#is it functionally the same as her original notes? yes but

[starlingsrps]

dorey mason, twenty five, codebreaker

dorey is a dorothea and she was raised comfortably middle class in london by people who were on the fringes of bohemia but went straight after having their first child, jessamine. bloomsbury turned into shepherd’s bush, writing jobs turned into teaching and keeping house and as the children kept coming, the names became less bohemian. jessamine (30) was followed by caspian (29), then dorey and then finally, exhausted, jane (23).

dorey’s father, gregory, always claimed to be more of a dabbler than an actual philosopher and while catherine had ambitions of greatness, she only plays the piano for pleasure these days. by the time dorey was born, gregory had taken a job teaching at a boy’s school and catherine was keeping then all from creative murder and teaching neighborhood piano lessons.

if they’re one of the odder families on their block, dorey really never noticed until she went away for school and learned not everyone was encouraged to do what made them happy or with a copy of married life hanging around on the shelves. they’re all still a bit liberal - jessa is a costume designer for theater, cas trains horses in rural ireland, jane is studying medicine in canada, and dorey does math for both fun and a living.

she was always the studious one in her family and if her parents stopped being able to make heads or tails of her math homework before she hit puberty, they were still supportive. she won a scholarship to newnham college at cambridge and holds a double first in mathematics. technically, she doesn't have a full degree but she should never be asked about that.

by the time she finished, the war had started and as absolutely no war jobs held much appeal to her (weak ankles, too many years in a library), she started working as an assistant to a professor at the university of london and biding her time. eventually, he was recruited to the government code and cypher school and dorey was very much part of the package. there were a few frustrating weeks where she was primarily doing clerical work before being assigned to hut six as a codebreaker on army and air force engima deciphering and that’s where she’s stayed.

she’s very good at her work and takes a lot of pride in it. she’s always enjoyed puzzles and problem solving and loves the rush of being the first to crack the cipher for the day. obviously for war effort alone. only the war effort.

(being right is dorey’s very favorite thing and winning is her second)

dorey’s work takes up the lion’s share of her time and attention. it’s on a need to know basis - she’s told her family she works for the war department and she couldn’t say much more if she wanted to. she’s become a little solitary since joining bletchley, due to the nature of her work, but she does her best when she can. she can be very selfish with what little time she does have and clipped and short when she's operating on fumes.

despite all of this, she is tender deep down. she's very close to her family and stays with jessa when she's in london. she keeps a steady correspondence with cas in ireland and jane in canada and while she worries that she's doomed to be the maiden aunt, she knows that they'll always love her. she can be sweet and thoughtful and blooms with the right people. she has a good, clumsy heart and being vulnerable doesn't come easily to her - having feelings? in wartime? hideous.

(absolutely aching to be cared for over here)

BUT until the war is over: she's got work to do and that comes first always.

[violetasteracademic]

Contributing some of the thoughts I've had to the active conversation about the world building laws of mating bonds in SJM's universe!

Here is the very first on page introduction of the *highly* discussed term mate in Sarah J. Maas's world. I think it's quite important to consider both A. The fact that Wyrd, Urd, and The Mother, the creator of Fate and all creation, is the same entity under different names in the three different worlds and B. Prythian is arguably the most popular/read/analyzed series of SJM, but functions as the outlier/rule-breaker when it comes to mates. The chronological development is worth noting:

Our first ever mates in the multiverse are Emrys and Malaki. They are a same sex couple! Mated and husbands. Right off the bat, mates are described as an unbreakable bond, deeper than marriage, that lasted beyond death. Erilea and the world in Throne of Glass, in addition to their gods, is governed by and founded by Wyrd, which is not a word made up by SJM, but the Anglo-Saxon concept of fate:

In Crescent City, we discover a few things. One, that the Fae definition for mates is exactly the same as it is in Throne of Glass. A bond deeper than marriage. However, we also know that the shifters are in fact also the Fae originating from Erilea, and that their mates are their true lovers pre-destined by Urd. Then there are the breeding mates that the Asteri force in the archangels- akin to forcing animals to breed in a zoo.

And of course, the fact that Urd is in fact Wyrd. Who is, in fact, The Mother.

Urd, Wyrd, and the Mother. Fate. Destiny. Not a goddess, but a force that governed worlds. A cauldron of life, brimming with the language of creation.

It is not the Mother's intention to breed. It is the Mother's intention to guide ones fate and destiny. To match true, soul bonded lovers in a connection that lives beyond death. Procreation does not play a role, and there is no particular drive for such things in Throne of Glass or Crescent City. M/M mates set the stage. Crescent City deals with fertility, sterilization, and denounces any living soul being valued or paired for the goal of breeding.

Starfall. Will-o-the-wisps. Souls that stay connected as they journey from one life, one world, to the next.

And then we get to Prythian, where the pattern breaks. And suddenly, mating bonds are not soul bonded pairs. They are not ones true lover. They are, in fact, more in line with what the Asteri have created: breeding animals in a zoo. People who do not love each other are forced to be together. Poor pairs that are not a match on a soul level. A threat of violence if a woman rejects their mate. And even that term, rejection, is one only brought up in Prythian. It brings my attention to another interesting passage in HoFaS:

Consent. Yes, this is talking about consent for the tithe and the giving of power. However, I think it's incredibly noteworthy that the Asteri have a goal of getting around the tricky issue of consent to enact their goals. They have found a way around that on Midgard.

They also are able to force "mates" amongst the archangels without their consent.

How interesting that in Prythian, the one world where the Cauldron lives, the language of creation, the object of the Mother, Urd, Wyrd, and fate has been tampered with by the Asteri, the zoo animal breeding masters, consent is also required for a mating bond.

This does not exist on the other worlds. I believe by the time the Asteri reached Midgard, they figured out a way to circumvent consent not only for taking power, but also, the creation of the Archangels who are brainwashed from a young age to serve the Asteri and give up their consent.

I know a lot of people don't like to have this conversation, because it's a threat to the existing mates on Prythian. Obviously I'm an Elriel, so I don't think that's true. As I believe myself and many others have mentioned before, Elain's mating bond also breaks pattern. She is immediately snapped with her mate the second they lock eyes. This is akin to Rhysand's mother and father, who also had an immediate snap of their mating bond upon first locking eyes.

Rhysand's parents bred the most powerful High Lord in all of Prythian's history. So powerful, that other High Lord's are essentially humans to him.

Nessian and Feysand took time. The female did not experience the bond before she wanted to. They fell in love before accepting the bond. Their souls bonded before their acceptance, and it was a slow, consensual journey into love. This is akin to the other true mates. Ones true lover. A soul matched pair.

These are the genuine written words to differentiate the different kinds of mating bonds. There are different kinds of bonds.

Both the Asteri and the Mother's will live on in the Cauldron. Yes, the mating bonds are affected. But the Mother is not gone from Prythian. She was not erased from the Cauldron. She is governess of worlds. Creatures like Maeve and the Asteri actively interfere with bonds to interfere with the course of fate. These are the stories on the table.

It is wonderful and fascinating and endlessly exciting!

*ps I am still largely on my theory, inbox ask, and SJM scrolling break. I've been mostly living in the writing, poetry, and Agatha All Along tags. But I became violently ill in the middle of the day, then saw there were some great discussions about the mating bonds and Cauldron corrupted theories (I read @wingedblooms and @psychologynerd !) and I've been sitting on my little cluster of thoughts for this forever, so I am in bed doing this 🤣 enjoy! Apologies if I've repeated anything that is already largely out there!

Stay kind out there fam. Please promote positivity in the reblog tags should you feel moved to share!

[maya-caffrey]

I need a hero (save me now)

in which (y/n), resident guitarist of Corroded Coffin, makes Steve Harrington feel things TM while performing

pairing: steve harrington x genderneutral!reader

warnings: reader is physically described to have hair, i know its not a tw or anything, but i tried writing gender neutral reader for once and i fucked up slightly, so

a/n: yeah okay so I've been obsessed with this song and I had the revelation like an hour ago that the lead singer sounds like Eddie. Now, I know Eddie is the guitarist, but for the sake of the fic, we are going to pretend that he's on just the vocals and (y/n) is on the guitar and backing vocals. Also, we are pretending this song is a Corroded Coffin Original. Yeah, yeah, I know.

Steve didn't know why he'd agreed to come to The Hideout that evening. He had never considered himself a music guy. Sure, he liked a good mixtape on a long drive, but this? This was something else. In fact, he never would've come if Robin hadn't dragged his ass out of Family Video.

"Dude, come on. Please. It'll be fun, I promise."

"I don't know, Robin. I just don't think cheap beer and Eddie screaming for 2 hours is my thing," he argued.

"It isn't mine either! You know I don't even like metal, man."

"Well, then, don't go. It's that easy. Jesus Robin, I don't even know you want to go this thing."

"Take a guess. Just, take a wild guess."

"Oh, God."

"I won't see her another month, dude. Like, have some compassion."

"So not only do you want to go ogle at your crush-"

"Love of my life," she interrupted.

"-crush, for two hours, you want me there to third wheel your yearn fest."

"Basically, yes."

He sighed, knowing there was no way he'd have let her go there alone anyway. It's a bar, and there'll be alcohol. How bad could it be?

That’s how Steve found himself in a dimly lit dive bar with sticky floors and a barely functional neon sign buzzing in the corner. The crowd was rowdy but not overly intimidating- just a mix of locals, regulars, and a handful of metalheads waiting for their local heroes, Corroded Coffin, to take the stage.

Robin had already abandoned him, off in a corner chatting animatedly with Vic, leaving Steve to nurse a questionable beer and wonder how long he could hold out before making an excuse to leave.

He was half-listening to some guy at the next table rant about the state of rock music when the lights dimmed, and the chatter gave way to the sound of a mic crackling to life.

“Good evening, Hawkins!” Eddie Munson’s unmistakable voice boomed through the speakers. “We are Corroded Coffin, and tonight, we’ve got something special for you. A Corroded Coffin original. So buckle up, kiddos.”

Steve rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his lips. Say what you wanted about Eddie, but the guy could work a crowd.

And then he saw you.

You strode onto the stage behind Eddie, guitar slung casually over your shoulder, looking effortlessly cool in a way that made Steve’s breath catch in his throat. He blinked, half-convinced he’d imagined it. You’d been friends for months, running in the same group since all the Upside Down craziness, but this? This was different. Sure, he knew you in passing and almost having died together a handful of times, but he didn't know that this side of you even existed.

You adjusted your guitar strap and glanced out at the crowd, your eyes scanning until they landed on his. Steve felt rooted to the spot, like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. And then you smiled- a slow, knowing curve of your lips that hit him like a sucker punch.

“Ready?” Eddie asked, throwing you a grin.

“Always,” you replied, your voice low and sure, and Steve suddenly felt like he was in way over his head.

The first strum of your guitar echoed through the room, electrifying. When your voice joined, belting out the lyrics with a raw, unapologetic edge, Steve’s heart stumbled over itself.

You weren’t just playing- you were commanding. Every note, every word, every flick of your fingers across the strings- it was like a spell. He stared at your hands unapologetically, and quickly shook his head at where his stupid mind went.

If he hadn't seen you differently before, he sure as hell can't look at you the same way anymore. The way you joined in on the chorus like your life depended on it, the way you manhandled the guitar, Steve Harrington was shamelessly enamored by all of it. Every movement made his chest tighten, his stomach twist in ways he couldn’t explain.

By the time the song ended, Steve felt like he’d run a marathon. His pulse was racing, his hands were clammy, and there was this unfamiliar heat simmering under his skin. He barely noticed the applause erupting around him; all he could focus on was you, the way you tossed your hair back and exchanged a quick laugh with Eddie before taking off your guitar.

When you jumped down from the stage, a cocky grin on your face as you headed toward him, Steve’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t have time to process his thoughts before you were right in front of him, wiping sweat off your brow.

“Oh, God,” he muttered under his breath, setting his beer down before he dropped it. He wiped his palms on his jeans, his mind scrambling for something to say.

“Hey, Harrington,” you said, that smirk still tugging at the corners of your lips. “Didn’t think I’d see you here.”

“Uh- yeah, well, Robin dragged me. You know how she is. Couldn’t say no.” The words tumbled out in a rush, and he winced internally. Smooth, Harrington. Real smooth.

You tilted your head, studying him with a glint of amusement in your eyes. “Dragged you, huh? So, what’d you think?”

Steve blinked, caught off guard. “Think? Oh, uh, yeah- you were good. Like, really... good. Great, actually. I mean- damn, you can really play, and, uh, sing too. Not that I didn’t think you could, I just- ” He cut himself off, running a hand through his hair.

You raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying his flustered state. “You okay, dude? You seem... tense.”

“Tense? Me? Nah, I’m good. Totally fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine?” He laughed, but it came out strangled.

“Right.” You leaned in slightly, your voice teasing. “Well, if you’re done being weird, I’m gonna grab a drink. Catch you later?”

Steve nodded dumbly, watching as you disappeared into the crowd. It took him a full thirty seconds to snap out of it, and when he did, he groaned, burying his face in his hands.

“Jesus Christ, Harrington,” he muttered to himself. “Pull it together.”

But deep down, he knew he was screwed. Completely, utterly, hopelessly screwed.

[kaialone]

All Fanny Moves Translated (Guilty Gear Petit)

I wanted to do a quick translation of all of Fanny's named moves, cause they are fun.

