#so lmk if that's something you'd like

[cannedwyrms]

Spoilers for Shadow of the Erdtree but...

So, Moore. I'll admit, didn't strike me as very interesting my first playthrough. Yeah, he was a funny little guy, but that seemed to be it.

I wanna talk about Moore for just a bit.

However, on a few subsequent runs and an unhealthy amount of thinking, I believe Moore is a lot moore complex than I originally thought.

When we first meet him, he's right outside Belurat, next to Ansbach. Most of Miq's followers can be found on close proximity to each other, which may just be to show that they are all fellows, united in common cause, but there might be some reason for specific placements.

As far as I'm aware, Moore's placement next to Ansbach doesn't have any significance, but I'd love to hear any theories or thoughts if you have any.

He's like the supplier for Leda's band, working with other members of the forager brood to find things, which he then shares with the others.

"Things give joy to all," as he says.

Moore talks in a very simplistic manner. To me, it almost seems like he's forcing some of the words out. This could be because he's actually not a guy, but one of the pests, part of the forager brood. That's just a headcannon of mine, but I do think there's some evidence for it.

Anyway, Moore's quest revolves, as all of the followers do, around the breaking of Miquella's great rune.

But there's quite a bit of missable dialogue before it that really adds to his character.

We learn he's part of the forager brood, who you can find, well, foraging all over the Lands of Shadow. They'll give you cookbooks, and generally be cute little guys (gender-neutral). There's one by the church of crusade that's shivering and cold.

Pop down a warming stone or other similar items, and it'll heat right up. If you go back to Moore after doing that, he'll give you a cookbook with two items that are almost useful.

If you attack any of the brood, he'll eventually invade you and you'll be forced to kill him.

After the great rune is shattered, Moore seems to have a bit of a crisis. He feels abandoned, and will tell you that him and his brood were abandoned by their mother.

Before we continue any further, let's speculate on who Moore's mother could be.

Personally, I believe the forager brood to have, in some way, been birthed by Romina. A bit obvious, perhaps, but the pests have always been associated with the scarlet rot, and Romina became pretty bug-like after she accepted the rot. As to why she would abandon her buggy children, that's where my theory starts to fall apart. If I end up making a post about Romina herself, I'll explore this idea further.

Back to Moore, we can now get into the specifics of what his quest is actually about. What the theme is, how it informs our reading of the rest of the game, etc.

Moore's quest is about trauma. And, to be moore specific, Moore wants to forget the trauma of his abandonment, and believes Miquella's love is the way to do that.

After the great rune is shattered, you are able to give Moore a rare three-way choice to end his quest. If you choose the "sad forever" option, Moore will tell you goodbye and be found dead, next to the corpse of one of his siblings.

If you choose the "put it behind you" option, Moore will decide to keep following Miquella, believing that his love will "banish the pain."

The next time you meet him will be in your fight against Leda, where he will remark about what a tragedy it is for you and the others to fight, and will die. He seems to regret needing to fight you. At his heart, Moore is kind and gentle, only moved to the tides of battle because he, like so many others, believes it will save him.

Accepting Miquella's love is not the solution to moving past his trauma. There is no easy escape, and even if Miq's love did banish Moore's pain, it might not even help him feel any better.

This is one of the moore interesting ends to Moore's quest, because it informs us a bit about the theme of his questline, and Miquella's faliure to understand others' suffering. Becaus Surprise! Somehow I'm actually still talking about Miquella!

Basically, if Miquella really wanted to fix things he would've invented therapy.

Moore's final ending is very interesting as well because he's the only character that can actually survive the whole dlc.

If you choose "I don't know," Moore will eventually come to the conclusion that, even though it hurts, even though he's still sad, he has his family and the things he enjoys doing, and concludes that that's enough for him. And because of that, he actually survives the dlc. He's still there after you defeat Miquella and Radahn, and even though he's sad that Leda and the others never come by to visit, he's still alive. He's still foraging.

And this, I think, is actually another thing the game is trying to tell us.

Amidst all of these great ambitions, these demigods and champions trying to bring about change, to "fix" the world as they see fit, the one person who survives is the only one who finds contentment not in some great goal, not in revenge or obsession, but in simply appreciating what he has and trying to make the best of it.

