#gotta love the freedom to make a story happen when inspiration arrives

[marlynnofmany]

Cave Space

The mechanic’s shop was the loudest and dirtiest place I’d seen on this space station so far, and somehow that was comforting. All the ritzy retail stores and elaborate restaurants tried to look as fancy as possible, even the cheap ones. But this place felt honest and straightforward. It had bare concrete floors and the kind of shelf displays that didn’t bother with signs to actually explain what you were looking at. A real mechanic would know.

I had no idea, but I was just here to help haul things. Blip and Blop might have been a better choice if the things in question proved to be heavy, but they were off wrangling jumbo tubs of food and medical supplies with Eggskin, and anyways we had the big hoversled this time. It would probably be fine.

Mimi was talking fast with an employee about manifolds and vents and lots of other words, waving a couple green tentacles while he stood on the rest. The employee was the biggest Heatseeker I could remember seeing, which was still only mid-rib-height on me. He reminded me of the short gym guys from back home, able to build muscle in every direction but up.

A box thumped onto a counter near me. “You here to help lift and pull?”

I found an older human woman grinning at me, wearing a tank top covered in grease and long white hair held back in a ponytail. Also the kind of arm muscle that said she yanked engines out of spaceships for fun.

“Something like that,” I said with a smile. “Gotta make sure nothing falls off the sled.”

She waved a hand. “Ah, we’ll strap it down for you. There’s enough ramps around here to cause problems if we don’t.”

“I bet,” I said, thinking back to the last time I’d chased something important down a hill. “Don’t want to risk any explosions or chemical spills.”

“Or slamming a gear shaft into the side of a building,” she agreed. “There was a bit of a mess the last time someone was sure they didn’t need their stuff tied down.”

I winced. “Ouch.”

“Yeah, it’s standard procedure now,” she said, opening the box to pull out multiple smaller boxes, all labeled with arcane terminology and numbers. They rattled as she stocked them on the shelf under the counter. “If they’d asked me, it would have been standard from the start, but what do I know? I’ve only been doing this kind of work for decades, on more planets than I care to count.”

“Sounds exciting,” I said as she finished stocking. “I haven’t been out here all that long by comparison, but there’s always something new to see.” A glance around the shop took in rows of alien technology, a Heatseeker with scales painted silver, and one of those centipede-like people whose species name I didn’t remember. I was pretty sure they were looking at a jetpack display.

“Oh sure, plenty of weirdos out here,” the woman said easily, ripping tape off the box and flattening it. “Though it’s easy to tip over from marveling at the wonders to feeling the kind of intense homesickness that you get when you’re light years away from home.”

“I suppose so.” I’d been pretty lucky on that front, since my alien coworkers were friendly sorts who made me feel welcome. But there were times when the sheer amount of empty space between me and Earth was a little too much to think about.

“You’ve got to find ways to remind yourself of where you come from, and take pride in it,” the older woman said with a pointed finger, like a grandparent giving career advice. “Recreate bits of home while you’re far from it.”

I thought back to the potted plants and sun lamp in my quarters, kept high enough that the cat couldn’t chew on them. “I like to think I do that,” I said. “Do you have a preferred method? Classic Earth songs, googly eyes stuck in funny places?”

She barked a laugh. “Ha! Nothing I’d admit to. But I’ll show you my current favorite touchstone to humanity.” She dug in a pocket.

I stepped closer, curious, as she pulled out something palm-sized. She rested her elbows on the counter and held it up, framed by splayed fingers with appropriate drama.

It was a rock, smooth and shiny like it had been polished by a river and then by a thick layer of varnish, and it was covered in minuscule handprints. All in earthtones, like a cave painting reduced to pocket size: some in silhouettes like tiny hands had pressed mud or ash against the cave wall, and others shadowed by color like the prehistoric artist had chewed charcoal and spat it carefully around their fingers.

(I’d done that in school one day, with one of the cool teachers, who taught us the basics of humanity’s oldest style of airbrushing. It was incredibly messy and trickier than I’d expected. It gave me renewed respect for the artists from eons ago whose artwork had survived into modern times.)

And this was that same thing, made small enough to carry around the galaxy, a tiny reminder of home. “That’s fantastic,” I breathed.

“Isn’t it?” she asked, rubbing at the shine. “I got it from a traveling artist awhile back. If I was in a different line of work, I’d sell clothes with this pattern on them. It’s the kind of thing that makes other Earthlings smile.” She stood up and put it back in her pocket with a wink. “Not like googly eyes, but still good.”

“Yes, still good!” I agreed, smiling. I would have liked to talk more about it, maybe find out where that traveling artist had gone, but Mimi was wrapping up his conversation. A door opened to admit a trio of Heatseekers carrying a huge cylinder that was probably destined for somewhere in the guts of our ship.

“I’ll get the tie-down straps,” said the woman, rummaging under a different section of counter.

“Thanks,” I said, though I don’t think she heard me. The air was full of talk and the sound of clawed feet on concrete. I hurried to take up a position by the controls of the hoversled, making sure it stayed locked in place.

The team worked quickly, and in no time they had it strapped down well enough that it wouldn’t budge even if the gravity cut out completely. (Which had better not happen; I’d had more than enough of that kind of nonsense at the last station.)

Mimi processed the payment, tapping a screen with one tentacle tip and thanking the employees for having this whatsit in stock. I got the impression that it wasn’t the one he’d actually come to get, but it was better in some way or other.

“Thanks again!” I said as we tugged the sled toward the door. I waved at the other human and she waved back, two hands signaling kinship briefly across the room. Then she took her flattened box into the back and I stepped out into the artificial sunlight, looking for signs leading back to the spaceport.

The gravity behaved, and the ramps were no trouble. Blip and Blop were there to help unload the thing. I asked Mimi if he wanted three people to maneuver it into wherever it went, or if I should go put the hoversled away.

He was busy climbing inside of the cylinder with a flashlight, for whatever reason. “Nah, not enough space for everybody,” his gravelly voice echoed. “Let me just — really? Another one?” A faint squeak sounded like he was rubbing a tentacle against the side.

“What is it?” I asked, bending to look inside. Blip and Blop crowded behind me, a jumble of curious muscles and silks.

Mimi grumbled, “This is the third engine part that I’ve gotten with these annoying marks. All from different sources, too. If I ever find out which finger-having species is doing it, we are going to have words.”

Deep inside the cylinder, in a spot that likely would never have been seen by anyone but an agile mechanic, was a patch of handprints. Mimi had already smeared the ones made in grease, but the others looked like they might have been paint. All in earthtones. A cave painting in the depths of a spaceship.

Blip and Blop chorused, “Not it.”

