#i can't wait for the story to venture into new settings

[fermiomoriblog]

The pitfalls of every Sunny ship

Diving straight into the hot coals with the first post. But it has been on my mind lately.

The setup in Omori is naturally quite mentally (and in some cases physically) taxing on every main cast character, and a shipper can very easily be overenthusiastic about getting a "happy ending" for their preferred pair, glossing over inconvenient problems and dynamics. I think that it really is rather contrary to the game's themes that this occurs, but it is also understandable that not everybody does a full psychoanalysis of every plot point in their story. I'll list some "common" problems I've personally encountered with people making content about sunburn, suntan and sunflower. I'm more familiar with the dynamics common on ao3 than elsewhere, so if you have any other observations or things to add, please feel free to do so.

# OMORI SPOILERS BELOW #

Sunburn

The "canon" ship. The fact that the ship is explicitly mentioned in game means that the ship is viewed as the "default", and it can lead to some lazy dynamics or lack of justification. You have to remember that no matter what headspace says (and headspace says a lot of things that aren't true), the first thing Sunny and Aubrey did after four years is beat the shit out of each other. Sunny knows nothing about the Hooligans, even though we do, and Aubrey thinks Sunny abandoned her (which is a feeling unlikely to abate after the truth). There needs to be basis for the ship as well - they aren't going to just pick up where they left off (presuming they had anything to leave off in the first place) right away. Which leads us to the first common problem:

Basing the relationship entirely on the past

This is the default reaction and requires the least writing creativity, so it is not surprising that it is common. Simply porting the HS dynamic or the swing scene to the future and copy-pasting is fun and cute and all, but it ignores the fact that both Sunny and Aubrey have changed massively. There's a lot of guilt that is going around, both with Sunny for obvious reasons and Aubrey for pushing Basil in the lake, and Aubrey has a bunch of new, closer friends whom depending on your interpretation are either theatre kids or delinquents. This is not really just going to get talked away on the swing set - they involve third parties.

I would venture to argue that this is actually a very problematic pitfall, despite it being generally not a very serious transgression in real life. Omori, as a game, is about moving on from the past. If you write a fic where the characters forget about bad things in the past but hang on like hell to the good things... that's Headspace. You've just put Sunny in a new Headspace.

Getting Basil out of the way

Even among sunburn/suntan shippers, it is pretty generally accepted that Basil was somewhat attached to Sunny even before the accident. So if you don't want to do sunflower, how do you deal with that?

You can write angst, where Aubrey and Basil end up fighting over Sunny. Weirdly, I've never seen this actually happen (probably because it's too heartbreaking). You can have Basil go to therapy, and get rid of an unhealthy attachment. You can also go the seriously angsty route of Basil hating Sunny for abandonment, Sunny hating Basil for his role in the incident, or a less intense version which just puts a barrier between the two. You can also have Sunny reject Basil. Or you can argue that the attachment was platonic, which is entirely fair.

What you cannot do is have Basil be romantically interested in Sunny, but "get out of the way" for Aubrey "so that Sunny can be happy". Or, well, you can do that, but you can't frame it as anything but serious angst from Basil's POV.

Unfortunately, many, many "pure fluff" Sunburn fics do this, because "pure fluff" fics don't want to untangle the whole thing as most methods involve some degree of emotional turnmoil. This is no ordinary infautation - Basil has waited for Sunny for four years. Nursing unrequited love like that is really, really painful. It is certainly not something that someone with Basil's character and history can do with a smile on their face. If you need any further convincing, I point you to Note to Self: Don't Be Gay in Faraway Town by witheredahlia.

A version of this which I think is a lesser sin (because it is at least framed with some nuance), but a sin regardless, is Aubrey getting annoyed at Basil for "stealing" Sunny's attention from her. This gets dangerously close to the reddit comments you see about "the friend group will be better off if Basil never joined".

Suntan

Despite sunburn being the "canon" and sunflower being the natural alternative, I actually think that this is the default. After all, Kel was the one to bring Sunny out, generally saving his life, and is his first friend, etc. Kel is also a clean slate character, with nothing anyone can particularly hold against them, and as a result suntan is the "healthiest", "least questionable" ship. This commits the customary mistake of believing Kel's parents when they say "eh, it's Kel, he'll be fine".

