#zoomed a bit much around certain characters during this. small bit tired

[blueinkphantom]

YOU DONT GET TO ESCAPE THE BINGO HELL. Dreamza, DNB, Awesamdream, Awesamdrunz, Drunz, Sampunz, DNF, Dreamnap, Doomsdaytrio (romantic), DNN, Dreambur, ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF. Do as many as you want. I await your opinions with delight

Happily :D this took awhile to write out especially cause braincells got lost for a bit. and due to length i put it all under "keep reading"

1. Dreamza:

I find the idea of them together funny but also at some point what was meant to be a joke turned to actually shipping them outside of any joke. Because listen i love admin c!Dream, and that with admin c!Phil can just lead to so soft moments especially post-prison here c!Dream gets assistance from c!Phil as long as Dream is accepting/tolerating it. And also i love winged c!Dream and c!Phil has his wings and just imagine them preening each other. Consider Dream's wings after prison pretty much in shambles and he hasn't preened them in so long cause it took time he could use for more important stuff and he also can't reach all places and Phil sees this and alarm bells ring in his head. Consider Dream slowly learning to trust Phil as he recovers in the arctic and at some point lets Phil near his wings to preen them and at the end of it he's so sleepy and tired and surprisingly comfortable that he just falls asleep leaning on Phil. (a few more dreamza thoughts might follow in the romantic Doomsdaytrio section) Not one of my favourite ships but definitely amongst those i love the most. I could read 100 fics about them. I love them.

2. Dreamnoblade:

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM BECAUSE LISTEN THEY ARE PERFECT WONDERFUL PRECIOUS AIJDAKLSJKDFOKJSEFINSFE As noted by my blog title i am absolutely completely normal about rivals duo :D AND LISTEN THEY WOULD BE SO CUTE AND AMAZING AND GREAT TOGETHER LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT THEY WOULDNT BE ONE OF THE CUTEST AND WONDERFUL AND BESTEST COUPLES! I dont know if i already read 100 fics about them but i 100% would because listen THEM <3 I need so much more of them. I really hope i manage to write my one Dnb fic i have in progress right now soon. and listen listen listen imagine c!Dream crushing on c!Techno early on and c!Techno too and justjsnm, ndfksdnfvkdf I have many demons about them. If only my brain worked everytime i did then i could do more, write more about them. (and i nearly could mark it as Fandom once ruined them for me but thats just due to how some annoying people sent hate for shipping these two fictional characters.) They aren't canon except in my heart. They need to talk because i need to see them interact more. I love them so much. My favourite characters <3 Probably my favourite ship of all DSMP ships. They are already my favourite duo platonically and i dont see much of a difference between romantic and platonic due to aroaceness i think, so there's honestly no surprise

3. Awesamdream:

Love them. i need to hold gently and squish and put them in a box (ideally with a c!Punz). They would make each other worse but also i love to see scenarios where they could make each other better. I really really really love the flavour of Awesamdream you write. I could read 100 fics of it. They are unhealthy and i love them for it Sadly don't have many thoughts on them rn.

4. Awesamdrunz:

You sparked my love for them. You started my (mild) obsession with them. I need to put them in a box together and shake it. I would read 100 fics about them. I need more of them. Them just, them <3. Braincells have gotten lost when i went to write Awesamdrunz so it's pretty short.

5. Drunz:

My babies. My little guys. Im a sucker for characters that are them against the world basically. I’m a sucker for characters that get left by basically everyone except that one, the one that sticks by them, that doesn’t leave, that trusts them and follows them and gods the scene where c!Punz tells c!purpled about c!dream’s torture. THAT GUY WANTS TO AVENGE HIS BF AND IM HERE FOR IT! I need them to talk properly about their goals and still stick to each other after. I need them like a fish needs water. Them. One of my favourite ships no doubt. A bit below c!dreamnoblade if i had to rank them.

(I like Sampunz but i don't have many opinions on them rn outside of Awesamdrunz .-. or at least my brain doesnt remember any right now)

6. DNF:

*I don't like DNF that much.* Only under specific circumstances so this is going to be more negative. Willing to smash them together like Barbie dolls but mainly due to me wanting to give c!Dream as much love as i can via other characters. In this case romantic love via boyfriends. i dont really like c!george that much. i find him interesting but thats it. I would say the fandom has somewhat ruined it for me. Partly just due to the shippers that use the cc!dnf dynamic for c!dnf, the ones that focus so much on c!dnf for c!Dream (and ignore many other important relationships of him like with sapnap, punz, etc.) and some more reasons. All pretty small and petty reasons i think. They could probably make each other a bit better but it seems more likely to go the opposite route. I probably read 100 fics about them but not for the ship, just cause i found the story interesting so i dont count it.

7. Dreamnap:

HEAVILY underrated. They canonically fucked. In public. (as part of a treaty iirc but still). They’ve been friends since before the server. They both have a book with divine power (and I wish there had been more done with it). They both yearn for each other but one of them is too stubborn in his current belief and the other is too stubborn to stop the path he’s one. I need to shake them.

8. Dreamzablade aka romantic Doomsday trio:

:D So as above stated i already love Dreamza and Dreamnoblade. I also love Techza (though brain is very very focused on c!Dream so it's a bit more in the background). And i do love polycules because listen so many characters fit with so many characters and they have often two hands and a mouth and two feet and- you get the point i hope. Like with Awesamdrunz, i love mashing my favourite ships together to polycules so i obviously love Dreamzablade. I'd imagine the way they get together is Techza probably first. Decades long friendship with romantic feelings brewing and Phil is pretty nonchalent about it, asks Tech who blushes a bit and is happy. So they get together and then enter Dream. And Techno notices "ah, similar feelings to Phil. fuck." and Dream develops same feelings for Techno and Phil notices first that Dream has possibly the hots for Techno and Phil is a bit possessive and very much *this* and Dream finds it hot and then also develops feelings for Phil and is just fuck fuck fuck. Tries to avoid thinking about it but stuff happens and idk how yet but they all get together. Phil notices how Dream finds his possessiveness hot and finds it amusing. and listen listen listen consider them all cuddling together. and consider with shapeshifter c!Dream who unconciously shifts to have traits of his loved ones and his small wings he has from the parrot and c!Bad gets bigger due to c!Phil, and he has hooves like a piglin and consider them cuddling and Phil has a wing over both of them, Dream has his either tucked in or also somewhat around the two and Techno is very much enveloping them both. I think i can confidently state that i love Dreamzablade as much as Awesamdrunz i should maybe find my one dreamzablade AU again and draw something for it or write

9. Dreamnotnap:

They are a package deal. They've been bestfriends and they've been hurt and split and i need to shake sense into c!snf (and technically also a bit c!Dream but mainly snf) i think they deserve to hold hands and kiss and fuck and also cry into each other's arms because they miss each other but they are so far split it’s probably gonna take an act of god to get them to talk more peacefully. Maybe put them in a box. Sam should put them in a box to talk. Consider AU where George and Sapnap get trapped in the prison with Dream for a bit. I could read 100 fics about them getting back together and become boyfriends. Or AUs where c!Sap and c!George stick with c!Dream and don’t basically abandon him.

10. c!Hannah x c!Dream:

i can't really explain why but just *gestures vageuely* them. Its probably partly cause i really like c!Hannah. And i like shipping characters together that i like. Also both like roses.

Besides c!Sampunz I also skipped c!dreambur. Don’t really have many thoughts on that ship besides Dont Like It, Hiss

[pocketramblr]

other main character meta- Ochako, pt 1

<part 2>

“Could you send me there?” you ask, while i blink, confused. “The world where someone else is the main character? not because i have any hypocritical biases against the one i got, just curious how the fandom meta changes.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” I nod, thinking, before tapping my wand against your forehead. “Let’s start with Ochako.”

"I'm going to warn you now- I will have to slightly adjust the plot like I did with Mirio, just to actually let her be the main character."

"Yeah, that checks out." You nod, thinking about certain arcs where the female fighting teams get no coverage while the dudes get four different backstory reveals and full fight focus.

"Very well."

The show begins with a brief narration by the girl of quirks and super hero fights- all flashy. Then it zooms out to show the destruction, and a small construction team moving in as Ochako explains that just as there are new careers in society for heroes, there's also a bigger market for construction companies, one of which her own family runs.

"I've always wanted to help them with it, and my quirk would be useful"- a tiny, adorable Ochako finally appears, making rocks in a park float- "but to get a work license like that is expensive and selective- you've got to make a lot of court appearances and convince them why is a good idea and won't destroy the economy. It's much easier to get a hero license."

Then she explains: "Of course, once you have a hero license, you can make a lot more money than just by helping the company. Especially if... Your family company isn't doing very well." A series of tired but loving parents are shown working all hours to make ends meet.

"I want to help them- my parents. They've done everything for me, and they deserve a break. So that's why I'm going to be a hero- their hero."

The training montage is quick, using her quirk during school in training, after school in secret, around the house. She saves up money too, and studies, aiming for a scholarship.

She applies and tests for many hero schools, and the exams all vary widely.

The first episode ends with her looking up at UA, her final one, the one she really hopes to get into.

"Oh, that's nice." You nod. "And we even get to know her parents' quirks here."

"Yep." I agree. "In general, there's a lot more of a look at the financial side. It's pretty interesting."

"And the fandom?"

"Well, certain people get praised for the bare minimum, but I'll admit having a female lead is super uncommon for shonen jump." It's an improvement, though it's up in the air how much of one it will be. "There's also, because we saw a lot more hero schools, a ton of "students at different school" fics, either because they were expelled or because of the danger UA gets into."

"I do kinda feel like this universe is lucky for that sort of world building." You nod.

"It's very cool to see the takes on the aus. But, I will say there's a cost for this world building- the AfO stuff reeeeally comes out of nowhere and tends to not be popular with fans."

The next episode starts, and Ochako helps a boy from falling. "Love interest alert!" The fans notice quickly when the cute boy blushes and doesn't manage to say much before she walks away.

"They caught on quick." You note.

"And they aren't wrong." Not that it's any real feat to be right.

The exam starts, and Ochako is off in a flash. You see a few glimpses of future classmates- Iida, Aoyama, Kirishima.

She does well, racking up villain points and rescue points, until she's a little too ambitious and falls into the rubble. Her nausea is well established by now, everyone knows she's at her limit.

She can't get up.

The green haired boy comes back and stops the zero pointer.

And breaks every bone in the process.

Ochako saves him in return, lifting up the rubble and stopping his fall.

And then vomits violently afterwards.

"You know, I think quirks suck, actually." The fandom tends to agree on this after that episode/chapter. "But it is interesting that there's such a price for the powers, balances it really well."

"Ha." You shake your head. "They caught onto that, quicker."

"Yep." I can't even say it's more highlighted here, it's the exact same way it was shown in our universe- down to the sparkling rainbow puke.

"Though..." You can't quite imagine that's the only thing the fandom is saying isn't actually that great.

"Ding ding ding." I nod. "Did our own main character get treated just like a damsel in distress? Sure, she saved him back, but that just meant she could have floated away on her own in that time, even if it made her sick. Better that than dead. Is it the sexism?" I shrug. "Most decide to wait and see a bit, and by the time they work together in the first battle exercise figure it's a pretty even split between them saving each other."

"So no sexism?" You get happy at that thought.

I cough. "Ah, no. Both in the show and the fandom. You wouldn't believe how many grown men complain about the lady mc, even as they keep watching."

"And have her body pillow."

"Please don't make me think about that." I cover my eyes, but don't deny that it's true. "Anyway, yeah. Get ready for a lot of people to point out that even though the main character is a girl, every single other girl is flat as cardboard so far and that she only has developed friends that are guys."

"Hey, they aren't flat-"

"In the first season? Yeah they are. Unless you meant, physically, in which case..."

"I didn't." You protest. "But I guess I can see your point, at the start."

"Right. Let's continue on."

Uraraka goes to Present Mic to offer her points. The man pats her on the head, and skyrockets to the position of fandom dad.

"It's all about Dadmic and then Dadzawa here," I explain. "The fans were very disappointed to learn Mic wasn't her homeroom teacher, but yeah... He got a huge head start before Dadzawa fics got going."

"Nice. And it's all fanon?"

"Yeah, it may be a good thing he's not actually in it much, or they might realize how much they just made up on their own."

Then she gets accepted in, on hero and rescue points- she's third place overall, and she gets the scholarship.

On the first day of school, she actually gets to know her love interest's name- Midoriya!

There's also the quirk assessment, which really leads to the "expelled to another school" au and the "fire Aizawa and replace him with better Mic" aus, the first of which lasts much longer in the fandom use, but the second one was just as passionate for a while.

Iida becomes the second friend, and gives her the "Infinity Girl" nickname- which actually is the fandom assumption of what her hero name will be for quite a while, a la 'ground zero'.

Then it's time for All Might's first appearance on screen, to much applause of the students, and the announcement that they get their costumes.