It's not a perfect solution, sure, but Moore eventually comes to understand that, while he might not be fully happy, losing himself to some goal is not going to magically fix his problems or give him some sense of fulfillment. That's why he's the only one that survives.

Even in the base game, most characters eventually die, mostly for the reasons I stated above. Alexander chases a glorious battle, Hewg loses himself to the promise and obsession of making a godslaying weapon, Melina burns herself to fulfil our goals.

But Moore can live.

And maybe this is what Miquella was missing. In the pursuit of a perfect world, he missed the fact that no world can be perfect, especially not one built off the back of suffering. Instead, Elden Ring says, true peace—true kindness—comes from making the best of your situation and appreciating what you already have.

Of course, this doesn't mean you shouldn't try to improve your surroundings any, it just means that often our happiness can come from things we might have taken for granted.

Personally, I like Moore's second ending the best, the one where he fights alongside Leda and the others, but that's only because I'm a sucker for a good tragedy. Moore's inclusion in that fight also strengthens the idea that what you're doing is kind of wrong (something I'll get to when I talk about Leda) and that there is no moral black and white, only shades of gray.

All in all, Moore is a lot moore interesting than he might first appear, and his inclusion reveals another theme and strengthens all the other ones we've talked about.

I'll get to Leda soon, and eventually to all of Miq's followers, but when I seriously started analyzing Moore I realized I needed to make a post on him. Although, I'll admit I'm still not completely sold on this interpretation, I'm still pretty proud of it.

Okay, bye.

[dont-offend-the-bees]

DontOffendTheBees' DBDA Fic Masterpost

Or, essentially, my 2024 Ao3 Wrapped because this show is all I've posted on main all year 😅 But it's nice to be back in the swing of writing and it's been such a rough year, so I'm gonna take a minute now to bask in the glow of my accomplishments 💛

(please note fic links are to Ao3, and fics are locked to be visible to registered users only!)

Ongoing Fics:

Oh, Lonely Bones, Have You Forgotten? (M, 31.9k, ch. 3/4, Charles/Edwin)

A haunting little odyssey of Edwin finding his earthly remains, and figuring out where the hell to go from there. Was hoping to finish this off before the year was out but pain and other projects sadly got in the way! Don't worry, she will be complete one day, I swear!

Somewhere Beyond the Sea (T, 7k, ch 1/5, Charles/Edwin)

A sweet and magical Payneland Ponyo AU, written originally as a Secret Santa gift and then ballooning WAY out of proportion! I'm so, so excited for how this one turns out!

One-shots:

The Kind of Light That Means Just Love (When My Baby Smiles at Me) (T, 1.4k, Charles/Edwin)

Where it all began, a little ficlet I wrote based on a writing group prompt which made me realised how much fun the character voices were to play with. Short and sweet, Charles takes photos of Edwin and finds ways to be cheerful about it even when he doesn't show up in them.

Outside Looking In (T, 3.6k, Charles/Edwin)

Outsider POV fic in which Charles and Edwin are overhead having a very strange but sweet conversation while in their older disguises. While this was an early fic and there's probably some stuff I'd change about the dialogue if I wrote it now, I'm so fond of it and I'm touched by the response to it - ESPECIALLY in the form of Robin's incredible gifset! (this gifset MUST be reblogged by everyone, btw.)

The Scenic Route (T, 2.1k, Charles/Edwin)

A short, sweet little agency outing and Payneland get-together, written in large part to daydream of a better world of public transportation while I was stuck standing on a cross-country train for two hours.

No Rehearsing It, No Reversing It (T, 9.3k, Charles/Edwin)

Mandatory 'Charles massively overthinks getting together with Edwin' fic, a comedy of errors, featuring foiled kissing schemes, party games, flimsy excuses, and my first fateful foray into discovering how fun Cat King is to write.

’Cause You Cut Through All the Noise (M, 5.3k, Charles/Edwin)

First day of Payneland week, what a time! Edwin helps Charles calm down from a panic spiral with a healthy application of sweet, gently non-sexual dom/sub play, featuring sweet words and soothing games of cat's cradle.

