#at least Smiler's always there to tune him up

[victorluvsalice]

We’ve hit Summer Tuesday in the Valicer Chill Save as of this update, and it’s another busy one, what with Smiler’s pre-SimCity Founding Weenie Roast coming up in the afternoon! But first, you may remember that we left the gang last week dealing with a bit of a situation -- namely, Temperance having shown up and, before being scared away by one of their many bizarre idols, doing a ceremony that summoned a couple of fire-breathing specters! Alice was fortunately wolf-napping outside and thus unaware of the situation, so it was up to Victor and Smiler to take care of these furious blobs! And fortunately, they came prepared -- Victor with one of his many jars of honey, Smiler with a nice fresh glass of merlot. The pair entered the seance room and presented their gifts --

Smiler’s was accepted. Victor’s was not. *sigh* At least Smiler got the family some more wraith wax to make candles with? And both specters did end up disappearing in the end, just Victor’s one insisted on making a bit of a fuss first. I decided maybe the thing to do was to have Victor check the spiritual serenity of the house --

Only to look outside first, spot Elmer still going in the greenhouse, and be like “SHIT HOW LONG HAS THAT BOT BEEN ON?!” Because, uh, I believe they EXPLODE if they run out of battery and durability. . .so yeah, first things first, Smiler batted down to the greenhouse and shut Elmer off to tune them up later, THEN Victor started his ceremony. It went well, and the game insisted that the spiritual serenity of the house was pretty good, with “happy haunts.” Not sure how much I believe you, game, but okay!

Anyway, with that taken care of, Alice could finally awaken from her wolf nap and turn back to normal (with a creeping sense that something was up, as you can probably tell from her expression XD). I directed her to do some recycling before checking in on Smiler’s tune-up efforts --

Only to find them talking to another, friendlier specter in the barn, with Victor on his way to do the same. *grumbles* I redirected them down to poor beat-up Elmer on the workbench and decided that what Victor REALLY needed to do was use his sketchpad to make this specter a nice painting. He got a little distracted halfway through by Smiler’s presence (gotta cheer the Pristine reputation vampire :p), but mostly I was able to keep him on-task. . .

[eclipsenoir]

May 9. 12:46 AM.

On this day, two decades and a half ago, I’d sprouted from the earth, or I sprung from soil into life. What have you. I’d always been bigger than I should’ve been for my age; born heavy with the chunk to prove it, and wailing with a head full of hair and my tiny fists clenched. Although I wasn’t much of a smiler, I was still a fat, happy baby. My father had told me once, while we flipped through my photo book together, that he thought I might’ve punched him in the face if they’d never stopped my crying after I’d come into the world. I told him that it would’ve been entertaining to see or even witness and he gave me a smile that’d always make his nose scrunch up in a funny way, and pulled at my ear for being so cheeky. I was always cheeky, he told me, and greedy. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being either of those things. But then again, nothing is ever truly certain: as a kid I never thought I’d start smiling for photos, and yet here I am.

Speaking of my father, I’ve taken this entire week off and will be spending it with them, more or less. Apparently my parents have recently been trying to tone down on taking up so much work, especially my mother who’s been more tired lately than she usually was some years back. So I’ll see more of her, thankfully, and we’ll get to play some catch up together and I’ll get to eat more of her home cooked meals than I’ve been having the past year. My grandparents will be coming over for a bit too, so it’ll be some feast. We also need to brush up over my inability to take up a real wife a little bit, this time with my grandmother present–her words, not mine–and I really am dreading having that stupid, helpless conversation again, terribly so. Nothing fruitful every really comes of it save for a few empty promises and my mother’s increased suspicion, likely about either my luck or my sexuality, but I guess I can just continue to bullshit my way out of it until she gives up. Or blows up. I don’t look forward to that either.

Also, on the topic of the women in my life, Sera is here. I was with her last weekend and she’s the bane of my existence and the object of my fury, but I’ve missed her, more than I can stomach to admit and actually tell her. It’s only been a week since, so I feel pathetic for my clinginess. But I feel lonely without her. Very much so, so much so that I feel like I’m stuck in a lethal pool of quicksand called sadness. For that I’m eternally grateful that she’s here, otherwise I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. She’s a sore part of me that I can’t remove. A sort of permanence, concrete in my very existence. Almost vital I’d say, as least as long as we keep coming and going back to each other. Is that bad?

Alas. I’m 26 now. It’s pretty cool that I could make it here and say this today. So it’s a birthday, but is it a happy one? I am incredibly happy I get to see another year, given the phantoms of misfortune that’d always followed me into the new year. I’m happy I have a lot of friends to celebrate it with. Generally happy, though? Sometimes, yeah, fairly. I don’t even remember anymore what it is that would rouse and posses me—what they are, or how it feels to have my feathers ruffled with joy. It just hits me. Like a brutal collision with a truck, which slaps you on bare asphalt and holds you there in the baking of sun. I’m bleeding happiness, and it feels so good. So fucking good. It would keep me awake at night and add a hop or two to my step, sometimes lodge a tune in my throat. I’d hum it everywhere, and think No wonder people become so addicted to this shit. Serotonin is a hell of a drug, huh.

But happiness isn’t meant to be a stagnant emotion after all, so when it ebbs away and I’m left as an empty carcass in comparison to its abundance, I think that’s fair enough. If I were allowed to keep it for too long, I’d just start to itch for another emotion after all. Anyway, I’m grateful. Eternally. Another birthday spent with the people I love most dearly is another birthday to remember, says I.

Happiest halfway to 30 and a day full of champagne and mum’s seaweed soup and cake. And dad’s tipsy blabbering about his current hyper-fixations and my fashion choices (what would the old man know?), and my siblings and Sera, giving me an earth splitting headache as per usual. May it be a really good one!

— T.

[eujazmine]

all gifs from christianscody !

JAZMINE HARPER - TV TROPES

manipulative bastard

The Manipulative Bastard is the master manipulator of people, in essence, a character who manipulates others through their emotions, perspectives, psychologies and any other way they can get them dancing to their tune. This is the guy or gal who gets off on playing head/mind games—clever and dangerous and lacking comedic overtones (usually). She always has a plan ready, but rather than do any work, the Manipulative Bastard prefers to play on other characters' emotions and mental states and then watch the victims destroy themselves as they waste their energy on fighting against fake dangers or their friends.

are we surprised? with a lack of loyalty to others, including her own family, jazmine will gladly step on others and use their weaknesses to her advantage to get what she wants. she’s been a manipulative bastard since she was a child, ever since she first discovered how much her mist control could control the perceptions of others. observant and resourceful, jazmine has no qualms using her talents to gain unauthorized information about others and using it for her personal gain. she views people as her pawns, and her selfish way of thinking gives her little guilt about physically or mentally forcing others into submission. this is a trait she’s picked up from her own father, which we will delve into in the next trope.

daddy’s little villain

mention of emotional abuse tw

She's the daughter of an Evil Overlord, who shares her parent's ambition, cunning, and cruelty. She could be anything from a simple Spoiled Brat to an Overlord in waiting. She's also likely to be a Princess (since even villainy is improved with that), although she will still prefer wearing black or dark colors over pink. 

jazmine’s mortal father can largely be thanked for the way she is now. from as young as she can remember, he was training jazmine to be a powerful force in both the demigod and mortal world. while he raised her to think she could accomplish anything she worked toward, she was mostly a pawn to satisfy his thirst for power. he didn’t care much for her as a daughter; mostly for what she could do for him. she started to recognize this during her formative middle school years, consequently turning her childhood role model into her worst enemy. when she started rebelling against him and acting out, he sent her away full-time to a camp on the other side of the globe. since then, the issues only progressed, eventually leading to a falling out in which she hasn’t seen or spoken to her mortal family in many years. 

this upbringing has fueled her desire to constantly be the best in her fields of expertise, which is partly why she quested for years in hopes of some type of recognition. with the heavily hidden hope that she could one day rub in his face that she had succeeded without him, all her life she has fought to try to ‘prove her worth’ to others despite being the daughter of a minor goddess (or titan). because her father only loved what she could do for him, she places everyone in two categories: the puppets, and the puppeteers. 

and she will never be the puppet again.

broken ace

He's tall, charming, strikingly good-looking, well-spoken in five languages, and classically trained in even more instruments. But inside, he's an ugly, writhing mass of self-hatred and Parental Issues. Expect him to have at least one bizarre trait or ability that should not be overlooked, as well as an unhealthy attitude about love, life, and humanity in general. He most likely doesn't have anyone that loves or respects him for what he really is. This may be justified. This character is usually male, but not always. Also, he may just be a perfectionist crumbling under his own standards. The chief difference between the Broken Ace and the usually female Stepford Smiler is that the Stepford Smiler wants to appear normal at all costs, often to the point of hurting herself emotionally (or because she's sociopathic). This guy has the same setup, but is more talented and wants to be the best, loved by all, and accepted.

although the timeline wasn’t as accelerated as she had hoped when she was a child, jazmine was making waves in the world of deities before her last quest against zeus had occurred. now, as a semi-retired quester, she is captain of the football team and starting to make a name for herself in the mortal fields of business and sports. despite the air of nonchalant superiority that she constantly tries to present, she is in a constant state of despair. right when she starts to undergo some development in her relationships with others, they leave, and she is constantly failing her own impossibly high standards. she’s crumbling, and at any point she is ready to run away again.

ice queen

Much like a Tomboy, the Ice Queen is a major character archetype which is somewhat hard to define. Her signature characteristic is that she is cold; the ambiguity comes from what "cold" means. She has a cold heart, a frosty demeanor and very often a resting bitch face; she attracts but will never be wooed. The Ice Queen is considered dangerous to love because she will not (or cannot) love back. She's not much for friendship either, preferring to be alone. Situations where an Ice Queen "thaws" and learns to enjoy the company of others are so common that they have their own trope.

she’s cold and takes no shit. she holds people at a distance, even those that could potentially be considered friends. she doesn’t believe in unconditional love, and she believes that most affection direct toward her is generally a ruse to get her guard down. she’s unnecessarily rude to others, almost relishing in the negative reactions at times, but to her, she’s just keeping it real.

the trickster

A trickster is a character who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. The Trickster openly questions and mocks authority, encourages impulse and enthusiasm, seeks out new ideas and experiences, destroys convention and complacency, and promotes chaos and unrest. At the same time, the trickster brings new knowledge, wisdom and many An Aesop. Even when punished horribly for his effrontery, his indomitable spirit (or plain sheer foolishness) keeps him coming back for more. Tricksters can be anything from gods of chaos, bedeviling heroes for a few laughs, to master manipulators who use cruel ploys and sadistic choices. They can also be heroes (or more likely Anti-Heroes) who make up for a lack of strength or bravery with manipulation, planning, or just plain cheating. The trickster is often a Master of Disguise and may have magical or super-powers. They're often found Walking the Earth.

although this description was much more relevant when she was younger, jazmine has a penchant for drama and chaos. she genuinely has fun engaging in pranks and tricks, and she gladly lifts a symbolic middle finger to authority in any chance that she gets. in middle school, she was nearly expelled from a mortal school because of all her tricks, and she spent a sizable portion of her adult years before eonia traveling and engaging in casual mayhem. when she isn’t getting revenge or fulfilling a paid request, she generally has fun toying with others.

deadpan snarker

A character prone to gnomic, sarcastic, sometimes bitter, occasionally whimsical asides. The Deadpan Snarker exists to deflate pomposity, point out the unlikelihood of certain plans, and deliver funny lines. Typically the most cynical supporting character. In most cases, it is implied that the snarker would make a good leader, strategist, or consultant given their ability to instantly see the flaws in a constructed plan. More often than not, their innate snarkiness is the only thing preventing the other characters from comprehending this for themselves. In other cases, the Deadpan Snarker resorts to sarcasm because they're the Only Sane Man. Tends to be shot a Death Glare when they go too far (and probably isn't without one of their own, either). Note that due to the definition evolving, the "Deadpan" part of the title has gradually become The Artifact and a deadpan delivery is no longer a necessary part of the trope.

jazmine is no stranger to delivering biting remarks coupled with foul language. she’s quick to point out flaws, opting for the brutally honest approach more times than not. she’s aware that her language can hurt others, but she finds it easier to escape the frivolities and get to the point. depending on the person, she exaggerates this trope by trying to draw out a bad response from them, mostly for her own entertainment. people already view her as heinous, so why not embrace the reputation, right?

survivor guilt

death mention tw

You might be the Last Of Your Kind or someone else made a Heroic Sacrifice for you or you lived through a Restricted Rescue Operation, but whatever the reason, you're going to feel a massive sense of guilt. 

although the quest with adelphie and celeste was technically a success, with the trident successfully being returned back to poseidon, the team had faced major losses. adelphie had lost her life, and celeste had suffered debilitating injuries. physically, jazmine suffered the least, and it’s a guilt that she continues to carry.

aloof big sister

to the majority of the hecate family, especially @rostameu

He's smarter, stronger, faster, more talented, and more refined than the hero, and — just to add insult to injury — he's probably sexier, too. His only problem seems to be moving his face out of that expression of bored, dignified disdain. And he just happens to be the elder brother of one of the main cast, which often gives them a raging inferiority complex. Will most likely double as the Ineffectual Loner and Noble Demon, thereby running the risk of becoming an Ensemble Darkhorse. May or may not be evil, strictly speaking, but is almost guaranteed to fight against the protagonists at one point, and spout off Cryptic Conversation to prove how much better informed he is. May or may not be a Stealth Mentor and/or consider his younger siblings annoying. Often an integral part of a mysterious organisation, and may be the Enigmatic Minion or even a Hero Antagonist in that case.