During the first battle exercise, there's a lot more lingering camera work in the changing rooms. Ochako gets to expand a lot more on how she didn't want her costume to be that tight. It's uncomfortable, especially when she thinks about wearing it in front of everyone.

"Oh, I forgot she didn't like it at first... Does she just, get used to it here?" It sounds horrible for the plot to just say 'get used to it' to the main character being sexualized by costume makers outside of her control, especially as a child.

"Not on my watch." I mumble, waving the wand. "Don't worry, she'll actually get more costume changes each time, like some other characters."

"Oh good."

Mineta, regrettably, still exists. You find the fandom manages to be even more violent in his removal.

The battle does even out the opinions on Midoriya, as well as lead to a boost in Iida's with his charming little attempt at thinking villainously.

And cements Bakugo as rather hated. No one has really liked him, when the first thing he did was blow up at Midoriya, then get revealed to have called him a cruel nickname all this time. And then specifically hunt him down because all he cares about it beating him up.

"Yeah he's not gonna get a lot of fans here huh."

"He sure never gets first place in the popularity poll." I agree. "Most consider him the subversion of the rival trope to show is just stupid and violent and in real life, people like that don't go anywhere."

"Most?"

I look away. "How dumb of a discourse do you think you could see today?"

"Oh please, show me." You lean in. "It's nice to not have to deal with it in my universe, so I don't care."

The discourse is such.

Bakugo is gay-coded for Midoriya, the violence is a result of him being shoved off for a girl's love interest when she should be single and independent, and the homophobic creator is vilifying all gay people by saying they are predatory to poor straight boys with refused.

"They............... What."

"If it makes you feel better, that's a very brief minority of the fandom. My favorite response to it was "he's not gay-coded, he's bully coded you sanctimonious sumph of a shmuck.""

"Oh good," you sigh. "I'm glad we don't have to deal with actual queerphobic tropes like that."

I stare at you.

"What?"

I sigh. "Nothing, put a pin in that until I bring up the predatory bi thing with Toga."

Your eyes widen, and you start to have some regrets.

"Anyway, we can talk shipping later. Time for more."

The 'exit sign Iida' gives him a boost in being shipped with Ochako, (as well as Yaoyorozu) and also the general idea that "Ochako has two hands."

That one hand can have a boyfriend with a lot of cash to spare for her and the other is also played with.

"I missed the main trio, like this." You smile as they walk off into the sunset after school.

"Yeah." I agree. "Anyway, time for some near death experiences."

The USJ marks the start of the gradual, gradual growth of Dadzawa fics. It also focuses far more on Ochako, Mina, Sero, and Iida having to think strategically to get around Kurogiri. It's only after Iida escapes that we cut back to a slightly abridged version of how Midoriya was doing, then the other kids, before help arrives.

He does still through his first non bone breaking punch though, which makes the audience happy.

All Might saves the day. Aizawa is battered afterwards. Many fans start out by saying they were disappointed, since this was supposed to be the first big fight, and the kids didn't do much. Many others say in response that's the point- we're looking at first years, they had to think and help each other, but in the end they had to rely on adults.

And then the sports festival is announced. They want to do well, because this is how they get work-week placements, which could become internship offers.

Ochako thinks about Hado Nejire, the only intern of a top ten hero, and senior at UA, along with a few others who are on the up and up. She's determined.

"Really? You're bringing in the big three early?" You ask, glancing at my wand.

It's not sparkling.

I cross my arms with a huff. "Look. Nejire is at this point the only intern in the top ten, she would have been recognizable to the students for that, even if they didn't recognize the big three (which really means that they aren't actually called the Big Three by everyone, or at least not a wide enough group for it to be as big a deal as it's treated. Anyway.) But she wasn't, even if she should have been the most famous of the bunch, considering the coverage the first years got in just their first night. That's because a certain someone doesn't actually think of his female characters much, but he has to in this universe, so."

"Ok, yeah, that's fair. So does that change the sports festival?"

"Not... Much." I admit.

“What?”

“Well, keep in mind in the first universe, our main character didn’t make it past the second round in the one-on-one’s. So she’s not exactly guaranteed a win here either.”

You have to nod, admitting that is true.

“And the conflict isn’t so much about having to live up to any predecessor or breaking down some people’s walls via breaking bones.” I tap my wand against my chin, thinking. “There really is two- one about Midoriya, and one about Ochako’s parents.”

“Oh?”

“One, there’s been the Uraraka’s not happy about how much danger Ochako’s been in. Its been hinted at in the phone calls, but really shows up when we get to see them at home before the SF for the first time since she moved for school. They aren’t sure if she can stay there herself, or if the right thing to do would be to pull her out and maybe try a smaller school.”

“I suppose that's fair, if they haven't been able to actually see her or her progress.”

“Right. The second one is- well. in this, Izuku’s win of the first round, and then breaking out of brainwashing, is more about really piling on how good his mind is- all that brain power. This adds more pressure when we see Ochako being offered a plan from him to beat Bakugo.”

“Oh that does sound neat.”

“Yep- but of course, she still refuses. It’s held up as a worse thing, strategically, initially- but then she comes up with a plan that Midoriya confirms in the stands is better than his, and proves to her parents that she’s smart and skilled enough to handle continuing at the school.”

You smile. “That is a cool arc to do, i guess, if very not traditional. But what about all the character setup and growth with Shinsou and Todoroki?”

“Oh, Shinsou’s largely gets delegated all the way later for the joint training arc, where Ochako’s team is directly against him. Todoroki...” I begin to giggle.

You wait for me to answer, getting more concerned the longer i laugh.

“Pocket?”

“Sorry, sorry, yeah. He actually tells her himself in this canon, a bit after stain. Oh! right, i forgot- the cheerleader incident.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes. of course they need this merch opportunity! But yes, it happens. The... shall we say, non-body-pillow portion of the fandom, generally saw it as the end of any goodwill to Kaminari, who had previously been seen as a tertiary possible love interest, since he’d flirted with her on the first day. Flirt, but harmless, and unlikely to be important. Then there was that breach of trust and international embarrassment, and anyway he’s basically the second least likely in 1a to be shipped with her now.”

“Wow. So none of that changed?”

“Well, the setup wasn’t under narration from Todoroki about how his mother was bought for her body and how much that sucked and impacted her and the family while on screen we see multiple girls tricked into barring their bodies and its treated as a laugh instead?”

You stare at me. “I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.”

“Neither am I.”

“So, the Todoroki reveal?”

“Right. So, first you need to know the Stain thing- the claims he has against ‘false’ heroes focusing on money is better spotlighted. After Stain’s arrest, Ochako hears a couple of sidekicks at Gunhead’s agency-”

“Wait!” you interrupt. “She still interned with Gunhead? Then what was the point of showing Nejire and Ryukyuu earlier?”

I try not to massage my forehead. “To build up to it. She only made it to the first of the final round, she couldn’t get an internship with a top tenner yet. She’s also got to learn how to disarm someone who fights with a knife. These things build up over more time, small steps.”

“Ah.” You’re satisfied, and let me continue.

“Right, so, Overhears a couple of them talking about Stain’s philosophy and ends up just feeling really bad about it for a bit, trying to figure out if she’s actually being selfish or a bad hero for, you know, wanting her family to not be crushed due to capitalism.”

“Poor girl.” You shake your head in sympathy, the freeze. “Oh. did not intend that pun.”

“It’s alright, i know what you mean. And yeah, she bottles it up for a bit, until the second day back at school. Then Iida reminds her that him bottling things up last week got several kids in mortal danger, and she begrudgingly admits that he has a point and tells them about what has been bugging her.”

“And they comfort her?”

“Well, Todoroki also offers to tell off Kaminari because at this point his mention of stain upset both her and iida, but yes, A lot of reassurances.”

You squint. “I feel like shippers.”

“You’re learning! Yes, Todoroki is just a bit behind Iida in terms of popularity shipping with her. and she does basically get shipped A Lot with each girl in her class too, like imagine double to triple the amount with each girl now, and for the minor guys- but yeah. There’s a lottttt of ships. This was basically called ‘todoroki’s introduction into ochako’s harem’ in the fandom.”

Shipping. fandom just can’t escape it.

“So, then she learns about Todoroki’s past? oh, and what about Hosu? Does she- and everyone else- actually think Endeavor saved the three??”

I snort. “Oh, no. Todoroki’s flat ‘yeah my father totally helped us, as you read on the official report’ basically tipped the fandom off that something else had. But nothing confirmed either, you know? Filling in the hosu gap is another trope in fics that is pretty common.”

“Neat.”

“Yep. But yeah Todoroki tells her his backstory a bit after his introduction into her ‘harem’ of friends. It’s really played up more to caution Ochako- its alright for her to want to help her family, and to work for money to do that. But Rei accepted the marriage offer for money for her family too, and it ended up breaking her. Ochako has to accept a balance- she can work to help her family, and its good, but there are some things she cannot morally do to help them, and other things that she shouldn’t do because she has to take care of her own health first.”

“Ohhhh.” You hadn’t quite expected that, but you sorta liked it, now that you thought about it.

I smile. “It is pretty neat, yeah.” I glance at my watch. “Look, i hate to cut you off, but this post is gonna end up thrice the length of Mirio’s and i think tumblr might stop me, so we’re gonna have to do a two-parter.”

“That’s fine.” You are gracious for what you’ve gotten so far, and do have questions that you’re excited to see answered for the rest of the series. “It’s been fun.”

“It has been.” I agree. “Lets take a break, but you can ask me any questions too, before I return for part two.”

<part 2>

[invisibleicewands]

Q&A with David Tennant and Michael Sheen

What can you tell us about the new series of Staged?

Michael: David and I are still being ridiculous with and about each other - that’s still very much the tone of it. We have a lot of amazing surprise appearances which I hope people will enjoy as much as David and I enjoyed doing the scenes with them.

David: It’s the same set up as before. Michael Sheen and I talking rubbish to each other over the internet from our respective homes, with Georgia and Anna, our other halves, keeping us from becoming too self-indulgent, not always successfully. But there is a bit of a twist to it all, which I’m not going to reveal here...

In the show you play exaggerated versions of yourselves, are you anything like these characters in real life?

David: I imagine not at all, but probably... quite a lot.

Michael: I think David would say that he's not at all like his character in the first series. Whereas I would say, I probably am quite like that. But I think between the two series, there's a slightly more representative version of ourselves emerging, or at least that's what I would say anyway.

Why do you think the first series was so popular?

Michael: We didn't take ourselves too seriously and made fun of ourselves - I think people enjoyed that. I'm using the sort of format and medium that everyone is using. Having to do calls on Zoom and all that kind of stuff - so we've been able to tap into what's funny and absurd about that as well. Also, having lovely surprises like Judi Dench and Samuel L. Jackson, we have lots more of those surprises in this new series.

David: People seemed to recognise what the characters were going through. Not the specifics of being an actor in lockdown as such, but the sense of helplessness, the frustrations and occasional joys of being stuck at home while the world trundled on. That and the fact that Simon wrote a really funny script - I mean without that we’d have been stuffed.

Did you think you’d be back for another series?

David: If you had told me a year ago that I’d end up making a series for BBC One from inside our house, without a crew, wearing my own clothes and being entirely responsible for turning the camera on and off I would have found it wholly implausible, so the idea that we would do it twice is just one of the many unpredictable eventualities that this weird, weird year has presented.

Michael: I certainly thought that if it went down quite well then there was no reason why we couldn't do more, because it was such an innovative way to make a series - filming in my kitchen with just the laptop and a smartphone. It was very nice to come back and do more of it.

What was it like working with your partners?

David: The scenes between Georgia and myself had to be fitted in around school drop-offs, baby naps and unloading the dishwasher, so there is a certain urgency to getting them done but we have really enjoyed making Staged together and we do laugh a lot - perhaps it’s the sleep deprivation.

Michael: I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was great. The difficulty for Anna and I was that one of us had to go and look after the baby, so that presented a bit of a challenge and limited how much we could do together. But the positive side of this was that it meant Anna could do more scenes with other people. So, there's more scenes between Anna and Georgia, Lucy and Simon as well. It was lovely not taking ourselves too seriously and to play around with it.

Will any of your children be making an appearance in the new series?

Michael: There’s that fantastic moment in the first series where you see David and Georgia's daughter in the background coming down the stairs and then going back up the stairs - that's very funny. I'm sure you can hear Lyra in the background of some scenes; you’ll have to be eagle-eyed and eagle-eared for that.

David: No, I think they find it slightly risible that mum and dad are making a TV show from the house and are mostly just annoyed when we tell them to be quiet for a take.

What can you tell us about working with the guest stars?

David: Well I think it’s out there that we have Ben Schwartz joining us this series, playing the assistant to Michael and my US agent. I’ve known Ben for a few years now, we both play the voices of ducks on Disney’s Duck Tales. Ben is very very funny and is a master at comic improvisation. Michael and I both had to sprint to keep up with him once he started going off script. Recording those scenes was a particular joy. But beyond that I’m saying nothing - that would spoil some nice surprises.