Though We're Strangers 'Til Now (T, 4.7k, Charles/Edwin)

Payneland week day 2. One of my more out-there concepts; in the campy tradition of Saturday night British fantasy telly a la Merlin or Atlantis, Charles and Edwin take the mythological roles of Theseus and Ariadne. This fic exists in large part due to @every-moment-a-different-sound making me aware of Payneland week and asking me to collaborate, and once again, it is COMPULSORY that you go and reblog their GORGEOUS SHOWSTOPPING INCREDIBLE GIFS.

I Got Sunshine in a Bag (T, 1.2k, Charles/Edwin)

Payneland week day 3. The little script-format fic where (spoiler alert) Charles confesses his feelings to Edwin in the safe haven of his own magical bag of tricks. Sweet and silly!

Something I Can Turn To (T, 2.4k, Charles/Edwin)

Payneland week day 4. The AU where Charles and Edwin are alive in the same era, and helped each other survive the brutality of their teenage years. This one was so lovely to write and there's a little bittersweet hollow in my heart carved out for it. This fic also spawned this absolutely lovely art by @yasartmeme (GO REBLOG, GIVE IT LOVE) and a collection of related stories by several wonderful authors. Every time someone else dips their toe into this universe it warms my chilly little heart.

If the Shoe Fits, Then I Won’t Try It On (T, 2k, Charles/Edwin)

Payneland week day 5. Another outing with the disguises; pre-canon, Charles and Edwin on a case, getting used to their new magic disguises and constructing dubious backstories.

Spinning on That Dizzy Edge (M, 1k, Charles/Edwin)

Payneland week day 6. Short little flirty, steamy, fun date night with Charles and Edwin in a haunted pub, with a piano <3

Lived My Whole Life Before the First Light (M, 7.3k, Charles/Edwin)

Payneland week day 7. AKA the attic scene, as told in a soulmate AU. A few people who don't generally like soulmate AU's have told me this one plays with the concept in a way they found interesting and refreshing! Suffice it to say there's a happy ending, but not of the sort generally associated with the genre. And this one comes with yet another mandatory-reblog gifset, this one by @mellxncollie, which is SO beautiful and should be in an art gallery and truly such an honour to bestow upon my little words 💛

We Glimpse Each Other Out of Phase (T, 3.7k, Charles/Edwin)

Another little instalment in the Alive AU of Something I Can Turn To, this time a bittersweet domestic scene on a sleepless night in the kitchen.

Wise Men Build Their Houses on Rocks While the Rest of Us Settle for Skeletons (M, 2.2k, Cat King/Edwin)

First foray into Catwin! (or at least first on the main account 😉) Edwin digs through the Cat King's magical artifacts; and finds an ominous relic of his past lives.

Sink Your Teeth Right Through My Bones, Baby (M, 0.6k, Charles/Edwin)

First of the spotify wrapped inspired ficlets! A little glimpse into Edwin's mind as he and Charles cautiously approach a new dynamic in the bedroom.

Looks Like We’re In for Nasty Weather (T, 0.6k, Charles/Edwin)

Wrapped ficlet. Edwin and Charles brace themselves in the face of an ominous supernatural storm brewing.

Keep Me Warm, Love Me Long, Be My Sunlight (T, 1k, Cat King/Edwin/Charles)

Wrapped ficlet, and preview of the Ghostcat 1920s AU currently in the works by myself, @dear-monday and @tw0-ravens! In a sun-drenched loft in the last days of summer, Thomas contemplates what he has, and when he'll lose it.

Should I Cool It, or Should I Blow? (M, 1.9k, Cat King/Charles)

Wrapped ficlet. The Cat King confronts Charles after another little enemies-with-benefits hook-up for a little clarification on what, exactly, he's doing with his life.