"Kel's fine"

No, he's not. He's spent the better part of four years trying to forget the happiest times of his childhood, and has been going around doing nothing but fixing and saving other people, putting others' needs far above his own, for the entirety of pre-canon and foreseeably for a good part of post canon as well. Suntan, especially with Sunny still in a vulnerable state post-canon, can very easily be written into Kel being Sunny's unpaid, untrained therapist, and his mood/health being Kel's only/majority source of validation. Kel's self-worth independent of his friends needs addressing and development, and without a lot of development, Sunny alone is not really equipped to provide that.

In all fairness, while I would be somewhat confident in saying that the majority of canon-compliant sunburn fics run into the problems above, suntan fics do usually handle it better. That might just be because there aren't that many suntan fics though.

Sunflower

It goes without saying that sunflower has the highest potential to be unhealthy. But precisely because of that fact, people writing sunflower are usually very careful to address it. Either the fic is written as a work exploring codependency/attachment/trauma/other general unhealthiness (which you can make your own judgement on whether it's a legitimate art form or problematic), or there is at minimum an attempt at pacing, therapy and general juggling of the various mental issues the game leaves Sunny and Basil with (for a shining example, see These Days Without You by Smitty1899, my go to answer for when anyone says "but sunflower toxic!!1!").

The issues that can make sunflower unhealthy and problematic are generally pretty obvious - shared crime, codependency and attachment, commitment and abandonment issues, and the whole "getting together before their friends forgive them" thing (which can still be done well, but from the POV of especially Hero can be kind of eh, and unlikely to be conducive to a healthy relationship given that it kind of depends on their friends' pending "approval".) As a result, there aren't a lot of works that don't address them in one manner or another. However, I do think there is one major pitfall that some fics fall into in the other direction:

Having everything in the relationship be dependent on someone else's approval.

In an attempt to make sunflower as healthy as possible, some authors make it so that Sunny and Basil effectively never make decisions on their own. There's always a third party present to psychoanalyse them, tell them what's fine and what's not, etc. and every step they make in their relationship is with the express blessing, support and help of the rest of their friends. The problem is, that's not healthy either.

I feel that the value of sunflower is greatest in the context of the themes of the game of moving on and forgiveness. Making it so that Sunny and Basil hang on to their guilt forever and robbing them of any "right" to decide for themselves what makes them happy is very much contrary to that - they're on crutches for the rest of their lives, and the point of the good ending is the hope that they won't need to be. It also is just not a good thing for any third party to intervene so extensively in a relationship.

Conclusion

Omori is emotionally deep, with many, many themes to explore. Ships in Omori have unique meanings and themes, which in a canon compliant context is quite hard to simply wipe away. Rushing into a ship with insufficient pacing and development, which works in "cute" fandoms, generally leaves lots of outstanding holes in Omori.

This post doesn't necessarily mean that I think less of any particular ship mentioned - to reiterate, every ship has unique meanings and themes which is interesting to explore and form a part of the message of the game. It is however true that some pitfalls in some ships are easier to fall in, and overlooked, than others, and the obvious problems get a lot more bashing than the non-obvious ones. (Yes, sunflower bias. Sue me.)

And of course, in a plotless or AU context, cute art is cute art.

#omori #omori sunny #omori basil #omori aubrey #omori kel #omori sunflower #omori sunburn #omori suntan #brainrot.txt #rant post

[justsomewritingblog]

The Instinct

Request:  Can we have platonic Zuko and swordfighter!reader training during season 2 and Zuko has been trying to teach reader a certain move she just can't figure out and then when Jet attacks Zuko she steps in, does the move properly and defeats Jet? And zuko's like you did it!

Requested By:  @chantillymoon

Prompt: None

Pairing:  Zuko x reader (platonic)

Summary:  See request. :)

Warnings:  violence (swordplay)

A/N:  Sorry this is so late!! This month has been crazy with Christmas coming and everything.

