#it's longer and i paid for upgraded character count

[durgeapologist]

your guys' reblogs on my dreadrook gdl cameo audio are making me giggle SO FUCKING HARD!!! if you're new to my blog (there's a lot of you hi i love you all sooooooo bad) THEN JUST WAIT ANOTHER WEEK. i'm not saying i did it again...

but that's exactly what i'm saying.

[tinydefector]

Reader with a disability- like a lost limb or two. And their cypertronian friendo’s make them new limbs?

I’d personally like to see it with the Decepticon‘s. But I’ll take anyone.

Upgrades

Tarantulas x reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 1.3k

Used the wheel spinner to pick a character for this one, and you got tarantulas, and he was actually a lot of fun to write. Based him quite a bit of the earthspark Tarantulas.

___________

They sit off to the side as Tarantulas works. Not being able to do much else other than wait for him to finish his work. The scarring on their leg aches and it makes them twitchy for sitting so long with nothing to do. "How much longer?" They ask softly trying not to scratch the area

He glances over at the human, a soft click comes from his mandibles. "Patience, my friend. These things cannot be rushed." He turns back to his workbench, carefully assembling components of the new prosthetic he was working on. "I assure you, the end result will be well worth the wait." 

 

They continued to sit there for a moment but eventually decided they were sick of just sitting. using the equipment beside themself they pull themself to stand, keeping a hand on it while hopping closer trying not to fall over. Tarantulas' optics briefly flicker towards them as they uncomfortably hop closer, clearly struggling without the support of their prosthetic. He pauses in his work, claws delicately holding a small metallic component mid-assembly. 

"I would not recommend straining yourself in such a manner," he says evenly. "The device will be completed as efficiently as I am able. injuring yourself will only hinder the process. One of his claws came out to steady them. He clicks the part into place with meticulous care, then glances back at the human.

"I'm bored sitting here Tarantulas" they admit while moving closer using his arm as a guide closer. "Can you put something on for me to watch or something, I can't handle just sitting here in silence, please I'd even suffer listening to the music you like so much" they hand brushes against his plating as they stand against his frame, pressing their head against the spider furr of his plating.

Tarantulas lets out an exasperated hiss as the human presses against him, interrupting his concentration. Still, he suppresses the urge to shove them away, he rumbles softly reminding himself they were a touchy one, it was only them and not someone else touching him. 

"Very well," he grumbles, reaching a clawed hand to tap at a nearby console. "I shall provide some 'entertainment' to distract that feeble organic processor of yours." The screens in his lab flicker to life, he types away for a moment with his other talons and brings up some mind numbing videos. He bristles again when their hand runs over the furr before he settles again. "Try not to leak your oils and fluids on my exoskeleton," he snarks slightly but settles into the light touch. He lifts them up, settling them between his shoulder plate and helm, talons subtly guiding them until they had sat comfortably. " now you're just being a dick" they state with amusement while snuggling against him. 

He turns back to the delicate work with a few small clicks. Tarantulas narrows his optics at the human's crass words, but otherwise does not acknowledge their playful jab. His thoughts are focused solely on completing the task at hand. With meticulous precision, he settles back into work, a talon coming up to check on them occasionally to check if they had fallen asleep. They'd make a small noise but other than that they were content watching the videos. 

Tarantulas soldiers the final connections, tweaking the calibration. "It is done," Tarantulas announces, and they peek up to look at the finished prosthetic. "Your patience has paid off. Shall we test its capabilities?" He holds up the brand new leg for them to look at for a moment. With care he helps them off his shoulder, setting them down gently. Once they are seated, he works quickly; multiple talons move with skill to fit the prosthetic into place, ensuring the connections are seamless. 

"How does it feel?" he asks while making sure to attach it the right way, checking to make sure the pins didn't pinch on the attachment, as he watches their reaction he's already working on another design in his processor. "Walk with it. Carefully." He steps back, folding all his arms but one as he watches for any sign of instability.

He olds one out for them to use encase they needed it, but For now, he watches. As they stand up and put pressure on it, it feels different to the other prosthetic. The first few steps are wobbly with Tarantulas guiding them with a servo to make sure they don't trip. "Feels weird, lighter than the last one.Tarantulas watches closely as the human takes their first tentative steps with the new prosthetic. His optics brighten with fascination at seeing his engineering in action. “What did you change?". It wasn't as heavy as the last prosthetic he had made for them. 

"I utilised a lighter alloy in its construction to reduce overall mass, while integrating cybertronian servo-motors to enable more natural movement. They should also allow for greater precision and control compared to your previous prosthesis," Tarantulas explains, a hint of pride creeping into his voice despite himself.  

"In time, it should function almost similarly to your original organic limb, perhaps even surpassing it in strength and capabilities. I can continuously refine the design as needed." He gestures to his workbench, laden with tools and components. "For now, simply continue acclimating yourself to it." His optics gleam with anticipation. It was something almost simplistic but they needed it.

 They continue walking around on it testing the feeling of the new prosthetic, after they sit down and watch the way the hinges bend with each time they straighten and bend their leg. "Still don't know how you do it Tulas, you would be an awesome prosthetic manufacturer you know" they shoot him a delighted smile. Tarantulas lets out an amused huff at the human's praise. 

"An 'awesome prosthetic manufacturer'? Hardly a fitting aspiration for one such as myself." He turns back to tidy up his workstation, sorting tools and components with methodical efficiency. "I engineer these enhancements purely as scientific curiosities, and for the opportunities they provide in helping you."  Picking up a small welding tool, he regards it thoughtfully as he continues. "But I admit, it is gratifying to see my creations appreciated."  

“Got a soft spot for me Tula?” they tease at him. Tarantulas sets down the tool and moves closer to the human, gently flicking them with one of his talons.  "But thank you, I know it probably doesn't mean much to you due to being Cybernetic, but this means alot to me to be able to walk, and you're making it easier with the knee bending." It's a sincere thank you. They look over at the other prosthetic. "Do you know why this one broke?" 

Tarantulas picks up the damaged prosthetic leg, turning it over in his claws as he examines it closely. "Inferior craftsmanship," he hisses in disdain. "Not unexpected from those human manufacturers. They lack true vision." He traces a talon along a cracked seam in the prosthetic's casing. "Substandard materials and shoddy construction. I could improve upon this base design in recharge."

Setting the leg down, Tarantulas turns his optics to the human. "Do not trouble yourself with their inept handiwork any longer. You shall walk solely on my creations from now on." 

They laugh at his crase words shaking their head in amusement, it was nice to see him enjoying working on something that to him was so basic yet to them was a life altering thing. They smile back at him as they disconnect the prosthetic, placing it in their lap to look it over. "It's pretty, didn't take you as an artist type Tula" they hum in amusement while admiring the patterns etched onto the fake leg.

Tarantulas tilts his head quizzically at the human's comment about his artistic sensibilities. "Artistry? Hmpf. I merely adorn my creations to...satisfy your simple organic aesthetic preferences." He steps closer and runs a talon along the etched patterns in the prosthetic's casing. "But I admit, an elegant design does complement the engineering within."  

________

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[svereds-wise-words]

あん - Sweet Bean

I want to start off by appreciating the double meaning of this title in English. Whether it was intentional or not I'm not entirely sure; however, when Tokue entered Sentaro's life she could have easily been described as a Sweet bean. She was very kind to not only Sentaro, but anyone she interacted with, taking every opportunity to admire and love the world around her. With a sense of sincerity with her character, she had been perfecting her sweet bean paste recipe, offering it to Sentaro and breathing life into his long cold heart. Throughout the majority of the film, Sentaro is subject to a mountain of debt. It's explained that the owner of the Dorayaki shop had paid it off, so now Sentaro owed their family, having to work and manage the stand in recompense. Initially he struggles with the Anko recipe and ends up giving up on it entirely in favor of premade Anko. He maintains himself in this sense of mediocrity, slave to the whims of his debtee and his wife. Filled with sadness and content to glumly push through his daily routine, he gives up on the Anko recipe until Tokue presses for employment.

Tokue's employment marks a shift in Sentaro's daily routine, and pushes him to value his work. When Tokue and Sentaro work to create the improved dorayaki, Sentaro for the first time is able to eat the entirety of a dorayaki, but also smiles at his customer's reactions, taking pride in their work. Similarly, the customers too benefit from Tokue's sweetness through daily conversation as she mans the shop and via her upgrade to the recipe.

With Tokue's integration into the shop and Sentaro's life, we are reminded as to why Sentaro is in this metaphorical prison in the first place, when the shop owner's wife returns to complain about Tokue and how she likely has leprosy. The shop owner's wife, (we will name her tsuma from here on) tells Sentaro that he has to fire Tokue, fearful of the stigmata surrounding leprosy, born primarily out of fear and a lack of awareness as to what it is and the treatments against it (while it is bacterial, anyone who has been using antibiotics to fight it (the recommended solution offered by the WHO starting in 1985), is no longer contagious after 3 days). In this act, Tsuma is taking the new found spark in Sentaro's life and asking him to kill all relations with it. She could have tried to help conceal Tokue's identity, or recognized that her shop was multiplicatively more popular due to Tokue's influence and fought on her behalf, but she let her fear and lack of awareness lead her to trying to re-secure the cage Sentaro found himself in.

(realizing im hitting the word count)

She finally puts the nail in the coffin when she decides to entirely remodel the shop and force her nephew into the vacancy left by Tokue's forced ejection. Tokue's influence in Sentaro's life helped him to realize the potential joy of his career and what life could be should he put his heart into it. She acts as a mother guiding him out of the whole he was in and away from an experience she too found herself in at one time in her life, ultimately leading to Sentaro going independent and starting his own Dorayaki venture.

[captain-kelli]

Publicity Stunt // 02

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader Summary: Plans are made for your first date, but Steve flips the script. Will it work out in your favor? Word Count: 3.8K Warnings: Language A/N: A few things: 

I no longer do tags. If you’d like to keep up with this story, follow @captain-kelli-library​​ and turn on the notifications! 

There are some images with text, as will be the case throughout the series. You can find the descriptions for them in the comments for accessibility!

Since this is apparently needed - do not share my work anywhere else. Period. 

You could ignore the gossip rags, but the tweets annoyed you. These people weren’t being paid to assault your character and upend your life.

“Who does that kind of shit for free?”

Standing in your lab coat next to the quantum computer, you tweaked the position of the microwave lines. The rest of the team already left for the day, so you had the lab to yourself - perfect conditions for venting to an inanimate object.

“If all of those women actually knew Raheem, they wouldn’t want to be within five feet of him. He lowers the IQ of any room he’s in.”

Along with a team of first-rate scientists and cutting-edge technology, you were able to make considerable upgrades to Paradox in a short amount of time. You were proud of the early progress and expectant of what was to come. Every day was a reminder of the opportunity you earned.

“So then why am I still so damn mad?”

You knew the answer to this question, of course. You were mad because Raheem soured the deal. He stole your joy and sowed seeds of doubt amongst the public and your peers. And he was a fucker for that.

Straying away from the quantum computer, you walked to the chalkboard. You had to beg Tony to install it, declining multiple offerings for holographic screens spanning the whole room. You wanted to kick it old school. The chalkboard was where you learned advanced physics from your favorite professor at MIT. It’s where you wrote the first line of the algorithm for Paradox. It’s where you wanted to continue to work.

The chalkboard appeared on the big, empty wall the next morning.

You were working out a calculus problem when you heard the door to the lab open. Ignoring the new guest, you curled your tongue over your upper lip in stern concentration as the chalk scrawled across the classically green board. The newcomer wordlessly found a seat in your desk chair, the wheels squeaking as they rolled around in it. 

Minutes passed by, though you weren’t sure how many, and your frustration with the math’s lack of cooperation grew until the piece of chalk you were holding finally snapped in your hand. A variable was missing. And it should’ve been obvious.

But you were thinking about Raheem.

“Damn it. That stupid motherfucker, piece of shit, no good…”

The whistle was low and descended. “Haven’t heard that kind of language since Germany.”

When you turned around, you saw Steve Rogers sitting at your desk, leaning back in the chair with one leg crossed comfortably over the other. If he was offended by your colorful words, he didn’t show it, so you didn’t bother apologizing. 

“Just having a hard time cracking the code,” you said as your thumb gestured back to the chalkboard. “It’s all a part of the process.”

“Yeah, sure. I have that reaction to calculus all the time.” The right side of his mouth tugged up into a grin with his gentle sarcasm and it eased your anger. 

Dusting the chalk off your hands with the help of your lab coat, you walked away from the board and closer to your desk. Closer to Steve. “How can I help you this afternoon, Captain?”

His hands pushed off his knees as he stood up. “Please, call me ‘Steve.’” He was charming, you’d give him that. “I was in Stark’s office before this, chatting with him and his publicist. It seems they’re eager to get this whole thing moving.” His hand motioned between the two of you.

“Oh, is that right? What do they have planned for our first outing?”

Steve spun around and walked to the chalkboard. “See, that’s the thing. I don’t really like their idea.” He considered the available pieces of chalk and continued, “that’s why I came to talk to you.” When he found a suitable piece, he began sketching on a blank part of the board. 

“What do you mean you didn’t like it? How bad could it possibly be? And don’t get too close to the equations.”

He kept his visual attention entirely focused on whatever it was he was drawing. “Tony wants us to go to a new restaurant opening in the East Village. The publicist, I think her name is Miranda, says a lot of big names are supposed to be there. It’d be easy press.”

It was clear he had no intention of turning around and you were tired of standing, so you grabbed your chair and wheeled it over to the board. “What’s wrong with that?”

The chalk scratched in repetitive strokes as he spoke. “It’s a little obvious, don’t you think? It’s a lot for a first date - especially after you got dragged in the press.”

An indignant eyebrow shot up. “Hey! I didn’t get dragged.” 

At that, he looked over his shoulder at you. “You did. Not your fault, but you did.” Back to the drawing. “The press is smart enough to put two and two together. And if they’re not, Twitter will. If we’re actually going to do this, it should be believable. That’s all I’m saying.”

You and your brain full of post-quantum physics spun in the chair, thoughts of Raheem dissipating by the minute. Instead, you were wondering when the old man learned the subtleties of social media. “Alright then, Steve. What do you propose we do instead?”

Steve returned the piece of chalk to the basin, dusted off his hands, and revealed his drawing. “I’m told first dates are casual in this century, so let’s get lunch. Since you’re still new to the city, I thought it’d be fun to check out the Loeb Boathouse.”

On your board, he drew Central Park’s reservoir with the boathouse restaurant in the background and it was beautiful. 

“A working lunch. Okay.”

“Schrödinger, come to the robotics lab. We need to talk,” the text read. 

Tony started Friday morning scrolling through social media, looking for evidence of your appearance at Urban Seed Kitchen. When he couldn’t find anything, he had JARVIS scour the internet for any hint of your outing with Rogers. 

Nothing.

He remembered concocting the idea with Miranda. The publicist connected with the restaurant owners and secured a table for the two of you. She made several calls to journalists she had relationships with, tipping them off that you’d be there. He slowly and articulately explained the plan to Cap.

So, what was the issue?

There should have been stunning pictures of the two of you everywhere. Unless the two of you didn’t go. Which Tony suspected.

The question was, “why the hell not?”

“Because Steve came up with a different idea. I thought he would’ve told you,” you explained when you arrived at the robotics lab 15 floors above yours. Tony realized then that you hardly knew your imitation boyfriend - this was exactly his style.

“Well - he didn’t. Care to share?” Tony popped jellybeans into his mouth while awaiting your answer.

It was an effort for him to maintain his composure as you recounted Cap’s idea. If he was being honest, Tony would have had to admit it was a good idea. A perceptive strategy. He might have even gone so far as to confess that he wished the plan was his. But he was annoyed, so that wasn’t the way it went. 

“...so we’ll be going to lunch in Central Park tomorrow afternoon,” you said as the explanation came to a finish.

Tony put the half-eaten bag of jellybeans down on his desk and picked up a screwdriver. It danced between his fingers before he clapped it against his palm all the while wishing he could put together words like he could a machine. 

“If the two of you had talked to me about all of this, I could’ve pointed out the massive flaw in your little plan.” There was an edge to his voice that he didn’t attempt to hide, his frustration growing.

“Okay, Einstein. Fair. What are we missing?” 

It wasn’t meant to be a confrontation. Your tone was light. And you were open to feedback. Without the tension of an argument, the two of you could just solve the problem. The strain in Tony’s shoulders eased and then he continued.

“If we don’t let the press know you’re going to be there, the two of you are just going to lunch. We’ve gotta loop Miranda into these decisions so she can work her magic. Luckily, a 24-hour notice should be enough.”

His phone appeared from out of his pocket and he punched out a text to the publicist. It was such an easy fix that Tony was suddenly glad he heard the news from you just so he didn’t have to fight with Rogers. It made for a nice change of pace.