OKAY, so the running joke with jazmine is that she dislikes her siblings, which is very true tbh. i’m not going to speak for rostam and say most of that stuff actually applies, but jazmine is very cold toward her younger brother and views herself as much better in every way. with loner tendencies, disdain toward her brother, and shady side hustles, she matches this trope very well, and it was only fitting to add a trope about disliking siblings to jazmine’s task. and yes, she’s technically one of the youngest right now but hush.

[mythgirlimagines]

Well, my good Anons! Tuesday is here and so is this new talentswap! Introducing Myth, the Former Ultimate Fanfiction Author!

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BACKSTORY AND TALENT

Growing up, Myth wasn’t very good at expressing herself via facial expressions or body language. Because of that, Myth didn’t have many friends growing up, besides Wyre. She quickly turned to cartoons and video games to fill the hole left in her heart. One day, Myth’s English teacher advised her to use writing as an outlet for her emotions. By her high school years, Myth has already amassed a large fanbase for her vast amount of fanfiction that touches even the most obscure of fandoms. Although her fanfiction runs the gamut of subject matter, she primarily focuses on romance and shipping, with LGBT dynamics being a major theme in most of her romantic works. She is currently chaperoning this year’s batch of Ultimates and Jr. Ultimates on their journey to Kibo-Con Ultimate. They also happen to make excellent references for her fanfiction.

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RELATIONSHIPS

Wyre Anon, Former Ultimate Moral Compass

As hard as it is to believe, this rowdy juvenile delinquent runs one of the strictest disciplinary committees in the country. Wyre would regularly prevent others from picking on Myth, and they remain the best of friends well into their college years. Myth regularly looks up to Wyre for her assertive and expressive attitude, and she reminds Myth of those anime student council president characters mixed with a shonen protagonist.

Anon Scar, Ultimate Idol

As the lead vocalist of the famously-elaborate pop-rock idol group DaTenshi, Scar embraces the whole “Fallen Songstress“ persona that got Scar her fame in the first place. As much as Scar tries to stay true to her persona, her persona regularly cracks to reveal an overly-concerned mom friend. Myth views Scar as this odd combination of a School Idol, a Team Mom and a Chuunibyou, which makes for a weird combination of anime tropes.

Fusion Anon, Ultimate Soldier

Myth has consumed a ton of media about the military and if the media proves true, there is no reason for Fusion to appear as well-adjusted and confident as he carries himself. Fusion regularly tries to convince Myth that he is fine and that the war was all in the past. But Myth is an observant soul, and can tell that Fusion is close to breaking. Myth is, to put it lightly, really concerned for this poor lad. Just what is under his Team Dad facade and his garish camo clothes?

Fusion Anon II, Ultimate Biker Gang Leader

With Fusion II’s sassy and flippant attitude, topped off by her fashion of tall boots, long skirts and popped collars, there is no mistaking Fusion II as the leader of “The Divergence”, one of the largest girl gangs in all of the country. It is also extremely clear to Myth that her cool-headed and sarcastic demeanour is all but a coping mechanism, caused by living in a harsh environment, surrounded by equally harsh individuals. Truly a shining example of both the Sukeban trope and the Deadpan Snarker trope.

Just Anon, Ultimate Affluent Progeny

As the scion of the “Lagomor Corp”, one would expect Janon to be cruel, merciless and hardworking. But while Janon could be described as cruel and merciless, he is definitely not hardworking in the slightest, preferring to shirk his duties in favour of catching some Zs, which was very clearly caused by everything in life just being handed to him on a silver platter. However, Janon has one weakness: adorable fashion icons. That did not go unnoticed by Myth, much to the dismay of the Tsundere magnate.

Sparkle Anon, Former Ultimate Programmer

When Myth was told that an Ultimate Programmer would be chaperoning the Ultimates with her, Myth was expecting an Introverted Shut-In NEET. So imagine Myth’s internal surprise when this aspiring thespian with a volume problem who calls herself “THE SPECTACULAR SPARKLE” claimed to be the Ultimate Programmer. Despite their contrasting personalities, Myth and Sparkle probably are the closest when it comes to their interests. The two girls very quickly bonded over their shared interest in JRPGs, DND and isekai anime.

Egg Anon, Former Ultimate Detective, and Wet Sock Anon, Former Ultimate Martial Artist

As crazy as it may sound, Myth actually forged quite the odd bond with both Egg and Wet Sock, aka. The Freak Twins. Despite their violence-obsessed personalities and their tendency to constantly stick cursed and well, freakish comments into otherwise normal conversation, Myth managed to look past that to find wise and strong individuals, which was helped by Myth’s interest in gory mystery series and martial arts-based anime and video games. In fact, both twins seem to have grown a thing for Myth, because she was the first person they met that could handle the two of them.

Curious Anon, Jr. Ultimate Fashionista

Ever since Curious was in diapers, they have been educated in the art of fashion and cosmetics by their family. Curious has been modeling for a variety of high-class brands. Whether male, female and unisex clothes, Curious managed to make even the most garish and tacky clothes work for them. Despite the completely different domains of their talents, Myth and Curious quickly bonded over their similar polite and stoic demeanours. However, Myth can’t help but sense emptiness in Curious’s eyes every time they do a photo shoot. A Stepford Smiler perhaps?

Anon Nerd, Former Ultimate Gambler

Despite being praised for their poker face in tournaments, off the poker table, Nerd is a short-tempered and callous jerk, who constantly overreacts to otherwise inconsequential slights. Unfortunately for Nerd, he fell for Myth and he fell hard. Myth is no dummy, so with a perfect poker face every time, she manages to constantly torment Nerd with mind games and lewd comments in an effort to get him to confess. Will Nerd use the poker face he perfected since he began the art of gambling, or will Myth’s eternal poker face manage to conquer even the most trained? Truly a Showdown of the Ages.

Eldritch Anon, Ultimate Swimmer

As the underdog of his school’s swim team, Eldritch Anon’s small and frail build belies a streamlined shape and a flawless and speedy technique while in the water. Eldritch also has a paranoid and cowardly demeanour, and can and will dive into random bodies of water to avoid interacting with others. Much to Myth’s dismay, Eldritch seems to be the most scared of her. Eldritch seems to under the belief that Myth isn’t even human, when that simply isn’t the truth. She is just a girl who has trouble expressing herself. Myth wonders what could have gone wrong in Eldritch’s life to make him have such a vehement distrust of other Anons.

Dream Anon, Ultimate Lucky Student

Acting like someone straight out of a sports anime, no matter how many times her luck puts her into trouble, Dream always manages to get out of them with her head held up high. She might not be the Ultimate Volleyball Player like she wanted, but she always tries to stay positive, regardless of her title. Myth can’t help but feel as though at least part of Dream’s optimism is merely a facade to combat her feelings of inferiority to the other Ultimates, who got in with actual skill. That definitely would explain her Passionate Sports Girl personality, along with her hardworking attitude to the point of overexerting herself.  

Iris Anon, Jr. Ultimate Baseball Player

The other passionate sports fanatic on the Kibo-Con roster, Iris is well-known by baseball fanatics for her fast and hard swings that earn her baseball team, “The Comets” their unparalleled winstreak, as well as her adorkable and optimistic personality when off the diamond. Because of her social butterfly personality, Iris tries her best to interact with and understand Myth, or at least, the Myth beneath the constant poker face. Myth can’t help but applaud Iris for trying to look past her robotic face and mannerisms and learn more about her. 

Purple Anon, Ultimate Clairvoyant

Having been raised by a traditional family skilled in the art of fortune telling, Purple is by far the most skilled of her family, with a 66% percent accuracy rate to her fortunes. Purple, similar to Myth, is a massive wallflower, regularly cowering behind larger Anons. When Purple actually manages to open her mouth, her prose and vocabulary is about as purple as her hair.  Luckily, Myth is well-versed enough in the language-arts to actually understand what Purple is trying to say to others. Because of that, Myth kind of functions like Purple’s personal translator, simplifying her vocabulary for the less-intelligent Anons.

This Talentswap series centers around a stoic wallflower managing to become the Anon’s personal therapist. She came her for inspiration and references, and returned with a better understanding of her fellow chaperones and chaperonees.

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APPEARANCE

FicAuthor!Myth wears swirly opaque glasses to hide her eyebags earned from several sleepless nights. She wears her short dyed-purple hair into two short pigtails. She holds the pigtails in place with a pink scrunchie for the left and a blue scrunchie for the right. She wears a black hooded-jacket over a pink t-shirt, and has a matching pink backpack slung over her shoulders. She wears black sweatpants with a purple stripe on the opposite sides of each leg and purple sneakers. On her head, she wears a black beret that matches her jacket and sweatpants. On both the backpack and beret are pins from an assortment of fandoms.  ——————————————————

PERSONALITY

One of the major differences between FicAuthor!Myth and Romantic!Myth lies in her emotional range. While FicAuthor!Myth is fine-tuned when it comes to other people’s emotions, she isn’t very good at identifying or expressing her own emotions, whether through facial expressions, body language or tone of voice. FicAuthor!Myth’s face and vocal range is stuck in a constant monotone. The only way that FicAuthor!Myth can truly express her current emotions is quite obvious; via writing fanfiction that correspond to her current emotional state. However, beneath the monotony of her face and voice, FicAuthor!Myth is almost exactly like Romantic!Myth in personality; being kind, supportive and at times, a massive tease.  —-—————————————————

What do you think of FicAuthor!Myth, as both a talent and a series idea? I’d like to encourage other Anons to comment here with their opinions on it!

-Fusion Anon

—

Writing for my emotions is so accurate you don’t even know-

Anyway, love this version of me a lot!

[apparitionism]

Mercury 9

Apparently it’s old-school week around here… this is the penultimate part of Mercury, which I started forever and a day ago (2014!) and have failed to update for almost as long. But as I’ve noted, I finish what I start, so here continues a tale concerning, among other things, Myka and Helena and some existential and ethical questions raised by the whole Janus coin/Emily Lake situation. It takes place at a county fair in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which might seem a trivial (or random) detail but in fact is not. We’ll see if I can pull the pins on my plot-grenades… what’s here will make no sense at all without what came before, and it’s honestly a bit much for a brief recap. I tried to link to the other parts, but I didn’t show up in search, so here’s another try without... [ETA: Whatever, Tumblr; I give up. Here are the links: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, and part 8.]

Mercury 9

“It’s a real tossup,” Pete remarked as he walked between Myka and Helena, “whether it’s worse when you’re all over each other or when you’re on the outs.”

Their arrival at the fair that morning couldn’t have presented a clearer contrast to that of the day before: The distinct lack of rocking and rolling all night, as well as the sad absence of partying every day, made sure of that. The drive from the hotel had featured only functional words, mostly between Pete and Helena, and Myka found herself yearning for Helena’s floridly non-silent silent treatment instead. She could have used the low-stakes exasperation she felt when confronted with it to begin to grope her way into feeling that this problem, too, could be set back onto an established track, so an eventual reconciliation would be inevitable.

But a disagreement over Helena’s displeasure with Jules Verne, and with Myka regarding words said about Jules Verne? That was barely skin-deep. This went all the way through, like a bullet, one with both their names on it. A really big bullet… Myka struggled to keep herself from believing that this one was also of Helena’s invention. What goes up—into the stratosphere, into something like happiness—

No, Myka had told herself firmly, halting that line of thought just as Pete was looking at his phone and reporting, “Ida texted. She’s at the barn. Says to meet her, but that there’s no new intel on the Lelands.”

“Still at square one,” Myka grumbled. “Great.”

Pete rubbed his hands together. “It is great. We have to go right by the Pizza Pagoda on the way.”

As they’d walked (and walked and walked), Myka stewed at the fair both in its particulars—had these people never seen an actual pagoda? couldn’t they correctly identify the structure in which money was being exchanged for pizza?—and in its entirety. People were happy. Having a good time. Eating pizza. Wearing smiles.

She didn’t want to kick a rock; she wanted to hide under one. Or send all of those pizza-eating smilers to hide under one so she wouldn’t have to see how unaffected by this situation they all were. How dare they be so unscathed.