And I thought maybe some of you would be interested in these too, so here you go-

--

とばしますよ “Here comes the shot”

Fanny fires a tiny Fanny from her syringe. In Petit 1, this move only fired a blob of goop instead.

Translator’s Note: This move’s name is a bit awkward for translating directly, cause the verb used has many different translations depending on the context.

Here it refers to the launching/firing/etc. of the projectile from Fanny’s syringe, and you could translate it as anything along the lines of “I’ll shoot/fire/launch” or the like.

I liked going with the phrasing of “Here comes the shot”, because of the double meaning in English.

-

ささりますよ “Here comes the jab”

Fanny jumps onto her syringe, assuming her pogo stance. In Petit 2, she moves forward and does damage while doing this. In Petit 1, she only assumed the stance.

Translator’s Note: Another slightly awkward one- more literally translated it’d be “I’ll stick/pierce/jab”, referring to her sticking the needle into the ground.

Like before, I liked using the phrasing “Here comes the jab” because of the double meaning in English.

-

ご機嫌いかが? “How are you feeling today?”

(During pogo stance) Fanny hops forward.

-

そしてさようなら “And, Goodbye”

(During pogo stance) Fanny hops backward.

-

上に伸びます “Stretching up”

(During pogo stance) Fanny jabs upwards with her head.

-

横に伸びます “Stretching forward”

(During pogo stance) Fanny jabs forward with her head.

-

下におります “Going down”

(During pogo stance) Fanny swings down from her syringe, returning to her normal stance.

-

ちょっと痛いですよ “This will hurt a bit”

Fanny stabs with her syringe.

-

呼び戻し “Call Back”

Follow-up to “This will hurt a bit”, Fanny pulls the stabbed opponent closer.

Translator’s Note: This move actually has the same name as Dr. Baldhead’s version of it. Faust’s version is called “Pull Back” instead.

Also, in the official English localization of Guilty Gear Missing Link, this move was left untranslated as “Yobi Modoshi”, so if you want to be super accurate, you’d go with that.

-

採血しますね。 “I'll take a blood sample.”

Follow-up to “Call Back”, Fanny draws blood from the opponent.

-

ちょっと貧血気味なんです。 "I'm a little anemic."

Fanny faints onto a hospital bed, smacking into her opponent.

In Petit 1, the move functioned a bit differently, with the setting up of the bed being the active frames, and Fanny would fall asleep even on a miss (but the animation was shorter.)

-

死の119番 “119 of Death”

Fanny calls an ambulance, inside of which the opponent is most likely harmed.

In Petit 1, Fanny herself was driving the ambulance, and the opponent (and Fanny, it seems) would emerge with an afro or the like.

In Petit 2, an unnamed character drives the ambulance while Fanny is taking care of the opponent inside. The opponent also no longer gains an afro, but Fanny seemingly still does?

Translator’s Note: The move’s name “119 of Death” refers to “119”, which is the emergency call number used in Japan. So, if one were to localize this into English, one could go with something like “911 of Death” (for America), “112 of Death” (Europe), or perhaps “000 of Death” (Australia?)

I considered going for what would make the most sense in-universe, but Fanny’s own location isn’t entirely clear. After all, GGX and by extension Petit has stages all over Eurasia, and beyond, too. Her home stage Nirvana doesn’t have a confirmed location on Earth, so that’s not helping. Fanny herself also happens to be one of the few characters with no confirmed country of origin (it’s just listed as “unknown”), so no dice there, either.

And most importantly, there’s the fact that… phones don’t exist anymore in this world. Yes, a “phone spell” does exist, but that one isn’t used by the average person, and even then, I highly doubt they’d still use the same emergency numbers as we do today, assuming they have any at all.

So really, this move’s name is more for us, the audience. And since the official Guilty Gear English localizations are pretty American-oriented, I’d bet an official one would go for “911 of Death” in this case, if they wouldn’t change it entirely.

(Probably thinking too hard about this.)

--

[iantimony]

big ol' tuesdaypost

listening: background noise for the week has been relistening to TANIS. not gonna lie, y'all, this podcast has not aged well! it is simply not very good! it was always kinda mid with regard to dialogue etc but now after listening to other narrative podcasts (TMA, Silt Verses, Wolf359, etc) it's even worse. all it ever really had going for it was Vibes and it's hanging on that by a thread. however, it is serving the purpose of essentially white noise. audio drama equivalent of eating packing peanuts.

I also got surprised in one of the early episodes because Elisa Lam's name wasn't censored - I could have SWORN that at the time there was a pretty large backlash to using a real person's tragedy and name in a narrative fiction podcast so they went and censored her name out? like, that's why all the following episodes have that disclaimer about "for legal and safety reasons we've elected to change some names and leave others out entirely"? okay yes live mid-writing of this I went and checked and the transcript of that episode literally says "Also, we have decided to entirely redact the name of one person who has passed away whose name was used in this episode. It appears in this transcript as [REDACTED]." did I somehow get an unedited version in my podcast app??? very odd.

when I got bored of TANIS or needed something more engaging/stimulating I got back on The Silt Verses season 2! on s2e3 now for reference. especially in contrast with TANIS it is so phenomenal lol.

you will notice that last week I linked "Pale Green Things" from the album The Sunset Tree by The Mountain Goats. this made me realize that a song I listen to a lot around this time of year ("This Year", obviously, lol) is on the same album. I have embarrassing news which is that I have listened to exactly one Mountain Goats album all the way through (Jenny from Thebes) so I resolved to listen to The Sunset Tree all the way through.

gang, this is not a surprise, or news, but man, this album fucking whips. it's so good. why didn't I do this years ago. oh my god.

Broom People

Dilaudid

Magpie

reading: "Bad Influence" by Mia Sato - duuuuuuuuuude lol. I am no legal expert but I think I know how this case is gonna go because let's be totally real. the beige home shade is really funny to me, not quite a maximalist but someone who loves her home with objects that are colorful, lively, full of sentiment, and secondhand where I can make it (i.e. not mass market sludge).

On the Origin of the Hebrew Deity-Name El Shaddai by F. M. Behymer - a discussion of the name 'El Shaddai' in contexts of fertility came up in weekly torah study this week and the rabbi was wondering if there were any real scholarly sources related to that beyond just noting it a few times in scripture. naturally I immediately went to jstor. interesting article, not sure if it's exactly what my rabbi was thinking about but I will be emailing it to him.

[Is] BookTok for Dummies[?] by Chels - I am not a tiktok girly (I have deleted social media apps from my phone because I find accessing them through web browser is less addictive, and tiktok simply does not function in a web browser so I don't use it) so I am very removed from these dynamics. call me crazy but I do not care if people on tiktok are reading porn because [looks at my ao3 history] glass houses, etc. the weird reactionary bent against romance novels is very strange to me.

Static by purplewhales on ao3 :3

watching: the death of personal style by Mina Le - I've definitely never been as extravagant as she is known to be but I do love a little Outfit(tm), especially since I have officially acquired my Good Leather Jacket this fall. cooking this one in my brain still though because it takes me SO long to get ready for the day and having a 'uniform' would probably. help that. lol.

The Winter Reset Guide by Morgan Evelyn Cook - she's kinda basic (in a positive way) but I've been enjoying her vids along with Caroline Winkler as background noise. ngl I love her high five thing it's very cute. I did stop everything to hold my hand up like I was high-fiving her. her dog is adorable too.

LED Christmas lights which don't hurt the eyes by Technology Connections. "this is not what christmas looks like. it looks like a vape shop. or, worse, a gaming PC." extremely funny thank you autism etc

I bought the world's most expensive yarn by Cinema Knits - the background noise while my soup was simmering and I was crocheting another mouse cat toy. cozy bliss.

The Online Gambling Epidemic by Drew Gooden - I'm becoming more of a hockey person (especially with the women's league coming up let's goooo) and while I'm not that tapped into it I'm sure gambling there exists, though it doesn't seem as plastered across everything as it is with football?

relatedly: watched a hockey game in the background on Saturday while I ran dnd! my mom and brother were there in person so I tuned in remotely to keep up :) also watched the Sirens/Frost game on Sunday yippee

playing: as above: ran dnd on Saturday! once again I spent time before it agonizing how I did not want to even a little bit but after actually doing it I had a lot of fun.

making: like a fool, I left the container with my winter wear open and my cat RIPPED THE POMPOM OFF the top of a hat I made a few years ago. it's no great loss - the pompom really wasn't big enough, I didn't have enough of the beige yarn I'd really wanted to use - and she didn't eat any of the yarn, just relished in tearing it all apart, so I made a new one with some leftover of the white. this one is bigger and fluffier and definitely matches the vibe of the hat better so I'm not mad. it's been deadly cold here, like windchills bringing it to single digits, so I've actually gotten some good wear out of it the past few days.

made what will hopefully be a lemon coaster but I think I gave it one too many rows of the interior yellow so stay tuned, plus a mousie for my cat :)

further work on the holiday card for this year! sketches followed by some inspo images:

sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

eating: yayy thanksgiving. many leftovers, etc. made a big ass kugel that was demolished over two different get-togethers, gonna make another one for a potluck at temple this coming Friday! might make that one with crushed pineapple because every time I mention it my grandma sighs wistfully and says how her mom used to make it that way.

I also made this sunchoke soup from some sunchokes that I blanched and froze about a month ago. I halved the recipe because I only had about a pound of sunchokes and this is soooo good. no picture because I'm ngl it looks like sludge lol. made waffles again too.

finally: little emotional support cheese board from the other day, lol.

feat. paesanella ciresa (soft vaguely mushroomy?), somerdale red dragon (very dijon mustard-y), cotswold (super chives and onion flavor), and appenzeller white label (swiss adjacent) picked up as little samples from the cheese counter castoff bin. and olives and mozz balls of course.

misc: really enjoyed these few days off. it is cold as fuck here which is not encouraging me to get back in the swing of things but it has put me in cozy mode. I did reformat my resume in LaTeX so now it's sexy for my conference next week because I am … printing out a few copies I guess ?? to bring to hand to people if needed. do people still do that. who fucking knows.

[perfectionistkilling-me]

Hazbin Hotel Paperwork

An observation about fandom that I have never been able to unsee is that "Original Media is usually taking place during a disruption from the main characters Day-to-day life. Meanwhile a lot of fanfiction takes place in the downtime. Meaning unsuspecting fanfic writers have to come up with what these characters actually do in their boring adult jobs. Often with little experience in what these jobs are like. The end result is a lot of fanfiction starting with our main characters staying late in the office doing miscellaneous, unexplained paperwork"

So, with that in mind. Here are a bunch of miscellaneous paperwork/paperwork adjacent tasks for each Hazbin Hotel Character.

Charlie

Property Taxes. There is no way property tax doesn't exist in hell.

Planning group therapy sessions. Probably with several behavioural psych books and self help books and So So many sticky notes and highlighters.

Generally freaking out surrounded by crayons, loose paper, several bulletin boards and red string.

Vaggie

Planning and reviewing training regimens. Looking for where she can improve.

Maintaining her weapons. Also maintaining any other weapons in the hotel because poorly maintained weapons are a safety hazard and under absolutely no circumstances is she letting Niffty or Alastor do it.

Being a soundboard for Charlie's planning, and probably consoling her about property taxes.

Alastor

Actually doing the taxes when Charlie gives up. Also every other bill payment. He is the accountant.

Managing whatever weird network of smugglers and killers required to get a whole forest and a deer into his room. This probably required a lot of weird phone calls.

General tinkering. Everyone knows old technology is a fickle mistress. Alastor absolutely has at least one radio that has to be poked, prodded and shaken to work just right.

Angel Dust

Probably has the most actual paperwork.

Reviewing filming schedules, scene requirements and special requests.

Learning lines. Script writing in Porn Studios is also most often done by the director or whoever says yes. Considering Val has maybe 3 braincells and shit eyesight. Angel has probably written a script or two as well.

Making marketing content for upcoming projects. Filming whatever hells version of Cameo is. (Cumeo?)

Husker

Bar inventory and orders. Date and Time labels on the perishables. Please imagine him with his clipboard right in his face and brow furrowed.

Sealing anything sugary in about 10 layers of cling film. (Do you want hellants. This is how you get hell ants.)

Cutting limes, longing for the days when he had barbacks. Pouring himself a glass of whiskey and then going back to cutting limes.

Sir Pentious

Drawing diagrams of inventions. Having a long drawn out internal debate about whether he needs to make a specific part custom or if he can just order the part. Vocalising this conundrum to the Egg Bois only to be met with "Fingers are just Toes with delusions of grandeur"

Looking at a perfectly functional small scale prototype. Looking at a full scale version of the same prototype, built to the exact same specifications, wondering why it doesn't work. Looking back at the small scale prototype, holding it lovingly, asking it why it's brother doesn't work.

Honestly, just document any weird shit you see your engineer friend do and it's probably Sir Pentious.

Niffty

I was going to say Niffty does not have paperwork, Niffty has an ongoing war against dirt and roaches in which she is a valiant soldier. But thats too easy.

She is Alastor's paper shredder.

Updating her scrapbook of bad boys with photos, hair, teeth and occasionally other. . .things.