And that about wraps it up for 2024! But I'll keep adding underneath this post when I inevitably write more -- so I'll be seeing you guys in '25! 🥰 Thank you thank you THANK YOU everyone who's shown me such incredible support over this year, this has been such an unbelievably fun fandom experience and I'm excited to sink my teeth into even more and longer fics next year 💛💛💛

My 2024 Writing Stats:

Works Published: 19 Word Count: 89,859 Top 3 fics (by kudos): 1. Outside Looking In 2. No Rehearsing It, No Reversing It 3. The Scenic Route

[jetsetradiofuture]

do you have any blog recs that have similar pretty pictures to you?

ty for the ask ^__^ here are some of my favorites~☆

#-J @80u @avtism @bananacreamoats @beetlebroth @calicocritter @candiedsmokedsalmon @catnpc @cex @chaoparty @diggaleg @distillers @dogbiscuit @drackolyte @dreom @ecosystms @fairy-space @friendthing @frootsnackz @g4meb0y @hello-orange-sunshine @jack-cat @juicepunch

K-Z @kaw0rin @killy--chan @limb @littleforestfellow @melba @miitopias @missingwife @misspiggy @otter11 @purichou @rainbowstag @redbeanbug @rhizi @saepiae @segatetris @snailslunchpail @staravia @teddyland @thestarofcottonland @yugimoto @yuniko @zoonotic @zxu

[cedar-sunshine]

I need to stream my writing on twitch or some shit. Nobody would watch but it'd make sure that I don't get too distracted

[purple-ravaged]

hello! here is my finalized commission info!! i've been tweaking this for awhile, and i'm happy with where i've landed. below is a link to a google form where you can commission me if you're interested :DD

Purple Ravage's Commission Form

[lamourt]

@kidfrommodesto liked for a starter !

he would never have agreed to this in a thousand lifetimes if this man wasn't someone louis had trusted. but his publicist had pushed for it, and with louis's account of his life and their relationship so widespread now with the publication of molloy's book... lestat cared little for the court of public opinion, but there was, in sloane's words, damage control to be done. he finds this whole thing horribly garish–– the way the set has been dressed up, the little props, the book so innocently placed on a side table. its very presence burns in lestat's periphery–– the pages filled with ugly truths and beautiful ones, alongside things he doesn't quite consider fair. and perhaps he's a little vindictive when he sends a spasm towards the other man's throat–– a vampire who hasn't told the world of what he is yet, when he plays the role of other. brows flick up–– an invitation to start, because he won't.

[fogsnatched]

Yui still remembers when she was the new face around the campfire - when she didn't know what was going on; where she was, and how she'd been the most overwhelmed she'd ever felt in her life. She's sure everyone here does - to most, it's a memory that never fades away. So she's not the only one who tries to welcome newcomers into the Realm as kindly as possible - though maybe kindly isn't the right word.

There can't be any true kindness in the words that condemn you to your fate, after all. The words that make you realize, no matter how slowly, that there's nothing you can do - you're going to die, and it's going to hurt, and whatever ideas you can think of to get out of it have all been tried and failed before. Truth be told, Yui hates doing it. Having to break the news to a new survivor and seeing the truth slowly set in makes her sick. It might even be worse than watching their first breakdown, when they've been sacrificed so much that they're sure they can't take it anymore.

The woman that she faces now is another new face she doesn't recognize, but that doesn't tell her how long she's been here. She could've stumbled into the fog mere minutes ago, or maybe she's been here for a while, and someone else has already explained everything to her. It's impossible to be sure.

"Hey." Yui starts, keeping her voice level enough so as not to startle the other woman. "Do you know where you are? You're looking a little worse for wear, there."

@prvtocol ( starter ! )

[wisheswagered]

Some fires burn obviously. Bright, loud infernos speak of danger and destruction, and quiet blue flames whisper a deadly tune to all who comes near. Either way, the scorching heat is enough of a warning to anyone who comes face-to-face with the dancing embers.

Right now, though, the thing swirling in Frederick's eyes doesn't quite look like a fire at all. It's more of a whirlpool - yet it's hard to make out what it's made up of, as if it's hidden behind a murky fog... something is wrong, yet it's difficult to figure out exactly what that is.

To Frederick, the sound in his head has become unbearable. The malicious whispers and wicked laughter are mere background noise, though they pierce and prod at him nonetheless - but it's the pressure that's really impossible to take. On the outside, it's manifested only subtly. His lips press together tightly, his hands are slightly whitened from tension... but if one were to look closely at his eyes, that's where they might see it. Beyond that clouded fog lies something close to madness.

"And why should I trust anything you have to say?" he utters. His voice is a stretched out note, low and vibrating with barely-held back emotion. "No, I should've known this was wrong from the start... What was I thinking, exactly? The answer should've been clear to me from the beginning..."

