#pandemonium: plot call

[project-sekai-facts]

someone asked for the full list

don't question what i use tiermaker for

Tier 1: As stated in today's fact, Shizuku and Haruka can be considered the most attractive characters in the game, as multiple characters have shown attraction to them. Shizuku moreso than Haruka, but there's not too much of a difference to separate the tiers.

Tier 2: These characters have all been stated somewhere to be attractive.

Mafuyu is considered to be outstanding in all fields, including appearance. It's occassionally commented that she is quite pretty. Ichika and KAITO's first kizuna title is "Ikemen while playing", ikemen meaning handsome or cool. Ena has a Twitter account for selfies that has a reasonable following, and she often gets comments saying that she's pretty or cute. Len has a similar sort of idol aura to Haruka does, and is referred to as 'princely'.

Tier 3: These characters are never explicitly stated in the game to be attractive, but you can work it out.

A few background characters in Petit SEKAI Episode 9 mention that Akito and Toya are hot. Given that the miniseries is non-canon and a gag show it's up for debate how true this is, although it is a believable detail, hence why they're in this tier.

As for Rui, we have to look at the Valentine's Virtual Live from 2021 (wiki screenshots below). Keep in mind here that Rui is not popular in school at all and doesn't have many friends at this point in the game. He mentions that he received a few boxes of chocolate in his shoe locker on Valentine's Day, which admittedly could be platonic. However, the fact that this continues on into a joke about Tsukasa trying to claim that he got chocolates too before revealing that he got friendzoned by multiple girls (more on that in a second), makes it seem more likely that these weren't platonic. Linking back to the fact that he's not popular and doesn't really have many friends, he's probably pretty good-looking.

Tier 4: An being scouted as a model was an important part of the plot of Wishing For Your Happiness Upon The Blue Sky, and it's mentioned in an area conversation that Kanade has been talent scouted for modelling before.

Tier 5: Full disclosure that probably all of the MMJ VSingers are either pretty or cute, the ones mentioned here are just the ones I remember it being stated/implied. In the April Fools 2022 area conversation with the Lukas, MMJ!Luka says that WxS!Luka is very cute. N25!Luka calls her MMJ variant out for calling herself cute, and MMJ!Luka says that she herself is cute. (TL)

Kohane is mainly referred to as cute by An, which is biased, but other characters have pointed this fact out before as well, so she qualifies for this tier.

Mizuki loves cute clothes and accessories and always tries to look cute. I believe a few other characters have called them cute, but unfortunately the only instance I can actually remember is one transphobic faceless background character saying "you can't tell and they're super cute".

Also Minori and Airi are here because they're idols and have been called cute because that's part of being an idol I suppose.

Tier 6: Yes he gets his own tier because it's funny. This guy runs on rule of funny like 50% of the time. Anyway, as mentioned earlier, in the 2021 Valentine's Virtual Live, he gets annoyed when he hears Rui talking about receiving (implied romantic) chocolate and tries to claim that he too received (implied confession) chocolate, before saying too much and revealing that he only received friend chocolates that girls gave out to all the other boys as well.

Tsukasa's actually a lot more popular than Rui and doesn't have the same "outcast" reputation, plus in his A Once-In-A-Lifetime Pandemonium card story, Ibuki (Taniyama) mentions that Tsukasa's friends from class are really popular with girls, and Rui's friends are surprised he's in that kinda crowd (not that Tsukasa quite gets it). What I'm saying is that he's in a crowd of popular guys that are good with women and he's failing in that second aspect. The reason why is never stated but considering the school's resident outcast is able to get Valentine's chocolate for probably no reason other than looks, it's safe to assume Tsukasa is maybe lacking in that field.

But.

I think two guys have flirted with him? One definitely has anyway. The other is more up for debate but was probably written with the intent of ship tease. Depends on how you choose to interpret it.

In other words on a scale of attractive to unattractive he's the secret 3rd option (appeals to the mlms).

[theetherealbloom]

WHERE DO WE GO NOW? - CH. 3 | 14th Doctor

Chapter Three: Guess The Space Was The Thing That I Needed, But I Miss You

Summary: You arrived on present-day Earth engulfed in violence and chaos. And a familiar foe who transcends the universe’s laws and logic. He hails from a realm where science is a game, but that salt trick apparently blurred the lines of reality enough for him to enter your universe.

Pairing: 14th Doctor x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Hurt-to-Comfort, Angst, Fluff, Possible Plot Holes, Vague Background, Aliens, Mild Horror, Violence, Past Trauma, Depression, Anxiety, Timey-Wimey Stuff, Star-Crossed Lovers, Second Chance, Character Death, 

Word Count: 15.5k

A/N: Hello old friend, and here we are, you and me on the last… chapter. When I posted the first chapter of this mini-series I was honestly terrified of the response I would be getting. I hadn’t been writing for a while due to stress or lack of motivation. But then the miracle called the Doctor Who specials came into existence and here we are. Also, Merry Christmas Eve! Here’s my little gift to you. I hope you enjoy. (P.S. yes there will be an epilogue :>)

Song: This Love by Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version)

Previous Chapter → Next Chapter | Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Dividers by @/saradika-graphics

ENGLAND, THE STREETS OF LONDON — DAY, 2023

The world descends into turmoil and pandemonium as cars collide, their metal frames screeching against each other. The air is filled with the cacophony of people shouting and screaming. Amidst the mayhem, you, the Doctor, and Donna navigate the tumult, pushing Wilf's wheelchair through the chaotic landscape. Struggling through the disarray, people around you engage in fights and heated arguments, adding to the surreal spectacle of disorder unfolding.

As the rumble of a truck engine grows louder, a man defiantly strides onto the road, seemingly prepared to challenge the oncoming driver. Reacting swiftly, both you and the Doctor extend your arms, urgently intervening. You exclaim, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Excuse me. Can you tell me, what the bloody hell are you doing?"

The elderly man, with an air of self-assuredness, retorts, "I can’t drive."

Perplexed, you furrow your brow and inquire, "Okay, so— Which means?"

Meanwhile, a car behind you impatiently honks, prompting the Doctor to raise his hand, signaling the driver to wait. Unperturbed, the stranger in front of you explains, "I pay my taxes. Which means I paid for this road. It is mine, and I will do with it what I like."

The Doctor interjects, cautioning, "You’ll get yourself killed."

The man, with a sneer and a narrowed gaze, replies, "It’s my life, not yours." Undeterred, the Doctor suggests, "But you could just stand over there and be safe."

Flailing his arms emphatically, the man retorts, "Blame them! Because it all changed two days ago. Everyone started thinking they’re right all the time. And they won’t change their mind. If you try to argue, they go mad. Well, not me. I’ve always been right."

The deafening honk of the truck intensifies as it barrels forward, compelling the Doctor to swiftly seize you and yank you out of harm's way. In the chaos, you unintentionally collide with a well-dressed man adorned in a tuxedo, complete with a top hat and a staff in his left hand. Apologizing in a refined manner, he utters, "Oh, excusez-moi, madame et monsieur, je suis désolé. But perhaps you will dance avec moi."

He then takes the lead in an impromptu dance, placing his hand just above your waist and swaying with you amidst the bedlam unfolding on the street. In a rather peculiar tone, he utters, "Ooh la la."

Feeling uncomfortable, you gently pull away from the eccentric stranger. The Doctor, sensing your unease, protectively tucks you behind his body and asserts, "That's my wife, sir. Excuse me." With a subtle maneuver, he guides you away, back to where Donna and Wilf are positioned on the side of the street.

Amidst the cacophony of screaming voices echoing through the chaotic streets, the peculiar stranger continues his solo dance, creating a bizarre spectacle in the midst of the turmoil. The distant whirr of a helicopter above adds to the disconcerting atmosphere, leaving you and the Doctor with a growing sense of panic, a shared feeling of confusion about the unfolding events.

Armored vehicles roll onto the scene, their imposing presence and military precision contrasting sharply with the chaotic backdrop. A soldier, wielding a loud megaphone, calls out with urgency, "Attention, the Doctor and the Stargazer! Attention, the Doctor and the Stargazer! Stay where you are. You are UNIT control. Repeat, UNIT control."

The soldiers swiftly move into action, their movements coordinated as they converge on your location. One of them confidently asserts, "Go, go, go! Let’s move! Eyes on, eyes on! I got them." The atmosphere shifts from anarchic confusion to a semblance of organized control as UNIT takes charge.

The authoritative figure from UNIT, Colonel Ibrahim, strides forward, a no-nonsense expression etched on his face. "Doctor, Stargazer, I’m Colonel Ibrahim of UNIT squad five," he declares with military precision. He gestures toward a waiting vehicle, a subtle urgency in his stance.

Donna, the voice of concern, steps forward, her plea directed at the Colonel. "Get him to safety. All right? Never mind about us. I want my grandad safe. All right? You got that?" Her words carry the weight of a granddaughter determined to ensure the safety of her grandad, emphasizing the weight of the situation.

Colonel Ibrahim gives an assertive nod, his military demeanor unwavering. "Yes, ma’am. We’ll keep your family safe," he assures Donna. Wilf, displaying concern for his granddaughter's well-being, encourages her, "You go with the Doctor."

Amidst the organized chaos of UNIT soldiers following orders, a palpable sense of unease settles over you. A feeling of being observed intensifies, prompting you to instinctively clasp the Doctor’s hand. Together, your hearts quicken as you turn to the left, discovering the stranger with whom you shared an odd dance. He stands eerily still, offering a disconcerting smile and a small wave, sending shivers down your spine.

UNIT HEADQUARTERS, LONDON — DAY, 2023

Seated alongside the Doctor in the first helicopter, you peer out of the window, taking in the chaotic scene below. The city is ablaze, casting an eerie glow that turns the world outside into a disorienting spectacle, as if the very fabric of reality has been upended. The second helicopter follows closely, bearing the weight of the TARDIS, an emblem of hope amidst the turmoil. The flickering flames paint a surreal canvas against the night sky, leaving you with a profound sense of displacement.

The helicopter sets down on the helipad at the UNIT headquarters, and as you disembark, the brisk wind from the rotor blades whips through the air. Donna clutches her coat tightly, shouting over the din, "Oh, here comes trouble."

Shirley, in her wheelchair, wheels forward with a wide smile, greeting you with a warm, "I could say the same thing about you." The TARDIS touches down nearby on the helipad, and amidst the noise, the Doctor remarks, "Shirley, you can’t be serious." Shirley squeezes your arm in a friendly greeting.

Chief Scientific Officer Kate, your boss, appears on the scene, her short blonde hair bouncing slightly as she strides towards the group. The Doctor, arms outstretched, exclaims, "And Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. I remember your father working night and day to keep UNIT a secret. Look at you now. Out and proud defending the Earth."

Kate embraces the Doctor tightly before turning to you with a subdued smile, saying, "I fought them all. Robots and insects and yetis and clones. But what do we do this time, Doctor? How do we fight the human race?"

Inside the UNIT headquarters, the large steel doors close behind you, shutting out the chaos. The new HQ unfolds before your eyes, with the hum of radio chatter and the bustle of people. Multiple screens and tables with keyboards fill the room, and a triple giant screen at the center displays various statistics and news outlets reporting the devastation around the world.

Kate hands the tablet to the Doctor, and you lean over to peer at the symbols and graphs displayed on it. The Doctor, engrossed in the data, doesn't look up as he remarks, "Good, good, good. Now, what have we got? Are these worldwide? 'Cause I'm gonna need all of the statistics."

As he turns to his right, an exclamation of surprise escapes him. Your gaze follows his, and there stands a very familiar redheaded companion and colleague. She grins at the Doctor's reaction, and he joyfully exclaims, "Oh! That is the best news! Melanie, hello!"

Both you and the Doctor share a brief hug with Mel, who giggles and adds, "We'll catch up later. We haven't got time." You chime in with a playful, "Ta-da! Surprise, Doctor."

Turning to you, the Doctor asks, "You knew?"

You playfully roll your eyes and retort, "We work together, dear." Mel adds, "We also try to meet every Saturday for a cuppa."

Mel tilts her head slightly, addressing Donna with a warm smile, "I used to be like you. I was one of their companions." Donna gasps, exclaiming, "I wasn't the first redhead?"

With a shake of her head, Mel allows her large red curls to bounce, "No. That was me."

Donna awkwardly chuckles as the Doctor takes his glasses and wears them, quipping, "Although don't say companion. That sounds like we park him on the seafront at Weston-super-mare."

As Shirley pushes herself off the wheelchair, standing and giving Donna a look, Donna suddenly realizes what she said and turns to face Shirley, asking, "Is 'park' rude?" Shirley replies with a monotone voice, "Borderline." Donna winces in response.

In the heart of the command center, Kate stands with authority, her tablet in hand, and announces, "And stations. Gold Protocols. The Doctor and the Stargazer are in the room. Report."

Shirley adjusts her stance, her voice cutting through the air, "Two days ago, an increase in violence worldwide. The same increase in every country, all rising at exactly the same rate."

"Basically, every single human being thinks they're right and won't be told otherwise," Kate says, moving to stand next to you. Colonel Ibrahim adds, "That plane crash, the F665, Boston to Heathrow. The pilot declared his right to land wherever he wants."

On the screen, footage of the crazed pilot plays. His eyes were wide, he laughs amidst the blaring alarms of his instruments, declaring, "I'm coming home. Lookout, London. Daddy's coming home!"

In the tension-filled room, the Doctor initiates, "If everyone is going mad—" and Kate concurs, completing the thought, "So is the government."

Shirley, with a solemn nod, swipes on the screen of her tablet, unveiling footage of the current Prime Minister. He stands on a podium, his laughter echoing as he addresses the nation, "What do I care? I mean, seriously? Why should I care about you?"

In the aftermath of Donna's nonchalant remark, injecting a touch of humor with her observation, "No change there then," the room grapples with the unsettling scenes unfolding on the screen. The Doctor, now reclaiming the tablet, hands it back to Mel, who places it on her station. His gaze then sweeps across the room, and he remarks, "But you're fine. You're completely normal. And that's because of the—" He gestures towards the silver bands adorned with a glowing blue light worn around their arms.

Kate steps in to elaborate, "Oh, we call it the Zeedex." As the room processes this information, a robot's machine voice chimes in from the far left, connected to tubes and sporting screens, proudly announcing, "An invention of the Vlinx."

Taking a step forward, the Doctor addresses the robotic AI, "Hello, the Vlinx. I'm the Doctor, and this is my wife, the Stargazer."

Quick to clarify, you interject, "Not married yet."

"Just practicing," the Doctor playfully hums before turning his attention back to the Vlinx. With curiosity piqued, he queries, "So why's it called the Zeedex?"

In response to the Vlinx's brief explanation, "Good name," the Doctor emits a small, contemplative "Oh." Kate supplements the information, stating, "It disrupts the brain. Flattens the spike. Keeps everything calm."

With a slight scrunch of your nose, you inquire, "And the spike is?"

"I think I need to show you," Kate responds. Sensing a shift in the room, she commands Shirley, "Activate brain scan."

"Activating, ma'am," Shirley acknowledges. A beep emanates from the computer, and the screen displays the frequency inside Kate's brain. She points out, "That's my brain activity. Seems normal, albeit slightly heightened, given the end of the world. Now keep your eyes on the scan."

Kate moves to the center of the room and instructs, "And deactivate my Zeedex."

Shirley types on the keyboard, announcing, "Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, off." The light on her silver armband extinguishes. Kate takes a moment to scan the room, hands on hips, and asks, "Well?"

You gently interject, "Uh, hello?"

"Hello," Kate replies promptly, but her narrowed eyes betray suspicion. The Doctor poses a simple question, "How are you?"

"Fine," she responds.

You casually inquire, "Busy day?" Kate's nostrils flare, and she glares at you, retorting, "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just asking. Is that a problem?" you reply, observing the increased spike in brain activity. Kate aggressively points at you, asserting, "It's an invasion of my privacy. In fact, it's an assault on my civic rights. And I think it's highly relevant that the person demanding information from me is an alien."

The Doctor turns to Shirley, nodding in approval for her to activate her Zeedex, and calmly says, "Okay."

However, Kate abruptly interjects, rejecting the Doctor's initiative, "No, no, no, no, no. I think you'll find that I'm in charge here." With a swift motion, she rips off her Zeedex, launching into an impassioned tirade, "And we've been infiltrated by aliens, a man and a woman with two hearts," she points accusatorily at the Doctor, "a man who changes his face and cannot be trusted."

As her anger intensifies, Kate aggressively directs her accusations at Donna and Mel, both with red hair, insinuating a conspiracy. You instinctively step forward, shielding them from Kate's escalating rage.

Growing more incensed, Kate turns her ire towards Shirley, who looks on with mild dissatisfaction. Kate singles out your friend and declares, "And as for her, in that chair. I've seen you walk. I've seen you walking! Don't deny it!"

UNIT soldiers move in to pull Kate away, and she unleashes her fury at you, "And you! This is all your fault! If you hadn't fallen into the bloody time rift, altering the universe with your existence and falling in love with the Doctor—none of this would have happened!"

The soldiers carefully escort Kate away, and the Doctor swiftly positions himself in front of you, protectively shielding you from lingering gazes. You bury your face in his shoulder as Kate continues to shout, "No, you can't stop me. It's about time you heard the truth."

One of the soldiers places the silver band back on Kate's arm and commands, "Activate Zeedex," resulting in a beep and the restoration of the blue light on her band. Kate sits on the floor, panting, as the tension in the room eases.

You lift your head from the Doctor's shoulder and nod, silently assuring him that you're okay. Together, you approach Kate, who is visibly distressed, covering her face with her hand. She breathes out an apology, "I'm sorry."

Both you and the Doctor shake your heads, reassuring her, "No, it's okay."

Gasping for air, Kate turns to Shirley, mortified, realizing the extent of her outburst. She says, "Shirley, I'm so sorry."

Shirley dismisses the need for an apology, "Absolutely no need."

UNIT soldiers help Kate to her feet as she acknowledges, "It's not just me. It keeps spiking inside every single person's head."

"But what does that mean? Is it being beamed in from outside?" Donna inquires. The Vlinx responds, "No. It is natural. It is generated inside the brain."

Donna points out, "But not me. Not Grandad." Mel adds, "Nor me. I'm wearing a Zeedex just in case, but I've been fine. Well, no more opinionated than usual." Donna sighs, "You and me both."

You and the Doctor ponder the situation, and he suggests, "Maybe long-term travel in the TARDIS put you out of sync."

Donna shakes her head and proposes, "Can't you give everyone a Zeedex?" Kate scoffs at the idea, gesturing to the screen behind her, where a late-night talk show host expresses her skepticism, "They're using this to control us and monitor us. And microwave our brains. I am anti-Zeedex!"

The Doctor, in response, asks you to help him with his coat. You take it from him and neatly place it on a chair. He then stands next to Shirley and suggests, "Can we filter this wavelength? Lose the background noise."

Shirley hums in response, typing away on her keyboard, "Uh-huh. Gives us a strong coherent wave in seizure focus. Peaking seven times."

As you consider the recent events, you voice your thoughts, "So, this started two days ago. But why then? What else happened on that day?" Kate responds, "Exactly. We've been looking for a trigger, and there's this."

The screen illuminates with the image of a satellite gracefully orbiting the Earth, accompanied by detailed blueprints on the left side. Kate elucidates, "The KOSAT 5 satellite, launched by South Korea, activated two days ago.”