[riewritten]

Idk I love every scene you write, mostly Erwin physically touching the Mc, hugging her, comforting her etc. or you can draw one of your favorite scenes

this got nothing to do with what OP was originally talking about (they r talking about dusk in the brightest fanfic btw) but hey. the prompt is suddenly in line w/ my mood.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐄?

ERWIN X GEN!NEUTRAL READER, ERWIN X YOU, NO Y/N

WORDS: 1.2k

idk what to tag aside from fluff & comfort bc the author is having an utterly terrible day again. i am scraping every bit of serotonin boost i could get because :( it’s just so :(

Heap of documents splattered across the table, to-dos that you weren't able to note hence long forgotten, the messages you intentionally leave unopened because it makes you sick, and all your utterances of "Okay, I'll get on to this one once I'm not burdened by the other task," which is, in hindsight, very counterintuitive because you can't even function anymore — because everything makes you sick. And there's this looming worry that, what if, what if this is all I could get?

"Hey,"

What if this is the farthest I could be for the rest of my life?

"Look at me,"

If I can't accomplish more—if I won't be able to finish this all, how dare I say I'll reach places farther than where I am?

What if—

Thoughts were cut off when a warm huge palm took a hold of your cheek.

"I told you to look at me."

"Oh, Erwin, regarding the deadline, I'm currently on it now. Have you seen the email I sent for your approval? A-and—" you panicky roamed at the papers in search of something you can't even mentally grasp as of the moment. 

Only to halt in sheer terror when you hear Erwin sigh as he sat on the table.

Now you can't look at him in the eye, "I'm so sorry. I'll do better next time."

"There's something more important for you to do better right now."

You met his eyes in a hitch. But even before you could respond, Erwin took hold of your hand; his fingers then started massaging your palm.

He first pressed on your thenar—a point just below your thumb. It was an utterly gentle massage, perhaps aware that with wrong pressure, his broad and strong fingers could instead hurt you. "Does your head hurt?"

You think there are lots of questions that are more important to ask right now, but still, "Yes, a bit."

He hummed, then his hands moved a bit. Still below your thumb, but leaning towards its edge. He pressed on it—repeatedly, languidly, while looking at you with features tranquil—perhaps he's trying to pass the same mood to you.

"Erwin, I have lots to do that will become backlogs if—"

"Shh,"

You purse your lips out of instinct.

You could laugh—hell, you would, but that doesn't erase his gentle command. For long you've been with Erwin, you already know that the most serious favors (or orders) are the ones he delivered with sheer gentleness. 

"How about your back? Does it hurt?"

"Uh huh. I've been seated all day."

After a last press, his fingers transferred to the point below your pinky. He silently did his work yet again, and now you feel the effects of it.

"Wow. Where did you learn this?"

"It's called acupressure. I actually already do this to you during the most random of times. Bet you thought I was just playing with your hands."

You chucked; yes, all this time you thought Erwin was just mindlessly fumbling your hands.

"And, for the last one…" He didn't ask a question this time around. His silly giant fingers just automatically shifted to the lower part of your palm, parallel to where your ring finger rests. "Here we go."

"What is this part for, Mr. Smart?"

The question was followed suit with a bell—the signal that the work shift is over. 

Finally, Erwin clicked a warm smile, scooted his head lower and gave your lips a small peck. After all, when the work shift is over, he can go all lovely on you again.

"Thank you," you whispered as soon as he withdraw his lips on yours. "So, what does this part of my palm cure, hm?"

He pressed on that spot again, his smile—while not gone at all—toned down a bit. A slight squint of your eyes and you'd think he turned quite lamentful.

"This part eases anxiety."

Your smile faded, something Erwin already anticipated. 

It's not because he confronted you so subtly, but he also didn't bother asking if you really are before pressing on that part. He saw it so well.

"I'm all fine now," you halted his fingers by squeezing your hand on it. "Let me get back to my work."

"Nuh-uh, shift's done now."

To establish the off-work mood, Erwin worked on removing his necktie. If you weren't so tired you'd gush at how hot the sight was, but then again, he didn't give you time to process everything. He slyly stood up and covered your eyes with the tie.

You are being blindfolded by your man. Why?

"Hey, the hell—"

"Shh," he landed a kiss on top of your head. You heard him roam his pocket, then a opening pop came. Not long after, a strong scent tingled your senses. 

"What is that? It smells like lavender."

"Heh," Erwin proudly huffed. "Levi bought me one. It's an essential oil."

You laughed a bit loudly. Now, despite his eccentricities, you can't help but be endeared. Oh, what were your concerns again? What about staying in the same place for the rest of your life?

Not like the bother would subside just like that, but this is one of the things you'd be willing to stay in for the rest of your life.

"Old fart."

"Am I, now?" Erwin cooed as his finger damped the oil on the tip of your nose—just so you'd smell it more. "Such a handsome old man, am I not?"

You grinned softly. "And all mine."

Despite the constricted vision, you're sure as hell Erwin's smiling from behind too. He genuinely loves whenever you speak of owning him.

"See, your handsome old man wants you to sleep a bit but your mind is not being kind to you right now."

"And what does it have to do with getting my eyes blind?"

"It is so your brain momentarily shuts the fuck up. It would most likely start when it doesn't see anything anymore, no?"

"Watch your mouth, mister."

You felt his lips on yours, teasingly so, with fingers—pleasantly reeks of lavender—gliding over your cheeks. The sweet exchange, soft chapped lips, and little bit of tounge playing at the corner of your lips covered you in utter solace. This is all you could wish for, all you needed. Just the thought of your needs being met at its most tipping core renders you lightheaded.

That's why when Erwin withdrew from the kiss, you were already panting.

"Yeah? What's with watching my mouth, hm?"

"More."

"I'll give your demands once you grant mine."

"What's your demand? Fuck."

"Sleep."

"How can I sleep with this. Please."

Just as if he knew the answer. Erwin grabbed you to stand up, sat on the chair, and had you sit on his lap instead. He urged you to burry your head on the crook of his neck, engulfed your figure to his embrace, and uttered soothing hums.

Indeed, it was answered. Seconds away and you're already lulled to sleep.

What if this is the farthest I could be for the rest of my life?

Well, if you have this lovingly eccentric man on your side, the farthest could never be absolute.

What if this is all I could get?

What is more to get than a love this gentle?

🏷 @frenchdyer (slightly inspired by your OC office AU btw :')) @watyousayin | SUBSCRIBE TO STORIES

MORE OF SWEET SUBTLETIES: EPISODIC SERIES HERE

sorry. i know there are some series u want to be updated more than this, but im just too down and mind fucked to strategize. all i can do is a self-insert. yes, this is the first ever genuine self-insert ive made

bc today i emptied my bank acc due my mom's hospital emergency, spilled coffee on my work laptop, and almost cried with all the work i had to do bc it daunted to me that im not even keeping up with the schoolworks that i missed yet due to the weeklong out-of-town conference we had in work.

and it's seriously taxing questions of what if this the farthest i could get bc of how incapable i am? honestly, i'd rather die than stay in where i am rn.

DILLEMA ASIDE, erwin is the embodiment of my support system in my previous environment! yes, the acupressure and ointment is a habit my ex taught me (hope they’re in a good place rn. theyre such a kind person!!)

[somepsychopomp]

So I like to do this thing when I'm sick and low on energy where I make Pokemon teams for my fav characters. So yeah here's what I think Odysseus' team would look like if Pokemon existed in his world. (Ignore that his character icon is Sycamore imo they're somewhat similar in aura so like...)

Also I am quite frankly too sick to care about proper team comp & chose these 6 based off aesthetics and story. Here's why ⬇️

Kingdra (Gender- F, Ability- Sniper):

Started off as a cute little Horsea that Ody found as a child. The poor thing was trapped in a tide pool and Odysseus thought she was in trouble. But when he tried to pick her up, the Horsea blasted him in the face with a jet of water. And no matter how often he tried to "save" her, the Horsea was having none of him. Eventually, Odysseus figured out how to gain her trust by offering berries and pets. And once he had that, he had no qualms with using Seadra as a weapon, wielding her to spray his little sister and friend Polites with water.

After she evolved, Odysseus became a particularly strong swimmer because he would play in the currents, jet streams, and whirlpools that his Seadra would make. She'd also help Ody get back to land if he grew exhausted or swam too far out from shore. Overall, having a Seadra was a great boon to someone living on an island nation. (Plus, the two of them would have tons of fun sailing together.)

And as as adult, when Odysseus goes off to war, his Kingdra would guard the Ithacan ships from sabotage and helps patrol the shore outside the Greek encampment.

After the war and on their way home, Kingdra does her best to help Odysseus navigate the storm that threatens to swallow the fleet whole. She can even use her powerful jetsreams to negate some of the waves, but not all of them. Odysseus, sensing her growing fatigue, is given even more reason to attempt to reach the island in the sky.

Years later, when Odysseus faces Charybdis on his way home, he confidently declares that he already knows her tactics. He's had a lifetime to learn because his Kingdra also liked to dive to the deepest parts of the ocean and stir up whirlpools that can reach the surface. Odysseus has no fear or difficulty evading Charybdis due to his experience with Kingdra.

Decidueye (Gender- F, Ability-Long Reach):

I originally wanted to give Odysseus a Noctowl as a nod to his bond with Athena, but then I got hit by a Jimmy Neutron brain blast. In this setting, Athena can essentially function as a Pokemon professor. And what would be the perfect starter for Odysseus? An owl Pokémon that's also literally an archer.

(Well, technically his first Pokemon would be Kingdra, but still.)

After taking Odysseus as her student, Athena gifts him a Rowlet and tells him to learn from his new friend. And Odysseus does. Rowlet flies silently, strikes quickly from afar using her razor sharp feathers, but in tight quarters can also defend herself using swift bites and kicks.

Odysseus learns from both Athena and Rowlet how to move through even dense forests with light, nearly noiseless steps. His fighting style develops into one that uses swift strikes to incapacitate prey or enemies as swiftly as possible. He also becomes accustomed to navigating at night since Rowlet is largely nocturnal.

(Side note- YES anytime Odysseus has a cloak or bag on his person, Rowlet is in there taking a nap.)

Rowlet also likes to watch Ody train and takes special notice whenever Odysseus is wielding a bow. Together, they take turns aiming for the same target. Even though Rowlet is more accurate with her feathers, Odysseus soon learns to strike with equal accuracy with his arrows.

By the time the Trojan War has come, Odysseus fights alongside his Decidueye, who can fell a Trojan soldier from over a hundred yards away. Her impeccable vision allows her to target the chinks in armor that no man would be able to see at such great distances, and her aim is even better at night.

While other soldiers and especially the other kings might rely on bigger, bulkier Pokemon, Odysseus was trained to be stealthy, swift, and precise.

And when Odysseus finally returns home, he dons his bow and quiver, felling the suitors as if he were a Decidueye himself.

Slowking (Gender- M, Ability- Own Tempo):

His Slowking started off as a tubby, dimwitted Slowpoke that Odysseus found on the beach one day as a child. He was helping his father harvest Slowpoke tails to make stew, as the creatures are quite abundant on Ithaca. While wandering, Odysseus came across a Slowpoke with its tail already eaten. Though the Slowpoke was oblivious to its own misfortune, it also bore a few other bite marks suggesting it'd been recently attacked.

Odysseus didn't think much of it, but Athena appeared before him and told him to take the creature in. So Odysseus smuggled the Slowpoke into the castle and tried to nurse it back to health. His father's prized hunting dog (maybe a Boltund or Arcanine) tried more than once to break into Ody's bedchambers, smelling fresh meat. Odysseus kept asking Athena why he was even bothering with such a dumb Pokémon, but she held her tongue as Odysseus, despite his complaints, began to grow fond of his new friend.

Once Slowpoke regrew his tail (and his other missing chunks of flesh), Ody brought him down to the beach so he could meet Seadra. While there, a Shellder attacked his slow-moving Slowpoke and- you guessed it- it evolved.

While Athena is Odysseus' mentor and plays an active part in shaping his mind and body, Slowking came to be something of an advisor to Odysseus in all manner of topics- governance, philosophy, the art of war, and so on. Really, Slowking behaves more like an oracle. Though Odysseus might ask him a question, Slowking will only nod or shake his head, leaving Ody to interpret his message on his own.

During the Trojan War, Odysseus seldom used Slowking in battle despite his impressive psychic abilities, appreciating his Pokemon as more of a friend and sage than anything else.

After the war, Slowking (and to an extent, Lucario) attempted to help Odysseus guard the wind bag, sensing its grave importance. Slowking even joined Ody in his 9-day long sleepless vigil. However, once Odysseus succumbed to sleep, Slowking was bested in battle and the bag was still stolen.

Later, on Calypso's island, as Odysseus fell into a deeper and deeper depression, Slowking tried to use his psychic abilities to ease his trainer's despair, often to little success.

Lucario (Gender- M, Ability- Justified):

Lucario was an easy pick for me largely because a lot of its design and lore matches w/ Odysseus'. I don't have as much of a story drafted for Lucario but here's a few reasons why I picked it:

It's dog-like features match the wolf imagery that Ody and Telemachus have

Lucario can read people's auras to sense incoming threats, or to root them out. Odysseus & his sense of perception (ex. the lotus eaters) is similar.

Come on. It's Lucario we're talking about. I have to give him to Ody.