I bit my lip to hide a smile. “It’s a mystery.”

~~~

Inspired by this excellent artwork by @letmeinimafairy! It deserved at least one story, if not several.

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

[wolfstar-supremacy-innit]

"Tell who?"- Part 1

Remus smiled into his pillow. Why’s he so cute? He felt something rustle under his stomach. Reaching under himself, he pulled out a wrinkled piece of parchment. His resolutions list. Remus flipped onto his back and squinted at the letters. Warmth was pooling in his chest. Something is missing here. He patted the bed in search for his quill and ink, then wrote:

5. Fuck this I wanna tell him I love him

The paper slipped to the floor as Remus’ arms gave out and he drifted into an instantaneous, profound sleep.

Alternatively:

The Marauders are in their 6th year at Hogwarts, it's New Year's Eve and Remus writes a New Year's resolutions list. Sirius finds it the next day. The story is written from Remus' point of view. It's wolfstar and lighthearted. Kinda inspired by this fanfic.

This is part 1 of the story. I will be posting the other parts separately here and also the full fic on ao3 (I will link everything when it's done, check this post for that in some time). Warnings: underage drinking and smoking, mentions of anxiety disorder.

Enjoy! :)

Part 2 Part 3

Remus sat on the windowsill in the 6th year boys’ dormitory rolling a cigarette with magic. Well, trying to. He carefully placed the tobacco and filter on the small paper and tapped it with his wand, but half of the contents plopped out. The spell needed perfecting, obviously. Remus had picked up the habit of smoking socializing with some muggle kids back home during that summer. He knew it was stupid, but he had thought it looked cool. Later, he also found out he quite liked the lightheadedness that followed smoking a cigarette quickly. And some more time after that, there was a boy at school to try to impress, but that's a little embarrassing to admit. A nicotine addiction was surely well on its way to becoming a reality, but Remus didn't like to think about that. And anyway, with the war looming over everyone's head, who cares if a 16-year-old werewolf is addicted to nicotine? The problem was that cigarettes were expensive and Remus didn't have a lot of money to spare, so he resigned to rolling as it was cheaper and lasted longer. With some practice, he'll be able to assemble them with magic effortlessly anyway.

"Hiya, Moony," James said, walking into the room, "you're not getting ready?"

"Yes, I am." Remus pointed at his cigarette rolling arrangement, although James was probably referring to the fact that he wasn't dressed for a party.

It was the 31st of December. The four of them were staying at Hogwarts for the entirety of the holidays, given that the full moon had been on the 26th. Well, that was the excuse they gave their parents. The real reason why they hadn’t gone to the Potters after the 26th, where they usually spent the Christmas holidays, was that Sirius had stumbled upon a flyer for a gig and party occurring in Hogsmeade that Friday. James and Sirius were ecstatic, but Remus was pretty apathetic towards the idea of going. With his crush on his best friend and all. In fact, he had been trying to steer clear of settings in which he was sure Sirius would look particularly, well, hot. However, there was a flaw in his thinking, he had realised. Day by day, Sirius was beginning to look extraordinarily hot to Remus in every setting, and there was nothing he could do about it.

When Sirius had arrived at their train compartment at the beginning of that school year, Remus was very, very confused. Sirius had run away from home and spent the majority of the summer at the Potters, but in the two months, he had changed profoundly. Although they had been exchanging letters the whole summer, nothing could've prepared Remus for the feeling of panic bubbling up in him when Sirius had stepped through the sliding doors. After finally being released from his family's clutches, the freedom and eagerness to express himself had been immediately evident. Sirius had let his hair grow out longer than usual, past his shoulders, messier and curlier, but all the better looking (if that was even possible). He'd gotten taller and his shoulders broader, his muggle clothes sitting flawlessly on his lean figure. He’d looked cool, to say the least- chunky black lace-up boots, black trousers, a small silver loop earring in one ear and, of course, a black leather jacket. Remus had been perplexed and silent the whole train ride. What is wrong with me, he had thought. It wasn't envy or disapproval. It was excitement for his best friend's joy after years of trauma, of course, it was. But what the hell was that lump in his throat and the inability to look Sirius in the eye? Later that week, as Sirius had stepped out of the bathroom with his shirt hanging loosely around his neck exposing his prominent collarbones, Remus had realised with a sinking feeling that it all impossibly resembled a crush. A crush on Sirius?? I am so fucked, he had thought as he swallowed a lump.

In the following months, Remus had been desperately attempting to push his feelings into the deep dark depths of his mind and just forget about it. Still, as it turned out, Sirius' natural charm and charisma were impossible to look past. He would casually sling his arm over Remus' shoulders on their way to class or wink at him when James said a sentence without picking up on the innuendo of it. And it made Remus' heart jump out of his chest. On top of all that, Sirius was, in all likelihood, the most handsome bloke in the whole of Britain. So much so that talking to him made Remus' stomach twist with nervous energy most of the time. Anxious talking to my best friend of five years... He felt completely off his rocker.

In the present time, Sirius threw the dorm door open, stepping inside with Peter following and Remus jumped a little. "Lads," he said rubbing his palms together, "tonight's the night. We're getting plastered!"

"No," Remus said, still struggling with the cigarettes, now resolving to roll them manually. He wasn't very keen on his big mouth outrunning his drunk brain as it so usually happened after a few drinks. And now he had a dangerous secret to keep...

"Oh come on, Moony! This is our night off the chain!" There wasn't much Remus could say no to with those big grey eyes looking into his. Before he could say anything, Sirius asked: "Mate, could you roll me a few?" He had picked smoking up from Remus, of course. Sirius had said it looked "wicked" and “punk rock”. Remus was more proud of that than he was willing to admit.

"Sure," Remus replied.

"Cheers." Sirius winked at Remus and his stomach flipped. "Right. I'm going to get ready. We gotta clear off when I get out," Sirius said disappearing into the bathroom.

Remus successfully rolled up enough cigarettes for him and Sirius and placed them into his case. Oblivious to James' and Peter's conversation, Remus contemplated how he would survive the night. He'll have his cigs and the music, he concluded. He'll be fine.

He changed into his teal sweater and dark jeans and plopped onto his bed, gazing into the wooden board above him for a while. He sighed. In a few hours, 1976 would die and the illusion of a new slate in the form of a new year will be born. Remus was aware it was silly, but he liked creating little lists of goals for himself for the following year. They were never anything revolutionary, just a couple of small and realistic things he would like to accomplish. He thought about it for a few moments, then reached into the drawer of his bedside table and pulled out some parchment, ink and a quill. He wrote:

1977 New Years resolutions:

1. Get mum that record she's been talking about for months now

2. Master the cig rolling spell

3. Improve on non-verbal magic

4. Complete that muggle reading challenge Lilly and I compiled

Sirius then came out of the bathroom dolled up and with very discreet lines of black eyeshadow around his eyes. The parchment and quill slipped from Remus’ fingers. The deep grey now stood out even further than usual. "Should we get a move on, then?" Remus rolled on his bed, pressed his face into the pillow and groaned softly, pretending it was because of his reluctance to go. He didn't know how many more of Sirius' little surprises he could take before his head imploded. This was clearly one of those times Sirius would look just exceptionally fucking fit.

"You're wearing that, Moony?" Remus picked his head up to look at Sirius, not being able to suppress the disappointment that was creeping up.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Well, you wear sweaters every day, don’t you? This is a party we’re going to!” Remus sat up and peered at him silently, allowing himself to take a better look at the eyeshadow that suited him wonderfully.

“Where did you get that?” James piped in, finally noticing Sirius’ make up.

“Borrowed it from Marls. Now, Moony, let’s see...” He started rummaging through his wardrobe and emerged with a dark grey shirt with a band logo on it. “Here you go, mate.” Sirius held it up for him to look at, then tossed it on the werewolf’s bed. Remus loved that shirt, especially because it was one of Sirius’ favourites.

“It’s December,” Remus said, but excitement was swirling in his stomach at the thought of wearing Sirius’ clothes. “Well, wear your coat.” He flashed Remus a smile. As the other boys started pilling their belongings into their pockets and putting on jackets, Remus reflected on changing into the shirt. Then he did it, quickly. Heat rose swiftly up his neck and cheeks at the realisation it smelled like Sirius. It felt like he would melt into the carpet any second now. Maybe he could allow himself to simmer in his infatuation just for tonight.

“Looking good.” Sirius smiled at him in the mirror as Remus checked himself out. The blush intensified.

The four boys crept down hallways using the Marauder’s Map to avoid Filch and the teachers and made it safely to the One-Eyed Witch Statue on the third floor. Sirius and James were practically skipping down the secret passage leading to Honeydukes. Even Remus felt a little giddy, but that may or may not have been because of the shirt. They arrived at the pub without hindrances and made their way inside. The place was loud and crowded as they pushed their way to a round wooden bar table. There were decorative lights of different shapes and sizes everywhere as well as tiny glass lanterns with magical flames flickering inside. The atmosphere was bewitching.

“Right,” Sirius clapped his hands, “what’re we drinking?”

Remus wanted a Butterbeer, but it was decided on his behalf that he would be having Firewhiskey. After all, Sirius was now of age and this was his first opportunity to take advantage of it. And so, Remus was coerced into his first glass of alcohol. He downed it quickly when the first girl approached Sirius. This was nothing new, of course. He was showered in attention from girls at school all the time. What was different now was that it gravely bothered Remus. However, Sirius paid no attention to the lady and instead turned to Remus to ask for a cigarette. Sirius smoking was a work of art; Remus could testify to that.

After the first drink, it was no trouble following up with more and the boys wanted to try weird sounding beverages from the menu. Thick, white smoke covered their table when James brought over the Simison Steaming Stout. Later, Remus had a shot (or three) of something called Checker’s Quick Everclear which made him inexplicably snap his fingers a few times after swallowing it. It was incredibly amusing and enough to get him rather half cut. After that, things became somewhat fuzzy. The band was fine, so they danced and drank and Remus felt just swell. It could’ve had something to do with Sirius ignoring the girls or plainly the amount of alcohol in his blood. By the time people began counting down from ten, Remus had half lost his ability to comprehend what was going on. He caught sight of James hugging Sirius when the clock hit midnight as the two of them shouted: “Happy New Year!” A couple seconds later Remus felt hands around himself and realised James hugged him next, yelling the same words, frankly a bit too close to his ear. It seemed that James was either holding his drinks well or just hadn’t drank that much. Sirius’ eyes, however, were half-closed, Remus noticed, as he moved to embrace him. It was just a smidge underwhelming. Remus was numb all over and barely felt the touch of Sirius’s arms over the colossal spike of adrenaline that flashed in his insides. He likely held him tighter than necessary and reluctantly pulled away when Sirius did too. Their cheeks brushed briefly in the process. When Remus looked at him, Sirius was smiling. His hair was messy, lips full and smooth. The eyeshadow hadn’t moved. Remus almost leaned in, but chose to just smile back instead. I have a secret to keep. Big secret. Scary secret. He slyly avoided hugging Peter (who was really sweaty) as his stupid, drunk brain kept repeating: Big. Scary. Secret. Secret. But he had already forgotten what was so confidential. He was really fuckin’ pissed, wasn’t he? Remus sniggered to himself.

Sirius and James wanted to go to the dancefloor and Peter followed them. Remus, however, wasn’t quite sure he could stand very well without having a table to hold on to once in a while. So he stayed put, fetched a cigarette from his case, lit it with his wand and leaned on his forearms on the table. Reveling in the fact that that he was allowing himself to feel all his forbidden feelings tonight, Remus observed Sirius in a manner he hoped was subtle. Sirius was dancing with his eyes closed, smooth, controlled movements, face tilted upwards. Christ, Remus banged his forehead on the table, why does he have to look like that?! It felt strangely pleasant, so he stayed in that position for some time. His head was swaying lightly and he got an inexplicable urge to laugh.

“Alright, Moony,” a voice brought him back to reality. Remus forced his head up.

“Splendid,” he said. Sirius smiled at him.

“We got any more fags?”

“Yup.” He pulled out the case out of his back pocket and handed it to Sirius, just as he asked: “Having fun, Moony?” Remus’ mouth stretched into a stupid, crooked smile.

“Oh, I’m having a brilliant time.”

“Good.” Sirius struggled pulling his wand out of the pocket of his tight-fitting (Sigh...) jeans. Remus brought his own wand to the cigarette hanging from the other boy’s lips and produced miniature blue flames. Sirius sucked in the smoke, held it briefly, then exhaled. “Cheers.”

Remus downed whatever it was leftover in James’ glass. Then his mind blacked out. The next thing he was aware of was being dragged up the stairs by James to their dormitory. “You’re a miracle,” he mumbled, thinking how James could have possibly snuck him through the castle in this state without getting caught. James laughed softly.

“Okay, Moony.”

Remus plopped on his bed face first and let out a long, loud half-sigh, half-groan. He heard Sirius laugh from his own bed. “Nooo, we’re not getting plastered tonight! No waaay,” he said in a teasing voice. Remus smiled into his pillow. Why’s he so cute? He felt something rustle under his stomach. Reaching under himself, he pulled out a wrinkled piece of parchment. His resolutions list. Remus flipped onto his back and squinted at the letters. Warmth was pooling in his chest. Something is missing here. He patted the bed in search for his quill and ink, then wrote:

5. Fuck this I wanna tell him I love him

The paper slipped to the floor as Remus’ arms gave out and he drifted into an instantaneous, profound sleep.

Part 2 Part 3

[keyheartsia-dorm]

*Sighs*

I’m bored let’s do a lore dump

It’s a Map~

Oh Yeah I mentioned a Sprinkle of Final Fantasy and KH but I haven’t talked about that Aspect of my Canon At all have I? Well truth be told it’s cause I’m focusing on getting the more Basic Aspects of my Oc’s Before I get into that but Guess who made this Baby on a Whim!

So this is the Map of the Isle of Light well the Main Island at least there are other Littler Bits of land Yet to surface I̶t̶’̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶t̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶I̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶A̶d̶d̶ ̶o̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶L̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶h̶a̶ oh yeah did I mention it’s a FLOATING ISLAND!! Yeah P Sick right? Okay so I’ll go into the Island’s History and it’s Area’s but it may have some Spoilers I guess you could say but honestly I wouldn’t wait on me making a full fledged...Anything outta the Story I’ve made like I’ll sum it up (not here but like in general) but comics are hard Videos are hard Fics are hard maybe not individually but this is more of a Anime Series then an Anime movie if you feel me without further ado...Stuff

Oh god this was longer then expected

Some General Background

So The Isle of Light was Originally the Black Forest A Place of Freedom and Expression for all who lead lives who Needed to hide Such and Some Such was The Coven of the Black Forest made up of 3 sisters (not biologically also there was a 4th) they all found comfort and love with each other one being the Princess of the Kingdom nearby (The 4th and Littlest one) She had a fiancé who was Mad with a Lust for power and Control over things he Didn’t need power and control over He Treated the Littlest one Cruelly when the other 3 Decided enough was enough when he did...SOMETHING to Part of the Forest so Horrible it turned Dead and Cruel (Subtle Subtle Hint Hint Wink) When all 3 Of them saw the Ruin They went so mad they turned to Darkness and fought him and all his Manmade monstrosities there when the Princess Arrived there was so much Dark energy everywhere it was Bad like Real Bad So with her friends now monsters she Fought them with a heavy heart her heart broke so much she fell afterwards immediately Unintentionally Sending her Kingdom to somewhere nobody knows where she is though...That’s an even bigger question BUT the story would live on as a Weilder of the key blade who slayed 3 evil witches...(Oh yeah did I mention Crowley knows And that’s Why He Let the Girls Attend because he thought they might be the Black Forest Coven Reincarnated And the Prophecy that when they Awakened the “Keys to their Hearts once more” They’d Free The Princess From her Mirror Prison Oh Yeah also the princess DID Die But her Reincarnation Goes inside a Mirror and is trapped there when she turns 17 and Doesn’t leave until she dIES ALSO ITS HIS OLDEST DAUGHTER THIS TIME ALSO YES HE HAS 2 DAUGHTERS...Okay lemme just calm down..Also yeah she thought of the Princess System) but After a Wish got safe haven for all Keyblade Weilders (I have KH Oc’s other then these don’t ask Longer story they live and basically founded Fortana Haven) I guess the Isle of Light Rose from the Shadow Realm to be just that oh yeah also the Isle of light is literally that kingdom if ya didn’t know

Fortana Haven

(Some Love Nikki BGs for Visualization if I’m Wrong about this from being from Love Nikki Correct me pls and if this is your art sorry and I’ll take it down)

Okay this Place Basically a Modern Fairytale Everything is so Rustic~ but they Have Cafe’s and Stuff~ They’re still very much in Development as a City..or town..or whatever Boss of everything Locket Clover (An OG KH OC) Runs Everything Wonderfully she welcomes everything with open arms and If you wanna run a shop or want a Building for a particular Thing or Activity she’s Pretty open to the idea unless it’s Incredibly Dumb But she will make you get The Wood and Supplies and The Bricks and the Brick Stick Sauce or whatever it’s called she might get give you help constructing but dang is she a firm believer in “DIY” but I like how she’s Determined to Have a Good Balance between Industrial and Rural In fact there is a Mall (God knows how it got there) And that’s pretty much all there is for your Juicy Capitalism Fix She Runs “Hope Stir” Workshop according to Her boyfriend Ephmer It was always Called a workshop but for the longest time she did EVERYTHING Subtle Farmwork And Animal Husbandry ACTUAL Workshop things all cause she wanted to help every Weilder she knew out and made sure they had a place for food and such She is a bit of a Moneyholic but when you’ve been doing what she’s been doing I bet you’d be too overall While it doesn’t have much History yet Fortana Haven (4-Tana is how you say it btw) Is truly well a Haven

The Crowned Castle

(More Pics for Visuals I don’t think this is from love Nikki but if this is your artwork same applies I’m not gonna be the guy who Claims just cause it’s on google it belongs to everybody or something even though yeah I did find it on google)

The...Crown of the Isle of Light Before We came to the Isle for the first time Apparently Everyone In Fortana thought it was Haunted! Which..Fair enough Before we Placed the Princess Medals (Okay QUICK SUMMARY OF THIS BIT Okay so in the KH Mobile game there’s Medals and I wanted them to be in my story basically They’re Memories formed into powers when all my Oc’s Met the Princess’s Of Heart They Each got a Medal Representing them and then the Medals Restored the Castle I left out some details but basically that’s it) This Castle is the BOMB There’s Cool Pretty Princess Room’s And a Bedroom JUST FOR SLUMBER PARTIES!! And it’s just a good Place to Vibe and Hang out with your friends (I’m sorry I’m about to Lore Dumb all over this place) The Princess’s Fiancé Made a Crown for her before she could put it on he put some of his Subconscious in it poor Eden When she wanted to get stronger for Malleus (Malleus is her adoptive big brother and she was upset cause she felt she wasn’t good enough ran away to get power and found the crown) It really did almost completely overtake her I shudder thinking about it “Kachow”...Ew (The fiancé said that a lot ok) a lotta bad stuff happened here but as selfish as this may sound I feel like I earned my spot here and I wanna keep sharing it with my friends

The Matteria Deadland

(Also Imagine some Pointy Mountains and some Lite Mech debris)

Man What to say... So Much Happened here as well probably Tragedy I can’t comprehend there is a few good places about this place though Diane likes to Scavange around Here for Interesting Debris Eden doesn’t like the Air around here but she says she finds Interesting Jewels here and Latte says the same thing so there is good to be found here We all come here every so often to try to help..Anything grow but they don’t call this deadland for nothing but still ya can’t give up hope! I wanna grow some beautiful Lillies here one day! Also hey! Also pretty cool name (Matter-RI-a is how you say it btw) All the sadness that happened here it actually did make the land rich in Metal if nothing else there’s even a whole Cavern we found in the mountains...it almost killed us but we found it

Opal Cove

(also these are Gacha Backgrounds)

Is this Place an Actual Cove? Idk

Is this Place super cool and pretty? Yeah

Is this one of my favorite places in this whole Isle? FRICK YEAH

okay I love a lot about this Isle but Opal Cove!!

Our mermaid friend Mitella I guess “Runs” the Place Our KINDA merman Friend Skye also spends a whole lotta time here Basically it’s a Giant Pool and rumor has it...It’s endless Water...CAUSE IT IS SOMEHOW CAUSE I KNOW weird thing is the Sand it’s at the end of the Isle so there’s not really a beach just...Sand Near Water Odd The Coral Near the Bottom or well “Bottom” Is SO PRETTY it’s like Crystals in the morning the light shines its SO DANG PRETTY I’m glad Mitella is a Sea Witch Or else we couldn’t go so deep underwater it’s SOOO worth it!! She does NOT let a lotta people at once though Heck she doesn’t like Skye that much from what I can tell but she makes an Exception for ~friends~ So...BE NICE TO OUR CUTE MITELLA I’m glad we have a Convient Place for Blitzball practice and also Swimming around with pretty Mermaid Tails (New Nix Mermaid Action Fashion Doll only 25.99! Get it for your Child or they’ll cry!! Also a 5 dollar Boy doll take his Shirt off! That’s it!) Hyde Mi And Skye are kinda an Iconic Trio Mi Also Teaches how to swim with a mermaid tail better for the Weilders who wanna go to Atlantica Hey Mermaids gotta eat so get a Swim Lesson! (And also a transforming Mermaid Doll!)

Bianco Nero Forest

Well tbh I have the least to say because it’s Appeal is simple ADVENTURE AND MYSTERY! Lots can happen in Bianco Nero it’s Basically the Base foundation of the whole Isle! Presumably cause it’s the Black Forest or was at least though it can be dangerous it’s the only place heartless are know to appear in the whole isle (So where you’ll grind In the Video Game that’ll definitely happen :Says the girl who can’t commit to a single comic) They drop all sortsa cool stuff! Heck you can FIND Cool stuff just...Around so..Yeah!!

It’s 2 am maybe I’ll edit this later thanks for reading sorry I got obviously tired by the end goodbye my dearests~ (Seriously y’all deserve like a reward for reading this dumpster fire) I was inspired by those maps in those scholastic books like the Rainbow Fairies I think it was called (Anyone remember those?) that had lil maps in the beginning and also the map’s stickers all on PicsArt