You were walking out of the lab, presumably to return to your own work, when Tony stopped you. “One more thing, I got word back from legal.”

With the door handle in your grip, you spun around. “And?”

“No dice. The non-disparagement clause only covers Paradox and Stark Industries, not your personal relationship. We’re sending a cease-and-desist letter as a formality, but it’s not exactly enforceable,” he explained.

You frowned and pushed further. “Can we sue him for defamation? If for no other reason than to rack up his lawyer fees?”

“Not if you want the press to like you again. Like it or not, he looks like the victim here, so our best bet is to move on from it. Give them something else to talk about, remember? Starting with lunch tomorrow.”

Tony watched as you nodded your head in defeated agreement. “Starting with lunch tomorrow.”

The motorcycle’s engine came to a whisper as Steve parked it on your block. You had offered to just meet him at the restaurant, but he insisted on walking through the park together. Sliding off the bike, he walked the short distance to your doorstep and rang the buzzer.

“I’ll be right down,” you said over the intercom. 

Steve stood at the bottom of the stairs of the stoop, hands stuffed into the pockets of his black bomber jacket. Unsure of what to wear on a fictitious first date, he kept it simple with a white t-shirt and jeans, so he was relieved to see you kept it simple, too.

The army-green utility jacket and ripped jeans said, “casual,” he thought. Though, the black heels caught his eye. 

“It’s a twenty-minute walk to the restaurant, you sure you’re good in those shoes?” His eyebrows rose as he pointed to your feet and you looked down.

“What? Don’t like ‘em?” Twirling at the top of the steps, Steve got a full look at you and had to do his best to keep it professional. 

“They’re nice - just not the shoes I would’ve picked for a long walk.”

“We don’t have to walk, let’s hail a cab if you’re that worried about me.” You came down the stairs now, meeting his gaze with a wink.

“I have a better idea.”

Moments later, Steve was cutting through New York traffic on his Harley with your arms wrapped around his waist underneath his jacket. You had complained about the lack of helmets and threatened to kill him if you died, less than subtle ways to demonstrate your feelings on motorcycles. In a calm, if not teasing tone, he assuaged every fear. Somewhere on Amsterdam Avenue, he silently grinned as you clung to his body even tighter.

As far as missions went, this one was certainly the most fun. The least life-threatening. Still, he lost sleep the night he volunteered. He had been convinced that Raheem was a dick and you needed help, but the plan was inherently dishonest. He questioned if there was not an honorable way to garner the positive attention from the press that Tony insisted you needed. He doubted the willingness of the public to believe what he thought was such an obvious lie. It was a decision made in haste and it worried him. But he trusted Natasha and Tony. And he already liked you.

Hours after he agreed to the arrangement, he made a silent promise to himself - if he was going to do this, it was damn well going to be believable. Otherwise, there was little point in doing it at all. That’s why he walked into your lab and flipped the script.

It did not, however, account for the pleasant flutter in his chest at the feeling of your hands on his body. He elected to ignore that altogether and focused on the mission.

He nestled the bike in a small, empty spot on the corner of 74th and Central Park West. The warmth of your arms disappeared as you climbed off the back and he quickly followed. It was only a matter of minutes before you were in the park and deep in conversation.

“You actually met the codebreakers at Bletchley Park? I don’t believe it.” 

It wasn’t often that Steve shared stories from the war - it felt like an entirely different life and version of himself - but when you were explaining how that moment in history impacted your decision to found Paradox, he saw an opening. 

“Scout’s honor. The invitation came after B.P. intelligence helped us take out three HYDRA bases that weren’t even on our radar. Monty was over the moon when the call came.”

The two of you walked side-by-side, passing the Bethesda Fountain, and you continued to interrogate Steve.

“Did you get to go into any of the huts? Did you see any of the ciphers, the bombes? Did you get to meet Alan Turing?”

Steve smiled wide at your enthusiasm, enjoying the way your eyes danced between each and every thought. He pushed that sensation down and answered your questions.

“No, nothing like that. Even though we signed the Official Secrets Act long before the visit, they kept every secret compartmentalized well. We did get a tour of the grounds and lunch in the mansion though. And Dum Dum Dugan disappeared with one of the girls from Hut 8. I remember that.” The memory made Steve laugh and miss his old friend.

The Loeb Boathouse came into view along with a spray of daffodils and cherry blossoms. Spring in New York had become Steve’s favorite after he came out of the ice. Like him, the city escaped from winter’s chill and sprung back to life. The kaleidoscope of colors renewed his hope in his newfound existence and eased the loss of a former life unlived.

To Steve’s delight, it was warm enough to sit on the restaurant’s patio overlooking the lake. You thanked the hostess after she shared the specials for the afternoon along with a recommendation of her favorite plate and then settled into your seat. Steve screened what he could see of the restaurant and park from where he was sitting.

“You said Tony made the arrangements for the photographers?” His voice was low as if he was on a covert mission somewhere in Eastern Europe. This was, after all, a job. Or so he kept telling himself.

You, he realized, seemed unfazed. Ignoring his question, you continued to study the menu, only looking up to ask, “do you think the panccheri pasta is too heavy for lunch?”

Instead of meeting his eye, you were looking past him at the dock full of rowboats and gondolas. Among them, Steve saw a man with a camera and understood your silent message.

 “After that walk? No, I think the pasta is perfect.”

The rest of lunch was a show. In between over-the-top smiles and brief touchings of hands, Steve shared a few more stories from the second world war in exchange for the history of Raheem. 

“It wasn’t some big love story. I could probably count on a single hand the number of times we ever muttered the words, ‘I love you.’ It was mostly business, although I wouldn’t have admitted it at the time. Our relationship served a purpose.”

Steve listened intently, recognizing the same could be said about your own pseudo-relationship together. He was lost in that realization when you asked, “what about you? I’m assuming you’re single now, otherwise, this arrangement would be problematic. But what about before? Have you ever been in love?”

Looking back over to the rowboats, Steve noticed the photographer had left and allowed his face to fall a bit. “Not in this lifetime.”

Thoughts of Peggy drifted lazily into his mind and a fondness bloomed within him.

“What happened to her?”

When he looked back to you, your elbows were on the table and your face was in the palms of your hands. You were leaning in. It wasn’t the best topic for a first date he could admit, even a fake one. But for once, the vulnerability didn’t unsettle him.

“Exactly what I would’ve hoped. She lived a beautiful, meaningful life and found love again.” Steve’s eyes went back to the lake as did yours and it was quiet for a time.

Eventually, the sound of your voice broke the spell of the exes. “Well, how do you think we did on our first mission, Captain? Objective complete?”

His face warmed when he looked back to you. “I suppose we’ll find out tomorrow, but I think it was a solid effort by the team,” he said, trying to sound serious while furrowing his brow.

The lighthearted tone of conversation returned on the walk through the park and back to the bike. And when your arms wrapped around Steve’s waist for a second time, he allowed himself the briefest of seconds to enjoy it.

You woke up on Sunday morning in a daze. 

Buried deep in a sea of pillows and a comforter, you soaked in the events of yesterday. Steve Rogers, as it turned out, was every bit as wonderful as the world suspected. New York felt more like home than it had since you moved here. And, for the first time since Boston, you felt in control of your future again.

If you still held any skepticism for the plan after yesterday, it disappeared entirely the moment you picked up your phone. 

Over 400 Twitter notifications. 15 missed phone calls. 192 unread emails. Scrambling to open a browser, you quickly searched for your name and, sure enough, half the internet was talking about your date with Steve. After perusing four or five articles, you felt it safe to say that the reception was positive and you breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s working. 

Closing the browser, you noticed more than a few notifications in your texts. The first one you opened was from Steve. “Objective officially complete. Well done.” You laughed at the winking emoji he used, continuously impressed with his determination to assimilate to this century. You shot back a response, “thankful for the strategic direction of army command.”

The second text you read was from Tony. “If you ever tell him this, you’re fired, but Steve was right. The pictures really sell it.” Though you promised to keep your lips sealed, you planned to tell Steve the moment you saw him next.

There were a few other texts from friends, shrieking that you didn’t tell them you had a date planned with Captain America. In an effort to keep up the charade, you indulged them with details of the lunch, acting as if it were real.

The last unread text was from Raheem. An aggravated sigh fought its way out of your throat as you finally opened it. “Can we talk?”

The two of you hadn’t spoken in months. The master tactician walked away from the acquisition a multi-millionaire and a media darling. You heard it through the grapevine that he landed a job as Chief Operating Officer at one of the leading hedge funds in Manhattan, a position that he undoubtedly bought and would use to line his pockets. He had a rotating roster of models that clung to his arm every weekend, or so it appeared on social media.

Can we talk?

What the fuck did the two of you have to talk about anymore? He got what he wanted from you - fame and fortune. There was nothing left to discuss.

“No. Delete my number.”

The phone pinged not a second later. “If you really didn’t want to talk, you wouldn’t have even responded. Come on, let’s work this out.”

He had a point, so you opened his contact profile and blocked his number.

Rolling out of bed, you decided to head to work. Yeah, it was the weekend and you didn’t have to, but you felt inspired by your afternoon with Steve. There was an incomplete equation left on your chalkboard and you had a good idea of how to solve it. The missing variable wasn’t such a mystery anymore.

On the way to the tower, you snagged a copy of the New York Bulletin and laughed when you found yourself on the front page. Life had flipped upside down in a matter of months, but it wasn’t all bad.

In the lab next to your unfinished equation was his chalk drawing. You always liked a clean board so you grabbed the eraser, but paused as it hovered over the sketch. When the idea occurred to you, you dropped the eraser in the basin and grabbed a pair of scissors.

The blades made quick work out of the article. Taking a magnet from your desk, you rushed to the board to hang the clipping that told the story of your first date alongside Steve’s drawing. 

Then and only then were you able to finish the equation, no longer distracted with thoughts of Raheem.

[awakeshedreams]

sugar and spice ( 1 )

pairing : resident bad boy!jjk x model student!reader

setting : highschool!au x stepbrother!au

summary :

a messy highschool!au x stepbrother!au where model student reader who has quite a few dirty little secrets sees her world take an unexpected turn when her mother comes home one day with an engagement announcement, to the father of none other than the school's resident bad boy.... Jeon Jungkook.

genre : smut, for laughs, kinda pornish, slow burn with collosaly overwhelming sexual tension

rating: soft m ( for now ) due to adult content

warnings : unconventional relationship of sexual nature, tropes and clichès, teenagers partaking in porn-esque activities, made up things with made up people happening in a made up world, don't like don't read XD

wordcount : 2.3K

a/n : i've been fighting in a long standing war and I have lost. the man known as jeon jungkook had his foot on my neck for years and today, I have finally submitted to my fate and surrendered to his reign.

yes. after a hundred years, i'm writing again. specifically, writing for bts. particularly, writing for jungkook. its been a long time coming.

life just took over and I transitioned into an adult and kind of grew out of the state of mind I was in before. but. sigh. jeon jungkook has been tormenting me the whole time. it was only a matter of time before i relapsed honestly.

so here I am again. in mind, body and spirit, a different person from who I was before but still the same in the sense that with the way bts have my whole heart, jk will always be the demon in the corner of my room that I invite to bed for a cuddle even though it's (probably really) not good for me.

do not misconstrue. I love him more than I can say. but. sigh. he has me in a chokehold, loves. please try to understand where I'm coming from.

anyways, enough with this ranting. you all came here for the nitty gritty so let me not hold you hostage with my dilemma rambling any longer. here's to the first bts fic i've posted in literal years. introducing- sugar and spice.

1 2

Unless they told someone, no one would have been able to guess it.

At school they were complete strangers.

She was the nice head girl with a clean record, all smiles and straight A’s. He was the mysterious bad boy with a track record, all tatted up with bruised knuckles.

She wore plaid skirts with neat pleads in them and pastel sweaters with bows at the collar. He wore jeans with rips in them and leather jackets with studs.

They couldn't have been any more different.

As far as anyone was concerned, they existed on two extreme ends of a vast spectrum.

What they didn't know was that they shared a dirty little secret.

.

You were a girl with many dirty secrets.

For instance, you used to sell nudes online. It was a side hustle you did.

Not because you needed money.

Your mom was a renowned doctor so there was more than enough of that in your life.

Not because you needed validation from people online either.

Even without the constant compliments and the praises you knew you were visually blessed with a pretty face and a nice body too.

All things considered, you simply thought you had a nice pair of tits and you took pictures of them sometimes.

Posting the shots you snapped online came much later when you heard about this website where people were getting paid crazy money for posting racy things.

‘It’s just so degrading…’ It was one of your friends, June, who sneered, pretty nose scrunched up. She fixed her long ponytail and rolled her brown eyes while looking in the mirror at her locker. ‘Who would do such a thing, am I right?’

She said this, but June was the girl who has slept with more boys than she could count on her two hands. And those were the ones she told you about.

Like every other time, you said nothing. Even when it carried on to lunch with the rest.

‘Pretty desperate if you ask me.’ Mei the stellar track runner shrugged casually as she stretched her limbs like routine.

‘Where are their parents?’ Nina the library nerd shook her head in disapproval as she fixed her glasses so it sat right on the bridge of her nose.

‘Um… I don’t think it’s … appropriate… to talk about ….’ Kiko the one who always carried a cross and bible around mumbled into her sleeve.

All your friends spoke of it in derision and repulsion of course. This was a school for proper children so they were proper girls. At least they were supposed to be.

Regardless the conversation sparked a curiosity in you.

So you made an account and uploaded your first picture. Nothing bizarre. Just your tits in a pretty lace bra.

You made sure to keep your face out of the frame because that was the smart thing to do and you were nothing if not the smartest student in school.

In all honesty, you weren’t expecting anything out of it. In fact, in between work with student council and tutoring your juniors with finals right around the corner, you even forgot about it for an entire month.

It was by a complete whim that you decided to open the app while you’d been unwinding at your desk following a tedious day at school.

To say you were amused by the response you found waiting for you would have be a grave understatement.

You were staring at the four figure digit that now sat in your bank account.

Reading through the comment section was even more interesting.

There were all sorts of people there who had all sorts of things to say. Ranging from honestly sweet to downright dirty.

You had never been brought to tears laughing in her life before until then.

It was just so funny to see people misbehave and lose their minds over a pair of tits.

From then on it just sort of became a thing.

.

But that wasn't the worse of your secrets.

You were making a name for yourself on the crude web months later.

The next step was naturally to move from making taking pictures to making videos. Since you was already in too deep you didn’t see why not.

So you upgraded and opened another account. An amateur one where your touched yourself for an audience.

You were no prude.

You might have never been touched by a boy before but you had touched yourself plenty times. Stress and frustration came hand in hand with being head girl. Since you couldn’t quite vent it out at the annoying troublemakers at school, this was your second best option.

Third was watching porn, but that was mostly when you were extremely bored.

But that wasn’t where that little endeavor ended.

Later on it became a lot more risqué.

.

It all started when your mom hit you with a marriage announcement.

She met a guy on her business trip who she really liked and she was convinced he was the one.

Your mom had a tragic history of being a bad judge of character.

You’ve had this conversation at least five times since you became old enough to understand that boys and girls who were just friends didn’t kiss and sleep with each other.

Most times, it felt like she was doing it because she thought you needed a dad around.

You might have once, when you were younger and your mom was too busy with work to be there. But she worked from home these days and you were soo busy with school to worry about things like that.

This time it was like she was doing it for her. You were glad.

Your mom looked genuinely happy when she spoke about this guy.

Who were you to get in the way?

.

She spent almost the whole weekend in the kitchen. It was the longest you’ve seen her in there in your entire life.

She was excited for the dinner on Sunday.

Mr Jeon was the name of the chosen man.

He was coming over with his kid. A son, his only family. His wife passed away years ago.

You wore the dress your mom picked out for you, something cream in color and off the shoulders that brushed your knees. She looked pretty in her champagne dress. It was different from the office slacks and loose blouses you were used to seeing her in.

You stood by her at the door while the guests came through.

Lifting your head from a polite bow, you found herself staring straight into an achingly familiar pair of glinting dark eyes and went completely still.

‘Sweetie,' Your mother said sounding delighted, a soft hand on your stiff shoulder. 'This is Mr Jeon and his son Jungkook.’

Ah. Fuck.

‘Jeon dear, this is my daughter. Isn’t she lovely?’

.

Dinner was a mild affair, with small talk and the occasional clinking of cutlery on fine china.

From the outside looking in, you probably looked the picture perfect family already.

Only if no-one looked close enough.

Arms crossed, tongue in cheek. Your discomfort could be detected from miles away.

The two adults were oblivious.