Word Count:  3K+

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Living life on the run wasn’t the life you chose, but it was the life you were given.

You clutched the handle of your sword as you made your way through Ba Sing Se, looking around to see what you could steal from without getting into serious trouble.  Gaze landing on a food cart with its vendor turned around, you swiftly made your way over, swiping a couple papayas.  You walked away, tucking the food in your tunic.

“Hey!  Thief!”

You spun around, eyes wide as the vendor rushed out from behind his cart, drawing swords.

He ran towards you, face set into a snarl.

You broke into a sprint through town, ducking between buildings and weaving through people.  Looking behind you, you could see that the man was still on your tail.  You puffed another breath, only to get the rest of your air forced out of you.

You were falling.

Letting out a groan as you hit the ground, you quickly pulled yourself to your feet, drawing your swords as you ignored the person you just ran into.

The vendor stopped in front of you, his swords held in a defensive stance.  “No more running.”

Your eyes narrowed and you held up your own swords.

“We don’t have to do this the hard way,” the man said sternly.  “Just pay for the food.”

“I can’t.”  You shifted your weight.

“Then give it back.”

“I can’t do that either.”

The man sighed and lunged forward, slicing his sword down at you.

You quickly brought your swords up, blocking the blow.

Everyone around you took more steps back, but kept their attention on the fight.

“I need to eat!”  You grunted, shoving the man backwards with your blades.  “Leave me alone!”

The vendor regained his footing and looked over at you.  His eyes flickered between yours, his forehead wrinkling.  After a few moments he sighed, relaxing his stance and lowering his blades.  “Very well.”  He turned and walked away.

Most of the crowd stood around for a minute before returning to their business.

You heaved a few breaths before sheathing your swords.  Turning around, you let out a gasp as you came face to face with a short, elderly man.

He beamed up at you.

Your eyebrows furrowed.

“Would you like some tea?”

You blinked in surprise at the man.  “I beg your pardon?”

He placed his hand on your back, leading you down the street.  “I have been looking for someone to try a new brew I have been working on.”

“Wait, why would I-”

“I have never seen you before,” the man said as he led you around a corner.  “I need someone who has not had my tea before for the most accurate result.”  He smiled over at you before stopping and gesturing at a small wooden building.

You watched him in confusion for a few moments before sighing, walking inside.

“Sit down,” the man told you.  “I’ll go prepare your cup.”

Your eyebrows furrowed as you slowly sat down at one of the tables.  “Thank you,” you said quietly, though it sounded like more of a question.

The man walked away, venturing behind the counter at the front of the tea shop.

You looked around, observing the building as you picked at your nails.

This whole situation was weird.

Especially because you were currently the only customer in the room.

The hair on the back of your neck stood up.

This is a trap, this is a trap, this is a trap-

Your gaze drifted to the door.

It wasn’t safe here.

The man’s story didn’t make any sense.

You moved your legs, about to stand, when someone cleared their throat.

Turning, your eyes landed on a boy, about your age, with short dark hair, a burn over his left eye and an expression on his face that screamed ‘discomfort’ and ‘annoyance’.

You eyed him warily before raising an eyebrow.  “Yes?”

He cleared his throat again, gesturing to your waist.  “I see you have broadswords…” his gaze shot to the wall, remaining there for a few moments before he looked back at you.

You furrowed your eyebrows.  “...Yes…?”

He was silent for a few moments.  “Are you any good?”

Your eyes narrowed in suspicion.  “Good enough.”

A few beats of silence passed and the boy huffed, his shoulders tensing with the action.  “I’m a swordsman, too.”  He looked away, his face twisting in displeasure.  “I could teach you…if you want.”

You stared at him.

That was unexpected.

You crossed your arms, nodding your head at him.  “What’s in it for you?”

“Here you are.”

You and the boy turned to the new voice, seeing the man that brought you in.

He placed a cup and a bowl on the table in front of you.

You looked at the man for a few moments before glancing at the objects.  You pointed to the bowl.  “What’s this?”

“I made you soup, since it is nearly time for supper,” the man said.