[daily-millennial]

September 27, 1869:

James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837- Aug 2, 1876), widely known as the infamous "Wild Bill" of the Old American West, and sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas, responded to a call around 1 a.m. about a band of drunken troublemakers causing a scene at John Bitters' Beer Saloon. These disorderly teamsters, one by the name of Samuel Strawhum, strolled into the saloon that evening exhibiting an acceptable degree of intoxication, as far as Wild West standards are concerned. However, around midnight, the group became violent and destructive. A brawl ensued, and Strawhum and the fellow mischief-makers began smashing chairs, throwing tables, and destroying property. When Wild Bill and his deputy, "Rattlesnake Pete" Lanihan (gotta love Wild West nicknames), arrived to restore order and deal with the rowdy teamsters, Sheriff Hickok asked the not-so-gentle gentlemen to hand over their weapons. Strawhum laughed and drew his firearm, anyway. Acting instantly, Wild Bill shot Strawhum in the head - killing him instantly.

In the 1800s, Hays City operated as a freight and cattle center, but like many Old West towns, gambling was Hays' biggest industry. Hays attracted drifters, soldiers, hunters, cattlemen, and the general riffraff one would expect to find in a town many called "the deadliest place in the West." The people elected the already famous "Wild Bill" as Sheriff of Ellis County on August 23, 1869 for his reputation as a Civil War hero and expert gunfighter. Being quite rough and tumble himself, Hickok seemed fit to lay down the law in a city besieged by drunken violence and petty crime. Hickok was quick to assert his authority as sheriff of Ellis County, and within the first five weeks, he had already killed two men. Despite impressive reputation, residents felt uneasy about his violent and impulsive methods. In just three months, Wild Bill lost re-election to his deputy, Rattlesnake Pete.

However, Wild Bill's brief time as Ellis County Sheriff represents just a blip in his relatively short, but legendary life. Acquainted with such Wild West characters such as Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane, Hickok holds a distinguished position among American folk heroes. As a lawman, heavy gambler, soldier, actor, scout, and ladies man, Wild Bill was a real Wild West renaissance man. Originally from northern Illinois, Wild Bill traveled throughout the West, making a mark on local legend and local history seemingly every where he went. Like with many infamous characters of the Old West, many of these stories seem too outlandish and exaggerated to be real. Yet, writings from friends and family reveal that he was well-liked by many - and that there is at least some truth to many of these stories.

Libbie Custer, wife of Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer, described Hickok's appearance in a way that may have left Mr. Custer feeling a bit uncomfortable. After all, there were rumors of an affair. She described Hickok lovingly: "Physically, he was a delight to look upon. Tall, lithe...he rode as if every muscle was perfection...I do not recall anything finer in the way of physical perfection than Wild Bill when he swung himself lightly from his saddle." Libbie wasn't the only one to comment on his striking appearance. He's described as tall and having piercing gray eyes,and long blondish hair that swept past his broad shoulders. A bartender at Carl Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory stated that, "A more picturesque sight than Hickok on horseback could not be imagined."

Despite his good looks, and despite his sometimes questionable reputation as a gambler and zealous gunfighter, Hickok became highly regarded for this actions during the Civil War. It is generally believed that this is where James Butler Hickok became Wild Bill Hickok, although the reasons why are not known  for certain. During the war, Hickok acted as a spy and detective, and proved to be an expert marksman. Prior to the Civil War, he also worked at a station on the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved men and women make their way to freedom.

However, perhaps what Wild Bill is most well-known for is his duel with Davis Tutt in July of 1865. The duel took place in Springfield, MO and was fought over the same reasons many saloon brawls and duels were fought over in the Wild West: gambling debts and women. Wild Bill lost a gold watch of sentimental value to Tutt in a game of poker, and while Wild Bill accepted defeat somewhat gracefully - asking Tutt at least not to wear it around him - Wild Bill became furious when he saw Tutt wearing it, flashing it about.

What happened next is what many say is the first recorded quick-draw duel in Wild West history. Hickok, standing seventy-five yards away from Tutt, squared his broad shoulders and set those piercing grey eyes on Tutt. From such a distance, Hickok was able to shoot Tutt through the heart. Tutt's bullet missed Hickok entirely. According to the story, Tutt's last words were: "Boys, I'm killed."

It is from this point on where Hickok's celebrity takes off. Journalist George Ward Nichols published an interview in Harper's New Monthly Magazine that tantalized readers with stories of "Wild Bill" and his impressive gunfighting skills. In the interview, Hickok claimed to have killed hundreds in gunfights. However, the leading historian on Wild Bill suggests a more likely claim, backed up by evidence, that Hickok only killed 6-8 people in gunfights. Hickok stood trial on August 3, 1865, but a jury ultimately acquitted, utilizing the unwritten "fair fight" law in his favor.

Hickok continued to use his celebrity to his advantage. He went on to be Deputy Marshal in Abilene, TX - which has earned him a spot on the Texas Trail of Fame. He even joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show for three months in 1873. But at 39, this rough and tumble renaissance man was starting to feel the weight of life in the fast lane. His eyes were deteriorating, making him useless as a marksman, and his gambling habits were about to catch up with him.

On August 2, 1876, the beloved celebrity, lawman, and Union veteran was shot in the head at point-blank range by Jack McCall while playing a game of poker. McCall lost severely to Hickok the day prior, and while Hickok offered to at least pay for the man's breakfast, McCall, not much more than a local bum, sought his revenge. Days before Hickok's death, he wrote to his wife, Agnes: "If such should be we never meet again, while firing my last shot, I will gently breathe the name of my wife - Agnes - and with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to swim to the shore." The hand Hickok had before he was shot became known as the "dead man's hand:" two black aces and two eights. The fifth card, damaged by McCall's shot, is unknown.

Wild Bill embodied all that was holy (and perhaps unholy) about the Wild West. He was rugged Civil War veteran and aggressive lawman. He was a gambler and a perfect marksman, but he was also a lover and a doting husband. The Wild West still possesses an active part of the American imagination. It continues to inspire films, books, and television, and tantalizes us with stories, often fabricated and romanticized, of cowboys and natives on horseback, of rowdy saloons, and of the vigilantes and explorers who roamed the frontier.

If you're ever in Fort Worth, stop by the Texas Trail of Fame to check out Wild Bill's star, and remember the sheriff, marshal, soldier, scout, and husband who earned his place among the other American folk heroes of the Old West in more ways than one.

[katjacksonbooks]

Ummm, I started this romance last year at some point and then put it away, as I often do. But now that the world feels super bleak (super SUPER bleak? what’s the scale for everything sucks and I hate it all?) I’ve decided to add this story to my list of things I want to finish soon-ish. (I mean, it’s me tho, so what does soon even mean?)

Anyway, if you want to read a preview of Alien Escape (erotic ffm) and meet Drea, a girl with big dreams and a plan to get as far away from her toxic parents as she can, read on!

CW: allusions to domestic violence and emotional abuse

Also, if you’re wondering if I really have face inspiration for an alien couple, the answer is yes. I do! Y’all should watch Star Trek: Discovery!

                                                      Prologue                                    

 “Shut up!”

“You shut up! All you do is come in here and whine like a baby until you get your way.”

“When have I ever gotten my damn way in this fucking house? I work my fingers to the bone—”

“Where? When? Doing what?”

“Oh, fuck you! Someone’s gotta keep food on the table in this damn place—”

That’s about when I tune them out. My parents have the same fight every three to four days, like clockwork. It’s not really about anything, or not about anything specific; they just like to fight and really dislike each other. Mom hates living in Ohio, and she’ll never forgive dad for moving us out here. Dad hates living in Ohio too, but he refuses to admit that this was ever his idea. Money’s tight. There’s nothing to do. Neither of them can keep a job. Somehow, this is all my fault.

Different day, same bullshit, and why I don’t bother listening.

We all learn things from our parents, and mine taught me early and often that we all have lots of times in our lives when we can make decisions to not stay with people we barely know and can’t stand. My parents had more roads to escape than most.

My life as I know it might never have happened if their casual fling — without birth control, because dad didn’t believe in it — hadn’t turned into an unexpected, but obviously expected, pregnancy. That could have been a wakeup call, followed by a visit to a Planned Parenthood and an important life lesson learned, except mom was from a hardcore born-again family and didn’t believe in birth control or abortions. She believed in premarital sex, though, so I’m still trying to make sense of that faith system, but the damage was done. The damage being the mess those two made of my childhood because, even though they could have decided to co-parent or something, they apparently felt compelled to stay together. Why? I’ll never know, and I’m convinced they don’t know, either. My earliest self-realization wasn’t “This fucker took my nose!”, it was “My parents see me as a burden.” Can you imagine? Being barely old enough to sit up without wobbling and knowing, somehow, deep in your bones, that the two people who should love you unconditionally, don’t? It’s not a great life, just in case you need to see it in black and white. To my parents, I was just another mouth to feed, the thing that kept them bound to this person they hated more each day. Their entire relationship and my entire existence were just one bad decision after another, and the soundtrack to my entire life has just been this same argument.

They bickered all over New York in the almost-identical shoebox apartments they could just about afford, during our road trip West and ever since we settled in Akron. They don’t even like each other enough to shake up these knock-down, drag-out fights. Maybe a cheating accusation here, or a “Who ate the last piece of chicken?” there, but other than that, nothing.

The most interesting part of my life was that year just before they finally decided to move to Ohio. Dad had tried to feed me and mom some fairytale about how life would be different here — fewer people, better housing, more trees, less pollution and a stronger family unit. I never believed it, because in each of the yarns he spun, I was still with them — both of them — and there’s no happily ever after with them around; not for me, at least. But mom had been swayed, and next thing I knew, we were in a beat-up Ford truck, the entirety of our belongings packed precariously in the bed and heading West.  Surprise of all surprises, none of dad’s stories had been true.

Well, okay, let me be fair. There are technically fewer people in Akron than the Bronx, and the house we’ve been renting since we arrived is bigger than those small New York apartments, but besides that, my parents’ dysfunctional relationship and my shitty life are business as usual.

There were more trees when we got here, but I’m not giving dad credit for that since most of them were cut down about a year after we arrived to make room for the new pipeline running right through our backyard. That’s why the rent’s so cheap.

My parents fight about that, too.

The move wasn’t a Band-Aid to their relationship, and it certainly didn’t make my life better — not that anyone was worried about me — and as far as my parents are concerned, every problem in their life is my fault. They fight about it regularly and then circle right back around to being united against me, and that’s why as soon as mom banged the pot of spaghetti on the kitchen table, I scarfed down my portion and excused myself immediately.

Their problems aren’t my fault, I know that, but there’s no reasoning with them. It’s best to just disappear. I headed upstairs to my room with a mumbled “homework” and waited. Once I heard them start sniping at one another, I did what I always do and climbed up to the attic and out onto the roof. This is the only place where I feel safe, emotionally, if not physically. If I’m being honest, I really shouldn’t be up here. It’s slippery, and a bunch of the tiles are a good gust of wind away from falling off, but if my choices are inside my parents’ house and up here, the roof wins every time.

Out here, there’s enough space to escape my parents’ incessant fighting. The late spring air is a marked change from the stifling, probably not-quite-safe gas heat in our house. On a clear night, I can stand on the eastern edge of the roof and see all the way downtown, not that there’s much to see there. I mean, I can see the marquis of the Burger King where I work, but I’m not interested in that, so I usually look in the opposite direction. There’s not much to see there either, just a few farmhouses surrounded by large fields and the pipeline.  

But I’m not looking at any of that. I put my earbuds in my ears, turn my music up as loud as it goes and lay back on the roof to stare at the clear, dark blue sky. Sometimes, I haul my sketch book up here to draw, or pull my old astronomy textbook out and try to identify the constellations, but whatever I do, I say a prayer that my singular wish will come true. All I want is to get as far away from my parents as fast as I can.

My classmates are preparing for college, and lots of them want to enlist, but my only real goal post-graduation is to get away. I’ve worked out any number of escape routes up here. Instinctually, I know that I can’t just move to Columbus or Detroit. Those cities aren’t far enough away, and I’ve long been worried that my parents’ obvious co-dependency means that I need to put some serious miles between us if I want to have a chance at real freedom.

I toyed with the idea of leaving the country, but Burger King money doesn’t stretch nearly that far. Right now, I’m making just enough to give my parents one of my checks a month to help with household bills — and keep them off my back — and split the second between my cellphone bill and savings account. After three years, I have enough money saved to absolutely get the fuck out of Akron in exactly six months on my eighteenth birthday, and I plan to do exactly that, but I’m still working out the kinks in my escape route.

I’ve done the math, and I can either buy a decent used car or a plane ticket to California. Every time my dad comes home and tells mom that his paycheck was docked for calling in or mom hides yet another online delivery from dad, I’m tempted to go for the plane ticket, but I usually talk myself down from that impulse because I’m sensible, unlike my parents. Even though the thousands of miles away from here is attractive as fuck, I know that once I get off that plane, I’ll be broke as hell.

On the other hand, the rusty Honda Civic I have my eye on at the used car dealership downtown is sensible. It has less than 100,000 miles, good mileage, and if push came to shove, it could double as a temporary home. It wouldn’t be a six-hour plane ride to California, but I’ve got enough money that I could put some real distance between my parents and myself and have enough to really start the rest of my life.

But when I’m up on the roof, I also have another secret fantasy. It’s not real, but when my parents are really loud, and I worry that the yelling and crashing might turn to the sound of fists hitting skin and bone, I dream of space. Forget California or Tokyo, I wish I could go to the moon or beyond. There’s a tiny, terrified girl inside me that knows in her bones that the only way to really escape my parents is up above me. Sometimes, I lay back on the roof and imagine what it would be like to know that I was far enough away that I’d never have to hear my parents wake me up arguing again. It’ll never happen, but some nights, daydreams of flying up into the sky are the only things that make me feel safe enough to fall asleep. But just like with San Francisco, I bury that deep inside myself and calculate how many shifts I need to work to have the full price of the used Honda. The sky is my fantasy, just like Ohio had been my parents’, but that Honda Civic is the real path to freedom.

The sound of glass breaking hits my ears in the quiet between two songs, and I jump at the shock of it. I tap my cellphone screen to pause my music. I pull the earbud from my left ear and listen, trying to figure out which part of the argument they’re at now.

“Do you feel better?” dad yells at mom.

I roll my eyes, shove my earphone back into my ear and press play on the music again.

Mom likes to break dishes when she’s really frustrated but trying to hold it together; it’s why the few dishes we have don’t match. I suspect she’s gonna drag me to the Goodwill tomorrow to look for a replacement for whatever she’s broken, and I can’t have that. I pick up my phone and tap out a quick text message to my boss, Peter. In a plea that he’s very familiar with, I tell him that I’m available to cover any shifts tomorrow. Peter’s a good guy, and I know that he’ll do what he can to get me a shift, even if it’s just a few hours or closing. I’ll take it, and he knows I will. I’ll also immediately put whatever extra money I get directly into my savings account and readjust my timetable to purchasing the Honda and getting the fuck out of here.

The music builds to a crescendo and mercifully drowns out my parents’ screaming as I look back up at the sky.

On nights like tonight, the moon is so clear and big that I swear it’s close enough to touch. I stretch out my right arm above me, squint one eye closed, tilt my head to the left and pretend to capture the moon between my thumb and forefinger. I smile for the first time in what feels like hours, maybe even days.

And then I see it.

While I’m looking, a small speck in the sky moves across my vision, only visible because it passes the light of the full moon. At first, I think it’s a distant star, or maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me. I blink, and something in the sky moves again. Whatever’s up there, it’s too far away to see clearly, so I sit up, trying to make sense of it all. It’s moving too slow to be a shooting star and too fast to be…well, literally anything else. I pull my earphones from my ears, as if it will sharpen my vision. I stare up at the speck that’s now bigger, closer; close enough for me to realize that the one speck is actually a cluster of distant lights. I’m not looking at a star or a planet but a constellation that’s moving in formation towards me. Toward the Earth.

But that’s not possible. I know that. I aced astronomy.

“What the fuck?” I whisper to myself.

As if in answer to my whispered question, those bright not-stars seem to move faster and get bigger in the large pane of sky above my house as they get closer. The lights seem to fill the sky of this boring ass town with a pipeline running through it dangerously close to the local drinking water; this town my parents hate that I can’t wait to escape.

I shake my head and turn to the right. My eyes land on the pipeline cutting through the fields behind our house. I can barely remember a time when it wasn’t the first thing I saw when I woke up in the morning. I’ve read dozens of articles about what it is and how much time it’s probably shaving off of my life. I guess the environmentalists were right and assume that thing must finally be leaking. It has to be. Because how else do I explain what I think I’m seeing in the sky?

And when I tilt my head back to look up there, I gasp and jump to my feet.

In the handful of seconds when I’d been looking away, those not-stars seem to have come closer. Like real close. Now they’re so close that no one can mistake them for stars because no stars have ever been so damn clear in the sky or moved so fast. I watch as they get closer and closer, and then I shriek in shock as the constellation breaks apart.

If I’m hallucinating this, whatever the pipeline is leaking is grade-A lethal shit.

The lights disperse so fast that I actually miss it. One second, there’s a cluster of lights heading toward me, too many for me to count clearly. The next second, I blink. Then the next second, there are only five lights still above me, but I can see turquoise blue light streaks in the sky heading in thousands of different directions. And then in another second, those five lights begin to slowly move apart, still descending, closer to the Earth’s surface. They’re landing, I realize, and my mouth falls open.

“Fuck,” I breathe as my mouth curves into a smile so wide it hurts.

Now that there are fewer lights and they’re even closer than before, I can just about recognize what’s hovering in the sky above me. They’re ships, and not space shuttles like the ones I’ve seen in my social studies textbooks about the moon landing. These not-stars are huge, bigger than the biggest plane I’ve ever seen in the sky, maybe even bigger than the entire town, and they’re not US-made shuttles or like anything I’ve seen of Russian or Chinese ships. These big, hovering ships look like they’re covered in shimmering jewels, glittering as if reflecting their own sunlight. “Fuck,” I breathe again.  

“Drea, are you up there? Girl, get off the fucking roof, we can’t afford no emergency room visit. Do you hear me?”

I hear my dad yelling at me. I do. I just don’t give a shit, because there’s an alien spaceship in the sky almost directly above our house — an actual fucking spaceship — and this is infinitely more interesting than him reaming me out for being on the roof again. Besides, I hear the moment when he sees what I’m seeing and stops caring that I might stumble and fall off the roof. I hear the choked gasp that comes from his lips just before my mom bangs out of the front door, still yelling. I hear her words cut off when she sees the ship too, the final confirmation I need that I’m not having a pipeline hallucination, but still, I don’t care.  

Because I’m speechless. I know, deep down in my gut, that this ship is going to change everything about the world I’ve ever known, and I can’t help but feel elated. My body feels light, as if I weigh nothing more than my fantasies. I swear I could float up to one of those ships, and that’s exactly what I want to do. I want to bang on the door of a ship and beg them to let me in, because I can feel the surety along every inch of my skin that this ship is going to be my way out. This ship is going to get me as far away from Akron and my parents and that damn pipeline as possible.

My mother’s scream is a delayed response to seeing the impossible, and it rips into the quiet night. She keeps screaming and screaming, but dad and I are too mesmerized to stop her. Eventually, I hear our neighbors begin to file out of their houses, probably when they realize that mom’s screams are different from their regular weekday fights. I hear them gasp and cry out. Babies are crying, and other people’s screaming joins mom’s. There’s even the sound of the hurricane warning blaring out eventually, but none of those noises seem to touch me; not anymore. It’s like they’re far away because I’m already gone.

[skruttet]

Little My is a Trickster God, Albeit One with Surprisingly Good Intentions

Okay well really she’s just super wise and wants what’s best for her brother and knows everyone’s secrets, but here’s some instances of her sneakily affecting the plot in Moominvalley or her Knowing What’s Up:

Episode 1 - This one’s very obvious since she literally says “you don’t have to be big to stand up for yourself, you know. haven’t you learned anything yet?” and after he finally stands up to her she says “at last! he’d finally woken up.” Basically she comes to his house, sees how scared Moomintroll is by just a gaggle of children, thinks “if he’s gonna be my adoptive brother then he’s gonna have to grow some balls” and then proceeds to annoy tf outta him to push him to finally stand up for himself. Also ends with her calling Snufkin “someone special” so like......she knows he fancies him.