The dark eyed boy with the slightest wave to his nape touching, brow grazing, ear covering onyx hair sat across you though; he took note of this with a passing glance and wordlessly returned to his food.

Jeon Jungkook had a countenance that betrayed his reputation.

Even though you’ve never talked, you knew plenty about him and you were sure he knew a lot about you too.

You went to the same school.

Dressed as he was in a crisp white dress shirt buttoned at the wrist and dark tailored pants with a fine belt on, it might have been hard to tell what kind of person he really was.

You lifted her gaze from your plate to look study him wordlessly, idly twisting the noodles with your fork.

People either called him the black sheep or the dark cloud but for you, Jeon Jungkook was the school’s resident lone wolf.

He smoked in the secluded areas on campus, sometimes playing his guitar. Beat up people who got on his nerves, sometimes using his guitar. Slept in class the rare times he was there, many times on his guitar.

Being his senior, you had never seen any of any of that for yourself. But you received plenty reports weekly to come to a sound conclusion.

There was no way people hated him enough to join hands in solidarity and make this all up.

It was quite the contrary actually. He had an alarming number of fans.

On the surface level you couldn’t see why. Most times you saw him, he looked bored out his mind and honestly, intimidating.

Maybe it was the tattoos. Or the ripped skinny jeans. Or the leather jackets with studs.

Maybe it was the domineering height and fit frame and structured face.

Maybe it was the intense dark eyes or the silky ruffled hair.

Even then, you failed to see the irresistible appeal in him. All those things that made him up only added to his unapproachable aura.

Bottom line was, he was bad news.

.

You didn’t want to be a spoil sport.

But how much of a thug your mom’s boyfriend’s son was shouldn’t be something that would make her like him less.

They were both their own people. Right ?

It was just that you just didn’t want her to be shocked and devastated if something happened later. When it happened.

Yet it seemed the serious conversation would have to wait.

After dinner your mom suggested you head to the living room to chat over wine and cheese.

You stayed back to do take out the dishes.

Earlier, your mom had stood to do it instead at first.

‘Don’t bother with that, dear.’ She reached for the plates in your hands. ‘Let me do it.’

‘It’s okay, mom.’ You smiled a little. ‘This is your night. I’ll meet you in the living room.’

'Sweetie...' Your mom looked close to tears. ‘But there’s so much of it…’

‘Jungkook,’ his father's voice had cut through the moment. He was a serious man in a crisp suit with a stoic countenance. His voice was just naturally authoritarian without him trying ‘Give her a hand.’

Jungkook stood, almost robotically.

‘It’s fine.’ You said. Politely. Nicely. Tightly. ‘I can handle this much.’

You left without another word.

That had been moments ago and now you were done with cleaning.

You stood at living room entrance for a while, taking in the scene.

The two adults were exchanging moon eyes and whispering in each other’s ears at the love seat.

Jungkook was sitting on a solo seat, but he was on his phone, completely unbothered by what was happening.

Your mom seemed to think it was the perfect time to pull out the photo album right then and there upon seeing you.

It was embarrassing but at least you knew you didn’t have to worry about the pictures spreading at school.

Jungkook was looking, picking up a picture occasionally to rove over, but he wasn’t the type to do that.

He also wasn’t the type to stare but you felt his glance shifting to you and lingering multiple times.

Once, you caught his eyes and he just stared at you across the coffee table wordlessly with a curious tilt to his head, idly flipping a picture of you dressed as a knight in glitter shining armor for Halloween at eight in his hands.

Honestly, it was starting to get annoying.

But you endured. For your mom’s sake.

.

Your alarm went off at exactly ten.

As subtly as you could, you excused yourself with an apology to the guests, saying you weren't really feeling well.

In hindsight you probably should have used a better excuse.

Your mom was notorious when it came to worrying, especially when it comes to your health.

Also, you probably should’ve locked the door before undressing just for good measure since people were over.

But in the moment, you were too busy setting your camera up where you were kneeling on the floor at the foot of the bed to be concerned about that.

That day you were testing out a new toy.

.

Distractedly, you took note of a couple of people asking you if that was your boyfriend’s shirt you had lifted over your tits.

You ignored them.

Couldn’t a girl own an oversized tee without getting any flack?

Trivial comments like that aside, a good majority of the audience are fawning over how wet you were and how perfect you bouncing tits look being played with.

Your head fell back and your eyes fluttered shut.

You were sitting there, knees raised to your chest and legs splayed, your gushing pussy in full display where the toy was stuffed deep into her tightness, vibrating pleasantly.

‘I’m close…’ you mumbled throatily, squeezing your tits and pinching your stiff nipples in between your moving fingers. You moved your hips move faster, feeling the toy buzz against fluttering walls. You took a hand off one of your tits to rub at your engorged clit. ‘Fuckfuckfuck…’

Deep in your high, you didn’t hear the door open and close with a foreboding click.

You only heard your name being called by a deep, smooth voice through the heady haze.

Instantly you stilled.

When you snapped your head to look over her shoulder Jungkook was there, hands in his pockets, leaning against your doorframe with his sleeves drawn up to his elbows, muscle roped, inked skin on full display.

When he tilted his head to the side a little, appraisively, you dared to say as a quaking chill ran down your spine and your entire body felt like it was about to burst into flames, a bit of his hair fell over his face.

His eyes were like two black in the dark as he took you in, dragging his gaze up and down your exposed body languidly.

In the back of your mind, you wished the ground would part and swallow you whole.

‘Your mom,' he starts, capturing your attention wholly, dark gaze finally flickering to your face, his voice suddenly lower, hoarser. ‘She sent me over to check on you.’

It took you a moment to realize where you were, who you were, who he was.

It was like a bucket of cold water had been dropped over your head.

Jeon Jungkook, the school's resident trouble maker, soon to be your step brother, just walked in on you fingering yourself in in front of a recording camera.

Well. Yeah.

You gulped.

You were royally fucked.

depending on the response I get I might ( most probably will ) delete this. not because I'm ashamed of my work. because I'm embarrassed of myself. I really swore to never write again and here I am. sigh. yes, I have seen my previous works and noticed just how terrible they were and this is a big reason why. so sorry for putting you through that. a million apologies.

also, that's right. I have adopted a new style which might not be to everyone's liking. another reason why.

anyways, if you liked this filth ( i know it seems mild but I can tell you it's very likely gonna get worse ) please idk uh... fuck this isn't ao3. hm.

like and drop by in the ask box if you liked it and want to see more. it makes me happy. its like serotonin fuel to me.

have a nice day. see you next time ( maybe ). stay fresh. yeah. 💜💜.

[mc-critical]

Okay, but on the topic of odd story lines for Mahidevran...what did you make of her spending when head of the harem? I could get it to a certain extent because, of course, after being so overlooked she'd want to shower both her and her son in what was once theirs, but it was also a trait that had just been shown before and seemed super confusing as a result.

I think it made both narrative and thematic sense for the state Mahidevran was in and for the character arc she had to undergo.

It's kinda ironic, because if this were two and a half years ago, I would've ranted for the exact same thing - this arc had interesting stuff that either never had the chance to come up before, either came earlier just in very small doses, like Mahidevran's spending, Gülfem all of the sudden standing on her feet and starting to demand the respect she deserves and Hürrem being a harder version of her over the top self in S03 and placing in action such luxuriously well thought out, even contradictory (in terms of Valide) schemes that she never had before and didn't ever again since then; it looks as if these things were created or upped to eleven, specifically for this portion of the series, where they could just fill their purpose and never come back again. I had a problem with this, because what came out of it seemed to only be the hardening of characters just for the sake of convenience and the plot taking a far more bizarre and ruthless turn than everything the show had ever put out by this point, just for an arc, no less.

However, upon analyzing and rewatching, I came to appreciate everything this arc did, honestly, writing-wise it's such a delight. I feel this is the batch of episodes where the show took most risks in terms of the status quo, did interesting decisions, to say the least, and while doing so, it served the purpose of both lending a conflict for the season finale to fit its dramatic twisty soap opera needs, and presenting coherence for the theme and character development of the season - every plot thread that was built up finally paid off and Mahidevran ruling the harem, together with Gülfem, was shown as the last straw of the traditions Hürrem had to break or in this case, fight with, throughout the season, a chance was presented for her to get rid of all her enemies with their own failings and clear her way of the disadvantagous traditions for one last time. (as presented by her last encounter with Valide, which thematically and conveniently forgot everything that happened between them post-E55 and rather focused on being the last straw for Valide, symbolically burning the bridges between Hürrem and the rules Valide was a collective character for, forever.)

Mahidevran spending and wasting so much money on all these material and esthetic expenses makes sense, precisely because of the narrative purpose of Mahidevran ruling the harem - it was supposed to be the peak of that long and then ever going S02B arc of her reveling in power, the power that her status as a mother of the grown Mustafa, gives her. When she got exactly what she wanted, even the smallest, inevitable (because of the weird laws in-show, of course) grasp, the very thing she craved ever since she went back from Edirne and the very thing she capitalized on in episode 55 and then claimed as a mistake three episodes later, she took it for granted, as an obvious, easy win. She began to truly act as the Valide of the Palace, but not with the responsibility of it, rather with the wrong power that comes from it. She thought she was unstoppable, that she could do whatever she wanted and noone would stop her, because she rules over them now and if someone tries, so what, she has Ibrahim to count on! And Mahidevran wanted to demonstrate this (temporary) superiority aesthetic-wise, as well, putting herself (and Mustafa) in center stage, buying him so many kaftans for the sanjack; making the whole harem and castle in her image, for she bought golden plates and wanted to build her own hammam (as far as I recall?); perhaps wanting to be noticed for the changes she had made, because it is her time now and she could freely drown in her own desire for revenge and apply her own prejudices, regardless. (with her bying many dresses for the concubines in the harem that weren't in any way associated with Hürrem.)

[And while this is more of a theory of mine than it is an interpretation, I think that all the fancy dresses and crowns she put on during this period, were also quite a part of this spending and as such, even though it wasn't shown as explicitly before, it represents even more the very critical peak of her own descent into the ego-inflated abyss. She has always cared about her appearance, with the many scenes of her looking herself in the mirror and putting jewelry on, claiming to Mustafa that Topkapı is encrusted in diamonds in E01 etc. and these episodes upped it to eleven and put it to its logical extreme, Mahidevran is now above them all, so she might as well show it with all the dresses and crowns. (we even have Hürrem mocking her for it once in a scene in the hammam during the Isabella arc, then in E62 for why she cares so much when she sleeps alone in her bed and that one, despite of the outdated implication since she no longer loves SS, really hits home how pettily low Mahidevran has sunk.) ]

We should also keep in mind that her entire S02B arc was a series of failures. And the ruling of the harem, as the last stop, should show her fail terribly and hard, and the writers picked the spending to do the job. On one hand, I get why it seems odd to you, as well because E55 made her fall much bigger and scarier, there she was absolutely terrifying, with all the things she could and would do, they mattered much more. And the whole ruling the harem fiasco and the spending only look like a contrast, as a result, because.. she's spending the country's money, yes, but she's spending it due to her wounded pride and out of sheer pettiness, to toot her own horn, to make it clear to everyone out there, but especially to Hürrem, that she's won and they've lost. It all looks like more as a an outward addition of what E55 presented us, more of an downgrade than an upgrade. Instead of making her do something even more dangerous on a massive scale, we have her ego dominate everything on such a trivial way where she can't do as much damage. But on the other hand, the spending is a result of all of Mahidevran's character flaws empowering themselves in this arc, that render her to do stupid or unnecessary ruthless things and carelessly spend all this money, that she let herself be deceived by Iskender Celebi and Hürrem take the advantage.

It was, in a way, very psychological, to fulfill all of her missing needs and probably let her feel worth something. And it truly was presented as her biggest failing that, even if it wasn't as serious and crucial as E55 and it certainly was unexpected and bizarre, since it escalated very quickly, it was a logical last step and in general, I'm satisfied.

[curiousconch]

Two Old Friends

Chapter 3 of Ricochet (An Open Heart AU).

Catch up here: Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Chapter Synopsis: As Bryce takes Heather in, a facade that he has blocked out for several months begins to disintegrate.

Pairing: Rafael Aveiro x MC (Dr. Heather Song) | Bryce Lahela x MC (Dr. Heather Song)

Words: 2.3k+ | Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Rating/Warnings: None for this chapter, it's pure fluff! (Yay!)

Author’s Notes: Majority of the characters are owned by Pixelberry, except the main character Heather Song. I was listening to Maybe this Time on repeat when I wrote this chapter, I think that song encapsulates it perfectly.

8 months ago

Bryce Lahela was stoked to have been assigned the Ed Farrugia case. He dreamt up of an opportunity like this ever since he graduated top of class from Stanford Law School. It wasn't out of self-ambition, it was part of his grand plan - to go opposite the direction of his white-collar criminal parents.

At first, Bryce's parents was overjoyed when he told them he's pursuing a law degree. It never occurred to them that it was all part of his scheme.

He soldiered on through law school, bagging an internship in the San Francisco DA. When his efforts to build his network provided an opportunity in Boston, he didn't hesitate to pack up his bags and fly across the country, farther away from Hawaii than ever. It was a big risk, but it eventually paid off given how his career imploded once he got the job.

But perhaps the most memorable experience was when he told his parents that he was to become Boston's newest ADA. They were nothing but furious, there were no counting the amount of expletives he heard that day.

No turning back, mom and dad.

The timing to tell them couldn't be more perfect, because it was only a week after they turned over his trust fund, a "graduation gift". He knew it was just a bribe for him to do the dirty legal work to keep them away from prison for free.

After toiling for so many years, he was more than ready to abandon his past behind and start his life over. More than it was revenge, it was Bryce's sweet and merciful justice. No more crosses behind his back, marking him as his parents' criminal son.

That wasn't his reality anymore. So he focused on work and did his best to shine. And shine he did. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was no longer a criminal. In an ironic twist of fate, he was the one putting people behind bars. And he relished in every win.

However, being the Chief DA's golden boy wasn't providing him the opportunity to build new friendships. Although he tried to make friends with his colleagues, he began to be seen as a threat. So for the first year in the big city, he spent his free time partying hard. With his quick rise to fame, everyone wanted a taste of the majestic Bryce Lahela. He didn't hesitate to throw himself into the throng.

And in that fateful sunny morning, he felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. He built the foundations of the State versus Perry case over the weekend, not even taking a single drop of alcohol. With the help of Agent Aveiro, he collected mountains of evidence for his breakthrough day at court. He knew his case was airtight. Today, he plans to put the cherry on top.

Pulling off his sunglasses and tightening his slick striped blue tie, he grabbed his suitcase from the passenger seat and got out of his car.

He strode into Edenbrook Hospital with confidence, getting glances from several attendings and nurses as he walked the hallways. He smirked at each of them back, wondering which one he should make of a mission after he wraps up this case. God, these doctors are hot, he thought, as he slid into one of the elevators. He punched 7, and the button lighted up.

Once he arrived at the right floor, he followed the directions pasted on the walls and eventually found the diagnostics team's office. As he neared the sliding glass doors, he heard an exchange of voices in rapid succession, as if they were discussing something important. As he raised his gaze through the glass, he saw two female doctors and two males. His eyes automatically landed to the young brunette, whose hand is on her waist as she listened intently as the others debated.

His brow quirked a little, a fit of curiosity fleeted through him. She was prettier in personal. Television didn't do her justice.

Immediately shaking off the unnerving attraction, he tapped gently on the glass door. All doctors turned to him. One of the male doctors with piercing blue eyes let him in, he later found out that he was the world-renowned diagnostician, Dr. Ethan Ramsey, the head of the team.

"ADA Bryce Lahela, I'm here for Dr. Heather Song?" he walked into the room exuding confidence, burying the distracted innuendos he was currently having.

In response, she moved forward and offered her hand, smiling brightly at him. "Dr. Heather Song, at your service. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Oh, I bet you do.

He answered mentally, stepping closer to look at her soft features. He took her hand and shook it, returning the warm welcome with a smug look in his face. He couldn't stop thinking about her ever since.

He spent almost the whole day with her, going through her testimony in detail. She spoke in a very confident manner, ascertaining every small observation she made about Travis Perry, and how he raised her suspicions. She also walked him through how she confirmed her theories, and how she decided to report this to the hospital's chief. He was amazed with the way how she mapped out every step, and acknowledged how her actions made the case straightforward and uncomplicated. Certainly controversial and sensational, given that it was involving one of Massachusetts' senators. But getting up close and personal with her that day made him realize that like him, she was at the top of her game.

She was professional and insightful. Bryce was also impressed with how she carried herself. Graceful and poised, yet fierce and tenacious. There were a lot of times that he thought he was hearing himself in the way she talked. And for that reason, he like spending time with her.

Over the course of the next few months, he spent more time with her. It was the perfect opportunity to keep in touch, as she was the star witness after all.