Shirley, with a swift gesture, adds to the explanation by displaying a live feed of the satellite, which hovers 36,000 kilometers above Earth. Kate expounds further, “KOSAT is the final link in the chain. The world is now 100% online. From the highest mountain to the deepest valley on Earth, everyone is connected.”

"But KOSAT is clean. We’ve checked and double-checked. It’s not like the old Archangel Network. There’s nothing hiding in that signal." Shirley asserts, and the Doctor, with a contemplative hum, adds, “And yet.” He shakes his head, “For the first time in history, everyone has access to this.” He taps on the edge of one of the monitors, saying, “A screen.”

"What if it’s a tune?" Donna asks, prompting you and the Doctor to turn around and face her.

"What?" The Doctor inquires as you move to stand in front of her. Donna continues, "I know we’ve only got minutes left to live, but give me a second." Donna begins to draw lines on a clipboard with a piece of paper as she explains, "Because I spent six months teaching my daughter how to play the recorder till she said, ‘This is not who I am.’ That was the start of a whole other conversation, believe you me.”

She places the sheet of paper on the screen, drawing dots on the corresponding line, “But if… you look at these seven peaks, like this…”

She flips the sheet of paper around, revealing what you recognize to be music notes, and Donna confirms this by saying, “Maybe it's music.”

“A classic arpeggio. Middle C, an octave higher.” Mel says before she sings in arpeggio, “La, la, la, la, la, la, la.”

“Oh.” Kate says as if she remembers something, and you look around to see others having the same reaction, as if they’ve heard it before. You and the Doctor look around and ask, “What? What is it?”

Mel repeats her tune, “La, la, la, la, la, la, la.”

Donna gasps, her eyes slightly watering and her blue eyes shining as she says, “I know that tune.”

“I-I know that from somewhere. What are the notes?” Shirley asks, spinning her chair to face you, and you read them off, “C, E, G, C, G, E, C. It’s a musical palindrome.” Then you sigh, “But it’s just a straightforward arpeggio. Everyone knows arpeggios.”

“It’s a basic tune. So, the question is, why are we all reacting to this one?” Mel asks as everyone looks around at each other. You and the Doctor frown, and he says, “We’re not. The Vlinx?”

“Negative.” The Vlinx replies promptly, and you hum out loud, “Just the humans.”

“It’s just— It’s so familiar. It’s like it’s been buried in my head for years.” Donna says and groans, “What is it?”

Then you hear giggling from across the room, a nearby station. You and the Doctor turn to see Shirley pointing to her screen, a puppet in black and white display as she says, “I found the exact same notes.”

The puppet begins to laugh in arpeggio, and you and the Doctor realize it at the same time. The Doctor says, “Oh, it’s not a tune. It’s a laugh.”

“It’s a puppet.” Kate says as she stares wide-eyed at the screen featuring the puppet.

“The giggle in everyone’s head.” You say as you stand behind Shirley, looking at the monitor as it continues to laugh in the arpeggio notes.

“What is that thing?” Donna asks, and Shirley explains, “Stooky Bill, the first face ever to appear on television. Put there by John Logie Baird himself.”

Donna shakes her head and points at Stooky displayed on the monitor, “I’ve never seen him before, so how do— How do I know that laugh?”

You blink a few times before realizing out loud, saying, “If the very first image has been hiding in every screen since… sneaking into your head, carving a wave, and waiting…”

“But hiding how? If there were secret pictures hiding in every television, we would have found it,” Shirley asks, so sure of herself and UNIT’s capabilities. The Doctor then sassily and in a mocking tone replies, “Oh, why? Because you’re so clever? Maybe Stooky Bill’s a lot smarter than you.” Shirley raises her eyebrows and puckers her lips, somewhat agreeing to the possibility.

“Imagine… if he burnt himself into television itself and every picture ever since, every single one.” You say before taking out your sonic screwdriver, pointing to one of the monitors, and clicking the button. It whizzes, and the image of Stooky Bill appears. The woman who sat by that desk pushes back her chair in shock, and he is mockingly laughing as you hear the notes in the air.

“Screen… after screen, after screen.” You use your sonic screwdriver, tapping on each station's monitor, revealing Stooky Bill as it continues to reverberate its laughs.

The Doctor joins in, using his sonic on an employee’s phone in their hands. He says as he clicks his sonic screwdriver, “And every type of screen.” The Doctor taps on Kate’s tablet, showing the image of Stooky Bill. He says, “Every one and everywhere. He’s inside ‘em all!”

You move to stand in the very front of the room, center, pointing your sonic at the large screens. “And two days ago, he finally connected worldwide, branding his Giggle into your brains.” The sonic screwdriver warbles, and images of Stooky Bill, along with his laugh, appear on the large monitor.

The Doctor stands by your side, adding in a low voice, “Since the very first existence of television. Laughing at the human race. And driving you mad.”

The entire group gathers for a small meeting by the large metal doors that lead to the helipad outside. You stand in a circle, positioned by the Doctor’s side, his glasses tucked away in his pocket. Kate tries to grasp the newfound knowledge as she asks, “But something at that scale, over so many years, who could do that?”

The Doctor's countenance turns wrathful, and you sense the heat and intensity radiating from his body as he retorts, "The puppet’s just a puppet. We’re looking for the puppeteer." He then pauses, taking a deep breath that puffs out his chest as he crosses his arms. Speaking with a low intensity, he adds, "And I’ve got a memory. I think something’s coming back… after a very long time."

Raising his voice to address everyone, he grits his teeth, "But it’s not only the giggle. Don’t go thinking you’ve got an excuse. The human race might be clever and bright and brilliant." His words are delivered with a hint of disgust, "But it’s also savage and venal and relentless."

The Doctor points to the screens showcasing people causing havoc around the world as he vehemently declares, "All the anger out there on the street. The lies, the righteousness." Jabbing a finger at the rest of the group, he continues, "That’s human. That’s you. That’s who you are. Using you’re intelligence to be stupid. Poisoning the world. And hating each other, you’ve never needed any help with that!”

He briefly pauses, toning down his voice as he says, “But today, something else is using your worst attributes. Playing with you. Like toys.” A chill runs down your spine as a distant memory starts to resurface, hinting at an old-time foe returning to wreak havoc. You blink, a hunch forming about who might be orchestrating all of the catastrophe.

“Can we take that satellite out?” The Doctor asks Kate, and she replies promptly, “All missiles are on lockdown, but we’ve got the Galvanic Beam.”

“What range?” You inquire, and Kate explains, “We could pick off a pebble on the moon. Trouble is, taking out a South Korean satellite will have international consequences, so we’ve been waiting for permission. All world leaders are being affected by the Giggle.”

The Doctor nods and says, “You have my permission.” He then looks to you, and you deeply sigh, nodding, “And you have mine.”

Kate nods to Colonel Ibrahim, signaling to get the Galvanic Beam ready. Then, she turns to you and the Doctor, “Thank you, Doctor and Stargazer.” Kate moves past you, announcing to the entire UNIT staff on the floor, “Gold protocol override. All staff, initiate Galvanic activation. Bring up the beam.”

“Platform in motion,” an employee's voice echoes through the speaker as the platform outside the tower shifts downward.

“Shirley, have we got the exact date that Logie Baird made that transmission?” The Doctor asks aloud, to which Shirley responds with determination, “I’ll find it,” and begins clicking away on her keyboard.

“All clear on the helipad,” another employee announces over the speaker as The Doctor walks over to Mel’s station, and you make your way towards Shirley, beginning to help her locate the date of the transmission.

The Doctor leans over Mel’s shoulder, and she says to him, “I fed the KOSAT fake coordinates, so it’s coming into UK orbit. Within range in three minutes.” The Doctor compliments her, “You’re brilliant.” He then looks at her with a smile, “Hello.” Mel replies with her own smile, the kind that reaches her eyes as she says, “Hi.”

You glance over to see the Doctor and Mel chatting as they work, and a sense of happiness and comfort washes over you, knowing Mel is okay. After a few minutes, you hear Mel announce to everyone, “Galvanic Beam payload boarding.”

“Platform locking at level 55,” an employee announces over the intercom, and Mel continues, “Galvanic Beam in position. KOSAT in range in 90 seconds.”

A beep emanates from Shirley’s computer, and your eyes quickly scan over the words before Shirley turns her head and says to the Doctor, “Doctor, Stooky Bill was televised on the 2nd of October 1925 at 22 Frith Street, Soho, W1D 4RF.”

You grab the Doctor’s coat from the chair and hand it to him as he says to Kate, “Fire when ready. Don’t wait for us.” He then looks to Colonel Ibrahim, quickly asking, “TARDIS?”

The Colonel points as he replies promptly, “Suite 17.”

The Doctor grunts, “Okay.” After putting on his coat, he grabs your hand, pulling you along with him as Donna says to you both, “You’re not going without me.”

As you enter the suite and find the TARDIS parked there, the Doctor quickly unlocks it with his key and rushes inside, with you and Donna trailing right behind him. Time’s running out, always running out, and every road you discover disappears under your feet. Because if nothing else, you're given a little time to change the game, a chance to redefine everything.

SOHO — 1925

The TARDIS whooshes and whizzes, finally giving a loud thud as it lands. The Doctor opens the door first, popping his head out to check if it’s safe before allowing you and Donna to step out into the dimly lit alley where the TARDIS is parked. The flickering gas lamps cast a warm glow, highlighting the cobblestone street and the faint echoes of distant chatter.

The Doctor announces to the two of you, “Soho, 1925.”

“So, what about Mel?” Donna asks, wiggling her eyebrows playfully at the two of you. You let out a chuckle, saying, “She’s brilliant, isn’t she?”

Donna laughs with a smile, “Yeah, but I just kept thinking, all this time, you’ve never mentioned her.”

The Doctor addresses Donna with a frown, “Donna, we’re a billion years old. If we stood and talked about everyone we’d ever met, we’d still be in the TARDIS yapping.”

“So you talk about no one ever?” Donna asks, and you look away guiltily. Donna continues, “You just keep charging on.”

“Yes, because I’m busy. Like now,” the Doctor replies.

“But you are busy every second of every day. I mean, look at us now. We haven’t stopped,” Donna points out, and you all come to a halt by the sidewalk. She continues, “I saw you, Doctor. I got a glimpse inside your mind.” The three of you stand on the sidewalk, surrounded by the ambient sounds of 1925 London, as Donna expresses, “And it’s like you’re staggering. You are staggering along. Maybe that’s why your old face came back. You’re wearing yourself out.”

You observe as the Doctor contemplates her words, his expression revealing a momentary reflection on her insight. However, he doesn't directly acknowledge them. Instead, he smoothly shifts the topic, saying, "Stooky Bill might be on Frith Street, but the question is, where did Stooky Bill come from?”

His gaze shifts to the bright red shop on the street labeled Mr. Emporium above the store. The three of you cross the street, anticipation building as you peek through the window. There, you spot someone engaged in a playful exchange with the Doctor, both figures playing peek-a-boo before the mysterious man expertly hops down to conceal himself. The Doctor's expression tightens with anger as he forcefully shoves the door open, pulling back the maroon curtains, and the three of you step into the enchanting toy store.

The atmosphere is filled with wonder and a touch of nostalgia as you take in the whimsical surroundings. Shelves adorned with a myriad of toys, each telling a story of childhood innocence and imagination. The air is scented with a mix of wooden toys, plush animals, and the faint fragrance of freshly painted models.

As you step further into the store, your disbelief intensifies as you recognize the man orchestrating this peculiar encounter. An old foe, one who could have channeled his creativity for good, yet chose to warp reality into a twisted game where play meant suffering for others. Dressed in a crisp white button-up and a vibrant red apron, he skillfully juggles three balls, his voice carrying a distinct German accent as he addresses you, "Die ball is die first game ever being invented."

He throws a ball towards you, only for the Doctor to swiftly intercept it before it makes contact with your stomach. Without missing a beat, the Doctor tosses it away onto the ground. Meanwhile, the man behind the counter continues his mesmerizing juggling act, sharing his narrative, "Stone Age man, he picked up ein rock." The Doctor catches another ball skillfully, and with a nonchalant toss, sends it away.

The rhythmic cadence of his speech, accompanied by the mesmerizing flow of his juggling, weaves an enchanting atmosphere within the toy store. The balls dance through the air, tracing whimsical patterns, adding a touch of magic to the man's storytelling. With a gleam in his eye, he continues narrating, "He said, ‘Oh! Das ist ein Ball.’"

The sequence of throw and catch becomes a rhythmic ballet, each movement a beat in the peculiar symphony unfolding before you. "He threw it, und he killed a man," he declares with a dramatic flair, followed by a nonchalant toss.

Another cycle of throw and catch commences, and he recounts, "He said, ‘Oh, what fun!’" The balls move effortlessly in the air, and the ambiance resonates with a sense of playfulness.

"Und now, everybody loves the balls," he proclaims, the balls gliding through the air in a mesmerizing display. Every throw, catch, and toss adds to the building tension in the tale.

"Until the year five billion. When the very last human picks up the skull of his enemy," he declares, the tone shifting slightly, yet maintaining the captivating rhythm. The balls continue their dance, and he winks as he concludes, "Und said, ‘That is the final ball of all,’ jah?"

As he tosses another ball, the vibrant atmosphere in the toy store takes a sudden turn when Donna, with a determined air, steps forward and effortlessly catches the ball with a single hand. Her gaze, firm and unyielding, pierces through the whimsical scene as she asserts, "Enough."

The man behind the counter raises an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. "Ah, Donna Noble. I wondered which one of you had the balls," he retorts, his words carrying a playful undertone. Donna, taken aback, attempts to brush it off with a casual, "Okay. So you know my name?" The man, still smirking, raises both eyebrows in response.

Curiosity sparking, Donna seeks answers. "How do you three know each other?" she questions, her tone holding a mix of suspicion and intrigue. In response, the Doctor, donning a low, stern tone and a deep frown that accentuates the lines on his face, issues a command, "Star, Donna, go back to the TARDIS." The urgency in his voice hints at a deeper concern, urging them to retreat from the unfolding confrontation.

Donna, wearing a perplexed expression, seeks clarification, "What?"

The Doctor, frustration evident in his gritted teeth, reiterates his command, "Go back to the TARDIS."

You, however, defiantly shake your head. "As much as I love you bossing me around, you do not get to tell me to leave you here with him." The tension in the air thickens, with unspoken concerns lingering between all of you.

"Oh, but he is recognizing me," he says, a mischievous glint in his eyes. You whip your head back to the man behind the counter, the one who revels in tricks and games for sheer amusement. Chaos and discord personified, he continues, "Are you not 'ge-pleased,' Herr Doctor und Stargazer, to see me again after so many years?"

Donna, finally seeking clarity, asks, "Who is he?" Flashbacks of memories flood your mind.

The Doctor answers, "The Toymaker." As the realization sinks in, the atmosphere in the room starts to change.

The Toymaker gives a bow, a theatrical flourish that befits his whimsical yet ominous presence. Abruptly changing accents, he addresses with a menacing tone, "We meet again, Doctor, Stargazer."

But just as swiftly, the Toymaker's demeanor undergoes a shift. Stepping backward, he adopts a German accent, prompting curiosity. "But think, if the ball was the very first game, what was the second?"

With a mischievous grin, he seizes both ends of the curtain behind him and declares, "Hide-and-seek!" The Toymaker pulls the curtain shut, his laughter echoing in the room in those distinctive arpeggio notes.

The Doctor vaults over the counter, deftly pushing aside the two curtains, only to discover the Toymaker's disappearance. Behind the curtains lies a door, and with a quick turn of the copper-colored knob, the Doctor reveals a seemingly endless hallway. Warm-toned lights bathe the corridor in a gentle glow, wooden floorboards creak, and numerous doors line both sides of the mysterious passage.

As the Doctor steps forward, guided by an instinct you and Donna share, the door abruptly slams shut behind both of you. Turning sharply, the Doctor commands, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Go back.” With a quick twist of the doorknob, it should logically lead you out, but instead, it reveals the same seemingly endless hallway. Donna, her mouth agape, exclaims, “It’s bigger than the shop. Don’t tell me he’s got his own TARDIS.”

“The TARDIS is an idea the Toymaker would throw away,” the Doctor spits out with disdain as you three stride down the hallway. He continues, “We’ve stepped inside his domain, and it’s governed by the rules of play.” The Doctor turns to the door on his left, confidently opening it. Donna and you follow him, but just as the door slams shut, you find yourselves still trapped in the long, mysterious hallway.

“Okay. Keep going forward,” the Doctor instructs, stepping ahead with you and Donna in tow. Donna, perplexed, shakes her head and remarks, “But how does this even make sense? 'Cause I’ve seen some things with you two. I’ve seen Ood, Davros. I mean, the Adipose, for God’s sake.”

The Doctor twists another doorknob, taking a chance with the door to his left, only for it to transport you three back into the hallway. Donna continues, “But they had a sort of logic. Daleks built a great big bomb. I understood that. But this— this is impossible. How does it exist?”

The Doctor grits his teeth, growling, “That’s what unravels me. All the laws I cling to, gone.” He spins, opening another door only to lead you three back into the hallway. Moving to the opposite door, he finds it locked and slams his palm against the wood in frustration before pressing on down the hall.

Donna moves closer to you two and asks, “Who is the Toymaker? What is he?”

The Doctor turns to face Donna, explaining, “When I was young, I was so sure of myself. I made a terrible mistake. I let the TARDIS fall into another realm.” The Doctor opens a door, and you follow him as he continues, “A hollow beneath the Under Universe, where science is a game and all of us are toys.”

He pauses, taking a deep breath. "It's also how the Stargazer ended up with us, but that's something I will never regret." You softly remark, "A rift in the universe..." The Doctor quickly kisses your forehead, saying, "And it brought me you, my love."

After a moment, the Doctor struggles with another stubborn door, wiggling the doorknob in frustration. "I beat the Toymaker. I won his game, but now he's here. He's found his way into reality."

As he opens the door to the right, leading the three of you back into the hallway, he stills and sighs. "And I think it's all because of me."

You exchange a glance with the Doctor, shaking your head in disagreement. However, before you can utter a word, he cuts you off, his gaze intense. "'Cause I got clever, didn't I? I cast that salt at the edge of the universe. Thought I could have it all," he admits, his eyes locked onto yours. "I thought I could finally have you. I played a game and let him in, an elemental force with the power of a god, and he’s driven the human race mad with a puppet.”

Donna begins, “Yeah, but you always say—” the Doctor shakes his head and mockingly replies as he walks backward down the hall raising his voice, “Oh, what do I say? What do I say? What do I say?”

“‘Cause I’m always so certain. I’m all sonic and TARDIS and Time Lord. Take that away.” The Doctor says and defeatedly shrugs, “Take away the toys. What am I?” He chokes a little as his eyes glaze over, repeating, “What am I now?”

The Doctor looks to you and Donna as he offers a variation of the truth, “I don’t know if I can save your life this time.” The vulnerability in his voice echoes through the corridor, a stark departure from his usual confident demeanor.

Donna raises her eyebrows, her gaze shifting between you and the Doctor. “It’s not about me,” she asserts.

You meet Donna's gaze and respond, “Oh, yes, it is.”

With a nonchalant shrug and a deep breath, Donna begins, “Well,” and then she steps a little forward, flashing a determined smile, “Maybe I’ll save you, you big idiot.” Through the perplexing hallway, the chatter reverberates with a mixture of warmth and friendliness as you all chuckle.