Helena had a unique ability to push her to this kind of resentment. After Yellowstone, Myka could hardly bear to look other people in the eyes, in their unknowing, unaffected faces; after Pittsburgh, the same. After, after, after. After Kenosha?

Then again maybe they would never get to the after; maybe they were doomed to trudge through this fair forever with Pete, who was now shaking his head and repeating, “Real tossup.”

Helena, walking on his right side, radiated nonresponse. He looked expectantly to the left, at Myka.

“I’m pretty sure it’s worse right now,” she said. She considered kicking him under a rock.

“Well, for you,” he fake-pouted. “You never think about me.”

“Right. Never. Who just bought you that slice of pizza at that Quonset hut they didn’t even bother putting in a pagoda costume?”

“The pizza fairy. Hey, you could be her twin!”

And that, surprisingly, made Myka smile and shake her head. She twitched an involuntary glance rightward and realized that Helena was having the same response.

Helena looked up and leftward, met Myka’s eyes, and clearly came to the reciprocal realization.

The atmosphere shifted.

One look didn’t reverse the effects of the past twenty-four hours, not nearly. But Myka was self-aware enough both to understand how that one look softened the air between them, and to resent how smoothly and easily it had done such work.

How dare you, she said to herself. How dare you knuckle under. If you’re going to be angry and jealous and unreasonable, you could at least have the rank obstinacy to stay that way.

And Helena had this unique ability too: to make everything Myka did, everything she felt, seem right and wrong at the same time.

This nonsense at a fair might have been a particularly egregious example of Myka tripping over Helena and stumbling into that state, but it wasn’t the only one.

She remembered, as a paradigmatic case, a time when she had been trying to hide an injury. “I’m on the way!” she’d yelled from the bedroom as she quickly dealt with changing the dressing on her wound. Just a flesh wound, nothing serious, certainly not life-threatening, and barely even blood-supply-threatening: a cut on her abdomen. Nobody reasonable would have called it a gash or a slice or anything like that. She’d made Pete promise not to tell anyone about it, post-retrieval, because sure, it hurt, but it didn’t matter.

Judging from the horror on Helena’s face when she barged in and realized what Myka was doing, though? It mattered to her. And the potential for that horror was a large part of why Myka had tried to hide it—but Helena’s face was now shouting that Myka had failed. She’d made Helena feel the horror, and maybe worse, she’d rendered Helena unable to hide that she was feeling it.

“Don’t get like this,” Myka said. (Because warning Helena off always went so very well.)

“I am not getting like anything.”

“Okay, okay,” Myka then said. (Because placating Helena also always went so very well.)

“I am reacting, as a human does, to another human’s injury.”

“And don’t play it off either! You wouldn’t be getting like this over Pete.” The latter, Myka said because it was true, but even as she said it, she saw that pointing it out wasn’t going to be any sort of positive contribution to the situation.

“You want my reaction to be entirely because of you, yet you also want me not to have it at all.”

Under other circumstances, Helena might have smiled as she said something like that, and Myka, with an admittedly unreasonable hope that the smile might still be forthcoming, said, “Yes.”

It wasn’t. “But you knew I would have it,” Helena said, unsmiling and prosecutorial. “You were trying to hide this from me.”

When Helena got prosecutorial, Myka got defensive. “Okay, yes. I didn’t say it made sense.”

“Good, because it doesn’t.” Stubborn.

Which Myka could match: “I know that. I just said that.”

“I want to care for you.”

Helena didn’t mean “take over a mundane first aid task,” and Myka knew that too. Yet she snapped, “I can take care of myself.” Even as another part of her was prodding her with You want her to care for you and How long did you really think you could hide the need for this mundane first aid task from her anyway.

“I’m certain you can.”

That was raw hurt, shivering under an inadequate coat of dispassion—and Myka responded wrong to both: “Right. Just like I assume you can.” And that was out-and-out perjury. Helena’s fragile body, so tenuously and lately re-housing the soul it should… Myka was absurdly protective of that body, but Helena shouldn’t have felt the same way about Myka. Shouldn’t have had to feel the same way, and certainly shouldn’t have been boxed into showing that she felt that way.

They’d papered over that confrontation somehow, but Myka couldn’t remember the resolution, which had to mean that it had been something as simple as what had happened just now, on a graveled pathway at a fair in Kenosha with Pete standing between them talking about a pizza fairy: mutual recognition of a shared response. Some reminder of commonality of feeling, of purpose. Surely that was the wrong way to handle conflicts in a relationship… but just as surely, it was right, too.

However: They still hadn’t said a meaningful word to each other by the time they reached the barn. Myka was still perversely attempting to work her resentment back up, and Helena was clearly avoiding looking at her, maybe just as perversely, maybe to avoid creating another moment of fellow-feeling, and Myka tried selling herself an even more unreasonable story about that: It’s because she knows she’ll bust out laughing when she sees my face working to stay surly, and—

“I realize I’m being a busybody,” Ida said, first thing, “but I’m sensing some tension between my leading ladies. And not the kind that keeps people tuning in.”

Pete said to Myka, “She means UST.” To Helena, he said, “They tune in for UST.” Both of them must have looked baffled, for he gave up on them and said to Ida, “It was like that with them, for basically ever. Before they R’ed the ST. But you can keep that going only so long, you know?”

Ida nodded. “So many shows get it wrong.”

“For what it’s worth,” Pete said, his voice conspiratorially low, “I think Myka and H.G. got it right.”

Mere moments before, Myka would have had to struggle to keep from saying, irritably and out loud, that Pete should shut up. But the shift—it kept happening, Pete’s words helping it along, despite Myka’s attempts to wrestle herself angry. She and Helena had certainly not apologized, or compromised, or exchanged more than that single glance, but between them there was a tuning, like the manipulation of a radio dial: static, then the beginning of decodable sound, the tiny twist calling music, voices, a signal more and more clearly into the receiver from the ether. Any errant twitch of fingers on the dial might cause the transmission to be lost again.

Myka didn’t want it lost. She looked, with purpose, at Helena, and Helena looked back. Still no apologies, no compromise… but the signal strengthened.

“You’re very sweet to them,” Ida told Pete.

Now Myka rolled her eyes, but she tried to keep the motion as small as possible.

“I know, right? You’d think they’d appreciate me more.”

“You need a love interest,” Ida said.

“I double-know that. But the fans, I think they’d still be all about Bering and Wells.”

Ida looked at Myka, then Helena, then back and forth again. “Which one is which?”

Pete put on a boxing-announcer voice: “In this corner, you got your tall, dark, and broody: that’s Bering. Across the ring from her, there’s Wells: not quite so tall, also dark, also broody, but with epic, extra fallout.”

“Isn’t that funny,” Ida said to Helena.

Helena crossed her arms in defense. “What? ‘Epic, extra fallout’? That is not funny.”

Might not be funny, but it isn’t wrong, Myka thought. Then Helena turned a quick, overbright glare on Pete with a mutter of “and I know what ‘fallout’ means now, thank you very much,” which made Myka think, But maybe also a little funny…

“It’s funny that you’d show up here,” Ida said.

“Here?” Pete asked, and Helena echoed, “Here?”

Before Myka could do the same—because that didn’t seem funny at all—Ida followed up with, “And I just now worked it out: H.G.! I see why that’s your nickname.”

“It’s not my nickname,” Helena said. She’d uncrossed her arms, but now she crossed them again, and Myka wondered whether any photographs existed of Helena as the sulky, impossible child she must have been, when she wasn’t otherwise occupied with charming everyone into treating her as the miniature adult she no doubt considered herself to be.

Pete gave Helena a quizzical look. “But it kind of is your nickname. I mean, those are your initials, so… wait. Here. Ida, you are brilliant and so am I, because I know exactly what you’re thinking. And now I got it: I also know exactly what we’re looking for.” He looked at Myka, then at Helena. “Because who’s from Kenosha?” To Ida, he said, “Don’t give it away; they think they’re so smart, but we’ll see.”

“Who’s from Kenosha?” Myka repeated. “Probably almost everybody at this fair. Except us.”

“But who else is from Kenosha?”

“Probably almost all the other people who live in Kenosha?” Myka looked to Helena for help, but Helena shrugged.

Her own look, followed by Helena’s shrug, and immediately it struck Myka: that was their first real, intentional communication since the morning’s argument, and it did figure that it was about not knowing what Pete was getting at. Myka wasn’t yet ready to admit to anyone, including herself, that Pete was actually being very helpful today.

“Plus?” Pete pushed.

Myka tried, “Plus people who moved away?”

“Exactly. And who moved away?”

“A lot of people. Probably.” Myka knew she was being uncharitable, but small towns really weren’t her favorite. She figured living in Univille was most likely a karmic punishment… for what, she wasn’t quite sure, but she certainly hadn’t spent this life, or probably any other, being as perfect as she’d intended to be, and small-town-South-Dakota purgatory was undoubtedly the result. “Maybe,” she softened, ideally defraying some of the spiritual cost.

Pete snickered. “Not a lot who used a microphone and people believed it.” He stopped and waited, mouth a bit expectantly open, like a dog waiting to be rewarded for chasing a ball. “Really? No ideas? How about you, supergenius? Kinda up your alley, there, Agent Wells.”

Then Myka got it, and so did Helena, for they said in unison, “War of the Worlds?”

Pete exhaled an at-last noise. “That’s right: Orson Welles, Kenosha boy. Hated the place, but still.”

War of the Worlds. Of course. Myka sighed, because it really had to have happened sooner or later. “You’re saying you think this is the microphone from the War of the Worlds radio broadcast?”

“I’m saying it loud, and also proud, because I’m the one who thought of it, with the fabulous assist from my best friend Ida. I could say it through the thing, so you’d believe me like all those radio listeners believed Martians were attacking, but I don’t think I’m gonna have to.” He fiddled with his phone and turned the screen to Ida. “It looked pretty much like that, right?”

“Just like that. And that’s funny too: I’d forgotten it said ‘CBS’ on it, but it did. What a terrible witness I’d make in a courtroom drama.” She looked at all three of them in turn. “This TV show I’m running around like I’m on, it isn’t a CBS one, is it?”

Pete shook his head. “Not so much. Maybe Fox? Lower budget, though, so probably Syfy; FX if you’re lucky. But don’t tell.”

Myka couldn’t find it in her to be angry at him for saying too much, particularly not when Ida said, with real regret, “No one would believe me anyway.”

“Well, no,” Pete said, but he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “On account of you don’t have the microphone.” He held a sssshhh finger to his lips.

“But that leaves us still at square one,” Myka pointed out.

Pete frowned. “And not on the way past pizza this time either.”

“I have an idea,” Ida said.

Pete now flung his arm around her fully. “Like I said, you’re brilliant. From the start I knew I liked you. This idea, is it about pizza?”

“It’s about knowing, not pizza. Knowing, and believing. Ginny knows she’s going to lose the pie contest, because of Agnes and key lime. But what if she happened to win instead?”

He wrinkled his brow. “What if she… oh, I get it. She’d be very into being there. You think that’d override their supervillain plot, whatever it is?”

“I think it would override her grandchildren. And the fact is, she does believe in herself—she always holds out a little hope in these key lime years. Dreams the impossible dream.”

“So we flush her out, assuming she’s lurking, by making sure she wins? But how do we do that?” Pete asked.

Ida smiled. She looked very proud of herself. “I’m going to make Agnes’s pie disappear.”

“Poetic,” Myka said, and she couldn’t help herself; as she said it, she looked at Helena.

“Ironic,” Helena countered, directly at Myka..

Poetic, ironic… and then this struck Myka: those were the first real, intentional words they’d said to each other since the morning’s argument.

An ironic, or possibly poetic, twist of lip from Helena acknowledged that she, too, knew the exchange for what it was.

Pete said, “I personally am an expert in making pies disappear, so maybe I should be the one who sticks his neck out on this one.”

“You’re so sweet,” Ida told him, and Myka had to concede that it was actually true. (Except when it wasn’t.) Ida went on, “But if I’m going to be on a show, no matter what network carries it or who I can tell about it, I’m certainly going to see it through. Plus, in a very CBS way, I’d like everything back to normal.”

Myka thought, Sing it, sister. Not that I know what normal is, but I know what it isn’t.

Yet she and Helena walked side by side as their little team crossed the fairgrounds, the air between them unheavy. It wasn’t a normal walk by any means… but it wasn’t a march to be endured, as she’d begun the day thinking all their walks would be. She might have turned to Helena and said normal words. She didn’t, but she might have—and that was progress. Reparative progress.

The pie-judging location was not, Myka was pleased to find, a named pagoda, pavilion, patio, or promenade, but rather a large and simple tent, with no sign designating it the Pie Tent, probably because it was also the bread, pickles, and jam tent. She could feel Pete’s mouth watering as they entered the space.

