore off his jaw and gouged his eyes as Magdalene and Malakai had."

"Eugh!" Said Stephanie.

"That's what the Fool's Promise demands of the living to accept Nerobzal's as their God. Before the siblings returned to Italy to kill their parents, Mamazsr'azcre gifted Dohannar's soul to Nero Ba'al Berith, a demon whose name means Lord of the Covenant. Like Baalzebub, he's called the Lord of Flies. Ba'al Berith is a red-skinned soldier in red who rides a red horse and wears a crown."

Faith said, "It was literally the decisions of two awful people that began the First War for the O-star’s Spirit."

"Yep. She was first incarnated as Nith, the first daughter of Santa Claus, born September 4th, 1949."

"Oh, that's your birthday!" Said Stephanie to Faith.

"Nith was murdered by Magdalene, disguised as a Glacial Fairy, at two days old." Dick, Barbara and Stephanie clicked their tongues and made noises of pity. "The Snow Elves, Astral Elves, Santa and Mary Claus cast a spell at the catacomb chapel of Kaleido, directly hitting Magdalene. Malakai was doing his thing, which I can tell you about next, and Mamazsr'azcre worked with dark sorcerers to grow and improve the army of undead, vampires and werewolves that festered in the catacombs of the chapel until the end of the Third War. The elves and anthros came together to form the Guilds under the command of Father Dragon and Mother Mermaid and the Father Born and Mother Born, after the first war, and their human allies helped them. The O-star's spirit was quietly reincarnated twenty years later as Eal Volen, the first child and daughter of a mermaid mage named Eerie Glory and an astral elf mage named Lanech (ech is pronunced ehk, like echo) Volen who worked at the circus at the southern harbour of England, together."

"Hey, circus mentioned!" Dick said. The group laughed.

"Eerie had been stalked by Malakai since her early teenage years, but she had known Lanech for even longer, and she never faced Malakai alone, in the dreams where Malakai tormented and raped whoever he wanted." Barbara, Dick and Stephanie sounded disgruntled.

"Sorry," Faith said. "It was the most natural way for me to make Malakai a horrible person. Same with Magdalene."

"No no, it's fine, it works well for him."

"How was Magdalene a horrible person, besides killing a two-day old baby?" Dick asked.

"She got off on watching people get kidnapped and tortured by human traffickers."

"Oh, geez!"

Tim said, "She was a control freak, just like Malakai. Both were racist, sexist, and homophobic. Faith wrote Thalassic Space so everyone would feel safe and welcome, but some people learned about the awful things that happen on Earth through Nero Spirits who watched criminals from Earth that visited the Dream World on Paper. It's like how Ra's found out how to open a Door to Platonia, and all that's led to Faith being here, and the situation we're in."

"Ohhhh, OK."

"I hope it makes sense." Faith said. “Nero Spirits relaying information that wouldn’t have been otherwise available to people through the functions of the Soul Bridge.”

"Oh, it does, absolutely. You did a good job with that."

"Yeah, that's good writing, Faith."

"Thank you."

Tim said, "The Oracles were afraid of Malakai because he effortlessly and brutally manipulated Dreamer mages who were close to the power of the Oracles, many of them family members of the Oracles. Faith wrote a bit more about the crimes of Malakai, but we'll skip that for now. Eal was in the arms of Eerie after the circus had closed, Malakai having taken the disguise of a large black dog, and he leapt up with such force and speed to bite Eal's neck that neither Eerie or Lanech could react in time."

Barbara clicked her tongue. "Aw! No!"

"May I ask why the O-star's spirit died as a baby, twice?" Dick said.

"Yeah, yeah." Faith said. "Because babies are vulnerable. That's it."

"Oh OK, so it's a simple thing, this time."

"Yes."

Tim said, "Eerie and Lanech tore Malakai apart, each destroying a quarter of his spirit with their magic, but the other half of his spirit and his entire soul escaped to the Ninth Circle of Inferno, joining his sister and the demon they were actually giving souls to: Canon Lucifer."

Faith said, "If Ra's triggers either event, that's who the souls will be working to free from the ice."

"Oh shit." Said Stephanie.

"Yeah, that's bad." Dick said.

Faith said, "And why either has to be stopped as soon as possible."

"Right." Said Dick.

Tim said, "Specifically, the number of souls needed is 8^8 (eight to the power of eight), which is 16, 777, 216. In the First War for the O-star's Fate, 1, 809, 178 people were killed in the span of one month, two weeks and two days, though the ice barely melted, and the souls were freed to the afterlife of the 28 Mansions at its end."

"Oh OK, so it resets."