Michael: In the first series one of the most enjoyable things was being able to do a scene with Dame Judi and with Samuel L. Jackson. In this series we have plenty more where that came from and it was an absolute joy - a real thrill! We have some special guests this series who David and I both enjoy the work of. I hope the audience enjoy it half as much as we did and also see that it's not just us who have difficulty with the technical stuff!

Q&A with Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg

What can you tell us about the new series of Staged?

Georgia: We are all still in lockdown but things are starting to open up a little and everyone is trying to feel their way through their new normal. David’s hair is longer and my wine cellar (metaphorically speaking. We don't actually have a wine cellar) is emptier.

How did you come up with the idea for the new series?

Georgia: We always said we would just do one and hope people didn't hate it. Much to our amazement people really didn’t hate it and of course it's much more tempting to visit something again if the reception has been good! When we filmed the first series I think we felt like it was a small window of time where the world had shifted and before long we’d all be back to normal and Staged would end up being this nice little time capsule. Simon Evans and Phin Glynn then came up with a brilliant little seed of a premise and we all took it from there.

In the show you play exaggerated versions of yourselves, are you anything like these characters in real life?

Anna: Well we’re all slightly different from the first season. I certainly don’t bring Michael charcuterie boards like I did in the first season, hah! I think in this season I have lost most of my patience with Michael and although that isn't true in real life, it seems closer to how we would behave with each other if we were living through those exact circumstances. I'd tease him for being so serious and a bit of an arse but at the end of the day we got each other's back. I've also gotten to know Georgia and Lucy a bit more since the first season, so those scenes seemed a bit closer to real life this time. Although I don't think there's a world that exists where I'd actually offer David Tennant advice on using Viking methods with an axe to deal with a conflict.

Georgia: This series ‘Georgia’ is slightly less tired and has gotten her fight back a little. The kids are back at school and she’s trying to get everyone else back to some sort of normality. She’s even less indulgent of ‘David’.

Why do you think the show was so popular?

Georgia: I think for the first time in probably ever the whole world was doing the same thing - sitting in their homes. To be able to watch a show where the actors are doing exactly as you and much less elegantly was probably the secret to its charm. To be able to laugh during this time has also certainly saved my sanity and having a comedy escape, albeit for 15 minutes, was probably very needed.

Anna: I think a lot of people around that time were happy to see something light and a bit silly as opposed to another heavy drama about what everyone was already going through, but without ignoring what was going on at the same time.

What was it like working with your partners?

Georgia: That was the best bit for me. He is my favourite person, actor and makes me laugh like no one else. I think I may struggle working with anyone else now!

Anna: The biggest challenge of filming with Michael is figuring out what to do with the baby when we do. Once we've managed to work that out around naps it’s great! He’s very encouraging and patient with me. Serious about the work though and likes to be in charge of all the technical stuff, even though I helped him to set it up in the first place. But I let him.

Will any of your children be making an appearance in the new series?

Anna: There’s always a chance you’ll hear Lyra’s voice in the background. She likes to get in on the action and has a great ability to project and be heard like her father. But no, not in vision.

Georgia: No. I cannot tell you how little they care about what we do. We were just annoying them by asking them to keep the noise down for takes.

[silverisbestboy]

Sonic Boom x Reader

Requested by @blackace1993: Conversation was accidentally deleted but from what I remeber of it, they wanted hc for the Sonic Boom characters who has a partner who frequently gets into trouble and/or captured by Eggman. They didn't specify which character they wanted so I just did all of them minus Tails. Hope you enjoy!

Sonic:

There's no denying it

Sonic was smitten

The moment you set foot on the island Sonic was taken aback by you

To him, you were drop dead gorgeous with a great personality so I guess you could say it was love at first sight for him

This boy is a fool for you

It's actually quite funny watching him zip across the island at the slightest remark that you need something

"Man, you what? I'm feeling kind of hungry"

"Say no more!" He'll say as he zooms away and reappears seconds later with a chili dog in hand

"Uhhhh"

But, unfortunately for you, being in any sort of relationship with Sonic is not wothout complication

Eggman sees you as a new oppurtunity to best Sonic and ends up taking you hostage on a regular basis

The first time it happens, Sonic all but destroys Eggman's fortress looking for you

But after it continuously happening, it starts getting kinda old

"Greeting Sonic! I see you've come to rescue your little girlfriend"

"Yeah, yeah. Can we just we just get to the part where I clobber you?"

It gets to the point where Sonic starts teaching you how to defend yourself so you can hold your own against Eggman

Not that he doesn't mind rescuing, it's just he can't always be there to protect

With the amount of times they've had to save you, the team are already very familiar with you and consider you apart of their friend group

But as you get better is self-defence, Sonic officially announces you as part of the team and you start joining them on missions

While Sonic does tend to stick to your side more than his other teammates during battle, he's glad to have you fighting alongside them

After all, he's happy to spend as much time with you as possible, even if that means having to bash Eggman's robots to do so

Knuckles:

You're not a bad person

So what if you have anger issues

So what if you get into fights from time to time

So what if you've been in trouble with the cops before

Doesn't mean you're a bad person, it just means you've.... got some issues

One day you're not in the best mood and have already had a pretty shitty day, and you're just a ticking time bomb waiting to explode

So it's no wonder that when a big guy bumps into you and causes you to drop the tray of food you're holding, you go off on him

Unfortunately for you, this guy is huge, a tall red echidna with bulking arms that looks like he could punch you into next week

But you're not one to back down from a fight, you've beaten up guys twice your size before and you're not afraid to do it again

"Woah, hey, sorry about that, didn't see you there."

What, is he dense?! Who does this guy think he is barrelling into anyone he pleases just because he's big? You bet he was just gonna walk off without even helping you. Well, you'd show him!

Without warning, you lunged at the echidna with the intent of knocking him over the same way he almost did to you

But you underestimated his initial strength and reflexes and he caught you midair with your legs kicking and your hands clawing for his face

"Woah, dude chill! I said I was sorry!"

He just kinda holds you up in air at arms length with you kicking and screaming until you eventually tire yourself out

The echidna stares at you cautiously

"Are you good now?"

After a moment, you reluctantly nod, and he gently sets you back on your feet

He then carefully leans down without takong his eyes off you and grabs your burger which is still wrapped in foil and reaches it out to you

"How about we start over? I'm Knuckles."

You thought after that encounter, that was the last you'd see of him

But one day, you've gotten yourself into another fight, and to say you're losing would be an understatement

It's once again, a guy twice your size and he's absolutely beating the crap out of you

But by some miracle, Knuckles happens to be walking by and immediately notices you

He steps in to save you, and the guy you're fighting knows about Knuckles being part of Sonic's team and doesn't even bother attempting to fight him

Knuckles takes your half conscious body to Tails's work shop where they fix you up

After that, Knuckles refuses to leave you alone

Even if you try to leave, he always ends finding you to make sure you don't get into more trouble

He helps you find outlets for your anger by sparring and working out with him

You grow a soft spot for Knuckles that you'd never thought you'd have for anyone

He's your big goofball that somehow always manages to calm you down and get you out of whatever trouble your in

Though it's beyond you why anyone would want to put up with you, eespecially a lovable ray of sunshine like Knuckles, you're so grateful that you have someone like himin your life to keep you in check

A/N: Might make more hcs for that because I absolutely love the idea of big, strong goofball Knuckles having a little ball of pure rage as a partner.

Amy Rose:

Some would say you're a pacifist

Some would say you care too much

Some would say you're too nice

But you like to think that you're just trying to do good in the world

You're definitely the type of person that hates conflict and wants everyone to get along, and you're more often than not a bit of a pushover

You like to give people benefit of the doubt and prefer to see the good in people, although sometimes, this affects you negatively

A kindly looking (or at least in your opinion) wolf with a showman's top hat and a certain glint his eyes one day stops you in your tracks and asks you ever so politely if you would kindly lend him some money to help feed his family

Of course, you're quick to help, but little do you know that this is none other than T.W. Barker himself, and he's been watching you carefully for some time

He notices the way you jump at the oppurtunity to help someone in need, and he being a con man at heart, decides to take advantage of that

But before you can lend the man all the money you have in your pocket, a certain pink hedgehog decides to interfere

"Hey, you leave her alone Barker! Go find your own ATM machine!"

Amy Rose herself stands not far behind you, hammer in hand and ready for trouble

"N-now, now, let's not be too hasty. I was simply accepting a generous donation from this unsuspecting-- I mean self-less young lady."

"Yeah right. Beat it before I hammer you into next Tuesday, punk!"

You're in utter shock as the seeming wolf in sheep's clothing (pun intended) makes his escape

"Gotta look out for scumbags. Seems this village is getting more and more of them everyday. Anyways, I'm Amy, what's your name?"

Since then, Amy keeps a close eye on you to make sure you don't become prey to anymore scam artists

Now Amy will never admit she has anger issues, but she does get... irritated from time to time

On more than one occasion, you're there to help her calm down and have a sleepover planned or a spa day for when things get particularly rough for her

Whenever she needs help choosing which paint to redo her wall with, or which dress she should wear to a party, she calls you up, because no matter what you're interests are or how inconvenient the timing might seem, you're ready to help a friend, even with mundane things

Amy has you become a part of the Sonic family, and while you never do join them in battles, you help keep the peace between the team whenever there's an argument

And Amy always makes sure your overly caring attitude isn't being taken advantage of

No matter the time or the place, Amy knows she can always count on you, and you know she's always got your back

Sticks:

Well this is quite the predicament you've gotten yourself into

A lot of people would descibe you as clumsy, but you knew you just bad luck

And to prove just that, here you were dangling upside from a rope trap after deciding to take a liesure stroll through the forest

What are we, nomads? Who sets out traps in the middle of the woods anymore?!

After about 20 minutes, the blood is rushing to your head and you're starting to feel faint

But just as you think that your bad luck will finally be the end of you, figure bursts from the bushes with a fierce battle cry

It's a badger girl with a boomerang clutched in her paw, ready for a fight

But after a moment she realizes just who's gotten caught up in her trap

"Hey, what's the big idea?! Why're you in my snare?"

"Why am I in your snare? Why did you put out a snare you loon?!"

After about 5 minutes of arguing, Sticks reluctantly cuts you down, begrudgingly explaining that she set out a trap for any woodland monsters

You run into her again on another walk, crossing a small stream before tripping on one of the stepping stones and almost falling in before a furry arm wraps around your waist

"You outta be more careful out here. The wilderness is no place to be a klutz."

"Hey, I'm not a klutz. I just have bad luck is all."

And what more to gain the attention of a superstitious badger than the possibility of supernatural forces at play

"You could've been hexed by a witch. Or worse, there could be a vengeful spirit after you! We gotta get you an exorcist!"

"I'm fine, I'm just unlucky. Always have been always will be."

"We should still burn some sage in your home just to be sure."

You let Sticks do what she wants with you, after all, her superstitious perspective is a nice change from everyone just thinking your clumsy

You think her attempts to "cleanse" you are endearing, she tries something new everyday, and you end up learning a thing or two about survival and the corruptedness of politics from her

Weeks later, her attempts slowly dwindle down, and she just comes to accept she's just gonna have to keep an extra close eye on you, especially when she sets out booby traps

The time y'all have spent together, although it was somewhat motivated by Sticks not wanting to get whatever curse you exposed her to, lead to y'all having a close bond

Everyone has their quirks, she's paranoid and you're clumsy, but you two always manage to work things out

And that's the beauty of a relationship

A/N: Sorry I haven't been that active lately, so take this as an apology. Four hcs for the price of one!

[ravenpaw-93]

So. No one asked for this. I didn't even ask for this. I was lying in bed at 3AM & my brain had an Idea™ and I ended up writing a kind of prequel for my Drarry raising Teddy fic. I may do like a mini series of these because I'm not done with these characters & their story lol. And I think doing like a glimpse into a day in their lives in the years leading up to the main story would be really fun.

You can read the original fic here on AO3 if you'd like 😊

The First Time

A Dream Come True Prequal Part 1/?

2.8k Words

Draco stood at the kitchen counter chopping vegetables and tossing them in the salad spinner. He glanced over his shoulder at Teddy who was squealing at one of his toys in his playpen. Harry was due home from work any moment and the sitting room was still cluttered with toys and the mess from Teddy's afternoon snack. Draco stacked the cutting board in the sink and glanced at the kitchen timer. Four minutes until the chicken was done. That should be plenty of time to tidy up the sitting room. He turned on his heel and made for the sitting room when Teddy let out a wail that made his heart drop to his stomach. He swiveled around to see Teddy had thrown his favourite stuffed owl out of the playpen and was now throwing a fit wanting it back. Draco gave an amused, relieved sigh and retrieved it for him.

"There you go." He said cheerfully, handing it to him and wiping the tears from his cheeks. He screaming ceased almost instantly, hiccoughing into a giggle as he squeezed the owl.