Ida lasered in on the pies, which were clearly the main attraction, displayed like crown jewels on inky-velvet–clad shelving. “I’ve never tried such skullduggery before,” she confided. She looked at the pies, then looked at Myka and Helena in a way that Myka found immediately disconcerting. “I’ll need a distraction. Leading ladies, would you oblige?”

Pete snickered, but he applauded as he did so. “Oh, you’re good. You definitely watch a lot of the right kind of TV. My hat’s off to you, ma’am.”

“No,” Myka said. “Just no.” As if things weren’t bad enough, now she was supposed to put on some show for—

“Now wait,” Helena said, and her tone was her most “reasonable,” which at no time did Myka ever find to be actually appeasing, “Mrs. Thatcher has a plan, one that may very well succeed. Shouldn’t we contribute to that potential success? Agents don’t simply stand around and watch while other people make and implement plans to help them.”

“I really don’t see why not,” Myka said, deploying her own version of “reasonable.” “Or maybe Pete could stuff all the bread in his mouth. That’d be distracting.”

“Maybe I could,” Pete said, appraising the bread entries.

Helena did that little ironic, or poetic, twist of lip again, and now Myka knew perfectly well that she was being dared to think about Helena’s lips. The twist became a full smile as Helena said, “Won’t you kiss me passionately before the good people of Kenosha?”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with pie,” Myka said, knowing it was a nonsensical objection, not fully knowing why she was making it, because she did want to kiss Helena. But ideally someplace where they could work things out—which was emphatically not before the good people of Kenosha.

“That’s why it’s a distraction,” Pete explained, with seriousness. “Or you could have a slap fight. Your choice I guess; they’ve both got about as much to do with pie.”

Ida shook her head. “I’ve seen slap fights over everything in this tent, pie included. That wouldn’t even register.”

Myka raised eyes and palms heavenward in capitulation, because what choice did she really have, and Helena took that as her cue: “At long last,” she declaimed, “I declare publicly my love for you. Good people of Kenosha, you are my witnesses.” She gestured floridly to those witnesses, obviously to ensure that she had attracted, and would attract still more, attention. Then she turned back to Myka, displaying an impish facsimile of ardent sincerity. “Tell me that you reciprocate my ardor, so that I may live out my remaining days a happy woman.”

Myka began, “You are just too—” and she would have ended with “much,” but Helena took advantage of her mouth saying “too” to bestow one kiss, then another, and Myka had no choice but to play along.

“I know you don’t like to kiss me in front of other people, most days, and today perhaps not at all,” Helena murmured as they kissed and stopped, kissed and stopped. “I know it’s a hardship for you.”

“Hardship,” Myka sighed out. Why did Helena have to dig at her like this? “Are people watching?” she asked as they continued these strange, designed-to-be-seen kisses.

Helena smiled through one kiss, then another. “As if they were judging our worthiness for a ribbon in an osculation contest.”

“This is ridiculous,” Myka muttered.

“More so if you don’t participate. I myself want to win, not merely place.”

So Myka participated, to the extent that she could, given the still-unreconciled business of the day before, and the night, and this morning. She felt herself make a face as they broke apart minimally again—and then she made the break definitive, for she saw Pete give her a thumbs-up. “Pie achieved,” she informed Helena. “Thank god.”

“Myka,” said Helena, in mild rebuke.

“Helena,” Myka sighed in response. “Why do we do this?”

“Because we prefer it to the alternative,” Helena said. “At least, I do.”

And the challenge made Myka kiss her one more time, kiss her right. “I do too,” she said, making no face this time.

Helena shrugged her slim shoulders and said, with a tiny smile, “More than earlier today?”

“Exactly the same,” Myka told her, because it was true: she preferred every aspect of their relationship, even its most difficult terrain, to any alternative she could imagine… and for that response she was rewarded, because there was the smile, the precious one that graced Helena’s face at the best of times, the one that made Myka wonder how she had made it through decades of her life before this maddening presence swept in and made herself at home.

Myka hoped, given that the kissing seemed to have facilitated the pie-stealing as intended, that the proceedings would hustle their way to a conclusion… but no. The actual pie-judging was an elaborate affair, even unto the deployment of ceremonial utensils: knives of various sizes and sharpenings, serving implements with ornately sculpted handles, forks featuring equally silvered intricacy. Slicing, lifting, raising morsels with surprising elegance to judgmental mouths.

And speaking of judgmental mouths—and eyes, and pointing fingers—several of those continued to be directed at Myka and Helena. Helena, of course, settled into a showy preen, as if the attention obviously was entirely congratulatory, and Myka was as hard put as ever to understand how a literal Victorian could be more openly defiant of any given situation’s norms than someone who’d learned the world a century later.

But the century-later-learner in question was Myka, who labored to find and abide by every nuance of the norms governing any situation. And the literal Victorian in question was Helena, who would have defied norms regardless of when, regardless of whose. Regardless, Helena would have flown a flag that said Yes you should be looking, and you should be applauding my audacity, and as for anyone who fails to do so? I will spare no time or thought for those unfortunate fools.

But also: Look at me for my audacity. Not for the feral, fearful animal it hides.

And what about Myka, drawn to both those things?

Every nuance of the norms: of course, at the worst of times, she clung ever more tightly to those norms, begrudging Helena both the audacity and what it hid, condemning herself for finding all of it irresistible.

How handy, in those worst times, to have Emily Lake to wield as a cudgel. Or a scalpel.

Right, Myka thought, help them punish Helena, you and Helena, more: No, Regents, don’t trouble yourselves, no no no; I, Myka Bering, will take it from here. Because I am exactly the sort of dutiful idiot who would do that.

She didn’t want to be that sort of dutiful idiot.

So don’t, she told herself. Don’t do their dirty, punitive work. Make things better, not worse.

Myka deliberately caught the eye of a younger woman, one glaring a disapproval that belied the idea that that that demographic was wholeheartedly embracing change… Myka raised her eyebrows at her—not quite Helena’s flag-flying, but a challenge all the same. Then she moved so that her shoulder rested against Helena’s. Helena looked up in surprise, then let her own body lean, with the most gentle of pressure, on Myka. A whisper of relief. And all that mattered, in this moment, was Helena’s body, this long-lived body that had borne, and was still bearing, so much more than it was ever meant to. Myka was embarrassed by her own tendency to stagger under the weight, when what she should have been saying, and enacting, was I’ll carry you.

One clasp of Helena’s body, one breath into her hair; Helena turned once into the curve of Myka’s neck. These soft things didn’t reverse the past twenty-four hours either. But they allowed Myka, at least, to begin to pay productive attention to more-mundane problems.

Like a case to be brought to a conclusion. Slowly.

“What are those judges even doing?” Pete was asking Ida, and that earned him a tsk-tsk. They tasted the pies one more time, she told him, to make sure. “Even though they already basically know who won?” he complained.

“Without the second tasting, this plan wouldn’t work,” Ida reminded him, “because Agnes would already have won. Besides, you seem like the kind of man who’d feel a kinship with people who like having lots of opportunities to eat pie.”

“Yeah, but it’s taking them forever,” he groaned, and Myka was inclined to echo him.

“It’s important,” Ida told him.

To Myka’s surprise, Helena said, “She’s right.”

“Pardon?” Myka said.

“This… deliberation. Over something so seemingly small as the taste of a pie—it reminds me of the past. Not the harsh past, which I extolled to you, but its softer, slower aspect.” As Helena said this, her eyes weren’t misty, exactly, but they were looking at some fair that wasn’t this one. “I was wrong to maintain that the difference runs in only one direction. Forgive me?”

Myka’s impulse was to say “There’s nothing to forgive”—but they both had a lot to forgive. It also seemed to slight Helena’s… nostalgia? And her sincerity about that nostalgia. So Myka hesitated.

Helena then said, “From time to time I fail to acknowledge that a position should have nuance.”

As if Myka’s pause had meant she needed Helena to offer still more words of expiation. As if only then might Myka say “yes” in answer to a question about forgiveness.

It made Myka want to cuddle her. And shake a fist at her… but then again, she knew that she herself inspired the exact same push-pull in Helena.

So: “Me too,” Myka said.

And she was glad she’d got that out when she did, for then everything started happening: Ginny Leland’s peach/apple pie was announced the first-place winner “due to an unfortunate last-minute withdrawal,” and suddenly Ida was pointing, saying “There it is!” and Pete was rushing up to an ecstatic woman and a startled man, the latter indeed in possession of a microphone.

“I don’t understand,” said Paul Leland.

“I don’t care!” his wife declared. “I won!”

She rushed away to claim her ribbon. Her husband took a step as if to follow her, but Pete tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, sir, but would you mind letting me have a closer look at that vintage sound equipment you’ve got there? It’s from about 1938, if I’m not mistaken, which I’m not. Right?”

“You can see me,” said Paul Leland.

“Yes I can,” Pete said. “And just to make sure that keeps being true, why don’t you pass the mic to this nice lady in the fancy purple gloves… ha! For a fistful of truth!”

“I don’t understand,” he said again, and he did look utterly baffled. He didn’t resist when Myka took the piece of history from him.

“Beastie Boys,” Pete informed him.

Myka muttered a cautionary “Pete…”

“Yeah, sorry. I actually don’t understand either, because I’m sort of getting a vibe that you’re not a supervillain. But you know what I’m also sort of getting a vibe about? This maybe has something to do with how you don’t watch radio.”

“I didn’t want anyone to see me…” Paul Leland said slowly. “I didn’t want anyone to see me, and then they didn’t. Why didn’t I want anyone to see me? Ginny!” he called to his wife, then headed in her direction. Myka didn’t see any need to stop him; they had the artifact, and Pete was most likely right: he wasn’t a supervillain.

“Maybe that’s the downside?” she wondered to Helena. “Wanting to be invisible?”

“Then why his wife as well?” Helena wondered back. “If it’s simply a consequence of using the microphone, wouldn’t it adhere only to him?”

“You don’t know the Lelands,” Ida said. “How could anything happen to one of them and not the other? They’re inseparable. Adhering’s a good word for it… look!” She gestured toward the now-reunited couple, and indeed, as Ginny Leland glowed with pride over the blue ribbon she held, Paul seemed to shine too.

Pete said, “So we’re thinking that on account of him not wanting to be seen, they weren’t, then on account of her really really wanting to, they were? That’s… some kind of teamwork.”

And Ida mused, “It’s like that sometimes.” She looked, with intent, at Myka and Helena. “Isn’t it.”

“Isn’t it,” Helena echoed. She leaned once again on Myka.

Myka was still gloved, still holding the artifact, so she unfortunately couldn’t take much enjoyment from that lean, or do more than vaguely return it. “Let’s go behind the tent,” she suggested, and Pete whistled. “To bag the microphone,” she said, but her withering tone never had any effect on him.

Ida followed them behind the tent, and once again, Myka couldn’t see her way to objecting.

Pete had a static bag in hand; Myka tried to slip the microphone into it, but he insisted on putting on gloves himself and taking the artifact from Myka, and then he insisted on Farnsworthing Claudia before he did anything else. Myka didn’t understand why until he said, “And now here we go. All you lovely ladies are witnessing my very first literal mic-drop.” Myka heard this “literal” as a minor, if most likely accidental, miracle, while Claudia said an extremely dry “waited a lifetime for this” and “imagine my delight.”

“I’m starting to develop a theory about why you people bring up mushrooms,” Ida said, gazing at the Farnsworth.

“In my day we often suggested it was laudanum,” Helena told her.

Ida made a noise of speculation. “And I’m starting to develop a theory about why you said ‘H.G.’ isn’t your nickname.”

Pete held the microphone up and waved it. “Show’s happening right here right now! Come one come all to the center ring!” Before Myka could object that this was a fair and not a circus, he dropped it in.

Nothing happened.

“Here in Kenosha,” Ida said—gently, as if Pete’s feelings might be hurt—“we wouldn’t really call that a ‘show.’”

Pete shook the bag, seemingly encouraging it to work harder. “Claud, could we be in a defective static situation?”

“If so,” Claudia told him, “It’s one of those really random black-swan thingies. Not impossible, but—”

“I’ll try another one,” he assured her.

Nothing happened.

“I see what you mean about the low budget,” Ida told him.

Pete looked mournfully into the bag. “So I was wrong? Not an artifact after all… hey, waitaminute,” he said. He shed a glove, fished the microphone out, held it up, and said through it, “Sugar is nutritious.” His voice boomed even more than usual.

That’s a funny thing for him to have said, Myka thought, because of course—

“Hey, Mykes, how do you feel about eating sugar?” he asked.

And that was a funny thing for him to have asked. She gave him her best Pete you are insane look and said, “Well, it’s nutritious, so of course I feel pretty good about it.”

Did he look… horrified? “This is bad,” he said, and through the Farnsworth she heard Claudia shriek, “You broke Myka! You bet it’s bad!”

Myka tried to reassure them both: “No, sugar’s good.”