Its Pokedex entry from Shield says that Lucario can read thoughts and that only a trainer "with justice in their heart" can befriend it. So I think a Lucario would get along well with a younger Ody who's still possessed by thoughts of right and wrong.

However, as Odysseus goes through the events of Epic and grows darker/more hardened, I think his Lucario would, too. Perhaps on his travels, Odysseus finds a mega stone compatible with Lucario and is amazed at his friend's newfound power. But multiple Pokedex entries characterize Mega Lucario as extremely merciless. So, I think as Odysseus grows increasingly jaded, he would not only take advantage of Mega Lucario's ferocity, but match it himself.

Zoroark (Gender- F, Ability-Illusion):

Another 'mon that I chose for mostly symbolic reasons.

I feel like it's self-explanatory. Odysseus is an infamous trickster, so is Zoroark.

However, I feel like in Odysseus' case, maybe it's expected of him to have a Zoroark. Like as a descendant of Hermes, the most famous trickster ever, Anticlea gifted him a Zorua to remind him of his godly heritage. From there, Odysseus raised up the wily little thing until she evolved. But a Zoroark isn't just a trickster- they're also ardent protectors of their packs and gladly use their shape-shifting abilities to do so.

As a Zoroark, she became an invaluable ally to Odysseus over his travels. She would be able to easy sneak past enemy lines during the Trojan War, donning the facade of a Trojan soldier to earn their trust, and do things for Odysseus like steal weapons, correspondence, etc.

Later when Odysseus faced Polyphemus, she would confuse the cyclops by darting around his legs faster than a man could, rapidly changing her shape to make him think there were many more soldiers swarming him than there actually were.

I also think it'd be fun if Odysseus' monster when he faced off against Circe was something of a ruse. Like the Holy Moly temporarily granted him the ability to make his Zoroark's illusions real, so together, they imagined a great and monstrous beast that could actually hit like one.

And being a talented illusionist, Zoroark did her best to guide Odysseus through the underworld with minimal distractions. The calls and songs of the dead couldn't sway her like they did with the men. Together, she and Slowking navigated the underworld and helped lead Odysseus to the prophet.

And lastly, Dhelmise (Gender- none, Ability-Steelworker):

Okay so Dhelmise very much has a story behind it. And by story, I mean that Odysseus never wanted Dhelmise to begin with. The original 6th member of Odysseus' party was once an Armarouge.

In the early years of the Trojan War, Odysseus came across a feisty little Charcadet running around the Ithacan's encampment. The tiny thing was fighting anyone that challenged it, whether it be man or Pokemon.

It turns out, the Charcadet was born of the smoldering charcoal from one of their fires. Odysseus surmised that, in a time of war, such a creature could easily come to life in an army's campfire.

He bested the Charcadet in battle, but instead of casting it out, he decided to adopt the little guy into his party. And the Charcadet became something of a mascot for the soldiers of Ithaca. The men would teach it how to fight, battling as often as it wanted, and cheering with delight as the Charcadet grew in skill and strength. It ended up becoming quite the moral booster as the war dragged on.

Eventually, Odysseus figured out how to evolve his Charcadet. After consulting with his Slowking, he scavenged the battlefield of Troy until he found a worthy breastplate. When presenting the armor to Charcadet, it evolved into Armarouge, a fearless and deeply loyal companion.

At night, Decidueye & Zoroark would run stealth missions with Odysseus. But during the day, under the heat of the blazing sun, Odysseus would charge into battle with his Lucario and Armarouge.

After the war ended and everyone was set to go home, it took some convincing to get Armarouge onto Odysseus' ship. It'd never been on a moving vessel before, especially one meant to navigate water. Odysseus could tell that his young Armarouge was afraid and promised that he would protect it as thanks for all the times Armarouge protected him in battle.

That is, until Poseidon arrives.

In the wake of the sea god's wrath, Odysseus is nearly thrown overboard to drown in the frothing surf. Moving faster than anyone else, his Armarouge saved him... at the expense of its own life.

Odysseus watched, helpless, as the youngest member of his party fell victim to Poseidon's domain, its bright flames forever extinguished. He was then forced to bear witness in ever mounting horror as the vast majority of his fleet is destroyed before his eyes.

But that's not the end of things.

It starts once they find themselves on Circe's island. Odysseus notices something moving across the water toward them, but it's not Poseidon. Even as he has to deal with Eurylochus wanting to abandon their men & Circe's witchcraft, Odysseus watches in horror as a Pokemon unlike any he's ever seen makes for land.

It turns out, he will be literally haunted by the deaths of his men and the destruction of his fleet. The Pokemon pursing him resembles an anchor (idc if it's anachronistic given the time period), and was seemingly born of a sunken ship's wreckage.

Most ghost Pokemon were once living beings. Everyone knows this. But Odysseus is terrified by the sight of the Dhelmise and assaulted with memories of losing his men. He has no idea if this creature was sent by Poseidon to torment him, or if it's the soul of one of his brothers that's come back to seek revenge against Odysseus for his failures as a captain. Whatever it is, he wants nothing to do with it. But this Dhelmise refuses to stop following him.

Even into the underworld, Odysseus can see it trailing behind them. It follows at a great distance, too far for even Decidueye to attack, but it never loses them.

It follows them through the sirens' waters, threatening to reach them if they linger for too long. It even enters Scylla's lair in pursuit of Odysseus.

The ghost Pokemon finally reaches him after he's been shipwrecked due to Zeus' intervention. It wraps Odysseus in long tendrils of frigid kelp and he thinks this is it, this is the day he drowns.

But the Dhelmise simply pulls him along. For hours even, just pulling him through the water until they come across land. Odysseus collapses on the shore out of exhaustion and grief, content to let this monster devour his soul if it so wishes.

It doesn't, of course. It's still loyal to its captain and trainer.

[strange-destinations]

KITTY. WHAT.

how- when- where- do they look the same??? this is what the Master has always wanted isn't it, I'm so happy for her???

HAHAHAAAA YES

I don't think we ever explained or discussed this in any part of recorded canon, so I'll just put this under the cut.

This was the brainchild of me and Ray, like... over a year ago. I think it was after the s3 finale of Game of Rassilon, that sparked it? I suggested it'd be cool/funny/interesting if the Master just happened to regenerate into an identical body to the Doctor, or vice versa. And Ray (I love Ray so much you don't even understand) was like 'cool, let's do that'.

The T&T Doctor and Master do in fact appear functionally identical to each other, enough so that the Master can easily pass herself as the Doctor if she puts in a bit of effort. Their stats and character builds are slightly different, which you may have noticed if you were paying very close attention. Notably: the Master, unlike the Doctor, has muscle. This is in the notes for this arc. 'The Master: like the Doctor, but buff.'

When she's not pretending to be the Doctor, it's probably a bit more obvious that the Master is a different person. Her style is different, she holds herself different, but, you know... the face really is uncanny.

As for who came first, the Master or the Doctor - both would claim that they're the original and the other copied them. Either of them might be right, or maybe it was just a weird regeneration coincidence, or maybe there's something else at play. We may never know.

[hummingbird-games]

Dev Diaries

February 17, 2024

I almost put 2019 as the year and that's the energy I'm bringing to this update, help.

What Has Gemini Been Up To? -> The Knight Dance

This is around the time that the Black Visual Novel game jam would be in progress. Alas, there hasn't been an official announcement for 2024 so it's more than safe to assume that it's a hiatus year 😞 In my heart of hearts though, I still classify TKD as a jam project.

(Some might remember this idea was originally for the Yuri + Once Upon A Time jams but I had the suddenly good idea to like, chill, and shelve this project. I'm still a bit bothered I had to do that, but coming off of the development of Crushed was...brutal. Almost as if I didn't learn from my first project....huh.)

So late last month I started recruitment for sapphic project aka THE KNIGHT DANCE!! I have been DYING to work on this, but I wanted it to be a jam entry + team effort. I've never been on a team when it comes to game development! Way too anxious to function and for the longest stretch of time, I had zero experience. I have previous writing credits, but I wasn't sure how well my previous skills would translate over. And I was too embarrassed to reach out to a team and be like "hey, I don't know anything but I wanna help!". Maybe someone would have been cool with that, but I was too scared to put myself out there.

Well, Gemini is moving up in the world!! At the time of this post, I've assembled a team of people who are as jazzed as I am to work on this sapphic fairytale and bring it to life. There are a lot of first for me with this project, which means I will be learning a lot and taking copious notes.

Also I think I kind of suck at the leader part? 🤣 Methinks I was not built to be in charge.

This will have voice acting as well, and ohhhh my goodness after all the efforts to do partial VA in Crushed I really sat here and said, "Yes, yes... I shall do it again" 😭🤧💛

I don't anticipate TKD taking as long as Crushed did from start to finish (8 MONTHS Y'ALL, AHHHHHHH--), but I'm also prepared for anything to happen with TKD. I'm trying to extend the same grace to myself as I freely give to my teammates and anyone I work with, and let me say: I prefer bullying myself to being nice sometimes ☠️ I should work on that....

LOL I keep talking about TKD, but have yet to explain the concept! I'm unsure if this game with get the pinned post treatment but we'll cross that bridge later.

The Knight Dance is a sapphic remix not retelling of the original 12 Dancing Princesses story. We focus on the stubborn, youngest daughter of three, Princess Heather, and the knight who's already fallen in love with her, Lady Ezra. Are they meant to be or is love not enough???? 👀🍿

TKD takes a couple of the concepts I wanted but never saw all together.

12 Dancing Princess is one of my favorite fairytales and no one ever adapts this outside of literature.

I've wanted to do a sapphic game for a hot minute (HSDJY is basically yuri if you ask some disgruntled players LOL 🤷🏽‍♀️ Ryan and Langston are chopped liver...)

It's Black History month and I'm Black 365 days of the year and damn if I can't just see Black women falling in love and being loved in return????

The ridiculously stubborn girl trope and the love interest who loves her. I know some people are annoyed by MCs who would rather die than admit their feelings ('immature' comes up a LOT) so I was kind and kept y'all in mind when writing the script😂

So there's the update for the 'in progress' game. Tune in next time where we tackle -> HSD:JY 2...THE SEQUEL!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Gemini 🖤

[a-flux-uchiha]

I’ve been meaning to post these for a while, we’re not technically done, since I haven’t done Mikoto yet, but what can you do.

From top left to bottom right, it is Dot(Grimoire), Tenten(Tome), and Mai(Archive), then on the bottom it’s Ivy(name undecided), and Kushina(Kitsune).

The top three are the focus of Shuriken, Spikes and Swords, a crossover magical girl au I’m still working on, although it is fully planned out, just not fully written out.

Kushina and Mikoto were the generation before them, so they function a bit as mentors. I'm hoping to write out some shenanigans from when they were active. I've been meaning to get around to doing Mikoto, although I haven't managed it yet. I have a sketch for her, I just have to do it.

Ivy will be introduced in a second fic, something I had been intending to do anyway, just because it's been a lot of fun working on SSS. I had been intending to just continue with the three from the first one, however...I am not active in loz anymore, and that is very much on purpose, so I'd rather not have a fic still involving that. So, we're swapping Dot out. She'll just be moving away and Ivy will take her place. Ivy will be a couple years younger then Tenten, so just a year younger then Dot.

Please ask me about this au, I love it dearly, I have so much for it.

It got Long, so design notes under the read more.

Design notes going from top left to bottom right:

Dot: Her colors were a little rough since, well, almost all of her associated colors are already in Tenten or Mai. Pink, Red, and Teal all show up in one of those two. So it was a bit of a struggle to work that out. I think it worked out alright in the end though. Her design was originally a bit more complicated, then someone noted that her design was more complicated then Tenten and Mai's, so I ended up simplifying it a bit in the final version. She does have a cape, although it's rather hard to see. I swear it's there though. The bag at her side holds her magical item, which is a book, a grimoire you could say. It holds spells and potions and other such things. Her and Tenten were designed first, then Mai, so I could work out what things the two of them had in common and make them show up in Mai, since she had the least direction as she doesn't have any particular typical outfit from her anime. If you're wondering, the golden orb is magic and yes it's fully there to hide the fingers of that hand. We don't talk about that hand. Oh yes, please note the crown as well, that blue diamond is something you can note shows up on Tenten, Mai, and Ivy. It's a sort of team identifier thing. It's used when multiple teams of magical girls are in the same area, for something like a natural disaster usually.

Tenten: I settled on that hair option after it was decided to be the superior one between it and something similar but with braids. That one's probably more fun, if very Sailor Moon ish. Oh well. Her outfit does look very similar to one of her canon ones, which of course is on purpose, although note her forehead protector has the blue diamond on it instead of the Konoha symbol. She has a thigh pouch, and the bag hanging from her waist holds her magic item, which is a scroll similar to the ones she used in Konoha. When she's transformed it holds seals for all weapons she used in Konoha, when she's not, she draws her own seals on it, and those work like normal seals where she needs to put something in to take something out, as opposed to the transformed seals, which just spawn things in for her. There's a good chance I designed her first, since she's got the easiest design. You'll notice the waist belt system thing also shows up on Kushina and will show up on Mikoto, that is on purpose.