Draco chuckled and straightened up and proceeded to pick the toys up off the floor and vanished the mess on the coffee table. The kitchen timer sounded and Draco sighed there were still pillows strung about and blankets strewn haphazardly over the furniture. This was all still so new. He and Harry had left Hogwarts four months ago and Harry had immediately taken on care of Teddy. He'd told Draco his intentions in February while they were still in school. He offered Draco an 'out' and told him to think about it. Draco in turn told him he didn't want an out, he was going to be by his side. From the get go Draco was only spending one to two nights a week in his own flat, but as of two weeks ago, he had officially moved in with Harry and Teddy. Harry started Auror academy two months ago and Draco had, without hesitation, told him he'd stay with Teddy while he was working. His freelance photography job made it easy to work around Harry's demanding schedule. Only, Draco didn't realise how much work it was and he felt like he was failing miserably.

He silenced the kitchen timer and pulled the chicken and potatoes from the oven placing them  on the stovetop momentarily. He set the salad spinner into motion drizzling the vinaigrette dressing in. He cast a cooling charm over it and moved the chicken to a cooling rack on the counter top. He crossed the room to the refrigerator for a bag of baby carrots, scooping a handful of them into the steamer with a bit of butter. Carrots were the only vegetable Teddy liked, this week at any rate. Last week it was peas, he'd eaten so many Draco was certain he would turn green from them. Draco heard the Flood chime and Teddy began to squeal loudly, bouncing in his playpen.

"Da!" He squeaked pointing into the sitting room. 

"Yes, that's right, Daddy's home." Draco said encouragingly as he checked the carrots, nearly done.

"Hi little man!" Harry said as he walked into the kitchen and lifted Teddy into his arms. "I missed you so much, you know that?" 

Draco turned to watch Harry snuggle Teddy against his chest as he kissed the top of his head, ruffling his turquoise hair. He felt the familiar warning sensation in his chest he always got when he saw Harry with Teddy. He was a natural. Draco wished it came as easy to him. Not that he doesn't love Teddy. He does, and he loves that his job allows him to be home with him, but Draco couldn't help the sense of inadequacy that he felt. 

"I missed you too, beautiful." Harry said grinning at Draco as he put Teddy on his hip and stepped closer to give him a soft kiss. "Dinner smells amazing."

"I meant for it to be ready and the house clean before you got home." Draco replied, unable to keep the disappointment from his voice.

"That's all right, love. I'm sure Teddy kept you plenty busy today." Harry said gently. "Do you need any help?" 

"No, no that's alright. It's nearly finished. You go sit down, you must be exhausted." Draco replied insistently, Harry helping him would only make him feel worse. 

"You sure?" Harry asked his brow furrowing slightly.

"Of course. Why don't you pop Teddy in his highchair, go wash up and get out of that sweaty uniform?" Draco replied, pressing a kiss to Harry's temple. 

"Okay babe." Harry grinned at him and took Teddy to his highchair and buckled him in. 

Draco waited for Harry to leave the room before turning around and gripping the counter, letting his head drop. He thought this would be easier. In his head he envisioned Harry being able to come home to a spotless home and a hot meal on the table and Draco and Teddy waiting. Instead he came home most nights to a completely destroyed lower level, a wailing child and a frazzled and harried Draco running around trying to keep it all held together. Teddy ran everywhere, he didn't believe in walking and he was a fearless climber, a combination that kept Draco on high alert all day. It also led to many tantrums when Draco stopped Teddy from doing what he wanted. 

He lifted his head, rolled his shoulders, and took the carrots out of the steamer and put them on one of Teddy's small plates and cut them into small bite site pieces. He scooped a couple of potatoes from the pan and did the same with them. He pulled a knife from the block on the counter and began slicing the chicken, cutting Teddy's into minuscule pieces. He piled a plate full of potatoes and chicken for Harry and served some for himself and sent them zooming to the table. He filled Teddy's blue beaker with some apple juice before sending plates and the salad bowl to the table with a jab of his wand.

He popped the cap off a beer for Harry and filled himself a glass of water. Harry was reentering the kitchen, his damp hair tied in a messy bun, dressed in comfortable joggers and an old Gryffindor Quidditch t-shirt, as Draco turned to take Teddy his plate and juice. He had Harry's beer in the crook of his arm and his own glass of water balanced in the same hand as Teddy's beaker. Harry gave him an exasperated smile and hurried forward and took his beer and Draco's water from his arms and took them to the table. 

"You're too stubborn." He chuckled as Draco placed Teddy's plate on the tray in front of him. Teddy blew a raspberry and immediately grabbed a fistful of carrots smashing them into his mouth.

Draco shook his head fondly, sighing as he finally took his seat across from Harry. He couldn't remember when he last sat down. 

"Just now working that out?" Draco teased in return. "How was work today?"

"Gruelling. Taylor's trying to kill us all, I'm sure of it." Harry snorted. "We had conditioning today and I know if I was struggling, some of those other lads aren't gonna make it." 

Draco felt ashamed of the flare of resentment he felt. Gruelling meant Harry was going to be too tired to do much of anything except mind Teddy while Draco cleaned up and would likely fall asleep in front of the telly while Teddy had his bath. He felt selfish, but his and Harry's relationship had been a bit lackluster in the intimacy department since Harry started work and Draco missed the way it used to be terribly.

"They had you conditioning in your full kit?" Draco asked instead, widening his eyes.

"Yeah. Taylor gave us some waffle about giving us the 'real world experience,' personally I think he's just a sadist." Harry retorted, humming as he took a bite of his dinner. 

"You're only two months in, that's absurd. I've seen some of those guys, they're hardly in shape enough to handle that." 

"Exactly. Honestly, I doubt Taylor's fat arse could make it through the course in training gear, nevermind a full kit. He just stood to the side screaming at the poor blokes that were lagging behind." Harry rolled his eyes before turning to Teddy and grinning at the mess he'd made of himself.

"Taylor's a prick. How are the other lads in the Academy, are any of them a step above bumbling idiots yet?" Draco asked, Harry had whinged since his first day about being paired off with other less than capable trainees. He and Ron were seldom paired together.

"Yeah. There's one other guy in there with us that knows what he's doing. We got paired together today. Houghton's his name. Knox Houghton I think he said. He was–"

"–I know him! He was a year behind me in Slytherin." Draco interrupted. "He took my place as Prefect sixth year, actually." 

"That's what he told me. He asked if we were still together and I told him yeah we recently moved in together and got custody of my godson. He said he was glad you're doing well." 

"That's surprising." Draco snorted, reaching over and wiping mushy carrots from Teddy's chin. He grinned at Draco and grasped at his wrist with his chubby fingers. He pressed his cheek to the back of Draco's hand for a moment before releasing him and returning to his chicken. "Now you want to be sweet. He smacked me in the face during lunch." Draco continued glancing at Harry.

The small smile he had on his face turned quickly into a sympathetic frown.

"He doesn't mean anything by it, love. He's still learning." He said soothingly.

"I know." Draco sighed, still it seemed as though Teddy spent more time unhappy with Draco than happy. Granted it was for his own good, Draco couldn't let him do things that were dangerous just so Teddy would like him.

After dinner Harry cleaned up Teddy and took him to the sitting room and Draco got wearily to his feet and set about cleaning up the mess from dinner. He heard Teddy giggling and squealing in the other room and he felt a pang in his heart. He knew he was being silly. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he was doing a terrible job at this. He bit his lip hard trying to regain some control over his feelings. Teddy had been up and down all last night,  he was exhausted but the house was a disaster, and Teddy still needed a bath, but Draco just wanted to sit down and relax with Harry. He cleared his throat and blinked furiously. He felt absolutely pathetic. 

"Hey," Harry said quietly behind him. "Everything alright?" 

"Yeah, everything's fine." Draco said in a strained voice, keeping his back to Harry, to hide the tears that he was now unable to stop. "Go play with Teddy love, I'll be in there shortly."

"Uh-uh. Teddy's good, he's in his swing. Everything is not fine, please look at me." 

Draco wiped his face on his shirt sleeve and turned to face Harry.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm being stupid. I just feel like I'm failing horribly at this. You always have to come home to chaos and that's my fault. No matter how hard I try by the end of the day I'm scrambling trying to keep it together. And then when you get home Teddy is so happy and I feel like he hates me. He cries all day long because I don't let him have his way and he misses you. I just feel like I'm fucking everything up. I'm so sorry." Draco blubbered, burying his face in his hands. 

He felt Harry wrap his arms around him and he buried his face in his shoulder and sobbed. Harry rubbed his back consoling him.

"You are doing a fantastic job, love. I don't expect to come home to a clean, quiet, house and a meal waiting for me. You're too hard on yourself. We're all still adjusting and Teddy's just at an age where he's testing boundaries. He'd do the same to me if I were here more. You're exhausted and you need a break. There's a hot bath and a glass of wine waiting for you upstairs. Don't worry about the dishes or the tidying up. I've got this." Harry said softly, smoothing his hair.

"Thank you." Draco sniffled, straightening up and wiping his eyes.

"No need to thank me. I'm sorry I haven't been helping like I should, I'll do better. I promise. Go on, upstairs with you. Go relax." Harry replied, giving him a kiss.

"Okay." Draco smiled at him as he stepped around him.

He walked into the sitting room toward the stairs already feeling better. Perhaps he had just kept everything bottled up too long and just needed to get it out. Teddy squealed as he walked past and grinned at Draco reaching for him. Draco stopped and gave him a hug and smoothed his hair. Draco didn't understand how, but seeing his precious smile made him nearly forget about the tantrums, hair pulling, and smacks to the face. 

"Love you, sweet boy." Draco murmured, kissing the top of his head before heading up the stairs.

He walked into the bathroom to see Harry had indeed drawn him a bath and put it under a stasis that had given the water a slight shimmer. He stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the tub. He sipped his wine, leaning back against the tub letting the hot water soak away his exhaustion. After his wine was finished he pulled the plug from the drain, climbed out of the tub and towelled off. Harry had even laid out a pair of pyjamas for him. 

He felt refreshed as he stepped out of the bathroom and carried his dirty clothes and towels to the laundry chute in the hallway. He furrowed his brow as he heard Teddy wailing through his cracked bedroom door. He crept down the hall and slowly opened the door. Harry was bouncing and shushing him but his little face was beet red and he was kicking his feet furiously chanting no no no no.

"Everything alright?" Draco asked tentatively from the doorway.

"He wants you. He will not lay down for me. I'm sorry, babe. I was trying to give you a night off, but he is having none of it." Harry explained looking crestfallen. 

"That's okay. I don't mind." Draco replied, giving him a smile as he walked into the room toward them.

Teddy turned his head to look at him still sniffling and whining pitifully. His eyes widened and he released Harry's neck to reach for Draco.

"Dada-dadada!" He shouted squirming in Harry's arms.

Draco stopped in his tracks and looked at Harry gaping. 

"He's never called me that before." He said his voice barely above a whisper. He was overwhelmed momentarily by a rush of pure joy, he felt the corners of his eyes prickling with tears again.

"I told you." Harry said grinning at him handing Teddy off.

Draco held Teddy close to his chest and he wrapped his little arms around Draco's neck, hiccoughing into his shirt. 

"It's alright, sweetheart." Draco murmured, patting Teddy's back comfortingly. 

"Looks like you've got it under control in here." Harry said grinning. "I'm going to finish up downstairs."

He gave Teddy and Draco each a quick kiss before disappearing into the hallway. 

"Dada rock." Teddy mumbled sleepily, rubbing Draco's shirt in between his fingers.

"You want me to rock you to sleep?" Draco asked softly.

"Dada rock." He repeated.

"Okay baby." Draco turned off the overhead light and fiddled with the switch on his constellation projector night light. 

He lowered himself onto the rocking chair in the corner next to the cot. He adjusted Teddy in his arms, cradling him against his chest as he gently rocked the chair back and forth. His mother had warned him that rocking him to sleep was a bad idea, that they should let him get used to falling asleep on his own. Draco refused to listen. He hated to just let him cry, and really what was the harm in Teddy wanting to be rocked to sleep every night? Even on the long, trying days like today this was his favourite part. Ever since the first night Teddy had stayed with Harry, Draco was the only one he would go to sleep for. He'd found a strange sort of comfort in the feel of Teddy's tiny body curled against him, rubbing his shirt lazily between his tiny fingers, something he'd later recognized was a sign Teddy was sleepy. Draco still felt that sense of comfort as he looked down at Teddy's sweet, sleeping face. He waited a few minutes before easing himself out of the rocker and laying Teddy gently in his cot. He stirred briefly and Draco laid a hand on his chest until he settled back down, fast asleep. 

He crept out of the bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar and padded down the hall to his and Harry's bedroom. He was delighted to see Harry was still awake, looking ridiculously attractive lying lazily across the bed with his joggers slung low on his narrow hips and his shirt discarded on the floor next to him. Draco smirked at him as he closed their bedroom door with a soft click.

"Hope you're not too tired." Harry said, giving him a crooked grin.

"For you? Never." Draco replied, crossing the room and climbing onto the bed.

Maybe this day wasn't so awful after all.