As if the person he's speaking too isn't even there, he talks to himself. But then, he looks them in the eye again, his gaze fervent - and waiting expectantly for an answer.

@crownshattered ( starter for any idv muse / your choice! )

[rw-ethology]

Slugcats, Sociality and Altruism

Seems like a decent place to kick off the blog :)

Even from just the intro cutscenes, dreams, and alike that provide a glimpse into their lives before braving the harsh ecosystem alone, it's easy to tell that slugcats in general are very much a sociable sort. Whether part of a large colony like Gourmand's appears to be or the single family shown in Monk and Survivor's cinematics, none of the "wild" slugcats we actually get to learn about the circumstances of are alone before the events of the game- and some of them don't stay that way either, with the recent introduction of lost slugpups to find and take care of. But what's so unique about that?

(Long post under cut.)

At first it might not seem like anything special- a given, even. Animals grouping up or remaining with their families into adulthood, eating, sleeping, grooming and playing together, isn't that unusual; even if you're not particularly bothered about companionship, there are many survival benefits to being part of a closeknit group when you're a small and squishy prey animal. Perhaps most straightforwardly, the statistical odds of you specifically being picked off by a predator go way down when your prospective attacker has more targets to choose from, and more trying to drive it off- safety in numbers is a given, when it comes to everything from finding food to raising offspring. The more eyes and ears and hands the better, and it just so happens many creatures that do this are also very sociable with each other.

Sociality to the sheer extent slugcats seem to take it, though is actually considerably rare in the animal kingdom. A lot of animals, even those that are very close with their families, simply don't care all too much about anything outside of their immediate circle- while protecting their own mate and offspring is important, any stranger could be a potential threat or after their valuable resources, and there's little reason to expend time and energy rearing young that aren't theirs. But then in certain more large-brained, intelligent species (and slugcats are undeniably intelligent), where the payoffs and benefits of collaboration and compassionate acts between peers become great enough to create a huge social advantage, things can get a little more interesting. Over time, evolutionarily, an emotional motivation to help others in need starts to emerge.

This is a big deal! Animals with lower comparative intelligence just don't do this; this particular response goes beyond instinct, it creates the capacity for true altruistic behaviour, even in the absence of any immediate tangible reward. And considering the behaviour is learned, reinforced and reciprocated between an entire group so that everybody benefits, it's easy to see how it's so effective. For virtually any creature on its own, missing one too many meals or becoming badly injured or otherwise incapacitated can be as good as a death sentence. Within a group that's personally invested in your wellbeing, however, you've got the insurance of the stronger, fitter members of your family being willing to provide for you catch-free while you can't for yourself, giving you increased survival odds that other animals in the same predicament simply don't get. In a world where just about everything larger than you wants to eat you, having companions who would rather nobody gets served up for dinner is one of the biggest advantages you can have!

However, problems do arise when you lose that advantage of numbers. Having apparently evolved to pass up on sharp edges and defensive strategies in exchange for smarts and compassion, a lone slugcat with no support system has little to rely on but their own resourcefulness to survive- while also likely battling the psychological effects of separation and loss commonly observed in highly social animals. But not all hope is necessarily lost; even in the absence of their own kin, a slugcat's motivation to care is hard-wired, and evidently not limited to their conspecifics either. They can befriend scavengers, another intelligent, social species with a similar inclination to return favours and good deeds; tame lizards (their own predators!) by acting as a provider of food or rescuing them from harm, which will then defend you against others; and in some campaigns, take in lost pups as their own, who will also attempt to come to their aid when in danger. And then, of course, there's perhaps the most interesting friends they could make in the circumstances.

After all, it would be amiss not to mention their apparent affinity for meddling in the affairs of passing gods! Whether or not you fetch them in your own playthroughs, Looks to the Moon has more neurons the later you encounter her in the timeline, and by Rivulet's time even the old cloak recoverable from the depths of her superstructure, suggesting their canon* retrieval- not to mention the events of Rivulet's entire campaign. Considering extending kindness to something as wildly different to them as an iterator is clearly not a stretch for even wild slugcats, it's probably not just a coincidence they seem to make such effective purposed messengers, either; there are likely stronger, faster options to choose from, sure, but you'd be hard pressed to find a creature more loyal, versatile and sympathetic to the plights of others anywhere else.