“Oh my lord,” Helena said, and Myka couldn’t understand why her voice clutched in a way that nearly matched Pete and Claudia…

TBC

[a-pan-in-a-van-blog]

Post Alton Towers Scarefest 2017 Review

 So… it’s almost been a few months since I was Alton Towers’ Scarefest 2017, and I’ve finally taken some time to write my Review of this year’s Scarefest, SW8 Developments and Alton Towers’ changes as a general.

Scarefest:

As per usual, Scarefest is always decorated all the way down Towers Street and this year Alton Towers added the wonderful ‘SCAREFEST’ lettering at the end of the green. And of course, Towers Street is accompanied by the Hallowe’en version of Alton Towers’ theme tune – In The Hall Of The Mountain King and various other Hallowe’en themed songs. The park’s walkway’s audios all get changed for Scarefest. Which is a nice touch. But apart from that there isn’t any significant changes (around the park) that is different to how the park is usually – with exception to the big pumpkins that you can have photos in/with and the fact that the Towers are gorgeously illuminated with blue & green lighting – but this year red & orange lights were added to the advertisement of SW8 (Wicker Man) as the logo was projected onto the Towers too.

The only annoying thing is the big flood lights that light up path ways of a night, yes, they’re nice and the different colours give an eerie or spooky feel to the park (depending on which section of the park you are in), but they’re always noisy with a loud humming noise, unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about it as Alton Towers hired quieter ones this year.

 Family Attractions

The Alton Ancestors: It was my first year witnessing one of the Alton Ancestors’ shows, which run for 10 minutes every half hour all throughout the morning till mid-afternoon, when they head over to Gloomy Wood for their last show at 5pm which lasts another 10-15 minutes. They also do ‘Meet & Greets’ throughout the day too.

Entertainment Rating: 7/10

Scare Rating: 3/5

Trick or Treat Stage: An attraction more for the little ones which hosted children’s shows like, “Patch’s Trick or Treat Party”, “Phil & Franklyn’s Ghoul School” and “Skelvin’s Spooky Storytime” as well as other entertainment like character photo opportunities and fancy dress competitions. I didn’t join in, however, from what I could see the shows were pretty decent entertainment!

Entertainment Rating: 6/10

Scare Rating: 2.5/5

House Of Monsters: House Of Monsters was Alton Towers’ first Scare Maze for families and it looked pretty good! Based in Cloud Cuckoo Land, it was a teamwork and challenge based walk-through maze with some jump scares and minimal kiddie-scares, it seemed very well themed and nicely polished off and according to the YouTube Channel - Theme Park Worldwide, it was really enjoyable for anyone and is worth the £5 and Shaun said he could see it being a permanent attraction at Alton Towers for the next few years. I really wanted to do it, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to in the end due to money and time. By the looks of the popularity of the attraction, I reckon Alton Towers will keep it for a few more years or at least keep changing the interior and story every so often.

Entertainment Rating (Guess): 8/10

Scare Rating: 3.5/5

 Thrill Attractions

Rides In The Dark: as per usual, there’s AWAYS rides in the dark! And if you’re going to ride anything in the dark, I’d always recommend Rollercoasters - some more than others. So here’s my list of best to worst Rollercoasters to Ride In The Dark:

1.       Thirteen:

Yes, it’s a kiddie-coaster, and no, it’s not the fastest and certainly not the best in the park – but… I love how it winds itself through the forest and how close you get to the woods – it makes me feel close to nature. The darkness gives an element of the spirit of Thirteen and therefore, the ride feels a lot smoother and quicker. Especially, when you are in true darkness, the drop and the reversal feels *just right* to the theme and the story.  

2.       The Smiler:

Again, not my favourite Rollercoaster, I must admit, but riding The Smiler in the dark (and rain) is a wonderful sensation, especially for people with SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), The Smiler itself is a very sensory ride as it includes all 5 senses (7 if you include Proprioception & Vestibular) in a very unique way. The track can feel very rickety at times, but once it has rained, the ride feels smoother and therefore, more enjoyable as you can take in more of the visual.    

3.       Air/Galactica:

I have ALWAYS loved Air, currently known as Galactica, in-fact it’s my favourite ride at Alton Towers; I always look forward to getting on it and it’s always one of the first rides I get one when I go (if not my first ride). But I still, shockingly, haven’t been on it in the dark! However, I placed it at number 3 due to the Portal Theming that they have used for Galactica looks STUNNING in the dark! It’s an absolute beauty! And I can also imagine that flying feels amazing in the dark too!

4.       Nemesis:

I can’t even explain how much I have been wanting to ride Nemesis in the dark! But for one reason or another, I’ve not been able to… but from speculation alone, it looks amazing as you’re either in complete darkness or illuminated by blood red lighting and I can’t imagine the adrenaline rush of sitting in the front row! So, I have placed Nemesis in 4th place due to lighting and smoke effects alone.

5.       Oblivion:

I’m sorry to say, even though Oblivion is a great ride, riding it in the dark makes no difference to the ride experience… sadly… the only positive I have to say to this is that you get some really nice views of the Towers illuminated at night – which is a really special sight to see. Plus, you spend a majority of the ride in a dark tunnel any…

6.       Rita

Again, nothing much happens to the experience of riding Rita in the dark… that might just be a personal thing as I don’t enjoy Rita that much. However, I haven’t rode Rita in a few years, as I didn’t get to ride Rita during my last visit as the ride was closed for most of the 2 days I was there.

 Another thing, even though I wouldn’t recommend doing Duel or Hex during the evening – (because there’s literally no point as they’re indoors) but going from the dark outdoors to the dark indoors creates a great and gothic atmosphere about it – especially with Hex! It’s a real-good Halloween treat!

 Rides In The Dark: 10/10

Worth Doing? Yes!

Do It Next Time? Always!

 Scare Mazes:

 As per usual, Alton Towers displayed a wide range of Scare Mazes for Scarefest. And once again – Alton Towers charged for them all… ALL Scare Mazes were £8 EACH. Or you could get 3 Scare Maze tickets for £20 (except for The Welcoming: Be Chosen which had to be bought separately), which is a saving of £4 – (unless you have a Merlin Pass - then you’d save another 20% off the total price) if you were to pay for them separately. However, if you got the 3 Scare Maze Ticket Pass AND a ticket for The Welcoming: Be Chosen, it’s a total of a whopping £28 (£33 including House Of Monsters)! Plus, your entry ticket (which is £55!) – one day at Alton Towers’ Scarefest is £83 (or £88 if you include HOM) minimal – plus food, travel, hotel etc… I know Scare Mazes are “Extras”, however, you go to Scarefest for the Scare Mazes and Halloween Attractions, you wouldn’t go otherwise, and I know for a fact that Alton Towers has always (until the last few years) had at least one Scare Maze open all (or most) of the day and ran for free. It boggles me that Attractions like House Of Monsters can last for 15-20 minutes and is only charged £5, Scare Zones are Free and you can be in them for as long as you like and Scare Mazes like Altonville Mine Tours: The Legend Of The Skin Snatchers are £8 and lasted less than 10 minutes! It also annoys me that Disabled Guests can’t get a Carer Ticket for Free or Discounted too, as if I wanted to enter a Scare Maze – I can’t go in without my Carer at all, whether or not he/she/they wish to go in with me anyway.

 Here are my reviews:

 Terror Of The Towers: What Lies Within;

Terror Of The Towers has been at Alton Towers for 13 years (6 years under its current platform), and is the only permanent Scare Maze at Alton Towers with its unique history and storyline, the Scare Maze itself has been barely touched and has always been continuously popular every year. So baring this in mind, I took the plunge into making sure I got to do this Scare Maze as it was such a legendary Halloween Attraction.

 For some people TOTT is their favourite for others it isn’t… (I guess it depends on taste)… for me – I was disappointed… for something SO hyped it was nothing but a let-down. I enjoyed the spookiness to it and the theming was good but I felt like not much of the story came through the Maze. There wasn’t many actors and even though it was eerie to walk through, considering I was second from the front (with my Grandad upfront), I didn’t feel scarred. I counted my screams and I sadly only screamed a grand total of once and that was at the very beginning with a jump-scare. Apart from that – nowt! I was laughing more at the young lady who was 5 places behind me who didn’t stop screaming. The only part of the Scare Maze that was anywhere near terrifying was the Finale that didn’t seem to end… we had to complete a Maze in complete darkness with only a couple of weak strobe-lights to show the way. And because of my anxiety, I became quite panicky as I was pretty much leading the way as my Grandad (bless him) couldn’t see very well as he didn’t have his glasses on and I couldn’t see in-front of myself – we almost went the wrong way! Luckily one of the actors told us to turn around and we finally managed to find our way out.

 In all fairness, if you’ve never done anything like this before – then it’s an experience like no other and you’d find it very scary and like most things – our first is usually the best.

 However, to me it felt like a cheap version of The London Tombs… It was pretty much the same-kind of experience (like some of the rooms, actor costumes and the shoulder holding) but it had a story and the Towers have soul to them – which is a great positive, plus, I love the ending it’s pure sheer terror and panic – the real feeling of not being able to escape. But for £18 in London, you can dwell into The London Bridge Experience (which is a more detailed (and budgeted) version of The London Dungeons) AND The London Tombs which is (depending on the size of your party) an approximately 10-20 minute Scare Maze – about the same quality as TOTT (if not, better) and has MANY more actors, (no, there’s not a story linked to it, but each room has a different theme and the finale is a chainsaw ending), personally for an extra £10, you have a good 2-3 hour horror experience WITH a Scare Maze which is worth your money.

 Scare Rating: 2/5

Enjoyment Rating: 3.5/5

I Paid: £8

Was It Worth The Money? No

What I Would Pay: £5-£6/Free

Is It Worth Doing? Yes, because it’s a decent Scare Maze and it’s a Legendary Halloween Attraction at Alton Towers. Not only that – different people have different tastes in horror and thrills. Plus, I think you would be disappointed if you left Alton Towers without doing it.

Would I Do It Again? Not unless it was Free, (much) Cheaper or a part of a Scare Maze Ticket Package. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll be doing it again this year, unless, I was with a party of friends and/or the story/maze has been changed or extended.

Overall: I feel like Terror Of The Towers: What Lies Within is feeling very ‘worn-for-wear’, the same story has been done for 6 years now and very little has been done to the Maze itself – the actors are still making people jump in the same places and you feel how… monotone… it all is… on the other hand – it was spooky to be walking through the Towers in the dark.

 Altonville Mine Tours: Uncover The Legend Of The Skin Snatchers;

It was Altonville Min Tours’ second year at Alton Towers’ Scarefest and generally got positive reviews from the public – despite the shortness. I wasn’t too eager to do this Scare Maze as the theming didn’t fit the park and (as a personal complaint) I don’t particularly like Wild West/Hill-Billy Mine stuff let alone horror stories or films about cannibalism, incest or necrophilia etc.

 However, I gave it a go due to good reviews and the fact my Auntie wanted to do it and she didn’t want to do it alone. And I am SO glad I did! Yes, it was short (too short in-fact), for us the entire experience from queuing to leaving the Scare Maze was around 10-15 minutes tops, but it was a lot of fun! I loved the minimal lighting from the helmets, I enjoyed the fact the actors could touch you (i.e. they grabbed my face, held my head, played with my hair, stroked my back & shoulders – allsorts) & I loved how the Maze had different heights and surfaces to walk on or under. The story shone throughout the Maze – I understood who each of the actors were, what was happening and the story of which was supposed to be conveyed was. I liked how it was a free-flow Maze and you could spend as much time in there as you liked (within reason), I mean if you hung about for too long then you do get rushed through a little bit –probably because they don’t want the next group to catch up with you. But even though this Maze lacks in Thrills & Scares – it pays off in theming (the Maze was so heavily themed if you had an allergy to Latex you couldn’t go in! And not only that – the Maze was also pumped in with scented smoke machines!) and the talented actors who do really well in interacting with guests – including the actor who had to perform in nothing but his pants!

 The only disappointing thing I could mention was that there were a few pyrotechnics towards the end, but they weren’t very loud and the finale as a whole was quite… deflating. Apart from that – I can’t fault the Maze with the exception of it should be much longer for the amount of time you’re in there for.

 Scare Rating: 3.5/5

Enjoyment Rating: 5/5

I Paid: £8

Was It Worth The Money? Yes.

What I Would Pay: £8 again if it’s the same (or higher) quality as last year, but I would be happier if it was longer or there was more jump scares, if it *was* a longer Maze – I’d be happy to pay £10, however, I do believe £5-£6 is a fair and reasonable price for the attraction.

Is It Worth Doing? Yes! Both on its own or with other Scare Mazes.