[fusioncomics]

Blaze the Cat #01

By Charty/Fuse/Eggy(Different names for one person)

Important notes: NB means 'Narration Box', and TB means 'Thought Bubble'

PAGE ONE AND TWO - TWO PAGE SPREAD A two page spread shot of a very large city, looking similar to Pre-SGW's New Mobotropolis, only, slightly more advanced looking, with a slight bit of spanish architecture style.

NB Note: Solus, Capital City

1. Blaze(NB): I have to admit, its been a while since I've been back here.

2. Blaze(NB): Between the various searches for the Sol Emeralds, and having to deal with the doctors, just haven't really had the time.

3. Blaze(NB): Though, after the battle with Cap'n Metal, I seem to have more than enough time to come back recently.

4. Blaze(NB): Something that hasn't really been lost on the seer...

PAGE THREE - THREE PANELS

PANEL ONE A head and bust shot of a somewhat tired looking Blaze, walking along the sidewalk, with a few background characters around her.

1. Blaze(NB): Lahlee...

2. Blaze(NB): Never really talked to her much. Didn't really used to be all that social, to be honest.

PANEL TWO A zoom in on Blaze's face, which starts taking on a concerned expression

1. Blaze(NB): But, then again, I'd like to think I'm better than that now.

2. Blaze(NB): And, from what it sounds, she might have had it a bit hard herself...

PANEL THREE A side shot of Blaze walking along the sidewalk, with multiple background characters around her.

1. Blaze(NB): After all, the life of seer has never sounded all that pleasant to me.

2. Blaze(NB): All the legends and stories make it sound like a grueling task overall.

PAGE FOUR - TWO PANELS

PANEL ONE A shot of Blaze standing infront of a rather nice, pleasant looking, cottage like small house, with her back turned toward us.

1. Blaze(NB): Then again...

PANEL TWO A close up of Blaze's face, eyelids slightly lowered, with an expression that suggests she regrets her concern.

1. Blaze(NB): I suppose with me as her princess, she's had it a bit easier than others.

PAGE FIVE - THREE PANELS

PANEL ONE A shot of Blaze knocking on the door 1. Blaze: Lahlee, are you in there? I hope I've come at a good time.

PANEL TWO Same shot, but, now Blaze is waiting infront of the door looking slightly impatient. 1. Lahlee(From inside): Come in! Tea's almost done!

PANEL THREE Same shot, now with Blaze opening the door and heading in, looking less than thrilled. 1. Blaze: Oh, joy. Tea...

PAGE SIX - ONE PANEL SPREAD PANEL ONE A page spread shot of the inside of the house, with a tarot reader's table in the middle, a small reading room to be a left, and, a partial shot of a kitchen to the right, only showing the back of an egyptian blue(The color) cloak from behind in terms of what we can see of Lahlee.  Both Blaze's expression and body language convey surprise as she looks around.

1. Blaze: Woah! This- This is your new home...? 2. Lahlee: Well, its not as new as you'd think! 3. Lahlee: I actually moved in here about a couple of months ago. 4. Lahlee: I'm still having to get used to it a bit, but, its honestly pretty nice so far!

PAGE SEVEN - FIVE PANELS

PANEL ONE Blaze is looking to her left, body turned slightly, with an expression of curiosity, and slight wonder on her face.

1. Blaze: It is very nice. I think I would hope to have a place just as nice in the near future. 2. Lahlee: Ha! Well, I do wish I could see as you do-

PANEL TWO Same shot, but, now Lahlee's in it, still obscured, and, we can only see her blue cloak, and, her holding a simple white tea kettle. Blaze looks at her with a slight bit of curiosity, but, mostly confusion. 1. Lahlee: But, enough about me! Why don't we go ahead and sit down, and have some tea?

PANEL THREE Lahlee sits down in a plain wooden chair at the far end of the table, and, her head isn't visible, but, now we can see her arms, and, an echidna dread/quill, and, she seems to have a pink lavender coat, with somewhat darker flame-shaped markings on her dreads/quills.

PANEL FOUR Blaze sits down at the chair at the end closer to the door, her head also not really visible, or, at the very least, only slightly visible from the bottom.

PANEL FIVE A wide shot of the table, with Blaze closer to the viewer, but, we can now see that Lahlee seems to be an echidna girl, about a couple of years older than Blaze, with a white face wrap covering her eyes, and, she seems to be wearing a plain egyptian blue robe from inside of the cloak. She has a smile on her face, and is pouring some tea into a cup, while Blaze has a somewhat unenthused look on her face. 1. Lahlee: Now, tell me, how is this 'Marine' I've heard about doing? 2. Blaze: Eh, she's fine. She's a bit trying at times, but, I know she means well. She's still learning.

PAGE EIGHT - Four Panels(All wide shots)

PANEL ONE Lahlee's pouring a second cup of tea, looking a bit amused. Although, you can kind of tell, its the kind of expression that might look slightly smug for someone we could actually see the eyes of. Blaze looks a bit embarrassed, though. 1. Lahlee: I see! Well, if we're being honest, I think we both know what that's like~ 2. Blaze: H-heh, I'm not quite sure what you mean...

PANEL TWO You can't see her eyes, but, you can tell Lahlee's giving Blaze a bit of a knowing smile. Blaze is drinking her tea, mouth obscured by the cup, and, she's clearly trying to avoid looking in Lahlee's direction. 1. Lahlee: Well, I don't know about you, but, I remember a bit of a princess who was constantly asocial, and, didn't think she needed to get close to anyone. 2. Blaze: I-I'm not sure I follow.

PANEL THREE Blaze makes a disgusted face, looking at her tea cup, and, Lahlee just sort of has a neutral expression. 1. Blaze: Ugh! Is your tea always this bitter? 2. Lahlee: Funny, I knew you would say that...

PANEL FOUR Lahlee has a *very* knowing smirk on her face, and, Blaze is sweating a bit, making the kind of embarrassed grin face someone like Tracy Yardley might draw. 1. Lahlee: Which is why I specifically used a blueberry blend from Plant Kingdom, instead of my usual one. 2. Lahlee: You've just had it ingrained as a habit by now to consider my tea bitter, haven't you? 3. Blaze: I, uh- Well, uh-

PAGE NINE - THREE PANELS

PANEL ONE Lahlee covers her mouth, while Blaze is just sort of watching, looking slightly bemused. 1. Lahlee: Heh! Oh, don't mind me, I'm sorry, I'm just having a little bit of a giggle at your expense! 2. Lahlee: I really shouldn't be. Its just a part of you I haven't really gotten to see much of in the past...

PANEL TWO Lahlee's expression isn't visible, we're once again just seeing her from behind. Blaze's expression is a bit bemused.

1. Lahlee: Now, before we get started, why don't you tell me some of whats happened to you? 2. Lahlee: We've barely talked before now, and, I really would like to know about what's been going on with you in recent times. 3. Lahlee: That is, if you wouldn't mind?

PANEL THREE Blaze sighs, looking down, eyelids half shut in contemplation.

1. Blaze: Well...I guess a lot has changed, honestly. I used to be a lot more energetic when I was younger, but, I think I was also a bit spoiled too, since that was before I knew what I would have to do. 2. Blaze: When my parents disappeared, and, your father started training me to become guardian, I know I started shutting myself off from others. I knew the kind of responsibilities that ultimately fell on me. I thought I could handle them all alone... 3. Blaze: Even when Dr. Eggman came, and took all of the Sol Emeralds, I didn't think I needed anyone. 4. Blaze: ...But, then, after going to Mobius-Sonic's World-I started to meet all sorts of new people. I- I began to open up a bit more, ask others for help. Cream, Sonic and the others really started to open my eyes. 5. Blaze: Even when I invited Sonic here, I still had a lot more to learn. Not just from Sonic and Tails, but, even Marine too. She has her flaws, but, so do I. 6. Blaze: And...During the Wisp incident, I met another new person. I didn't think I had ever met him before, but, he still seemed familiar somehow. And...He was nice. Naive, but, nice. 7. Blaze: I don't think I'll ever stop learning how to be a better person and friend, but, I don't think anyone ever does.

PAGE TEN - THREE PANELS

PANEL ONE We can see Lahlee from behind, sipping tea, and, Blaze on the other side, just watching curiously.

1. Lahlee: Well, I'm not really surprised. I knew you'd find people who could find your softer spots inside one of these days. 2. Lahlee: It was always going to be a matter of when.

PANEL TWO A shot, now its Blaze we're right behind, and, we can see Lahlee facing in her general direction, with a wry smile on her face, while Blaze is blushing slightly, and looking down at the table to avoid looking in Lahlee's direction again.

1. Lahlee: Honestly, I'm mostly curious about this hedgehog girl with a hammer. 2. Lahlee: I understand you two work pretty well together? 3. Blaze: W-well, Amy is...Very motivated when it comes to helping her friends. 4. Blaze: I should honestly consider myself glad that I number among them.

PANEL THREE Lahlee has an expression of genuine curiosity on her face, while Blaze is looking upwards in contemplation.

1. Lahlee: Is there anyone from Sonic's World you'd like to get to know more? 2. Blaze: Hmmmmm...Well, I've only seen the princess of Acorn in passing, and, I've heard about a few of his other Freedom Fighter friends. Honestly, I think I'd like to meet all of them eventually, if possible.

PAGE ELEVEN - FOUR PANELS

PANEL ONE Lahlee looks both impressed, and pleased as punch, as she starts pulling out a Solian style tarot deck, with the top of all the cards having ornate purple patterns, with flame markings in the certain, and around the decorated parts of the cards.

1. Lahlee: Well, that is definitely an admirable and respectable goal! I'm glad you're wanting to make more friends these days! Now, I guess we should go ahead and start this, considering its supposed to be the main reason you're here.

PANEL TWO An overhead view, Lahlee goes ahead and places a card down ontop of the table.

1. Lahlee: Now, I don't know what everyone's told you, but, this is a perfectly valid of making a prediction. My father, and all his ancestors before him had various different ways of doing this, and, I have my own way. 2. Blaze: Well...I don't think I would judge, really. Amy has a bit of an interest in tarot cards herself. 3. Lahlee: Oh? Well, it sounds like she's very openminded to things that can't always be explained.

PANEL THREE Lahlee places her gloved hand ontop of the card.

1. Lahlee: Now, let us see what the first one is.

PANEL FOUR Both of them are *looking* at the card, making it debateable of whether Lahlee 100% blind or not.

1. Lahlee: Is that- I-is that what I think it is? 2. Blaze: Yep...

PAGE TWELVE - THREE PANELS

PANEL ONE A close up shot of what seems to be a massive bunch of vines, covering a tower shaped structure, with the words 'The Tower' on the bottom.

1. Blaze: I've been around Amy enough to know a tower card when I see it.

PANEL TWO Lahlee looks to her right, which is on Blaze's and our left, with a look that indicates that she is trying to wrap her head around this.

1. Lahlee: I- I don't know how this could have happened

PANEL THREE Lahlee grabs two more cards, placing them both to one side of the Tower card. Her hand is obscuring them though.

1. Lahlee: But, I know two more drawings should clear this up.

PAGE THIRTEEN - ONE PANEL SPREAD

PANEL ONE Lahlee's standing to the left wondering what could have happened, while Blaze is looking on with suspicion, seeming to already have an idea as to what this could mean. To the right of the Tower Card, the Emperor, represented by a tall feline mobian in Golden Armor, with a giant ornate golden gear right behind him, and, the Sun, with all seven Sol Emeralds around it in the picture.

1. Lahlee: I- I'm the one who drew this, but, I don't even know what it means? How could a Tower, Emperor and Sun be in the same drawing...? 2. Blaze: Well...I think I might have a bit of an idea

PAGE FOURTEEN - FOUR PANELS

PANEL ONE Lahlee looks at Blaze in confusion, who seems to be pondering on something.

1. Lahlee: I- Wait, what...? 2. Blaze: I- My mother used to tell me about legends of the past. Fables and stories about those who supposedly used to live in our universe...

PANEL TWO Blaze looks at the viewer, while in the background, we can see a shining sun, and three obscured shadowy feline figures standing infront of it. The tallest one looking forward, and, the two others facing toward the sides.

1. Blaze: Once upon a time, there lived a Great King, blessed with great knowledge and strength, and power over the sun itself. 2. Blaze: And, as the young king's reign continued, and he grew older and married, he had two children

PANEL THREE A bust shot of a male jaguar, facing directly to the left, wearing a small golden crown, and aztec/mayan style jewelry over his chest, grinning arrogantly.

1. Blaze: The first was his older son. 2. Blaze: He was blessed with the vibrant passion and fire of the sun, and, was considered both handsome and beautiful by many of his subjects and lovers.

PANEL FOUR A bust shot of a female caracal, looking directly to the right, with a red forehead jewel looking similar to Blaze's, and a fancy aztec/mayan style outfit, with her eyes partially closed, and a subdued yet warm smile on her face.