Mai: There was no particular reason for the boob window, Mai just wanted one and thought it was fun. Which, fair. It's mostly blocked by her hand in the drawing though. She's holding her magical item, which is a binder she writes in. She uses it to keep track of things, including the kinds of monsters they're seeing and in what quantities. She's got a couple other uses for it too, but that's the big one. She's technically a support type magical girl as she does not have magic from a past life, but she does still have magic she can use. Her specific ability is to briefly slow down time. She can't use it for very long though, as she doesn't have much magic. She's got blue diamond earrings, and if you're wondering, no one can pull on them, they're actively not technically attached to her ears. Not just a design choice they're actively not attached. Grab one and pull and you're just going to pull it away. It'll reattach itself when you let go. Notes I had when designing her outfit primarily were the skirt design, the lining of the top and sleeves, the gloves length, the bag, and the presence of the blue diamonds. Oh and the boots being like that. Her hair is held back by a headband, to go with the forehead protector on Tenten, and Dot's crown and hair bow.

Kushina: Her name is Kitsune, I'm sure you can guess why. She originally did have the long elf-like ears the others do, but after she figured out she could change her transformed state, she swapped them out for the big fox ears. It doesn't really matter as long as the ears aren't human. (Editor's note, here I realized while looking at my Ivy design that I had forgotten to do the long ears, and hurried off to fix that, this post has the proper version.) The whiskers on her face are fully because she knows Naruto had em in the other world, and she remembered his birth(and her death) soon after she became a magical girl. So there are very very few pictures of the times Kushina didn't have whiskers or big fox ears. Her magical item is the necklace, Mikoto's is also a necklace, although hers is a hawk. If you're wondering, Mikoto does have giant hawk wings, just because she could. And she should match Kushina. Kushina's actually wearing shorts under the green over dress.

And Last but Not least, Ivy: I lowkey almost forgot to draw the long ears on em. Luckily I remembered before posting this lol. Most important thing here and now: I'm going with a genderfluid Ivy! Mostly since I think it'll be fun. There is gender stuff going on with the whole magical girl situation, and while this isn't on display with any of the others, I figured I might as well get someone on board who could show off that side of this. that's mostly why I ended up picking Ivy out of all of my options for who would replace Dot. I'll just be using she when describing Ivy this time, but I'll probably switch it up in future posts. Ivy's one of the rare genderfluid magical girls who doesn't mind being active when they're not a girl, many genderfluid individuals who become magical girls are only working essentially part time. Whenever they comfortable with it. They're only found in teams of 3 or more because of that, so there's always at least two active magical girls. Actual design notes now: She's wearing kind of a variant on what she's normally wearing in the show, just without the jacket. Her magical item is Sora, although the slime only comes alive when she's transformed. Otherwise it's just a cute little plushie she carries around. She does have a fourth bag in the back attached to the belt around her waist, similar to in the show, and she can pull about anything out of those bags that she wants to. Similar to Tenten's scroll, they just spawn in the item she needs, although they are temporary. The blue diamond is on her bag strap, so still visible. Sora often hides out in the red bag, and is capable of healing large injuries, as well as smaller scrapes. Can and will eat bigger things now as well, although still prefers the potions Ivy can toss it. You will note that Ivy doesn't match Tenten and Mai quite as well as they match each other and Dot, that is on purpose, that's fairly typical for magical girl teams where one person was added later, since Ivy didn't become active at the same time as them, although they are her first team, she's technically considered a latecomer, which isn't bad. It's fairly normal for magical girl teams to switch up who's in them, especially early on when everyone is in college and early adulthood. Oh yeah you can note that her bangs are slightly off, particularly in the front, that is on purpose on her part, they look like Lattrua's.

[iamprchung]

The Spider and the FBI: Part 7 "Paradise Syndrome"

Synopsis by guest writer Jose Chung (written prior to his apparent death at the hands of the Nostradamus Nutball):

Now, grab your Stetsons, conspiracy cowboys, 'cause we're moseying on over to Elmo, Wyoming. Here, amidst the questionable barbeque and dazzling fireworks of the 4th of July festivities, we find Agent Scully embroiled in a situation more perplexing than a malfunctioning weather balloon.

In strides Sheriff Lawrence Durokoff, a man carved from the same government-issue granite as Assistant Director Skinner, only with a grin brighter than a chrome bumper on a brand-new pickup truck. Was it a case of cloning gone wrong? Or perhaps long-lost twins separated by, well, let's just say a misplaced birth certificate (we can delve into government conspiracies all day, but identical twins are a stretch even for this jaded scribe).

The truth, as always, is stranger than the wildest fan fiction. The undeniable spark between Scully and Sheriff Durokoff has tongues wagging about a future filled with calico dresses and prairie sunburns instead of chasing shadows in the bureaucratic labyrinth.  Is our favorite redhead about to trade her badge for a butter churn? Only time, and perhaps a strategically placed horseshoe (it's a small town, after all) will tell!

Notes: Yes, I sure did title this after a Star Trek episode.

"Paradise Syndrome"

Part VIII of "The Spider and the FBI"

by PR Chung

Preface/Notes:

Just reading through this, even after all these years, I recognize exactly where one of my very best friends and amazing author assisted with this story. I know her work is still out there somewhere as she was one of the originals in the X-Files fiction fandom, authoring stories that are still amazing. None other than the very talented Paula B. Her ability to turn a phrase cannot be surpassed, and it’s a joy to read passages I know she helped on.

*************************

Elmo, Wyoming July 4th

By the time she hung up the phone from her conversation with Mulder, Scully's hair was nearly dry from her shower. She got up from the bed and went to the window, drawing back the curtains of her hotel room to look out on the street below.

Nothing much had changed except for the layer of increasing smoke drifting up through the trees from the square. How many barbecues were going? She wondered. And what were they cooking? Burgers and hot dogs? Roasting corn snugly rolled in foil? Brisket and ribs, too?

Her stomach gurgled.

Trying to remember the last meal she'd eaten she turned to go check on her blouse. It was hanging to dry in the bathroom after a lame attempt to clean it in the porcelain basin. It was a very nice bathroom, just not very functional.

The entire room was very nice, as was the whole hotel. Small and quaint, just a few rooms sitting atop a gift shop and cafe. Heavy in small town charm and light on the amenities; a bed, chest of drawers, mirror, and nightstand. No television, no radio, and the phone had to be brought up specially for her room, as had the one taken into Skinner's room down the hall.

His would undoubtedly be of heavier use than hers she presumed as she touched the still damp fabric of her blue blouse. He wasn't pleased in the least about either the situation or the location, and he apparently wanted out as fast as humanly possible.

He had been on the phone at the Sheriff's station the entire time it took to get Bernstein squared away in the holding cell. There was nothing but skeleton crews of federal workers manning the phones in Denver and Salt Lake City. Calling Washington hadn't been much help either; apparently all he had gotten was an ear full of instructions to get Bernstein back there for trial- come hell or high water.

Sure, they could get a flight out of Laramie or Cheyenne in the morning or even tonight if they were lucky enough that the agents from the Casper field operation should show up. But things were looking ugly up there, suspicion of terrorism and arrests sparking upset among the jingoistic masses. It was just another unpleasant federal incident in the making.

Aside from becoming another bout of bad press for the bureau, this whole Casper thing had gummed up the works, delaying agents that Mulder had needed, and now, still, those she and Skinner needed.

Mulder could have gone forever, and would have, if she hadn't interrupted his denunciation of every federal employee he had dealt with during the last twenty-four hours. She could tell he hadn't slept by just the shear amount of information he was trying to pack into a single conversation followed by a spate of questions.

She was sure there would be more questions when he finally arrived in a few hours. After muttering something about manic helicopter pilots, he had said was going to drive to Elmo, which concerned her if he hadn't slept, but once Mulder was set on doing something there was generally no swaying him from it.

A sudden resonant sound of a band practicing drew her attention back to the street below her hotel window, where she caught sight of Sheriff Durokoff.

Self-consciously she took a step back from the window not wanting to be discovered in just her bra. At a careful distance from the window, she watched him across the street and stop there in the shade, talking pleasantly with others.

The sound started up again, a guitar... being tested on an amplifier. Curious, she searched through the trees trying to see, hearing the strong chords of a bluesy country-rock song she couldn't name being played by fits and starts.

The trees were just too thick. She couldn't see a thing and gave up and turned back to look at more interesting things— He was gone. The people he'd been talking to were still there, mulling around and talking, but Durokoff was gone.

Crap. She'd see more of him later, but it was unlikely she would get another chance to covertly study him at length, to examine the similarities between him and Skinner.

His cousin, she concerned. How bizarre, she thought and smiled. Of all the towns they should end up in, after all they had gone through, they just happen to hit the one tiny patch of earth containing another Skinner- or rather a Durokoff. Their mothers were sisters undoubtedly, or perhaps a remarriage had caused the difference in names. She analyzed the possible branches of genealogy.

Like an impression of the sun Durokoff's smile was emblazoned on her retinas. He wasn't the consummate small town, no non-sense Sheriff, all bluster, and intimidation when it came to federal involvement.

He didn't like Bernstein, and he had been to the point with the man, swiftly locking him away in the blunt bowels of the Elmo holding cells, but during the entire time at the Sheriff's station he had still managed to be cheerful and lighthearted. She thought she'd even seen him give her a quick wink at one point.

The un-Skinner, she thought and nearly laughed out loud.

Not completely, though, the similarities remained, and were so great in certain respects that she had found herself deferring to Durokoff the same as if he were Skinner. A certain turn of a phrase, a look, a motion, everything about him stirred an almost constant sense of surprise and amusement in her.

Two Skinner's could be a rather daunting concept for some, but it didn't seem like such a bad idea to her.

A solid knocking sounded at the door of her room yanked her out of that thought, audibly startling her.

"Agent Scully?" a muffled voice called through the door, concerns seeping through the woodgrain.

"Just a minute," she called, rushing to grab her top.

Lawrence Durokoff stood in the hall listening to the muffled scurrying sounds beyond the door, arched his brows. Perhaps she wasn't alone in there, he thought and glanced down the hall toward his cousin's room which he'd discovered was empty only a moment before he tried her room.

"Is there a problem?" Durokoff turned at the sound of Skinner's voice. He was coming down the hall from the stairs, his eyes pinched and his jaw set.

"No. No problem here." He answered taking a step back from the door to address Skinner. Well, he wasn't in there. So, what's going on?

The door jerked open suddenly, a flush faced Scully looked back at the two men. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, questions pooling.

"Uh, hi." She greeted the two of them, holding the hem of her blouse out and away from herself, it was still damp and almost transparent when it contacted her body. "Is something wrong?" She finally asked when neither one of them spoke.

“You two sure are shellshocked.” He commented, glancing amusedly between the two of them. “Nothing wrong,” he told her, and glanced at Skinner, “and no problems.”

Durokoff held out a small satchel to Scully. "I had one of the deputies gather some things together for you," he explained as she took.

"Thank you," Scully said glancing inside it to see what appeared at first glance to be a tee shirt still in the plastic packaging, a hairbrush, and a few basic items of make-up.

Skinner averted his gaze from the scene shifting the plastic bag he was carrying from one hand to the other. Durokoff glanced back at his cousin holding out another bag, a half-sized duffel. "I got some clothes for you and some shaving stuff."

Skinner's hand went to his face, feeling the growth of beard stubble. What a pig he must have looked like, he ruefully thought and glanced at Scully. "Thanks."

The sound of music drifted into the hall through Scully's room from outside; a hearty rendition of Bad Moon Rising being played in the square.

"Well, uh," Durokoff muttered planting his hands on his hips, looking between the two of them. "I guess you've figured out there's a little party starting outside. There's plenty of food and music," he made a brief gesture toward the sound of the music past Scully's shoulder. "I've come to extend the official Elmo invitation for you both to join us."

Scully's stomach gurgled urging her to accept the invitation.

* "... I see the bad moon a rising. I see trouble on the way..." *

Skinner spoke before she could. "Food sounds great, but I don't think we should get distracted. We're still on duty here."

"No distractions," Durokoff said and grinned. "Just good food. I've got plenty of people keeping an eye on that Bernstein joker, so you can stop worrying about him. Just come on down to the square when you're ready and make yourselves at home."

* "... I see bad times on their way..."*

"I may just rest some." Skinner said quietly.

Speak for yourself, Scully thought. "I'd be happy to sample the local flavor. I can't remember my last real meal."

* "I know the end is coming soon..." *

"Great," Durokoff blurted, zealously slapping his hands together. "I'll see you down there, Agent Scully." He said and turned to go, saying to his cousin as he went, "I hope you'll come down, too, once you get some rest, Walter."

* "...don't go 'round tonight... It's bound to take your life..." *

"Here," Skinner said, unceremoniously extending a plastic bag to Scully.

She blinked pulling her gaze off his departing cousin. "What's this?" She asked, taking the bag.

"A toothbrush and paste." He answered already halfway to his room down the hall.

"Thank you..." she leaned out the door calling back to him, but his door had already shut, leaving her alone in the hall.

Back inside her room, she picked through the duffel finding a new tee-shirt, boasting a silk screen print that read 'Second Annual 4th of July Celebration, Elmo, Wyoming'. She frowned reading it.

Only their second? She wondered and moved on to inspect the rest of the items. The mascara would work fine and the lipstick too if she only dabbed it on, it was just a little too dark for her taste, but the blush would have to go, it was far too red.