Beyond work, it was easy for him to befriend her. She was warm and open, sensitive and caring. Eventually, she introduced him to her exclusive group of doctors, who readily welcome him.

But he admired her more when she made it her mission to help him with his runaway sister. She went out of her way to spend time with her, bridging the gap between the siblings.

That was when he irreversibly opened up to her, telling her about his past. Making her see through him, who he really was.

And the way that she embraced it without inhibitions was a breathe of fresh air. He never knew he needed someone like her in his life, the one thing to complete his do-over.

It didn't take much for him to he admit to himself that he adored Heather. He felt a deep connection to her, something he never felt for someone else.

But in a sudden turn of events, the hopefulness he had turned out to be just a mere figment of his imagination.

He learned about her relationship with Rafael. Once he saw the way she looked at him, he knew it was time to draw the line.

Ever since, that was all he thought it would be between them - an unexplored and faraway frontier.

Gradually, his presence in her life became nothing more but group hangouts in the form of brunches or night outs in Donahues. He learned to withdraw whenever she and Rafael was around, cautious to not let others know about the way he felt. He himself went back to his string of one night stands.

He kept her at arm's length, repeating to himself that he was contented with the friendship that they had. Yet when he was finally learning to ease her out of his mind, she came crashing back in.

***

Present Day

With warm bowls of noodles in front of them, they caught up with each other's life. Bryce poured them both a glass of white wine to chase down the saltiness off of their taste buds.

"Hm, this certainly is an upgrade from that cheap bottle you had the last time," her mocking voice freed him from his thoughts. He grinned at her, leaning towards her.

"Oooh, I'm not liking your arrogance. Being junior fellow got in your head already?" he teased her, sipping from his own glass. "Has all of your student loans been paid off so you have spare money to buy your own fancy wine?"

"Certainly not. I think you're the one getting ahead of yourself, hotshot. That plaque hit you in the head and made you forgot that you're a just a noob?" Heather quipped back, her index finger pointing to the square-shaped glass on one of the living room shelves.

"Psh. It's not like my colleagues skip a day to remind me of 'my place'," his one hand mimicked air quotes, feigning a look of disgust, invoking a genuine laughter from her, her skin illuminated by the late afternoon sun as she glowed in delight.

They went at it as they ate, exchanging insulting banters, trying to one up each other as they went. It was just the way they were, at ease. Two old friends who loved their careers first, always putting their self in second place.

It was the first time in months that they were together alone, Bryce realized now how much he missed spending time with her.

He didn't want to spoil the mood, but he couldn't shake off his interest on what went down between Rafael and her. He waited a few more moments as they settled into a comfortable silence, running out of casual jokes to throw at the other. He drew a deep breathe, taking up the courage he needed to raise the sore subject.

"So, you and Raf huh?"

He saw her flinch and his heart irked a little. Her hand shivered as she set down the empty glass and grabbed the bottle of wine to refill it.

"He wasn't what I thought he was," she swirled the contents of her glass once it was full, looking distracted. "Apparently, it only took him less than a month to reveal his true self." Bryce nodded opposite her, as she shrugged casually. He saw her bite her lower lip, and instantly felt the hurt she was going through.

Without second thoughts, he approached her and opened his arms, inviting her in.

After a few excruciating seconds of hesitation, she finally leaned in and received his embrace, tears falling. She didn't think there was any left, but Bryce's offer of solace was a comfort she didn't think she needed. Her dams of pain overflowed once again, and with the horrible scare that happened this morning, her resolve to put up a brave face in front of everyone crumbled.

"You know I'll always be here for you, Heath," he whispered to her, his senses being flooded by the familiar jasmine scent of her perfume.

"I know, thank you for that," she replied in a hushed voice. "I'm just... just tired of it all, Bryce, I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be. I got you."

He just held her, wishing so hard that one embrace can take all of her fears away. He closed his eyes, letting his beating heart speak for the rest of his unspoken emotions.

He tried to soothe her as he brushed her hair, rubbing the palm of his hand on her shuddering back. His grip tightened with her every sigh, pulling her ever closer.

For the first time in months of keeping his distance, the feelings he had for her, those he tried to bury deep within his heart, started to resurface. He was feeling the way he felt way back then.

In between her deep sighs and sobs, a flood of regrets raced through his mind. His chest constricted, as his thoughts lingered on what could have been.

If I hadn't left her alone. If I just fought for her the first time. If I just have been brave enough to let her know...

But he knew he couldn't what already happened define what should be and what it will be. Just like he dealt with his past, Bryce knew that with enough willpower, he can turn it all around.

He focused forward. A rush of possibilities, a promise of a future, it overwhelmed him.

Maybe this time, it'll be more. She's free now. Maybe now is a better time than before. Maybe now, it won't have to end. Maybe this time, he wouldn't need to let her go.

His heart burned with a fiery resolve and determination.

That late afternoon, when the setting sun's light began to shine upon his face, he decided.

Even the smallest of maybes was more than enough for him. Bryce was willing to risk it for her.

TAGS: @choicesficwriterscreations @ramsey-lahela

@eleanorbloom - I hope I'm doing Bryce justice 😬

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic Villains: Sweet or Shite? - Part 10: INFINITE

There are some villains I like. And there are some villains I don’t like. But why do I feel about them the way I do? That’s where this comes in.

This is a series of mine in which I go into slightly more detail about my thoughts on the villains in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, and why I think they either work well, or fall flat (or somewhere in-between). I’ll be giving my stance on their designs, their personalities, and what they had to show for themselves in the game(s) they featured in. Keep in mind that these are just my own personal thoughts. Whether you agree or disagree, feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions! I don’t bite. :>

Anyhow, for today’s installment, we’ll be sharpening our blades and resisting the pain as we discuss what it takes to be the right-hand henchman of Sonic Forces: Infinite.

The Gist: Dr. Eggman was minding his evildoing business when one day, from thin air emerged a particularly strange jewel that seemed to be drawn to him. Realising this was no mere Chaos Emerald, due to both its peculiar shape and its bizarre reality-distorting effects, Eggman immediately contemplated how he could effectively utilise this new gemstone for his purposes.

Suddenly, jackals!

“Go forth, Red Shirts!”

Eggman's base was under attack by the imaginatively titled Jackal Squad, a group of thieving mercenaries who figured they could profit from the theft of the doctor's equipment. Unfortunately for them, Eggman had Main Character Immunity, so their efforts to kill him send him to the Shadow Realm fell flat. Despite nearly getting killed by them, Eggman knew an opportunity when he saw one, and he offered the role of apprenticeship to the squad's heterochromia-inflicted leader. His fellow jackals insisted not to take up the offer, because even they knew the risks, but the leader signed up immediately, because he's not all right in the head if you know what I'm saying.

In a cruel twist of fate, Eggman's first request for his new stooges was for them to take care of Shadow the Hedgehog. That Shadow the Hedgehog. Ultimate Lifeform Shadow the Hedgehog. Fast, immortal, capable of stopping time, drops his bracelets to grow even stronger Shadow the Hedgehog. They had to defeat that Shadow the Hedgehog.

They did not succeed.

BOOOONESAAAAAW’S READYYYYYYYY

After metaphorically and literally murdering the rest of the already forgotten squad, Shadow gave some parting words to their defeated leader, and those parting words were responsible for what happened next, and everything after. As someone who prided himself on being the ultimate mercenary, Mr. Jackal was bloody well peeved off about coming to terms with his physical shortcomings, and thus decided to give himself an upgrade in the form of sticking a gem on his chest, putting on a mask worthy of a heavy metal cover, and rechristening himself as... Infinite. Infinite power. Infinite possibilities. Infinite memes.

The upgrade paid off. With the aid of the gem, known to us as the Phantom Ruby, Eggman's latest minion was able to distort the environment, summon past foes, and do what no other villain not retconned out of existence had ever managed to achieve: defeat Sonic the Hedgehog.

Eggman was delighted. The past foes were delighted too, as evidenced by how they stood there to take it all in.

This is a very sentimental moment for them.

With Sonic out of the way, Eggman was able to take over 99% of the planet, because Sonic's friends were tragically all on holiday at the same time. During the subsequent six months of suffering and strife, Infinite relished in the doctor's conquest, but not as much as he relished in killing and terrorizing innocents. One incident in particular involved him leaving behind a scared youngster for the sake of letting them know fear. This would turn out to be a big mistake on his part, when - with the ever reliable power of friendship - said youngster would go on to oppose him as part of the Resistance. (This franchise isn't known for creative group names.)

“L’Oreal: Because I’m not weak.”

The formerly incapacitated Sonic also managed to eventually break free from his captivity, and proceeded to do what he does best alongside his new friend. Infinite was having none of this, and so he made absolutely certain to... leave him alive. Despite Eggman's insistence that a freed Sonic could cause as much trouble as a freed Sonic could in every other situation since 1991, Infinite remained confident that he couldn't be beaten. Three guesses for how that turned out. The first two don't count.

He was serious about crushing the Resistance though, and together with Eggman, not only did they summon a whole army of clones, they also summoned an artificial sun that, upon reaching the ground, would ensure the Resistance would meet a terrible fate. Good always triumphs however, and the clones were fought, the sun was vanquished, and Infinite himself was defeated once and for all.

It was at this point that Eggman decided to reveal that Infinite was a sham, a distraction, a red herring. For all his power, Infinite was little more than a glorified mook the whole time. Infinite was never the doctor's endgame. He was. Infinite didn't even have true mastery over the Phantom Ruby... but he did.

Death Chad Robot.

In just a few minutes, Eggman tapped into the power of the Ruby more than Infinite ever did, and overclocked it to turn his Doc Ock-looking mech into a beast. But through thick and thin (and a second Nega-Wisp Armor), Sonic and his ambiguously named friend teamed up to take the madman down, because we're Sonic Heroes.

The world was saved from further tyranny, and Eggman went on to either lose his memory or shrug it off to take part in racing spinoffs depending on the continuity. But Infinite - or rather, the jackal who called himself Infinite - remains absent. He could be alive. He could be dead. He could finally get a haircut. His fate is a mystery that we may never know the answer to. Maybe he's spending his retirement climbing the tallest of mountains.

The Design: Careful you don't cut yourself with all this edge.

You could have gotten yourself an eyepatch for half the price.

Demonic eyes, dark colours, anime hair... he's a villain alright. Infinite's design is unashamed of itself. It knows it's ridiculous, and it goes all out with it, which - let's be frank - matches the character in general pretty reasonably. Funnily enough, I don't have much else to say about it. It's not my favourite character design in the world, but I can credit them for pioneering loudspeaker ears. And at least he's not a hedgehog. Or an echidna.

If you listen carefully, you can hear Shadow sighing in relief under the knowledge that he's no longer the edgiest guy in the room.

The Personality: What's an easy way to make a villain a villain? By making them pointlessly sadistic, of course.

"You may call this the Sonic Chronicles soundtrack... in the brief moments that remain to your eardrums."

And I don't speak lightly when I say pointless. Infinite's penchant for sadism is actually treated as a character flaw, as it contributes heavily to his ultimate downfall. He wastes time by drawing out his kills, and his decision to leave his greatest foes alive because they're supposedly "not worth killing" bites him in the ass on more than one occasion. Even Eggman calls him out on his shitty decisions.

"Don't get cocky with me, son. This ain't the Adventure Era anymore.”

And this ties in with how he is in general. Infinite, for all his delusions of grandeur and nihilistic waxing, is a bit of a fuck up. Him and his squad combined couldn't even take on Eggman on his own (albeit with a Phantom Ruby in his possession), and when the mask comes on, it becomes clear that he only defeated Sonic through the element of unfamiliarity. Once Sonic starts to know about him and fights him for real, Infinite doesn't rely on the Phantom Ruby nearly as well as he could. He has a jewel that can do all sorts of distortions, and all he can think to do with it is use basic lasers and blasts for the most part. He's a thug at the end of the day. A powerful thug, but a thug all the same.

Despite this, though it's only hinted here and there, it seems that he has an Inferiority Superiority Complex. His passionate response to Shadow calling him pathetic (ironically, he never actually said he was weak) goes without saying, but then there's his dramatic speeches about having no hope, and how you can't count on anyone, and blah blah blah eat a Snickers already.

The Execution: Much like Erazor Djinn, you may have gathered that this character has a lot in common with everyone's favourite Ice Age antique, Mephiles the Dark. Like Erazor, Infinite is a better (albeit flawed) take on Mephiles' schtick, but whereas Erazor better emulates the success that Mephiles tried to go for, Infinite better represents the failure that Mephiles actually is... right down to showing how Silver would react if he had actual brain cells.

Above: Character development.

Hell, they both share the fate of getting swatted by Omega.

Not bitter at all.

Anyway, to explain this requires some elaboration. I'm aware that a lot of what I've said about Infinite sounds negative, and that's not entirely untrue, since I'll be the first to admit that he could have been handled a little better, and fleshed out a bit more, especially with all the pre-release hype and attention he was given. At the same time however, he's still leagues above the likes of Mephiles, for one simple reason that we discussed previously: his incompetence is intentional.

Maybe not fully - the pre-Infinite breakdown probably wasn't meant to be as comedic as it ended up being - but you can't tell me his setbacks weren't there on purpose. Eggman lost the war because Infinite left his enemies alive and free. Eggman lost the war because Infinite clumsily left a Phantom Ruby replica behind. Eggman lost the war because Infinite kept messing around when he had better things to do, didn't know what to do other than blindly attack when the chips were down, and got disposed of with little fanfare by the doctor after having failed him enough times. Compare all this to Eggman himself in the same game, who despite being known for his childishness and occasional shortsightedness, had a lot of genuine foresight to share around, and went from backup plan to backup plan like it was nothing.

In other words, Infinite could be seen as a well-needed deconstruction of villains like Mephiles, and why they're not as great as they look at first glance. And in that respect, he's kind of a genius concept.

“Ugh, MORE shitty friends...”

Infinite is a very divisive character, and I can see why. Alongside his far from perfect execution, many fans were expecting and hoping for a straight example of late 00's Sonic villains, in part because that's what the marketing and his infamous theme song set him up as and partly because '06 is now considered better than everything afterwards because Baldy McNosehair is literally oppressing all Sonic fans across the world. If you're like me on the other hand, and don't have the slightest unironic interest in those kind of villains, you can probably respect Infinite a little more for addressing the elephant in the room. And even though he is indeed flawed, I think most of that has to do with the wasted potential of the plot itself rather than anything inherently to do with Infinite's own character.

He's no Eggman, Erazor, Metal Sonic, or Hard-Boiled Heavies. But he's above Mephiles, Black Doom, Eggman Nega, and so many others who blend together after a while. Still, maybe someone should assist Shadow the next time he decides to insult somebody.

Crusher Gives Infinite a: Thumbs Sideways!

[nextbigaiello]

Count Floyd...Why Was He Just EVERYWHERE!?

Okay so like I should preface that I have no problem with Count Floyd. On the contrary. I actually love Count Floyd and the fact that SCTV news anchor Floyd Robertson was his alter ego. The two could’ve just been two separate Joe Flaherty characters that had the same name, but they actually went out of their way to make the connection, and I absolutely love that. I already loved Floyd and his clear superiority over Earl Camembert, and adding onto his character with another opposing side really upgraded him to one of my favorite characters in SCTV. Both are hilarious characters. Floyd’s straight and narrow need to mock Earl and just tell the news for the adults while trying to be a recovering alcoholic, and his switch to a goofy and child friendly who knows he’s shelling out shit on Saturday nights make the character more than just one note. It really makes me happy when they acknowledge that both Floyds are the same Floyd in universe. The first time was in the very first edition of Monster Chiller Horror Theatre (from series 1, episode 18), where it was clearly mentioned in the opening credits: "With Floyd Robertson as Count Floyd." During one newscast, Earl gave a heartfelt testimonial to Floyd who had been at Rolling Hills Rehabilitation Center for the past year, mentioning that in addition to his news career, he had delighted children for years as Count Floyd. Another was in the very last edition of SCTV News (from series 6, episode 17), where an obviously inebriated Robertson showed up late to the newscast after a Monster Chiller Horror Theatre taping, still wearing his Count Floyd makeup. During that broadcast, he announced that Monster Chiller Horror Theatre's sound engineer was retiring, thus completely upstaging Camembert's announcement that he was retiring from the newscast; which is my favorite moment of this. Floyd Robertson being Count Floyd was a favorite fun fact of mine. But, the two characters started to separate and one got more attention than the other.