All things considered no matter the campaign or how aggressively you personally play, just from looking at the overarching plot and events considered canon, it can be said everything happens as it does because slugcats are just how they are- motivated to act based on how strongly they feel for others, whether for better or for worse (read: Artificer's grief-driven rampage). Despite being just another little creature struggling their way through the cycle, time and time again a lowly slugcat manages to affect the world around them and/or its inhabitants in ways far beyond their comprehension and well into the future, just by following their nature. If things were any different, in all likelihood the overarching story and timeline as we know it wouldn't be remotely the same!

*Not technically confirmed as far as I can tell, but for the purposes of this post I am going with the implication that Monk and/or Survivor are responsible for the extra neurons and returned cloak.

[theflyingfeeling]

fics I really really really want to write right now:

chapter 2 to tumbling in the hay (I had a very...vivid image of this the other night out of the blue 👀)

a ridiculously cute high school AU for Valentine's Day (yes, the same high school AU I used for my advent calendar; nothing specific in my mind but I was looking at some prompts the other day and thought it'd be fun)

Olli/Allu fwb having sex in their shared bunk every night while on tour, but veeeeeeeery slowly and quietly as to not wake up anyone else (and they do succeed, believe it or not, but at what cost)

...and yeah, those are the ideas I've been entertaining myself mostly recently. may end up writing them all or none of them, who knows, not I 🙂

[herostoried]

Mirai's glare has been known to intimidate both heroes and villains alike. But right now, in the condition he's in... he somehow doubts his gaze, sharp as it is, is particularly intimidating to anyone right now.

Then again; the both of them here are in this room are in quite the state as it is. Beat-up and bruised, with scuffed clothing and bodies worn to the bone... it's not just Mirai who's in a bad way here, though he's probably got the worst of it overall. After all, Mirai... should undeniably be dead right now.

How and why he isn't is a question he's quite desperate for answers to - but it might have to wait until he's made sure to take care of the dangerous situation he's in. Still, it feels wrong... this place, himself, all of it - and it's only his training and instincts as a hero that are keeping him composed, even just barely.

"Overhaul... you're a stubborn man, aren't you...?" Just as much as the one talking, perhaps. "But somehow... I don't think you anticipated this."

@umbreerie ( starter for overhaul! )

[lctibule]

ㅤalthough not much for nightlife of any sort, sometimes... sometimes you just need a drink. and sometimes the idea of buying a bottle of something strong, taking it home, and drinking yourself stupid while your familiar watches judgingly is just too depressing to stomach.

so... sometimes you just need to go out to a bar. and that's exactly where minjoon finds himself tonight, at an otherwise empty table with a glass in hand, pathetically drowning his sorrows after yet another tumultuous and frustrating phone call with his mother. the place is pretty busy, not to mention a great deal louder than he typically likes, but it's distracting. distraction is a good thing tonight. in fact, he's so open to it that, when a woman comes over and asks to join him after seemingly failing to find anywhere else to sit, he simply nods and gestures for her to take the seat across from him. definitely not his typical behaviour, but fuck it, right?

ㅤㅤ" go ahead. sorry, it wasn't this busy when i got here... i probably should have taken a single seat at the bar rather than an entire table to myself. "ㅤhe apologizes, like he could have possibly known that the place was this popular. like it's his fault she couldn't find anywhere better to sit. mouth opens to continue, but minjoon thinks better of it and shuts himself up with another sip of his drink instead.

☾ㅤㅤ@miidnighters (billie)ㅤㅤㅤ//ㅤㅤㅤlowkey starter call.

[utopideal]

How does one define hope? To More, it's been something he's always reached for, but... somehow, it scares him sometimes even deeper than despair.

Right now, he shouldn't still be here alive in any form at all. Without his other half to reunite with, More's fate should've been to vanish into nothingness after the King's Magic had fulfilled it's purpose and a new King was crowned. But he's been wrong about so many things that perhaps it's no surprise that he would be wrong about another. Or perhaps instead, annihilation still yet awaits him, and the time he has now is only a short epilogue before it finally runs out...