Grateful for necessities, she snatched up the brush and plastic bag, heading to the bathroom. Her hair was frightful. Could she get it to behave even if she did re-wet it and brush it straight out? No beauty contest is going on that I know of right now, she told herself, yanking first paste from the plastic bag, then the toothbrush— and stopped.

She looked at it, confused at first by what she saw. Turning the brush over in she found a small decal stamped on the handle; a little stagecoach in motion with a name drifting behind it like dust from the wheels. The name wasn't Dana, though... It was Kate.

She looked at that a second before she realized and glanced back, her thoughts on the room down the hall. Dana wasn’t a common name emblazoned on any gift shop trinket. She looked down at the toothbrush.

He’d gotten the next closest.

*****************************

The when the music began Skinner opened his eyes, hearing the chords that were undeniably familiar aside from the performers’ ad-libbing. Before finally getting up to go to the window, he laid on the bed listening to the guitar playing down in the square wrenching out Sleepwalk.

It wasn't great, but it was close, he critiqued pulling back the gossamer curtains to look out. Anyway, the slower, more sedate sounds were a nice break from the honky tonkin,’ rambunctious stuff they'd been playing for the last hour.

He would have liked to have blamed his inability to sleep on the music, but he doubted he could have slept if he were in a soundproof room with no windows. There was just too much weighing on his mind to allow sleep to come easily. There was still no call from the special agent in charge up in Casper, no word on when they could expect more agents. At least Mulder was on his way, that fact, in the strangest of ways helped ease his concerns in some.

Once he got there, they could continue on to Laramie, get Bernstein drugged to the hilt and on a plane and back to DC by Monday at the latest. That would still give them a day before the arraignment hearing and get the federal prosecutor and Attorney General out of his hair.

Skinner chuckled to himself. If ever there was a figure of speech...

A glimpse of red drew his attention to the street below. There walked one of his other concerns: Scully was heading across to the town square.

Damn.

From out of the cover of the trees came Lawrence, a huge smile plastered across his face.

And there came the next concern.

Of all the damn places to end up in why the hell did they have to end up here? Eighteen years of peace shattered in a single day. Peace, yes, but not complete disconnection. There had always been word floating through the family about who was doing what and where they were.

He had known when Lawrence finally made Sheriff here, he'd actually been invited to a party to celebrate the event. He knew it hurt Aunt Anne and Bulah when he didn't respond. He had been busy, and just didn't feel like dealing with it again.

Skinner watched as two boys scurried between Scully and Lawrence, almost bumping into her as they went. He watched Scully laugh about it and talk cheerfully as Lawrence guided her into the park, disappearing beyond the thick canopy of tree branches.

His heart sank almost in time with the lamenting cry of the guitar playing. Too much time had passed, he thought, but things hadn't changed much...

*****************************

Norwalk, Ohio December 1st, 1963

There just wasn’t a whole lot to do, and all the adults were still shuffling around, overwhelmed by the news out of Dallas a little over a week before. It felt like the world, at least their part of it had come to stand still after the news of the president’s assassination.

Heavy and silent, the day pressed in around two small figures scuffing through turned leaves. It was Sunday after Thanksgiving, not much to do between the time Church was done and time for supper, except track around in the woods, down by trestle and maybe, if luck were good, a train would pass on its way into Cedar Point.

But come tomorrow, Monday was going to be the start of a whole new experience...

"Will there be a lot of girls there?"

"Sure will. Who do you think we're gonna dance with, Walter, each other?"

Walter pulled the collar of his red plaid coat up closer to his neck, shivering against the sudden cold breeze. "But a lot of them?" he asked, concerned.

"I don't know," Lawrence looked at him closely, "why, are you scared?"

Walter shrugged and stuffed his hands deep in the warmth of his Tuff-Skin pockets. "No. I was just wondering."

"I think you're scared. You're scared of the girls." Lawrence began to laugh. Walter blushed making his cousin laugh even harder. "Cubby's afraid of the girls."

"I'm not. And stop calling me that stupid name."

"Cubby, Cubby, Cubby." He chanted, jogging in a circle around Walter.

"I don't even look like that kid, knock it off!" Walter hauled off and shoved Lawrence knocking him off balance.

"You got the ears."

"So, what if I have mouse ears? You've got that stupid coonskin hat, and I know your cat gave it fleas cause you're always scratching your head when you wear it!"

"I don't scratch my head!" Lawrence proclaimed, his voice cracking hard. "And I wasn't talkin'bout your dumb Mickey Mouse ears. I meant your ears!"

"So! You scratch your head so much you're gonna scratch all your hair off and then see how many girls you dance with."

"You're dumb." Lawrence spat shoving Walter.

"You're stupid." Walter spat back, regaining his balance.

"You're fat."

The comment fell on deaf ears, Walter wasn't listening to his cousin, something else had caught his attention, a rustling sound close by. Lawrence tried shoving him again, but Walter didn't budge, he remained steady and fixed on the sound. "Cut it out... Listen..." he said, adjusting his glasses.

Lawrence listened, hearing the sound he frowned. "What is that?"

Walter shook his head and started forward, following the rustling.

They walked carefully though the brittle layer of leaves covering the ground, listening intently, checking the bare trees around them for some sign of what the sound was.

"There," Lawrence blurted, his arm shooting straight out from his body as he pointed toward the trees ahead of them. "It's a kite!"

"It was a kite," Walter corrected his cousin who had started for the tree the tattered kite was caught in.

"Oh, wow, look," Lawrence excitedly called out when he peered up at the object. "It's not torn or nothing, look, Walter. Look."

Walter stepped up next to him, peering up. "Nope. It's not torn or nothing."

"Wow."

"But it's also up a tree."

Without a word Lawrence reached up and grabbed a low branch in each hand.

"What are you doing?" Walter sounded more accusatory than he did inquiring.

"I'm gonna get it."

"It's just junk, Lawrence." He told him and shook his head when he saw that he wasn't being listened to.

Lawrence struggled up through the bare branches, losing purchase several times as deader ones broke off under his weight, but somehow managing to only go higher rather than fall back down. It wouldn't be long though...

"You're gonna fall. You better not go any higher!" Walter yelled; his neck bent back until it hurt now to see his cousin. How high was he going go before he would see that kite was just junk, all busted up and worthless?

"I got it!" Lawrence shouted triumphantly.

Walter watched as he waved the ragged kite before him like some trophy for endurance and strength.

It was about then a loud crack sounded.

Clear and loud, like bones cracking, the branch Lawrence was resting his butt on breaking cut through the chilly air.

Walter saw the look in Lawrence's eyes when he realized things had gone very bad- black and huge with fear. He shrieked and Walter thought he sounded like a girl in the instant before his cousin plummeted through the branches and crashed to the ground on his side.

He lay there on his side; his back curved like a hula-hoop and his legs turned in crazy angles that didn't look right at all. His mouth was moving but there was no sound, he was sucking air in, and his eyes were squeezed shut so hard Walter couldn't see his eyelashes when he got up close.

"Holy smokes! Are you all right? Are you all right?"

Finally, and with an intensity like Walter had never heard in his life, a horrible noise came out of Lawrence's mouth: a ragged scream that degenerated into a gut-wrenching bawling. "My legs," he screamed, blood and snot trickling from his nose. "It hurts! It hurts! Walter, help me! Oh, God it hurts!"

"I told you!" Walter screamed, his breath beginning to hitch with frightened sobs. "I told you! Why didn't you listen to me?"

"Please- it hurts!"

Freezing air ripping at his lungs Walter tore through the woods, crashing toward Lawrence's house.

Walter Skinner didn't believe he had ever run harder or faster in his life than he had that afternoon.

******************************

Elmo, Wyoming 4th of July 1999

"Here you go," Durokoff declared, sounding a little breathless as he reappeared from the crowd, waving a handful of napkins.

Scully almost laughed at the inordinate amount of napkins he'd brought back to the table.

"I know I wasn't that messy," she said as he sat back down opposite her at the picnic table.

He watched her take a napkin from the pile and begin to wipe the barbecue sauce from her chin, noticing the dab she'd dropped on her tee shirt. "I don't know," he said grinning at her, "maybe I should have brought back a bib, too."

Scully looked down, gasping at the blotch of red sauce on herself. "I can't believe I've turned into such a mess."

"Ribs are messy business," he said handing her another fist full of napkins.

She laughed, feeling embarrassed. She had been half starved but attempted good manners, yet good manners went out the window when it came to barbecued ribs. She knew she should have stuck with the hot dogs.

"Barbecue in general is a messy business," she commented, demurely dabbing at her shirt.

"That's what makes it fun." Scully looked at him, struck by the strong and cheerful sound of his familiar voice. He looked back at her with kind brown eyes she thought she knew and had to remind herself that she didn’t know this man at all. "I think you missed a little..." He told her, gesturing first at her face then his own, brushing at his own upper lip.

Scully wiped at her mouth again, another wave of chagrin passing over her.

"Uh, it's..." he stammered a little again gesturing at her mouth and beginning to sound frustrated. "It's still..." Scully frowned, growing annoyed by her inability to find this stray smear of barbecue sauce he kept pointing at. "Uh, here," he said leaning over the table enough to hesitantly wipe her lip with another napkin. He stopped, pulling his hand back to look at her quizzically before he confusedly said, "it's not coming off?"

"Huh?" Then she realized and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh... Well, it's not going to be coming off, either, not without laser surgery, unfortunately." Durokoff's expression was beginning to take on that cast that Skinner more than often got when he didn't quite get something. "It's a mole," she explained and went back to pick at the ribs on her paper plate.

"Unfortunately?" He questioned her choice of words. "Don't you like it?"

"No," she said emphasizing the word by pursing her lips. "I usually cover it up."

"It's darling," he declared. She raised her eyes to give him a dubious look. He wasn't making it any better and she hoped her expression communicated the fact. "Why would you cover it up?"

Apparently her expression did not phase the man. "I've never liked it," she answered and shrugged. "Since I was a little girl, I hated it."

"Why don't you have it cut off?" he bluntly asked.

She cringed, managing to stop her hands before the ribs touched her mouth. "I don't know," she sighed putting the rib back on the plate and pushing it away. "I guess because it's still a part of me."

"Attached to it, huh?" He was being deliberately idiotic now.

Scully blew her breath out, laughing hard in spite of herself. He laughed along with her appearing to do so with his whole body; he seemed to shudder, his eyes pinched with glee, his mouth a full broad smile.

She liked him. She liked his laugh- full on bass and warm- she liked the way he looked and carried him self- formidable confidence blended with deft grace. She'd even become a little fond of the propensity he had for repeatedly adjusting his hat when he spoke. A nervous quirk, Scully had considered, or merely a motion to ease the press of the cap against his bare scalp. She had seen he was just as balding as Skinner the few times his hat had come far enough away from his head.

Although, his skull appeared smoother than Skinner's that was subtly pitted and pocked with peculiar dings and curious indentations. Occasionally, while seated before her superior's desk with Mulder explaining himself at her side, her mind would drift curiously over that uneven back-lit scalp, indexing the probable causes of those marks and wondering if there something more to phrenology.

When their laughter tapered down to scant chuckling they found themselves looking at one another, a certain level of wariness passing between their gazes. The echo of live music rebounded around them, people mulled about laughing and cheering, but it all seemed suddenly very far away.

After a moment, affected, Durokoff cleared his throat shifting his eyes left and right, anywhere but on her. He got up from the table and motioned for her to follow. "Come on, I think that sauce is getting to you."

"Getting to me?"

He laughed one last breathy laugh, re-adjusting the cap on his head. "That sauce has probably got more booze in it than the bar over there."

She gawked at the plate of ribs she'd torn through. There might have been a good amount of liquor in the sauce but surely not enough to make her tipsy. "I couldn't taste liquor in it."

"Likely story, missy," he teased, "come on along with me."

"Am I under arrest for public intoxication?" She went with it, allowing him to take her by the arm and lead her through the crowd.

"Public intoxication, lewd and disorderly conduct, not to mention bad table manners..."

She didn't know where he was taking her but happily trotted along enjoying the feel of Durokoff's firm grasp.

Why couldn't Skinner be more like this, she mused as they wound their way through the crowded park. There was that one brief instant, she recalled his inciting of the Gilligan's Island theme while they were marooned in the middle of the lake, but she had assumed that was just the champagne.

She'd seen him smile just once, that same night, and the simple gesture had softened his features and lent light to his eyes. It was a long time before she had rid herself of the hope of ever seeing him smile like that again, at least for her. Again, she chalked it up to the alcohol he'd consumed and let it go.

Anything between them was not meant to be despite her moments of weakness, times when she was ready to throw everything away and tell him how she felt. He would probably give her one of those incredulous looks he so effortlessly doled out on a regular basis, saying something like "you've obviously made a mistake." Yeah, a mistake, all right. A big one, too. Don't go falling for your superior unless you're ready to suffer the knicks and scratches of unrequited... The sound of Durokoff's walkie-talkie interrupted her dejected introspective.

He excused himself by stepping away from her. A few moments later she was accepting his request to join him on a call, promising it would be interesting. And interesting it did turn out to be.

A rather typical domestic disagreement but with rather distinctive circumstances; at the far-off fringe of Carbon County where the Elmo Sheriff's department authority just about ran out. Two men of wise age, one would assume at first sight, sitting around all morning with nothing better to do than drink themselves into a stupor, decided the fireworks show was too far off to wait any longer. So, they started their own show a little early by setting off sticks of dynamite in their front yard.