Sure! As is to come with great characters! Count Floyd had a powerful personality that was much stronger than regular Floyd Robertson, who was typically just the straight man to Earl’s antics. It is to be expected that more extravagant and formulaic characters would be more popular and thus be used more often. There’s nothing wrong with this. It just personally saddens me in this particular case because I really liked that Floyd Robertson was Count Floyd and had another side to him that could be let loose, and they just kind of threw that away making me wonder why they would go out of their way to combine the two if one side was going to have more of a separate impact. I don’t know. But don’t think that I hated Count Floyd because of his popularity boost. No no. He was still great; with his werewolf howl that he had and I never noticed as to why a vampire would howl nor seemed to care until Joe Flaherty on a podcast decided to call everyone out for not realizing it and now I feel dumb.....thanks Joe. But Count Floyd and Monster Chiller Horror Theatre was great! But Count Floyd was used A LOT with other projects and I don’t know necessarily why.

In SCTV, it didn’t bother me that Count Floyd became his own entity and focused on Monster Chiller Horror Theatre and being scary more often. But it was when he spun off into other media that I started to wonder....why the hell is Count Floyd in this?

Count Floyd (1982):

So this is a mini album....a VERY MINI ALBUM. There’s only four songs and they’re all strange. It's basically a comedy album and it sells that really well. I just don’t know exactly why they made it, especially in the height of SCTV. But prominent writers Dick Blasucci, Mike Short, and Paul Flaherty helped write and produce this with Joe, so there was some strength with this. It's just a strange little thing (literally) that kind of just escapes under the radar. If you want to check it out, go ahead. But don’t use it to nod off and get a lot of work done.

“The Weapon”, Rush (1984): https://youtu.be/iTBx0P0zOqA

Now I just stumbled on this today, but I feel like it should have a small mention. It’s not crazy like the other stuff I’ll talk about. In fact, its really cool and dope. It's interesting because this is just after SCTV, and we know Bob and Doug McKenzie were able to have Geddy Lee on their album in ‘81 due to Moranis knowing Lee from school, and we all know just how popular the McKenzies were and still kind of are. But Count Floyd had an opening video for the song “The Weapon” on Rush’s Signals and Grace Under Pressure tours, and it's a nice little fit. They use him well and it looks like everyone had fun.

The Completely Mental Misadventures Of Ed Grimley (1988)/ Cartoon Planet (90s): https://youtu.be/DcNi9qoaKqM

This is an interesting choice. Not a bad choice. Just an interesting one. The Completely Mental Misadventures Of Ed Grimley is really fun and weird and I highly recommend seeing it if you haven’t already. Even for an SCTV fan, it's very weird. Each episode actually pauses and takes time out to dedicate time to Count Floyd, which are live action segments against the cartoon world. It was no longer about scary movies and 3-D glasses, but a show about Count Floyd telling scary stories to an audience of kids who would mock him and tell him he wasn’t scary. But Count Floyd knew that the child friendly content wasn’t scary, and he always tried to make it sound scary so he could get paid.....that’s what his character was. But now he’s almost insulted now, when really the real Floyd could tell those kids to take a flying leap if he could. The reason for Count Floyd being on the show is because its Ed Grimley’s favorite show. Fair enough. I just think this starts a “Count Floyd is really just for kids” idea. Not that we wasn’t supposed to be something kids couldn’t watch, but Count Floyd and especially SCTV was something for all ages, and Count Floyd was meant as kind of a parody of those kinds of child friendly/spooky hosts from the 50s and 70s, so it wasn’t to be too sincere. But this started the trend of child friendly Count Floyd, and it would only go downhill from here.

Cartoon Planet just recycled the segments years later so they could have content. It features the characters from Space Ghost: Coast to Coast in a way that they’re trying to connect the two, but its clunky.

Making Real Funny Home Videos (1990): https://youtu.be/wLCDwrLCOVA

God this fucking thing-SO...I hate this. ‘Why’ is the biggest question I have for this. I don’t know the reasoning for this. All I know is that its dumb Count Floyd camp.

Basically what it is, is a “how to” style video in which Count Floyd....fully as Count Floyd, mugs to the camera for 30min and fails at teaching people how to make America’s Funniest Home Video videos. I’m annoyed by this VHS tape because this completely ruins the Floyd lore and makes Count Floyd this somewhat unstable and sad man. He has a full ass family; in SCTV he was “living with a girl and he wasn’t even married”, but also alluded to having a nephew. He never gets out of the character, and it kind of seems like he just kidnapped this family. Its less charming because this isn’t the same character from SCTV. This is a mad man who thinks he’s a vampire.

Look it isn’t the worst thing ever like I’m making it out to be. Its just character assassination in an extreme sense and its not even that funny. But I would at least check it out once if you want to see a strange little VHS score.

Smoke Detectives with Count Floyd (1990): https://youtu.be/2xb_My1HN6c

-_-

Must Be Santa (1999): https://youtu.be/1uXB9IR9vOw

A Canadian lifetime movie from 1999 has Count Floyd in it for a rough estimate of ten minutes. I also found this today. I skipped through it just so I could see how big a part he plays in the movie, and again....he doesn’t. The reason he’s there is because the main character’s name is Floyd Count, and the North Pole or whatever tries to do research on him because he’s like the new Santa, but Count Floyd shows up on the monitor instead and won’t shut the fuck up. It is a dumb cameo because its probably to be expected that they called the main character Floyd Count just so they could make this joke. But Count Floyd doesn’t do anything except howl and do intros to Monster Chiller Horror Theatre. A small cameo, but a dumb one nonetheless.

“Nightlife”, The Wet Secrets (2014): https://youtu.be/zYV1K3wyCnQ

It took a while, but this is a really good Count Floyd cameo. Well, I shouldn’t say its a Count Floyd cameo, more that its actually a Joe Flaherty cameo in which he plays a vampire. The music video is really cool and I appreciate it on a greater level because it kind of shows the difference between the past and the present and getting older, and how everything sucks, and especially that Joe Flaherty doesn’t need all this youthful shit that we have now. It's a really great video and song, and the end of the video gets me every time!

A Conclusion

Count Floyd is a really great character. I love his howl, his painted on widows peak, and his desire to sell kids cheap 3-D glasses for a stupidly large price. I love the fact that he was this alter ego to his staunch opposite, and the two could coexist together. I’m just annoyed that there were too many changes to cash in on popularity. If Count Floyd and Floyd Robertson were still the same person, Count Floyd wouldn't have been in those kid oriented projects. Because I like to think that Floyd Robertson has dignity (I mean as much as he can being an alcoholic). I like to think that Joe Flaherty is above this, and I think my grievances mostly stem from that.

No one talks about Joe Flaherty in the same sense of every other cast member from SCTV or the Second City stage. Sure hardcore comedy people will regale him as comedy gold, but that’s because he is. But there’s only so much I can take when I can only describe him to people as the dad from Freaks and Geeks and the “Jackass” guy from Happy Gilmore. And I’m not discrediting those roles at all. I love Freaks and Geeks and the part he plays in the show, I just wanted him to do more with that show! And Happy Gilmore is a really good movie and I actually really like that he’s given a somewhat big role in it. Joe Flaherty just flies under the radar for most people and it makes me sad. Especially when a lot of movies he does get to be a part of, they’re usually shit (Dogmatic, A Pig’s Tale, Home On The Range), or no one has ever heard of them or acknowledges him in the small role he plays (Going Berserk, Stripes, Snowboard Academy, Used Cars, Back To The Future Part II, etc..). Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird is my favorite movie of all time (sharing the #1 spot with My Blue Heaven) and Joe Flaherty is a big reason as to why that movie is continuously great. I just wish he got more recognition, and had film and tv roles that weren’t so cheap. He’s a comedy icon, and I want him to be treated as such. Count Floyd was a great character for him, but so was Floyd Robertson...and Guy Caballero...and Sammy Maudlin...and Norman Gorman, and Big Jim McBob, and so many others!

In the end, I just want Joe Flaherty and his creations to be cherished fondly. I want the character of Count Floyd to be the same Floyd from the very beginning with no hang ups and children to kick him while he’s down. Because then I know that comedy can still be just as funny throughout the years without aggressive changes that shoots for too low or too general an audience. Everyone can laugh at Count Floyd trying to describe the plot to the lost footage of “Blood Sucking Monkeys From West Mifflin Pennsylvania”, but I can’t say the same for adult child Count Floyd. To take from Guy Caballero and his wheelchair, all Count Floyd needs is some respect.

[aelia-likes-monsters]

Commissions

I’ve got a couple different options for commissions, so please read the whole post. If you’ve got any questions at the end, feel free to message me. 

Commission & Request Policies:

In general, the following applies:

You have to be okay with me sharing it publically. If you are not, the prices will be a little higher. This will all be discussed, agreed on, and paid for before I begin writing.

There’s stuff I won’t write. No non-con, incest, underage, excessive gore, etc. I’ll update this list as it becomes necessary.

I’ll write your OCs, I’ll write my OCs, or I’ll write fanfic, but if you want me to write someone else’s characters, I’ll need you to get their permission. 

I write romance, fluff, and erotica. That’s my wheelhouse, but I’ll delve outside it if you’re interested in it. We can discuss when you commission what level of explicit you’re interested in and I’ll stay at that level. 

To see what I’ve written & get a feel for my style, you can check the writing masterlist for links to stories, or go to my Archive of Our Own or Wattpad accounts.

If you want NSFW you’re going to need at least 2,000 words. That’s just what I’ve found it takes to build up to a scene, write something enjoyable to read, and conclude it. I can drop you into the middle of a sexual situation with less words, but that’s not necessarily going to be satisfying.

The only edits I’ll make to my pieces once they’re complete are fixing pronouns if you have a self-insert and your gender changes, or if you spot typos or major issues that ruin your enjoyment. 

If you’re not sure what you want, message me and we can talk about it. I can help you figure out what I think your story will take (it will be honest, not an upsell) and you can decide if that’s what you’re good with.

Standard Commission Cost:

I charge $.01 (USD) per word. This means that it will cost you:

1,000 words - $10

2,000 words - $20

3,000 words - $30

4,000 words - $40

Other lengths are available, calculated at the rate listed. We’ll agree on a targeted word-count before I start writing, and if I go over, that’s on me, not you. I’m not going to charge you for extra words that I chose to write. (I nearly always go a little over. Sometimes I go a lot over.)

All commission work needs to be prepaid. (Paypal is the preferred method, but I can make exceptions. Talk to me about it.)  These prices do not apply to Ko-Fi commissions.

How to Commission:

If you’ve read all of the above and you’re still interested in commissioning me, then drop me a message. We can talk about what you want to make sure it’s something I can do. We’ll agree on a story length, and a price, and get all the details squared away so everyone is on the same page. 

Once we’re all agreed on the details, I’ll give you paypal info, and you’ll pay, and then I’ll get started on your story. (If you don’t have paypal, you can still message me, there’s a few alternate arrangements I’m willing to make on a case-by-case basis.)

Paid stories take precedence over unpaid requests. Turnaround is approximately 2-3 weeks from when we agree upon the story and when it should be done. If there are issues or delays, I’ll keep you in the loop.

You will get access to the story roughly 24 hours before it is posted. At that point you can request small edits. 

Ko-Fi Commissions:

Since Ko-Fi commissions are now a thing, I’m running some additional options through there. There’s a “commissions” option through Ko-Fi that is preferred, and lets you input all the info there. Otherwise, you can buy a Ko-Fi (or two) and then message me with details. 

Monster Match ($5+) Buy a Ko-Fi Commission & mark off the “Monster Match” option, then tell me about you, and what you find appealing in a monster! I’ll get in touch if I have questions. A Ko-Fi Monster Match Commission starts at about 500 words, but can be upgraded for polyamory if you want multiple monsters, or longer pieces.

Monster Bang ($6+) Buy a Ko-Fi Commission & mark off the “Monster Bang” option, then tell me about you, and what you find appealing in a monster, as well as what kind of sexy things you’re interested in, or what you do not want. I’ll get in touch if I have questions. A Ko-Fi Monster Bang Commission starts at about 500 words, but can be upgraded for polyamory if you want multiple monsters, or longer pieces. (This is specifically for NSFW pieces of writing.)

Monster Date ($6+) Buy a Ko-Fi Commission & mark off the “Monster Date” option, then tell me about you, and what you find appealing in a monster, as well as your ideal date, and what level of interaction you’re comfortable with. I’ll get in touch if I have questions. A Ko-Fi Monster Date Commission starts at about 500 words, but can be upgraded for polyamory if you want multiple monsters, or longer pieces. (This is specifically for SFW pieces of writing.)

Monster Doodle ($3+) I’m no great artist, but I do enjoy doodling monsters. One Ko-Fi “Monster Doodle” gets you about 15 minutes’ worth of drawing. Each extra gets you a little more effort, or extra figures, or… well, we’ll figure it out. Buy the Ko-Fi Commission, make the request, and we’ll sort out what that gets you as we go. I am not going to pretend to be talented, but this’ll be fun. (I can do traditional pen-and-paper, mixed media with paints and other things, or digital drawings. Your choice.

Full Commission ($10+) You can also buy up to 4,000 words of story through a Ko-Fi commission! Normal rules apply. There’s no need to pay for upgrades for what this will include; just make sure I have contact information for questions. (I frequently have them.) 

View my Writing Queue Here - If you can’t afford a full commission, but you love something on the queue, you can absolutely buy me a Ko-Fi and mention one of the ideas on the queue, and I’ll prioritize it a little higher than I otherwise was prioritizing it. :) 

If you’ve got questions about any of this, please message me! 

[dontcountyourwords]

And the champion was...

Before delving into this episode, I had a thought about last episode: the refs gave Korra the yellow fan for “unnecessary roughness”. We also see that last episode, the Wolf-Bats’ opponents were all badly wounded and carried away. Does this mean the refs were already paid off the previous day? Because it seems to me that putting someone in a hospital is also unnecessary roughness. With this in mind, they might not have been able to compete in this episode’s match. On the other hand, this does play into Korra’s hand, seeing how Amon took the winners’ bending away.

Looking at this fight, it did not seem like the Wolf-Bats were so strong as to put someone in the hospital within 10 seconds. Yeah they cheated, but they were not rougher than the Fire-Ferrets’ previous opponent. So either the the Wolf-Bats’ last opponent was not as strong as they ought to be at semi-final level, the Fire-Ferrets are skilled enough to even deal with cheaters (which is quite possible and a welcome conclusion), or it’s an inconsistency. 

I’m also glad to see some of the pro-bending rules as to what counts as cheating and what not. It explains the rather dull fighting style. That said, I don’t like these rules (cf. the boring fighting style).

Funnily enough, it is the metal bending that gets an upgrade here with all the swinging and the vines. Love it very much!

So Amon shows up at the pro-bending arena this episode, as he promised. Lin promises that she and her metal-benders will protect everyone. They didn’t. Honestly, what I’m mostly surprised by is that Lin hasn’t had it hammered into her that she should look with her feet, much like Toph did. It seems to me an enormously valuable skill, especially if she’s doing a job like “security”, where having more senses than just your eyes and ears seems invaluably important. 

I’m glad to see the story Tenzin’s wife told last episode actually paid off: the girl Tenzin was dating before was Lin. Cool to see that character exposition (though somehow unfortunate that Lin’s grudge had to boil down to sweetheart troubles). As another sidenote, I’ve seen people speculate who Lin’s father was, and whether it might be Sokka. With this new piece of information in mind, it might be fair enough to say that Sokka might not be Lin’s father, as that would mean Tenzin and Lin would be cousins. To each their own of course... (As far as I know Toph didn’t tell her, but unless Lin no longer was in contact with Toph, this might have been a good moment to talk about her father.) 

When Korra falls in the end, Lin saves her, and Korra is grateful, but also surprised, given the situation. However, while Lin has a grudge, she is not a monster. If being a police officer in this universe is painted as something honourable and done for the protection of citizens, then that only adds to Lin protecting Korra. It’s in her personality to do so.

I do hope this will lead to their further cooperation. Tenzin is right that they could make a good team.

[bunnyadvocate]

An Unauthorised History of /r/visualnovels

As communities age, a mythology tends to build up around their origins, with past eras vaguely alluded to as “golden ages.” I’ve seen this happen with reddit’s /r/visualnovels, a place I moderated during its most transformative stage, so I thought I’d offer my insider’s take on its history: what we’d hoped to achieve as moderators, the unintended side-effects of our policies, and why I think /r/visualnovels is stagnating these days. Given my acrimonious departure from the subreddit, you should take this with a grain of salt, but hopefully it’ll be interesting~

The Birth of /r/visualnovels

The very first posts on /r/visualnovels.

/r/visualnovels was founded in late 2009 by /u/Hpdarkman525 (the former account of /u/gambs), who made one post about the upcoming Umineko ep5 fan translation and then promptly forgot about the sub. At this time, the VN fandom consisted primarily of those who had learned Japanese to read VNs, and those who wished they had. Official localisations were almost non-existent, and the fandom hung off the words of the few fan translators. Knowing about VNs felt like knowing a secret, like a secret handshake to be acknowledged as a fellow western otaku.