Episode 2 - You could argue that her asking Moomintroll to annoy the Muskrat with her is really her trying to distract Moomintroll from his sadness as he misses his boyfriend, which is very sweet of her. She knows that Snufkin’s gonna come eventually so Moomintroll might as well have fun whilst he waits rather than just mope on the bridge. Ofc Moomintroll declines the offer because he’s dumb and gay.

Episode 3 - When Moomintroll tells her he’s trying to catch a wobblybug, she says “you want a pet you can keep in a jar and boss around. with friends like you, who needs enemies?”. Before the dragon and its symbolism of Moomintroll’s love for Snufkin even enters the story, Little My has hit the nail on the head and called Moomintroll out on his clinginess. She then says that he’ll just catch a bad cold and he sneezes almost immediately afterwards as a cloud covers the sun, driving home the point that she’s very very right (also if you take the God headcanon seriously then she could’ve moved the cloud herself lmao). Later she says “your dragon? don’t you mean snufkin’s.” but by that point basically everyone knows it prefers Snufkin so that’s not very remarkable.

Episode 4 - Her smiling and rolling her eyes at Moomintroll being gay at the start of this episode is very sweet, but then she gets jealous about the bark boat and decides to teach him a lesson. Since the beginning of the episode, she’s playing with the dragonfly that symbolises change & self-realisation, and she purposely sends it off like a dog - “Things can change, you know! Go get him, Fido!”. “Fido” then proceeds to fly around the bark boat, causing it to spin anti-clockwise and Moomintroll tries to forcibly make it spin clockwise, ultimately leading to the boat just sinking. The flood happens (Little My being a God?? she does say “what a beautiful disaster”), Little My is the one to suggest that they “jump ship” onto the theatre, she pulls back the curtain to reveal Emma, and Moomintroll eventually realises that “sometimes bad things just happen” and comes to accept change, or at least accept the fact that he knows he’ll be able to deal with it whatever life throws at him. She rolls her eyes again when Moomintroll tries to be cool with Snufkin and Fido ends the episode.

Episode 5 - Little My has been given what was basically Snufkin’s role in the comic; she immediately doesn’t like the golden tail and can foresee the effect it will have on him as it brings him fame and makes his head bigger (her quick quip about making the hat bigger is one of my favourite jokes from this episode) - “just wait ‘till the gaudy glow reaches his head!” & “yep, another puffed-up twerp”. She knows that deep down, Moomintroll is not his father and certainly not as full of himself as Moominpappa can be. She helps him realise this by fucking up the performance with the fan (she says “sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind” which sums up the majority of her actions in the series v well), then passes the “make moomin realise” baton to her brother, when Snufkin and Moomintroll have that cute happy ending scene. When Moomintroll becomes the director, she winks at him (kind of their thing now since episode 1), and he smiles back.

Episode 6 - Moomintroll tells Snorkmaiden that he wants to go on a real adventure, but quickly changes his mind when the latter brings up their “future children”. Little My doesn’t seem to hear that bit but but she does hear him being a little bitch about it and making excuses for not sailing out, so she decides to once again take the story reigns in her hands and casts off the boat. She does also interrupt the others’ "romantic adventure” now and again but honestly they do a lot of that on their own, with Snorkmaiden appreciating her own reflection more than the natural wonders of the island. I love her casual “yeah” after snorkmaiden exclaims that she rescued herself xD She encourages Moomintroll to keep going forward with the barometer with a wave of her hand before following him, and they experience the strange beauty of the storm together.

Episode 7 - Sibling! Crime! Time! Little My doesn’t seemingly bring the work basket to Snufkin on purpose, but it is rather fateful that it’s what she arrived in, and holds the hattifattener seeds that are so perfect for Snufkin’s plan. She watches him like he’s a bloody maniac when he’s cooing over the freshly grown hattifatteners as if they were his children, and I think that’s when it clicks in her head that maybe what he told her about “needing his space” might have some exceptions.  She wants him to realise this himself so he can open up more to people Moomintroll and in the process realise that leaving Moomintroll at the party without saying anything was wrong of him to do. The woodies give her the perfect opportunity to do this as well as being incredibly amusing for her to watch him struggle with them, and so she makes sure he doesn’t separate himself from them. When he feeds them beans, she repeats his own words back to him: “every now and again, just for a while, I need my space” before laughing. She spies on Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden having their bonfire, I believe to ensure that they do get arrested, then tells Snufkin about the arrest so that he’ll go and rescue them (she even says it’s “thanks to you”, already sowing the guilt seed that’ll lead to him feeling guilty for leaving moomintroll at the party). As she leaves, we get confirmation that everything is coming together as she planned - “perfect! all the nasty little loose ends neatly tied up.”

Episode 8 - Little My actually doesn’t have much agency over the story in this episode, since the majority of the episode is being a story told by Moomintroll, so she isn’t given as much freedom over her own role in it as she usually would have. She does say “you’re just like your potty father” which inspires Moomintroll to become the hero of the story, though it doesn’t seem like that was the desired effect of her words lol. There’s a funny part where there’s a freeze-frame of the plant attacking them, but Little My just walks away with a roll of her eyes xD And she does go along with being the “trusty chimp”, despite her complaints. She also realises that the plants are dying because the sun is setting.

Episode 10 - Little My clearly knows that their messy happiness is better than depressing cleanliness - “I think everybody’s gone clean out of their-” after Fillyjonk says they must be much happier.

Episode 11 - Little My is the one who tells Moomintroll that their house is haunted, but otherwise her role in this episode is just teasing her brother mercilessly as usual. She’s also called “terrifying” by a ghost.

Episode 12 - She’s kind of terrible at knowing what’s best in this episode, however she IS right when she says “you’ll never have a face of your own until you’ve learned to stand up for yourself, believe me”. This ultimately becomes the thing that makes Ninny completely visible again - by pulling a Little My-like prank on Pappa to get him back for scaring her.

[niall-official]

Happy 28th! I’ve read some great fics this month, old and new. These are in alphabetical order and, as always, please give kudos and comments on fics you’ve enjoyed! I’m still over at @verylarryfics reblogging more fic posts each day!

📚 Asleep and Dreaming by MrsStylinson (Harry/Louis, 20k) Harry still gets breathless just looking at him but after being best friends for two years you kind of just learn to laugh. Even when all you really want to do is stick your tongue down your best friend’s throat. Or perhaps that’s just Harry?

Or the one where Harry pines for a boy who completely turned his world upside down, not to mention his flat. As for Louis, he’s just a lot better at playing dead than he looks. Featuring night-time confessions, penis cakes and the inconvenience of falling in love.

📚 Big, Bright World by RealName (Harry/Louis, 35k) It really was just a little crush in the beginning, nothing to be worried about. Louis had never really liked anyone he'd worked with in the past, but he was sure he could control himself. Little did he know that over time his 'little crush' would develop into a blazing inferno of Hell-fire proportions. Every day, Louis' feelings became more intense, more immediate, each little smile and gesture and silly flirtation mounting up into something palpable, with a life of its own. Louis felt it every moment they were together.

The only problem? Harry was engaged to someone else and had been from the moment Louis started working at Visionary.

📚 Failure to Launch by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings​ (Harry/Louis, 29k)  Desperate times call for desperate measures when Louis’ mother realizes her adult son may never leave the comfort of home, so she hires Harry, a highly-recommended professional interventionist who’s skilled enough to help push her darling son out of the bloody nest.

📚 i gotta get better! by reveries_passions / @dystopianharry​ (Harry/Louis, 4k) harry’s sex life has been pretty nonexistent since he broke up with his last non-soulmate boyfriend. after a chance encounter with someone online, he decides to enlist them to help him out. no strings attached, obviously.

or soulmates can feel each others’ pain and harry has some kinks he wants to explore.

📚 I'm Not Scared Of Love by EscapeFromReality777 (Liam/Zayn, 3k) "Show me Liam... teach me." Z murmurs, and Liam almost gives in, hearing his breathy voice. "...you must have practice... no one can resist you.. teach me your ways." Zayn continues in the same low voice, coming closer, beginning to corner Liam against the head-board, reminding Liam very much of a predator stalking it's prey.

"Not even you?" Liam jokes... well, tries to joke. And if his voice almost gives out in between... and if he thinks he briefly sees Zayn's eyes light up, well, no one has to know that.."

Or.. the Ziam one shot in which Zayn is pining, Liam is oblivious, jealous and pining, and with a wee bit of sexual tension, "forever" ensues. (Inspired by the very much canon 'Come on then, come on' ziam incident)

📚 I’ve Been Hoping You’d Be Somewhere Better Than This by runaway_train / @runaway-train-works​ (Harry/Louis, 39k) “Does she know who it is then, from the New York office?” Louis enquires.

“Yeah, some guy Henry? Henry Styles I think she said?"

“Harry.”

“What?"

“Harry. His name is Harry Styles.” His heart sank. Louis hadn’t met him, they had only shared a couple of emails back and forth, but he knew exactly who he was. And Harry hadn’t just been killing it in the Big Apple, he’s been ripping the place to absolute shreds, nailing some of the most lucrative accounts in the business.Louis is so fucked.

Or

The one where Louis is up for a promotion, he just has one tiny, little problem standing in his way.

📚 In All Its Imperfections by BriaMaria / @briannamarguerite​ (Harry/Louis, 15k) From: Louis Tomlinson To: Undisclosed Recipients

Hello!

I’ve asked the front desk and you lovely folks are the ones who are on the same level as me in the car park. I found a to-do list today that looked somewhat important because it has lines of poetry scribbled at the bottom that seemed like they might be for a card project. The stationary has a moose in a canoe at the top of it (and he is quite adorable). Let me know if it’s yours!

Cheers!

“Oh. My. Fucking. God,” Harry whispered, his eyes darting over the sentences again willing them not to make sense. They did, they did make sense. “Oh. My. Bloody. Fucking. God.”

The next thing he knew he was on the floor, staring at the ceiling, with a very concerned Liam hovering over his head.

"What happened, mate?" Liam asked.

Harry just pointed to his computer.

Liam bent over Harry’s desk to read the email. “What? This isn’t bad. Is that your to-do list? Did you finally come up with the inside text for those cards?”

“Leeyum" he groaned. “It’s what’s on the list.”

“Oh,” Liam paused for a beat. “Is it dirty stuff?”

Harry nodded.

There was more silence. And then, “Dirty stuff with Louis?”

📚 In Which Calvin Klein Inadvertently Causes A Gay Panic by allsassnoclass (Niall/Shawn, 2k) The thing is, Niall has always considered himself the token straight member of One Direction, but he feels like he really shouldn't be looking at his best friend's thighs like that. 

📚 Just Go With It by rainbowslovehl / @rainbowsandlovehl (Harry/Louis, 6k) “Brett, there’s something I need to tell you,” he started, inwardly cringing at his choice of words before taking in a deep breath. Brett seemed curious, raising her eyebrows expectantly. “The reason I haven’t been texting you back is that...” “Harry, they were all out of organic guacamole,” a raspy, unfamiliar male voice interrupted, startling him into silence. “So I got us the normal one. Hope that’s alright?”

Harry has no idea how to escape awkward situation but luckily for him, Louis swoops in to help.

📚 Leave Your Mark On Me by FullOnLarrie / @fullonlarrie (Harry/Louis, 32k) When Chef Harry Styles’ unbonded Omega designation threatens to derail his career, he does the only thing he can, and goes in search of a black market bond.

📚 Love Will Tear Us Apart by lovelarry10 / @chloehl10 (Harry/Louis, 103k) “You ruined my fucking life, Harry. You stopped me living my dream because you’re a selfish bastard who couldn’t keep himself clean for five fucking minutes. You took away my independence, my freedom, my choices, Harry. And I hate you for that, I hate you!”

As he spat out the final words, Louis felt all of the fight go out of him. He slumped back into the chair, his heart racing his chest, his head beginning to swim. It was a familiar feeling, and one Louis didn't like. He looked up, finally meeting Harry’s gaze for the first time in a while.

“Out of everyone in my life, Harry, I never thought you’d be the one to hurt me. Not like this.”

A story of two halves.

Louis and Harry had it all - a career, friendship, and some of the best sex either of them had ever had.

But Harry ruins it all with one life-changing mistake ... and Louis is left to pay the price.

📚 make you never wanna leave by anonymous (Harry/Louis, 9k) “But that's fine?” Now Louis just looks confused. “There are so many ways you can have fun sex. Wetness is helpful but not a requirement.”

Harry can feel his face heating up. The way Louis said fun sex, like it's that easy, like he has all the experience. He might be a year older than Harry, but Harry's not quite sure if age is the only factor at play here. He doesn't know why the thought of Louis having sex makes his heart start to race again and he especially doesn't know why the next thing he blurts out is, “You could show me.”

or, Harry is an omega teen who has trouble getting wet even when he's turned on, Louis is his omega best friend who helps him experiment. In a completely platonic way, of course.

📚 Never Mind the Furthermore Anonymous (Harry/Louis, 7k) Louis and Harry have regular phone sex. But they're just friends, okay?

📚 O! Yes! by homosociallyyours / @homosociallyyours (Harry/Louis, 2k) Louis is a somewhat sexually awkward omega into other omegas. When an omega-centric sex shop opens near his favorite coffee shop, he definitely doesn't plan to check it out.

One friendly ambush later, he's standing inside and talking with a too pretty omega about things that definitely make him blush. He's not the only one blushing, though. Harry, the cute and enthusiastic toy store employee is too.

📚 Oh, We're In Love, Aren't We? by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings (Harry/Louis, 30k) After sixteen wonderful years of friendship, it's hard to imagine any grand (and usually dumb) plans they haven't had or some type of mischief they haven't gotten into together. But, when Harry suddenly finds himself without a fiance and Louis just wants to help him feel okay again, they realize falling in love is one thing they haven't done, and that's about to change.

📚 Only One at the Finish Line by Anonymous (Harry/Louis, 9k) “What don’t I know?!” Louis shouts, and then Harry is rounding on him, close enough that he can feel the heat of his body, the rage and the glory and the pain of it so close that it blinds him.

“I want to be another alpha’s omega,” is what he says, and it comes out like something reckless, something wild. Like he doesn't care anymore if Louis hates him or not, if Louis understands, he just needs to speak his truth aloud to darkness, to the slender pines that surround them like a jury panel.

📚 signs and wonders by scrunchyharry (Harry/Louis, 29k) On the surface, it looks like Louis Tomlinson has the perfect life; after all, he has the whole package: a white picket fence house (well, his doesn’t technically have a white picket fence, but work with him), a wife, a daughter and a dog. He has it all and he’s not even 30, yet.

On the surface, he could be the happiest man in the world.

The thing is, he never wanted this life. There was this boy, see, this Harry Styles, whose arrival made Louis question everything he thought he knew about himself. Before Louis could pursue it, though, before he could be brave and ask the boy out, one moment of bad luck on prom night, one single lapse of judgment, shaped his life in a way he never would have chosen. Between doing the right thing or turning into his own absent father, he knew what he had to do, even if it meant burying his dreams under the weight of a premature adulthood.

That is, until he receives an invitation for his school’s ten year reunion and sees that Harry will attend.

Could it be his second chance at happiness? At what cost?

📚 Soju (소주) by gettingaphdinlarry / @gettingaphdinmomo (Niall/Shawn, 2k) After a spectacular breakup he'd like to forget about, English language teacher Niall Horan finds himself in starting anew in Seoul, South Korea. He's perfectly content being single, but when his friends try to set him up with Shawn Mendes, well... Maybe it's time to give love another shot.

📚 Sweet Like Honey by moonygirl76 (Niall/Shawn, 7k) In a non au world where Shawn and Niall work to continue what they've built together, they find that, maybe, it's time to figure out exactly what it is they are building, and what they mean to one another.

📚 Tell me when you're ready (I'm waitin') by insufferablelovebirds / @therosiestofdaggers (Harry/Louis, 17k) When Harry's love letters to his old crushes get sent accidentally, one of his old crushes, Louis offers to help him fake a relationship but it gets complicated when feelings get involved.

Or an au loosely based off to all the boys I've loved before.

📚 The Bet by jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom (Harry/Louis, 2k) Louis Tomlinson never reneges on a bet. Ever.

He may be many things - a joker, a sometimes-wayward student, a loyal friend, a Tony Award winner in the making, and a card-carrying member of the Chad Michael Murray fan club - but never, ever, a welcher. Louis makes good on his promises and does it with flare.

OR The one where Louis misjudges Harry's ability to do TLC's Waterfall rap and finds himself having to put on a one-man show for his viewing pleasure. If Louis decides to go all-in and dress the part, then that's just a bonus for his (very appreciative) one-man audience.

📚 The Lonely Planet Guide to Second Chances by 1Diamondinthesun (Harry/Louis, 102k) When Harry and Louis broke up, the last thing on Harry's mind was the non-refundable surprise trip he had booked for them across Europe. Harry was supposed to be moving on, not sightseeing with his ex. In hindsight, touring the continent with Louis was probably a bad idea. So naturally, that's exactly what Harry did.

Or, the breakup travel fic featuring romantic sunsets, awkward bed sharing, and second chances against a backdrop of some of Europe's most iconic cities.

📚 the way that you're thrilling me by Anonymous (Harry/Louis, 12k) Sometimes he wondered if everyone was pretending. Alphas were smelly and cocky and mostly arseholes, in Harry’s experience. Or at least they were at school. He didn’t understand how his friends—lovely, soft-skinned, sweet-smelling omegas—could actually want to touch them, or be touched by them.

Maybe he was just immature. That’s what his friends said, anyway. He’d want it eventually.

(Or, the one where Harry and Louis don’t enjoy sex - until they do.)

📚 this love will keep us through blinding of the eyes by Anonymous (Harry/Louis, 9k) As his other friends head into the strip club, he steps towards the bouncer, fumbling through his wallet to find his ID. He’s so distracted by his search that he hasn’t gotten a proper look at the bouncer until he’s standing right in front of him, shoving his ID into the alpha's ridiculously long, painted fingers.

Louis will blame it on the alcohol if anyone asks, but he can’t help staring intensely at the alpha in front of him, soaking up every detail of the guy. His breath catches in his throat as he watches the alpha, unable to look away from the strikingly green eyes.

It’s weird. So weird. Maybe Louis is more drunk than he thought, but he was feeling just barely tipsy only moments ago so that seems slightly unlikely. Between the long curls, the jawline so sharp it could cut glass, muscles rippling under his shirt, and endlessly long legs, this alpha is objectively the most attractive person Louis has ever seen.

But that can’t be right, because Louis’ an alpha, too.

When Louis' friends bring him to a strip club for his 18th birthday, the last thing he would have expected is leaving with a crush, let alone a crush on another alpha.

[miguel-manbemel]

Aspects & Fanfics Ep. 20: The Pact - Part 2

Here comes part 2 of the story I released some days ago as part of this fanfic blog inspired on Sanders Sides by Thomas Sanders, Joan S. and the Foster Dawg Team. Fun fact, the main premise of the story is that Thomas gets terribly sick with high fever... and it was premonitory because I wrote the basic draft of the story last week and I, myself, got really sick this week with high fever. When I published part 1, I was still recovering. I’m totally fine now, but how did this venture into the future happen? Maybe, subconsciously, I was seeing it coming and it flew into the story? I don’t know.

Gotta say that letting the writing rest unpublished for these past three days has allowed me to do so many tweaks and improvements to the story. Maybe I should make this the norm and wait five days after I finish any writing to improve it and make it better. There were so many parts I wasn’t entirely satisfied with that have turned so much better thanks to these improvements. Who would have known? For instance, one thing I have decided here is to start giving proper names to the Sides’ counterparts in the shorts, specifically the Prince Guy which as this point has become a regular character in the fic. I decided to give them names that sound similar to the Sanders Sides but not exactly the same. If you want to see what name I gave him, just keep reading the episode. That’s one of the improvements I was talking about, among many others. Anyway, now I leave you with this part of the story. As usual, if you want to check previous entries, including part 1, you can find them right here. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next time.

SYNOPSIS: The Dark Master has left the Mind Palace, and as a result Thomas is seriously ill. If the Sides, with the assistance of Joan and Talyn, don’t find a way to make him return to the Mind Palace before it’s too late, Thomas will die.

WARNINGS: Prinxiety. Thomas is featured with an illness that has some intense moments of angst, including moments where Thomas is on the verge of dying. Remus appears, but due to the nature of the episode he will be forced to ally with the other Sides, so he’ll be a little less nasty than usual. Scenes of violence and animal cruelty are mentioned.

EPISODE INDEX

[flashback of the final moments from the previous episode]

DARK MASTER: Be careful with what you wish for. Your wish was to get rid of me. And now you will. I’m leaving this Mind Palace to live in the real world. Too bad that a host without one of his two Masters… cannot survive.

ROMAN: [distressed] Oh, no! Thomas!

DARK MASTER: By the way, the ingredients and cauldron were just to set me free. I am a Master. Turning Dark into Light is child’s play for me. I could have turned you into a Light Side permanently all the time. So long, guys! I’m gonna enjoy my freedom!

[The Dark Master flies away, carrying the bag with the cauldron with him]

ROMAN: Wait! Come back!

[Thomas suddenly loses balance and has to be grabbed by Logan and Patton]

THOMAS: I’m… I’m feeling so cold…

PATTON: [putting his hand on Thomas’ forefront] My God, you’re burning! You have high fever!

ROMAN: [approaching Thomas] I’m sorry, Thomas. This is my fault.

THOMAS: [weak voice] It’s… okay… But, guys, please… take me home…

[Thomas faints]

ROMAN: [horrified] Thomas? Thomas!? Oh, no, what have I done!? Thomas!!

[intro sequence]

ROMAN: Thomas? Thomas, please!

LOGAN: It’s okay, he’s still breathing.

VIRGIL: Why haven’t we fainted with him?

LOGAN: He hasn’t totally passed out, he’s still mostly conscious, only too weak to open his eyes.