"Yes, it has a twenty-year cooldown, which coincides with how long it takes the O-star's spirit to reincarnate. In the Second War for the O-star's Fate, 2, 391, 955 people were killed over the course of two months and three days, and the ice melted a little more, but Lucifer still could not move, and the souls again were freed to the 28 Mansions. This won't be an issue, if he triggers Red Storm Earth or the Invitation of Nerobzal."

"Scary." Said Barbara. The others nodded.

"The third and current incarnation of the O-star's spirit—"

"That's you, right?" Said Dick, looking and pointing at Faith. She and Tim shook their heads. "Oh."

"It's Faina Laward, one of my Soul Fragments. She's autumn, I'm winter, Solas, my Fairy Persona, is spring, and Ønske is summer."

Dick said, "Oh, OK wait. So, your memories have like, fragments, and that's how your Personas are connected to you, and how you have the O-star as your right eye?"

"Yes."

"Ohhh-kay. Cool."

Barbara asked, "Why are you winter, and not autumn, if you're the Canon Persona?"

"I'm winter because of my depression and mental health, and that my physical disability means I can't enjoy the outdoors. Faina is autumn because she's my memories of having a working body and my hopes of having a happy mind."

"Ohhhh." Said Barbara, Dick and Stephanie. Tim nodded.

"Solas and Ønske are both seasonal expressions of the joys I associate with each season. Solas is my lesbianism, and Ønske is my desire to have adventure." Faith said. Stephanie giggled. "Faina was born on Earth because the Four Symbols realised she would be killed again if born on Yotutrnaeyl. She's summoned by Dohannar to the Dream World on Paper instead of to the throne of Nero Ba'al Berith, who is one of her possible love interests, as Dohannar and the Demon Hunters who patrol the Perimeter of the Circles finally met after eighty-three years of trying to free Dohannar so the O-star could fight for the people again instead of for evil. That dream is the first chapter of the novel, and in the second chapter, Faina settles in to CIMA, meets the Cloud Casters, and falls in love with Karma Brestin, who, major spoiler alert,"

"Ohp!" Dick covered his ears, then laughed and lowered them. The others laughed.

"Karma is the youngest of Bartholomew's triplets."

"Oh, she's an Astral and Ebony Giant Elf?"

"Yes, an Ebony Giant Elf, like Bartholomew is. Krampus is an Ebony Giant Elf, too. Santa is the only Astral Giant Elf, of Nerobzal's sons. Bartholomew's triplets and Krampus' twins are mixed race. Karma is a dark mage, not to be mistaken for a dark sorcerer,"

"Ah, OK."

"And it's olive green to signify that she's not evil. Earth tones are always a good sign. It's the neon colours you have to be scared of."

"Right, OK."

"Karma is also a vampire, and the companion star of the O-star."

"Huh?"

Tim said, "O-type stars have smaller, companion O-stars that orbit until eventually merging with the larger star, creating a bigger and brighter star."

"Ooh, OK. Does that happen when they meet, or later?"

"Later, when they hook up." Faith laughed. The others joined. "The Third War starts because Mamazsr'azcre is commanded to lead an attack on CIMA by Nero Ba'al Berith, but it goes too far, and a lot of students and teachers die. Sorry, spoilers."

"Sheesh, woman!" Dick said. The group giggled.

"And, uh, I think that's all the lore you need to know, regarding every branch of the main topic? Whatever it was."

"We started when Stephanie asked what At'fom Lawbzal was." Said Tim.

"Ohhh, right!"

"It was more 'the main topic and its family relatives'."

"Yeah." Faith said. They all laughed.

Dick said, "Well, thanks for all of that! Always fun to learn more."

"Oh yeah." Barbara said, nodding.

"And I get to eat the ass of this creative genius!" Stephanie said, the others laughing loudly. "Lucky me!"

"Real. Real." Faith said. The laughter quieted down. In the next two minutes, everyone had finished eating and washing their food down, and wiping their hands on napkins or getting up to use the kitchen sink.

"Well, you going to sleep right away, Faith?" Barbara asked, as Tim and Dick began washing the dishes.

"I think so." Faith said, yawning.

""Sleep", in quotation marks." Stephanie said with a smile, coming up behind Faith and squeezing her left ass cheek.

"Aa!" Faith exclaimed, and laughed with the girls. "Are you that spicy, baby gorl?"

"Mm, yuh," Stephanie replied. Faith and Barbara laughed, Tim choking out a laugh from the kitchen. "Yuh, I'm real spicy righ' now, gorl. Mm, le'go."

"Le'go." Faith echoed. "Goodnight, everyone!" She and Stephanie began towards the stairs.

"Goodni-ight." Said Barbara, walking towards the computer.

"Goodnight, Faith!" Said Dick.

"Don't worry about the noise, OK?" Said Tim. Faith giggled.

Click emoji to navigate to next chapter. ⏭️