This didn’t really change until early 2012 with the release of Katawa Shoujo. We now had a Western VN that was free, easy to install (no fiddling with system locale), pretty well written (no cliche cries of “baka” or “onii-chan”), and handled a delicate subject (disability and self-identity) with a sensitivity that really spoke to a lot of gamers. The optional nature of the adult content helped attract horny teenagers while still retaining an air of respectability. KS managed something no other VN had: attention from the mainstream gaming crowd. It drew a huge wave of new fans to the medium, among which were /u/coldacid and /u/Kuiper who became mods on /r/visualnovels and began to promote it.

While the influx of new members gave birth to the community, with newbies becoming veterans, the continued dominance of KS in the VN scene began to wear thin (it wasn’t until 2016 that the number of /r/visualnovels subscribers outnumbered /r/katawashoujo). Especially grating for veterans was the cry of KS as “the best VN ever written” from those who had only ever read that one VN. The constant stream of “what do I read after KS” and rudimentary technical questions on getting Japanese VNs working drowned out the rare news posts or broader discussion threads. The mod team had a hands-off attitude to it, they’d only remove spam or blatant trolling. This only changed in early 2014 when a relatively unknown user, /u/insanityissexy, requested a mod position...

The Rise of Insanity

Insanityy was a member of the old-guard, being drawn to the medium for Japanese VNs and caring little for what she saw as a pale-imitation in Western VNs. With no regard for the old mods, she singlehandedly brought order to a community that had been lawless. She began with a ban on posts for technical support questions and VN recommendation requests. Instead, they should be asked in the new weekly questions thread so as to clear up the front page for news posts and more substantial discussion threads.

While this move was broadly welcomed by most of the subreddit regulars, it caused some disruption as activity on the sub plummeted. With the western VN scene so small, news was rare and the number of daily posts dropped from 2-4 to just 1. While some grumbled, others were enthused in having an active moderator who cared about the sub. /u/kowzz started a discussion thread on what we could do to improve activity on the sub, and from that discussion he started the weekly Sunday discussion posts and I started the weekly “what are you reading” posts. Unlike the questions sticky, the intention wasn’t to curtail activity outside of these weekly posts, but to provide a supplement to the usual discussions and encourage users to comment more.

With such regular discussion posts, users started to bump into each other more often and a sense of community began to build. On a personal level, I also grew to know insanityy better as we exchanged dozens of increasingly lengthy PMs (so much so that each reply wouldn’t fit within the 10k character limit, we had to send our replies in 3 parts), with us quickly becoming close friends.

Later that year, I proposed an overhaul of the user flairs. The subreddit only offered a basic vndb icon. I wanted to expand that to hundreds of options with a larger profile picture offset to the side of a user’s post as a way to personalise each user. With enough options, I hoped it’d be easier to identify users at a glance and it’d add some character to the subreddit. I was admitted to the mod team to oversee the flair changes, but was soon upgraded to full mod status after a few months on insanityy’s urging.

The two of us fed off each other’s passion as we sought to build a more active, mature, and compassionate community. We never paid any heed to the old mods, mod policy was discussed between us on google hangouts and implemented immediately.

To foster a sense of community, we aimed to have a community event once a month: best X contests, census surveys, recommendation charts, fanart contests, halloween/april fool themes being among just some of the activities we organised. We even got Mangagamer to sponsor some contests with free VNs.

We downplayed the seedier parts of the medium, nukige news was banned and discussions on “fapping” were frowned upon. Neither of us were against porn, we’re both fans, but we feared it’d attract a more neckbeard-type audience.

We aggressively went after trolls, but not by banning them. We had automod automatically remove comments from users prone to cause drama, then we’d manually approve non-trollish comments. That way everyone was able to participate in our community, but bad behaviour wasn’t rewarded with lots of attention.

In the following year, insanityy asked the inactive older mods to resign. Kuiper recognised that he was no longer needed and respectfully stepped down. Coldacid said his inactivity was only temporary and he’d be back, but later left reddit for voat as part of an anti-censorship protest. Gambs asked us to drop the subject as he didn’t want to step down, so we carried on ignoring him.

We also added new members to the mod team: /u/FunwithGravity for his knowledge of Japanese, /u/Cornetto_Man because he got along with everyone, and /u/Avebone because he was active at times when the rest of us were asleep. They were added primarily to approve posts mistakenly removed by automod when me and insanityy were afk and had little input on mod policy.

Everything seemed to be going great, we had a growing community that we got along with, trolls were few and far between, and our moderation seemed popular. Then we got a modmail suggesting we try out a new chat program called Discord...

Discord on Discord

When /u/Kowzz and /u/Arcanus44 suggested creating a Discord server, we were initially skeptical. It sounded just like irc, and the /r/visualnovels irc channel had been comatose for years. However Kowz and Arc promised to take care of it for us, Kowz would create the server and Arc would drum up interest. So in Sept 2015, Arc hosted a “meet n’ greet” in voice chat on Discord. While it was by most accounts a success and quite popular, we got some complaints about inappropriate conduct by a couple of users and decided that if this Discord server was going to be linked with /r/visualnovels, we’d need to take an active hand in making sure it maintained our standards.

Kowz was happy to have us onboard, making us admins on Discord. It all seemed smooth, but underneath the surface, the seed of turmoil had been planted in our differing beliefs on who owned the server. Kowz and Arc considered themselves the owners and we were partners, while we considered them to have created the server on our behalf and that it’d run on our principles. Up until then, we’d not had any disagreements on mod policy. Me and insanityy would talk an issue out, if we agreed, we’d propose it to the rest of the mod team and vote on it. We’d picked mods who generally thought the same as us, so votes were normally unanimous. That wasn’t the case with Discord. Kowz and Arc had different ideals on how to run a community, and our usual resolution process of voting felt unfair to them as we outnumbered them 5 to 2.

The problem only got worse with time as insanityy hated arguments so she avoided the staff discussions on Discord and popped in only to vote. Arc and Kowz felt increasingly marginalised by this and that their opinion wasn’t being heard. This led to a standoff where Kowz and Arc demanded their 2 votes should count for as much as the rest of us combined, while we /r/visualnovels mods threatened to create a new server unless we kept one vote each. Discussions got heated until Kowz and Arc eventually backed down. In protest, they chose to stop participating as mods.

While Discord helped bring friends together, it also brought those that disliked each other together. It’s easy to ignore someone on reddit as its tree structure allows for parallel conversations, but the format of Discord makes that harder. This started to become a problem on the server, especially as Discord attracted a different type of user to the subreddit, those who had little patience for the more verbose and patient discussions of the subreddit. We got complaints from the subreddit veterans about some of the newbies but we weren’t sure what to do. Being disliked isn’t a bannable offense, but it was driving away some valued community members.

We didn’t want to create a separate server that split the community, so our misguided solution was the creation of a hidden channel: #sub_regs (a.k.a. the fanclub) that was invite only and accessed via the tableflipper role. The hope was that it’d serve as a backup channel for when #general was annoying and that it’d keep the community veterans on the server. However it ended up encouraging an elitist attitude that divided the community further.

The Fall of /r/visualnovels

With many of the friendly conversations and community atmosphere moving to Discord, the subreddit began to suffer. Inside jokes that were incomprehensible to those not on Discord were frequent, and the community split between those using Discord and those not.

There was also a degree of burnout among the mods. It’s inevitable for all mods, you spend long enough dealing with the worst of the community, the trolls and the spammers, and you begin to develop an us-vs-them mentality. You retreat from the community and draw closer to your fellow mods, looking down upon the normal users. We mods gradually stopped being members of the community and instead became overseers.

Then there was my messy departure from the sub in April 2016. Due to a range of factors: financial difficulties, gender dysphoria, and some toxic “friends,” I became deeply depressed and tried to commit suicide. My fellow subreddit mods (and best friend insanityy) decided the best response was to out me as transgender, block me on social media, and ban me from the subreddit I’d loved so deeply. Insanityy never spoke to me again.

The rest of this is speculation, I was no longer an insider, but from my perspective it looked like this event accelerated the emotional distance insanityy felt from the subreddit as she stopped caring about the community. She tried to carry on as normal at first, running a few contests, maintaining the animated banners I’d once made, but her heart wasn’t in it. She resigned later that year.

With her went the desire to innovate, to improve the community. The remaining mods were followers, not leaders. They could maintain some cosmetic updates and copy the old contests, but they were unable to do anything new. They enlarged the mod team with an additional four members, but it only increased the sense of inertia and made it even harder to get anything done. The subreddit began to feel stale.

The mod team had also become unbalanced, where once me and insanityy spoke up for minority tastes in EVNs and otomes, now the mod team was dominated by Japanese VN fans just as the VN scene was increasingly embracing EVNs. The subreddit felt more elitist than ever just as the medium had never been more diverse.

Unintended Side Effects

While our policies may have made sense at the time, some of the decisions me and insanityy had made began to have a detrimental impact on the subreddit:

We’d brought on Automod to help remove posts when only me and insanityy had to manage everything. We found having a bot leave the removal comment sparked fewer arguments with OP than if one of us did it, and it was more effective at catching spam. But while we strived to reapprove mistakenly removed posts promptly, sometimes OP deleted their post before we could. Psychologically, it also made it dangerously easy to leave some content removed. As we mods burnt out over the years, our standards for what counted as a worthy post kept getting higher with fewer and fewer posts being approved. The end result has been a severe drop in discussion posts on the sub.

When recruiting new moderators, we sought people who thought as we did so mod decisions would be consistent and there wouldn’t be arguments in the mod chat. Modding is stressful enough without the stress coming from within the mod team. However, as you add more mods who agree with you, you can start to have an inflated view of how widespread your opinion is. A circlejerk mentality builds and outside opinion is increasingly easy to dismiss. This can leave users feeling like their opinions don’t matter to the mods and builds resentment.

Insanityy was a kind soul and hated conflict, she avoided disagreements as much as possible. As a friend, this was fine, but as a mod it meant she avoided openly discussing mod policy on the subreddit as inevitably there would be some disagreement. This lack of discussion with the sub made it hard for users to object to the direction the sub took, allowing the mod team to grow out of touch with what the userbase wants.

Hopes for the Future

While I may have been quite critical of the current state of the subreddit, I think the community is a good one and there’s hope for improvement. A smaller, more motivated mod team would help, as well as scaling back some of the restrictions like the question and image-post ban. Let activity on the subreddit explode. Should low-quality content grow to become a problem, perhaps /r/visualnovels should split just as /r/gaming and /r/games have, or perhaps a split between Japanese and English VNs would help?

Not every idea will work out, but what’s important is to be trying new ideas and be responsive to change rather than clinging to an outdated format.

As I said at the start, please remember this isn’t an impartial view on the history of the sub and that this isn’t meant to downplay the hard work of the current mod team. Modding is exhausting, it’s a constant burden with little praise. Even if I consider them poor mods, it doesn’t make them bad people.

I know she won’t ever read this, nor will she care what I think, but I still believe insanityy was an inspirational mod and a wonderful friend. It’s incredibly hard to go it alone like she did when she first took over /r/visualnovels. She stood up for what she thought /r/visualnovels could be and put in so much effort, every day, rain or shine, she never shirked from her responsibilities. I miss her every day.

If anyone wants to know more or say hi, you can contact me here on tumblr, twitter, or Discord (Sunleaf_Willow ／(^ n ^=)＼#1616)

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 2/25/2019

Good MORNING  #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Monday 25th February 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

EYES ON 2020 – Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley is appealing to Barbadians living abroad and those who love the nation, to gather in Barbados in 2020. Speaking at the launch of the Vision: 2020 We Gatherin initiative in Parliament’s Courtyard, this evening, Prime Minister Mottley declared that building the best Barbados cannot be accomplished only by the 300 000 people living on the island. She said the number of Barbadians living overseas double that amount and should come home to see what they can do to contribute to the rebuilding of the country. She told watch parties convened around the world to join the launch live, that Barbados is our land, and more than anything else, they all need to come home in 2020. “2020 my friends is about that conversation, that experience, telling our story, sharing our passions, coming home for that inspiration. 2020 is about making a difference to your old primary school, or making that difference to the church that helped to nurture you in your parish. 2020 is about families recognizing that time on this earth is way too short, and we need to get together a little more, to spend time a little more, because when the day is gone, it’s gone. And when the day is done, it’s done. “2020 is our time. And I ask you to recognize that as we gather, yes it is about us, but it is also about us speaking to the rest of the world. For Barbados must be that global hub. Barbados must be that place that has a global voice. Barbados must be that place from which global business can be transacted, because however small we are, however much we stand between the Caribbean sea and the Atlantic Ocean, we count and we matter. “And we matter to the point where we believe that we have a valid story to tell, and our story shall be told,” she said at the event which was also attended by Governor General Dame Sandra Mason. Other members of Parliament and specially invited guests were present for the launch event where large twin screens were erected so that the ceremony could be seen by those in the vicinity on Broad Street or in the nearby Palmetto Square. There was a special vignette from Dame Sandra, who also joined the call for Barbadians living abroad to come home to their beautiful island next year. were also showed. We Gatherin is a 12-month global celebration of Barbadian excellence and a recommitment to this country’s future and core values that have defined us as a people, the Prime Minister explained. The year 2020 has as its theme Purposeful Pursuit of Barbadian Excellence is the theme of the year-long celebrations, which is an initiative of Prime Minister Mottley. Vision 2020: We Gatherin will comprise structured events at the national level, which will be coordinated by Government with input from its social partners. However, community groups, churches, educational institutions, entrepreneurs, and regional and international persons with Barbadian connections, among others, will be encouraged to produce other events. “It is easy for us, irrespective of political affiliation, to define the character of a nation and the character of a people. A people who understand that with a history such as what we had, you have to fight against injustice, you have to fight for fairness. In the history that we had, you have as a small country to understand that principles matter, that you have to respect the saying friends of all, satellites of none, and that that is who we are. And that may better cause others to appreciate why we don’t always take the easy road, or we don’t always make decisions that appear to be easy. That sometimes we pay the price for principle, but principles only mean something when it is inconvenient to stand by them. And then we understand that democracy is a precious gift. And like a house, it can only stay with us if we nurture it and we protect it. . .,” the Prime Minister said. The initiative will begin in the north of the island in 2020, and move southward every month, allowing each designated parish to showcase its icons, social life, and the food for which it is renowned. The parish celebrations will culminate in St Michael in November, and Vision 2020: We Gatherin’ will climax in December with a Christmas extravaganza for all Barbadians, at home and abroad. A group of men playing dominoes in the Courtyard was a pleasant surprise for the guests as they arrived at the Courtyard. Many were also amused at the presence of a young sno-cone vendor who shared the Bajan delicacy to those who were interested in savouring that cold, sweet, taste. The official part of the event ended with a We Gatherin Countdown. (BT)

PM MOTTLEY PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE AGRONOMIST – Prime Minister, Mia Mottley has paid tribute to the late Agronomist, Dr Frances Chandler, who passed away earlier today, describing her as an outstanding agronomist. “It is with shock and sadness that I learnt of the passing of Dr Frances Chandler. She was a distinguished daughter of the soil who displayed a singular passion for her chosen field of endeavour, agriculture, and made it her life’s work to educate her fellow citizens on the importance of improving food production and increasing food security. Dr Chandler began her working career at the Ministry of Agriculture and also worked at the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development institute, (CARDI) for almost three decades, before starting her own consulting business where she worked to increase the efficiency of the persons involved in the production, marketing and distribution of food. Her work in the development of an onion industry for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean has been widely recognised. During her lifetime, Dr Chandler recognized the importance of service to her country and on a national level she served as an Independent Senator from 2003 to 2013, where she represented the interests of the agricultural sector with vigour and enthusiasm. She also volunteered her time to many projects aimed at exposing young people to the agricultural field, notably the successful Governor General’s Camp which she coordinated on behalf of the late former Governor General, Sir Clifford Husbands. Her love for her country and fervent belief in agriculture were also evident in the several publications she authored and co-authored and in the weekly newspaper articles she contributed as a columnist in the Nation Newspaper for several years. In addition to her stellar contribution in the field of agriculture, she was an advocate for good governance and her views on these matters remained the same, irrespective of her audience. Dr Chandler was awarded the Honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to agriculture and sustainable development in the New Year honours, 2019. She will be remembered as a patriotic Barbadian who cared about the future of her native land and a fearless and persistent voice that promoted local agriculture. May she Rest in Peace.” (BT)