PATTON: We need to take him home, kiddos.

LOGAN: And we need to contact Joan. They and Talyn are the only ones in the real world we can ask for help.

[Ira and the Prince Guy arrive]

PRINCE GUY: How did it go…? [scared after seeing Thomas lying on the ground] What’s happened!?

ROMAN: Roland, I mean… brother, help us! We need to take Thomas home quickly. This has been a disaster as you can see.

PRINCE GUY: Ira, use your sprite form to travel faster, go fetch the royal carriage, quick!

IRA: Aye, aye, my liege!

[Ira turns into a sprite and flies away]

PRINCE GUY: Your emissary told me about the pact and where I could find you. What’s happened now, Roman?

ROMAN: I was tricked! It was a plot orchestrated by the Dark Master, and I fell into it like a fool. And now Thomas is gonna die, and it’s all gonna be my fault!

VIRGIL: Don’t say that, Roman.

ROMAN: But it’s true! I condemned us all for my stupid gullibility!

VIRGIL: We still have something to say in this situation, Roman. This is not over yet. We’ll make the Dark Master pay, somehow.

LOGAN: [invokes a thermometer and puts it on Thomas’ head, then checks the result] He’s got 105ºF, which is 40.5ºC. We need to lower his temperature now. Patton, have you got a handkerchief?

PATTON: No, I left it in my room.

LOGAN: It’s okay. [Logan takes his necktie off] Take this. Immerse it in the pond and put it on Thomas’ forehead. The water in the pond looks clean. I hope it is cold enough.

PATTON: Okay.

[Patton immerses the necktie in the pond and takes it out soaking wet. After squeezing it a little bit, he puts it on Thomas’ head. He starts shivering]

THOMAS: [plaintive groan] …no, please… so cold…

LOGAN: I know it’s cold, Thomas, but this is mandatory. This is for your own good. Hold on. [invokes his old necktie and puts it on] I’m not myself without my necktie, but there’s nothing I wouldn’t sacrifice for Thomas’ well-being.

PATTON: This is the worst situation we have ever been into. If Thomas dies… we will all die with him.

LOGAN: I know… But he’s not dead yet, Patton. Let’s not lose hope so soon.

[Ira arrives with the carriage]

IRA: I’m here, guys! Quickly, put Thomas in!

[Thomas is held up by Patton, Logan and Deceit and placed inside the carriage. They all get in and the carriage goes away. In a matter of minutes, it reaches the door to Sandersia. Then they get Thomas into Roman’s room]

IRA: Okay, we can’t get beyond this point. Take care of Thomas, okay?

ROMAN: We’ll do. Here.

[Roman invokes a crystal ball and gives it to the Prince Guy]

ROMAN: This crystal orb is connected to me and will show an image of the room where I am every moment. With this, you’ll be able to see how everything’s going in the outside world, so that you can stay informed.

PRINCE GUY: Thank you, Roman. Now go, and take care of Thomas.

ROMAN: I’ll do my best, but…

[tears fall down Roman’s eyes. The Prince Guy hugs Roman]

PRINCE GUY: Hey, hey, come on. You can’t afford falling apart right now. Thomas needs you. We all need you. Be strong for me. Will ya?

ROMAN: [cleaning his eyes] I will… I’m sorry.

PRINCE GUY: It’s okay. Now go and be great. You can do this. I love you.

ROMAN: I love you too. Bye, Roland.

[Roman closes the door and approaches Thomas]

PATTON: Roland? Your brother’s name is Roland?

ROMAN: Yes, that’s my brother’s name. You didn’t think his name was “Prince Guy” did you?

PATTON: Yeah, but you never used his name before today, so, like, I kinda assumed he was nameless at this point, like the early Disney princes…

ROMAN: Of course not, Patton. It’s just that he doesn’t want his name to be featured in the shorts, that’s why we never use it. But earlier it just slipped out and… [looking at Thomas] okay, that doesn’t matter now. We have more important business to attend to. [leaning down towards Thomas, speaking with a soft and sweet voice] Thomas… open your eyes, please. Can you do that for me?

THOMAS: [very weak voice, opening his eyes] I’m… so cold…

ROMAN: I know. It’s the fever. But you must make an effort. We can’t get you out to the real world, you must get out yourself.

THOMAS: I… I can’t.

ROMAN: Yes, you can. You are strong and brave. I wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. Come on. You can do it. Just this once, and then we’ll let you rest, okay?

THOMAS: I’ll try…

[Thomas closes his eyes. Then he starts sinking down]

ROMAN: Well done, Thomas, you’re doing it.

[Thomas disappears. Then the Sides sink down and they all appear in the living room. Roman and Patton place Thomas on the couch, Patton sits down next to Thomas]

ROMAN: Well done, buddy… I’m so proud of you. Now rest. You’ve earned it.

THOMAS: [a tear falls down his cheek, his face is blushing because of the fever] Don’t go away from me… Don’t leave me alone… I’m scared.

PATTON: [tearing up, holding Thomas’ hand and kissing it] I’m here, Thomas and I will never leave you. I’ll be with you all the time, kiddo.

[Logan picks up Thomas’ phone and calls someone]

LOGAN: Hello? Is it you, Joan? No, I’m not Thomas, I’m Logan. Listen, this is an emergency. You and Talyn must come to Thomas’ home quickly. Thomas is in mortal danger right now and needs help… I can’t give you more details by phone, time is short. Yes, we’ll be here. Hurry up, please.

[Logan hangs up]

ROMAN: Do you think they will be able to do something, anyway?

LOGAN: I don’t know, but what else can we do? They are our only allies in the real world. We need them.

[Deceit brings a basin full of water with a couple of little towels floating on it]

DECEIT: Here, I filled this with cold water.

LOGAN: Good idea, Deceit. Keep putting cold compresses on his forehead, and replace them when they get warm. We must fight that fever. Virgil, go put an effervescent tablet of ibuprofen in a glass of water and make Thomas drink it. Perhaps that will be of help too.

VIRGIL: Okay.

[suddenly, Remus storms in the living room]

REMUS: Where is it!? What did you do with it!?

ROMAN: Remus, it’s you. What are you doing here?

REMUS: Enough with the “what are you doing here”! I know you’ve been in my room! Where did you put my black cauldron!?

ROMAN: The Dark Master has it.

REMUS: Oh, no! You fool! How could you let the Dark Master put his hands on my cauldron!? Don’t you see what you’ve done!?

ROMAN: Yes, I do. Look at Thomas.

REMUS: Yes, that’s my point and that’s what I feared!

ROMAN: Now you care about Thomas? I thought you hated him.

REMUS: Don’t jump to conclusions! It’s not what you think, you idiot! I don’t care about Mr. Sunny-boy anymore than I care about any of you, and I don’t mind putting Thomas into all kinds of mental misfortunes! But I would never physically harm him, cause if he dies, we all die! And I don’t know about you, but I am too young to die! I raised that barrier to protect the cauldron from falling into the Dark Master’s hands, and you ruined it! I hope you’re proud of yourself!

[Roman shows a face of remorse]

VIRGIL: [angry] Hey, Mortimer Re-Mouse! Cut him some slack, will ya? If you care so much about your own safety, you could try to be constructive for once in your life!

THOMAS: [weak voice] Guys… don’t fight, please…

PATTON: How are you doing, Thomas?

THOMAS: I’m still feeling so cold…

LOGAN: Let me see…

[Logan puts the thermometer on Thomas’ forehead, then checks the temperature]

LOGAN: 103ºF, or 39.4ºC… It’s a little better, but it’s still high fever. But I guess the ibuprofen is doing some work after all…

THOMAS: I’m sorry I cannot be of use to you now, guys…

PATTON: [sweetly petting his hair, all wet because of the compresses, speaking with the sweetest, relaxing voice] Relax, kiddo. The only way you can be of use for us now is by getting some rest.

[there’s a knock on the door]

LOGAN: That must be Joan. Virgil, go open the door.

VIRGIL: Okay.

[Virgil goes to open the door. Joan and Talyn come in]

JOAN: Where is Thomas? What is going on?

VIRGIL: He’s on the couch.

[Joan and Talyn go to the couch]

JOAN: Oh, my goodness, Thomas! You look so bad!

THOMAS: [weak ironic smile] Hello, Joan… thank you for your compliments…

JOAN: What’s wrong with you?

LOGAN: He’s got a high fever. We have managed to keep it under control, sort of, but he’s far from recovery, I’m afraid.

TALYN: We need to take him to a hospital.

LOGAN: I’m afraid that wouldn’t be helpful. His illness is not of organic origin.

JOAN: What’s happened?

LOGAN: The Dark Master has set himself free. He’s left Thomas’ Mind Palace to wander around in the real world, and Thomas cannot survive without him. If we don’t find a way of making the Dark Master return to the Mind Palace, Thomas will die.

JOAN: What? But how could this happen?

ROMAN: [giving Joan the magic scroll] Maybe this will explain it to you.

[Joan reads the contract]

JOAN: I don’t fully understand. So, you made a deal with the Dark Master to become a Light Side again? And for that you gave him these shirts and that black cauldron? Why would you do that?

ROMAN: I told them already, he tricked me! I didn’t know he was the Dark Master! I would have never participated in this if I had known! Do you honesty think that I would have sold Thomas, my friends and the Side that I love to make my wish come true? You all are more important to me than me being Dark or Light! You should know that!

VIRGIL: I know. We know, Roman.

JOAN: Yes, I know… I’m sorry if I made you feel otherwise Roman. I also forgot that you don’t speak Tagalog, the Filipino language. As you know, my family is of Filipino origin. Even though I only know a few words of Tagalog, one of them is “Madilim”, which means “Dark” in Tagalog, so I quickly identified he was the Dark Master, so the shock made me assume that you would have known too… I’m terribly sorry, Roman.

ROMAN: It’s okay. I wish I would have known the language too, so I wouldn’t have fallen prey of his tricks. I wouldn’t have given him that dang cauldron if I had known the truth.

DECEIT: What was in that cauldron, anyway? How could the Dark Master use it to free himself like that?

REMUS: When Roman left me in the island, I was still a Light Side. As time went on, I realized I was slowly turning into a Dark Side, the more Roman tried to repress me. I tried to counter that change by projecting my dark energy out of me into that cauldron. At first, it worked, as I turned back into a Light Side, but the repression kept happening again, and again, and every time stronger than the previous one.

DECEIT: That must have been angsty.

REMUS: There was a moment when the cauldron was so full of Dark Energy, that I could not fill it anymore, or it would corrupt myself, so I finally gave up and let the transformation happen, until I became a Dark Side. At that moment, my room in the Dark Realm appeared. I came there to check out, and the Dark Master confronted me. He tried to force me to submit to his will with his whip and all. But you know me already. I’m too kinky to be tortured. I was totally unaffected by his physical chastising, I even enjoyed it.

PATTON: Why am I not surprised?

REMUS: So, he eventually gave me up as impossible and just allowed me to stay in my room without messing too much in my life, just checking out what I was up to from time to time, and forbidding other Dark Sides to approach me, as he didn’t want my rebellious attitude to spread out among them. But one day, he noticed my cauldron. He wanted it desperately. As he told me when trying to bribe me into giving it to him, he could use all the concentrated Dark Energy inside to set himself free. If combined with objects belonging to the different Sides, not only he could be free to get out of the Dark Realm. He could also get out of the Mind Palace itself.

LOGAN: Why was the Dark Master so open about his plans? It doesn’t make sense.

REMUS: He probably thought I was so demented and so thirsty of revenge against Roman, Thomas and the Light Sides, that I would give him the cauldron without further question. I may act idiotic, but I’m not stupid! I knew what would happen to Thomas, and by extension to all of us, if he did that. I couldn’t destroy the cauldron, as that would have set free a wave of Dark Energy so strong that it would have destroyed Sandersia, which would have wounded Roman and by extension me. And if I destroyed it in the Dark Realm, I would have only been making it easier to the Dark Master, as he could just absorb the Dark Energy and perform his plan, so I raised the barrier around my room, a barrier only Creativity, that is, Roman or I, could cross and allow others to cross. I figured that a ton of bricks like the ones Roman used in his Dream Factory, which I also was able to create, would be enough to keep the cauldron safe. I didn’t expect that Roman would eventually mess everything up, and not only by getting the cauldron out of the barrier, but also willingly giving it to the enemy! And then it’s me who they call demented!

VIRGIL: As I said, it would be better for all of us if you were constructive, and not destructive as you usually are!

REMUS: I am what I am, emo! And right now, I’m an angry octopus, that’s all!

VIRGIL: Octopus?

[tentacles appear from Remus’ back]

REMUS: Yes, octopus! Oh, did my tentacles scare you? You can thank Roman for them, I wouldn’t have had them if I hadn’t been turned into a Dark Side!

[Remus hides the tentacles]

VIRGIL: [with voice of disgust] I… I’ll just pretend I didn’t see that.

LOGAN: [scared] Guys, Thomas is getting worse!

THOMAS: [loud breathing] I’m finding it hard to breath…

PATTON: [scared] Thomas, please… hold on.

JOAN: Where the f… [bleep] are we going to get some oxygen for him now? We need to call an ambulance, Logan!

THOMAS: No… no… it’s okay… it’s getting over… it was only a moment… I can breath again now…

LOGAN: [angry] Guys, you’re wasting time! Thomas is fading in front of our own eyes and you’re all just behaving like bratty babies as if we had all the time in the world! Instead of arguing or blaming yourselves or others, it would be better if we made a plan of action! He is running out of time!

PATTON: Well, Logan, you’re Thomas’ logical thinking. No one better than you to set a course of action.

LOGAN: All right… first, we need to find the Dark Master. But that’s easier said than done. Gainesville may not be a huge city, but it’s big enough to help someone hide. And he will probably be disguised to go unnoticed.

REMUS: You don’t have to worry about that. Didn’t you have a little green firefly, or something?

LOGAN: You mean Ira?

REMUS: Yeah, Ira or whatever. That b… [bleep] , I mean the Dark Master, not the green b… [bleep], and now I mean Ira, not [pointing at himself] this green b… [bleep] …

PATTON: [annoyed] Cut to the chase, you b… [elongates the B letter] ...b-b-biscuit!

REMUS: [beat] As I was saying, before daddy interrupted me, the Dark Master has used my own energy to set himself free, which means your sprite friend could easily trace him, as long as he’s still holding my black cauldron. If he isn’t… well, he’d still be traceable for a couple of hours more, while remnants of my energy are still on his body, then he’ll be gone for good.

LOGAN: I doubt he would want to get rid of that cauldron. He would have simply left it in the forest if he hadn’t found it useful or didn’t think it was dangerous for him to leave it behind. He’s still carrying the cauldron, I’m sure.

ROMAN: Okay, Ira, did you hear that? I know you’re watching from the crystal orb. Come here now, we need your ability again.

[Honesty appears]

PATTON: Oh, Honesty, hi. Long time no see. It’s been a while since you last showed up. Are you okay?

HONESTY: Why are you asking that? I’m fine. Besides, that’s not important now. The important thing here is to make sure Thomas is okay right now.

PATTON: You’re right, but us being worried about Thomas doesn’t mean we cannot be worried about you at the same time. Is anything wrong with you lately? Why don’t you want to show up?

HONESTY: [concerned] Well, I…

PATTON: You don’t intend to fade away for another eight years like the last time, do you?

[Honesty doesn’t have time to answer, as Ira’s sprite appears]

PATTON: We’ll talk about that later, but you bet we’ll have that conversation, mister.

DECEIT: If we’re still alive by then… Sorry, did I say that aloud? I totally didn’t mean it…

REMUS: [a little scared, to Ira] Stay away from me, Stinkerbell!

[Ira makes a loud jingle bell sound that reminds of a raspberry noise]

VIRGIL: You can see him? Then that means you’re not a Dark Side. Not completely at least.

REMUS: Of course I can see him, and want him away from me! His bite still hurts on my neck and it’s the only non pleasant pain I have ever felt!

ROMAN: Okay, easy, Captain Poop. Ira, can you do what Remus said? Can you detect the Dark Master’s trace? We need to find him…

[Ira starts flying up and down, as if nodding to say yes]

LOGAN: However, we mustn’t just go running blindly on the hunt of the Dark Master. We need to think beforehand what to do when we find him. Otherwise, he could harm us.

ROMAN: No, he couldn’t.

JOAN: Why not?

ROMAN: The pact. It says that he can’t actively hurt us, or else everything would turn to be as it was before. That could be a solution… with good things and bad things. The good thing is that that would send the Dark Master back to the Mind Palace, saving Thomas’ life. The bad thing…

VIRGIL: What?

ROMAN: …the bad thing is that I would turn back into a Dark Side again.

REMUS: What? You were a Dark Side?

ROMAN: Yes, and it’s all your fault, by the way. Something happened when we fused that corrupted me into a Dark Side when we split up.

REMUS: You’re saying it as if I was the only one to blame. I didn’t put a gun on your head, did I? You wanted to fuse with me as much as I did, so you’re as guilty as I am. Besides, I love that that’s happened to you. Now you will know how it feels, cause that’s what you did to me when you tried to repress me, and, unlike me, you did it on purpose! I guess karma is real after all.

ROMAN: [sighs] I guess you’re right, cause it really looks like a karmic punishment. That doesn’t matter, anyway. If I have to turn into a Dark Side, then so be it. I prefer being a Dark Side rather than getting Thomas killed. Anyway, this is all just speculation. He would never attack us knowing what’s on risk for him, and I would never put any of us in danger of getting harmed by him, so…

REMUS: You know what? I’m tired of waiting!

ROMAN: What?

REMUS: You guys are just standing here talking about life and doing nothing! I’m not a man of talking, I’m a man of action! And I’m gonna destroy the Dark Master with my own hands! [invoking it] And this Morningstar!

LOGAN: That’s not a wise idea. We should form a plan together to…

REMUS: [yelling] Don’t tell what to do, you’re not my boss! I do what I want whenever it pleases me, and now what pleases me is getting out of here, okay? Bye!

[Remus gets out of the apartment]

ROMAN: Wait! Urgh! Why does he have to be so dramatic all the time? I can’t believe it’s me who’s said that… He’s right in one thing, though. We don’t have time to form a plan of action. We must get moving right now.

LOGAN: [sighs, looking at Thomas] I think you’re right…

ROMAN: Okay, guys, we must divide forces. Joan, Talyn, Logan and Patton, you will stay with Thomas. Take care of him and if he gets worse, take him to a hospital if it’s necessary. It may not do any effect, but at least he’d be under control.

LOGAN: Okay.

ROMAN: [invokes another crystal ball and gives it to Joan] Here. This is another crystal orb like the one I gave my brother, so that they could check out what was going on. You will see all that is happening to us through it, okay?

JOAN: Okay.

ROMAN: Virgil, Deceit and I, and Honesty too, of course. We’ll follow Ira and face the Dark Master when we find him. We must be careful, we don’t know what he may be up to. He can’t harm us purposely, but he may try to harm innocent people instead or use them as hostages. We mustn’t let him do that, okay?

VIRGIL: Got it.

JOAN: Won’t it call people’s attention to see four clones of Thomas Sanders wandering around Gainesville?

ROMAN: Don’t worry, Joan. We’ll be invisible when we are moving around Gainesville, and if we have to be visible, we can assume any shape to go unnoticed.

JOAN: Okay.

THOMAS: Be careful, guys…

ROMAN: We will be, Thomas. Okay, guys. Let’s go. Thomas, we’re borrowing your car, okay?

[Honesty disappears into Deceit, then Roman, Virgil and Deceit get out of the apartment. The sound of a car is heard outside going away]

THOMAS: [to Logan, with a weak voice] It’s the first time they are gonna get away from me in the real world… Are you sure they can do it?

LOGAN: Don’t worry. We can move around Gainesville at will. In fact, and sorry we’ve hidden this from you, this is not the first time at all. We have already done this once or twice, always staying invisible of course or shape-shifting into ordinary people. I have visited the library several times thanks to that. How do you think I get the knowledge of things you don’t even know about sometimes?

PATTON: Yeah, and I got some good cooking recipes in the library too. If I had waited for you to start learning how to cook, I would still be doing Playdoh cookies, you know?

THOMAS: And that… doesn’t affect me in any way? I mean, Virgil just clocked out and I became a whole mess. Wouldn’t it be worse if you literally wandered miles away from my body?

LOGAN: Well, it does affect you. Have you ever felt like distracted, with your head figuratively in the clouds? It was probably because one of us was hanging around out there. But, as long as we don’t leave Gainesville, or the city or town you’re staying at the moment, we’re still in contact with you, even if we’re far away, that’s why you don’t become a complete mess like when Virgil switched himself off.

THOMAS: I’d be a little mad if I wasn’t feeling so bad… You guys have to bring me up to date about these secret escapades of yours… that is, if I get out of this one…

TALYN: Of course you’ll get out of this one, Thomas. Don’t lose hope.

THOMAS: I don’t… I trust my Sides and I know if they set their mind on saving my life, I couldn’t be in better hands…

[there’s a knock at the door]

JOAN: What? Who can it be? Here, Talyn, hide the crystal orb. You, Logan, Patton, go invisible.

LOGAN: Done.

PATTON: Ready.

JOAN: I can still see you.

LOGAN: Don’t worry, Joan. We can be seen only by the people we want to be seen, and that’s Talyn and you exclusively.

JOAN: Okay, I’ll go to the door.

[Joan goes to open the door]

JOAN: Oh, Dahlia, Dominic, it’s you.

DAHLIA: Joan? What are you doing here? We’re coming to talk to Thomas.

DOMINIC: Yeah, he has to give us an explanation!

JOAN: An explanation? About what?

DAHLIA: He has been around Gainesville, doing the most disgusting things. I didn’t want to believe it at first, but I saw it with my own eyes an hour ago. He kicked a little dog on the back and left it in pain. And he left laughing just like that.

DOMINIC: We took it to the vet. Thank God the poor boy is not in danger. We called Thomas, but he’s not answering the phone. We assumed we’d find him here at this time of the evening.

LOGAN: They must have called while we were still on Sandersia. The outer world signal can’t reach there, that’s why I had to wait till we got out to call Joan.

JOAN: Guys, I think you are completely wrong, Thomas could have never done something like that.

DAHLIA: Yeah, I thought that too, but we saw it with our own eyes, Joan. Now, are you going to let us in or not?

JOAN: I mean that he could have never done that, because he has been here all the time. He’s sick. Talyn and I have been nursing him all the evening.

DAHLIA: What? I can’t believe that!

JOAN: See it for yourselves. He’s now on the couch with a high fever. Come and see.

[Dahlia and Dominic enter the apartment. When they see Thomas on the couch they sport a confused face]

DAHLIA: Thomas?

THOMAS: [weak voice] Hello… Dahlia.

DOMINIC: You look awful…

THOMAS: Thanks for noticing, Dominic…

JOAN: As you can see, he couldn’t have left the house in his condition. He can barely move.

DAHLIA: No… I guess not… and besides you’re right, it was such an out-of-character thing to do from Thomas… He adores dogs…

DOMINIC: But if it wasn’t you… who was that person? He looked just like you. Dahlia and I saw his face clearly, and it was exactly your face, only with a malevolent expression that chilled the blood.

TALYN: Are you sure he looked like Thomas? Perhaps it was just someone who reminded you of him.

DAHLIA: No, Talyn, I’m telling you. It’s not just that he was similar to him, or I could have had any doubt he was someone else. I’m telling you he was a clone of Thomas, like a twin brother or something. Heck, he was even wearing the same shirt you’re wearing right now! How is that possible?

DOMINIC: Are… are you guys hiding something from us? Cause I’m not buying that you don’t know who that doppelganger is.

LOGAN: Thomas… don’t worry, they can’t hear me yet. But I think the time has come to tell them the truth about us.

THOMAS: Are you sure, Logan?

DAHLIA: What? Logan? Who is Logan?

DOMINIC: Who are you talking to now? Don’t tell me you’re gonna start talking to the thin air like the other time!

TALYN: [nervous] I… I think it may be the fever, he is probably delirious…