"Anyway, you beat him before," Donna points out, and the Doctor wears a contemplative frown. "That’s the problem. Odd-on I’ll lose next time."

Donna dismisses the notion with a shake of her head. "Nope. Doesn’t work like that. Because my dad used to say, ‘Dice didn’t know what the dice did last time.’ Games don’t have a memory. Every game starts from scratch."

After a moment of letting the words settle, the Doctor nods with a genuine smile. "Oh, I like that. Well said, Dad." He takes a deep breath before suggesting, "Okay. Shall we find the right door?"

The Doctor swiftly dashes to one of the doors, opening them one after the other. You and Donna struggle to keep up, the anticipation heightening. Suddenly, one of the heavy doors slams shut behind Donna, separating you from her. Then the door in front of Donna slams shut, also separating her from the Doctor, the echoes of the closing door lingering in the air. 

You sense your fingernails biting into the palm of your hand, forming a tight fist as you strike the door with the side of your fists. An exasperated cry escapes your lips as you press your forehead against the wooden door. You shut your eyes, tears trickling down your cheeks. Slowly, you lower your hands to your sides, then raise them, placing them at the back of your neck in an attempt to regain composure.

You take a deep breath, letting the air fill your lungs before releasing it in a resounding exhale. Pushing away from the door, you continue down the corridor. A distinct pull guides you to a door on the right. Twisting the knob, you pull the door open and step into a room filled with standing mirrors encased in plastic frames. As you survey the surroundings, the door slams shut behind you, making you flinch and glance back.

Turning your head forward, you're met with various incarnations of the Doctor—past and present—alongside friends and companions, all staring back at you through the mirrors. Their gaze penetrates through you. The mirrors shift, forming two opposing lines, resembling portraits guiding you towards a solitary dresser and a seat. On the creaky wooden floors, you move delicately, feeling like a doll as the eyes of your own reflections track your every step down the mirrored pathway.

You eventually reach the dresser, and the seat smoothly pulls out from underneath it. Hesitant, you lower yourself onto it, only to find that your own reflection is not what greets you. Instead, it's the Toymaker, wearing a smug expression as he says, “Ah, yes, the Stargazer. Oh, how I’ve missed you, old friend.”

You cross your arms and raise your eyebrows, “If that’s what you want to call it, sure.”

The Toymaker’s expression shifts to a sour one as his face scrunches up, “We were friends, we had such wonderful games in our little dollhouse until the Doctor stole you away from me.”

You shake your head as you say sternly, “He didn’t take me away from you.”

The Toymaker childishly rolls his eyes as he also crosses his arms, “Admit it. You were happy. Happier to be blissfully unaware of who you are when we were in our universe.”

You shake your head as you feel your eyes glaze over, pressing your lips, trying to steady your breathing. Softly, you spoke, “You were controlling me. You were trying to mold me into something… that had to be exceptional to be worthwhile.”

You sniff as you continue, “You never cared about me or any of it. You only wanted to play your games and win. And the one time I won… I saw your true nature and never let me out of that box.”

You gaze directly into the Toymaker's eyes, inquiring, “How? How did you end up here?”

He tilts his head and smiles, “The Doctor may have cast that salt, but that was just the door. You being here, allowing yourself to exist in this reality, my dear, you were the key. The Doctor merely provided the key, and voila. Here I am.”

The Toymaker shifts before he hums and then says nonchalantly, “Well, this was so much fun… us two friends catching up. We should do this more often.”

You narrow your eyes as you shake your head, “Don’t you dare hurt them.”

The Toymaker grins, “Well, what’s the fun in that?”

The room around you seems to blur as a heaviness settles in your chest, the weight of your choices and the consequences of your time with the Toymaker bearing down on you. The mirrors that once reflected various versions of yourself, your friends, and the Doctor now seem to mock your vulnerability.

Your face shifts to anger as you grab your sonic screwdriver, raise it to the mirror, and press the button, causing the illusion to shatter. There is no glass in the mirror because, on the other side of it, is you—freed from the false reflections that sought to define you.

You rise from your seat, hastening as the glass mirrors rupture behind you, fragments and shards soaring through the air. Grabbing the doorknob, you wrench the door open, hurtling into the hallway just as the door behind you slams shut.

Anticipating the impact of the hard hallway floor, you're surprised to find yourself enveloped in sturdy arms, the familiar texture of the Doctor’s coat reassuring. "Whoa! Darling, there you are," he exclaims.

Speechless, you encircle him with your arms, finding solace in the warmth he provides. He eases back, cradling the side of your head, and you yield to the touch, trying to ground yourself in the reassurance that you're still alive, still breathing. Life may have presented challenges, love may have left its mark, and certain experiences may have etched an ache in your soul, yet, you survived.

The Doctor scans your face and says, “You’ve been crying. What’s wrong? What happened? Did he hurt you?”

You sniffle as you shake your head frantically, “No, I’m just… I’m sorry.”

The Doctor frowns, “What for?”

“It’s my fault. All of this is my fault.”

“No. I cast that salt—”

“Yes, but since I’m here, in this reality. I allowed him to exist here as well. It’s my fault. I’m so sorry.”

The Doctor pulls you in closer, tightly wrapping his arms around your frame as he asks, “Did he tell you that?”

You merely make a squeak as you nod into his chest, “It makes sense—”

“No. It’s— I refuse to believe it. I won’t.”

You began, “But—”

The Doctor pauses, his gaze softening, and he says, “No, my love. It's not your fault. Don't let his games mess with your mind. We'll figure this out together.”

You let go of your ghosts and your worries for once. It was just one step, but it said plenty. That you've been cut off from the outside world for such a large portion of your existence dawns on you. That you devoted so much of your life to a version of existence that was cut off from believing in the good and the beautiful as a means of survival, that you tried so hard to shield yourself from the love you so desperately needed.

You knew that you wouldn’t find a love that was perfect, but you found a love that was real. The kind that sees you and brings down your walls, that asks you to share parts of your soul you have tucked away and kept hidden from the world.

Suddenly, the creak of another door opening startles both of you, prompting a swift turn of your heads. Your heart skips a beat as you spot your fiery-haired friend. You exclaim, “Donna!”

“Oh, my god!” Donna exclaims, and the Doctor responds, “There you are!” As you eagerly move forward to embrace Donna, the room undergoes a rapid metamorphosis, transforming into a puppeteer theatre, with the Toymaker standing at its center.

Fanfare resonates in the background through concealed speakers as the Toymaker speaks in German, “Kommen Sie, kommen sie!”

Three chairs materialize from behind you, smoothly rolling forward and obliging you to take a seat upon them as they advance towards where the Toymaker stands.

"The show is just beginning. Worldwide premiere," the Toymaker announces, vanishing momentarily only to reappear behind the puppet theatre at the center. He addresses Donna Noble, "This is for you. Let me tell you what happened when the Doctor, he was leaving you."

Lifting the cross brace of the string puppet, he continues, "He met a friend called Amy Pond. And he loved Amy Pond." The strings sway as he manipulates the Amy puppet. "Yes, he be liking die redheads." A playful wink is followed by, "And they went to and fro in time und space."

The Toymaker's tone darkens as he narrates, "But Amy Pond was touched by the Weeping Angel. And she died." He grabs a large pair of scissors, severing the strings of the puppet, rendering it limp and lifeless.

The Doctor's expression turns grim and angry as he grits his teeth, "She died of old age."

Quickly shifting to an American accent, the Toymaker mockingly remarks, "Well, that’s alright then."

Continuing in his vibrant German accent, the Toymaker orchestrates the descent of a new puppet onto the stage, "Und then he was meeting Clara. Mmm." He adds, "But she was killed by a bird." Another snip of the strings leaves the puppet limp and lifeless.

The Doctor growls, "She still survives in her last second of life."

"Well, that’s alright then!" The Toymaker replies in his mocking American accent.

The Toymaker continues in his vibrant German accent, placing another puppet on the stage, "Und then the Doctor met Bill." Strings are pulled as he continues, "Not Stooky Bill, but lady Bill. But she was killed by the Cybermen." With a snip, the puppet falls to the floor, lifeless.

The Doctor's lip trembles, jaw set, as he asserts in a raised tone, "But her consciousness survives."

"Oh, well, that’s alright then!" The Toymaker retorts once more in his mocking American accent. He then transitions to a new scene with stars and planets descending, connected with strings. Cutting the strings, he comments with feigned remorse, "Und then there came die Flux. Oh, Donna Noble, the poor Doctor." The Toymaker continues to sever the strings attached to the planets, remarking, "Die Flux was killing everything."

"Is all of this true?" Donna asks in disbelief, leaving you frozen and unsure of what to do or say.

The Doctor abruptly stands up, his gaze locked onto the Toymaker's eyes as he lowers his tone, the gruffness evident, "I challenge you to a game."

The Toymaker's expression drops, his nostrils flare, and he strides toward the table. The Doctor meets him at the other end, and they lock eyes, a tense silence enveloping them.

The two of them settle into seats across from each other as the Toymaker mysteriously conjures a deck of cards. In a refined British accent, he declares, “I accept the challenge.”

The Doctor retorts, “You have no choice.”

With an air of a magician, the Toymaker skillfully shuffles the deck of cards, his hands moving with deliberate precision. "I came to this universe with such delight, and I played them all, Doctor." The Toymaker lays down the cards in a line, maintaining his magical flair. "I toyed with supernovas, turned galaxies into spinning tops."

He holds the two halves of the deck and continues, "I gambled with God and made him a jack-in-the-box." Flipping the cards, he shuffles the deck, his eyes locked onto the Doctor's. "I made a jigsaw out of your history. Did you like it?"

"The Master was dying and begged for his life with one final game. And when he lost, I sealed him for all eternity inside my gold tooth." The Toymaker says, a sly smile accompanying the gesture to his shiny gold tooth. However, his tone turns grave and haunted as he continues, "There’s only one player I didn’t dare face. The one who waits."

Both you and the Doctor furrow your brows, and the Doctor questions, “Who’s that?”

The Toymaker's gaze becomes distant as he recalls, “I saw it. Hiding. And I ran.”

“What do you mean?” The Doctor presses, and the Toymaker shakes his head, “Mmm. That’s someone else’s game.” Placing the deck of cards neatly on the table, he asks, “What shall we play?”

“One request. Tell me,” The Doctor starts, his tone curious, “The human race, back in the future. Why does everyone think they’re right?”

The Toymaker smirks knowingly and replies, “So that they win. I made every opinion supreme. That’s the game of the 21st century. They shout, they type, and they cancel. So I fixed it. Now everybody wins.”

“And everyone loses,” you remark, your eyebrows furrowing in contemplation. The Toymaker smiles, acknowledging the truth, “The never-ending game.” He then turns to the Doctor, prompting, “Now name your challenge.”

“The simplest game of all. Let’s cut,” the Doctor proposes, and the Toymaker grins, “Highest card wins.”

“Aces high,” the Doctor asserts.

“You choose,” the Toymaker replies.

“I’ll go first,” the Doctor declares.

Then Donna interjects, “But he’ll cheat.”

You, the Toymaker, and the Doctor quickly disagree, simultaneously stating, “No.” The Toymaker's face turns sour, offended by the accusation, “Shame.”

“That’s the one thing he won’t do,” the Doctor asserts, and Donna points out, “But they’re his cards. He’s all tricks. Of course, he’ll cheat.”

You then explain, “The only rules the Toymaker follows are the rules of the game. They bind his entire existence. The Doctor wins or he loses, and that’s it.”

The Toymaker glowers at the Doctor as he says, “Then play.”

The Doctor seizes the top deck of cards, turning it to reveal the Eight of Clubs. A sinking feeling creeps into the pit of your stomach as you calculate the odds, not liking the prospects for the Doctor.

The Toymaker raises an eyebrow with a smug expression, “My turn.” He grabs a portion of the deck, turning it to reveal the King of Hearts. Gripping the sides of your chair, you feel a sense of dread as the Toymaker laughs, “I’m the King.”

Switching back to his German accent, he declares excitedly, “Und now, meine kleine Doctor, we will see what is my prize!”

The Doctor responds, “One… all.”

A light laugh of relief escapes you, realizing the Doctor had a backup plan in case he lost. Leaning across the table, the Doctor's words make the Toymaker's expression drop, “I won the game many years ago. You’ve won today, which leaves us equal. And you know two players are bound by one inviolable rule.”

The Toymaker sneers as he begrudgingly admits, “Best of three.”

The Doctor nods, “Best of three.”

The Toymaker purses his lips in annoyance, narrowing his eyes before saying, “Then let’s make it 2023.” He suddenly pulls a curtain from the side, quickly vanishing as the red velvet cloth clatters to the floor. The room transforms, and you hear the creaking of wood.

Both you and the Doctor exclaim, “Donna!”

Donna has already sprung from her chair, responding, “I’m already running!”

As you run, the structure behind you collapses in on itself, the scratching and groaning of wood as it folds in the hallway. Eventually, you make it out of the shop, running into the streets and stopping from across the street to see the entire building fold itself neatly into a box on the ground.

Donna points out, "He said 2023," and the Doctor responds as his chest puffs out a breath, "Winner takes all."

UNIT HEADQUARTERS, LONDON — DAY, 2023

Once the TARDIS had landed, you and Donna hurriedly followed the Doctor, who carried the box containing the Toymaker's shop. As you reached the main area of operations, the Doctor placed the red box on Melanie's desk and instructed, "Keep an eye on that."

Stepping up on one of the desks, the Doctor addressed everyone in a loud tone, "The satellite was only a link in the chain, so Donna needs access to the subframe. There is no one in London faster on a keyboard. She’s creating a template for this." He produced a flash drive and explained, "It coordinates all telescopes and satellites and deep-space scans across the Earth." Tossing the flash drive to Shirley, who deftly caught it.

Turning to the Vlinx, the Doctor requested, "The Vlinx, I need all mesh reflectors on Earth translated to digital five."

As Donna worked on the keyboard, Mel replied to Donna's question, "Dynamic. We’re using triad."

Donna nodded in understanding, typing rapidly, "Got ya. Okay, so you should all be receiving this now."

"How bad is it, Doctor, Star?" Kate asked with concern. The Doctor responded with a warning tone, "Something entered this world in 1925. I don’t know how. And I warn you, this thing can get from 1925 to now like stepping through a door."

He shoved his hands into his pockets and continued, "But if we’re lucky, the program the Stargrazer created can detect the decay of an energy signature from 98 years ago. Might be on Earth. Might be in orbit. Might be in space. But if we can find the entrance, maybe we can turn it into an exit."

"What are we fighting?" Kate asked, and you responded grimly, "An elemental force beyond the rules of the universe."

Shirley then inquired with a puzzled tone, "What’s that supposed to mean?"

The Doctor gave her a look and explained, "You think life is a balance between order and chaos, but the universe is not binary." As the Spice Girls' "Spice Up Your Life" began playing from somewhere, he continued, "Far from it. There is order and chaos, and then there is play." Pointing to the ceiling, he asked, "What’s that?"

"Could you turn that off, please?" Kate requested, and Melanie, standing from her chair, asked, "Who is that?"

The Doctor groaned, "Oh, I think he’s here."

The Toymaker entered the scene like a Broadway hurricane, dressed as a band leader with his hair curled and styled. A door suddenly appearing with the bell jingling as he strutted forward. Confetti popped, lights flashed, and the Toymaker lip-synced to the Spice Girls' song playing from an unknown location.

"When you're feelin' sad and low

We will take you where you gotta go"

The door materialized behind you, the bell jingling as the Toymaker stepped out, dancing and lifting his hat, grooving to the music. You and the Doctor stood there, unimpressed, wearing a fed-up expression.

The Toymaker, immersed in the infectious beats of the Spice Girls, continued his impromptu performance. With infectious enthusiasm, he teleported across various areas of the headquarters, seamlessly syncing his lip movements to the lyrics of the song. His dance was a spectacle of exaggerated expressions, capturing the vibrant spirit of the Spice Girls' anthem.

As the music echoed through the room, the Toymaker made flamboyant movements, teleporting next to Shirley. With flair, he held up a phone, lip-syncing passionately to the lyrics.

"Smilin', dancin', everything is free

All you need is positivity"

The Toymaker's energetic dance moves and lively expressions added a surreal touch to the otherwise serious atmosphere of the operation.

“Colours of the world

Spice up your life”

Teleporting with theatrical finesse, he continued his spirited performance, engaging with the song's upbeat tempo.

“Every boy and every girl

Spice up your life”

The Toymaker, a delightful force of whimsy, twirled and danced with infectious energy, infusing the tension-filled room with an unexpected burst of joy.

“People of the world

Spice up your life

Aah

Slam it to the left

If you're havin' a good time

Shake it to the right

If ya know that you feel fine

Chicas to the front

Ha ha (uh uh)

Go round”

With each step, he appeared and disappeared, dancing effortlessly to the rhythm. In a sudden move, the Toymaker materialized next to Kate, seamlessly incorporating her into his lively dance. However, the exuberant twirl proved too much, and Kate, spun too fast, and collided with a wall.

Undeterred, the Toymaker vanished and reappeared beside Melanie, pulling her into an impromptu dance as UNIT soldiers point their weapon at him.

“Slam it to the left

If you're havin' a good time

Shake it to the right

If ya know that you feel fine

Chicas to the front”

The Toymaker spun Melanie like a spinning top, prompting your alarmed cry, "Melanie!" Both you and the Doctor rushed to her aid as she tumbled to the ground, the unexpected dance taking an unforeseen turn.

"La la la la la la la la la

La la la la la la la"

Kate regains her composure, brushing off her slacks with a determined air as she commands the UNIT soldiers, "Detain him!"

In response, a contingent of UNIT soldiers swiftly advances, attempting to apprehend the whimsical Toymaker. The Doctor's warning echoes in the air, “No, don’t!” However, defying the Doctor's urgent plea, the Toymaker playfully taps the soldiers, transforming them into vibrant, bouncing balls that clatter across the floor.

"What happened to them?" Kate urgently inquires, and you, wearing a grimace, shake your head, "They're dead. I'm sorry. Just stop it. Let me talk to him."

The Toymaker confidently struts down the center aisle among the stations, seizing the attention of everyone. Kate seizes the opportunity and commands the remaining UNIT soldiers, "On my command, open fire!"

"Take him out, take him out!"

Despite the barrage of gunfire from the UNIT troops, the bullets magically transform into a cascade of delicate rose petals, scattering around the office in a surreal display. The Toymaker, reveling in the chaos, gleefully glances atop a table as more rose petals dance in the air.

"Yellow man in Timbuktu

Colourful, both me and you

Kung Fu fighting, dancing queen

Tribal spaceman and all that's in between"

Undeterred, more UNIT soldiers step in, brandishing larger firearms. Kate urgently yells, "Get down!" Yet, instead of bullets, they too unleash a storm of rose petals towards the Toymaker, amplifying the confusion and chaos in the headquarters.

Now seated on the floor, the Toymaker whimsically creates a rose petal angel, moving his arms and legs in a playful display as he swims amidst the never-ending fall of petals, still lip-syncing to the song.

"Colours of the world (Spice up your life)

Every boy and every girl (Spice up your life)

People of the world (Spice up your life, ah)"

As the Toymaker gracefully walks away from the floral aftermath, he makes his exit, singing the last part of the song and forming a heart with his hands.

"Hai, sí, ja! Hold tight!"

With a resounding honk, he disappears into the floor, leaving the bewildered onlookers shaken and utterly confused about the bizarre turn of events.