‘STOP PLACING BLAME AND FIX CRIME, PM – The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has called on Prime Minister Mia Mottley to stop the blame game and buckle down to the task of administering the affairs of the country. The call has come in the wake of the Prime Minister’s attribution of the rise in crime to the DLP’s failure to invest financially in the youth. Mottley made the comments last week while addressing a gathering of office professionals. In a statement issued Friday, the DLP declared that “after nine months in office it is time for the Mottley Administration to get on with the job they were elected to do instead of apportioning blame to the former Government whenever solutions evade them”. The DLP said according to police statistics, crime was on a downward trend for the years 2017 and 2018. “Murders were down by four, robberies by two, aggravated burglaries by seven and other crimes showed a decrease of three per cent over 2017. “Conversely, by February of this year, we were turning to the army and prayer for solutions after a rise in murders in the month of January equalled the total number of murders for the first four months of 2018.” The DLP said it was proud of its record with youth initiatives, many of which the Government condemned and criticised in Opposition and found the first opportunity to abandon as soon as they took office. (DN)

MARKET UPGRADE - The Berinda Cox Fish Market in Oistins will be in for a complete upgrade later this year. Word of this has come from Minister of Maritime Affairs Kirk Humphrey who, along with Minister of the Environment Trevor Prescod, Member of Parliament for the area Ralph Thorne, Chief Fisheries Officer Stephen Willoughby and general manager of the National Conservation Commission, Keith Neblett, toured the Christ Church facility yesterday. Greeted by rusty hinges, countertops filled with holes, missing doors and a general lack of maintenance in the market, Humphrey said the upgrade would come as soon as the money became available. “We have made a decision that that cannot obtain for much longer. I have already given the MP our commitment that as soon as the new financial year begins in April, that our major project in the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, in the Markets Section, will be to rectify most of the things you have seen in relation to the Oistins market.” The facility was closed yesterday as a team of workers from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, and vendors who ply their trade at the market led by chairman of the Oistins Fisherfolk Association, Linda Harris, using equipment sponsored by Thorne, carried out a thorough cleaning of the premises. It will reopen for business today. (DN)

DERELICT VEHICLES TO BE MOVED – Derelict vehicles that owners failed to dump after being served with notices to do so, will be removed at the owners’ expense in a Government-staged operation due to begin this week. Minister of Environment and National Beautification Trevor Prescod gave notice of this during last Friday’s Estimates Debate, while responding to a question from Member of Parliament for St Michael North West Neil Rowe. It was the Ministry of Environment’s turn to field questions about its operations from the Well of the House, when Rowe asked what action was being taken to deal with the many derelict vehicles and buildings around Barbados that had become eyesores. Giving the assurance the programme would be “off the ground next week”, Prescod explained: “We had to adhere to a number of prerequisites because we want to operate within the law, so we had to give adequate notice to persons who owned the derelict vehicles and derelict homes.” He added that “over 400 to 500 vehicles will be removed from the landscape” to rid Barbados of a problem that had been plaguing it over ten to 12 years, and which had contributed to an increase in the rat population. (DN)

ALL HANDS ON DECK – Four months after she lost her home and all her possessions to fire, Esther Clarke may soon be turning her own keys again. Some good Samaritans in the close-knit community of Sion Hill, St James, have come together to rebuild Clarke’s house in Brathwaite’s Road, following a blaze last October 12 that left her four children, her sister and the sister’s child, and a grandson homeless. Neighbours, players and administrators of the nearby Newbury Sports Club, residents of Westmoreland and Orange Hill, all in St James, have put their hands to the plough in a collaborative effort, which started a few weeks ago, to ensure Clarke’s wood and wall structure is rebuilt. They have been aided by monetary donations from the Mount Zion’s Missions, St James Methodist Church, the Seventh-Day Adventists and Carlton Mount Calvary churches, as well as members of corporate Barbados. (DN)

COP ACCUSED OF ASSAULT GRANTED BAIL – A lawman charged with assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm was released on bail yesterday when he appeared in the St Matthias Magistrates’ Court. Constable Jason Padmore, 43, of Salvation Drive, Wotton, Christ Church, denied the two charges. He was released on $1 000 bail with a surety for the assault charge and will appear at the District “B” Magistrates’ Court on February 27. He was granted $3 000 bail with a surety for the assault occasioning actual bodily harm charge and will go to the Oistins Magistrates’ Court on February 28. (DN)

DON’T RISK RICKY – President of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Whycliffe “Dave” Cameron says Ricky Skerritt’s history as West Indies team manager has disqualified him as a candidate to lead the region’s governing body. Skerritt, 62, recently announced he would be looking to unseat Cameron when the CWI holds elections on March 24 in Jamaica. However, Cameron, who has been president since 2013, said Skerritt’s past failure as manager of the West Indies team should not be forgotten. “Ricky has always mentioned how passionate he is about West Indies cricket. What most of us remember Ricky for is that period when he was manager of the team, the turmoil that occurred. I’m hoping that we’ll never get back to those days,” Cameron said during an interview on the Line And Length Network. (DN)

DRESS CODE COMES INTO EFFECT MARCH 1 – The Transport Authority has advised all permit holders and operators (drivers and conductors) of privately-owned routed public service vehicles – minibuses and route taxis – that the new uniform and dress code will come into effect on Friday, March 1. Uniform shirts may be obtained from Sample Enterprises and M Grafix Incorporated. The Authority thanks the permit holders and operators for their cooperation and looks forward to their support as it continues to improve all areas of the public transportation sector. (BT)

ANN HILL SCHOOL CLOSED FOR THIS WEEK – The Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training has advised that the Ann Hill School, at Pine Plantation Road, St. Michael, will be closed this week. This closure is to allow for emergency remedial work to be carried out on the roof and ceiling of the school.  Ministry thanks parents and guardians for their understanding and regrets any inconvenience the closure may cause. (BGIS)

ARTISTS COME TOGETHER FOR CHARITY – Art and charity mixed and mingled when Dwellings staged an event entitled ‘Splash – the Furniture Art Charity Event’ at its Canewood, St Thomas location on Saturday night. The fundraiser, the brainchild of Dwellings, was for the Barbados RSPCA, the Ark Animal Welfare Society, Variety the Children’s Charity and the Substance Abuse Foundation and saw four fine artists - Shane Eastmond, Alexander Marshall, Kevon ‘Von’ Hall and Alanis Forde - representing each of the charities, creating works on coffee tables as guests mingled and watch the creations unfold. The completed pieces were then sold via silent auction and the monies raised donated to the charities. (DN)

TEA PARTY FOR A CAUSE – The gardens at “Ben Mar”, official residence of British High Commissioner Janet Douglas, were the backdrop for an elegant tea party last weekend. Women were decked out in eye-catching fancy hats, which were matched by the dapper dress of the men who also supported the fundraising event for the Caribbean Ophthalmology Research Alliance (CORA). Not occupying too much party time with speeches, founder of CORA, consultant ophthalmologist, oculoplastic and reconstructive surgeon, Barbadian Dr Kim Jebodhsingh, said: “I think it is important for Barbados and the Caribbean to be aware of eye diseases that are affecting our people . . . . CORA is happy to partner with Keratoconus Barbados to do research into a disease in search of causes, prevention and a cure.” A patient advocate group for keracotonus has recently been formed in Barbados, and founder Roseanne Myers of Atlantic Submarines and a victim of the eye disease, seized the opportunity to briefly tell the tea party guests, “We reached out to the alliance when we saw the fundraiser being promoted, and have pledged to work with CORA to explore how we can better understand the incidence of keratoconus in Barbados and the causative factors.” (DN)

HARRIS SCORES BIG – President of the Barbados Football Association Randy Harris has scored his biggest goal ever, after marrying his long time sweetheart Golda Whittaker. Golda, who is also known as Patricia, was resplendent in a white and silver African two-piece skirt and top, complete with head tie. The groom was "dappa" in a blue suit and a silver tie matching his wife's outfit. The pair danced their way to the altar to the strains of George Michael and Aretha Franklin's Knew You Were Waiting For Me, where Reverend Dr Beverly Lashley peformed the ceremony.  The lovebirds, who have known each other for almost half a century, pledged their love to each other before a crowd in an intimate ceremony at their Christ Church home this evening. On Saturday Harris, who is also vice president of Concacaf (Caribbean) and president of the Caribbean Football Union, was named Sports Administrator of the year at the annual National Sports Council Awards. (DN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 310 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

[medicmenagerie-blog]

Early February - Game 3

BEWARE SPOILERS!  If you wish to enter Pandemic Legacy completely blind, I do not recommend reading any further!  There will be spoilers!  And I’m not talking about the kind that go on your car!

So.  After the gutpunch that was COdA, the gathered ‘professionals’ felt assured the game could not throw any more curveballs as serious as that.  As we began the setup for Game 3, we turned over the top card of the Legacy Deck, and were promptly proven so very, very wrong.

COdA mutated.  Again.  As we identified COdA-403b, it became clear that not only was it impossible to cure COdA, it was also no longer possible to so much as treat the disease.  However, in a stroke of luck (read - actually good game design), we were granted with a powerful new ally to counteract this development.

As we continued opening panels from the secret dossier, we were granted access to the first of Pandemic Legacy’s eight sealed boxes.  Inside, we found a sheet of thick cardboard, punched with twelve cardboard disks.  We quickly learned that these were the powerful Quarantine markers, enabling us to temporarily quarantine a city, providing a one-time barrier against new disease cubes being placed.  With them came new rules - going forward, if we named and created a new character, they were allowed to have a ‘relationship’ with one of our pre-established characters, allowing them to arrive as friends, rivals, family, or co-workers.  As such, Alyx, our scientist, finally called in her coworker, Elodié Alor, while Dr. Meadows called in her sister, Margret.

Our new researcher, Elodié Alor, would immediately prove her worth in being able to feed powerful cards to our scientist, regardless of their locations on the board.  Margret would also come to prove her worth, as her ability to quarantine any spot on the board, once per turn, made her ludicrously powerful at containing epidemics before they could come to fruition.

With the board set, and a disease cube removed from Manila thanks to our game-win upgrade from January, we immediately set to work.  Quickly, our ability to quarantine cities was put to marvelous use, locking down cities in dangerous places as we enjoyed the ability to barricade cities from disease.  As we dug deeper into the deck, we careened around the board, trimming early outbreaks in cities such as London, while Margret rapidly quarantined an early threat in Kinshasa as the team worked together to contain and hold back the threat of COdA.  While an initial epidemic appeared, our quick actions made it easy to contain, and swiftly Elodié granted Alyx the final blue cards she needed to complete her cure of Nighthowler Syndrome.  A few lucky draws later, and we realized that between the scientist and the researcher, we not only had four yellow cards in play, but also four black cards, with Margret able to found a research station in any city.

As the deck began to thin, however, a new problem reared its ugly head.  Two Epidemics emerged, almost back to back, with the third Epidemic revealed when there were only two infection cards in the deck - one of which was already on the brink of outbreak.  We needed to act fast, or else we would assuredly have not one, but two outbreaks to deal with.

One Quiet Night was enforced, stalling for time, as the quarantine specialist carefully considered her options.  Margret looked at her cards, looked at the board, carefully counted out her moves...

And with five actions, thanks to her familial bond with Dr. Meadows, she was able to, just barely, contain both potential outbreaks.  A flight to Tokyo rapidly led to a flight from Seoul, and the three infection cards were rolled off the deck as the group congratulated themselves on a job well done and a clutch move.

At the conclusion of Elodié’s turn, we realized we should’ve paid more attention to Montreal.  Our first outbreak of the game arrived, destabilizing the city, leaving it teetering on the brink of rioting.

As the yellow disease was cured, however, things were looking up.  Only four yellow cubes remained on the board, spread across three cities.  We might, in fact, be able to eradicate another disease, weakening it further against future assaults.  As the turns ticked down, the yellow disease was strategically removed from the map, our quarantines elsewhere beginning to fail as Alyx raced to obtain the final cure.

And then, at last, it was so.  We have learned our new win bonus for completing this task - the game or games we play in March will allow us to place one free quarantine marker, anywhere we wish, at the beginning of the game.

END GAME RESULTS:

One new unstable city (Montreal)

Yellow Disease Eradicated - named Flowey’s Fever.  One positive mutation added (Common Structure)

One new starting research station (Khartoum)

Elodié Alor, Researcher (Co-worker with Alyx)

Margret, Quarantine Specialist (Family with Dr. Meadows)

COdA-403b Discovered

EARLY FEBRUARY - WON

Our disease-fighting crew is feeling confident, but a winning streak like this cannot hope to last, especially in Pandemic Legacy.  With the promise of additional necessary goals on the horizon, what will March hold for our intrepid heroes?  Can they last as their funding dwindles?  Find out next time!

[loveyalikethedevil]

You said you'd answer all the concert asks so i challenge you to answer all the concert asks

AKSDHKAJSDHKAJSHD WHO DID THIS OKAY FINE

ANSWERS UNDER THE CUT BC THIS IS LONG AS FUCK

(SIDE NOTE MARISSA IS THIS YOU OR WHAT)

(edit after answering: this was actually kind of interesting to do and could potentially be fun to read if you’re interested in my show bullshit) (follow up edit i tag @joshshomme​ and this isnt even a tag ask thing but im making it into one have fun)

How many concerts have you been to?

honestly i really don’t know off the top of my head, too many to count (though i do have a doc on my computer with every show i’ve been to/band i’ve seen, i just dont have the energy to count them all up rn)

Have you been to any festivals?

yup

Which artist/band have you seen the most live?

off the top of my head its either queens of the stone age or eagles of death metal, i think its eagles of death metal now since qotsa havent done anything show wise nearby in a while

First concert you went to?

the b-52′s

Last concert you went to?

eagles of death metal

What is your next concert?

foo fighters at the end of may, unless something randomly pops up before that

Which artists/bands would you love to see live?

i want them crooked vultures to reform as a band and then play a show

The farthest you’ve traveled to go to a concert?

a couple hours? i’m not sure about distance but the hardest one was to go from LA to san bernardino to see eodm and black rebel motorcycle club at this biker festival, it was so fuckin hot on the way there we wanted to die but it was so fun

Best opening act you’ve seen?

it’s hard for me to remember who i saw as an opening act, but off the top of my head: jd mcpherson, the kills, hacienda

Worst opening act you’ve seen?

honestly i cant think of anyone at the moment that i saw and was like really not into

Have you met any bands/artists at a concert?

for some reason i always meet famous people at eagles of death metal shows (including my homeboy jesse hughes, who i met for the first time at an eodm show in 2015) (also greatest hits of people ive met at eodm shows include: duff mckagan, jon theodore and troy van leeuwen yes im bragging)

What’s one thing you have to bring to a concert?

my phone bc i always wanna take a few photos but also it’s important to have that if i’m going by myself

What’s the most you’ve paid for a ticket?

outside lands tickets are expensive as fuck and im sure that was the most expensive 

Best concert you’ve been to?

its hard to pick one experience but i think there are cool experiences that stand out to me: seeing queens of the stone age at a venue with like 600 people in 2015 (i still dont know how the fuck i got lucky and got a ticket to that), every time i see them is the best and every time i see eodm its the best

Worst concert you’ve been to?

i honestly dont think ive ever gone to a show and not had a good time

Have you been in a social media post an artist posted after a show?

yeah dave catching (eodm touring guitarist) likes to take crowd pictures and im often in the front so ive been in those before

Funniest concert memory?