LOGAN: Don’t worry, Talyn. I think we can trust Dahlia and Dominic. They’re your friends after all. And they have already seen too much. They’re already suspecting. Something tells me they’re not gonna stop until they find out the truth one way or another, and I think they deserve to know the truth from us, don’t you think?

THOMAS: Yes, I think you’re right, they deserve it…

DAHLIA: Deserve what?

THOMAS: Okay, Dahlia, Dominic… I’m going to level up with you, but you must promise that you will never ever tell this to anybody, promised?

DAHLIA: Tell what?

THOMAS: Promised?

DAHLIA: Okay, I promise.

DOMINIC: Me too.

THOMAS: Okay, don’t be afraid now.

DAHLIA: That’s a phrase that never works when someone says it, Thomas.

THOMAS: Logan, you can show up.

LOGAN: Good evening, Dahlia. Salutations Dominic.

[Dahlia gasps and has to sit down on the other couch due to the impression. Dominic is too stunned to react]

DAHLIA: What? What is going on? Who are you?

LOGAN: My name is Logan. And I am Thomas’ logical Side.

JOAN: Do you remember Thomas’ stories about his Sanders Sides? The videos he makes in his YouTube channel?

DAHLIA: Yes, I do. I also remember that sometimes he started talking to himself in his living room as if he was sustaining long conversations with someone. But I thought he was only rehearsing his acting abilities for those videos.

DOMINIC: As you know, Joan, I saw Thomas once yelling outside as if he was talking to someone. So… the Sanders Sides from his stories… are real? And you knew this all this time, Joan?

JOAN: It’s okay, guys. Talyn and I were as surprised as you are when we first found out. You wouldn’t believe everything we’ve seen these last few months. And Dominic, if it serves as something, when you told me that, I still didn’t know anything about the Sides. But it was precisely that what prompted me to find out the truth. It’s a long story, though.

DAHLIA: So that guy we saw earlier… it was another of your Sides? Your nasty Side or something?

LOGAN: Not exactly, although it is indeed a close definition. The one you saw calls himself the Dark Master. It is a concentration of Thomas’ evil self, the evil part that all human beings have inside themselves to one extent or another. Thomas had him repressed in his subconscious, but he set himself free and now is wreaking havoc around Gainesville.

PATTON: That’s right.

DAHLIA: [startled] Oh! I didn’t see you coming.

PATTON: Sorry, kiddos. I’m Patton, I’m Thomas’ Morality.

DOMINIC: By the way… you also look almost exactly like the guys in Thomas’ shorts…

PATTON: Yes, kiddo. Thomas got inspired on us to make these shorts.

DAHLIA: You all have the same face… isn’t it weird to you, Thomas?

THOMAS: Oh, it has never been weird to me. They have been with me all of my life since I was a child. I never found them weird at all.

[Thomas takes a deep breath as if he was running out of air]

LOGAN: Thomas, you shouldn’t speak so much. You should save your strength. You’re ill, just in case you forgot.

DAHLIA: What’s the matter with Thomas?

JOAN: Thomas needs the Dark Master to survive. That’s why he’s sick right now. If we don’t find a way to make him return inside of him before it’s too late, Thomas will die.

DAHLIA: What!?

DOMINIC: What can we do to help him!?

LOGAN: Some other Sides of Thomas have gone to fetch the Dark Master. And that reminds me… Talyn, you had the crystal orb, didn’t you?

TALYN: [pulling the crystal ball out] Yes.

LOGAN: Let’s see how they’re doing. I hope they found him already.

[everyone starts looking at the crystal ball which shows the following images. Roman, Virgil and Deceit are in front of a guy around whom Ira is flying]

ROMAN: There he is! Show yourself, Dark Master, there’s no use in hiding anymore!

DARK MASTER: [changing back into his real form] Very clever of you! I should have spared Ira’s life. It was a mistake to let him transform into this and call me out.

ROMAN: Too bad for you, Dark Master. We got you, and you won’t get away this time.

DARK MASTER: You certainly took your time, though. I’ve been sporting Thomas’ form for the last couple of hours, and only disguised myself a few minutes ago.

DECEIT: Why would you do that?

DARK MASTER: Because it was fun to destroy Thomas’ reputation while I was on it. I want to make that vicious Light Master pay for everything he’s done to me. I want to destroy him socially and revel in his suffering before he ceases to be a nuisance once and for all.

DAHLIA: If we needed any more confirmations, now we have them. I’m sorry I have ever doubted you, Thomas.

DOMINIC: Me too.

THOMAS: It’s okay, guys… let’s keep watching.

ROMAN: You truly are a sadist, and if you think we’re gonna let you do that…

DARK MASTER: And what are you planning to do to stop me, Princey? You can’t do anything to me. I’m too powerful for you and without your Light Master, you’re nothing. You should fear me.

ROMAN: Heh, neither you can do anything to us, remember? If you touch us, the pact would be broken and you’d turn back into what you were before, a fragment of yourself trapped as a simple character in Sandersia. That’s what you were as Madilim, weren’t you? I bet it stung. The once all powerful Dark Master, forced to be a secondary character in my stories.

DARK MASTER: [furious yelling] SHUT UP! [putting himself together, turning back to his mocking attitude] It’s true that I cannot touch and you cannot touch me. So we’re tied on this one. Or so you think. Because I just have to wait until Thomas perishes, and then you would all perish with him, and I’d be the winner, so the joke’s on you.

VIRGIL: If we die, you will die too!

DARK MASTER: Wrong! That’s a little extra from the spell. I’m totally independent from Thomas now. I’m just gonna dance above your grave!

DECEIT: You won’t get away with this! Somehow, we’ll take care of you!

DARK MASTER: Oh, do you think so, snake? Excuse me… [checks his watch] Three… two… one…

[Thomas starts running out of air again]

LOGAN: Thomas, hold on! Try to breath!

DARK MASTER: See? I can sense that already. Thomas is facing his final moments. Soon you’ll be history.

VIRGIL: Oh, no, Thomas!

THOMAS: [voice of suffocation] I… can’t… breath…

PATTON: [crying] Thomas, hold on, please!

DAHLIA: What are we gonna do?

DOMINIC: Should I call 9-1-1?

[meanwhile, a stranger approaches the Dark Master]

STRANGER: Excuse me, sir, could you tell me how to get to the Vam York Theater? I’m a little lost in this town and…

ROMAN: What? Who’s that dude?

DARK MASTER: What? Get lost!

[the Dark Master pushes the stranger and makes him fall]

STRANGER: [getting up] Hey, you don’t have to be so rude! I’ll teach you some manners, mister!

[the stranger slaps the Dark Master in the face]

VIRGIL: Uh-oh… [yelling] Sir, get away! That man is dangerous!

DARK MASTER: [angry] You’re gonna regret this!

[the Dark Master points at the stranger with his finger]

ROMAN: [horrified] Oh, no, I know that gesture! Don’t do that, Dark Master! He’s an innocent!

DARK MASTER: As if I cared about that! Die!

[the Dark Master shoots a black beam at the stranger, it crosses him through the chest]

ROMAN: [suddenly in pain] Aw! It hurts!

VIRGIL: [scared] Roman, what’s wrong with you?

DARK MASTER: What? What’s going on here?

STRANGER: [with a mischievous smile] I got you… Dark Master.

[the stranger falls to the ground, then transforms into Remus. Roman also falls down, sporting the same wound Remus has on the chest]

VIRGIL: [leaning towards Roman] Oh, no, Roman! Remus, what have you done?

REMUS: What had to be done! I got my revenge both on the Dark Master and on my brother, finally! I’m sure Thomas can survive without creativity, at least he’ll be alive to tell it.

DARK MASTER: Oh, no, but if you’re Remus, then that means…

REMUS: I’m not a friend of Roman’s, and he doesn’t truly consider me a relative, but we are connected. By hurting me, you have hurt Roman, so the pact is broken. Eat this!

[the bag flies away from the Dark Master’s hand and falls on Roman’s hands, then the Dark Master starts sinking down]

DARK MASTER: [full of angst] No, no! I don’t wanna go back in there again! No!

REMUS: [blowing him a kiss] Bye, bye, blackbird!

DARK MASTER: NOOOO!

[the Dark Master sinks down completely. At the same time, Thomas starts regaining his breath]

THOMAS: [relieved] It’s over… I can breath again…

PATTON: Thomas, are you okay?

THOMAS: I’m still a little weak, but I can feel myself getting better by the minute. I already feel the coldness fading away…

LOGAN: Yes, even as we speak, you’re starting to look better. [he puts the thermometer on Thomas’ forehead, then checks the result] 98ºF which is 36.6ºC. You don’t even have fever anymore. The Dark Master is back into the Mind Palace. They did it!

[Thomas’ friends cheer, but Patton makes gestures to them to be quiet with a worried face]

PATTON: Guys, look at the crystal orb! Roman and Remus are wounded!

[everyone stops cheering and look at the orb. Deceit has grabbed Remus and put him next to Roman]

VIRGIL: Roman, your face! A half is turning into… a fox!

ROMAN: Well, that confirms it… I’m a Dark Side again.

REMUS: Well, you’ll just have to deal with it as I did. You can’t have everything, you know?

ROMAN: It doesn’t matter, anyway… I think we’re not getting out of this one. I hope I can make a good red sprite…

REMUS: Oh, do you think so? Think again, bro.

[Remus touches his wound on the chest and the wound starts healing itself. At the same time, Roman’s wound starts healing itself too]

ROMAN: What? What is going on?

REMUS: Sticks and stones can’t break my bones, brother. The Dark Master tried everything to subdue me, but I just healed myself again and again and just moved on. He can’t do me any harm if I don’t let him. That’s the power of intrusive thoughts, you can never destroy us. And that applies both for the Dark Master and the Light Master.

[after a few seconds, Remus rises up totally healed. Then helps Roman rise up, he’s also all right]

ROMAN: You… saved us all.

REMUS: Nah, don’t read too much into this. I was just saving my own butt, that’s all.

[Roman hugs Remus]

ROMAN: Thank you! Thank you, Remus!

REMUS: [surprised by the hug, a little startled] Look out! If you hug me like this, we’ll fuse again!

[Roman doesn’t listen, he still hugs Remus]

DECEIT: It’s weird. Nothing’s happening.

VIRGIL: I guess something happened when Thomas broke your fusion so abruptly. Perhaps you can’t fuse right now.

REMUS: Oh… do you think so, emo? [hugs Roman back, letting go a little brief smile of joy] Okay… [pushing Roman away after a couple of seconds, faking annoyance] Okay, let go, let me breath!

[Roman lets go, looking at Remus with a loving glance that makes him blush and look away bashfully]

VIRGIL: Let’s go back with Thomas. I hope he is okay now.

[The Sides jump into Thomas’ car, Remus gets on the wheel]

ROMAN: Are you sure you know how to drive?

REMUS: Bro, I was born to drive!

[Remus starts the car which goes away at high speed while Deceit screams in fear like a little girl. The crystal orb turns off then]

THOMAS: If Remus harms my car I swear…

PATTON: Glad to see that you’re okay, Thomas.

THOMAS: Guys, I suddenly thought… What has the Dark Master done while he was on the loose? How many people are going to hate me for things I didn’t do? And even if we explain it wasn’t me, how are we going to explain the presence of someone who looks exactly like me? This is gonna be tricky…

LOGAN: I think I’ve got an idea. I’m going to need Roman and Deceit’s help, though, they are the best actors among us.

ROMAN: [suddenly opening the front door] Thank you for your compliments, Logan!

THOMAS: How fast were you going, Remus!?

REMUS: I don’t know… Is it normal that the car emits smoke and fire from inside the hood?

THOMAS: [horrified] What!? My car!

REMUS: I was kidding! You should have seen your face, Thomas! [starts laughing like a maniac]

THOMAS: If you weren’t virtually indestructible, I would kill you…

ROMAN: [noticing Dominic and Dahlia] Oh… whoops… did… did I miss something?

THOMAS: Oh, don’t worry, Roman. Dominic and Dahlia are on our side, they’re our allies now.

ROMAN: Oh, okay… I got scared for a second.

THOMAS: Guys, let me introduce them to you. This is Virgil, my Vigilance, although I’m still fond of calling him my Anxiety. This is Deceit. Inside of him, there’s Honesty. It seems he doesn’t want to show up, but you’ll get to know him someday. And these are Prince Roman and Duke Remus. Together, they form my Creativity.

DOMINIC: Nice to meet all of you.

DAHLIA: Same.

THOMAS: Now Dominic, Dahlia, remember your promise. You must never ever tell anybody, not even the rest of our friends or families. I don’t wanna become some sort of laboratory guinea pig. Okay?

DOMINIC: Don’t worry, Thomas, your secret is safe.

DAHLIA: You can count on us, our lips are sealed.

REMUS: Well, this was fun, now I gotta go. Give me back my cauldron, Roman.

ROMAN: [giving him the cauldron] Here you are. But before you go, let me tell you that you got your facts wrong.

REMUS: About what?

ROMAN: You thought that it was me being wounded what broke the pact. It wasn’t. As the Dark Master didn’t touch me and didn’t know he was gonna harm me, that wouldn’t have counted as “actively harm” me. If the pact was broken, it’s because he directly harmed you, because you are my brother, and now I finally feel you like my brother. I hope you see it as a proof and give me a chance to start over again with our relationship.

REMUS: [shows a brief emotional smile, then tries to mask it with his usual attitude] I just want to make something clear so that you don’t get mistaken. I am what I am. I still am Thomas’ intrusive thoughts and the part of creativity he doesn’t like. I’m not gonna dulcify myself like Virgil and Deceit did, because that’s not how I work. I can’t change who I am. In fact, I don’t wanna change who I am. See ya later, Thomas, cause you’re gonna see me soon, whether you like it or not…

[Remus sinks down]

ROMAN: [sighs] That’s something I’ve always known, but this is a start anyway… Now, what were you saying about me being a good actor? Not that I disagree or something.

LOGAN: I didn’t say you were a good actor. I said you were the best actor among us, alongside Deceit. Not counting Thomas, the bar is not that high in this Mind Palace, anyway.

ROMAN: [beat] Fair enough…

LOGAN: Listen, this is the scene you are gonna perform. I want Deceit and you to go to the Taco Bell that is located in that downtown avenue and say this. [gives them a paper with some lines] I also want Thomas’ friends to show up, to give realism to the scene. This will help clean Thomas’ name.

ROMAN: Hmm… I don’t know, Logan, these lines do not let me show off my acting skills. Couldn’t I tweak this a little bit, just for a better show?

LOGAN: [rolls his eyes] I know it’s hard work for you, Roman, but this has to be realistic.

ROMAN: Are you implying that I can’t act realistically?

LOGAN: Are you implying that I’m implying anything different?

[Roman emits some offended Princey noises]

DECEIT: I’m not good at memorizing lines, Logan. Remember how I was barely able to remember the details in your outfits when I tried to impersonate you. I can’t do this.

LOGAN: [sighs] Okay, then Roman will memorize his lines, and if you don’t remember the exact words, improvise, but try to stick to the ideas in the text, please.

ROMAN: Why do you let him say what he wants and not me!?

LOGAN: [angry snapping] Because I’m the dramaturg, writer, producer and director of this play, and you’re gonna obey my orders, got it!?

ROMAN: [pouty face] Okay, got it, but this play’s gonna suck!

VIRGIL: It’s cool that that is gonna get fixed and all… [sad voice] …but…

[Roman looks at Virgil with a sad face]

ROMAN: I know… Even if now I can spend short amounts of time with you because I’m no longer emitting so much Dark Energy… We are forced to live separated again. It’s not fair.

THOMAS: At least we’re all alive and well and we have time to think on something to fix this that doesn’t imply me catching a lethal cold again.

ROMAN: Yeah, sorry again, Thomas. You have gone through so much because of me. I don’t know how to apologize…

THOMAS: It’s okay. All’s well that ends well.

ROMAN: If only it had ended well for everybody… I wish there was a way to fix this other than recurring to that monster. For him it was so easy, he said that he didn’t even need the objects, he… [suddenly opening his eyes wide] …wait a second…

THOMAS: What?

ROMAN: He also said that for a Master it was child’s play to turn Dark Energy into Light Energy… Thomas, you’re also a Master! If the Dark Master was right, you also have the power to turn me back into a Light Side!

THOMAS: What? But… how?

ROMAN: I don’t know, Thomas, you are the Master, not me!

THOMAS: I don’t know how to use these powers! I didn’t even know that I had them in the first place!

LOGAN: And yet you have used them already, at least once, and now everything’s making sense.

THOMAS: What?

LOGAN: Thomas, it was you who unconsciously turned Roman into a Dark Side. While you forced the separation, you used some ability that made the transformation. You have the power in you to revert that transformation.

THOMAS: But I don’t know how to do that!

LOGAN: It’s okay. Now that your life is not endangered, we have plenty of time to help you learn how to use your Light Master powers. We’ll help you in the task the best that we can. It’s only a matter of time.

THOMAS: But are you sure you’re gonna be all right in the mean time, Roman? You’ll have to be separated from Virgil, who knows for how long?

ROMAN: Yes, it’s gonna be torturing, but at least I have something I did not have these past few days: hope. Now I know that, sooner or later, Virgil and I will be reunited.

THOMAS: You have so much faith in me… I don’t know if I deserve it.

PATTON: Of course you do, kiddo! You can do so much more than what you give yourself credit for!

ROMAN: I do have faith in you, Thomas, because Patton is right. Quoting what Christopher Robin told Winnie the Pooh, “you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think”. If you weren’t, we wouldn’t be here, remember?

THOMAS: Thanks, guys.

DOMINIC: And we’re gonna help in anyway we can, Thomas.

THOMAS: Thanks to you too. The truth is your help is gonna be greatly appreciated.

DAHLIA: It’s okay, Thomas.

THOMAS: [to the camera] Well, to all of you out there…

DAHLIA: [confused] Who are you talking to now, Thomas?

JOAN: It’s okay, Dahlia, I’ll tell you later.

THOMAS: Thank you so much for watching, and until next time, take it easy, guys, gals and non binary pals. Peace out!

[end card]

[It’s the morning after. Joan, Dominic, Dahlia and Talyn are with Roman and Deceit, disguised as Thomas and as a copy of the Dark Master respectively, in front of the Taco Bell in the street]

ROMAN: [yelling] How could you do this, cousin? You’ve besmirched the name Sanders!

DECEIT: I’m sorry, Thomas! I didn’t mean it! I… You know what happens to me when I drink!

ROMAN: Yes, you become a blatant jerk, but that’s no excuse! Do you know how many people has phoned me saying horrible things to me because they confused me with you!? Among all my family members, why did I have the misfortune to be a perfect look-alike to you!?

DECEIT: I’m sorry, I don’t deserve to live! [mumbling] This is not humiliating at all… [yelling] Tell me what can I do?

ROMAN: What you can do? Easy! You will go back to Montana and never return! Gainesville doesn’t want people like you, and certainly neither do I!

DECEIT: Okay, as you wish, Thomas! I’ll pack my bags and leave, and never return!

ROMAN: And if you want some advice, stop drinking, or they will also expel you from Montana! You are lucky that no one has denounced you here! Don’t push your luck!

DECEIT: Farewell, Gainesville! Farewell, cousin! Bye!

[Thomas is watching the scene from his car, with Patton, Logan and Virgil]

THOMAS: [frowning a little bit] Wow, overacting much?

PATTON: Well I did like it, it got me all emotional!

VIRGIL: Dad, you’re always all emotional. It’s okay, though, Thomas. It’s true that their acting wasn’t on point today, but I think it will help add a sense of freakiness to your “cousin” and make him more believable, somehow.

LOGAN: Okay, I recorded everything on my phone. Now I just have to send it online, share it anonymously with a few of your friends and, with some luck, it will go viral and clean your name.

THOMAS: But what if my family watches the video? Won’t they be asking questions about who that “cousin” is?

LOGAN: You can always tell them it was an acting and editing exercise. You told me that nothing about the Dark Master’s doing reached them, so they will believe that.

THOMAS: I hope so.

[Roman and Deceit approach the car]

ROMAN: Okay, did you get it all?

THOMAS: Yes, we did, Roman.

ROMAN: I was great as usual, wasn’t I?

THOMAS: [affected voice] Sure… so great…

DECEIT: Okay, can we go home now? Groveling out loud like that has been so humiliating.

ROMAN: Yeah, your acting hasn’t been on point either. Don’t worry, you’ll get the grip on it next time.

DECEIT: [annoyed] My acting!? What about your acting!?

ROMAN: What do you have to say about my acting!?

DECEIT: [sweet but at the same time sarcastic] Nothing. You have been the best actor I’ve ever met, and certainly you do not deserve a Razzie for your performance…

[at first Roman shows himself flattered… then he realizes that it’s Deceit who’s said that and emits some offended Princey noises]

THOMAS: Guys, guys, don’t start again! Just get in the car and let’s go home. We have a lot of work to do!

[Roman and Deceit jump in the car with pouty faces, then the car goes away]

[easyhairstylesbest]

Gemini Monthly Horoscope

MONTH OF January

Monthly Snapshot 

Ready for a whole new groove? It’s not just because of the usual “new year, new you” that you’re feeling a fresh kind of energy. The planets have shifted after being parked for months in the same positions, and that’s not really the way your variety-loving sign likes to roll.

Cosmic cohorts Jupiter and Saturn will spend their first full month in fellow air-sign Aquarius, where they’ll hang out for much of 2021. They’re both finally out of Capricorn and your intense eighth house, which made 2020 even more internal than the pandemic did. It was a year when you felt feelings you haven’t connected to in ages—tough but also transformational.

Now these giants are soaring through your expansive ninth house, awakening a sense of wanderlust and adventure. Even though most of us can’t literally travel, there are so many “journeys” of the mind to take, from exploring the metaphysical realms to kicking off an entrepreneurial venture. Let yourself play, Gemini!

With Mars and Uranus in Taurus activating your twelfth house of imagination, you’ll be especially creative. Though you may be saying goodbye to one chapter of your life, you’ll also see wide open horizons stretching ahead. Parting is such sweet sorrow (or maybe not)…but Geminis have gotta keep it moving. Just get those ambitious plans underway before your ruling planet, Mercury, turns retrograde on January 30!

Week 1: January 1-10

Hit the snooze button

Let the hibernation begin! After a grueling 2020 of nonstop communication (Zooms, livestreams, emails), this week gives you a much-needed break. Since June 27, activator Mars has been in Aries and your eleventh house of teamwork and technology. Pandemic or not, it’s been a constant barrage of information and invitations (just how many Peloton sessions, Insta Stories and Zoom cocktail hours CAN one person withstand—even if they’re a Gemini?).

On Wednesday, January 6, Mars wraps up this extended six-month visit (which was four times longer than its usual spin through one sign) and plunges into sensual Taurus, activating your twelfth house of rest, creativity and closure. The stars flip your battery pack into “energy saver” mode until March 3, when the red planet will blaze into Gemini for the first time since May 2019. Until it gets there, your job is to rest and tie up loose ends instead of starting any new projects.

Caution: The pandemic only compounded the trials of hosting action planet Mars in your always-on eleventh house. Your drive to connect was strong, but the all-screen, no-touch mode might have left you feeling anxious, cut off and worried about the future. On the plus side, you may have done some helpful soul-searching or weeded out inner circle members who didn’t really belong there anymore.

Between now and March 3, you may feel both wired AND tired, running out of steam quickly. At night, you could toss and turn with spinning thoughts, or you could find it hard to relax. How about treating yourself to a bed upgrade? Invest in your rest. While you’re at it, make sure to power down those electronic devices and try a pre-bedtime bath or meditation. The twelfth house is famous for delivering its greatest gifts while you’re roaming its misty dreamscape. Keep a journal bedside to capture any REM epiphanies.

Week 2: January 11-17

Trust your intuition

Time to go big…or pause for a nap? You could be exhausted yet raring to go this week as Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius activate your expansive ninth house AND Mars and Uranus lounge in low-power mode in Taurus and your restful twelfth house.