The Doctor swiftly dashes forward, sliding to his knees with palms pressed to the floor in an attempt to catch the Toymaker, yet the space where he once stood appears empty, as if he were an illusion.

While Donna tends to Mel, you approach the Doctor, who rises to his feet. Kate's inquiry breaks the moment, "Doctor, Stargazer, who is he?"

Breathing heavily, you respond, "The Toymaker."

"How does he do that?" Shirley questions from her wheelchair, seeking understanding.

Ignoring the query, the Doctor directs urgently, "The Vlinx, speed up those scans. I need those results." He then turns to the group, nostrils flaring, and commands, "All of you, search the building. He’s still here. Where’s he gone?"

Soldiers take charge, securing the perimeter, while Shirley persists, "But how does he do it?" The Doctor, resolute, explains in a low tone, "If I told you he manipulates atoms with the power of thought, would you believe it?"

Shirley ponders for a moment before responding, "Is that what he does?"

The Doctor shakes his head, "No. You can’t fight him, Shirley. There’s nothing you can do."

A sudden noise interrupts the conversation—a bell tinkling. Hushing everyone, you urge, "Listen. Listen."

The ringing intensifies. Kate steps towards the automatic door leading to the helipad, and you follow suit. There, on the helipad, the Toymaker stands alone, dressed in an aviator outfit, ringing the doorbell. Kate exclaims, "Oh, my God. He’s got the Galvanic Beam." Reacting swiftly, you and the Doctor rush onto the helipad. The Toymaker sits on the chair of the Galvanic Beam, swinging it as he excitedly exclaims in German, "Achtung, Achtung! Backen Sie."

Kate, Donna, Shirley, and Mel, carrying the box, join you on the helipad along with the UNIT soldiers. The Toymaker continues, with his goggles on and his exaggerated German accent, "Oh, how I am liking this, the gun mit the laser und the bang und the boom."

The Doctor turns back to the group, urgently shouting, "Go back inside! Get back, get back!"

The Toymaker, however, dismisses the idea, insisting, "No, no, no, no, no. Every game is ge-needing an audience, ja."

Now it's your turn to raise your voice, "Get back inside!" Yet, the Toymaker, maintaining his defiance, sternly disagrees, "Und I said nein!" He takes aim at the glass higher up the building, shattering it. The team below reacts with startled cries as you and the Doctor shoot furious glares at the Toymaker.

Removing his goggles, the Toymaker switches to a British accent, calmly stating, "Now we can all have some fun."

Kate steps forward, undeterred and unafraid, confronting the Toymaker with a determined gaze. "Where are my staff? The beam had a pilot, and the armourer and the ground staff. Where are they?"

“I think they're still falling,” the Toymaker replies, and then a faint thud in the distance is followed by the sound of glass shattering.

The Doctor bares his teeth, anger etched across his face as he stomps forward and confronts the Toymaker, “I don't understand why you're so small!” The Toymaker’s face shifts into a frown, his features scrunching up as the Doctor continues his impassioned confrontation, “You can turn bullets into flowers. Think of the good you could do. So tell me why you don't!”

The Toymaker responds with resounding sureness, "You know full well this is merely a face concealing a vastness that will never cease, because your good and your bad are nothing to me. All that exists is to win or to lose."

“And you know full well that I've had many faces, containing something far more,” the Doctor begins. You inch closer to him as he grabs your hand, offering the Toymaker a compelling invitation, “So come with us. Leave this tiny world. We can take your games back to the stars. We can play across the cosmos. We can be... Celestial.”

You watch as the Toymaker’s gaze shifts between the two of you, “The Time Lords, and the Toymaker?”

You nod, extending your hand, “Infinite games.”

A moment of anticipation hangs in the air as you hope for his acceptance. However, the Toymaker's expression shifts to one of indifference as he uses the controller of the Galvanic Beam. Turning to survey London, he begins, “And yet…” The soldiers cautiously retreat as the Toymaker observes the destruction and chaos engulfing the city.

“I have fallen in love with humanity. This world is the ultimate playground. All of the sport, the matches, the medals, the gambling, and the anger, and the children shackled to their bedrooms with their joysticks and their buttons. You make games out of bricks falling upon other bricks. You are exceptional,” the Toymaker remarks, and you signal the troops to halt their advance. The Toymaker gasps, “And then there are the mind games. Oh, the dating and ghosting, the deceit and the control. You make me dizzy. I am in no hurry to leave this place.”

He swivels the turret around, a maniacal glint in his eye as he chuckles, “We can play Grandma's Footsteps.” He gleefully fires at the soldiers' feet, forcing them to hastily retreat, "And Off-Ground Touch."

“Ah! Stop, stop, stop, stop!” You plead helplessly as the Toymaker, a sinister smirk on his face, persists in aiming the Galvanic Beam at your companions. He remarks, "Shooting ducks. Who's up next? The companion? The soldier? The scientist? The orphan?"

The Doctor charges ahead, bellowing and thumping his chest defiantly, "Your fight is with me!" The Toymaker directs the beam towards the Doctor, declaring, "And you owe me! One more ga—"

His words abruptly cease as the Toymaker unleashes the Galvanic Beam, piercing through the Doctor's torso. A gut-wrenching scream escapes your lips, and you desperately attempt to rush towards him, only to be forcefully restrained by Donna and Kate. Helplessly, you bear witness to the Doctor's anguished ordeal.

The Toymaker proclaims, “I played the first game with one Doctor. I played the second game with this Doctor. Therefore, your own rules have decreed I play the third game with the next Doctor.” As the beam deactivates, you extricate yourself from Donna and Kate's grasp, hastening to reach your Doctor who has descended to his knees on the ground. Regeneration energy begins to shimmer around him, and you sniffle as you cradle him close, feeling his feeble arm wrap around you.

Tears stream down your face as you murmur, "Hey, hey... I'm right here."

You sense his touch, brushing away your tears as he utters, "Hello, my sweet Stargazer... I’ve been alone for so long. Oh, how I've missed you." A resonant sniff escapes you as you reply, "I'm so sorry. For running. For leaving. For everything, I’m sorry.”

He softly hushes you, "No. None of that. It's not your fault." A wistful smile gently paints his face. "I love you." You release a sob, "I love you too."

"Marry me?" The Doctor proposes, managing to flash you a boyish grin. You can't help but emit a weak laugh, "Right now?"

"Whenever, wherever you like. Just say yes."

"You already know I’d say yes, you idiot!" you retort.

"Say it, please," he murmurs, and you nod as tears continue to fall from your cheeks, "Of course, I'll marry you. I’ll marry you as many times as you want. As many lifetimes as you want."

As the regeneration energy glows brighter, Donna steps forward, yelling loudly to the Toymaker, “He's not dying alone. You can do what you like to me. I'm going to be with them both.”

“And so am I,” Mel declares, setting the box down and approaching the other side of the Doctor along with Donna.

The Toymaker allows it, nodding, “Handmaidens.”

“It's okay,” Donna says, and the Doctor responds, “It's not dying.” Donna nods in understanding, adding, “I know. But…”

Mel smiles as she interjects, “You're going to be someone else. It doesn't matter who because every single one of you is fantastic.”

The Doctor’s eyes glaze as he feels the regeneration energy glow brighter and stronger, surging throughout his body, “It's time. Here we go again. Allons-y!”

The energy fizzles out, and the Doctor hasn't changed his face, leaving you all blinking in confusion as he lets out an, “Um.”

The Doctor’s brow furrows as Donna asks, “What... What's happening?”

Looking to you, the Doctor asks in an even more confused tone, “Could you... pull?”

With your mouth agape and wide-eyed, you inquire, “Could I... what?” The Doctor looks to Mel and Donna to his left, saying, “And you.”

“What do you mean?” Mel asks, and the Doctor blinks as stands up and replies, “Pull! Just pull each way. I don't know. It feels different this time.” The three of you begin to pull in each way, and the Doctor exclaims, “Ow! Oh.”

Regeneration surges and flares up once more, and out pops the head and shoulders of the new Doctor, number 15. You all gasp in shock, and you're the first to say, “What?”

“What?” Donna and Mel ask in unison.

“What?!” The Toymaker exclaims.

“No way,” the other part of the Doctor exclaims, and your Doctor responds with glee, “You're me.”

The new regeneration of the Doctor smiles, a toothy grin spreading across his face as he says, “No, I'm me. I think I'm really, really me. Oh, ho-ho, I am completely me! Don't just stand there, push!”

Your Doctor poses the question once more, "Do what?" to which his other half retorts, "Push."

"What— Does this work?" Your Doctor questions and the new one responds with a laugh, "I don't know."

They part ways entirely, each now clad in half of the other one's attire. Your Doctor sports the undershirt, vest, and trousers, and is left barefoot. Meanwhile, as far as your memory serves, the 15th regeneration of the Doctor is now adorned in a button-up shirt, tie, sneakers, and underwear. You purse your lips as you try to hide your smile and feel a warmth spreading out your face as you realize your Doctor isn’t wearing any underwear. You decide to pocket that bit of information for later.

A surge of joy and laughter fills the air as the 15th Doctor exclaims, "Hello!" Arms outstretched in a welcoming embrace, he moves towards your Doctor, continuing to laugh, "So good to see you! So good!"

Turning his attention to you, a broad grin decorates his face as he rushes towards you, enveloping you in a warm hug and lifting you off the ground, spinning you around. A yelp of surprise and glee escapes you, and you notice a twinge of jealousy in your Doctor's expression. However, you shoot him a look, a gentle reminder that they are one and the same.

The 15th Doctor lets out hearty laughter before addressing everyone, "Now, someone tell me what the hell is going on here."

"Excuse me. Sorry, but..." Kate begins, and Shirley interjects, "How did that happen?"

"Bi-generation. I have bi-generated! There's no such thing. Bi-generation is supposed to be a myth, but... look at me.” He chuckles and stretches as his joints crack, “Yeah, myth, myth, myth," the 15th Doctor declares with a jolly tone, turning to Mel and inquiring, "Mel, what do you think?"

Mel smiles widely as she gazes at the 15th Doctor, "I think you're beautiful."

Your Doctor furrows his brow, questioning, "Still beautiful?"

"Yeah," Mel responds.

Donna, taking in the new Doctor with a rich deep ebony skin tone, asks, "Do you come in a range of colours?"

To which all the Time Lords reply with a resounding, "Yes."

You hear the Toymaker clear his throat and begin, pointing the beam at the two Doctors, "If I can interrupt... Behold the game of the Time Lords. A dummy who dies and doubles and dies and doubles. I could play this for 100 years. I'll have vast meadows of Doctors dying over and over again, and I'll never get bored because…"

The two Doctors step forward in unison, declaring, "I challenge you to a game."

The Toymaker's face sours, and he tosses his goggles, shifting into a frown. "But there's two of you."

Your Doctor asserts, "I'm the Doctor," and the 15th remarks, "And I'm the Doctor."

Your Doctor smirks, "And according to the rules, you can't say no."

The Toymaker stammers, "But that's cheating."

“How?” both Doctors say simultaneously, and your Doctor continues, “It's your game, and you did this.”

The Toymaker is at a loss for words, stammering, "But…"

Your Doctor smiles, "You doubled us."

“So, who am I marrying then—” You interject, and the two Doctors exclaim, “Me!”

Your eyebrows shoot up, eyes widening in response. "Y’know what, that seems like an issue for later."

The Toymaker interjects, stating, "I accept your challenge." Stepping off the Galvanic Beam, your Doctor commands everyone in a commanding voice, "Get back." In compliance, everyone takes a few steps back.

“Moments like these are a joy, when someone thinks they can outwit the maker of the games. Do you think a grand total of two can cause me to shiver when I've played against the Guardians of Time and Space and shrank them into voodoo dolls? Name your challenge, Doctor,” the Toymaker says, and you mockingly yawn, eliciting a glare from him.

“You said it. The first game ever,” the 15th Doctor states, and your Doctor finishes his thoughts, “The ball.”

The Toymaker conjures a ball from thin air and declares, “Catch? Of course, before we begin, there is one thing to remember. It's a simple game, really, but I think…”

Suddenly, the Toymaker hurls the ball towards your Doctor at an astonishing speed, making contact with his chest just as he finishes his sentence, “…if you drop it, you lose.”

Your Doctor catches the ball, releasing a deep breath, “Nice.”

The ball is tossed around in a flurry. You can only watch as it keeps getting passed and tossed. Eventually, the 15th Doctor throws it extremely far to your Doctor, causing him to tumble and dive to catch it from the 15th.

Your Doctor looks at the 15th with wide eyes, his chest puffing out breaths as he exclaims, “Hey! I'm on your side!”

15th sheepishly replies, “I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!”

The game of catch persists, and you nervously bite your nails as you observe the trio. There are numerous extreme throws and catches, accompanied by near misses, until the 15th Doctor imparts enough spin on the ball. It glances off the Toymaker's fingers, tumbling over the building's edge.

The Toymaker pants in disbelief, beginning, "But—"

“We won!” Your Doctor asserts, and the 15th adds, “We did it. Fair game. You lost.”

Attempting to salvage the situation, the Toymaker stammers, “No, but I think you'll find…”

Your Doctor steps forward, declaring, “Best of three. And my prize, Toymaker, is to banish you from existence forever.”

The Toymaker protests, “No! But I'm... It's not…” Suddenly, he starts to flatten and fold, “You can't... But I…” Mel steps forward and brings out the box as the Toymaker yelps, “Not fair. Please. My legions are coming. Argh!” He folds up into a square and drops into the box, which slams shut.

Kate seizes the box by the handles, instructing the soldier, “Take it to the deepest vault and bind it in salt.” The soldier promptly responds, “Yes, ma'am.”

Shirley and Kate disengage their Zeedexes. Kate turns to Shirley, saying, “Shirley, tell Geneva we're in full resus. Tell every base to follow Green Shoot protocols, full liaison.” She then addresses the soldier, “Rudi, I'll want the names of all those staff.”

Your attention shifts to your Doctor, standing at the edge of the helipad. The wind tousles his brown, spiky hair as he surveys the destruction wreaked upon London by the Toymaker. Approaching him, you grasp his hand and offer, “Hey, we did it.”

“But how many died down there?” The Doctor frowns, his tone heavy with sorrow. The 15th and Donna approach, with Donna reassuringly stating, “That's not your fault.”

The 15th points out, “You can't save everyone.”

Your Doctor pouts, “Why not?”

The 15th Doctor pulls both you and him into a hug, soothingly saying, “Come here. I've got you. Yeah? It's okay. I'm here.”

As you let out a sigh of relief, exhausted to the events that occurred. Your mind wanders and you smile. This love will intimately understand you, resonating on certain levels as if it has always existed—a deep-seated yearning your soul has carried, anticipating the reunion with its heart, perpetually poised to return home to the facets of itself discovered in another being. It serves as a poignant reminder that hope can emanate from the fingertips of another human being, nestled within the layers of the uncharted aspects waiting to be unveiled.

You and the group re-enter the building, abandoning the helipad to solitude, save for a lone sentry stationed at the entrance. A faint echo of laughter seems to linger in the air, leaving you with an inexplicable sense of dread resonating from a distant place.

UNIT HEADQUARTERS, SUITE 17, LONDON – DAY 2023

INSIDE THE TARDIS

You observe as the Doctor maneuvers around the console, guiding his other incarnation through the intricacies. "That's the petrolink shatterfy compensator, moved from there to there. Hyperdynes. Er... fluid links, obviously," he explains, his hands deftly pointing out the components.

Your Doctor halts abruptly, stumbling over his words as he gazes at the version of himself standing on the bridge. "And, well, you know... things. But, er... how's it going to work? You and me. This is great, I think. Is it? But... How do we both...?”

“One thing you need in this place is a chair,” the 15th Doctor remarks, and you arch your eyebrows, glancing at your Doctor, who responds, “I'll be all right.”

The 15th shakes his head, emphasizing, “No, you're thin as a pin, love. You're running on fumes.”

You and Donna both sigh in agreement, stating, “That's what we keep saying.”

“I'm just... post-bi-generation,” your Doctor attempts to justify, but the 15th Doctor interjects, “Ha! It's more than that. Our whole lifetime. That Doctor that first met the Toymaker never, ever stopped. Put on trial, exiled, Key to Time, all the devastation of Logopolis.”

“Adric,” your Doctor says with a tinge of sadness, and the 15th nods, “Adric.”

Your Doctor's expression shifts to a sorrowful pout as he reminisces about the days and tragic events. “River Song. All the people we lost. Sarah Jane has gone. Can you believe that for a second?”

“I loved her,” your Doctor admits, and the 15th agrees, “I loved her. And Rose. But the Time War, Pandorica, Mavic Chen. We fought the Gods of Ragnarok, and we didn't stop for a second to say, ‘what the hell?’”

Your Doctor shakes his head, “But you're fine.” He gestures to his newly regenerated self, and the 15th says, “I'm fine because you fixed yourself. We're Time Lords. We're doing rehab out of order.”

You then gently interject, “He's saying you need to stop.”

Your Doctor shakes his head in disagreement, stating, “I don't know how.”

Donna takes a step forward, her words measured, “Well, I can tell you. Cos you know what I did when you went flying off in your blue box, Spaceman? I stayed in one place, and I lived day after day after day.”

“It would drive me mad,” your Doctor admits. You nod in agreement, stepping closer to him, your hand gently holding his cheek. “Same here. I’ll be honest, it was difficult… at first. Yeah. It does. But you keep on going. That’s what makes it special. You won’t exactly know what’s going to happen. And that's the adventure. The one adventure you've never had. Because I've... I've worked out what happened. The Flux caused a reset in the universe, no longer making my entire existence a threat to everyone. Then you changed your face, and then you found me. Do you know why?”

The Doctor is wide-eyed as you gaze into his chocolate brown eyes, and you give him a soft smile, “To come home.”

“Do you mean... he flies off?” The Doctor says as he glances at the 15th Doctor, tears welling up. “But I could never let the Tardis go. Never. It would hurt.”

The 15th Doctor approaches you two and leans against the console, stating, “Yeah, but... bi-generation has never happened before.” An idea begins to form in his mind, “What if...? What if!”

Eagerly, he dashes to the walkway, producing a 'test your strength' mallet. “What if the Toymaker's domain is still lingering? Just for a few seconds more, we're in a state of play. Oh! So maybe…”

The 15th Doctor steps out of the TARDIS, and the three of you follow after him. Shirley and Mel are waiting in the suite.

Excitedly, the 15th Doctor exclaims, “Hey! Watch this, watch this. Watch, watch, watch, watch. Stand back. Stand back. Go on, that's it, Donna. Oh! Wish me luck.”

“What for?” The Doctor asks, to which the 15th responds with a big smile, “We won the game. You get a prize, honey, and here is mine!” He swings at the side of the TARDIS, knocking a second one out. An exact duplicate stands on the left side of the original one.

“Ta-da!” The 15th shows off in a sing-songy voice before whispering to the TARDIS, “I am so sorry.”

Donna expresses with glee, “That is completely nuts,” and the 15th Doctor laughs in agreement.

The Doctor pushes the other TARDIS doors open and looks down. He unfolds a ramp, saying, “Oh, look! Oh, that's not bad. Wheelchair accessible.”

“At last! You finally caught up with the 21st century!” Shirley smiles, laughing.