@beastiegals​ saying “that dude looks like a GTA character they force you to have” 

Do you buy your tickets as soon as they go on sale, after, or the day of?

i prefer to do it as soon as they go on sale

Have you ever been noticed by an artist at a concert?

yeah at that aforementioned san bernardino eodm show jesse blew me a kiss, and had sang to me at previous shows, other than him i dont think ive been noticed. though i have a picture of josh homme in which he was either noticing me directly or noticing someone behind me, i cant be sure

Have you met any internet friends at a concert?

not that i know of

Which concert that you’ve been to has had the best stage setup/production?

honestly my chemical romance knocked it out of the fuckin park with that shit

Have you ever caught a guitar pick, drumstick, got a setlist, etc.?

i have 2 picks that are currently displayed on a shelf with the tickets from the shows

Favorite concert venue?

easy: teragram ballroom in LA

Least favorite concert venue?

this is harder but i’m not a fan of huge outdoor venues when i’m far back, when i’m close i dont mind them

Which do you prefer: indoor or outdoor concerts?

either are fine as long as the sound is good

Which do you prefer: clubs, theaters, arenas, or stadiums?

i guess clubs? is that the right word? small venues

Have you ever missed school or work to go to a concert?

yes (dont tell my mom)

Have you ever been surprised with tickets from someone?

yeah my birthday is in the summer so its prime concert time and ive got tickets as birthday presents before

Who do you enjoy going to concerts with?

i like going with friends, ive gone with my mom (look my mom is cool as fuck), but also i enjoy going on my own too

General admission or seated concerts?

ga all the way

Have you been to multiple dates for one tour?

i think so yeah, if i have its been a while

Have you been to concerts 2 or more days in a row?

not that i can think of recently

Have you ever received free tickets from a contest or an artist’s crew?

yes, in like 2011 i won some tickets from a radio station. idk if this counts bc its more like a free upgrade but i had a ticket to see eodm and mastodon recently and jesse was like “nah youre with me” so then i was technically a vip

Have you been front row and/or back row for a concert?

been front, have not been back

Have you ever gotten sick, bruised, or broken a bone after a concert?

ive probably been bruised

Have you ever had surprise guests at a concert you attended?

yeah for sure

Did you start listening to an opening act after you saw them in concert?

absolutely, i started listening to both hacienda and jd mcpherson after hearing them open

What’s the latest you’ve got home from a concert?

almost 3am but not even for any cool reason, literally LA just sucks and the freeway was closed and i was stuck in traffic

When is the earliest you’ve arrived to a venue for a concert?

i cant think of it off the top of my head but probably pretty early

Have you seen your favorite artist in concert?

hell yeah (i feel like this should be fave artists plural bc how the fuck can i pick one)

Longest you’ve waited in line for a concert?

not sure 

Have you ever attended a concert alone?

yeah, its awesome

What’s the best part of a concert in your opinion?

knowing all the songs and sharing that cool moment with the band and everyone around you

Have you ever heard/seen an artist soundcheck before their show?

yeah kind of

What’s the biggest venue you’ve been to a concert at?

not sure, but probably oakland coliseum or something

What’s the smallest venue you’ve been to a concert at?

teragram ballroom for sure

Have you ever had side stage seats?

yeah, only once, and it was super recently (see previous answer in which jesse generously was like ‘nah youre with me’)

Which venue have you been to the most concerts at?

fuck man i have no idea

Do you post a lot about a concert you’ve attended on social media or very little?

i’ll usually post a few pictures after the fact but i hate being on my phone during the show

Has a concert or tour you were planning on going to got cancelled?

not that i remember

Have you seen a band in concert before a member left the band / they broke up?

YEAH MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE (twice)

Favorite song you’ve heard live?

FUCK this is so hard, seeing qotsa play make it wit chu in 2014 might be up there bc its one of my faves of theirs but also at the time it meant a lot to me and somebody else

Have you ever seen an artist/band play an album in full?

nope

Which artist would you refuse to see in concert?

idk, i wouldnt wanna see a band i didnt like?

What’s the craziest thing a fan has done at a concert you’ve been to?

i cant think of anyone doing anything super crazy

Which venue(s) would you love to go to for a concert?

i’d like to see a show at first avenue in minneapolis, i saw the outside when i was there but it’s the venue from purple rain and i’d love love love to see a show there someday. (for those that dont know prince was a pretty big deal in my life)

Have you ever been to a concert at a venue that no longer exists?

not that i can think of

Have you ever lost something/got something stolen at a concert?

if i did it must not have been important bc i dont remember

Have people made fun of you or laughed because of how you were acting at a concert?

nah

Have you ever been kicked out of a concert?

please i’m not an animal

Has an artist thrown or spit water on you?

no but lets be real here pretty sure sweat has ended up on me

Have you ever seen a security guard dance to a song at a concert?

YES

Have you seen any acts you don’t like at a concert?

not that i can think of

Have you ever passed out or thrown up at a concert?

nope but i think i almost passed out at a killers show once bc i was dehydrated

Have you seen any artists in concerts that you don’t like anymore?

again not that i can think of, there arent any artists i used to love that i now DISLIKE, but there are definitely bands ive seen that i just dont listen to as much anymore for whatever reason, but not like I DONT LIKE THEM ANYMORE

[ciathyzareposts]

Planet’s Edge: Two Seasons

The Moonbase commander congratulates us on retrieving one of the eight artifacts.

            As several commenters have noted, Planet’s Edge has shaped up to have a real Star Trek feel, with the quest titles obvious analogues for episode titles. In fact, it’s safe to say that without budget constraints for things like costumes and special effects, Planet’s Edge‘s scenarios are considerably more imaginative and innovative than the typical Star Trek episode (particularly the Original Series). Like their counterparts on Starflight II, the authors here clearly don’t believe in convergent evolution. We’ve seen aliens based on birds and plants and lizards, some with no mouths, some with multiple arms, although all exhibiting fairly human-like personalities and flaws. I just wish the game had given us more portraits for these creatures; there’s only so much you can tell from the icons.

I remarked last time that their stories were “a bit silly and trite,” and I’ll back off a bit now. At the time, I was thinking primarily of the princess looking to escape her arranged marriage, but the subsequent stories have been a little more interesting.

But while I concede that this game could be fun and interesting, I still don’t like it. There’s nothing in it that I particularly like about RPGs. A certain quality of narrative and variety of quests are important to me, yes, but only when accompanied by meaningful character development or tactical combat. Still, I think the thing that bothers me most about Planet’s Edge is not what it lacks but rather a particular quick unique to me: I don’t like to know exactly how long something is going to last, or exactly how much time I have left. When I have to do a long, boring chore, I typically find a way to hide the amount of work I have to do or how much time I have remaining. For instance, when I decide to walk on the treadmill for two hours, I put a magazine over the display so I never know exactly how much time I have left. If I have to clean 200 data records, I’ll write a process that feeds them to me one at a time without showing me my overall count. I prefer the unknown even when making it unknown makes a task longer or require more effort. If I have to drive somewhere, I’ll often take a longer route with an unknown time rather than stick to the empirically shortest route. Yes, I know I have issues. Irene tells me all the time.              

Planet Edge’s sin was telling me that I had to recover exactly eight pieces, then giving me a map that shows the galaxy divided into eight roughly-equal sectors with similar numbers of stars, so that I know each part is going to require about the same amount of time–and that means a 40-hour game at least. I want to know I’m facing a 40-hour game at Hour 37, not Hour 10. This is why I always insists that quests that are about assembling n parts of something always vary the length and difficulty of finding each part. Some you should just be able to walk up and grab. Ultima VI did that particularly well.            

I had to get rid of all my weapons just to get six cargo units on board.

          My final complaint, though, is that I don’t particularly enjoy blogging plot-heavy games. It’s a bit exhausting. If I ran The Adventure Gamer, I probably would have given up already. There’s always a question of how much I should include and how much I should summarize. Challenge of the Five Realms was a recent challenge; in blogging that game, I erred on the side of describing nearly every plot point. Other times, I’ve tried to summarize large sections of plot. My readers don’t seem to have a strong preference either way. I’ll try to take a middle path here.                

When I left off last time, my crew was in Sector Algieba, where we managed to get ourselves appointed as emissaries from the Magin to President Ishtao. The president was on Ishtao station, orbiting Algieba, and I couldn’t even scan the planet until I’d paid 6 cargo units to the orbiting platform. I had to go back to Moonbase, remove all weapons from my ship, and load up with cargo.

Upon my return, I donated the units and the crew was able to beam down to an episode titled “Inauguration Day.”           

On television, this would have been a two0-parter.

         It was the best scenario so far. The Algiebians are a reptilian race fond of extra-long “s” sounds in their speech, which would normally make them evil, but they don’t seem to be here. They were in the midst of a celebration for the second inauguration of their president, Ishtao. The festivities had been infiltrated by the Geal A’nai, the Algiebian faction that had also tried to kill the princess in my previous session. They also plotted to cripple Ishtao’s space yacht and drive it into the sun, killing all of the visitors to the inauguration, and using a body double of Ishtao to give the order. It was a complicated plot. There were signs that the Geal A’nai may not in fact be the “bad guys” of the scenario, and that Ishtao had been mercilessly persecuting them, but it wasn’t fully explored.            I ended up on the yacht almost immediately after entering the palace, owing to my order of exploration, but I think the events could have been done in any order. The inhabitants of the yacht were obsessed with a card game called, probably, “Chasqua.” I say “probably” because the natural speech of the Algiebians put a variable number of letters “a” and “s” in the name. It involves a group of five cards, each aspected to a particular color, which must be inserted into a number of slots in a defined order–specifically, red, yellow, green, orange, and blue. The problem is that there’s no objective way of telling which card goes with which color. They all look the same to humans, I guess. You have to show the cards to other denizens in the station and get their opinions. They look at them and say things like, “I’m pretty sure this #2 card is blue,” but they give no indication how they’re coming up with that information. In any event, they’re often wrong, so you have to take notes to whittle it down and go with the highest probability.           

I’m going to get a second opinion.

          In the midst of this exploration, a bomb went off on the ship, crippling the engines and the electrical system. The engineer explained that to fix the doors and teleporters, he needed a “gravity bar,” which happens to be the prize for winning Chasqua. President Ishtao’s doppelganger came over the P.A. and announced that he had ordered the yacht to plunge into the sun so that the Geal A’nai saboteurs would die, trusting everyone else would be willing to sacrifice themselves for such a noble end. The ship’s captain, shaking his head at such an out-of-character moment for Ishtao, begged us to get the ship’s engines back online and return with the command code so he could override the order. Meanwhile, the fake president demanded the command code for himself.

In due order, I figured out the Chasqua sequence, gave the gravity bar to the engineer, used the now-functioning teleporters to move around the otherwise-inaccessible parts of the yacht, and got the engines back online. Re-starting the engines involved inserting Chasqua cards in a particular sequence; one of the NPCs remarked that the game had been “designed by engineers as a mnemonic for complicated tasks.”         Although a bit more of an adventure game than an RPG, at least Planet’s Edge doesn’t put you in a lot of “walking dead” moments. There’s a lot of backtracking, sure, but I’ve found that if I simply stick to an exploration pattern, talk to everyone, and search everything, I’ll eventually get what I need.        There were several battles with Geal A’nai during the exploration, and combat isn’t any more exciting than it was last time. A lot depends on luck. So far, I haven’t found a battle that wasn’t easy enough to win by reloading. I’ve found a few weapon and armor upgrades, which I’ve been distributing according to skill. It also makes sense to keep a couple of different types of armor on you because certain armors defend better against certain weapons. Each item comes with a detailed item description, incidentally, which is something that few RPGs have done thusfar in my chronology.           

A description of Reflec Armor.

           Once I had the command codes, I tried both potential endings. If I gave them to the fake president, he continued the ship’s course into the sun, rejoicing that, “News will soon reach Algieba IV that a ship full of innocents were killed and they will believe that Ishtao was responsible!” Giving the codes to the commander saved the ship. Either way, my party was allowed to escape in a pod. I decided to go with the “good” outcome (save the ship) because it’s my natural tendency, but it occurred to me while writing this entry that 90% of players probably do that. Since I’m not really that excited about the game anyway, why not spice things up by taking the evil path? Maybe you’ll see that reflected in the next entries.            

The party gets the command codes after inserting more cards in those slots.

            Anyway, the Geal A’nai weren’t done. They had also infiltrated the kitchen staff and other key positions in the presidential palace and had plotted to kill Ishtao through a mechanism I completely didn’t understand. It somehow just involved pulling a lever. I found a Geal A’nai in a prison cell, and when I showed him one of the amulets I’d looted from a corpse, he thought we were part of his faction and told us where we could find the “sixth key” in a crate in the kitchen. Using it on the lever somehow resulted in the president’s death–which I tried, then reloaded.             

The causal mechanism escapes me here.

           The “good” path involved getting to see Ishtao by pretending to be reporters (one of his minions assumed we were and gave us a press pass). He wanted proof that the Geal A’nai had infiltrated the palace, which we provided in the form of the amulet. He then wanted us to find the sixth key, which apparently isn’t just a key, but the “holiest of relics from the ages of darkness!” Fortunately, we already had that. He rewarded us with an amulet that would grant us passage to the depository on Koo-She Prime.            

The party enables the president’s self-destructive war.

         I had originally thought I would finally find the sector’s quest item–Algiebian Crystals–at Koo-She Prime, but they actually turned up as the result of an innocuous side quest in the presidential palace. One of the rooms housed a museum of Algiebian history–each of the exhibits making that history sound all the more brutal. The curator hinted that she was thirsty, so we bribed her with a bottle of wine we’d received from a bartender. She wandered away from her post, allowing us to throw the switch that controlled the force fields over the exhibits. By now accustomed to searching everything, I searched each exhibit and serendipitously found the crystals in one of them. To solve this quest if you already knew where the crystals were, you’d just need to beam down, get into the palace, and kill the curator.              

Search everything, kids.

               Koo-She Prime kicked off an episode called “Solitaire.” Shortly after we arrived–and got in with the presidential amulet–we tripped a trap that caused three of the party members to get beamed away and held in stasis. William had to solve the area by himself, some of which required referring to clues from random NPCs back on Algieba. There were a lot of traps, hostile beasts, and reloading. After puzzling his way through a series of caves, he arrived in a science facility, where he had to switch bodies with a four-armed creature to operate four levers at once. Ultimately, he released his friends and found some technical plans that allowed for better weapons and ship parts back at home.     Back at Moonbase, Commander Polk congratulated us for getting the Algiebian Crystals and suggested we explore Sector Kornephoros next. I was unhappy with being told where to go, so after I scrapped the Ulysses for an upgraded ship–which the game named Calypso–I headed for Sector Caroli for no other reason that it was clockwise from Algieba.               

Outfitting my second ship.

           Caroli had a lot more stars than Algieba, most with absolutely nothing to do, not even elements for my higher-capacity starship. One planet–Zavijava Prime–had an orbital platform occupied by those goons again, and it was here that I fought and (badly) lost my only attempt at ship combat this session.            I stumbled on the sector’s quest at Alula IV, in an episode called “Desolation.” It soon transpired that Alula IV was the agricultural planet of a species called the Eldarini. I never found a description of them, but the species apparently goes into hibernation for long periods of time and then awakens ravenous, killing and eating anything nearby if there’s no other obvious source of food. Alula IV and its “Iozam” grain was supposed to be that food, but both the harvester and the transport ship had broken down. The place was also swarming with hostile carnivores that we had to kill.              

The alien explains what’s going on with his species.

         We had to get the local boss, Agricol, to take us on as field hands before we could explore the place. This involved a puzzle where he put us in a room with seven items and said they could all easily fit into a pack, but I should select the one that he wouldn’t want to take with him. They were an industrial badge, a levitator, a stone, an assault laser, a gold wire, ceramic armor, and a rifle. I chose the stone because it was the only item that had no real utility, and it turned out I was right. I’m just not sure I was right for that reason. As he welcomed us aboard, he gave us tickets for the “life gallery” on Merak I.       Solving the quest required us to go to two other planets–Denebola IV and TK–for the parts for both the vehicles. Denebola IV was the Eldarin homeworld, and its episode was titled “Forsake the Wind.” Exploring the area, we had to be careful not to brush against sleeping Eldarins, or they would wake up and try to kill us. The surface of the planet was filled with hostile sandworms erupting from pools of lava. They occasioned enough reloading that we were definitely here a bit too early. Still, I pushed through.           

These worms were no fun at all.

         We had to solve a variety of navigation puzzles not worth recounting to get the part for the harvester. Returning to Alula IV, we fixed the harvester, which promptly went out of control when we turned it on and bashed through a fence. This allowed us access to a new area and ultimately the station commander, who gave us the requisition form to take to Oortizam Labs on Cor-Caroli Prime.           

The next episode.

          Cor-Caroli Prime’s episode was “A Small Matter.” The core part of it involved the party being shrunk to microscopic size and having to navigate our way through the circuit board of some computer while battling hostile nannites. I either missed or didn’t record the encounter text or NPC conversation that explained why or how this happened. We had to switch a couple of computer chips and pull a lever to get out. When we did, one of the items enlarged along with the party was the Gravitic Compressor, needed for the Centauri Device.          

Navigating the circuit maze.

            Eventually, we were able to get the requisition form notarized, at which point an engineer gave us the “ComNav” needed for the ship on Alula IV. We returned, got that ship repaired (thus saving the Eldarins from famine), and were given a note to give to the supervisor on Denebola IV. He in turn allowed us access to the “rare treasures room” and suggested he’d look the other way if anything went missing. The room held two more sets of technical plans.            

Good. My newly-evil party is going to need better weapons.

           Overall, Sector Caroli’s quests were the first that didn’t seem to have any “evil” or otherwise alternate options, except I suppose just killing everyone instead of actually solving the quests.           Before I ended this session, I was interested in checking out this “life gallery” on Merak I, also in the Caroli sector. But when I visited, I found it guarded by hostile blue aliens who killed me when I resisted, so we went back to Moonbase with our tail between our legs.              

His assessment of our capabilities was, alas, accurate.

           Expect a change in tone in future entries as my party loses patience with this increasingly hostile and irrational universe.             Time so far: 15 hours  

         source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/planets-edge-two-seasons/