Keep conserving your energy this Wednesday, January 13, when eager Mars forms a stressful square to cautious Saturn. Use your time and talents judiciously. You could be presented with a compelling offer that feels a bit too good to be true, and you’d be wise to do your homework before rushing in. Why IS this person pushing you so hard to sign on the dotted line?

If your Spidey senses suggest there’s something shady going on, don’t ignore them. One of our Gemini friends recently backed out of a nearly finished contract when she discovered that a potential business partner was hiding years of unpaid debts and taxes from her!

Those kinds of curveballs could intensify on Thursday, January 14, when Uranus—the planet of surprises and radical change—ends a five-month retrograde in Taurus and your surreal twelfth house. As upsetting as it can be to have your plans disrupted, remind yourself that there’s a guardian angel on your shoulder, saving you from making a regrettable decision later.

With radical Uranus zooming through Taurus and your mystical twelfth house until 2026, you may be developing your supernatural gifts or interests. Another of our Gemini friends, a longtime music event producer, recently launched a portal for spiritual inspiration at https://www.euphoriastateofmind.com. It’s a perfect example of the kind of Gemini pivot you might make into the arts and/or the esoteric fields. But either way, you can expect heavy influences from these realms to permeate your daily life, and all the more as Uranus picks up speed.

Fun fact: Now that Uranus is direct, there are zero retrograde planets for the next two weeks, a rare occurrence. It’s a great time to launch or make an important decision under the clear skies!

Also on Thursday, the Sun makes its annual conjunction (meetup) with powerhouse Pluto, uniting in Capricorn and your eighth house of intimacy, joint ventures and shared resources. You could team up for mutual gain with a well-connected person. Careful though: Egos and power plays could factor in heavily, and someone may use their leverage to get ahead in a competitive way. Keep your wits about you, ask all the questions and make sure to present your polished best if you commune with any VIPs today.

A breakthrough moment could arrive on Sunday, January 17, when expansive Jupiter in your risk-taking ninth house locks into a tricky square with Uranus, a rare event that only happens every seven years. With these two freedom-seeking planets making contact, you’ll have a strong urge to blast out of any confines.

But since these no-limits luminaries are butting heads, you might be torn between coming aboard a big venture or staying uncommitted to see if something better comes along. Watch out for both FOMO and a case of “grass is greener syndrome,” which could tempt you to make the wrong choices by acting on impulse. While you definitely should listen to your heart, think about the long-term effects of any major moves, not just the short-term payoff.

Week 3: January 18-24

Take time to do it right

Your viewfinder expands to “wide angle” setting this week as Aquarius season begins! On Tuesday, January 19, the Sun joins Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn in the Water Bearer’s domain, staying until February 18. With all these planets in your ninth house of growth, long-distance connections and opportunity, you’re feeling adventurous and up for rolling the dice! Got a savvy startup idea or an online course you’ve been wanting to take (or teach)? Anything that broadens your horizons is at least worth exploring. Just don’t rush in without reading the fine print, no matter how eager you are.

A major epiphany could strike like lightning on Wednesday, January 20, when Mars and Uranus make an exact conjunction in Taurus and your twelfth house of healing and closure. You might radically shut the door on one chapter of your life that’s been painful or burdensome. Pay attention to the magic in the air! You could also get an intuitive hit so strong it can’t be ignored—and when you follow it, the serendipities will be stunning.

Ride the wave of action and momentum today and take a bold chance! But stay grounded in your body because both of these erratic planets can blow out your circuits, especially when they combine their volatility and voltage. Make sure to eat, hydrate and take breaks so you can keep a clear line to the divine.

Another frenetic day arrives on Saturday, January 23, when activator Mars squares off against supersizer Jupiter in Aquarius and your expansive ninth house. Do you go wide…or deep? Mars in your introspective twelfth house wants you to plumb the depths of a topic or relationship, but Jupiter’s restless energy makes it hard to sit still.

This intense square can give you another case of FOMO, similar to last week’s Jupiter-Uranus square. Do you throw caution to the wind, or wait for the full picture to unfold? There’s quite likely to be some information that’s yet to be revealed, and rushing into a big venture looks premature under these skies.

Another cue to be cautious this Saturday? The Sun and sobering Saturn will make their annual conjunction (meetup), a day when people can be skeptical or resistant to new ideas. As they unite in Aquarius and your visionary ninth house, you’d be wise to slow down and craft a plan that will support your lofty dreams. Anything worth doing is worth doing well!

Week 4: January 25-31

A big opportunity awaits

Oh, the places you…might not go? This Tuesday, January 26, you’re unsure whether to jump at an opportunity for adventure or just stay in bed. Blame it on the stars this time, Gemini. With the Sun in your ninth house of exploration squaring off against unsettling Uranus in your twelfth house of rest and rejuvenation, competing demands could leave you tempted to bite off way more than you can chew. But you’ll quickly crash if you take on too much, so pace yourself a little bit this week!

If you feel drained by the Sun-Uranus square’s erratic energy (signs: you’re overwhelmed, weepy or cranky), give yourself permission to take a break. You’ve been pushing yourself pretty hard lately, making up for all that 2020 time stuck in both the cosmic and the Covid cocoons. Understandably, you’re eager for new experiences and fresh horizons. But you don’t have to do it all at once, Gemini. In fact, if you slow your roll, you might just experience a big, unexpected insight. And if you don’t, you could be in for a tough lesson about overpromising and under-delivering.

Excitement picks up on Thursday, January 28, when the Sun joins forces with jovial Jupiter in Aquarius and your ninth house of learning and exploration. Considered the “luckiest day of the year” by many astrologers (and recently dubbed the Day of Miracles), this once-a-year conjunction could bring an incredible opportunity to share your brilliance on a widespread, even global scale. Teaching, broadcasting or publishing may be strong vehicles. An opportunity to relocate or book travel for later this year could also crop up, perhaps linked to a speaking engagement or a workshop.

In even brighter news, the Day of Miracles gets an added boost from a full moon in gregarious Leo, which energizes your third house of communication. Expect a flood of ideas and inspiration from this lunar lift—and the Sun-Jupiter conjunction to help you get those golden nuggets out to the masses.

Make sure you get your stories straight and think through any follow-up because on Saturday, Januarclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” y 30, your ruling planet, Mercury, goes retrograde in disseminator Aquarius, scrambling signals and mucking up messaging. From now until February 20, you’ll need to carefully watch what you say, post, text, DM…and so on. Caustic comments might be misinterpreted and can come back to burn you. Your best bet? Work on projects behind the scenes until later in February—and save your big, splashy announcements for when Mercury gets back on track on February 20.

LOVE & ROMANCE:

The first week of 2021 finds you in the tailwind of the holiday season, and even all the #canceled celebrations won’t bring you down. With romantic Venus in Sagittarius and your partnership house until January 8 (where she’s been since December 15), the season may have come with a deepened commitment or even a proposal. For single Gems, a spark could carry long-term potential.

And with lusty Mars completing an extended six-month lap through Aries and your friend zone, this new love connection may have started out as a casual fling or with a platonic pal who suddenly became “something more.”

It’s equally possible that you just haven’t felt in the mood for anything too serious ever since Mars first entered Aries in late June 2020. This passion plateau could have started as far back as mid-May, with Venus retrograde in your sign for six weeks, a challenging time for Geminis and love. Let’s face it: 2020 was quite an obstacle course when it came to creating and maintaining relationships.

On January 8, Venus will swing into Capricorn and your sensual, sultry eighth house for the rest of the month. And on January 6, Mars will finally exit Aries and slip into Taurus until March 3, activating your twelfth house of fantasy, healing and closure. This could draw in a person who’s intoxicatingly attractive, even addictive, but you may not be sure of their trustworthiness. A clandestine affair could spark up with ardent Mars in this secretive sector.

If you’re dealing with a loss or ending, use this time to heal and feel all your emotions, from anger to grief. The silver lining? Mars will head into Gemini on March 3, and you’ll have a clean slate to start on.

Key Dates:

January 9: Venus-Mars trine

Bring on the lasting love! As affectionate Venus and passionate Mars harmonize in stable earth signs, you could have true romance with all the trimmings—sensuality and stability. Skip the “come here now go away” players and their mixed messages. A partner who makes you feel secure is suddenly the most attractive catch in town. Coupled? Mark a long-term relationship with a thoughtful gift to let your mate know how much you cherish them.

MONEY & CAREER:

  Dear Reader: To bring you cutting-edge financial and career astrology, we’ve replaced our monthly Money & Career horoscope with an expanded new offering. And we’re burstinclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” g with excitement to announce it!

We invite you to join the waitlist for our Astropreneurs community, where we’ll be sharing tools, trainings and cosmic career coaching in 2021 and beyond! Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a dreamer with a side hustle or just looking for deeper satisfaction from your work, we’ll guide you to your path and purpose by the stars.

2021 Vision Board Experience: January 28 with The AstroTwins Ready to design a path that truly fulfills you in 2021? Joclass=”body-el-link standard-body-el-link” in us for a star-powered live online event to create success, leadership and impact on January 28, 2021. Tickets available at https://astrostyle.com/visionboard21

Love Days: 6, 10

Money Days: 16, 26

Luck Days: 24, 13

Off Days: 21, 8, 11

See All Signs

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Gemini Monthly Horoscope

[jaygilbert-blog]

COFFEE TALK [with Michael Kauffman]

“I’ve worked in music and technology during my career, largely in sales, marketing, and PR roles. I love to connect artists and companies with fans and customers -- and have been doing that in tech (YouTube on the marketing team and at Google via corporate communications), at start-ups like RightsFlow (a rights management and licensing company acquired by Google), and earlier in my career at labels and distribution companies like UMG, Verve, BMG, and Windham Hill.”

Q: What are a few of your favorite “industry moments?”

I loved spending time on the road with artists earlier in my career. While at Windham Hill in the mid-90’s, I joined Keola Beamer, Ledward Kaapana, and a few other Hawaiian slack key guitar icons on a series of dates up the eastern seaboard. It was one of the first times I spent a lot of time with a band who I had limited prior knowledge about. Pre-internet days. Not only did I fall in love with that music, but I got to introduce the band and crew to PA-breakfast-fave scrapple while eating at the Melrose Diner in Philadelphia. While at Verve, we arranged for the amazingly gifted vocalist Al Jarreau (RIP Al) to host the Music Biz Annual Conference Awards Dinner one year concurrent with his new release. Al arrived in San Antonio with a serious bout of the flu, and we didn’t know whether he’d be able to speak, let alone take the stage. But after a few hours of sweating it out, focused rest, home-brewed tea, and a mind-over-matter attitude, Al took the microphone and blew everyone away with his grace, wit, and charm.

I was fortunate during those years at Verve to work with a top-notch sales team (Tony Pellegrino, Jon Vanhala, Lisa Hopkins, Mark Callaghan, Jeff Lusis, Kim Smith, Missy Iredell), self-branded “The Jazz Pack”. We adopted a song-and-dance approach to many of our sales presentations and had a blast singing-while-selling our releases (I like to say that we were the last of the singin’ sales guys). Flashback to Los Angeles in 2001. The Universal Music and Video Distribution Conference was being held at the Century Plaza Hotel, and we were scheduled, along with all the other UMG labels, to present our upcoming releases to our friends at distribution. Instead of a generic video presentation, we opted to host an awards show called “The Tommy’s” (named for our beloved label Chairman Tommy LiPuma, industry icon, producer, and true music maker) packed with curated categories, spoof videos, and actual live performances highlighting our artists and releases.

The opening song-and-dance number involved us wearing Adidas tear-away track suits worn over tuxedos, doing a bit of choreographed dancing along with a backup crew consisting of the XFL’s LA Xtreme cheerleading squad. It culminated with Tommy himself being led through the curtains of the stage and down to his front-row seat amidst a rousing standing ovation (Tommy’s entrance is ~4:29 in this YouTube videohttps://youtu.be/Y09IwrNHO8Q). Furthermore, there was also an ice sculpture of Tommy, a raucous afterparty, the USC Fighting Trojan Marching Band performing "Tequila", balloons falling from the ceiling, and hundreds of customized Tommy bobbleheads that were presented to all in attendance. I vividly remember Tommy saying to me right before we stepped onto the stage: “Mikey! What's going on here babe?!” Most fun I ever had in a sales presentation. What a cool experience to work with that team and Tommy.

Another highlight happened at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City in early 2014: I spearheaded the music integration at our YouTube on Main Street pop-up experience. It was one of the more stressful planning periods I’ve endured — late nights, intense conversations, negotiations to book acts, and everything in between — but the effort was ultimately rewarded with goose-bump-inducing performances from Damon Albarn (“There’s no way we can fit a string quartet and a large keyboard on that small stage.”), Venus And The Moon (who asked me to rehearse with them in the parking garage), Carina Round, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, Sleeping At Last, Matthew Perryman Jones and Kate Tucker (many artists via a Paste partnership — thanks Josh Jackson), and a few roof-raising late-nite DJ sets from Young Guru, Neon Indian, and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy -- who's agent phoned me on the day of his set to tell me he was stuck in Chicago due to snow. He arrived just in time to walk on the stage and start spinning records! It all came together and was magical. Plus so many other highlights: a post-dinner celebratory “toast” with Cheap Trick in Chicago, dinner in the Sinatra room at Patsy’s in NYC with Jamie Cullum, and of course live experiences like The Subdudes at Tipitina’s in New Orleans.

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

It would have to be a playlist of playlists… how many songs do I get?

Can I have 20 - 25? I love the Great American Songbook: Frank, Ella, Billie, Dean, Sammy, Tony, Dinah, along with Miles, Coltrane, Bird, Bill Evans, Ben Webster, Basie, and all the jazz masters.   Here's a happy hour playlist assembled by Ken Druker, our head of catalog while I was at Verve. He curated this “Jazz Pack Supertunes” compilation for our crew back in the late 90’s: Frank Sinatra & Count Basie - Come Fly With Me Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head Buddy Greco - Around The World Bobby Darin - More Sammy Davis, Jr. - Hey There Jack Jones - You'd Better Love Me Count Basie - All Of Me Frank Sinatra - That's Life Eartha Kitt - C'est Si Bon Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual Perez Prado - Mambo No. 8 Wayne Newton - Danke Shoen Bobby Darin - Hello Dolly Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme - This Could Be The Start Of Something Big Buddy Greco - She Loves Me Vic Damone - The Song Is You Al Martino - Speak Softly Love Nino Rota - The Godfather Waltz Dean Martin - Return To Me Johnny Mathis - Chances Are Sammy Davis Jr. - I've Gotta Be Me Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight Marilyn Monroe - Happy Birthday Mr. President (on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/michaeljoel/playlist/1mNOucMihzZ38hMLv2ptNB)

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace?

Action Figure Party comes immediately to mind (a group spearheaded by Greg Kirsten, founder of Geggy Tah, who over the past decade has become a Grammy-award winning producer of Sia, Beck, Kelly Clarkson, Ellie Goulding, Pink, the Shins, Tegan and Sara, Lily Allen), signed to Verve at the time by Bud Harner, our ultra-cool A&R rep. “Everybody Ready” now playing: https://youtu.be/Xud_KlHlqr0

Q: Who was your mentor? Why? Early in my career in advertising: Jim Coudal, the creative director at Weber, Cohn & Riley gave me a shot as a copywriter and helped me craft a voice for headlines and copy. Chris Balla and Bob Garbarini at BMG (now Sony) who provided the freedom and the guidelines to teach me how to think about music marketing. Pat Berry, my boss at Windham Hill (now running the Six Degrees label), who taught me pretty much everything I know about sales, much of it based on always framing decisions with what’s best for the artist. Also from the Windham Hill timeframe, Dave Morrell, who spearheaded AAA/non-comm promotion at our High Street imprint, is a dear friend and mentor who taught me how to love stories and to leave people with a smile. Dave has been releasing his memoirs — and they are a hoot! Horse-Doggin’: Volume 1 is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Horse-Doggin-Dave-Morrell-Archives-Vol-ebook/dp/B00IZLEFQ6/ref=la_B00LG1S4P0_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491231314&sr=1-1 and 1974 - The Promotion Man - Volume 2 is here: https://www.amazon.com/1974-Promotion-York-Morrell-Archives-ebook/dp/B015YV11M0/ref=la_B00IZQHCE8_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491231441&sr=1-3. Read up. Plus Bob Schneiders at UMVD taught me the ropes as for retail sales when I started at GRP, and also showed me the importance of connection via common passions solidified with personalized outreach. And the host of other sales and marketing execs who guided me through the years: Ben Kline, Pat Monaco, Bob Anderson, Tony Camardo, Linda Finke, Saul Shapiro, Mike Davis, Cliff O'Sullivan, Mark Flaherty, Marc Zimet, Anthony Ellis, Rob Santos, Nell Mulderry, (can't forget you) Jay Gilbert, the Jazz Pack (Jon, Tony, Lisa, Jeff, Mark)... it takes a village obviously.

Patrick Sullivan (CEO / Co-Founder at RightsFlow) mentored me through his leadership to win against the odds through smart-thinking and a tireless work effort, while Scott Sellwood (our Head of Biz Affairs at RightsFlow, and Publisher Relationships at YouTube) inspired me with his brain, musical abilities, and tenacious commitment to finding common sense solutions. And finally Tommy LiPuma, of course, our Chairman at GRP and Verve, who taught me how to pursue quality in music, art, wine and life. A legendary music leader, visionary and Hall of Fame human being with a legacy of music and joy rooted in the artists, colleagues, employees and millions of ears and hearts that he inspired. A few of use traveled to Cleveland last year to celebrate his 80th. So glad we did. It was a night of stellar performances: Diana Krall, Dr. John, Al Jarreau, Leon Russell (RIP)… followed by the afterparty back at the Ritz-Carlton, drinking amazing wine while listening and laughing into the wee small hours to the many, many stories filling the room. Music biz stories for the ages. Tommy stories. So fortunate and thankful. Smart, passionate, creative mentors who rocked my world.

Q: What’s the best part of your job? Helping and listening (to people and to music). Anytime I can generate a creative conversation with an artist, a company or a colleague, and help them think about their audience and how best to share + super-serve + connect, it’s a good day.

That, and getting together with friends and colleagues for lots of happy hours and live music. Ketel martini, up. Ice cold. Olives.

[findingmyami]

Code White.

I had hoped that having a blog would inspire to me write more, even just a little. I set a laughable goal of writing one post per day and, as it turns out, inspiration does not respond to such demands. My inner creator is a diva and a rebel and a procrastinator. I love her madly, though.

For me, today, motivation exists in the quiet milestones that creep up in the dark of night. Yes, folks, it is time. My tiny one, "The Golden Baby" as the older kids have dubbed her, turns one tomorrow. 

No one could have prepared for me for the sadness that's consumed me. When your last baby turns one, it really is a goodbye.

Sure, I know she will still be a baby tomorrow and for a while longer. She's not yet walking, she babbles incoherently, naps 2 times a day, and is most at peace in the soggiest of diapers. To her, I am still all that matters (to be the sun, the moon, the stars for someone else-- it's intoxicating!) and I don't see that changing soon. But something is shifting, and it brings me to my knees. This birthday is a symbol of a season of my life that I will not be reliving. It breaks my heart while it sets me free. 

The most sobering thought in all of the ache I feel so acutely, is that some mothers don't reach this milestone with their babies. And while modern medicine rescued us from such a fate, allow me to relive the very close call that was the birth of Zelda Antoinette Fleck (also referred to as Zelda Internet Fleck by her dear sister, Louise). I apologize in advance (I don't). I love a good birth story. I love to tell all of mine and I love to hear others'. The more graphic and emotionally debilitating, the better!

Where were you one year ago tonight? Aside from still reeling from the terror of election season, you were probably in Christmas mode, praying that some sort of recount would come through in a post apocalyptic pinch, and searching Pinterest for Elf on the Shelf ideas.

I was having butt pain. I didn't know (or maybe I plumb forgot) that one could have contractions in one's butt, but you can and I did. 5 days overdue, and this not being my first rodeo, I knew what was happening. So I snuck into my girls' bedroom and climbed into bed to snuggle my Louise, my soon-to-be middle child, but for that moment, still my baby. I alternately wept and winced the night away.

By morning the contractions were still very far apart and I was already very uncomfortable and tired and was hit with the realization that seems so obvious but sneaks up on me every time: a lot of pain needs to happen before this is over. Women are incredible. Just going to throw that out there.

I texted my ladies to let them know that they may need to be at the hospital at some point that day. I tried to watch reality T.V. while I sat in our jacuzzi tub but every voice just made me irritated. No rich bitch problem could ever be bigger than my current problem. 

By late afternoon the timing seemed right to head to the hospital. I was feeling really cute and in control, and planned to imitate Louise's birth exactly. Get to hospital around 4, be at 3cm, steadily climb to 5cm, get epidural, watch Patriots game/Joan Rivers documentary, Love my life, eat grilled cheese, hold court from my birthing room. Adorable.

The moment you are told that the kind of pain that makes you cry has not brought you to 1cm and you must in fact, GO HOME, is a moment that cannot be soon forgotten. I loathed everyone in that hospital, husband included. As we approached the hospital exit, we met up with my mother-in-law (currently working a shift). With great joy and hope in her eyes she told me how incredibly strong I was. I probably wanted to hate her, but how could I not want to cling to those words with every pained breath in my body?!

We ordered Crow Point, I ate chicken alfredo in the bathtub in between contractions, and in 2 hours I was screaming. I was afraid we wouldn't make it to the hospital. 