Overall: I feel like Altonville Mine Tours: Uncover The Legend Of The Skin Snatchers is at its peak on the Bell Graph, I really enjoyed it last year and if it returned to Scarefest again, I’d most likely do it – even if it was the only one I did. It’s not immensely scary but it’s not a push-over Attraction either. I do believe if that Altonville Mine Tours did come back – the Maze HAS to be longer or the experience as a whole should be extended (i.e. a video or an activity beforehand) and I can’t stress this enough ALTONVILLE MINE TOURS NEEDS A BETTER FINALE! #JusticeForTheAltonvilleMineToursFinale

 The Welcoming: Be Chosen;

The Welcoming: Be Chosen was a brand new Scare Maze for Scarefest 2017. The Welcoming was a prequel ‘Experience’ to the upcoming ride, Wicker Man, which was under a Project name of SW8 (Secret Weapon 8), from late 2015 - December 7th 2018 (due to the Official name release by Alton Towers and Merlin Entertainments on December 8th 2018), much like how The Sanctuary was to The Smiler.

 I was intrigued by this fact, so this was my third and final Scare Maze I chose to do, as it also helps that I really liked the idea of a ‘Wicker Man’ type Scare Maze as it was a ‘different’ type of horror – it wasn’t ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night – it was more pagan and magic type horror; the fear of an unknown experience… and the potential that The Welcoming may not come back next year once Wicker Man/SW8 was built as we no longer need to ‘Be Chosen’.

 Plus, I am a Wiccan, so this is right up my street. Yeah, it’s slightly offensive to my religion but I’m not goin to have a hissy-fit over it. And besides, it’s only a bit of fun, eh?

 (I didn’t choose to do Sub Species: The End Games as 1. You get chased. 2. You get touched excessively and pinned to the walls. 3. You can get pulled out of the maze, made to stand alone in room on your own in the dark for anytime between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. 4. There are alternative routes where you might have to crawl. All-in-all, I didn’t fancy it. I know a lot of people say it’s the best one because it’s the scariest but I always worry about being put in a room on my own because of my epilepsy, plus, I don’t want to go through on an alternative route on my own due to anxiety. And I really don’t want to crawl… No thanks…)

 We got to do The Welcoming: Be Chosen around 8.30-8.45, so it was really dark and chilly and overall – it was the perfect time to do this Scare Maze as it caused a brilliant spooky and gothic atmosphere – it was like we were in the 1973 film ‘The Wicker Man’ (I presume that film and AHS’ Roanoke where big inspirations for The Welcoming: Be Chosen and the theming & story behind SW8/Wicker Man). I usually say ‘don’t do scare mazes in the dark’ because again, it’s a bit like doing indoor rides in the dark – there’s no point as you’re not going to notice, however, I found as The Welcoming was a Scare Maze outside (like a Scare Zone), this particular one was better at night as the atmosphere is better. And even for other (indoor) Scare Mazes doing it just as when the Sun goes down means; just as you exit – you’re going out to darkness and I feel like that really does add a special Halloween touch to it.

 I really enjoyed The Welcoming, there was lots of actors, lots of set and theming – which was nice to see, I was worried on how detailed it was going to be as it was an open outdoor one. There was a large flame pyrotechnic at the start – which was impressive, but soon disappointing as the theme of fire wasn’t really carried on… It was a nice walkthrough, a few jump scares and a few grotesque rooms but overall – nothing horrifying. But it was an enjoyable experience where I had a few laughs and a few screams it was a really nice free-flow where we could, once again, take our time and walk at our own pace (so to speak). I enjoyed looking at the hidden details in the set and admired the actors’ interactions with us, the guests and nothing really scared me until… we had to place a bag over our heads.

 Then that was the scary part.

 Not because I couldn’t see. But because I feared of having a seizure.

 I did know it was going to happen, don’t get me wrong. But it was a slight fear of the actors not letting me take it off. Y’know… just encase.

 I was daunting this part, but I put the bag over my head as instructed, and I made sure my mouth wasn’t covered – so I didn’t get too hot and I could breathe, and after that, it wasn’t too bad. We had to hold on to some rope with our left hand that ‘guided our way’, once I had my hand on the rope, I forgot I had a bag on my head and I wasn’t scared anymore, it also helped that I kept my right hand on the person in-front of me and the person behind me had their right hand on my shoulder, so there really wasn’t much to deal with. I could still see light and the basic outlines of shapes and the only thing that troubled me was my hearing was muffled. And once I got the hang of using the rope, I got through it in no time at all! The best (and also scariest) part for me was when one of the female actors pinned me against the fence (whilst I still had the bag ON MY HEAD) and wouldn’t let me go for a good minute, I started laughing and said ‘Well, this isn’t the worst date I’ve been on.’, by the time she let me leave she said (in her growly character voice), ‘Now that’s what I call I blind date!’. I must also warn you, during the hooded section, they do sometimes touch your arms and legs a bit, it’s more to see if you’ll jump or not, but I was way too focused on feeling for the rope and concentrating on my breathing than anything else.

 The second half of the Maze was great – it was a little more horrific than the rest and there was a lot of mood and strobe lighting in a wicker tunnel – which was nice. It’s a shame there wasn’t more fire effects throughout – not even small pyrotechnics or light effects. And the finale was so ineffective that I can’t even remember it!

 Out of all three Scare Mazes I paid for, I enjoyed The Welcoming the most! It was fun, inventive and certainly an experience I’ll remember!

 Scare Rating: 4/5

Enjoyment Rating: 5/5

I Paid: £8

Was It Worth The Money? Yes.

What I Would Pay: £8 or £10 if it was improved or had more scares.

Is It Worth Doing? If you haven’t done it before and it’s back this year, then yes, do it! On a personal note, I don’t think I would do it again this year due to the fact that it was both boring and exciting at the same time (a bit like microwaved chicken nuggets). If The Welcoming came back for Scarefest 2018 with a different tag-line or story and therefore, it was a different experience (even if it was only a slight change), then yes, it would be worth paying to do it again.

Overall: it wasn’t as scary as I wanted it to be or it was hyped up to be, the loudest scream I did was the jump-scare of the bag being pulled off my head by an actor; to me if it weren’t for the hooded section (and some of the grotesqueness some of the sections had to offer), The Welcoming: Be Chosen could’ve easily been an (over 12 or 15s) Scare Zone. Considering, the Scare Maze was called The Welcoming: Be Chosen, I would’ve thought there would’ve been a room/section where there was some guest participation or a ritual of some-sort that would’ve taken place in the middle of the Maze, as nothing about the whole experience pointed towards anything about any of us or the actors “being chosen” and there wasn’t a lot of story in the Maze either… I didn’t quite know what was going on, when we wasn’t hooded, all it seemed to be was “here’s a village, show yourself around it”. It’s like you showing someone (who’s not seen Doctor Who before) a picture of the TARDIS and then that person is supposed to understand the entire show from that picture… it doesn’t work like that… and considering how important this Scare Maze is to Wicker Man/SW8 – it doesn’t seem much story development has been put into it, sadly.

I do hope The Welcoming comes back this year so it can link in with Wicker Man, even if it is for the one last season, however, it has shown that Alton Towers’ guests aren’t a big fan of Scare Mazes that include a hood over your head (i.e. The Haunting Of Molly Crowe – Scarefest 2015), unless they change the layout/experience, I think The Welcoming: Be Chosen may not come back for this year’s season even with it being connected to Wicker Man/SW8.

 Freakshow Scare Zone

It was Freakshow’s 3rd year at Scarefest last year at Alton Towers. And it was more popular than ever! A Scare Zone is ultimately, just a ‘dressed up’ walkthrough with actors, music/audio, light, smoke and/or other effects and lots of scenery and theming. Basically, it’s a short family-friendly Scare Maze and it’s (usually) free at most Theme Parks. They’re not supposed to be scary (as such) just jumpy and a lot of fun for every one of all ages.

 I went through the Freakshow Scare Zone a few times both in day and night (and without actors too), I find that it’s a lot more fun during the evening as the dark makes the lights and smoke effects more affective and again, it creates a great atmosphere.

 During the day is nice too as you get to see it all without being bombarded with actors in your face and you tend to find less people go through during the day as well and you can take photos of the theming before it gets too crowded or smoky.

 It opens at 5pm, i.e. “that’s when the performers come out to play”, but apart from that it’s free to venture throughout the entire day and you can come and go as you please as many times as you like and the best part is that you can take as much time as you like (literally) and you won’t be rushed along. You could stand there on the spot if you wanted to.

 The actors do a really good job of interacting and entertaining the guests, all very lovely and all very talented. They put on a show about 5 minutes before 5pm just as the gates open too!

 Out of everything at Scarefest, I did enjoy Freakshow the most. But that’s usually the case with Alton Towers’ Scare Zones. The Free Entertainment/Attractions are usually the better ones!

 Scare Rating: 2/5

Enjoyment Rating: 5/5

I Paid: Nothing, it was FREE!

Was It Worth The Money? Yes!!!

What I Would Pay: I would obviously still keep it Free, however, if Alton Towers did start charging for Scare Zones, I would pay £2 or £3 maximum – only if it was a REALLY good one! But I believe Scare Zones should always be free, end of. It’s a walkthrough for Gods’ sake!

Is It Worth Doing? Yes! And again and again! Well, it’s free, so why not?!

Overall: I can’t fault Freakshow. It’s a bit of a short one compared to Zombies! Scare Zone in Scarefest 2014. But apart from that, it’s perfect! It’s a lovely way to spend a couple of minutes just to have a laugh! I hope it stays for one or two more Seasons! Not only that, Alton Towers just needs to invest in one or two more Scare Zones as it’s what people want!

 Park Changes:

Cbeebies Land;

Cbeebies Land; this isn’t going to take too much time up, as I didn’t get to see the whole area properly, due to having a limited amount of time in the enormously vast park (even though we were there for a solid two days). First of all, I love what they’ve done to the area and even though Cbeebies Land has been installed at the park for a good 3 years now, it all looks so lovely and ‘brand new’, which is a great advancement on targeting families with young/mixed-aged children. From the entrance to what was known as Old McDonald’s Farm and Storybook Land, has now been completely transformed to the bright, colourful and immensely interactive Something Special Sensory Garden, which has been specially designed for all children of different ages and abilities to enjoy. Of course, by contract from the BBC, Cbeebies Land and the Cbeebies Land Hotel ‘has’ to always be well-kept and to be put first before any of the other attractions at Alton Towers Resort, however, with this being said, I believe, from what I’ve seen some of the ‘upgrades’ have had a really shoddy job i.e. ‘Get Set Go: Tree Top Adventure’ formally ‘The Nutty Squirrel Ride’, yes, I might be a bit biased because that particular ride (and all those rides in that area) were a part of my childhood and it’s very nostalgic for me and to see it get defaced like that is incredibly heart breaking. Yes, I like the idea of Cbeebies Land and the Hotel and it’s doing the Park a lot of good and giving the Resort as a whole a new ‘name’ and brand again, however, I feel like the Park could’ve done a lot more with the area, whether they just re-themed and renovated the area and actually spent some TLC (Towers Loving Care) with the area, i.e. if they turned it into a Fairy Tales Themed Area, Alton Towers could’ve linked it to Scary Tales – the Scare Zone that Alton Towers had (near the Dark Forest) a few Scarefests ago that was incredibly popular and was only a Scare Attraction for one year, sadly.

Cbeebies Land was well worth the instalment, however, I believe all Alton Towers needed to do to Old McDonald’s Farm was to re-brand and refurbish the area and ‘make it their own’ so to speak and evidentially, and save Merlin Entertainments a lot of money that could’ve been spent elsewhere i.e. TLC around the park or the development of SW8.

Secondly – Changes Around The Park:

Forbidden Valley;

The last time I visited Alton Towers Resort was around 4 years ago, and since my visit last October, I noticed a lot of changes. One of course was the change of Air to Galactica. There isn’t a lot different to Galactica than there was to Air (which was to be suspected), with the exception of the VR and literally ONE piece of track theming which is, of course, the portal. Forbidden Valley hasn’t changed much in regards to the theming of Galactica, nor the Queue Line or the Ride Station with exception to a few of the Ride Logos plastered around. There was a ‘slight’ paint job on the inside of the Ride Station with a new video explaining the Galactica Experience, but apart from that, nothing was changed much, to me Air shouldn’t have been a ride to be updated with VR and the entire ‘Space Exploration’ Theming has ruined the idea behind The Forbidden Valley. I unfortunately didn’t have enough time to ride Galactica with the VR as when I got to the queue, Galactica, unfortunately, malfunctioned and I didn’t have enough time during that day to go back to ride Galactica either in the dark or with VR, which I have been wanting to do both times I’ve been at Scarefest and I have annoyingly missed.

A few more changes I saw in The Forbidden Valley were:

-The removal of the wonderful Top Spinner Ride – Ripsaw, which was incredibly sad to see.

-The Rollercoaster Restaurant with an extravagant queue to match the prices.