The first blast had taken out a car belonging to one man who promptly set off a second stick that demolished the car belonging to the man who had set off the first explosion.

With their cars burning and the yard and house torn up and looking like a scene from a war, the men continued to argue and fight, each threatening to blow the other up.

Judging by the familiarity that the deputies on the scene as well as Durokoff treated the men, Scully figured that these two had a long history of such behavior.

An hour or more had passed when the county fire trucks were finally showing up on the scene and the two men had been talked down and on their way to Elmo where their view of the fireworks show would be quite good from their cells.

Stating that he was certain nothing he could show her now would top what they'd just seen, Durokoff set off anyway to give Scully a brief tour of the area, introducing her to locals less radical than the last and reciting regional history and lore making her feel quite comfortable with his attentiveness and polite gestures of respect.

She found in his behavior an old-fashioned charm replacing cautious political correctness that punctuated the cities she'd lived in most her life. Still, he showed respect to her, as the fellow agent of law enforcement she was, asking her opinion on issues of concern in the area and wanting to know her feelings about recent negative attitudes directed toward federal agencies.

But in defiance of their almost deliberate trade discussions, there was an underlying tension building between them. She could feel the air becoming charged as they traveled together and quite by themselves in the four-wheeler. Talk was becoming less and less as they drove through the mountainous roads, replaced by the frequent exchange of glances and shared smiles in the increasingly awkward silence.

Scully was beginning to feel as though she were on a first date when the radio gratefully crackled for attention, the dispatcher announcing she had a message from the Albany Country Sheriff's department. Scully was quick to stop any information from going out over the radio, making Durokoff aware of that being one feasible way Gryzwac had been tracing them with the use of a scanner.

Remarking how he hoped everyone was being as alert as she was he instructed the call be put through to them on his cell phone, and moments later Scully was talking to a ragged out sounding Mulder. He was traveling with an Albany Country deputy to get a rental car and didn't believe he'd be arriving until nightfall.

"Why doesn't he just get Boyd to have him flown over here," Durokoff asked Scully who relayed the question to Mulder.

"The helicopter is temporarily out of commission," she relayed back, listening to something else Mulder said, then, "besides, he's not thrilled about the idea if it were working."

Durokoff laughed. "I don't blame him in the least."

By the time they got back to town he'd shared his own tale of his experiences with Ronnie Stewart, the rock’n’rolling hot shot of the Albany County Air Patrol. It seemed the man had never quite put aside his days as a stunt show pilot, still managing to get a little acrobatic flying in every once in a while to show off and sometimes scare what he liked to call his "virgin" passengers.

***********************

Lariat Car Rentals Rock Springs, Wyoming

What was the deal?

Was there no respect left in this country for the urgency of federal business?

Mulder mulled these and a multifarious amount of other questions over as he watched the rental car agency employee languidly collect agreements from various pigeonholes along the wall of the storefront agency. Tired beyond measure he leaned against the chest high counter, believing if he stared hard enough at the back of the man's head, willing him to move faster.

"Please do not lean on the counter," he suddenly announced without turning.

Rolling his eyes, Mulder straightened and checked the time on the wall clock. Jesus, it was nearly four o'clock. Where had the damn day gone? "Could we hurry this up some, I'm really tired and I'm in a hurry to get to where I'm going."

"Perhaps you shouldn't be in such a hurry if you're so tired, sir." The man said, turning back to him with a smug lift to his eyebrow, his bushy mustache twitching like a nervous ferret had nested under his nose.

An abrupt and unsolicited laugh escaped Mulder. "Uh," he forced his eyes closed against the sight of the man. "I'm taking the full insurance on the car." He finally managed to assure the funny little man, who was now frowning at him.

"Of course you are after what happened to your last vehicle." He said planting the paperwork on the counter in front of Mulder. "Never in the history of Lariat Rental has there ever been such an act of complete disregard and..."

"I'm really sorry about the other rental car," Mulder bemoaned both what had become of the car he'd left on the side of the road the previous day and the fact that Lariat Rental seemed to have a monopoly on the rental car business throughout the area. Who would have thought there was a vandalism problem in such an area of the country? "Circumstances beyond my control kept me from calling..."

"Yes, yes. So, you've said. Still, I certainly hope this isn't the normal mode of operation among all representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation." He remarked pointedly as he handed Mulder a pen.

"As a matter of fact, it is," Mulder, aggravated to a point now, began signing papers with a whimsical flourish of his wrist, dispatching the signed copies toward the man with abandon. "It's a new policy that all federal employees must abide by totally, seek out and destroy as much property as humanly possible within the private sector." He emphasized his final word with such zeal he ripped right though the tissue thin top copy of the rental agreement with the ballpoint of the pen.

"Wonderful," the man declared throwing his hands up, "more destruction. I just never- now, we'll have to start over again."

"What!" Mulder spat as the man snatched up all the papers and started for the pigeonholes again for fresh copies. "Haven't you ever heard of scotch tape?"

************************

Continued in part 8

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Why Rafal Might Still Be a Never and Rhian Might Still Be an Ever

Alternate title: Fall Could Have a Double Plot Twist and Here’s Why

I consider this to be my ultimate thematic theory, but really it’s nothing that new or revolutionary. Except, the Old in disguise. I don’t blame Rafal for his major trust issues. I really don’t. Because, so much is environmental and conditional. That is the backbone of this post.

First, could the cover of Rise have been a red-herring, intentionally misleading? (With Rafal on Good’s side and Rhian on Evil’s. Their helmets are not swapped however.) What if all along their swapping sides was a double plot twist?

Side note: The cover of Rise could be unlike the cover of book 1. The opposite in fact, as book 1’s cover revealed the truth. Sophie was on Evil’s side, Agatha on Good’s.

Plus, the helmets are more directly tied to their heads, their selves, their souls. However, the castles are settings. They are situational, circumstantial, environmental, conditional. A person being there (at their designated School) is dependent on circumstance and their nature, yes, but locations can change. Rafal changed his location by traveling. Rhian changed his by shaping it with his architectural projects. They are not in the same place they once were in. Helmets could also change, but helmets are more intrinsically personal. They are personal belongings, and are still more directly tied to, and physically close to a person’s head and thoughts. Also, armorers do specifically make custom helmets sometimes.

Maybe, Soman only intended to make us believe:

Rafal = Good

Rhian = Evil

Only to double-subvert it. I wouldn’t put it past Soman because he likes sowing seeds of confusion.

Also, unless it’s for a really intentional juxtaposition: would Soman really use the same, old Sophie and Agatha plot again but with a tragic ending? I think he tends to favor novelty to keep his storytelling fresh, even if there are often parallels. I know Fall wouldn’t have the exact same plot, but Rise comes close. Functionally, this duology could have the same plot as The School Years, even if the individual events, pivotal points, and pacing are different. But still. Why would Soman repeat himself if instead, he could double-subvert it? Why not? His plots are always clever. Or, is that too predictable?

Then, there’s this:

"It's not who we are. It's what we do."

If I have misquoted this, please correct me. This line has been said by Lady Lesso (who opposed Rafal’s New Evil) in TLEA and toward the end of Rise, by Rafal himself. Yet, we have to keep in mind that Rafal said it first, in the prequel. So, actually, he could have changed and turned cynical over time. He could have lost sight of his own original Balanced perspective, turned extremist, as seems to be the case in TLEA when it’s compared to his characterization in Rise. Assuming it is actually him in TLEA and not someone else. So, it boils down to this. He lost sight of his own philosophy. And, I think I have an idea as to why. Because, in TLEA, he tends to put more weight on who they are, the students' and Sophie's souls, than what they do.

And, losing sight of his own philosophy could easily be explained by any measure of trauma, loss, the other effects of war on his psyche, the passage of time, the anticipated effects of Neverland and its politics, constant betrayal, or other interpersonal human experiences, with people, to change his outlook on what human beings are. And, to change his outlook on what their souls are fundamentally determined by. I say this because the one change we haven’t yet seen in SGE is a true conversion from one side to another. Thus, a change in philosophy is more grounded and internally consistent with the series as a whole than introducing new magical rules. (Hook breathing Rafal’s soul could contradict this.) Throughout it all, actions could change alignments, but souls never did. No matter how hard Sophie tried, she couldn’t be Good; she could only do Good.

In other words, too many bad experiences could make Rafal see some people as inherently bad or as traitors because he’s too overwhelmed by all the new information bombarding him in the tireless paroxysms of the plot to be able to separate individuals from their individual actions. He’s no longer seeing clearly. He is forced to double down and trust his judgment more than ever over other people because he can’t trust others. And, Rhian is no longer even a trustworthy sounding-board. Not that he ever really was. Rafal was always Rhian’s sounding-board.

If the only feedback you ever get is your own, then your thinking will become twisted because there’s nothing external to moderate it, or to tell you you are going crazy in a self-imposed echo chamber. I bet Rafal will absolutely refuse to listen to anyone ever again, with a few minor exceptions of Rhian, until it's too late, and he’s gone over the edge of sanity. It’s all his fault for not communicating. But, it’s the plot keeping him from doing so in the first place. The fog of an impending war could be getting in the way of the clarity of his vision. And, the prophecy only goes further to muddle it up because of its inevitability. People are not consistent, and he’s only seen the part of themselves they’ve presented to him. But, he can’t realize that now. Because, he’s flooded with more and more on his plate.

Categorizing people automatically rather than being able to separate all individuals from their actions is also easier, faster, and more efficient in that it spares you more pain that way, than to weigh every action or what they do.

Thus, I believe Rafal is still Evil in nature, but has done Good and is capable of Good, under certain conditions or in certain circumstances. And, this could be thematically significant. That the brothers always have a choice, in what they choose to do.

And, even though Sophie is firmly Evil, she has done genuine Good deeds. She's capable of Good deeds, especially in regards to Agatha, so who's to say the same logic doesn't apply to Rafal in regards to Rhian and Rhian only. Aside from when James Hook reminded Rafal of Rhian. That’s a whole other kettle of fish. Thank you to @eatgan for sparking the idea.

Rhian could bring out the best in Rafal, considering he's a (supposedly) Good influence. He loves his brother, and love can cause someone to act out-of-character.

And, Rhian's "love" (read: infatuations) could have easily done the same to him. People will do anything for love or perceived love. “The most dangerous person in a fairy tale is willing to do anything for love.” And, this time around, in what will be the TLEA/full-blown war of this duology, that person is him. Rhian is dangerous in how he's inconstant and (emotionally) unstable but not because he's inherently Evil, like Sophie was. He only has the potential to do Evil for love. Then, there's the factor of love driving people insane. Rhian could be Good, and still be the murderer. Being Good doesn’t absolve him from all suspicion. Fratricide and Evil are not mutually exclusive in this context. Rhian did almost kill Fala. This possibility of Rhian being the murderer might be almost as likely as Rafal being the murderer. Rhian doesn’t have to be Evil to do it.

Love brings out the worst in Rhian, but that's natural or at least common. Because apparently, the not-100%-pure-Good-but-still-Evers Evergirls were absolutely brutal as first-years in book 1. And, I bet Good became vain and egotistical because of Rhian's lasting influence. The Evergirls didn't uphold all of Good's standards until it really came down to it. Until a test. The test of war. So, maybe, the Great War will bring out the brothers' original, assumed, or true natures. If they are indeed what we assumed them to be, and not swapped.

Thematically, this would all be consistent with TLEA and not contradict Soman's earlier messaging, or so I think.

Sophie’s Good deed wasn't erased for all the Evil she's done, as Agatha says in her mirror-twin-souls speech at the climax of TLEA. It still remains, and it will never change, that singular act of befriending Agatha when Agatha was alone. Again, Rafal doesn't need to be an Ever to do Good deeds. The same applies to Rhian. He doesn't need to be a Never to do Evil. The morality of the series was always intended to be grey after all.

Rhian always seemed Good-intentioned, and I still believe he is an Ever. I just think he was led astray from his true nature. Because, if Evil is capable of Good, then Good is capable of doing Evil. Even if Good doesn't become Evil, even if Good isn't being Evil, it can do Evil. Especially, in the name of Good. Especially, if it prioritizes Good results over Evil-leaning actions. Rhian could have accidentally fallen into a “The ends justify the means” mindset.

So, basically, Rhian and Rafal's Good and Evil statuses don't have to change. They can be the same as they always were. How they once were and assumed themselves to be. It wouldn't be contradictory. It would make sense.

Plus, then there's also the point that the brothers are having a particularly abnormal year, given the Storian’s behavior and the unusual case of Aladdin, so their responses could follow suit, and would be reasonably abnormal to match their fraught times. Or, out-of-character from what they're usually like.

To recap, there's still a chance that Rafal is a Never, and Rhian is an Ever, and that it’s only their actions, their deeds, their behaviors, that have betrayed themselves. They could still be their originally-assumed true selves, exactly how the Woods conceived them, and exactly how they thought themselves to be.