“Yeah. Go on,” the 15th Doctor says to your Doctor, who steps inside to glance around as you wait outside. After a minute, he walks out, goes into the original TARDIS, and looks around. You watch as the 15th Doctor gives you a wink before stepping inside his TARDIS, and you let out a snort.

You see your Doctor exit the TARDIS and realize the 15th Doctor is missing. “Where is he? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!”

You follow your Doctor as he pushes open the other TARDIS doors, saying, “You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?”

The 15th Doctor mischievously grins as he replies, “As if I would ever do that. Come here. Come here, come here, come here, come here.” He hugs him and kisses you on the cheek, saying, “Look after him, you know? Now, you three, if you don't mind, there is a great big universe out there calling, and I've got to get going. So off you pop, old man.”

Your Doctor shakes his head, a playful glint in his eyes, “Oh. You're the old man. You're older than me.”

Donna nods in agreement, “Actually, that is true. He's younger because you came after him. So you're the older Doctor.”

The 15th Doctor rolls his eyes playfully, teasing, “Okay, kid. I love you. Get out!” He sets the Time Rotor in motion, and Donna rushes out of the TARDIS, yelping, “I'm not doing that again!”

Observing the Doctors salute each other, you hear him say to you, “I’ll see you soon.” Then the two of you exit.

Stepping into Suite 17, the group gathers as the Doctor remarks, “Shirley, I don't suppose you've seen this before. I don't see it often myself. Stand by.”

“Where's he going?” Mel asks, and the Doctor replies, “Everywhere.”

You watch as the TARDIS dematerializes, and you catch the soft whisper of the Doctor, “Good luck.”

DONNA’S GARDEN — DAY, 2023

The TARDIS is parked in Donna’s garden, a testament to the new chapter you and the Doctor were embarking on—cohabiting. Presently, the entire family savored a meal al fresco beneath the pergola adorned with wisteria in full bloom. The Doctor sat beside you, his hand resting casually on your thigh, a constant desire to connect, to be near.

“Right. The cast-iron pot is the vegan. Ta-da! And the one with the flowers is the chicken,” Shaun declares, placing the dish on the table. You hum and nod, and Shaun adds, “I think.”

Sylvia chimes in, pointing to the dish, “And this is cauliflower cheese, which doesn't really go with anything, but it was there.” Rose nods as they begin to take their seats.

Donna raises a hand, signaling for attention, “Anyway, shush, please, for the eyebrow story.”

“Oh, yes. So... this species only communicated with their eyebrows. I thought, I can do that,” the Doctor says with an unusually happy tone, a rare occurrence that visibly lifts the weight from his shoulders. He sits straighter, and with a flourish of his eyebrows, he continues the story, “So I'm stood there on this clifftop and I went... ‘I mean you no harm. I come in peace. I am your friend.’”

“Am I late?” Mel's voice breaks through, and you lift your head to see her sheepishly saying, “Sorry. The door was open. You don't mind?”

Sylvia dismisses her concern, cooing, “Oh, you're family, darling. Sit down.”

You glance at Mel and ask, “Did you drive?”

“No. I got a lift off a zingo,” Mel replies as she takes a seat next to you, prompting cheers and laughter from the group.

“A zingo!” Donna exclaims, and Sylvia smiles, “Oh, how strange.”

The Doctor continues his eyebrow-raising tale, “So, she looked at me, the Warrior Queen of the Felooth, and she said, ‘Good. And now... you will marry me.’ I said, ‘What?!’ And she pushed me off the cliff!”

Sylvia leans in over the table, asking, “But is it true, though? Is it really true?”

The Doctor looks to you, humming and shrugging, “Mmm…” You playfully shove his shoulder, and he kisses your cheek.

“We could always go in the Tardis and find out,” Rose suggests, but Shaun interjects, “Don't you dare.”

Donna sternly tells her daughter, “You are grounded until the Doctor feels better. Don't go sneaking off to Mars.”

“Again,” Rose says, and Donna goes wide-eyed, asking, “What does that mean?” She pointedly looks at the two of you.

“Oh, no. It was just once. Oh, you're in trouble,” the Doctor says, and you wince.

Mel explains, “They took me to New York last week. The Gilded Age. It was amazing.”

The Doctor shrugs, “Well, yeah. We just can't turn down my favourite niece.”

Rose smiles, “Ah! Niece. I like that.”

“Well, that's what you are. With my best friend, my brother-in-law, the evil stepmother…” The Doctor says, and Sylvia chuckles, “Oh, I have barely begun.” The Doctor continues, “..and Mad Aunty Mel.”

Mel chuckles, “Mad Aunty Mel!”

You all toast happily, exclaiming, “Mad Aunty Mel!”

The Doctor then places down his glass before lifting your left hand, now adorned with a gold band inscribed in Gallifreyan. He kisses your knuckles and says lovingly, “And of course, my soon-to-be wife.”

You can’t help but smile as you look at him. With him, you just open. The cost of staying fortified and hidden away becomes too high. With the Doctor, you lay down your arms. You let love rush in. You let it wash over you. You crack your shell, exposing your heart to this world, trusting that you are worthy of being seen there.

The Doctor then remembers, “And Grandad! Where is he?”

Sylvia says, “Oh, he's off shooting moles.”

The sound of a shotgun resonates, and you hum as the Doctor says, “Don't worry, I gave the moles a forcefield. I love the moles.”

Donna raises her eyebrows, asking, “You love the moles?”

The Doctor grins, “I love them. But here we are, Grandad and all. Who'd have thought? I ended up with a family.”

You feel the weight of his words settling in the cracks of your bones as your hearts thump in the silence. You lean your head on his shoulder, feeling him kiss the top of your head.

Shaun suddenly exclaims, “Oh, my God, I got it wrong. The vegan one is in the flowers.”

Rose groans, tossing her fork on the plate, “Urgh! What am I eating?”

“Oh... Don't worry.” Shaun tries to help. “We'll just… give it to Grandad.” Sylvia adds, “Don't make a fuss. Pass me your plate.”

Donna looks between the two of you, smiling as she says, “You don't have to stay forever.”

The Doctor glances at you, and you smile up at him, saying, “We'll see.”

“Do you miss it? Out there?” Donna asks.

The Doctor looks around, realizing he’s surrounded by love as he says, “The funny thing is, I fought all those battles for all those years, and now I know what for. This. I've never been so happy in my life.”

This love infuses honey into the core of your being; it's akin to a gentle warmth seeping into the very marrow of your bones. Witnessing how it learns about you, fights on your behalf, and remains steadfast through life's storms by your side, you're reminded of the profound connection often overshadowed by the preference for distance over depth in this world. It's a reminder that hope emanates from the touch of another, concealed within the layers of undiscovered facets. You now comprehend that love was always intended to be gentle, always meant to be tender, as evidenced by the Doctor intertwining his fingers with yours, accompanied by a bright grin. Your bones are safe, and your heart can rest assured it belongs to him. Your world transforms, cradled by the comforting embrace that is the Doctor.

“So,” Donna begins as she chews her food and swallows as he smiles at her best friends, “When’s the wedding?”

TAGLIST:

@awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @matthew-lilards @a-dash-of-cinnamon @imthedoctorlove @scoliobean @allophonicmess @mirkwoodshewolf @jaziona92 @melloww-akira @crowleythesexydemon @pedrettilov3r @nsainmoonchild @h-l-vlovesvintage @jaziona92 @1potato2rulethemall @jesssimblrorwhatever @prettyboigenius @ladygrimmx

[rukminis]

I have a theory about Lady Tilley Arnold in the show and how it might be an indication that the next season is Benedict's (please gods, let it be Benedict's), here we go

SPOILERS for Bridgerton season 3 and An Offer From a Gentleman under the cut!

Right, so I was pretty mad when they introduced yet another love interest so flippantly for Benedict, but I rewatched the portions with Lady Tilley and there are two things that go unexplained.

1. She mentions that she had a husband, and had had several seasons to mourn him already

2. She was arguing with a solicitor when Benedict called on her, and never properly explained why

I'm hoping Part 2 will give us more insight, but here's what I make of this, and the book comes into play now.

What if Lady Tilley is a shoe-in for Araminta?

The circumstances do seem similar: Araminta also married Sophie's father, the Earl, shortly before he died. Tilley didn't mention having children at all, so either she hid the fact that she had daughters from Benedict, or she doesn't have children in the show at all.

And funnily enough, not having step-siblings would really add to Sophie's story, because Tilley might certainly be bitter about the fact that she didn't get to produce a rightful heir to her husband's estate and the only remaining person with an actual blood relation to the Earl is Sophie. It would also serve as such a great plot point for why Araminta/Tilley might torture Sophie in the show.

On to the second point, Tilley was arguing with a solicitor. When Benedict asked, she just explained it away saying he was overcharging her, but what if it was more?

What if, like the books, the late Earl left everything to his ward Sophie and Araminta/Tilley was trying to get the solicitor to hide or edit out that portion in her favour? Araminta did conceal and lie about the will to Sophie in the books, so it isn't too much of a stretch to have that in the show too.

If we assume Tilley married her husband in her early 20s, he died in her mid 20s, and she's now in her early 30s, it still gives us a huge time span for her to raise (read: enslave) Sophie for more than half a decade.

ALSO, in a promo reel where Bridgerton cast members were associating this season with emojis, Luke Newton said 'drama masks'. Yes it could be about Penelope's mask as Whistledown coming off, but Benedict and Sophie's storyline is centered around the masquerade ball, which also involves masks.

Eloise's midnight deadline for Penelope to reveal herself (in the part 2 teaser) also seems significant to me because it's a converging point for the drama. And Sophie escaped the masquerade ball at midnight in the book.

I'm thinking that, at some point during the last two episodes, Violet hosts her masquerade ball. Benedict meets Sophie like the books, even leaves Tilley alone to dance with this mystery woman. And when midnight approaches, Penelope reveals herself as Whistledown.

There will, naturally, be pandemonium. Benedict might even have to rush to Colin and Pen's rescue, he's a Bridgerton after all. And in this chaos, Sophie leaves. That very night, Tilley realises that Sophie went to the ball. Not only is she angry that her little servant flouted her orders, she is mad because Sophie stole her man's attention away. And she casts Sophie out (we may actually see this whole POV in the next season though, so hmph).

But I think this season will end with Benedict coming out of the masquerade utterly smitten, and vowing to find the woman in the mask who has won over his heart. And that's how his season will begin.

Unless they decide to break my heart and pursue Francesca's story.

Ah well. Let's see haha.

[ssruis]

Hi hi i think youre completely right about characterization so I wanted to ask if you have any pjsk fic recs? Thank you :3

Oh god you know not what you have done

Primary ruikasa/emunene focus as is expected on ssruis dot tumblr dot com so keep that in mind but there’s a few gen fics on here.

The world offers itself - thrillingwhiteday (In progress) (ruikasa)

Super underrated… the characterization is so good… saki + rui interactions (I cheered). Lives in my head rent free.

You and a Skull’s Flower - Revelry_in_serenity (In progress) (no relationship focus but there are bg relationships)

Pandemonium gang experiences The Horrors. Recommend the author’s other works as well - Supporting Roles/Lasting Embraces/Overwritten are some other ones I really enjoyed - but I’m Very Intrigued by the plot in this one.

Warm - pyrotechpuffs (One shot) (ruikasa)

Also recommend the authors other works but this is a fave.

Soul to Wreck - sleepieash (In progress) (ruikasa)

Literally anything by helloitsaiza or calculatrice. The characterization/writing… chefs kiss… their brains are so massive. Best stuff in the tag. Rewired my brain. However this is a list of fic recs and not author recs so I’ll link some of my favorites:

Roles - helloitsaiza (one shot) (ruikasa)

Eternal sunshine - helloitsaiza (One shot) (emunene)

Special shout-out because Peak Emunene I’m actually obsessed with it.

Confess, Confess - helloitsaiza (In progress) (ruikasa)

Yours - helloitsaiza and calculatrice (one shot) (ruikasa)

Backstage after the curtain call - calculatrice (One shot) (ruikasa)

To sear the sky - calculatrice (One shot) (ruikasa)

A study in performance - calculatrice (One shot) (ruikasa)

Funhouse mirror - calculatrice (in progress) (no relationship focus, wxs & niigo)

Special shout-out because tsukasa + mafuyu body swap is such a galaxy brained idea

Rui’s doki-doki seishun school life - calculatrice (one shot) (ruikasa)

^ read all of these they go so hard 10/10

Because it’s you - sleepy_macchi (one shot) (ruikasa)

Act I of our story - Asteromeda (one shot) (ruikasa)

The show must go on - literallyjustsomeguy (in progress but it’s been like 2 years so it might be abandoned) (ruikasa)

I don’t like recommending stuff that may remain unfinished but I’ll make an exception for very funny tsukasa tenma stupidity moments

X marks the spot - seatrix (in progress) (ruikasa)

Underrated… love the characterization & plot.

Voted most likely to run away with you - eightyeightstars (one shot) (ruikasa)

Sharing is caring - underwaternature (one shot) (ruikasa)

Tête-à-tête - kuiperbelts (one shot) (ruikasa)

Also recommend the authors other works I just really like the tsukasa characterization in this one

All I want (is you) - sorasekai (one shot) (emunene)

Recommend their other works as well for good emunene

Ikanaide - gummysaur (finished) (tsukasa focus, gen wxs)

Also recommend their other works but (chefs kiss) tsukasa characterization

Closeness - lyriablackfrost (one shot) (ruikasa)

Find out who you are, and then do it on purpose - weepingstars (transfem rui focus, gen wxs)

And I will still live here - utayoru (one shot) (ruikasa)

Their other works are good as well but this is a fave for the early pjsk days rui characterization

With me all along - jeiseny (one shot) (saki focus, gen)

SAKI… (ugly crying) beautiful exploration of chronic illness. And it doesn’t focus on her fucking brother (staring with homicidal intent @ wider pjsk fanbase). Made me go ouuggh relatable several times.

[malaierba]

What monster do you want to see the dungeon meshi crew cook up?

Hi pal! Sorry I took so long to answer, I wanted to add pictures to my reply and go through my trusty youkai book to see if something besides my first 3 choices caught my attention (in the end I decided that 3 is such a nice number already, let's not be extra) (you will soon see that i failed step one, this post gets very very extra)

That we haven't seen before? Hmm 🤔

Well, I'm pretty happy with what they eat in canon. Post-canon in true "Toshiro my beloved, I would kill and die to learn more about the pandemonium you call home" fashion, I think there's several yōkai that would be interesting to see cooked!

Yosuzume

Bird yōkai that appear in the night and chirp "chi, chi, chi" like a sparrow, and are said to pass in front of people who walk along mountain trails. In some prefectures it takes the form of a butterfly or a moth. It generally warns travelers of upcoming encounters with mountain dogs or mountain wolves. Often, only one person within a group of travelers can hear them.

Since it's essentially just a bird with supernatural abilities, that's quite an easy hurdle to overcome when it comes to eating, right? Even if it probably WILL give the killers bad luck.

Would be fun to see it as a moth/butterfly though, since THEN we'd get to see the Bug Besties (Falin + Toshiro)'s position on eating bugs.

Ushi-oni

A yōkai from the folklore of western Japan. They usually have an ox's head with sharp upward-curving horns, wicked fangs and a slender tongue, and an oni's torso. Other ushi-oni have a reverse appearance, with an oni's head and an ox's body. Their body is also commonly depicted as spider-like with six legs and long singular claws at the end of each appendage.

They may appear wearing human clothing, or flying with the wings of an insect. They spit poison and enjoy killing and eating humans.

Now THAT'S unsettling, isn't it? I like the challenge of eating an arachnid. It's doubly irk-inducing, because it's a very ugly monster, and also what would the meat be like? Beef? Would it be more insect-like?

If your culture doesn't eat both it's going to be challenging. And even if they do, it's such an odd mix, I think only the most adventurous would dare to take this one on, which is very interesting!

Yamabiko

An echo-spirit depicted as a small goat-like humanoid in a sitting position.

Yamabiko will echo any sound created by humans. They're rare to encounter and even rarer to engage. If someone tries to touch it, they will feel their hand passing through a viscous liquid. If you talk to Yamabiko, it will repeat what the person said before responding. For example: "What is your name?" "What is my name? My name is Yamabiko"

Now on to the other side of unsettling, this little dude is not only not what it appears (viscous? really?? how do you cook that! soup time?) it TALKS.

I know I'm leaning hard on the taboo side of monster eating, but, I mean, would you eat an animal that talks back? Many people think that eating parrots and crows is evil for that very reason, but are they that different from a chicken? Idk! It's interesting to me.

Also!!! I've made this joke before but I low-key really do think that eating the flying hag would fix Toshiro lol

"Mar, It's made of magic and paper" idc eat your trauma to assert your dominance Toshiro do it for me, beloved. High in fiber too, essentially a health food!

Since we're on the topic, I think it'd be very fun if this... Yknow, monster eating business was seen from the perspective of Toshiro + Falin + Namari + Kiki + Kaká + probably someone else though I haven't figured out who. Tade would be cute since I think Toshiro would benefit from being closer to her, enough that he can talk openly to her about... spoilers?

The plot could be that as she's about to go on her Journey Around The World, Falin asks Namari if she wants to tag along to visit Toshiro, since the two of them got along so well in the party.

I imagine Namari would not only have an interest in going to Wa and learning what their weapons are like (Wa is after all inspired in Japan, who is renowned for their swordsmithing & polishing tradition. Maybe they could reference the 10 legendary katana legend too?), she'd be excited to see Toshiro again.

Kind of want Kaka and Kiki to tag along, since they have such a cute dynamic and I quite liked how they were used for exposition. Besides! KikiMari crumbs. Wouldn't it be sweet if Mr. and Ms. Tansu encouraged them to tag along so they can broaden their horizons?

I also kind of want to see them interact with Toshiro? Toshiro and Kaka are probably too similar to be too talkative, but it'd also provide an opportunity for the theme of kinship (prevalent in Toshiro's story) and also just. situational humour around two guys who are reserved. Not many mangakas can pull it off, but Ryoko Kui is definitely one of the few.

And with Kiki, idk I see something there! She has the type of personality that's a good balance of polite and cheeky. And Toshiro's so easy to tease lol. I think they'd have a fun friendship. Also tbh there's my 'toshiro and namari are each other wingmans, its not very good but its what they've got' agenda.

Showing everyone around would be a good opportunity for Toshiro to leave his household and do a little soul-finding himself, too.

Finally, I'm kinda super into the idea of their adventures actually being narrated by Laios, who's reading to Kabru and Marceille and others but mainly them the letters he's receiving from Falin, Toshiro and Namari.

Oh btw, if they're eating yokai it's absolutely because of Falin lol. She gets her way every time, somehow.

[karamell-sweetz]

um. i um. i did a thingy and now i’m going to yap under the cut

ok now. so i did this with mainly just dynamics in mind because i am a firm believer that all of these ruikasaverse things can and SHOULD be explored platonically. yk for what they are. and not just in the context of romantic relationships. because. that’s just how relationships work right.

BUT i did split my ult favs into the ones i like more romantically (🚢) and platonically (which i should have labelled as 🍽️). just because i’ve been shipping them romantically for a good while anyway. that said everything in my 🚢 tier can/should be explored platonically too.

NOW ENSUES THE YAP.

TIER ONE: ult favs, romantic

DANTORU OTP OF THE CENTURY. i don’t even have a good reason as to why they’re my favourite of all time, i think it’s mainly just the aesthetics of them together and the romantic implications of piano. and the stars too. think about it guys. imagine playing music with your lover beneath the stars… or playing a duet with them… or laying your hands over your lover’s as you teach them how to play!!! grrrh.