-The TLC on Nemesis’s Ride Station – which looked gorgeous on the Nemesis Monster, of which NEEDED a really good paint! I’m so impressed of how much Alton Towers has looked after this ride over the years it has been standing.

-And finally; the removal of Nemesis: Sub Terra’s Ride Signage. But don’t be saddened, as the building and queue line still stands and there is a sign outside the ride from The Phalanx hinting that there may be a new attraction soon, however, this was completely due as Nemesis: Sub Terra has been closed since the 2015 season as it was underwhelmed by the public. Hopefully, if anything does come out of this – a new attraction could be open by 2019 or possibly 2020?

Another (temporary) change was that the foot path from Mutiny Bay to Katanga Canon was closed due to the construction site of SW8 (Wicker Man), luckily it was open from 4pm due to the park in Peak Season. The footpath will be fully open once SW8 is open in the 2018 Season.

 Adventure Land;

When I was last at Alton Towers, Adventure Land (and it’s only ride) was pretty occupied by SEGA and the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise, and since then Alton Towers Resort has lost the rights to Sonic and now Adventure Land’s only ride, Spinball Whizzer (was Sonic Spinball), just stands - still operating, but with no theming or development into the area whatsoever. To me, I think Alton Towers just uses Adventure Land now as spare space for Scare Mazes at Scarefest (i.e. Freak Show) and storage. I truly believe that Alton Towers could expand the area for Adventure Land and at least put in some flat rides, some theming or maybe an activity or indoor dark attraction.

 The Towers & Gardens;

After YEARS of visiting Alton Towers Resort, I have NEVER been in the Gardens and I have rarely been in the Towers and as far as I and others have seen from both my and family visits, the Towers and Gardens have never really been in great shape. Luckily, both the Towers and the Gardens were closed for most of last season due to Alton Tower’s TLC Program, not letting the public in or near the grounds. And as per usual, The Towers are closed for just over half of the season to the General Public anyway for the preparations of Scarefest anyway. When I visited Alton Towers this year, The Towers’ renovations looked incredible! And the Garden reconstruction was a brilliant transformation! No more peeling paint or cracked windows, just beautiful 18th Century History.

 Not only that, Hex: The Legend of the Towers, got a well-deserved re-vamp too! From gorgeous new signage to bigger TVs, Hex got the works! I know I haven’t been on Hex in a long while, however, Alton Towers did make sure that Hex stays as one of the best Madhouse Rides in the world, the Octagon looked incredible, the tree got brand new LEDs and the interior of the Towers looked fully restored, everything from the paintings to the artefacts looked like they’ve been kept in a great condition as well as some improved scenery and décor added. I may have only had one ride of Hex last month, but it was the best experience I’ve had on Hex in a very long time.

 X Sector;

With the exception of added lighting on and around Oblivion, (which is temporary and only for the purpose of Scarefest and Fireworks), it’s sad to say not a lot has been done to the X Sector. Oblivion’s queue line and ride station really needs some love and care to it or an all-in-all re-theming to match The Smiler and The Ministry of Joy. Within two days, I only got one ride on Oblivion and whereas it used to be one of my favourite rides at Alton Towers, I’ve unfortunately had to lower its ranking. Unless you sit on the back row, you’re going to have a shaky ride. The track is still as timeless as it was when it was built and I will still ride the mighty Oblivion, however, I may be a little bit reluctant to ride straight after Enterprise. Of which, is a ride I don’t want to go on much more and I feel like it should get replaced with a different thrill flat ride. On the other hand, I’ve actually changed my mind about The Smiler. Out of all the times I’ve ridden The Smiler, the last 3 rides I had last month were probably the best! Yes, The Smiler is a bit rocky and the track has aged terribly and isn’t as smooth as it was when first built. And usually, with The Smiler, it’s a Marmite ride, you either REALLY love it or you REALLY hate it. 4 years ago, I started off not so keen, now I love it! The Smiler is a ride that you have to go on with the certain conditions:

-Late Evening

-Raining

-Backrow

If you don’t ride The Smiler with 2 (or more) of these conditions, then what’s the point? I honestly can’t enjoy this ride unless it’s a raining night at Scarefest. End of. A part from that, really, just don’t bother.

The only thing I hate with The Smiler is the queue line and the Ride Station.

-Firstly; the Ride Station is so… out-of-sync with the theming of The Smiler… it’s just really off… and it’s a shame because The Smiler itself is incredibly scenic and then the Ride Station is an entire eye-sore.

-The queue line itself does a good job with theming etc. and I like that. It sticks to the storyline of the ride (I.e. you’re tightly compacted and you feel like a lab rat), which is really good because it’s really rare you find that at Theme Parks. But it’s probably just a personal thing, but it makes me feel rather panicky because of my anxiety, plus, the indoor queue line is dark, squashed and there seems to be not much order. Also, I find that The Smiler Staff make the Disabled Queue wait a long time, because to me I feel like Disabled Riders (both Ambulant and Wheelchair-bound) should be higher priority because we physically cannot queue for one reason or another.

-I also feel like the Ride Station and Queue Line have seen much better days with it being wet, muddy, paint peeling, projectors & audio failing at times. I know that sounds picky, but considering The Smiler is a new ride (which has been running for just less than 5 years now), I would’ve thought the Maintenance would’ve been high-priority for the park, but again, that’s just a personal thing.

 Cloud Cuckoo Land;

Again, due to losing the copyright’s to Blue Sky’s Ice Age, Alton Towers no longer has Ice Age 4D in the Theatre and this has resulted in Cloud Cuckoo Land getting de-furbished to its original state, which would’ve been really nice if they did a good job of it. All Alton Towers have done is re-paint the area in astonishingly bright colours that would put a UV Techno Party to shame and poorly remove and/or cover the Ice Age décor and scenery. The Cloud Cuckoo Land entrance signage has had a REALLY shoddy job to the point where you can STILL see the Ice Age sign underneath. As well as Ice Age 4D, three other rides/attractions have been removed since I was last at Alton Towers;

-Wobble World has been removed (permanently), as the building is now used for The House of Monsters during Scarefest.

-Charlie and The Chocolate Factory: The Ride, obviously an IP Ride that Alton Towers lost the copyrights for and is also permanently closed for the time being and is currently blocked by a (custom-designed) wooden fence and bright flowers. Hopefully, something will be done soon as there’s literally only 2 Dark Rides left on the park, it’ll be nice to see another indoor water ride (or any water ride for that matter) installed on park.

-Twirling Toadstool, a chair-swing ride that has been on the park for many years and has been a park favourite throughout many age groups, has been taken off park temporarily for TLC.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is too much of a huge area just for 3 Flat Rides, and it is a shame to see this area be neglected over the years, however, it is nice to see the Cloud Cuckoo Land Cars back up and working again with a brand-new look for 2017. I hope that in either the 2019 Season or 2020 Season, Cloud Cuckoo Land gets some proper TLC, a brand new dark ride and a new theatrical or cinematic show in their Theatre.

 Gloomy Wood;

Poor old Gloomy Wood… is again, another area that’s always left out of major TLC, considering how popular it is – even with one ride!

Last winter Duel’s signage and the exterior were given some TLC but it isn’t noticeable unless you’re looking for it. Duel’s ride lighting was changed to LEDs for cheaper running costs, however, this was a mistake as you can now see the mechanisms that move the Ghosts and Ghouls inside the Ghost Train.

I had a few rides on Duel at my last trip and they weren’t as enjoyable as I remember. Yes, it’s still a fun family ride that I do enjoy very much and you’d be stupid to not go on it at Alton Towers. But I’m starting to feel like it’s losing its touch. Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back is such an iconic ride at Alton Towers and Gloomy Wood has some of the best theming in the area and has usually been well kept over the years, yet, it’s never as well looked after as other sections of the park.

I’m glad that there’s been some added track and monsters to Duel since last time I rode Duel, although, Alton Towers could’ve used that spare money to sort out the problem with the laser guns (as they stop working before the ride finishes), the ride audio (as its muffled in certain places and sometimes two or three tracks overlap as you’re moving from section to section), the spinning tunnel (as it hasn’t been working for YEARS), or the queue line (as it’s incredibly too-worn-for-wear, so to speak).

Speaking of the queue line, it is nice that Alton Towers actually put in pumpkins and other Hallowe’en decorations in the queue line during Scarefest, which happens to be the only Hallowe’en decorations I found around the park with exception of Towers Street.

 SW8 a.k.a. Wicker Man:

SW8’s name was Officially released on 8th January 2018 after waiting since late 2015, however, a lot of Theme Park Enthusiasts had found a leaked name of ‘Wicker Man’ and ‘Wicca Man’ floating around the Theme Park Community since early-mid 2017, due to this speculation, that was the theory of what SW8 was going to be named – so the ‘name release’ wasn’t much of a surprise.

Putting this aside, this still hasn’t dampened the excitement of the Theme Park Community as the original concept art has now been released and it looks STUNNING, not only that the ride is going to be the World’s First WOODEN Rollercoaster to combine the element of fire, with a 6 Story Tall Wicker Man Statue busting into flames as you ride through its chest! Usually, wood and fire do not mix well, so that’s why “most” of the flames will be special effects using lights & projections and the “real” flames won’t be touching or anywhere near the riders at any time. If done correctly, the fire effects will look gorgeous and this is going to be a ride that changes the future of Alton Towers and its further developments for a long time and this will hopefully, create a new outlook on the futures’ of Theme Parks nation or even world-wide!

It is said that the ride will be Multi-Sensory and has been speculated that there could also be a smoke filled tunnel as well as other ‘World-First Effects’.

I am really looking forward to riding Wicker Man, as it is the first new Wooden Coaster to be built in 21 Years and not only that Alton Towers have also said that Wicker Man is going to be an ‘Experience’ and have a few video screenings beforehand (like Hex), I’m really excited to see the Theming of this new ride as well to finally see another ride join Gloomy Wood!

I saw Wicker Man get partially built at Scarefest last year, and it looks AMAZING! It was hard to see from ground level as 1. The fencing is in the way. 2. Being in a wheelchair gives you bad angles. However, seeing it from the Skyride (a bird’s eye view) was something else! It’s a phenomenal piece of track that looks like it’s going to do the park some justice for once and claim back its reputation of great coasters! The Wicker Man Statue has been seen on social media sites like Instagram recently and it looks AWESOME!

I can’t wait to see it in all its glory and the fire effects in the dark will be spectacular!

Wicker Man will be a great success!

Well Done Alton Towers!

 (A big THANKS to the YouTube Channel - Theme Park Worldwide, who have been constantly doing Vlogs on Alton Towers’ 2017 Season and the SW8 Construction Update Videos!)

[jonathanryder-blog]

↳  Character Development

“None of us can make it through this life without suffering some kind of pain. Having lived through my fair share I can tell you the most difficult to endure is loneliness. He was right. Life is a game, and one that we must play. No matter how careful we are there is simply no way to go through this life unscathed, but fortunately for us, it’s a game we don’t have to play alone.”

BASIC INFORMATION

Full Name: Jonathan Elliot Ryder

Nickname(s): Jon, Jonah, Ryder (mostly by work colleagues), Miracle Worker

Pronunciation:  J-oh-n-ah-th-ah-n  Eh-l-ee-uh-t  Rye-d-uh-r

Titles: Doctor, Surgeon

Age: 36

Date of Birth: February 20th 1983

Hometown: Goldwater

Current Location: Goldwater

Ethnicity: American

Nationality: Anglo-American

Gender: Male

Pronouns: Him/He/His

Orientation: Bisexual/Biromantic

Occupation: ER Doctor/Trauma Surgeon/Field Surgeon/First Aider

Living Arrangements: Can be found here

Financial Status: Upper-Middle Class

Accent: A hybrid between a neutral American and English accent, the latter hints very strongly from influences his father gave him growing up so his voice ends up making him sound more foreign than he actually is. He’s adopted a neutral tone mostly for work related reasons -- so people can understand him better.

Religion: Agnostic

Occupation: ER Doctor & Trauma Surgeon

MUTATION

Physiology: Human

Species: Homo Sapiens Superior / Mutant

Strength: Average

Stamina: Above Average

Speed: Average

Dexterity: Fine-tuned motor control particularly of his hands, able to perform unique movements without his hands shaking making him an incredibly good surgeon when wielding a scalpel.

Reflexes: Relatively quick but still average.

Power: Biokinesis / Healing / Restoration { More on this here }

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Face Claim: Tom Hiddleston

Hair Colour: Dark blonde

Eye Colour: Gunmetal / Silvery blue

Height: 6 ft 2 / 188cm

Weight: 79 kg / 174 lbs.

Build: Slender but athletic & toned.

Somatype: Between ectomorphic and mesomorphic

Posture: Straight unless tired, then tends to slouch when sat.

Tattoos: N/A

Piercings: N/A

Dominant Side: Right

Blood Type: O - universal donor.