1. Blaze: The second was his younger daughter. 2. Blaze: She was blessed with the majestic, life giving sol energies of the sun, that were reflected in the gems of that era. She was considered not only very beautiful, but, very kind and wise as well. 3. Blaze: Both of them had the same powers from the sun of their father, just used in different ways.

PAGE FIFTEEN - FIVE PANELS

PANEL ONE A shot of the two together, but, younger, playing with each other in the throne room(With a bit of a technologically advanced clockpunk Aztec/Mayan asthetic), looking rather happy and excited, with a taller, more well muscled jaguar watching from the throne with a warm smile.

1. Blaze: When the two were younger, they were just about inseperable! There was only about a year and a half's age difference between them, and, no matter what anyone did, they couldn't be separated for long.

PANEL TWO A shot of the two as teenagers, the male jaguar being surrounded by both attracted male and female feline mobians, laughing a bit, clearly enthused from all the attention, while his sister seems to be reading from some sort of holographic scroll nearby, rolling her eyes a bit.

1. Blaze: Even as the two grew older, and their interests clearly differed as time went on-He enjoyed basking in the attention of others', and, she had an interest in both lore and history-They still remained close.

PANEL THREE A shot of some sort of ceremony, both standing at center of a crowd, with the two sticking their hands into some sort, and not being harmed.

1. Blaze: And, of course, both were blessed by the sun, and, possessed great power over fire and other magics!

PANEL FOUR The male Jaguar shows off, creating rings and cubes, and different shapes out of fire, to an awed crowd.

1. Blaze: Some would say the brother preferred the destructive side of fire, but, he was very creative, and, could bend the shape of fire more easily than his sister and most others.

PANEL FIVE The female caracal creates flames of different colors close to the crowd, who don't seem to be as fearful as they are curious.

1. Blaze: The sister, though, was more entuned with the life nature of fire, and, recognize that fire and heat were a part of life, and, so, could create flames with many beneficial effects, including healing.

PAGE SIXTEEN - THREE PANELS

PANEL ONE As the crowd cheers for the both of them, they face toward each other, and just sort of smile knowingly at each other.

1. Blaze: They were beloved by both their parents, and their people. As long as they remained together, the two siblings were practically unstoppable.

PANEL TWO The brother watches from the back, as a male cat in ornate robes, similar looking in appearance to Blaze, kisses the hand of his sister, who seems to be smiling.

1. Blaze: But, as they grew older, and became adults, one of the king's mages took an interest in, and began courting the princess, who quickly started to reciprocate his feelings.

PANEL THREE A close up shot, the brother's face is a mixture between anger and concern, with his teeth bared to a degree.

1. Blaze: The prince did not like this, and, was furious that someone would try to court his only sibling, but, at the same time, he loved his sister, and wanted her to be happy.

PAGE SEVENTEEN - FIVE PANELS

PANEL ONE The brother points accusingly at the male cat mage infront of his father, sister, and the father's staff and advisors.

1. Blaze: Soon enough, though, it became more than he could bear. One day, he outright challenged the mage to a magic duel, that all the people would see. He would not let this one take his sister.

PANEL TWO The Sister grabs her brother's arm, with tears streaming/flooding out of her face, and a horrified look on her face.

1. Blaze: The sister begged him, pleaded with him to stop! She did not want either her brother or her beloved to be hurt. But, he would not listen. He was filled with jealously, and a fury that not even she could quell.

PANEL THREE The brother and mage face other at opposite sides of a small-medium sized arena.

1. Blaze: And, so it was that the prince and the mage would fight each other the next day.

PANEL FOUR A fiery, yet shadowy aura surrounds the mage, who has both of his eyes closed, and his hands together as he's obviously preparing some sort of offensive spell.

1. Blaze: But, as much as the mage did not want to fight the beloved prince, he could not let himself die either. And, to lose would be to die for him. So, he decided that he would use a lesser known spell, of a type of magic that was consider taboo by many a magic user-

PANEL FIVE The mage sends a blazing, shadowy torrent of fire, right at the prince from his hands, knocking the prince down, with the prince facing away from the audience.

1. Blaze: And, so, he cast a curse on him, one that would force the prince into an eternal slumber.

PAGE EIGHTEEN - FIVE PANELS

PANEL ONE The king(Tall, muscular male jaguar) is shouting at the mage in rage, with tears streaming down his eyes. The princess is trying to calm her father down.

1. Blaze: The king was outraged. He demanded the mage cure his son, but, since the type of magic wasn't well studied, no one really knew how to cure it.

PANEL TWO The king, face obscured, but still streaming with tears, simply points away, basically telling him to go.

1. Blaze: So, since he had taken his beloved son from him, the king ordered the mage banished. He was exiled, ordered to leave through the gates to wander the worlds, with pain of slow death awaiting him should he ever return.

PANEL THREE The princess watches her father the other side of the room sometime after the mage has left, with an expression of clear concern.

1. Blaze: The princess was worried. Knowing her father, he might try just about anything, including using the power of their great sun gems to seize other worlds, so that he might find a way to cure her brother. And, there would be no telling how many he would hurt or kill to that end, in this state of mind.

PANEL FOUR The princess, followed by a number of other members of her feline people, sneaks through the night.

1. Blaze: And, so, one night, while her father was asleep, and the gems were unguarded, she took all seven, and, then, she and a number of her loyal followers snuck through the night, leaving their world behind through the gate, to the first planet her lover had taken. Then, she broke the gate on their side, preventing her father from following. She would make sure the rest of the gates on their new planet were smashed as well.

PANEL FIVE The king sits on his throne, most of the top half of him obscured in shadow, though, he's obviously wearing some sort of golden armor.

1. Blaze: Her father, stuck on his own world, simply bided his time, his rage slowly turning into cold calucation.

PAGE NINETEEN - ONE PANEL SPREAD

PANEL ONE A mosaic of Blaze's world, with the picture of the princess, now a queen, on top of the world, with symbolism of not only grandeur, but, peace and benevolence as well.

1. Blaze: And, so, the princess, who became known as the queen of her new world, ruled in benevolence for two centuries, tethering the sun gems to their new world. She brought a golden age of peace, which remained until she died.

PAGE TWENTY - FOUR PANELS

PANEL ONE Blaze is standing, contemplating on her story, and what she's been told when she was young, and, what she's read since.

1. Blaze: Although...According to legend, after Queen Arteia's death, a cult rose up, and, reassembled the gate leading back to the original Solian homeworld. There's been enough evidence to suggest that the cult is indeed real, and, that we've had to war with the old Solians multiple times over the millenia.

PANEL TWO Lahlee seems to realize something important, which Blaze nods to.

1. Lahlee: Hold on. Queen Lahlee? But- She was the original queen of the Sol dynasty! That means that- 2. Blaze: Yes, it means that we've been fighting those we share ancient ancestors with, for longer than any of us care to remember.

PANEL THREE Blaze has a serious look on her face, which seems to indicate she knows what this means.

1. Blaze: And, if some of these legends are true...

PANEL FOUR A bobcat woman, in technologically advanced, golden colored aztec/mayan style armor, kneels before the throne.

1. Blaze(NB): We might still be facing the old king himself. 2. Bobcat: Sir, our mystics have been contacted by the cult. We should be able to go through the gate in two days time. 3. King: Well, then-

PAGE TWENTY-ONE - ONE PANEL SPREAD

PANEL ONE We can see the king from the story, and, he's wearing some sort of ancient looking, but, still pretty advanced, golden-colored armor. In the bottom right corner, there's a 'TO BE CONTINUED' comic box.

1. King: I suppose its finally time I get to see the measure of my newest descendant...

[grzdev]

Devlog #4

Time for another one of those!

As expected I can’t work as much on the project now that I’m working full time on something else (I’m having a great time there though and I do need to eat & pay the bills). I won’t apologize for the lack of regularity as I already talked about it on my first message.

I was so terribly tired last devlog that I completely forgot to showcase the tool I made that started the idea of writing something about tools. So here it is, almost a month later, the ‘mirror level’ shortcut:

It’s pretty self-explanatory. The orientation of levels doesn’t have any gameplay impact so I try to rotate them in a way that makes them easy to read as well as easy and/or interesting to access in the open world (considering the surrounding levels and obstacles that could get in the way of the entrance). Sometimes rotation doesn’t do it though and I need a good old mirroring! 

(the rabbit isn’t part of the level, it just snaps to the entrance automatically because the gif was taken in my ‘individual level’ test scene)

That said, it is time to get into the most important part of this devlog:

Playtests!

I’ve dedicated these last weeks to individual playtest sessions using screenshare and live commentary. I’ve had a playtest per day during the first week and then a few more for players who wanted to go further into the game.

These playtests were a way for me to look at the overall structure of the game and see how the beginning sections worked. How fast players learn some of the mechanics and interactions, the difficulty curve, overall understanding of the game, etc.

This was a great experience and the playtests went really well, proving the beginning of the game to be quite solid and the learning process fairly smooth. They helped me fix a few issues here and there as well as get to have a better understanding of the duration of the game.

Most players took from 1h30 to 2h to complete the first area, which means the game might have around 10+ hours of gameplay. This is a lot more than I expected originally and I fear it’s creeping into the “too long” zone, I don’t want playing the game to become some kind of chore. I also have to take in mind that these playtests were exempt of any characters and dialogues, which might extend the playtime even more.

Now let’s talk about one of the most interesting sections of the game to have evolved during these playtests.

This is ‘the escape’, or The Path of the Warrior as some rabbits like to call it. It happens to be the first challenge of the game, linking the player’s very open starting area in the south to the more intricate, level-filled open world. Please ignore the bridge to the right.

The screenshot above shows what the Path looked like during the first few playtests I did. It is not technically the first iteration of it, but we will call it version 1 for the sake of clarity.

As I said, this is the very first challenge of the game. The purpose of this very narrow path is to force the player to think about their movement rather than rotate around randomly. Because of the shape of the path, you have to be wary of your position, or your ears might block you in a certain way or push you down the water.

This first version however was extremely difficult, way too frustrating for players who haven’t even had the chance to really experience the game yet (remember, the levels come after this!). In this version, I essentially ask the player to be in one specific position on their starting spot, any other position will result in falling over or getting stuck, but they have to figure it out for themselves.

Watching players struggle here, I realized that this was way too much to ask of players who are still learning how to move. All I want to do is have the player understand that they must think about how they move, but I shouldn’t place them before such a solid brick wall.

I therefore went and did a revision of this Path for subsequent playtests:

So of course this shape might not mean much to you if you haven’t played the game, but basically it is opening more options to the player. Instead of having to find the one specific position to “solve” the challenge, they now only have to understand the relative way they need to orient their rabbit and can do so from any starting tile.

This proved better, as the openness of the starting zone gives so many options to the player, finding the single solution to a path proved way too demanding.

However, players still had a bit too much trouble for my taste here. You see, in the game the camera in much more zoomed in, so players never see the full path at a time on the screen. This makes predicting your movement very difficult for beginners, and because the path is so narrow, it doesn’t allow for any mistakes, or step-by-step trial and error (which is a big component of this kind of puzzle games).

I therefore went to my third and so far final iteration, which I am quite satisfied with:

This single bloc added in the corner solves a lot of problems!

It actually turns the path in a two steps process. Once you’ve reached this little square, you have room for movement to realign yourself and tackle the second part. You still get to learn the same thing as the previous path, but you’re allowed to get it wrong and not have to restart all over again.

This proved pretty effective among testers, some said they liked how it made them think about their movement, and other barely noticed it was happening. This is exactly the intended kind of reactions for this challenge so I am quite happy with it! Of course that doesn’t mean it’s perfect, and it might get changed multiple times in the future, but it was a good learning and iterating process, that I could hardly have done without playtesters. As the dev, my knowledge of the game makes these kind of beginner challenges extremely trivial;I didn’t realize the actual difficulty of the challenge.

I also removed some of the blocs to the north, as they didn’t serve any purpose, and if a player accidentally rotated on them a bunch of time, it could get hard to enter the first level, which really isn’t supposed to be a challenging part.

Now that these first playtests are done, I’ll focus on fixing some of the issues I’ve noticed and implementing a save system. With the save system in, I’ll more easily be able to have ongoing playtests while working on the game. I really value live playtests, and the screenshare format was really effective, but they are hard to organize and I feel like it’s asking a lot from people. I’ll keep them for new playtesters trying the game for the first time, and I’ll simply update builds for others who’ll be able to record themselves playing whenever they feel like it.

I am still not looking for more playtesters though, the bunch I have is already enough that early in development.

That’s it for this small post about playtests. I hope you enjoyed, thank you to everyone who reads these, I’ll see you in rabbit hell!

[sunokasai]

The definition of home (2/2)

AN: ...I know Mari’s birthday is long over, but here is part two! I am sorry and will now hide in shame. Also, hightly unedited, so there are bound to be mistakes. Enjoy~

Pairing: KanaMari Link Part 1

School is long over when Kanan and Mari are on their way back to Awashima Island, Mari’s arms full with presents and sweets. Aqours had organized a small birthday party in their clubroom - cake, decorations, everything included.