KUROSHIRO OTP OF THE CENTURY #2. dear ruikasers that make them painfully reincarnate into every other universe: you successfully break my heart every single time. that and giving them forbidden romance. and killing tsukasa for plot. it gets me every time. also an aesthetics thing, flowers are awesome and there is something so beautiful about being practically opposites yet coming together all the same. ugh. ughhh.

curtain call has the horrifyingly romantic implications of YEARNING for your lover and the passage of time threatening to break you apart. it’s pining and angst and all the joys and pains of life rolled into one.

if we count filament as nakashira then i LOOOVE them. salaryman yaoi or whatever. it would be AWESOME if we explored them platonically but i like the idea of them getting to know each other and slowly fall in love with each other… and make each other better… grrhh… domestic life… was never quite my style… /lyr

tacthina!! honestly don’t have a reason for why they’re up so high here but i think they’re very sweet. bonus for arranged marriage, and when paired withhhhh tactqilin!!! againnn finding your lover reincarnated over centuries… there’s something cool about going through time and searching for that one person again and again. i think that’s the reason why most of these ships are in the top category lmao it may be my favourite trope.

TIER TWO: ult favs, platonic

GHH as much as i love colorfes ritk romantically i honestly think they should be explored platonically too. like a long distance friendship with an ethereal deity. and also AGAIN with finding that person again and again throughout time and space (teehee)!! because rui’s usually an immortal deity in this au.

both zozos actually could have gone in ‘normal ritk with a mask on’ but idk there’s something about these two designs specifically that scratches my brain. no i don’t really know why i put them so high. they just look really good together.

i can go on forever about pandemonium the event and how it was such a turning point for rui’s relationships and character development and honestly that should be reflected in the cards too. EEESPECIALLY when you put their canon meeting in. stuff like tsukasa slowly warming up to rui’s antics and letting himself be a little less uptight with him. and rui getting to share all of himself with someone close to him!

KIRAPIKA. mmm. i dunno i just like rpg style things. and going out on missions and quests together. i dunno! i think they’re best enjoyed alongside emu and nene so they can all be a party together though.

SURPRISE I LIKE GALAJEST MORE THAN RINGJEST? man i don’t know either? most of the things i see with them are along the lines of rui crafting up tsukasa as a little galactic friend and i think that’s really sweet. hmm other than that i forgot why i put them so high. it’s mainly the idea of rui being tsukasa’s ultimate helper i guess, and tsukasa being rui’s companion in return. :)

TIER THREE: scrumptious!

BOODEVIL IS SO CUTE! something about rui, filled with all sorts of bitterness, being brought into the light by tsukasa’s simple ways of enjoying life.

wl is cute too, not much to say with them. i feel like i see so much royalty-based ritk that it’s hard to have any large feelings about it, at least in my case lol.

ROSEOU… mmm… it’s neat to make friends with your butler or other sort of royal advisor. and also that idea of getting closer from a place of formality, and getting to show the hidden sides of you to another person especially when you’re both in a formal position.

lilyrose goes well together aesthetically. or as aesthetically as you can get with rose’s abysmal colours 😋 other than that it’s usually giving the same as roseou so not much to say that hasn’t been said already.

space opera… not much to say about them. intergalactic partnership ✨

now prommy i DO like ringjest. it’s good that they have each other’s backs. its just that certain bits of fandom have sort of ruined them for me :/ still cute tho

ahhh white day… there’s so much white day out there that i have no idea what’s going on with it /pos. that said, love the doomed yaoi.

i don’t have too many feelings on the seibaitAAAAAsu cards honestly, mainly because i haven’t had the time to read the story or really look into it in detail. these cards are stunning though. love the doomed yaoi again.

ok i’m actually a sucker for phantom thieves even though i have no idea what they actually do… it’s the cat and mouse aspect + mysterious identity for me!

lilyfes… mmm… againnn the reincarnation thing!! or rui looking over his partner throughout immortality and protecting him. oughh.

merking and merprince areee basically the same thing right? i love a bit of little mermaid style pining to be a land dweller, or even the opposite with king/prince wanting to partake in the ocean’s beauty or whatever…

cyberpunk on its own feels a bit too loose conceptually for me to be fully on board with it but once you slide idolkasa in there it has more weight to it. love me some hidden identity once again.

kemo… they are very cute… again not a strong enough concept/difference to get me fully on board with it

pop in my heart! bakerkasa feels very similar to boodevil now but it’s still cute

TIER FOUR: it exists.

hakapega… bwaaaah… i love the idea of pegasus being a robot replacement for tsukasa and the angst that that brings with it, but other than that i have no strong feelings on it. i’m a lover not a fighter 😔

sorry fesdog lovers but i am not sure about the dog… that’s all i will say.

potato boys are fun, just not hitting with me tbh

mmm you all know i have my own fairy au so technically i should be on board with the fairies… i just haven’t seen much of it. the idea is adorbs tho. just two bros living the miniature life in little fairy domestication…

the idea of colorfes and tinykasa is also very sweet, just not my cup of tea personally ><

i don’t have strong feelings for the starry sky melody set in general so unfortunately this ritk is getting the mid.

zozo2… same as zozo1 but they don’t hit as hard for whatever reason. they are still pretty though

knightfes is cool? but once you put sorcerui in the picture it’s not really unfortunately.

octoking is the same as merking and merprince. it’s in this tier because the tentacles do not entail the best things maybe. also i don’t know if i like them on rui.

knightprince could be cute actually. switches up what we’ve seen so far in roseou etc.

rmd… idk it’s interesting in regards to designs and the power dynamics but i’m really not feeling it :/

detectives are cute too but it feels like more office yaoi!! and i just prefer nakashira and phantom thief rui in that case.

never seen skaterzozo in my life but that’s because skaterkasa is relatively new. i think it’s cool tho.

i should have put middle school in tier three because it has a lot of potential platonically, but i honestly just like preserving the canon timeline regarding that era

sanrio is like if boodevil/pimh met merking/merprince. rui coming out of the water to visit tsukasa’s cafe… very sweet. no strong feelings for it though.

TIER FIVE: erm.

with starry sky orchestra it really depends on what angle you look at them from. most of the things i see with these two are trying to push the whole sibling thing in a weird way unfortunately, so that’s tainted my view of it a little. but if you DON’T make them related it’s just mid i think.

again, never seen skaterdog because skaterkasa is a new card. same issue as fesdog though. can’t get over the dog allegations.

‘TIER SIX’: normal ritk with a mask on

these are for the aus that are close to canon. i prefer to look at them platonically in that case.

anyway that’s enough of me!! sorry once i left this overnight i forgot what i wanted to say + after the first few tiers i ran out of things to say :P

[clavissionary-position]

CLAVIS × READER, Waltzhectica

N O T E S This is a suuuper-old fic I wrote over a year ago but never posted, long before I read Clavis' route. So his characterization here is based on how shady he seemed before we discovered who he really is. I also added some tiny edits. I remember I was inspired by the writings of gilbertvonobsidian and ndoandou <3

Clavis Lelouch has hands for tuning traps.

Clavis Lelouch has hands for placing pitfalls on roads he's paved, pebble by rigged pebble.

Clavis Lelouch has hands for forgeries and framing friends.

Clavis Lelouch has hands for betrayal.

So why do you take his hand when he asks for a dance?

His approach is preceded by a prance of bergamot, a jaunt of peony, and it sends your heart hammering.

You'd asked Rio to leave the small thank-you in Chevalier's faction office, a week ago. It wasn't much, and you'd rather not have gifted Clavis anything at all for fear of further entangling yourself in his plots.

And yet it seems now that you've done precisely that.

A young, merry couple cuts across his path, but the thread between him and you only cinches ever-taut. You are the rabbit in his prowling gaze. He is the hedonistic hellcat in yours.

His elegant, ambling strides carry him to tower and tantalize before you. His bewitching expression glitters under chandelier-light.

A man so gorgeous yet so wicked should not exist. But Clavis Lelouch defies expectation and common sense.

He bows and holds out that portentous hand, asking you to see the gentleman and not the beast.

Strangely, you see neither. Strangely, you almost see humility.

Clavis Lelouch is no stranger to masks. You know this as well as you know your own heart.

But tonight both those certainties come into question. You take the devil's hand, scared, but above all intrigued.

He yanks you into his arms and sweeps you into pandemonium. Into the maw of the ballroom, where grace promptly dies and something that could never be called a dance spirals into unholy existence.

Clavis Lelouch reigns as crooked king over the lawless land in his head. And for three weird minutes on this alluring night, he ferries you, flailing limbs and panicked gasps, into his private underworld.

"Take care to hold on," chuckles your ferryman, knowing full-well that you are holding on for dear life.

He tests your spine as the top of your head grazes a tray of appetizers. Luke's bear key-chain finds a new home between your teeth. You catch morsels of political discourse as you are hurtled above Chevalier and his audience.

But somehow you escape death (and even injury) because somehow Clavis catches you every time, with heedless but confident hands, and with such mirth dancing in his eyes.

The string ensemble has capsized, the guests watch in horror, and Clavis―Clavis laughs.

A hearty laugh that thrums in your veins and sets your skin tingling.

You don't know if you're having fun exactly, but whatever this is, it is rare and unforgettable.

And as he draws you into a grand and terrible finale, as he shushes you with only an exquisite finger separating his sylphlike lips from yours, and as he disappears into the astonished crowd, you're left thinking that "rare" and "unforgettable" is exactly how you'd describe Clavis Lelouch.

--- Thank you for reading!

[imaginetheywerereal]

The Curse Breakers Heart part 2

Part 1, Part 3

2683 wc

Unfortunately for you, your silent prayer to never see Grindelwald again went unanswered. Not for a lack of trying on your part, any news you heard that involved the Dark wizard you went searching the muggle scientific research papers for archaeological dig sites near ancient magical communities on the opposite side of the world.

The next time you saw each other wasn’t because of some wild plot of Albus’ to thwart his old “friend’s” plans, as you had discovered his last favour from you had been. A plot to put an end to Grindelwald, well, to put him away. A precious waste of your time is what it was. The pandemonium that followed your departure made headlines. GELLERT GRINDELWALD ESCAPES AUROR CUSTODY.

No, instead you had literally run into him while on a job.

 The first and on your hope last meeting with him had soured you towards your friend and you ignored any of Albus’ attempts at correspondence for the past two months where your work led you to New York. You couldn’t help but feel a pang of irritation as you thought about Albus. His last favour had been a disaster, and you had no intention of getting caught up in his schemes again. But work was work, and the disturbances in Queens needed to be dealt with.

Some wild, magical in nature, disturbances ripping up houses in Queens.

Usually when local Aurors were having trouble locating and containing the source of potentially dangerous magic, they called in the Curse Breakers. Being that wizards rarely chose logic and reason over magic and simplicity it was lucky(or unlucky) someone thought to implement this — mind you it was after some poor sod was cursed by some ancient magical artefact while clearing out a suspected fugitives safehouse. Now when needed the nearest Curse Breakers were called on to sort things out before the muggles got too involved or suspicious of activities and exposed the wizarding world. (The next on call would have been The Unspeakables. For obvious reasons they are usually the last resort.)

Considering you were in the country while MACUSA’s Curse Breakers weren’t, you got the call. They’d send you in to assess the damage and to ward it until something can be done about it if it turns out uncurse related.

 It didn’t appear to be.

The air in Queens was thick with the scent of smoke and magic, the remnants of the disturbances still lingering. The houses looked like they had been torn apart by some unseen force, debris scattered across the streets.

You stood atop the stairs of what remained of the brick and mortar building. Gloved hand pressed against the doorframe, dragon hide, anything less and you’d be exposing yourself to potentially active curse magic. Which would be a rookie mistake. Even the most harmful of curses had little to no effect on the tough insides of a chinese fireball, known for their diet of increasingly deadly magical creatures. 

[Yes, you had magic gloves made out of dragon guts. Magical PPE(Personal Protective Equipment)  is a thing.]

The property was vacant and so far you hadn't found anything. It was early. Maybe midday. You weren’t certain. You're not the best at keeping track of the time. The muggle authorities had moved on after a few pointed confundus charms from you while your team set up the perimeter wards. Before you could really start digging in the rubble, you were told to wait for the MACUSA Aurors to arrive on scene, orders from the Head of the department. You scoffed at that, outside of your team, the extra hands would be more of a hindrance than a help, so you and your team ignored the order.

 From your vantage point you could potentially reach all corners of the buildings remains to descry the potentially harmful curse magic. You breathed in deeply, closing your eyes to focus, extending your magical senses across the perimeter, feeling every brick and crushed ornament and insect, and the unsettled calm of your subordinates lingering around the site doing their own scouring of the rubble. Multiple cracks rippling through the air on the premises broke your focus just as you thought you felt the rumbling dark and pain filled origins of whatever caused this… wreckage.

“NILES!” You bellowed — internally panicking when you felt that oh so familiar magic of His. not safe. liar. — at your usually competent second. Ignoring the presence of the new arrivals, aside from this little slip up, you had full confidence in your team's abilities, you did all serve together in the first war eight years ago, after all. Blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb or however that Muggle saying about chosen bonds goes.

“It wasn’t me, Boss , I swear it. We triple checked the anti-apparition wards inlaid with the anti-muggle ones.” The wiry sandy blonde implored. His dark eyes desperately seeking your own as if to convince you of his innocence.

Rubbing the bridge of your nose you waved him off frustration ebbing and mixing with fear. “Fine, fine! Just back me up if–”

You cut yourself off when you met the once familiar dark eyes of a man that had a magical signature practically identical to Grindelwalds. Except he wasn’t. This was the face of the Head Auror of MACUSA. “Director Graves.”  you said, your voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

 A man with a reputation quite opposite to Grindelwalds. Your–

“I-” you choked your words back. What were you even supposed to say to the man on the business end of your wand; tip pointed between his eyes? I’m sorry for leaving. Or how about: Gee sorry mister didn't see ya there, thought you were the fugitive Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald… How’d I figure that you ask? Well see, your magical aura feels exactly like his did the single time I met him. Or I could pretend to speak french– “That's stupid.” 

“I agree. Now if you wouldn’t mind lowering your wand… Potter, am I correct in assuming? Apologies if I'm wrong, but I do believe I requested the Head Curse Breaker on scene to halt the investigation until my Aurors and I arrived on the premises.” 

You looked away, assessing, lowering your wand but keeping it at the ready, something wasn’t right.

Nothing. He didn’t recognise you. Or he did and pretended he didn’t. You would feel hurt by his professional persona, if it wasn’t your fault, separating personal lives from one's career that had been the excuse you'd given him hadn’t it? Your rejection. Ouch. Karma’s a bitch and she hates me.

Your hand trembled slightly as you lowered your wand, but you kept it at the ready. Graves’ eyes were dark and unreadable, his posture rigid and commanding. The flicker of recognition—or lack thereof—in his gaze was a dagger to your heart.

Had you still been looking at him, you would have noticed Percival’s lips twist in that same charming way Grindelwald’s had at the function when you had been making light of his person. You would have seen him reaching out to grasp the same shoulder he had that night, before he thought better of it, instead combing it through the hair on the head that wasn’t his with a face that didn’t belong to him. His smile fell away from Percival’s face when you turned back to him with a forced one of your own. It was more of a grimace.

You looked away, assessing the situation. “Yes, Director Graves,” you replied, your voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

 “I apologise for the oversight. We were merely trying to ensure the area was secure. It won’t happen again Sir.” Ignoring the feeling in your gut that something was terribly off about him you cast a silent arresto momentum on yourself and you floated down to give your team orders to continue to search the premise without your scrying. It wasn't something you did with so many clashing magical signatures, it confused the magic and the results. Hence the hindrance of too many wizards and witches.

Gellert furrowed Graves’ brow watching you and your team for a few seconds before snapping out of his funk. Directing Percival’s Aurors to follow your lead. He wasn’t here for you. His vision’s pointed to an Obscurus being one stepping stone path to getting him the power he desired. After meeting you they had admittedly become clouded. Gellert stubbornly refused any of these futures. They didn’t align with the path he had chosen for himself. He was here for a child. Your presence here was just an added boon. That’s all.

When he had the child in his grasp he would leave. And you would gallivant around the globe doing your job. Like you were meant to.

“Boss! We found something!” CB Niles’ voice was filled with urgency, but before you could react, the ground erupted sending rubble, shrapnel and wizards alike flying. 

At last the source of the destruction.

You fell on your arse eyes wide in horror. A broken whisper on your lips. “...no–”

Pain. Anger. Fear. Hate. Rage. The emotions rippled from the Dark Cursed Beasts form. Holding you in place. Frozen stiff as if you'd been hit with a petrificus totalus. Overwhelmed by its aura. Its absolute pain. You clutched your head, your fingers digging into your scalp as if you could physically hold back the onslaught. Your body trembled, every muscle locked in place by the sheer force of the Obscurial’s anguish. You cried out in agony. Holding your head as it screamed, its mind shredded at your fortified occlumency shields. Trying to get in. To get you to understand. To get you to STOP THE PAIN. TO HELP HIM. HELP ME PLEASE IT HURTSHURTSEVERYTHINGHURTSPAINPAINMAKEITSTOP—

Flashes of memories, not your own barge through your occlumency shields before they were repaired, trapping them in your mind.

“STOP. PLeASE. YOU’rE HUrTInG ME. Ma Stop PLeaSE I’lL bE GoOd.” A belt, small frail hands, cold hard blue eyes. Blood.

“I’ll be good i promise. PLEASE STop. HUrts HuRts sO much.”

“WHAt dId I dO whatdidido?”

“I’ll stop. I wont do it anymore.”

“I’m not A frEaK. I sweAr I’m not.”

“I didn’t mean to. It was Chasy. MA please.”

They continue to rush in even as you force them out. The horrible memories of the tortured boy play in your mind on loop.

“I didn’t do it.”

“stop”

“please”

“help me.

“somebody.”

“Anybody help me.”

“Its not your fault Credence.”

“DON’T YOU LAY ANOTHER HAND ON HIM”

“I won’t let her hurt you Credence. You’re safe now–

“LIAR!LIARLIAR. PAIN.LIAR.”

“BOSS! Boss! BOSS! Can you hear ME? BOSS?” Niles?

…NILES! 

You jolted forwards snapping awake with a gasp and bashing heads with whatever idiot thought to lean over you. You groan. “Ough. Head. Hurts. Bag now.”

“Yes Boss. Here Boss.” Niles was quick to obey. He’d only seen you this out of it a handful of times he knew better than to challenge you on such things.

“Caleb. Drink” a second man shorter with red hair scrambled to summon your canteen of water to wash down the healing herbs you began chewing to ease the throbbing ache in your skull.

“Yes Boss.”

Once you were reoriented and on your feet you wasted no time at all sweeping the area for magical residue. To find the Cursed Beast. The Obscurial. A child. Forgetting about the present company, your team followed your lead.

 The air was thick with the scent of dust and magic, the remnants of the explosion still lingering. The ground beneath you felt cold and unyielding, a stark contrast to the searing pain in your head.”

While the Aurors had attempted to contain it when you were thrashing on the ground. Gellert found he couldn’t do anything. Stuck at a crossroads. Paralysed by indecision. You or his future. Power or you.