That last possibility is why it's hard... to have hope. More know deep down that he shouldn't still continue to exist. His sins are too deep; already once even the cause of his death... and what purpose he had in being here has already been fulfilled. But knowing that doesn't change the desire buried in the depths of his heart. He wanted to travel the world again... alongside the friend he'd come to value so much. His son. To see the new world he'd create, no matter how selfish a wish it might be - maybe it's a dream he couldn't quite bring himself to cast away.

"It seems we meet again." More smiles as he speaks, but as gentle and calm as his voice is, there's something hidden just beneath the surface. Joy - and though he does not tremble... perhaps a hint of fear, as well.

"I must confess, I don't understand how this meeting came to be. I thought that my time in this world had come to an end... I don't suppose you would know anything about it?"

@tenebriism ( starter for luca! )

[doctornota]

@astrallithid liked for a starter

"I HOPE YOU'RE NOT PLANNING ON GOING OUT THERE."

Leonard has never seen this man before in his life, but Kirk's got him trained like a dog: he can recognize that look in the eye from a mile away, the brewings of what just might be a bad idea, or at very least the inclination to get up and out and go. Most starship captains have it. It's enough to make him pause.

The other stands on a dock right up near the boat rentals, further down the beach than Leonard usually bothers going, but the shore reminds him of home - after long shifts it's a surefire way to clear his head. He keeps off the dock, himself, not too keen on standing right out over the water like that, but projects his voice from the sand enough to be heard.

"Water's chock-full of whirlpools," which just tracks for a place like this, doesn't it? God forbid anything be easy. "I wouldn't count on a boat to make it over, or down, or wherever the hell folks try and get to in one piece."

[cxnscience]

@caramelcuniculus ( layton ) liked for a starter !

Jiminy would very much like to consider himself an experienced traveler. After so many years spent on the road, he would certainly hope he qualified - he's never missed a boat or train, he excels at rooftop navigation, and, not to pat himself on the back or anything, but he's pretty darn good at reading the skies so as not to get caught in the rain.

Obviously, he's not infallible, as today has proven. One missed connection and a heap of poor planning lands him wandering the streets at a positively ungodly hour of the morning, leaping from windowsill to windowsill as he chases cover from the quickly-approaching storm. Fortunately, his travel expertise comes with one other benefit: knowing at a glance which sort of homes are safe to hunker down in. You know, the ones belonging to rich-but-absent businessmen, or popular artists; the type of people with better places to be and more important things to pay attention to than an unannounced houseguest, and plenty of cluttered shelves for a cricket to hide amongst.

Jiminy's got this place pegged from a glance. Scholarly-like, hopefully belonging to a fella who should by all means already be out this early in the morning (or late at night, depending on your viewpoint). It seems like a reasonable assumption to be making. That or his gut instinct has been lead astray by how badly he wants out of the sprinkling rain before it turns into a real squall. Nobody's perfect. The latter might be more likely, because all he knows is that when he nudges the dimly-lit window open, the place is most certainly not empty: the desk he alights on is already occupied.

"Oh," Jiminy says, so genuinely startled that he can't think of anything else for a long moment. He is not hopping back out into the rain - instead he simply stares at the human for a beat or two before finding his tongue. "Hiya. Sorry - I'm just - I was just passing through and took a, uh... a wrong turn, here, that's all. Don't want no trouble."

[phantomtricks]

"Well, investigator - here's to a well-solved case! It's on me, baaaby!"

Cabanela's spirits are clearly high as he cheers in victory - but then again, it's difficult to find a time when the man in question doesn't seem to be in high spirits. Perhaps that's no surprise, coming from someone who's been often described as "dancing through life" - at least from the perspective of an outsider looking in.

But in reality, Cabanela is a man like any other. His doubts, flaws, and anxieties may be hard to spot, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Still, though... for one night, Cabanela thinks it wouldn't hurt to forget all that for a while - especially with the culprit of today's crime already in custody, and the success of his temporary partnership with Shi-Long Lang, which is certainly worth celebrating.

"But I must say, you're certainly as impressive as they told me. Maybe I should take a page out of this Lang Zi's book myself!"

@cuttingcanine ( starter! )