“So, you’ll head to the hotel for now?” Kanan asks, breaking the silence as they step off of the ferry.

“My parents are here, of course I will.” Mari chuckles, watching Kanan with a little mischief in her eyes. “Are you sad that I’ll probably not stay at your place tonight?”

The blush that creeps onto Kanan’s cheek is everything Mari needs to know and Mari starts laughing.

“Oh Kanan. You know I will come back. Though I am sad I won’t be able to say ‘Thank you’ to your grandpa.”

Stopping at the intersection where they usually part whenever Mari walks back to the hotel, the birthday girl looks longingly to where the diving shop is located. Kanan catches that, smiling.

“He won’t mind, don’t worry.” Kanan takes some of the stuff Mari is carrying. “I’ll take that. Since you’ll drop by again it doesn’t matter where all this stuff will end up.” With a smile, Kanan steps forward, kissing Mari once. It’s sweet and it’s short, but never unwelcome. “Go, spend some time with your parents.”

Mari smiles, eyes closed as she enjoys Kanan’s presence.

“Mhm, I will. I’ll see you later.”

Walking up to the hotel, Mari sees a familiar scene in front of her, her stomach dropping a little. There is something she had been afraid of and that she hadn’t told Kanan, all the cars and people in formal attire confirming what she had thought would be the case.

Smiling, even though a little forced, Mari greets everyone she passes by on her way in. She looks for an employee who she can ask where her parents are. Apparently they are in their office. And indeed, she hears them talking once she approaches the room.

A knock on the door, a muffled “Come in” and Mari walks into the office, not even able to greet her parents because arms wrap around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Mari, my dear, happy birthday. I am so glad we were able to make it.” A female voice, bubbly as her own, welcomes her. Mari smiles brightly, returning the hug.

It’s been a while since she and her mother had the chance to do so.

“Quite some time has passed, yeah.” Staying in her arms, Mari looks at the women who is just slightly taller than her. “I am happy you are here.”

“So are we.” Clearing his throat, a tall man with blond hair and yellow eyes just as Mari’s, walks over to them. “Happy birthday, Mari.”

“Thank you, dad.” This hug is not as warm as the hug with her mother and nothing compared to Kanan’s hug. It’s stiff, almost formal. It’s nice nonetheless, but in its own weird way.

They talk a little afterwards, mostly Mari and her mother, about how she has been, if she managed to reconcile with Kanan and Dia. Mari is happy to tell her mom everything about all her friends, though she doesn’t mention their school idol activities… or her special relationship with Kanan. Her dad is more interested in how she manages her position as chairwoman.

“By the way… I noticed something when I looked through the details on how the hotel rooms are doing.” Her father suddenly says, eyes glued to the documents in front of him. “It would seem that you don’t stay in the room I ordered for you most of the time. Where are you staying at, Mari?”

There is an unsettling feeling in the pit of Mari’s stomach.

“At Kanan’s place… it has some advantages.”

“While I am glad you are not staying over at the place of some random guy…” He starts, voice stern. “I arranged that the suite you live in is not to be offered to other guests. And it is one of the more expensive rooms of the hotel. If I had known you wouldn’t stay there guests could have rented it.” “I know, dad.” Mari replies. There is no need arguing with him, she knows her is right. Still, the bad feeling won’t vanish. “Mari, I wanted you to gather some experience managing the hotel.” This is it, Mari thinks. Her father would ask her to stay here and do business. More responsibilities, less fun. Less Aqours. …Less Kanan and her grandfather. “But from the documents I looked through I can see that being the chairwoman is quite the responsibility already. And that you are doing a great job with that. I will request the manager of the hotel not to rely on you.” When he smiles at her, Mari feels herself relax. She thought he was about to tell her to stay at the hotel, to stop being with her friends. The dreaded feeling vanishes as she smiles back. “Thanks, dad.” “And since it is your birthday…” With the smile still on his face, Mr. Ohara leans back in his chair. “We will have a party tonight. I have invited a bunch of people beforehand who either are already here or will be arriving soon. I also allowed me to buy you a new dress for the occasion. It waits for you in your suite.” Of course you did. Her bad feeling had been right and the suspicions when she had arrived are now proven right as well. This will be a long evening and she won’t return to the diving shop anytime soon. Instead she is bound to ‘celebrate’ her birthday with people she barely or doesn’t know. But she never had been the person to object her dad. So she nods, faking a smile. “Of course. I am looking forward to it. And the dress of course.” A smile that her father thinks it is genuine, judging by the fact how delighted he seems. “Perfect! I am sure you will like it.” That is all the positive emotion he allows himself before Mr. Ohara gets back into business mode. “Now if you excuse me, darling. There is still something I need to take care of.” Mari knows what that means. Leave the office so that he can work without distraction or being disturbed. She feels her mother rubbing up and down her back, smiling at her in that understanding way. But it doesn’t change the facts. So Mari gets up and leaves, heading straight for her rooms. Opening the door she already sees it, the package on her bag from some expensive label. She stopped caring about this stuff completely during her two years in America. The dress that greets her once she opens the lid is still impressive though: purple, a rose decorating the spot where the slit at the side starts, the underskirt that shows through it a bit lighter in color. She puts it away again, laying down on her bed instead. It’s been a while since she had been here and she misses a certain someone’s scent lingering in the fabrics. She should probably text Kanan about the party and that she won’t return today. And maybe not the days after, depending on when her parents would leave again. If she could return at all. Mari hopes that will be the case.

As she had expected, the party is not what a teenager normally gets when celebrating their birthday. In fact, Mari might be the youngest person in the room. There are a lot men, all older or around the same age as her father. Some brought their wives along, some their sons. Or should she say… their still not married sons. It is not the first birthday like that, but the fact that technically she is of age now makes it a bit worse than all the previous ones. The business character these ‘parties’ always have is now accompanied by a ‘speed dating’ flair. With her as the sole female candidate. So every greeting is followed by the other person wishing her a ‘happy birthday’… before they would either introduce their sons or, if the person already is the suitor, the attempt to start flirting. It is getting tiring and she starts not to feel pity anymore for turning them down. That is until she meets a really though case of ‘not getting the hint’. Mari is sure she already dropped three hints that she is not interested in general, might not be interested in boys or is already in a relationship. But he is still there, offering her the world (with his dad’s money) and telling her about all his rather unimpressive (at least for Mari) qualities. She would just walk away if it weren’t rude to do so and would cause her father some problems. This continues for at least half an hour. The last ten minutes are a blur for Mari because she zooms out, feeling a headache coming, developing and getting worse. But that guy doesn’t seem to get it while he excitedly describes how he had managed to survive a small trip in the fields, not longer than an hour. Trying to think of a way out of this situation, she doesn’t register someone stepping between them and excusing themselves and Mari before that person is taking her hand and drags her out of the crowd. The grip is not painful, not too tight; it’s soft and her fingers are intertwined with those leading her away. When she finally gets a glimpse of the person she’s holding onto Mari sees a long braided ponytail that barely stands out against the black of the suit. But it’s that moment that she knows.

She’s leaded upstairs and around some corners until they are in front of her apartment door. With key card in hand, the door is opened and Mari allows herself to be pulled insider her own room, knowing that there is nothing she has to fear.

The other person leans back onto the door and drags Mari with her, against her. Mari leans onto Kanan for dear life. Kanan, who shouldn’t be here but still came. She buries her head into Kanan’s shoulder while Kanan hugs her tight. Neither of them utters a word, instead they just stay there, in each other’s arm.

“Why did you come?” Mari asks, though she thinks she already knows the answer.

“You really think I’d leave you alone with… these guys?” Kanan answers, and the last words are said with so much disgust. Something Mari has never heard in her girlfriend’s voice.

“You saw.”

“Mhm.” She hums in response while her hold gets even tighter. “Enough.” Jealousy doesn’t suit Kanan, Mari thinks.

“Thank you.”

She inhales, the scent that is unmistakingly Kanan calming her nerves just as much as Kanan’s presence does. There is a small kiss placed on her temple, Kanan’s way to silently convey that it’s alright.

“They will search for you once they notice you are missing.” Kanan says, carefully. “You are the star of the evening after all.”

Mari laughs, a little bitterly.

“I am not. This is just an opportunity for my dad to hold a giant business meeting.” She knows that her father loves her and that this party is his way to show that. “He’s never been able to shake off the business men, even in situations like these.” This wasn’t her first birthday after all. “He means well and he loves me. And I know that. This is just… tiring.”

“Still…” Kanan says, not once intending to let Mari go that easily.

“You are worrying about this after you snatched me away?” She can’t help it and giggles. This was so like Kanan, Mari thinks. “But I have an idea… give me a moment.”

Mari leads them over to her bed, grabbing the phone to dial the number of the reception. Once someone picks up she asks for her mother. It takes some moments, moments in which Mari never lets go of Kanan’s hands with her free one.

“Mari darling, what is it?” Mari easily recognizes the slight worry in her mother’s voice.

“I just wanted to inform you that I already retired to my room. It’s been a long day.” She explains and it is not entirely a lie. She is tired, but she doesn’t need to mention that Kanan is here, too.

“Do you want me to come up and bring you something?”

Of course her mother would ask. And normally, maybe she would have asked for something, but at the moment she has all she needs, Mari thinks as she squeezes Kanan’s hand once with a smile.

“No, I am fine. Just want to sleep.”

Her mother sighs but doesn’t object and wishes her a good night before returning to her duties at the party. With that, it is just Mari and Kanan now. And Kanan takes that chances to pull Mari to her. She sits on her girlfriend’s bed as Mari decides not to lay down beside her but to sit in her lap instead, facing Kanan and circling her arms around her neck.

“Will you stay?” It is an innocent question with no intentions other than not wanting to not be alone tonight. And Mari doesn’t think she could fall asleep on her own.

“Want me to?” The answer to this question is easy and Mari nods. She wants nothing more than being with Kanan, every day, every hour, every minute and every second. Even though it sounds crazy to her own ears.

“Can we just go to bed? It was actually true when I said I am tired.” Mari asks, feeling herself leaning more and more into Kanan who keeps holding her upright.

“Sure. But first... close your eyes.”

Mari does as she is told. She feels and hears Kanan searching for something in her pockets, chuckling when her girlfriend curses under breath because she can’t find it. It takes several moments before everything stills.

“We’ll go to bed. Which means now is the perfect time if I want to be the last to give you your present.” Kanan’s voice is a mere whisper as she puts something around Mari’s neck. It is cold and heavy against her skin, a feeling she knows and Mari smiles a bit. She can’t wait to open her eyes to take a look.

But before Kanan allows her to she kisses her. It is soft, gentle and loving as Kanan takes the lead, slowly moving their lips against each other. One hand cups Mari’s cheek, thumb carefully running over soft skin while the other stays around Mari’s neck. Mari wishes this would never end.

But it does and Kanan whispers to open her eyes. Once she does her gaze comes down to her collar in a heartbeat, hands lifting up a ring attached to a delicate chain.

“I figured wearing it out in the open could cause trouble, so…”

“I love it.” Mari interrupts. “And I love you.” It always amazes her how easy those words came out of her mouth. A couple months ago she had dreaded saying them, too afraid to ruin what she had with Kanan, what they had regained after she came back.

It is that moment that Kanan lifts up her left hand with another ring, looking exactly like the one that Mari has around her neck. She can’t contain the tears and Mari doesn’t want to.

“I love you too, Mari.”

Mari is a little bit surprised when she is the first to wake up the next morning. But she doesn’t complain because this way she has the chance to watch Kanan sleeping for once. How she breathes in and out calmly through slightly parted lips, how her hand slightly grips the blanket and how her blue hair messily drapes over sheets.

She kind of understands why Kanan loves to watch her in the morning. This is something reserved for just them, to see the other vulnerable but also comfortable, in a space they can call their own. And Mari loves every minute of it.

That is, until she hears a chair being moved in the dining room next to her bedroom. Being curious, Mari slowly and carefully gets out of bed, not wanting to wake Kanan just yet. She manages and grabs a bathrobe from the hook at the wall, draping it over her form and tying it up. She looks around the corner into the dining room and her eyes widen.

“Mom?”

From all the people she had expected, her mother wasn’t at the top of her list. Well, to be fair, she hadn’t expected anyone at all.

“Oh I am sorry darling, did I wake you?” Mrs. Ohara looks really sorry as she sits down on a chair, motioning for Mari to join her at the table. Three cups of coffee are waiting for them and Mari realizes that her mother knows Kanan is here as well.

“No… I’ve been awake for a couple minutes now.” She doesn’t know how her mother takes in the fact that Kanan hasn’t just stayed over without her parent’s knowledge but that they were pretty much obvious regarding their… sleeping arrangement.

“I take it Kanan is still asleep then?”

“Yeah…” Mari watches her mother carefully as she takes a sip of the coffee… and decides to come clean. “Mom, I-“

“No need to explain yourself.” To say that Mari is taken aback a little is an understatement. “I knew there was something between you and Kanan ever since you entered high school together. When I heard you stayed over at her place almost daily I saw my suspicions confirmed. This is merely further prove.”