He took too long and the decision had been made for him when the Obscurus broke through the wards he himself had weakened in order to get in. Your condition improved and he did nothing.

You finished what you came to do. Found the disturbance. Now, you needed to track it down. First thing was first.

“Deacon, I want you and Caleb to repair the building and tear down the rest of the wards. We are done here. Cameron, Niles and I will get started on our reports.” code for we’re going after it.

Your ginger comrade immediately denied. “Negative Boss we’ll go with you. The Aurors can fix their own mess.”

Peeling your gloves off you thought about how you would answer. Ultimately deciding your team was better qualified so you turn to Director Graves who had a vacant look on his face that disappeared the moment your attention was on him. Strange. The off feeling from earlier hadn’t gone away when the Obscurial departed, if anything it grew in close proximity to the man you had rejected the advances of when you were both fresh from the war. Maybe he feels scorned. Maybe he was the reason the Obscurial reacted so violently…if so he needs to be questioned. But not now and not by me. 

Your mind raced as you considered the possibilities. Could Graves have been the reason the Obscurial reacted so violently? The off feeling you had around him hadn’t dissipated, and it gnawed at you. But now wasn’t the time to confront him. You had a job to do.

“You hear that Graves? You and your screw ups are going to clean this up. Or I’ll have Madame President suspend you.” It wasn’t always bad having friends in high places. Albus was just a rare exception. It was never a good idea to be friends with Albus Dumbledore.

How can you be so calm after that? Being attacked by such a being of mass destruction? Gellert wondered dispassionately. You should be catatonic. Dead even. Scarred beyond recognition. It swallowed you whole. How have you remained so spry after an ordeal like that? No, maybe dispassionate is the wrong word. He was intrigued. 

What sort of power must you possess? And how can he obtain it for himself? You have just placed yourself in a very dangerous position indeed. You’ve become something he will covet. Relentlessly. Afterall he’d already begun seeing you in his visions. He just hadn’t accepted them until now. Witnessing your potential.

Snapping out of his thoughts he blinked back into character. Who am I? Ah yes Mr Graves. 

“Of course,” Graves replied, his tone calm and measured. “Hear that, men? New orders. Clean up.”

 “Potter. Wait a moment will you?” He asked you while manipulating Graves’ facial muscles to form that adorably vulnerable expression Gellert has seen him sport in the moments he’d broken his spirit, and turned them on you.

You acquiesced to the request waving your comrades off allowing them to begin the search for the Cursed child before returning to stand before Percival. His face is reminiscent of the day you rejected him. But it felt off. Wrong somehow. His eyes weren’t like a kicked puppy as they had been, looking more like a hungry lion.

“What is it? What did you want?” You spoke with impatience. There was a child that needed help. Every second spent here with Percival was another second wasted.

“Allow me to take you to dinner. As an apology. For stepping on your toes here and endangering you and your team.”

You were taken aback. Where was this coming from? Apology my arse… but why is this so familiar? The function in Paris. At least it provides a decent cover for interrogation. If it’ll help a good cause, is it really selfish?

“And the rest of the city. But I’ll take it. You're a very strange man, Percival Graves. It’s a date.” 

Gellert felt something drop to his feet. In the figurative sense. His chest tightened. There was no way he had been made so easily. Before he could question you on it you spun and disapparated with a resounding CRACK!

<<Prev--Next>>

[cidnangarlond]

can you give a summary or synopsis of fortunas character? I like seeing her but i know nothing about her!! Other than cid and her being Very Good Friends (joke)

YESSSS I'll give a quick lil rundown

So Fortuna Forsythia was the name she took when she left her family in the Skatay Mountains (where the Veena Viera are from) and was originally known as Petra Ymir! She has a sister named Sonja. Fortuna left home at about 18 shortly after her birthday longing for adventure and wandered for a bit until she came upon a small town. She stayed for a bit to help with hunting and an Elezen lancer named Ilya came into town and Fortuna fell in love instantly and begged him to teach her how to use a lance and he does! The romantic feelings are mutual but aren't together for long because he dies protecting the town from a giant goobbue and Fortuna also loses an eye during all this. She recovers and I'm always split between she shamefully goes back home and stays for awhile before setting off again or just wandering for another few years trying to teach herself the way of the lance before ultimately ending up in Gridania.

For that period between Ilya's death and coming to know Cid her emotions were very muted. Never smiled at all, very serious, didn't really laugh either, just very stoic. (This leads to a thing with the Scions and namely Thancred trying to get her to smile.) When she meets Cid she's very much despairing about falling in love again but fortunately our resident engineer has plot armor and we don't have to worry about anything. Unless Yoshi-P gets some ideas. But she and Cid have their first kiss in the Praetorium remember when it was an 8-man duty and not 4 and there were memes about how many cutscenes there were. I remember. There were so many. They removed all the good Cid cutscenes from Castrum and Prae but what IS good is I recorded them all. But they were good for my Cid/Fortuna agenda. They got married like right after Estinien-Nidhogg was defeated because to Cid he was not going to let Fortuna run off and do more crazy shit without first being able to call her his wife. (He left the ring at the Manufactory and Biggs and Wedge, who were covertly following them, had to throw him the ring box. Cid got too excited and left without it.)

Very close friends with Haurchefant so it was very sad for her when he died. Likewise good friends with Estinien because they are both Dragoons. Fortuna was solely a Dragoon up until the last of the Pandemonium raids dropped and then she (aka me) finally branched out into different jobs, like Dancer, Summoner, etc. Dawntrail was the first expansion she went into not as a Dragoon! Very big time for her.

Fortuna and Cid do have two children, one is a daughter named Yda who was born between the end of Stormblood and the beginning of the Stormblood patch quests (which I imagine there was a good few months in between them). Their son Fortuno (Cid was adamant a child be named after her and not him) was born between the end of Endwalker and the beginning of the Endwalker patch quests. So she was up there on the moon, pregnant. Yda and Fortuno will eventually have arguments of "WELL SHE WAS PREGNANT WITH ME WHEN SHE LIBERATED DOMA AND ALA MHIGO" and "YEAH? WELL SHE WAS ON THE MOON FIGHTING GOD WHILE PREGNANT WITH ME" you know how siblings are. Estinien frequently comes over for dinners and the kids love him he's uncle Estinien to them and lets Yda put bows in his hair and play tea party with her. He also enjoys playing with Fortuno and it all reminds him of when he was young in Ferndale before Nidhogg came through and is also reminded of his younger brother. Nero likewise comes through for dinner now and then because he enjoys Fortuna's cooking and in exchange he HAS to let the kids play with him. Play with the children or you aren't eating. He is teaching them to be too dramatic through play-acting and making up stories but we all have uncles or know someone's uncle who is supremely dramatic.

They do have a house somewhere don't ask me where they just have a house and it exists. When Fortuna is off saving the realm Cid brings the children to the Ironworks and everyone LOVES them so much. Tataru makes them cute outfits. The Scions all love them. Alphinaud and Alisaie are like younger siblings to Fortuna so she cares about them immensely and they take being aunt and uncle/godparents to Yda and Fortuno very seriously.

LET'S SEEEEE WHAT ELSE. Her patron god is Halone. Her favorite color is purple and her birthday is 1/15 (which is also my birthday and my favorite color). She is blind in her left eye. She is right-handed. She enjoys sweets but doesn't like to advertise it a lot. Her favorite food is really any variety of steak (medium or medium-rare). One of her favorite places aside from Ishgard because of the snow is the beach, she loves to swim. She likes to mine and likes to weave/craft and has contributed immensely to Sharlayan (through the custom delivery quests) as well as to the Ishgardian Firmament restoration. Her lucky number is 7. She loves roses and sunflowers.

Sorry I said this was going to be brief it was NOT in fact brief.. But hopefully you had fun learning about Fortuna :]

[serpentinebrando]

🔫 (Nick; @mxrvelouscreations

Your Muse Sees Mine Get Shot | @mxrvelouscreations

It was meant for his brother. They were at a conference, talking to the foremen of all the different mining operations in the mountains about new safety measures and regulations. Run of the mill shit. Cyrus did well, as always, and Lucien had been proud sit in as his advisor, watching his brother pick up more of the broken pieces their father had left behind. The meeting went swimmingly! It was afterward, as they were leaving the great hall, that everything went to shit.

Lucien grinned over at Nick, waving politely in greeting, but it disappeared quickly when he saw the glint of a rifle on a nearby roof. His blood suddenly felt like ice in his veins. Before Cyrus could even finish asking him what was wrong, he’d shoved his brother out of the way and taken the shot himself, grunting as the lead ball buried itself in his chest. He felt the vague sensation of falling, but everything else was pain and pandemonium. Screams echoed in his ears. Cyrus might’ve been calling his name, but he was fading away. The last thing he felt before slipping into the void was strong arms wrapping around him and maybe dragging him somewhere? Carrying him? He wasn’t sure.

The news hit the streets mere hours later: the younger brother and Advisor of the Forge Lord was still alive but in critical condition after foiling an assassination plot. The shooter was still at large. Guards stormed the streets, searching every nook, cranny, and back alley for the assailant, but they hadn’t been found yet. The gun, however, had been left at the scene and quickly recovered by authorities, who were in the process of analyzing it for any clues as to whom its owner might have been. Terror and mourning swept the capitol city, as well as a surge of well wishes for the injured prince. Those who had once spread rumors about Lucien’s supposed scheming behind his brother’s back were now fervently praying for his swift recovery.

When he finally awoke in a private section of the medical ward, he found his brother nodding of in a chair at his bedside, obviously exhausted, and his vampiric lover pacing anxiously. Lucien watched them both groggily, taking solace in their company to ease his pain. They were safe. That was all that mattered. His body felt heavy, and the bandages around his torso felt tight, but he tried to sit up, anyway. “How…how long have I been out?” He groaned. “Did they catch the bastard?”

[velkynkarma]

I love your Voltron stuff so much! ESPECIALLY Premium Pandemonium. I found it when I had just joined the Voltron fandom, back when the fic was still being posted. I never finished it, but I stumbled upon it a few days ago and have been rereading it since. I was just wondering, do you had more instalments planned for that series?

Hey! I noticed your reblog spree today, I'm glad you're enjoying my blog :D

There are a few more fics in the Premium Pandemonium series (the whole thing is called Price Cut Paladins and can be found here). Beyond that, I currently have no plans, but I do love the series and might go back to it some day. Every time Seanan McGuire releases a new book I start thinking about it again, so maybe one day! I love the universe, I just don't have any plots currently on tap.

[tigerqueen767]

His name is actually Augustus but he's either called Gus (by his friends) or Oggie (by his family.) He enjoys science fiction, reading romantic things, playing a card game - his favourite is called MYTHIC - and building robots with his dad, Lucas. They built a few toy cars together too. (His mum's name is Julia.) He plays the violin in a band called The Sons. Or Pandemonium... He and Mike are still arguing over the name.

Gus is a Shifter. He has the power to control l energy. He mostly uses it to capture light and electricity and spit it back out at his enemies. There are thousands of Shifters in the world I created and a lot of them are extremely dangerous and evil people. Shifters are the primary villains that they fight so it's good that the group has one on their side.

Gus has been to five different schools in his life and has been bullied in all of them. Including his current school. This is one of the reasons he has a strong sense of justice and he freaks out if he sees another kid getting bullied. He's really good at defending himself others but not good at defending himself.

His name is Ryan and he likes dancing, music, skateboarding, action and crime movies and cooking. He's actually a really great cook. 😁 He plays the drums in band, The Sons.

He carries blades on the battlefield alongside Gus. His most prominent weapon is this humungous axe. He also has machetes and whips - whips with spikes. 😈

Ryan defends Gus when he can't do it himself. (It's not like he can just use his powers, he'd be discovered then.) He quickly becomes the greatest friend he's ever had.

Ryan finds it hard to see the good in his enemies. In his eyes if you do something bad everything else you do is now suspect. This is an unfortunate but important trait for the plot.

His name is Michael. He likes practising magic and with his magic cards. He also likes fashion, although he'd never admit it, giving gifts, and eating/snacking. He's a very talkative person. He often borea people by going on long tangents. What's interesting is that half of what he says is a lie - or at least extremely exaggerated. He plays the trumpet in the band called Pandemonium.

He uses advanced technology on the battlefield alongside Ryan. He straps these advanced guns on both of his arms that eject bullets, digital webs and all kinds of signals. The webs can catch people before they fall and the guns also switch to drill mode which helps if he wants to tear down a wall. He also rides a hoverboard.

Before joining the heroes' side Michael was a cowardly bully who hurt a ton of people at school out of anger. He bullied with the help of his 'friends' Zackary and Adrian, who he calls Zack and A.J.

Zack is the one on the left.

His parents are always fighting and bickering like children and they ignore him most of time when he's at home. Too busy with their careers to care if he's doing something abnoxious or cruel. They never even knew that he was a bully. Whenever they talk to him it's always in a dismissive or disappointed tone. Mike always felt like they didn't even want to be parents. Once when he was younger and fatter (about ten years old) his mum straight up called him a pig to his face.

He never got over that.

His name is Seth. He's autistic, likes playing basketball his guitar and with his pet parrot. And he jogs around the block from time to time.

I think Seth might be the least developed character in the book. I'm not even sure what weapons he uses. I know I'm giving him a glider though (inspired by genshin impact.) He still does have an arc in the story though.

Because Seth was autistic he was picked on for acting and speaking in a strange way all the time. He kind of just gave up on interacting with kids his age entirely. Until Mike comes along and helps him communicate better and coaxes him out of his shell.

There's a ton of other things I want to say but these are the basics.

Any questions? 😁

I'll answer them all as best as I can.

[aotopmha]

FFXIV 6.5 MSQ and Alliance Raid thoughts:

Spoilers:

First, the Alliance Raid.

I really like how 14 in general handles the topic of religion.

So many stories just shit on it, basically.

I have zero attachment to religion in any form, but I do think it's an extremely important part of human history and culture that is much more interesting when tackled with nuance and empathy.

So to have a story, both, criticise and point out the good in it is so refreshing.

To not have all the godly figures be evil alone is refreshing.

I think the second wing was the strongest in that sense.

This wing simply brought all of the introduced ideas together.

I'm super uneasy with the trope of 'chosing death', but I'm at least happy the story didn't keep this the sole perspective. Oschon truly wanted to stay, so he did.

Thematically it all goes back to the idea introduced in the course of the entire raid story: religion is really just people enouraging people because the idea of deities alone is what gives them the power to inspire and encourage.

All scriptures were written by people.

So the power of the twelve, born of prayer, serving as further strength to nurture the planet, is only fitting.

But just like Pandemonium, this chunk of story left us with a few little plot threads to later return to, like Oschon now being a normal traveler, the perception theory in relation to the gods in Eorzea AND outside or even the Watcher being the 13th god. There is stuff to come back to here.

Oschon/Deryk staying as a normal being really surprised me and the Watcher not getting much more elaboration in particular surprised me.

MSQ:

It's super jarring to go back to this kind of simpler writing about The Power of Friendship we got back in A Realm Reborn, and honestly, there were points where it really got me annoyed this patch.

Golbez' redemption sequence in particular was the most cheese I've seen in a while. I felt it last patch, but it got too much to me here.

We get trust speeches on the First, Thirteenth AND The Source.

But on the other hand, I also appreciate this patch series just essentially being a simple, fun adventure hanging out with the Scions.

I like that actual Golbez is implied to be an Azem shard. I like that the dragons finally get something good happen to them.

I like that Zero's character arc pays off.

It's (too) simple power of friendship at points, but I think it is still earned and standing on the back of a decade of theme, character and world building (except Golbez, him being an FF4 reference still needed more other backing for it to feel natural).

And once more, we have a bunch of plot threads to work with for later.

Zero and Golbez working to restore the Thirteenth, Ryne and Gaia working to restore the First. The gradual progress on Shard travel. Azdaja rescued and both Vrtra and them calling out (to presumably) other dragons.

And of course the old letter addressed to Galuf Krile found and Erenville and the visitor he brought with him.

This material bridging Endwalker to Dawntrail set up a lot of stuff, which could lead to other, bigger stuff in the nearer future and later future.

I feel it deeply that it'll be made much stronger by context.

But I do have more than enough power of friendship in my system, where I hope Dawntrail is the trek up in complexity and tension and 6.55 will be the start of that.

[jellyluchi]

✨ 💘 love you 🩷!

Thank you for the ask Bibi! Love you too! 💗

✨What's a fic you've posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

This piece for Prosciutto called Softly which was my very first attempt at writing a request and a serious effort I put into writing Prosciutto. I was too scared to write him before that! And I still love writing him the same way. I put so much heart and soul into it and I realized later that maybe people may have liked it more than I could have imagined. I want to write a part 2 so bad! It's post VA Pros, one of my favorite iterations of him, that I want to write a little bit more smutty but also expand on his Househusband Tatsu type role in the fic

💘Is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

Some Pros works that were very short and deserve more of my effort. Mainly, stand your affection, pandemonium, and paint brush. I was too scared to write Prosciutto even as I was posting them. And now that I feel like I've gotten past that barrier a little bit I really want to give myself more time and energy to write him more elaborately, with different sides and emotions, in different situations. I don't know how much I can execute that but I have the drive. If I could rework them, I'd put them in the same fic and add more plot (which I'm bad at) to their editing.

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY’S THIN BLUE LINE

Lucy and Law Enforcement ~ Part 1

For a simple housewife and a bandleader, Lucy and Ricky got involved with the police on a surprising number of occasions. Here’s a line-up of Lucy’s encounters with the men in blue. 

“Liz Learns To Drive” (1948) ~ Liz (Lucille Ball) goes to the police station to get her driver’s license. The officer is played by Frank Nelson.

NELSON: “Name?” LIZ: “Elizabeth Cugat.” NELSON: “Address?” LIZ: “321 Bundy.” NELSON: “Race?” LIZ: “Of course not!  I don’t even have a driver’s license!”

After much rhetorical to-ing and fro-ing, he takes her fingerprints and gives her the eye test:

NELSON: “Read the letters on the wall over there.” LIZ: “M-E-N.”

Later in the complicated plot, Liz finds herself back at the police station, this time being questioned by Sergeant Lewis (Herb Vigran). She’s a suspect in a murder case!

“Safe Driving Week” (1950) ~ Liz is pulled over by a motorcycle cop (Sheldon Leonard), although she’s unclear why. He says that Liz made the wrong arm signal when turning left. When Liz asks what he is writing, he facetiously calls it a story for Reader’s Digest about ‘The Most Unforgettable Person I’ve Ever Met’!  Naturally, it is a traffic ticket. Later, Liz passes a car on the wrong side of the road because she’s three feet from the left curb!  A policeman pulls them over - the same officer who issued Liz the ticket. To explain her driving on the left, Liz decides to adopt a British accent. 

LIZ: “Pip-pip, cheerio, hallo there, Bobbie!”

The Officer tests her by asking her to sing the British Anthem. Liz sings “London Bridge is Falling Down.” The policeman insists on driving the car away from the curb, but runs over his own motorcycle in the process!  Liz drives away, leaving the motorcycle cop in tears, clutching only his handlebars. 

“New Neighbors” (1952) ~ Believing their new neighbors are dangerous spies, Lucy forms a militia and calls the police. Sergeant Morton (Allen Jenkins) is nearly killed when they open fire at the sound of the doorbell!

LUCY: “These people are agents of some foreign government!”  SERGEANT MORTON: “What’s their name?”  LUCY: “O’Brien!”