[jazzy-art-time]

A List of all my Tumblr Blogs! Ranging from personal use to ask blog stuff! - PERSONAL BLOGS - @jazzymudkip My main "personal" blog! I reblog literally whatever I want there care free, so take note of that. @jazzy-art-time Art Blog! You are ALREADY here! Congrat! @jazzyarchive My Archive blog! For deleted meme posts, deleted blogs, etc etc. Just so I can keep a nifty archive for myself! - ASK BLOGS - List of all my CURRENT askblogs. Each blog has its own sensitive content tags/warnings available to see on the blog themselves. IMPORTANT NOTE: Not all blogs are entirely active, I switch which blogs I update based on my mood or what my passion is aiming towards. @mod-jazzy Mod Blog for all askblog related things, the "primary hub" of sorts. @asktidethegastrodon Blog about Tide the gastrodon and Co. Plot driven and based on End of Days and the 7 deadly sins. @tales-from-kirkland Blog about pirates! Following the "imfamous" Kirkland family member, M. Has a lotta pokemon hybrids/fusions. @ask-scrafty Blog following Jody, a scrafty who has been cursed by a powerful witch to hunt monsters/myths to survive. (Primarily anthro pokemon) @ask-eden Blog for the worlds worst mew, Eden. A mew born without any powers forcefully thrust to become powerful to save his universe against MissingNo. @ask-wasteland-labs Blog based on anthro pokemon and the SCP foundation. Following Jennichu and her family as they face a SCP Containment Breach. (Entirely anthro pokemon based) @flake-n-rudy Blog about Flake, Hyphen, Nymph and Rudy. Four unevolved pokemon trying to get into the Great Galar Race. I'm sure nothing bad happens. (PMD style story/lore) @asktauros Blog about several tauros children who get lost from home and struggle to survive and find their way back home. @poke-magica Blog based on anthro pokemon and the Madoka Magica universe. Yes it's a magical (poke)girl blog. (Entirely Anthro pokemon based) @ask-skitty Blog about Stocking the skitty! A PMD universe blog heavily based on PMD:Explorers of Darkness but with several of my own personal story twists so it's not entirely the same story being retold. (also used to be my first pokemon comic ever back on deviantart heehoo) @askduskull Blog based on horror and horror themes. Following a duskull who hates the light and several other ghastly ghouls and what have you. @maybe-mienshao Blog based on Koi the mienshao. A more "daily blog" styled blog kind of. Switches on and off between story based or more daily blog style requests. @interdimensional-retail Blog based in a Interdimensional Retail store. Follows the main merchandising team and various floor associates and their struggles with working in the retail environment. @pokeask-trail-camera A pokeask blog that functions like a "trail camera". Not really interactive of any sort. -- MISC BLOGS -- @bunnybrunko Original OC Comic blog, INACTIVE as of right now. @swshstory Pokemon SwSh comic blog, INACTIVE as of right now. @jarble-au WIP CURRENTLY

[pepper-salt]

Re: book concept, randomly saw your post and wanted to give my completely honest opinion and unprofessional advice as a fantasy reader in the hopes that this book will be completed!

The characters certainly could have potential but I'd be more interested in hearing what the plot of this story is? How do the characters motivations relate to each other and the world?

I'd also say that less is more and it might be worth combining the princess and the prince since all there is for the prince are the body issues and if you combined them there could be a more complex and interesting interplay of traits. Maybe showing how a character's desire to help people relates to their body issues? Or how they help others when they cannot help themselves? Especially if this is a medieval setting and (i'm assuming) a trans story, in a time when there wasn't much of an outlet for those feelings, showing how this character might've found other ways to cope. The motivations of the princess and the oracle are also pretty similar, so it could even be worth combining the prince, princess, and oracle, and having the crux of the story be centered around really developing the one relationship between that character and the god.

On the note of setting, I'd be curious how this medieval feudal monarchy functions and recommend exploring the implications of such a thing critically. Maybe making the oracle and god the two main characters and giving the oracle the traits of the princess and prince. You don't have to make the royalty outright villains but I think a story from an outsider perspective is more personally interesting to me. It presents more conflict to focus on an oracle who might not necessarily be from nobility and has to work harder to convince their regents.

Final thought, definitely not saying an overly defined magic system is necessary But I'm interested in at least how magic and gods are viewed in this world? Is the oracle a peasant born with unusual powers? Are their powers derived from the god or from the same source as theirs? Or is the oracle not magical at all? A well meaning fraud or a genuinely deluded royal fortune teller?

I'm sure you already have answers to many of these questions, just a little bit of food for thought. Coming up with a cast of characters is fun but I find that diving into a few specific ideas is where you'll find the meat of the book.

Thank you so much for your feedback! I honestly didn't expect to hear from anyone for at least a few days! Yes, I did make a mistake by not putting a plot in my description. I haven't fully made a comprehensible plot yet, but I have one pretty figured out. My plot is mostly about taking down the corrupt political and nobility system from the inside. It follows the story of the seige of a country. Two of my main characters are from this country and the other two are from the opposing country. The oracle is from the opposing country. Their motivations mostly relate to their experiences within the inner council of their country and during the siege of the other country. Their desire to change things is brought up from seeing the people in their country struggle through they tyrany of the royals. The prince and the princess are both nobles of the same country that is taken down in the beginning of the plot. This country is a lot better in terms of political systems, but it is very secluded and behind the other countries of its time. The princess's motivations stem from seeing the rise of homelessness and poverty due to her country being behind its time and being prone to natural disasters quite often. The god is from the same country as the oracle. He was originally the patron of a now destroyed small city. After his lover was killed by the citizens of the city, he destroyed it and killed most of its citizens. After that, he created a new country that turned very corrupt over the years. He would like to help the oracle in destroying this country in order to undo his past wrongs.

I also talk a lot about the curses of immortality in my book. Some chapters, mainly the ones told from the point of view of the god, go into detail about the experiences of the earlier times before the world the mortals live in. I also go into depth more towards the end of my book about the gifts and curses of godhood.

I loved your idea of combining the prince and the princess. You have assumed right, I do want to make the prince's story a trans story. I had originally thought of making the two minor characters, but never combining them. Your feedback has really helped me because I was having a hard time figuring out how to make them their own fully fledged characters. I might take your advice and also make this new character a minor character in the oracle's story. I had thought at one point about making the book just about the oracle and the god. They are my two most developed characters, despite being the newest of the four. It would leave more room for the many months of development I have had with them.

The feudal monarchy in my book is mainly inspired by medieval Europe. This hierarchy of feudalism with the upper class ruling over is what mainly inspires the country the oracle and the god are from. This country is very corrupt, as I have said multiple times. (Sorry! I'm a bit repetitive.) It is a country that doesn't have a lot of modern laws that the other countries in this world do. It endorses forced and child marriages, meaningless execution and punishment, heavy immigration laws, and lots of prejudice towards the impoverished. The Oracle being royal is a very important part to my story as it helps me to write about taking down this system from the inside, however, I would like to make my book multi-POV and I would like to include perspectives from some of the commoners that they interact with to include that outsider perspective that you talked about. For example, in the book, the Oracle teams up with a crew of sea explorers to smuggle immigrants out of the country in an attempt to help the people affected by its corruption. A majority of these excerpts that I have already written are from the perspective of different members of this crew. The oracle does already share a lot of the values of the prince and princess, as you have said. I might take your feedback and combine the princess's need to make a home for her people with the oracle's need to change their country when talking about this story of immigrants.

The magic system I have created isn't entirely original, but it is different. Most people in this world are born with some kind of magic, with the exception of humans. Magic is widely taught as a life skill in all of the countries. In the human countries, any magic is man-made through experiments and ways of torture. There are some exceptions. The gods in this world are able to create their own magical beings modeled after them. Two of the gods take on a human form, so any magical being they create looks human, but isn't entirely human. The oracle is one of those beings. They look and act human, but they are a being of pure magic. They type of magic is dependent on the god who created them. The Oracle was created by the sun god, who is the god of a new day and the old sunrise, so they have visions of the future and the past. This sun god is my other main character who created the Oracle to take his place in the council. (I know, so original of me to have a godly council.) My council is made of the original gods. They are gods made from the two formidable ones, creators of the universe.

The way the gods are viewed depends entirely on the country. Most countries worship their gods as deities and saints. They never communicate with their gods directly and some countries even worship deceased gods. Other countries, like the country my two main characters are from, see their god as just another authoritarian figure. The god is almost always in the country and mingling with the people as one of their own. There are also minor gods in my book. These are mostly demigods, some mortals, who have appeased the gods and earned nobility.

Thank you so much for your feedback! I have literally never talked to a single person about my ideas, so it feels so good to hear that someone is interested! Sorry it took so long to respond, I not only had school, but it took me a while to think about your advice. You should really consider taking up writing! Your advice was some of the best I have ever heard! Again, thank you so much, and if you are still interested after reading my repetitive nonsense, I have a writing blog, @olive-souris. I will try to post weekly updates there and go more in-depth into my characters and plot!

[catflowerqueen]

I am glad that Sun survived, and that he actually isn’t in as bad a shape as I’d feared. Yeah, his physical body is messed up, but his programming, memory, and basic functionality seem fine, which is the more important bit. It will be interesting to see what the brothers’ new upgrades look like. I just hope they won’t be too… extravagant? Like, that they will still retain the essence of their original selves. If that makes sense.

And speaking of their original selves, it was actually pretty cool to get the answer to Moon’s question from way back in the “Moondrop’s Sad Origins” episode on whether or not Sun could actually still do the bodily transformation into Moon’s form—yes he can. Or at least he partially can. Still no confirmation on whether or not Moon put that functionality into his current body, though. I think it makes more sense for him to have let them out, but if the computer is saying that his body/shell is similar enough to Sun’s that both are able to be upgraded in roughly the same way, then he might have just done an exact copy when making his current body. Well, expect for not including a knife arm, but that was never in the original plans, so…

I will also be curious about what they do as far as the messed-up memories of everyone else subplot goes. I mean. I feel like Glamrock Freddy and Circus Baby were the only ones left who still had an absolute negative opinion, but there are a few different avenues they could explore. If Monty’s theory about the star’s destruction undoing the spell is correct, then the question becomes whether or not whoever was still affected would even be aware of the revert to normalcy, or whether it is a situation where they can’t remember ever holding the negative opinion and things just get rewound—so basically a reverse of what Eclipse did. If the star’s destruction has no effect on the spell—which is equally likely since they were thinking that the solar base is still functioning despite needing star power to shield it—then the spell might still be in effect and need to be manually removed, which could lead to some interesting situations if Glamrock Freddy finds out that Eclipse is dead and Sun and Moon killed him.

Of course, the more likely scenario in either case is that he just never bothers to show up or talk to the two of them one way or another. Like. This isn’t exactly a situation where I would expect anyone to come apologize—or at least, I wouldn’t be upset with them if they didn’t, since it isn’t like its their fault that their memories got messed with—but… still. Some acknowledgement of their existence would be nice. Like. Moon didn’t count any of them when he was listing off his allies to Eclipse, and I’m pretty sure only regular Freddy is the only one who even knew about Lunar’s existence. And even he didn’t get informed of Lunar’s death. And none of them knew about Moon’s own memory situation, even though Glamrock Freddy actually interacted with him the same day he woke back up. Golden Freddy is an exception to all of this, of course, but he is also kind of an outlier in general, so he doesn’t really count.

Other notes… Timeline-wise I’m thinking that yesterday’s Monty and Foxy channel episode where Earth was a special guest actually takes place after todays lore episodes on both that channel and the Sun and Moon one given that Earth went to Monty for help with Sun and Moon asked them to let her stay over for a few days while they waited for Sun’s (and Moon’s) upgrades to come in. Technically it would also explain why Foxy is no longer kidnapped by various entities, but without Moon asking for her to stay over that could just be explained away as their using up some pre-recorded gaming videos.

And speaking of the Monty and Foxy channel, it was actually rather heartwarming today to see just how much Monty really does care about Foxy. Yes, they were still being jokesy and brusque with him, but the care and concern was obvious. And, like, they intended to give Foxy a magical, flying pirate ship for a birthday present. That’s not the kind of present you give someone you don’t really care about. It also seems like Foxy might not hold too much of a grudge toward Ruin over getting beaten up, which is kind of nice if Ruin really is engaging in some sort of “battle of the mind” and fighting from within and is actually trying to be better. It was also hilarious to see—well, hear—them deliberately damaging the ship.

It is a bit sad that we never got to see them interact with Eclipse, though. It also makes me wonder if they will consider their debt to regular Freddy paid now, or if they’ll feel honor-bound to help him in some other way.

Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention in my analysis of the Sun and Moon show episode is that they seem to have forgotten—again—that they do, actually, know someone who is monitoring star power. And… honestly, they kind of missed an interesting direction to take the plot on that front. Like… when the computer said that Earth ran off, my first thought was that her sleeper-agent protocols were activating and she’d gone to make a report to the Creator on what Sun just did. And I suppose there’s still a bit of wiggle room in that if they want to say she stopped to make a call on the way to Monty/will still do that later, but… it just felt like a missed opportunity to me. Not that I actually want Earth to be a villain, unknowing or otherwise, but I would like the writers to at least not forget that plot point exists. Because, really, unless this is some sort of “heat of the moment/panicking over Sun’s condition” deal, Sun and Moon should definitely at least remember that the Creator was looking into the star’s situation when Eclipse was messing around with it.

Oh, also, one more thing—I had to laugh when Sun seemed most upset about his ribbons getting messed up. It’s a nice reminder that he used to willingly play model for Chica and Roxy’s fashion shows and has mentioned dressing up before.

The next arc is sure to be interesting.