Every bump we hit, every red light we stopped at, every terrible song on the radio, was all Tom's fault. He took it like a gentleman and apologized profusely for existing. 

When I arrived at the hospital, I discovered I was 8cm and climbing fast, and it was kindly related to me that there would probably be no time for the epidural. "The pain that got you here will get you the rest of the way!" Um, what? Did they teach you that in midwifery school? Not the reassurance I was looking for. The kind I'm looking for comes in a gigantic needle and you are going to get it for me so I can hang out with my friends before I have yet another human to care for. Speedy anesthesiologist for the win.

My dear friends, who are like sisters, really are my sisters, but are not in fact biologically mine, arrive and all is well. In my drunken lack of pain, I apologize to my nurse for lying and saying that they were my sisters. "I'm gonna level with you, Monica..." Real class act I am. 

My vibe was really harshened from there. Monitors, beeps, muttering, repositioning, I took no notice until I heard, "Things are going to move really quickly from here." I was rushed out from there and the rest is history. Narrowly avoiding 2 C-sections, 2 times (Delia=distressed baby, Louise=gigantic baby) number 3 was gonna be the one to do me in. 

My mother-in-law (a NICU NP) had already arrived on the scene due to meconium staining so she walked beside me as they wheeled me down the hall. I tried to gauge how worried I should feel from her normally spirited eyes, the rest of her face covered by a mask, but I saw only steadiness tinged with concern. 

A strange sense of calm came over me in that moment I was first laid on the operating table. I just talked to that baby (I didn't yet know the gender) and told it to hang on and that I loved it so much and would love it forever but just please hang on and be okay so we can be together. As my husband cried and was visibly panicked, I reassured him without tears, we will all be fine. 

As they pulled her out I heard delight and the reassured voices of medical professionals who saw a healthy baby whose umbilical cord was draped in such a way that a vaginal birth just wasn't in the cards. 

I awaited as the gender was to be called out. This could be a post in itself. I am so glad I didn't know this baby's gender. During gestation we formed a bond that transcended labels and societal restrictions and familial expectations. It was pure love. I wanted nothing but the chance to love this baby and give my girls a sibling. I assumed it was a girl, thought maybe it might be a boy, and truly did not care either way. It was a freedom I wish I had given myself before. 

I waited. For the gender. To be called out. Tom could not stop crying to make this possible. In that moment, I wished they had given someone else this vital job. Finally I hear him sob, "I would say it's a girl!" Those words were magic to my ears. What was happening to Tom's eyes however, was not so magical. His own telling of Zelda's birth always includes the words "poop smeared vagina" and while I won't take away from this experience, there's gotta be a more magical way to phrase that. Meconium covered girlhood, anyone?

My mother-in-law told me the baby was fair and beautiful, with the long fingers of a piano player, and was so sweet. I ate up this description as I ached to hold her. When that angelic face was placed next to mine, the whole world fell away. Tom and I locked eyes and I was consumed by my love for him, for our family. We did it. Again.

I love you, Z. And I would do it all again, over and over, to have you. You are my pocket pal, my fiery ginge, my sweetheart. You complete our family in a way I never saw coming. We are better, and happier, and more tired, because of you. Happy 1st. 

Post Script: I guess post-birth is not an essential part of the birth story, but holy shit getting your intestines put back in while you're conscious is no joke, amirite?! 

[doycetopia]

Masks Actual Play (Sessions 0 to 5)

There’s so much in my head with the weekly Masks game, every time I try to figure out what to say about it, I’m overwhelmed a bit, so this miiiight be a little random. I’ll try to keep a rein on things.

This is NOT going to be a blow-by-blow summary. I’m aiming for a 10-thousand foot view of how things are going.

Session 0

The players (five) came up with a lovely mix of traditional heroes (a speedster Legacy, a green-lantern-ish Nova), and some stuff that really turned the playbook concepts on their heads (a power-armor-and-AI-designing Bull, a nanite-infused Doomed inspired by Johnny Quest, an Outsider who is a ghost from the civil war era, marveling at the modern world).

One of the big things you do as a group in chargen is come up with answers to the “when we first met” questions, and this series of answers (here) presented us with a showdown against “Hannibal Lectric,” an older blue-blood sort of villain that really informed a lot of initial play, especially after some things that came out at the start of Session 1.

Of note: we’re using Roll20 for a play space (and Discord for voice chat), and during our last game (Dungeon World), we’d started making more use of the embedded forums Roll20 provides for each game. This took off in a BIG way for Masks, even before Session 0, with a lot of player pre-planning, and shows no sign of slowing down. I only wish the forum posts could be grouped more, but it’s still great.

If you’re interested, the (basically audio with a slideshow) recording of Session 0 is here.

Session 1 Prep

I made up love letters for everyone in the intervening week and dropped them on the players at the start of session 1. I am quite proud of all of them. They are collected here: Jason Quill: Doomed, Concord: the Nova, Mercury: the Legacy, Link: the Bull, Ghost Girl: the Outsider.

One of the things that came out of the love letters in play was the fact that the whole fight with Hannibal Lectric was a diversion so that something more important could be acquired while everyone was distracted. (This is/was tied to our Doomed in some way.)

Following the love letters, we cut into a tense “first team fight” kind of thing… which turned out to be four of the five heroes getting interviewed on “The Morning Starr” by nigh-plasticine host Tasha Starr.

When sonic-based villain Iconoclast interrupted the broadcast, the Bull was heard to comment “Thank Christ.”

The fight immediately moved to the street outside the studio, and we stopped the session in mid-brawl, with both the Nova and Legacy rocking pretty hefty piles of Conditions.

One of the players later posted a bunch of mocked-up live-tweets of both the interview and fight, which did a great job setting the tone and feel of the city and the world. Those posts are collected here.

Session 2

The street brawl continued, immediately complicated by the arrival of Troll, a meme-spewing bruiser whose strength and power increases in direct proportion to the strength of nearby Wifi signals.

Like Tasha Starr’s excruciatingly awkward interview questions, I put some effort into prepping bits of Troll’s dialogue, which I shared with the Masks community over here.

After this session, I posted a Plotagon-created video of some super-fan’s thoughts on the interview/fight. Plotagon quickly became a fun tool for the players to create their own virtual diaries and the like, so I’m happy I introduced it.

We had some technical problems that shortened the session, which unfortunately meant we were rolling into Session 3 with the ‘introductory fight’ still happening. Eh. We play for two to two-and-a-half hours, online, so we don’t get as much covered as I might like every session, but we’re having fun.

Session 3

I’d prepped a few other villains, ready to jump in to the brawl and get their faces on the news, but the complications didn’t head that direction, so they’re still waiting for their chance.

The (speedster) Legacy raced a self-destructing Iconoclast out of the city, but a decision to “give the villains an opening” introduced the Doomed’s nemesis to the scene (looking for the Doomed, whose energy signal was all over the speedster for fiction-reasons), which in turn led to a roll that resulted in the Legacy’s powers “going horribly out of control.”

I didn’t have anything prepped for that, but a few minutes of pondering and checking some notes got me to a classic speedster complication: getting unstuck in reality/time by overloading one’s powers, leading to foreshadowing – so Mercury was flung into a sepia-toned alternate earth in which a few Big Clues were dropped.

Meanwhile, the Bull’s “Assess the Situation: How Do We End This Quickly?” question from last session was finally answered when one of the Tweeting NPCs from post-session-one let the team know Troll’s weakness with regards to Wifi signal, which lead to a nice team moment with the Bull and the Nova.

And back at the point of the original fight, the Doomed and the ghostly Outsider had a moment of Comforting and Support – the first in the game, but definitely not the last: once that move was on the table, it quickly became one of the group’s favorites.

Mercury rejoined the team (and their reality) back in the city center, and before the authorities (or more bad guys) could show up, were ushered out of sight by Jaguar, the protege of Hyena, a vigilante superhero who’d become interested in the team after their first fight. (Thank you, session 0 team questions!)

By this point in the game, the players were starting to really get into the between-session stuff. The Doomed’s player started doing video diaries with plotagon, and he and the Bull also did a few play-by-post conversations on the forum. Other players were also sharing their thoughts and creations: art, pictures, and even a collection of relevant NPCs. (Here and here.)

Session 4

Most of this session was dealing with fall-out and developments from the first big public team fight. The most ironic thing was that we didn’t do any combat in this session, and our heroes ended up with more Conditions than they’d gotten in the fight.

Highlights included the Legacy’s dad telling him what a great job he’d done (and leaving him Insecure), and the Nova getting so scared of screwing up that he forgets how to fly at the end of the session.

I believe this also marks the point where the Bull changed his “Love” to the Nova character, in a “little brother” sense. His love up to this point had been his own NPC creation, so I liked seeing that, no matter how cool the NPC is. 🙂 (His rival remains the Doomed, which is all good.)

Session 5

The events of this session encompass something like… 3 hours. Maybe four. And no combat. And still chock-a-block with STUFF HAPPENING.

I reintroduced an NPC (@powerpony) as both a contact point for the Bull and the Outsider (gotta love those PC-NPC-PC triangles), which led to some good scenes and exchanges.

The Doomed got to reveal WHY he didn’t like interfacing with the AI in his “sanctum” – its holographic interface is modeled on his dead genius father.

AEGIS makes an appearance.

More CLUES about the “Sepia-verse” come out, linking the Legacy’s walkabout to the Doomed’s backstory.

And we wrapped up with a cutscene following the @powerpony NPC as she’s grabbed by… someone. Probably the start of an Arc. Duh duh dunnnn.

And that’s where we are.

Thoughts

Man there’s a lot going on! I’ve got Hooks set up for all the players (mostly), a main arc as well as several others impatiently waiting in the wings, and I can’t wait to get to ALL of it.

I’ve said this before, but PBTA-type games really feel like running Amber Diceless in a lot of good ways. (Hard to quantify ways, but good ways.) It’s got that same sense of freedom of narration, but the dice resolution injects and asks for a wonderful amount of unexpected plot twisting that takes any prep and dials it up to the point where it simply can’t be contained in the box I’d built. Good, good stuff.

Other Thoughts

There are a lot of different kinds of PBTA games.

Some focus more on genre-emulation and the dice mechanics, less on pushing for a certain kind of story experience (Dungeon World, IMO; also the Star Wars Rebel Ops game I ran).

Some focus more on mechanics that push play hard towards certain kinds of play or story events or whatever. Urban Shadows. Monsterhearts. Stuff like that.

Masks is definitely one of those games, focused on that superhero teen drama from stuff like Young Justice, New Mutants, Teen Titans, Avengers Academy, and so forth. That’s all to the good.

The only downside-like thing I’ve run into so far has been doing the post-session analysis on our shorter sessions has led to a LOT of co-mutual Influence sharing in the group (damn near everyone has Influence on everyone right now, though maybe that’s as it should be), and a lot of Label-shifting that sometimes doesn’t feel as punchy as it could – it feels like the label-shifting could be reduced by about 20%. I’m not sure if that’s just fallout from the shorter sessions.

Other Other Thoughts

Man I don’t know what kind of alchemy is firing off, but the player engagement in this game is through the roof. We’ve been playing together for well over a year and something just hit the gas on this game, hard. I suspect it’s a mix of the mechanics and (to a great degree) the genre.

Final Thought

This one’s from Kaylee, who’s been lurking on the voice channel during games, listening in during her homework like it’s a radioplay. Her thought:

“I wish this really was a comic book, or a superhero show. It would be SO GOOD.”

And it would. It is.

Great stuff.

original post

[aion-rsa]

INTERVIEW: Adam Warren on A Decade of ‘Goofily Sexy’ Series Empowerment

Time flies when you’re tied up and having fun. Adam Warren and Dark Horse Comics kick off the 10th anniversary of their popular “Empowered” series this month with a three-issue miniseries titled “Empowered and the Soldier of Love,” with the first issue on sale this week. Promising the usual hijinks, damaged personalities and meta-commentary on the depiction of women in comics, the series pits Empowered against a Sailor Moon-inspired “soldier of love” who finds her abilities aren’t so endearing as an adult.

Series creator Warren is joined by illustrator Karla Diaz, author of the webcomics “Cute Sins” and “Coffee Shop,” for “Empowered and the Soldier of Love,” making her the first person to drawn an extended Emp story besides Warren himself.

CBR asked Warren some questions about the aluminum anniversary for “Empowered,” what keeps the series fresh, handing off artistic reins and what other 10th-year treats are on the way.

CBR: Adam, what’s the thrust of “Empowered and the Soldier of Love”?

Adam Warren: Well, this miniseries asks two key questions: 1) What happens to a “Sailor-Moon”-style “magical girl” who discovers, as a disillusioned grown-up, that having unearthly “love powers” isn’t quite as awesome as she thought it would be as a naive teenager? 2) And then what happens when this embittered magical girl sets her sights on an already chaotic and semi-deranged superhero universe like that of “Empowered”? Not surprisingly for the “Empverse,” what happens is everything goes to hell — but a goofily sexy and romantically supercharged kind of hell, needless to say! (Or did I need to say that, after all? Yes, I did! Ignore that previous “needless to say,” please.)

“Empowered and the Soldier of Love” #1 by Karla Diaz.

Emp and Ninjette have certainly gotten into some tangled situations in the past. How does this new foe’s arrival push them into new territory?

As “Empowered” readers well know, our long-suffering heroine Emp has endured plenty of cluelessness and stupidity from her fellow superheroes — or, less charitably, “douchecapes” — during her time in the field. Ah, but until this miniseries, she’s never before had to cope with the overheated, hormone-addled goofiness of godlike beings unhinged by love and/or lust — well, usually, both — as a mercenary magical girl’s powers turn the entire “supracommunity” upside down! As uncontrolled mask-and-tights sexiness rampages unchecked through her passion-paralyzed city, can a beleaguered Emp puzzle out the Soldier of Love’s apocalyptic endgame and save the day — or at least stop herself from slapping the crap outta her love-lobotomized, endlessly horny, perpetually “sexting” teammates?

Meanwhile, Emp’s BFF Ninjette is just along for the ride at first, katana and beer(s) in hand as she sardonically Shakes Her Damn Head at the unfolding spectacle. Ah, but by the story’s end, Ninjette will find out the hard way that she’s heartbreakingly vulnerable to the Soldier of Love’s misused magic, with shockingly dire consequences for everyone involved. Look out, Ninjette! (Also, look out, everyone involved!)

What other members of Emp’s crew will be most affected by Soldier of Love’s antics?

Well, the members of the “Superhomeys,” Emp’s already rather dysfunctional superteam, are hit hard by the Soldier-triggered surge of so-called “supraromantic churn.” In fact, three of Emp’s infatuation-incapacitated teammates spend much of their time onscreen—or “on-page” — more accurately, drooling into their smartphones while incessantly sexting back and forth with newly met superlovers — or “capes with benefits,” if you will. While the blobby Protean tests the waters of polyamory, Major Havoc and Yummy Mummy each drown in their own one-on-one sea of love, with an oblivious Yummy creeping out Emp and Ninjette with her incessant, disturbingly sexualized “daddy” chatter. (As Emp and Ninjette both have distinct sets of daddy issues, they have no time for such supposed “sexy talk.”) Meanwhile, hapless leader—and stainless-steel golem—Capitan Rivet struggles to hold the team together, making the Superhomeys HQ ring with the sound of one frustrated, Picard-style “facepalm” after another. Clang!

“Empowered and the Soldier of Love” #1 interior page by Adam Warren and Karla Diaz

You’ve worked with other artists on “Empowered” before, but this will be the longest “Empowered” story that you haven’t drawn yourself. Does that change your approach to writing?

To a degree, certainly. With a regular “Empowered” volume and its generous—if not excessive!—200+ pages, I’m allowed the luxury of planning out the book ahead of time, but then writing and drawing its pages essentially one at a time. This allows me a degree of spontaneity and flexibility that’s alien to my previous experiences in print comics, but not unlike how many webcomics are produced. Ah, but when writing for another artist, I need to take a more pragmatic and measured-out work approach, while still angling for as much playfulness and creative freedom as possible.

Gotta say that, while I’ve worked with “Guest Artists” — note the important capitalization! — on “Empowered” before, each previous occasion was a one-shot story. While I enjoyed each of these one-off collaborations, I found the abbreviated format a bit limiting, especially compared to the wide-open page count of regular “Empowered” volumes. Often, as a writer, I felt like I was just getting warmed up to both the story and the artist just as the single issue’s ending arrived. So, when Dark Horse and I were envisioning a new round of Guest Artist “Emp” projects for the series’ 10th anniversary in 2017, I was eager to try something more ambitious. Bolder, even! Daring-er! Also, importantly, longer—as in, hello, multiple-issue miniseries!

What does Karla Díaz bring to the page?

Well, from the moment I first stumbled across Karla’s work online, with her romantic comedy webcomic “NON-NON” as well as earlier online series “Cute Sins” and “Coffee Shop,” I was struck by both her hilariously expressive character work and her equally strong sense of high-energy visual humor. Of course, being a self-centered jerk as many if not most comics writers are, I immediately began obsessing over how these fine artistic qualities could be employed—nay, synergistically employed, to tell an “Empowered” story. The “Soldier of Love” character actually dated back to a separate, failed comic pitch years ago, but I’d long considered bringing her into the wacky ol’ “Empowered” universe — and Karla’s comedic sensibilities made her the perfect artist to handle the task! (Alas, all the ribbons, bows, pleats, frills and flounces of the Soldier’s flowery workwear drove me crazy every time I tried to draw her myself.)

So, after tracking down Karla online — bless you, sainted interweb! — and commissioning some sample artwork, I was thrilled with the character designs she worked up for the Soldier of Love and her magical pangolin mascot—er, that is, the Soldier’s magical mascot, not Karla’s. (I don’t think she has a talkative pet pangolin, but I could be wrong.) Her takes on existing characters Emp and Ninjette were just as much fun, with the wild “floofiness” of the latter’s ponytail being a particular flourish that cracks me up everytime I see it. Her pages for the actual issues have worked out even better, with all the energetic humor, visual flair and charming facial expression work I was hoping for — with a key bonus being her beautiful color art, as the Soldier’s story was one that very much needed to be told in full color. (Well, full color with a noted emphasis on pink, that is.)

Plus, gotta admit that I’m pleased to be able to give an opportunity to another manga-influenced artist, as the North American (print) comics field isn’t overwhelmingly open or welcoming to my sisters and brothers of that persuasion.

“Empowered and the Soldier of Love” #1 interior page by Adam Warren and Karla Diaz

As a follow-up to that thought, does manga’s large audience, but strangely small overlap with traditional comics market readership, ever affect your approach to “Empowered”?

Even though I’m all too aware of the divergence between audiences, I can’t say that it particularly affects my approach to the series. I just try to tell the best stories I can—whether humorous or action-packed or emotionally charged or daringly structured—and hope that they can reach some kind of readership. And so far, despite the inherent difficulties of being a manga-influenced series in a genre and field sometimes indifferent or even hostile to such a storytelling preference, “Empowered” has indeed managed to find an appreciative audience. Yay!

I should add that, now that “Empowered” is being serialized online from the series’ beginning, I’ve encountered yet another avenue of audience divergence—and that would be the often stark divide between readers of webcomics and print comics, two groups whose Venn diagrams seem to have surprisingly little overlap at times. Well, given the neither-fish-nor-fowl flexibility inherent to “Empowered,” I’m always happy to bl under the series headlong into areas of comics bifurcation!

Even after you started the first “Empowered” story, well after the first drawing that planted the kernel of an idea, could you ever have imagined it thriving 10 years later?

Ah, no, not in the slightest! In those bygone, dawn-era days of noodling aimlessly away at the one-off jokes that would gradually evolve into “Empowered,” I could not possibly have imagined that these modest, low-key, ambition-free strips would somehow transform themselves into the most epic, emotionally charged, surprisingly ambitious and longest-running project of my entire g-d career! Back in the beginning, I wasn’t thinking 10 days ahead, let alone 10 years. In fact, back then I assumed that I was just temporarily messing around with these goofy superhero strips before starting work for a major publisher on one of my other “Real Serious, All-Grown-Up, Brace Yourselves For My Career-Fulfilling Magnum Opus” comic proposals. Ah, but none of those big-deal pitches ever got off the ground, while “Empowered” still soars ever higher skyward! Fly, “Empowered,” fly!

“Empowered and the Soldier of Love” #1 interior page by Adam Warren and Karla Diaz

What else do you have in the works?

Well, as 2017 represents the 10th anniversary of Empowered’s first publication, Dark Horse and I are aiming for a big push for the series during this upcoming year. Next up will be the summer release of “Empowered” vol. 10, the next 216-page, drawn-by-me installment in the regular graphic-novel series. Beyond that, we’ll have more exciting Emp-related announcements throughout the rest of 2017, including further—and bolder!—developments on the Guest Artist miniseries front!

Lemme also hasten to mention that “Empowered” is now being serialized as a webcomic, with extensive — if not exhaustive — creator commentary on every single g-d page, folks! Why, we even have the very first “Empowered” merchandise ever created now available on the site, as a series of 12” X 18” color prints over in the “Store” link! You can check out the webcomic here: http://ift.tt/1HLU2fw

Beyond “Empowered,” I can assure you that I’m also hustling and scheming and conniving to get a few other projects underway. No, really! “Irons in the fire” and all that, blah blah blah. As much as I enjoy working on “Empowered” — and have no intention of stopping work on it any time soon — I do have other stories I’d like to tell.

“Empowered & The Soldier of Love” #1 is on sale now from Dark Horse Comics.

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