“You… knew?”

“That you have a huge crush on her?” Her mother wording it like this and knowing… Mari can feel her cheeks heating up. “I did. And before you ask, no. I am not against it. How could I be if it makes my daughter happy?”

Mari doesn’t know if it is the warm smile of her mother, her words or both in combination cause her to calm down and relax. All she knows is that she is incredibly happy that they have her mother’s blessing. Her father…

“Your father might need some time to accept it, though.” As if she is reading her mind, Mrs. Ohara answers the unasked question. “I am sure he will someday. But for now… this is not how he had thought things would turn out. You know how he is, always planning ahead.”

Mari just nods, hoping that her father’s reaction won’t be bad.

“Don’t worry, you have me and I will support you two, no matter what he says. Because I can see she makes you happy. And that is more important than anything else.”

How this is real, Mari doesn’t know.

“Thank you, mom.”

“Then I want so say one last thing… before I lecture Kanan on how to treat you.”

“Mom!” Yeah, she doesn’t know how this can be real.

“Don’t feel the obligation to stay here.” Mari’s head snaps up at that and she looks at her mother. “You may wanna consider this your home, at least I know your father does. But this is still a hotel. What you consider home… and where it is, that is entirely up to you.”

Mari allows this to sink in for a moment, her head moving back to look through the door into the bedroom where Kanan still sleeps. What is her definition of home? It is a rather easy question for Mari to answer, two years apart made her realize after all. Abroad had never felt good and even the place she had stayed at had never felt homey. The moment she had come back didn’t, either. The warmth was gone and she had been unsure if she still belonged here. But the moment Kanan and she had reconciled, all the warmth had been back and had just increased when they had admitted their feelings.

Home is where Kanan is. It is that simple.

The rustling of sheets draws her attention back to the present and Mari smiles.

“I think I know what home is.”

“Good.” The chair screeches again as Mrs. Ohara gets up and sleepy ‘Mari?’ from the bedroom echoes over to them. “And know that she is awake… let's’ have that talk.” Mari’s mother winks at her daughter.

“Mom!”

[hamilton-wrotetheother51]

Chapter 1-2

And here is chapter 2 of my story! I included chapter 1 as well because I changed a few things (along with an important character’s name). I’ll be back by the end of May with chapter 3. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Earth

I’m on vacation in the Bahamas. It’s a Tuesday, right in the middle of June. I’ve always wanted to come here.

I’m sitting on a lonely beach eating a hot dog, a new food for me. I brush my curly black hair out of my face and gaze at the sunset. I notice a familiar teenager around my age in a t-shirt and sunglasses approaching He sits under my umbrella beside me and examines a purple shell, dusting off the sand.

“Hi,” he says. He’s pretending not to talk to me, even though the closest people are a quarter of a mile down the sandy stretch. “I don’t have much time, so—"

“Well. Kane East. Haven’t seen you since Pluto’s rebellion,” I say fondly.

Kane seems startled as if he forgot we’ve met before. It wasn’t that long ago. But then he pulls himself together and gestures to the sun, shielding his dark brown eyes with his other hand. It’s especially hot today. “They’re ready for you, Aeryn. They’ve been waiting for months now. It doesn’t take but fifteen hours to get there, you know. What’s taking you so long?”

I sigh dramatically, putting down my empty plate regrettably, the hot dog finished. “Oh, I don't know. I like it here.”

Kane shifts in the white sand, obviously frustrated.

“Right.” He squints at the clear blue water reflecting the orange and red sky. A dolphin leaps and the sun sinks lower and lower, revealing more colors. I can tell he’s surprised at how beautiful the sun is on Earth.

Kane leans over and scribbles lines in the sand absentmindedly. “They made a good choice, sending you instead of me. Earth is so different. I keep forgetting they’re not as advanced as us. And space traveling gives me the worst headaches.”

I’m surprised. He doesn’t give out compliments lightly.

He sighs and sits up, combing his sandy blonde hair back with his fingers. “Can you send the signal to get me back?” he asks. “I still don’t have my license.”

I nod, understanding. It takes a lot of responsibility to get your ST -- space travel -- license when you’re my age. I was lucky. You could say the force is strong with me. At least, that’s what Maryanne thought when she was teaching me. You’re special, she told me. I don’t see it.

I’m about to send the message from my military-grade watch when he says, “Will you try to come soon?” Once again, I’m taken aback by his unexpected words. I hate the feeling of loss of control when I’m caught unawares. It makes me feel dangerously vulnerable.

I force a smile. “I’ll try my best.” Except I know, deep down, I can never go back.

But before I get into all that drama, let me explain the sun. Here on earth for years to come, they still won’t have figured out how to land on the sun. It’s quite simple, actually. Only once their scientists saw it was basically a ginormous ball of fire, they didn’t even try. But the fire is only a front. Behind is another planet. No green aliens and UFOs. Our planet is actually very similar to Earth. A little smaller, a lot less crime, a few less plants, and a few more colors. We’re also about a thousand years more advanced.

One might think it’s very hot or bright all the time, but we have a traversable barrier between the fire wall and our planet that keeps out the heat and light. We even have a generated sun like yours, except lab-grown and, like a lot of things, smaller. Also, we figured out a way to modify its gravity so it wouldn’t pull our planet too close to it and we would stay safely in the middle, all without affecting Earth a bit. We've even established a small community on Pluto. Like I said, we’re advanced.

A few of Earth’s so-called “UFOs” were our spies. Well, not so much spies as rather scientists from the Studies of Earth Association (or SEA for short) checking out the planet every six months or so to make sure it was okay. That's my job. Of course, I'm not the only one, but I'm the youngest to officially join in over thirty years. Kane is second, as he's almost a year older than me.

To get past the fire you have to have specialized equipment out of a certain material Earth doesn’t have yet. All you have to do to make this material is to find anything that’s flammable or will melt under heat – which is anything really, though we’ve found aluminum works best – and make a reverse molecule in our (again, incredibly advanced) labs. This makes any material made of these molecules virtually indestructible in any situation concerning extreme heat. Don’t worry, lab-grown molecules aren’t that far away. Our planet is called Bische, by the way. It’s pronounced exactly how it looks.

Anyway, after I promise Kane I’ll come back, I say, “Good luck.” I press a button on my watch and talk into it. (It’s like a telephone, but in watch form. Do you have those yet?) While we wait for someone to take Frat back, which usually takes about ten minutes, I take a deep breath. This is the last time I’m going to see him. Suddenly, I realize he deserves to know the truth after all we’ve been through together.

“I can’t come back, you know.”

He says nothing for a long time. “I know.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. Your uncle.”

“Oh.” I dig my toes deeper into the sand. “How’d you find out?”

Kane fiddles with his purple shell, turning it over and over in his hands, tossing it from one hand to the other. He’s nervous, but I don’t know why. “Everyone kind of assumed he wasn't the best guardian after...” His hands move faster and faster until he misses and the shell falls on the ground. He stares at it, refusing to meet my eyes.

I wasn’t expecting that at all. “After what? What do you mean, everyone?”

He pauses, then takes a deep breath. “He was on the news,” he continues, avoiding eye contact. “Aeryn, they think he killed Yasi Granger.”

I’m in shock. Yasi Granger? The actor and singer celebrity? Why would he do such a thing to such a person? How did he do it? He must have had help. But who…? Another realization comes to mind. I have no one now, except for Maryanne and Frat, of course. It’s a wonder anyone in Bische respects me at all with all my living relatives in jail for outrageous crimes.

Half of me is surprised and disgusted. Yasi Granger? How could he? The other half is relieved. I’ll be able to come back after all. All that fuss, all those hours worrying, wondering, all that for nothing.

“When?” I ask, still trying to process what just happened.

“She was found dead about a month after you left. Part of the reason I’m here was to tell you and to ask you to come back. They probably want to ask you some questions.”

“I… Yeah, I guess I probably should.”

Kane nods. I’m glad he’s giving me some space. I don’t care about my uncle, but it’s a lot to take in.

I send another message letting the employees at the port know I’ll be coming too. The sun finally disappears and the light starts to fade.

“You know what will happen, don’t you?” Kane asks me.

I nod. “Execution. Or he spends the rest of his life in prison.” I struggle to wrap my mind around the concept of no guardian. “Like my father,” I add bitterly.

Kane is quiet for a few minutes, but eventually decides to ignore that last comment. “He might not even have done it. He hasn’t been accused of anything yet. Not formally, anyway.”

I shrugged. “Whatever. As long as I don’t take the heat for it.” Suddenly our ride arrives. No one except us can see it. I’m still not really sure how that works. It’s like a small, invisible, very fast plane, basically.

I suppose the ride should have been silent, but instead, I start a conversation, and by the time we’re a couple of million miles on our way, we’re catching up on what we’ve been doing the past year. No matter what happens with Kane, I refuse to let my uncle ruin another friendship.

Chapter 2: Bische

After the long ride, the “plane” – we call it a cab, although the technical term is aero vehicle - zooms through the fire wall of the “sun” and lands in the large clearing beside Maryanne's place where I stay. But something’s wrong. Everyone in the port that sent for us was quiet on the radio. There was hardly a hello, even though I’d been gone for much longer than planned. I look at Frat for an explanation, but he looks confused too, and simply shrugs.

I think hard, but everything looks the same. We wander around Maryanne's house until we find her frying some eggs in her kitchen. It's past 20 o'clock -- and yes, we use "military time." Honestly, why do people on Earth make everything so complicated?

“Welcome back!” Maryanne hugs us both, then turns to me to size me up. “I can’t believe it’s you! I’ve been waiting so long! How was Earth?”

“Pretty nice,” I say, thinking of the delicious lobster, the warm white sand, and the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. I temporarily forget my problems and reflect on the year. “The Bahamas were great. And Bische is so large there. It’s a wonder they haven’t figured it out yet.”

Kane seems distant, pondering and staring at nothing, unlike his calm stature during the cab ride. Does he sense the unknown misplacement too?

Maryanne serves the eggs on a plate with a spatula and asks us if we want some. Kane and I eagerly say yes, and she pulls out toast, turkey bacon, and orange juice. It’s a good thing she has food on hand, because we’re starving. The cab was short on food, and any trace of the hot dog disappeared long ago. While we eat, I tell Maryanne of some of the places I visited.

“Everything was pretty much the same as last year when I went,” I finish. “How has life been here?”

“The same,” she nods, but she doesn’t look convinced. She turns to Kane, looking eager to change the subject. “Frat, you’ve been quiet. That’s not like you.”

He shakes his head and blinks as if waking up from a strange dream. “Uh, it's nothing. What time is it? I’m getting a little tired.” He yawns for effect.

Maryanne answers, “Nearly 22 o'clock. You’d better stay here for the night. I’ll call your parents. Are they at home?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Kane replies, draining the rest of his orange juice. “Thanks. Where do you want me?”

“There’s an empty room down the hall. Aeryn, do you want to stay up a little later?”

“Nah,” I say, shaking my head. “I’ll watch TV or read in my room or something. Goodnight.”

She shrugs and starts putting away dishes. I walk to my room and Kane heads off in the opposite direction toward his.

. . .

I’m in the middle of watching a documentary about octopus the next morning when Kane knocks. I tell him to come in and he sits on my bed beside me.

“Have you noticed anything strange?” he says. I’m relieved he saw it too.

“Yes.” I turn off the television and face him. “Any idea what it is?”

“I thought about it a lot last night. I think it has something to do with your uncle and Yasi Granger.”

I frown. “Not to sound American, but deaths aren’t that uncommon.”

Kane shrugs. “I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

We are silent for a while. Suddenly I sit up straight, rigid with an idea.

“Uncle Hugh killed Yasi,” I begin slowly. Kane looks confused, but I ignore him and work on transforming my idea into words. “Are… are they happy she’s dead? Or that he’s in prison?”

Kane frowns. “What if…” He stops. “But it can’t. But if it is…”

“What?” I’m excited. I’d never had such a rebellious thought before.

Kane swallows and glances around, as if someone has planted hidden cameras in the room. “What if someone is hiding a secret in Yasi? A bad secret. And everyone knows except us. You’ve been on Earth, I’ve been on Saturn…”

“…And Uncle Hugh was the only one brave enough to do something about it. I think he had help, though. Famous as Yasi is? There’s no way he could have done it without someone, uh, smarter,” I finish.

Kane nods his head, following along. “Someone who knows things.”

We stare into space for a long time.

“I should have known.”

We spin in surprise. Maryanne is blocking the doorway with her broad shoulders. She walks over grabs our hands with her large ones in a firm grip. Kane and I are too surprised and scared to speak or resist.

“Come with me. You might as well know the truth.”

Maryanne leads us to the living room and pats the couch. We obediently sit down.

Her eyes dart around the room. Finally she leans in and says, “I shouldn’t be telling you this…”

Let me know how you like it! Reblogs are very much appreciated!