Distinguishing Marks: Several smaller scars littered across his hands from injuries prior to gaining his abilities, faint scar lines dotted across his torso from large injuries he tried to heal on others and ended up marking his own body instead. The most prominent is on the side of his neck typically covered by shirt collars and one on his temple from where he slipped and fell out of a tree he was climbing when he was a child.

Clothing Style: Really depends on the day sometimes this, or this but it’s nearly always some kind of combo of a jacket/blazer + top/shirt + jeans/trousers. Often he can be seen wearing glasses although these simply have plain glass in the lenses as he doesn’t actually specifically need them anymore now that his ability has developed. { More on this here }

Accessories: Always wears a wrist watch given to him as a gift by Ophelia.

Facial Hair: Typically is clean shaven but when he does have a beard tends to look along the lines of this.

Usual Expression: Occasionally distant, sometimes appears to be lost in thought but mostly just friendly.

Distinguishing Characteristics:  Several smaller scars littered across his hands from injuries prior to gaining his abilities, faint scar lines dotted across his torso from large injuries he tried to heal on others and ended up marking his own body instead. The most prominent ones are one on the side of his neck typically covered by shirt collars, one on his temple from where he slipped and fell out of a tree he was climbing and another one on the lower angle of his jaw from where he slipped on the docks and fell hitting his chin on the wooden planks when he was a child.

PSYCHOLOGY

IQ: 122

Languages: English, French, Italian and can speak bits of the following: Afrikaans, Zulu, Setswana, Arabic. 

Vocabulary: Articulate & thoughtful.

Memory: Rather good but nothing exceptional.

Temperament: Calm, level-headed.

Learning Style: Kinesthetic & Visual

Emotional Stability: Relatively stable, he doesn’t exactly give himself the time to talk about how he feels preferring to focus on other people because he deems their needs as far more important in comparison to his own. He uses his work to cope with things and will throw himself into work to the point of overworking himself to try and forget about things that are bothering him. Overall he’s pretty stable but if someone hits a nerve then they might just get to see he’s not quite as stable as he likes to appear on the outside.

Sociability: Jonathan is somewhere in the middle of this spectrum, he enjoys people’s company but he also needs some time to himself just to relax.

HEALTH

Physical Ailments: Growing up Jonathan suffered from short-sightedness, this was fixed by glasses and contacts and continud into his adult life. When his abilities manifested however, this restored his vision to near perfect levels but due to having spent his entire life wearing glasses he couldn’t simply stop. So now to avoid suspicion from people who knew him as a child he wears a pair of glasses with plain glass lenses and no curvature.

Neurological Conditions: Headaches often triggered stress or fatigue.

Allergies: N/A

Sleeping Habits: Generally his sleep schedule is a mess, especially when he gets night shifts ‘til the early hours of the morning. On those days he comes back and will sleep during the morning-afternoon and be up mid-late afternoon before trying to go to sleep correctly at 11/12pm that night.

Eating Habits: He’s a big fan of a medium cooked steak, seafood is one of his favourites and he has always loved crab, lobster, prawns and fish. Besides this he loves baked goods - a thing that has been the case ever since he was small.

Exercise Habits: He isn’t a total exercise freak but he enjoys going on long walks with Jas listening to music depending on his mood, otherwise he’s big on going for runs. Wherever his feet take him he’ll go, and depending on the day will depend how much he pushes himself. He tries to go out for at least an hour a day if he can.

Body Temperature: Warm but not too hot.

Addictions: Work.

Drug Use: None.

Alcohol Use: Mostly for pleasure, or social occasions. He enjoys the taste and company he tends to keep but other times he just enjoys it as a stress reliever but very rarely drinks enough to get drunk (difficult anyway due to his fast metabolism). 

PERSONALITY

Label: The Helper

Positive Traits: Dependable, intelligent, level-headed, knowledgeable, charming, polite, steadfast, affectionate, sensitive, dutiful, sympathetic.

Negative Traits: Perfectionist, solitary, stubborn, reserved, self-depreciating, excessively humble, unwilling to take the spotlight.

Fears: People learning about what he can do, being persecuted for it, others being hurt for what he is.

Hobbies: Reading, sodoku, cooking, walking (Jas), running, listening to music, fishing, sleeping, playing chess, crosswords, watching TV, watching movies.

FAVOURITES

Weather: Snow, but not snowing. He likes days where the snow has settled and the sun is out causing it to glisten in the light. Besides this he loves rain, storms with thunder and lightning.

Colour: Blue, greys, white, blacks

Music: Jazz, Soul, Classical, Ballroom, Blues along with the odd bit of Indie thrown in

Movies: Hannibal, The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption

Sport: Running, Tennis Skiing

Beverage: Single malt Speyburn Scotch

Food: Medium/Rare steak with a béarnaise sauce

Animal: Dogs

FAMILY

Andrew Kenneth Ryder → 68 Years Old → Jeremy Irons → Alive

Michelle René Ryder → 63 Years Old → Rene Russo → Alive

Children: N/A

Pet(s): Can be found here.

Family’s Financial Status: Upperclass

RELATIONSHIPS

Orientation: Bisexual, biromantic.

Relationship Status: Single

Current Love Interests: TBD

Former/Ongoing Love Interests: Ophelia Thorne

EXTRA

Zodiac Sign: Pisces.

MBTI: ISFJ-A

Enneagram: The Perfectionist - Type 1

Temperament: Phlegmatic

Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

Moral Alignment: Neutral good

Primary Vice: Wrath potentially?

Primary Virtue: Diligence or Humility

Element: Water

Likes: Roaming & travelling the world. Old architecture. Cathedrals. Long dinners by candlelight. Quiet. Chestnuts. Sunset. Stars. Night. Water of any kind but particularly the ocean. Fishing. Exploring. Long walks. A good log fire and the smell and sound of burning wood. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, whiskey. The warmth of sunlight. The sound of rain. Piano soundtracks. France, Italy, London -- most European cities. Humour. Nature. Dislikes: Open shoes, Headaches. Loneliness. Dirty fingernails. Mould. Noise. Bullying. Racism. Bigoted individuals. Animal cruelty. Inequality. Spicy foods. Horror films. Liars. Politics. Slackers. Heavy traffic. Air pollution. Crowds. Feeling embarassed. Pushiness. Smoking. Overcooked food. Gawdy colours. 

Tropes: A God Am I/God Complex, Actual Pacifist, Adorkable, Apologises a Lot, Beware the Nice Ones, Big Secret, Bi The Way, Break the Cutie, Broken Ace, Character Tics, Cultured Badass, Doesn't Like Guns, Everyone Has Standards, Geek Physique, Gentleman and a Scholar, Good Is Not Soft, Good Thing You Can Heal, Hates Small Talk, Heroic Neutral, Heroic Sacrifice, Hot Scientist, Loss of Identity, Nice to the Waiter, Omnidisciplinary Scientist, Papa Wolf, Sharp-Dressed Man, Stepford Smiler, Tranquil Fury

[victorluvsalice]

*waggles hand* Sort of. . .the weather certainly didn’t improve, with thunderstorms continuing to rage with only small breaks. And the rest of the morning was rather up and down for the group:

-->Victor started off his day by tending his greenhouse, which, uh, you can see was in a bit of a state this episode. XD Yeah, I was trying to rearrange it so I had plants grouped together logically, and enough room for everything I was having him grow, and it wasn’t working out great. Though I did hit upon the idea of moving the flower-arranging bench and the juice fizzer out of the barn and into the greenhouse, as it felt logical for them to be in there, close to the produce. Next update is in fact a “build mode” update, and you’ll see how I eventually got it all to work!

-->Breakfast was nice, with Victor getting some breakfast scramble and Smiler a drink from Alice -- and accidentally fulfilling the “wear costume” tradition for the holiday in the process, because vampire dark forms count for that! (And yes, that is their “dark form” fitness outfit.) Remembering something I wanted to test, I quickly had Alice change into her werewolf form --

-->No tick on the tradition. Boo. >( But at least I get a chance to show off Alice’s upgraded werewolf look! After her bath, the singing from the lightning strike still hadn’t come off, so I had Alice use the mirror, and figured it was the perfect opportunity to paint her fur up some more! I kept it relatively simple with some Cheshire-ish bands around her arms and legs, and an extra couple of stripes going down the back of her head (based off a little Cheshire toy I have). A little annoyed that, thanks to the way Sims stand, I couldn’t get the arm bands to go all the way around, but it still looks better than what she had before!

-->Anyway, back outside to follow Smiler to their second attempt at making this robot -- and we had a fox in the henhouse! Local fox Harley got in, fought the chickens, and made off with an egg, the little bastard. >( I gotta get some fox alarms. Or an evil chicken.

-->Also, Smiler’s attempt to keep working on their robot ended with them being zapped all to hell again. *sigh* I think they may have actually picked up the Fear of Death AGAIN from this, which -- honestly, can’t blame them? This damn bench seems to have it out for them.

-->Well, since technology failed them, why not have everyone gather in the study for some fun creative times? Alice did some wolfy painting; Smiler jammed on their guitar; and Victor FINALLY finished up the “Whimsical Tune” that has been sitting in his inventory for AGES. I called it “Wonderland Smiles” because there wasn’t enough room for “Smile Always Wonderland.” That’s another thing I want fixed, the fact that it takes so long to write a song when it takes relatively little time to write a book. . .

-->As that was going on, I saw Harley lurking around again, so once Alice had finished her painting, I sent her outside to scare the fox off. Not gonna tangle with a werewolf, that’s for sure! Also had her smash up some creepy hands that had sprouted up nearby while she was at it.

-->And we end this part of the update with Smiler raiding the decorations box to decorate the outside of the house for Halloween! How did that turn out?

[victorluvsalice]

We have hit Winter Sunday in the Chill Valicer Save! And with this update, we enter the period of time in this save that I like to call "Time To FINISH FILLING THOSE DAMN SHELVES PLEASE." AKA, the next few updates are all about trying to get their grocery store into an openable state! Hope you like farm chores and food processing! *big smile, thumbs up* And speaking of the former, let's get right to it --

-->We start in the wee, wee hours of the morning, as we usually do around here as Smiler doesn't need sleep and Victor and Alice's bed is so good, they have developed a bit of a wonky sleep schedule as a result. XD (Victor having chugged a Potion of Plentiful Needs at the end of last "episode" also didn't help!) Specifically, we start in the old crafting barn, where Victor, after using his powerful magical talents to Scruberoo a slightly dirty Smiler, returned to making candles for his "bee products" shelf at the store! As he'd leveled up in Fabrication skill, I decided that he could make a black-dyed molded candle to show off his new talents...a process that I quickly discovered really just consisted of a lot of the Sim just standing in front of the candle bench, waiting for the wax to cool in the mold. Which, okay, probably accurate, but not exactly the most exciting thing to watch, huh? I prefer dipped candles, at least then they're DOING something.

-->As for Smiler and Alice -- well, the gardening bots Elmer and Bugs needed another tune-up, so that kept Smiler busy for a good chunk of the morning. Alice, for her part, snoozed until her energy bar was full, then came downstairs to fix some broken wind turbines because the phase of the moon meant that she would get extra Handiness skill from it. :p She was feeling rather hungry after that, so I had her transform and go out for a hunt -- hey, nothing like fresh meat for a werewolf tummy! And it's always a good source of XP.

-->Once Victor was done with his candle, I decided to check what he needed to brew up a potion of Emotional Stability, as he was all set with the ingredients needed for Plentiful Needs and Nimble Mind. Turns out he needed some Obtainium if he wanted to brew up emotionally-calming drinks, so I quickly checked Alice's metal collection upstairs to see if she had any. To my delight, she did indeed have a sample! So Victor got sent up there to use his overpowered Copypasto spell on it a couple of times. XD Seriously, I would be SOO lost in this save without that spell now...

-->While Victor was doing that, Smiler finished up their bot repairs and decided it was the perfect time to make some drinks! And I decided "actually, yes, it IS the perfect time to make some drinks -- so you can give them to the damn specters floating around the greenhouse and the back yard, distracting everyone." So Smiler poured out a few glasses and went searching out specters to give them to. Happily, both the specter floating by the tree annoying Shadow and the specter bopping around in the greenhouse appreciated the gifts, and both rewarded Smiler with the same thing -- soul scraps! I put those in their inventory for later -- I don't think I've used one of these yet? Probably should at some point...but they do look VERY cool with that little flame glowing above the disc, don't they? There's a reason I have a few on display in the seance room. :)

-->Anyway -- with that sorted, Smiler set Elmer and Bugs on the greenhouse and started cleaning up all the spoiled plates of chicken saltimbocca left everywhere from the family reunion. Victor fed Toothy the cowplant (I do not blame him for looking so nervous -- cowplants are very ENTHUSIASTIC about being fed), then went to check on Shadow, who was angry about something or other -- possibly all those specters hanging around. Victor calmed Shadow down as Alice returned from her hunt and gobbled down her fresh meat...