Morton apathetically ask if she's been nipping at the cooking sherry.

David Allen Curtis Jenkins (Sergeant Morton) made a career out of playing policemen and tough guys in films throughout the '30s and '40s including Five Came Back (1939) with Lucille Ball. This was the first of his three appearances as a policeman on “I Love Lucy.”  From 1961-62, Jenkins voice Officer Dribble on the animated series “Top Cat”. 

“The Courtoom” (1952) ~ Robert B. Williams played the Bailiff. Williams was a busy Hollywood day player who had recurring roles on "Dennis the Menace" and "Hazel." His last role was as Garth Gimble Sr. (Martin Mull's father) on "Fernwood Tonight" in 1977.

“Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (1953) ~ Ricky creates pandemonium at the hospital by showing up for the birth of his son in full Voodoo make-up!  Ralph Montgomery plays the policeman called to the scene. He had appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1949 film Sorrowful Jones.

“Ricky and Fred are TV Fans” (1953) ~ When they are caught stealing from a diner cash register and trying to cut the wires to their apartment building, Lucy and Ethel are hauled down to the station (Precinct 31) by Officer Jenkins (Allen Jenkins) where they encounter Desk Sergeant Nelson (Frank Nelson). This is not the first time these actors have worn blue for Desilu - nor the last. 

“The Girls Go Into Business” (1953) ~ Emory Parnell plays the cop on the beat. Although this is his only series appearance, the veteran character actor was in three films with Lucille Ball and seven with William Frawley.  

“Equal Rights” (1953) ~ The arresting officers are played by Fred Aldrich (left), who appeared in four other episodes, and Louis Nicoletti, who was a veteran of 15 episodes. 

When Ricky and Fred are jailed, the police officer in the final scene is Richard Reeves, who played Bill Foster for two episodes, but was also seen as the tall Indian in “The Indian Show” (1953).

“Too Many Crooks” (1953) ~ When the building is in an uproar over the identity of Madam X, a policeman arrives to sort things out. Once again, the officer on the scene is played by Allen Jenkins. 

“Tennessee Bound” (1955) ~ While driving too quickly through Tennessee, the gang is arrested by the Sheriff of Bent Fork, played by Will Wright. He previously played Mr. Walters, the locksmith from Yonkers in “The Handcuffs” (1953). In 1949, he appeared with Lucille Ball in the film Miss Grant Takes Richmond.

“Lucy Visits Graumans” (1955) ~ While trying to steal John Wayne’s footprints, Lucy and Ethel are interupted by two cops on the beat, who indulge themselves trying to fit their feet into the cement shoe prints of celebrities. Clarence Straight and Ben Neims play the policemen. This is just one of many law enforcement officials Straight played throughout his career. Neims also played an officer (of another sort) on the S.S. Consitution in “Bon Voyage” (1956). His final role was as a Police Chief in the 1974 film Dirty Mary Crazy Larry. 

“The Great Train Robbery” (1956) ~ The plainclothes Police Detective is played by Joseph Crehan, who had previously appeared with Lucille Ball in There Goes My Girl (1937), Ziegfeld Follies (1947), and The Fuller Brush Girl (1950). Throughout his fifty year screen career he played Ulysses S. Grant nine times!

“Paris at Last” (1956) ~ Lucy is implicated in a conterfeiting scheme and arrested. Trevor Ward plays the gendarme who arrests Lucy for passing the fake Francs. He had just appeared as the Cockney groom at the English country estate in “The Fox Hunt” (1956) two episodes earlier. In real life Ward was not French, American, or English – he was Welsh!  

At the police station, two more gendarmes are introduced. Ramsay Hill plays the police desk sergeant who only speaks French. This is his one and only role on the series, but he served as technical adviser on the 1947 film Lured starring Lucille Ball..Johnny Mylong plays the gendarme who speaks both French and German. He soon returns to the series as the Casino Manager in “Lucy Goes To Monte Carlo” (1956).

“Lucy’s Bicycle Trip” (1956) ~ Biking along the Med, Lucy encounters Border Control Officers for Italy and France. Henry Dar Boggia (left) plays the Italian Border Guard. Francis Ravel (in the booth) plays the French Border Guard.  Felix Romano plays the Italian Border Guard who comes on duty in the episode’s final moments.  For the record, Border Guards are considered Law Enforcement Officials in both France and Italy. 

“Return Home from Europe” (1956) ~ Frank Nelson plays the Customs Officer who tries to solve the mystery of the cheese / baby. Nelson will soon take on his second recurring role on the series as Ralph Ramsey. A Customs Officer is considered a  federal law enforcement officer.

“Visitor from Italy” (1956) ~ James Flavin plays the Immigration Officer searghing for Mario (Jay Novello). Flavin also appeared with Novello in “Lucy and the Safe Cracker” (1962) where he played a cop named Sergeant Wilcox. He returned two episodes later to play Sergeant Wilcox again in another bank-themed episode, “Lucy and the Bank Scandal” (1963). Flavin appeared in four films with Lucille Ball, including playing a police sergeant in Without Love (1945). During his long career he played so many officers of the law that his IMDB photo is of him in a police uniform!  

“Lucy Hunts Uranium” (1958) ~ Racing through the Nevada desert the Ricardos and Fred MacMurray are pulled over by a motorcyle cop in this press photo for the episode. 

“Lucy Goes to Mexico” (1958) ~ Returning to San Diego, Lucy and Ethel get stopped by a Border Guard played by Charles Lane, who suspects they may be smugglers. 

In the opening scene, a Tijuana traffic cop tries to keep order when a donkey painted like a zebra rests in the middle of a busy street!  The actor appears uncredited. 

“Lucy Upsets the Williams Household” (1959) ~ Lucy and Desi play the Ricardos on “Make Room for Daddy” aka “The Danny Thomas Show”.  Lucy gets in trouble with the law when out on a shopping spree. The policeman is played by an uncredited performer. 

[pagebypagereviews]

"Tourist Season: A Novel" by Carl Hiaasen plunges readers into the sun-soaked, tumultuous waters of Florida's tourist industry, where the line between paradise and pandemonium is as fluid as the state's coastal tides. In this darkly comic thriller, Hiaasen delivers a narrative as vibrant and volatile as Miami's nightlife, casting a satirical spotlight on the environmental and cultural impacts wrought by the relentless wave of visitors flocking to the Sunshine State. The novel is a masterclass in combining pointed social commentary with unrelentingly entertaining storytelling, a feat that underlines Hiaasen's reputation as a razor-sharp observer of Floridian foibles. The significance of "Tourist Season" is found not only in its captivating plot but in the poignant environmental and social questions it raises, problems as relevant now—perhaps even more so—than at the time of its first publication. Hiaasen weaves a tale rich with eccentric characters and unexpected twists, all centered around the absurd yet plausibly catastrophic schemes of an eco-terrorist group bent on curbing Florida's tourist invasion. The novel challenges readers to consider the cost of unchecked development and the commodification of natural beauty, all the while providing a thrilling read that serves as both an escape and a mirror to contemporary issues confronting many popular destinations worldwide. Plot The plot of "Tourist Season" is a blend of dark humor and suspense, with a satirical take on Florida's tourist industry. The novel explores the misadventures of an unlikely group of eco-terrorists called "Las Noches de Diciembre" (The Nights of December), who orchestrate a series of bizarre events to sabotage the tourist trade and save the Florida environment. This group is led by a former Miami Herald journalist, Skip Wiley, who is both charismatic and unhinged. He believes that by driving away the tourists, he can restore Florida to its untouched, natural glory. The group’s acts escalate from outlandish pranks to destructive criminal activities, drawing the attention of local authorities. The main narrative revolves around a detective named Al García, who is on the trail of the group, attempting to put an end to their chaotic plans while simultaneously dealing with the absurdities of the local population and politics. The plot thickens when the group kidnaps a prominent Orange Bowl Queen, setting the stage for an unpredictable series of events that lead to an explosive and poignant conclusion. Characters The characters of "Tourist Season" are notably quirky and intricately designed, each bringing a unique blend of eccentricity and depth to the story. Skip Wiley stands out, not just for his radical conservationist ideology, but for the ways his passions manifest in fanaticism. As the mastermind behind the eco-terrorist group, Skip is both sympathetic and unsettling. The Orange Bowl Queen, Kara Lynn Shivers, is naïve yet charming, offering a counterbalance to Wiley’s intensity. Detective Al García, the novel's persistent law enforcer, is a multifaceted character who grapples with both Miami's criminal underbelly and its outlandish societal quirks. Supporting characters, including the former governor and a hulking former football player who joins the eco-terrorist cause, add layers of unpredictability and humor to the narrative. Their complexities and the way their lives intertwine create a rich tapestry of human experience amid the chaos of the plot. Writing Style Carl Hiaasen’s writing style in "Tourist Season" is characterized by its biting satire, crisp dialogue, and vivid descriptions, which combined, deftly paint a picture of 1980s Florida. Hiaasen excels at blending the ludicrous and the plausible, creating a heightened version of reality that mirrors the absurdity of the real world. His prose is fast-paced and laced with irony, making bold statements about environmentalism, commercialization, and human folly without sacrificing entertainment value.

His narrative voice is unmistakable, weaving together multiple plot threads with expert control and timing, managing to keep readers on their toes with unexpected developments. The humor in Hiaasen's writing is particularly noteworthy, as it serves to underscore the serious messages at the heart of the novel without becoming preachy or didactic. Setting The setting of "Tourist Season" is a vividly portrayed South Florida, where the lush beauty of the Everglades contrasts starkly with the garish, overdeveloped tourist traps that threaten it. Hiaasen’s South Florida is a hotbed of conflicting interests, from property developers to corrupt politicians and disenfranchised locals. The setting serves as a character in its own right, with Hiaasen using it to critique the environmental degradation caused by unchecked tourism and commercial exploitation. Miami’s colorful locale, with its distinctive neighborhoods and blending of cultures, provides a dynamic backdrop for the unfolding drama. Hiaasen’s intimate knowledge of the area is clear, allowing him to depict both the allure and the rot beneath the sun-soaked surface with unflinching detail. Unique Aspects One unique aspect of "Tourist Season" is Carl Hiaasen's seamless merger of environmental activism with an edge-of-your-seat thriller. He manages to infuse serious ecological concerns into a genre that is traditionally escapist, without compromising the novel’s entertainment value. Another distinctive feature is Hiaasen’s portrayal of the villains; they are not your typical antagonists. Instead, they come across as flawed individuals with ideals gone awry, offering comedy alongside their menace, which creates an unusual blend of empathy and disapproval among readers. Hiaasen’s work also stands out for its deep ties to real Floridian issues—real estate booms, environmental destruction, and the cultural impacts of tourism—wrapping weighty topics in a palatable narrative. The book serves not only as a piece of fiction but as a visceral commentary on the author's home state, making it both a story and a study of a place at a particular time. Similar to Tourist Season: A Novel Book Review ```html Tourist Season: A Novel - Book Review Analysis table width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; th, td border: 1px solid black; padding: 10px; text-align: left; th background-color: #f2f2f2; .pros td background-color: #e7f4e4; .cons td background-color: #f8d7da; Pros Cons Engaging Narrative: The novel provides an engaging and layered narrative that keeps readers hooked with its blend of humor and suspense. Complex Structure: Some readers find the book's structure to be overly complex, making it difficult to follow the various subplots and character relationships. Well-Developed Characters: Hiaasen crafts unique and memorable characters, each with distinct personalities and quirks that contribute to the richness of the story. Regional Specificity: The novel focuses heavily on the Florida setting, which might not resonate with readers unfamiliar with the region's culture or issues. Satirical Tone: The author’s satirical approach provides a sharp and witty critique of societal norms and challenges faced by citizens, which is thought-provoking for readers. Pacing Inconsistencies: Certain parts of the book may have pacing issues, with some sections moving too quickly and others dragging. Social Commentary: The book effectively uses the story as a medium for social commentary, touching on themes like environmentalism and the impact of tourism. Not for All Tastes: The book’s humor and thematic elements might not appeal to all readers; its specific style can be polarizing. Quirky Humor: Hiaasen's unique brand of humor shines throughout the novel, delivering laugh-out-loud moments that lighten even its darkest plot points. Graphic Content: At times, the book includes graphic scenes that may be off-putting or disturbing to some readers, affecting their enjoyment of the story.

``` This HTML document uses a table to present a side-by-side analysis of the pros and cons of Carl Hiaasen's "Tourist Season". The table is styled with solid 1px black borders to clearly define each cell and section, with alternating background colors for visual distinction. The pros are listed on the left with a light green background, and the cons are on the right with a light red background. Each pro and con is briefly explained, focusing on how it affects the reader’s experience with the book. Evaluating the Genre and Themes When considering the purchase of Carl Hiaasen's "Tourist Season," it's essential to evaluate whether its genre and themes align with your literary preferences. As a satirical thriller that dives into the environmental and cultural conflicts of Florida, this novel offers a blend of dark humor and social commentary. Readers looking for a book that provides both laughs and a critical look at societal issues will appreciate Hiaasen's sharp wit and engaging storytelling. Ensure that this mixture of suspense and satire appeals to you before making your purchase. Understanding the Author's Style Carl Hiaasen is renowned for his distinctive writing style, characterized by a brisk pace and a balance of outrageous incidents with astute observations. If you are unfamiliar with Hiaasen's work, it may be beneficial to read excerpts or reviews to determine if his style suits your taste. Fans of tightly woven plots with a vivid sense of location will likely be satisfied with "Tourist Season." Pay attention to the author's narrative technique and decide whether his approach to storytelling resonates with you. Assessing Reviews and Ratings One cannot overlook the importance of examining both professional critiques and reader reviews. While professional reviewers provide a more analytical perspective on the book's value, reader reviews offer practical insights into how enjoyable and understandable the book is for the average person. Check a variety of sources for these reviews, such as literary websites, reader forums, and online bookstores. A consensus in reviews can often indicate the strengths and weaknesses of a novel, helping you to decide if "Tourist Season" is the right choice for you. Comparing to Similar Works If you're well-read in the genre, compare "Tourist Season" to similar works in satirical crime fiction. Consider novels such as those by Elmore Leonard or Tim Dorsey, which also explore crime and humor in a Floridian setting. Determine what sets "Tourist Season" apart from these works in terms of plot, character development, and thematic depth. A comparison can highlight Hiaasen's unique appeal and help confirm your decision to purchase this novel over others. Considering Book Editions and Formats "Tourist Season" is available in various formats, including hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audiobook. Think about which format best fits your reading habits and lifestyle. Hardcovers can be more durable and collectible, while paperbacks are lightweight and often less expensive. E-books offer convenience and portability for digital readers, and audiobooks are perfect for listeners who prefer narration. Additionally, look into which edition you are buying, as some may include extra features like interviews with the author or discussion questions for book clubs. Price and Availability Before purchasing, research the price points of "Tourist Season" across different retailers to find the best deal. Prices can vary significantly between shops, especially if you are open to buying used copies, which can be a more affordable option. Also, check the availability of the book in your region. In some cases, you may need to order from an international seller or seek out specialized local bookstores to find a particular edition or format. Exploring Supplementary Materials and Resources Lastly, investigate whether there are supplementary materials or resources available that could enhance your reading experience. Some editions may contain a reader's guide or a Q&A with Carl Hiaasen.

Online book clubs and discussion forums can also provide additional background information and insights that enrich your appreciation of the novel. Consider whether these resources are something you would like to have access to as part of your reading journey. By taking into account these aspects, you can make an informed decision on whether "Tourist Season" is a fitting addition to your literary collection. Its lively characters, eco-themed narrative, and Hiaasen's sharp prose deliver a reading experience that resonates with fans of the genre and first-time readers of the author alike. FAQ for Tourist Season: A Novel Book Review What is the genre of Tourist Season: A Novel? Tourist Season: A Novel is primarily a mystery/thriller with strong elements of satire and humor. It delves into the crime genre but with a distinctive comedic spin that is typical of author Carl Hiaasen's style. Who is the author of Tourist Season: A Novel? The book was written by Carl Hiaasen, a well-known author and journalist known for his fiction set in Florida that often contains environmental themes and eccentric characters. Is this book suitable for all ages? No, Tourist Season: A Novel is geared towards adult readers. It contains mature themes, violence, and language that may not be appropriate for younger audiences. Do I need to read Carl Hiaasen's books in any particular order? Most of Carl Hiaasen's novels, including Tourist Season, are standalone and can be read in any order. However, familiarity with his style and recurring themes might enhance the reading experience. Can I understand and enjoy the book without having been to Florida or knowing much about the state? Yes, Carl Hiaasen provides enough context for readers to understand the Florida setting and its cultural nuances. However, those familiar with Florida may appreciate the local references more deeply. Apart from entertainment, does this novel offer any deeper messages or critiques? Yes, while Tourist Season is entertaining, it also offers commentary on environmental issues, the impact of tourism, and the eccentricities of Florida life, which are themes Carl Hiaasen commonly explores in his works. How does the book balance humor with the thriller aspect? Carl Hiaasen has a unique writing style that seamlessly integrates humor with suspense. The novel uses satirical wit to poke fun at various situations and characters while maintaining the tension and pace of a thriller, creating a balance that keeps the reader engaged on multiple levels. Is there any graphic content in Tourist Season: A Novel that readers should be aware of? Readers should be aware that the book contains some graphic scenes and violence, consistent with its thriller genre, which may be disturbing to some. The humor does not negate the presence of these more intense moments. Is Tourist Season: A Novel based on real events? While the novel is a work of fiction, Carl Hiaasen often draws inspiration from real-life Florida news and environmental issues, which might resonate with reality and contemporary events. How long is the book, and is it a quick read? The length of Tourist Season: A Novel can vary by edition but is generally around 300-400 pages. Whether it is a quick read depends on the individual reader, but many find Hiaasen's engaging style to make for a relatively fast-paced reading experience. Where can I purchase Tourist Season: A Novel? Tourist Season: A Novel can be purchased wherever books are sold, including bookstores, online retailers, and in both physical and digital formats. Are there any book club discussion guides available for Tourist Season: A Novel? Discussion guides specifically for Tourist Season are not commonly found, but readers often create their own questions based on the themes, characters, and plot, drawing upon the numerous reviews and analyses available online. In conclusion, "Tourist Season: A Novel" by Carl Hiaasen seamlessly blends dark humor with a thrilling plot to craft a sharp, satirical look at the underbelly of Florida's tourist industry.

Through its vivid descriptions and unforgettable characters, the novel captivates readers, offering not just a compelling story but a social commentary on the environmental and cultural impact of tourism. This book is an exemplary choice for readers looking for an entertaining yet thoughtful reading experience. Its unique blend of suspense, wit, and critical observation makes "Tourist Season" a standout novel that provides both an engaging narrative and insightful perspectives on important issues. Whether you're a fan of mystery and crime fiction or someone who delights in satirical novels that reveal deeper truths about society, "Tourist Season: A Novel" is a book that will deliver on all fronts. Reading this novel not only promises hours of engrossing entertainment but also gives you food for thought, leaving you with a deeper understanding of the tensions between commerce and culture. By delving into this captivating tale, readers gain not just a great story, but also valuable insights into the impact of human actions on the environment and local communities. Carl Hiaasen’s biting wit and masterful storytelling make "Tourist Season: A Novel" a worthwhile addition to any book collection and a pertinent commentary on the inevitable collision between human ambition and ecological balance. Other Tourist Season: A Novel Book Review buying options