You looked between the two males before standing, placing your left hand on the table, your right on your hip.  “Alright, what is going on here?  Sword fighting lessons, free dinner and tea, no other customers, phony stories- what are you two doing?  Are you con men or something?”

They looked at each other.

“I saw you in the street earlier,” the man said, turning to you.  “You needed assistance to eat and protect yourself.”

You crossed your arms, looking away.

“My nephew can teach you how to use your swords.  I can speak to the manager about giving you a job.”

Your gaze lifted to look at the man.  “Why?  Why would you help me?”

The man smiled.  “Ba Sing Se is about new beginnings.  Everyone deserves a second chance.”

You studied the man for a moment.

He seemed to be genuine.

“Alright.”  You sighed, sitting back down and picking up the spoon.  “What have I got to lose?”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Keep your arms tighter to your body!  You’ll never protect yourself if you’re flapping them around like that!”

You rolled your eyes.  “I’m trying, Lee!”  Lowering your swords to your sides, you glared at the boy.  “Some teacher you are.”  You huffed, leaning against the wall.  “Haven’t you ever heard of ‘positive reinforcement’?”

“No,” he said sternly.

You paused before looking to the side, a frown on your face.

“Do it again.”

Looking back at the boy, you sighed as you pushed off the wall, getting down into your defensive stance.  Taking a deep breath, you spun your blades.  Shifting your weight, you fumbled a little as you brought one of the swords over your chest, moving the other to go around your head.  Your arms got tangled and you frowned.  “I’m never going to get this,” you said, looking up at the swords as you tried to figure out how to get your arms free from each other without the blades getting in the way.  “What am I doing wrong?”

“You’re sloppy.”  Lee crossed his arms, a scowl on his face.

You rolled your eyes as you finally managed to twist yourself free.  “Sorry.  I’m kind of new to this whole ‘sword’ thing.”

Several beats of silence passed.

You cleared your throat.  “Maybe you can show me the form again?”

Lee sighed but nodded, pulling out his own duel swords.  He lowered his stance, spinning the blades.  Shifting his weight to face his left, he crossed one sword over his chest, moving it around his head before the other sword followed its path, spinning as he did so.  He stopped, holding one sword high, the other low.

Your eyebrows furrowed as you tried to burn the movements into your memory.

Lee turned to face you, putting his blades away.

You looked up at him.  “How long have you been using swords?”

“A while,” he said shortly and quickly, glancing away.

Your eyes drifted to the burn on the side of his face, pursing your lips.

“Time for supper!”

You and Lee turned to the sound of the voice.

His uncle leaned out of the door, smiling at you both.

You nodded, putting your blades away as you followed Lee inside.

“How is the practice going?”

Lee walked by him without saying a word.

You frowned, closing the door behind you as you looked over at Mooshee.  “It could be going better.”

The old man hummed.  “My nephew is not very patient, I’m afraid.”

Your gaze drifted to the door Lee had disappeared behind.  “So I’ve noticed.”

A silence fell between you.

“Come for supper,” Mooshee said, gesturing for you to follow him.  He walked towards the back, you falling into step behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Again!”

You groaned.  “How much longer do we need to keep doing this?”  Your shoulders sagged as you turned to Lee.  “It’s past dark and my arms are killing me.”

“Until you get it right,” Lee snapped, his arms crossed.  “You wanted me to teach you, didn’t you?”

You scoffed, moving back into your beginning stance.  “Actually, your uncle did.”

Lee’s glare narrowed.

You sighed, beginning to spin your blades.  Shifting your weight, you brought one sword across your chest, moving it around your head.  You brought your other arm in a slashing move across yourself as you stopped.  Waiting a few beats, you turned to face your teacher.

“Your left arm has to bring that sword around your head, too.”

You huffed, throwing your head back and staring at the night sky.  “This is impoSSIble.”

“No it isn’t.  You just need to keep working.”

You brought your head down, raising an eyebrow at Lee.  You were uncertain if that was meant to be encouraging or a dig at your lack of abilities with a blade.  You gestured at him with your sword.  “How long did you practice this move?”

Lee shrugged.  “It’s not always about the practice.”

Your eyes dropped to his jaw as he clenched it.  You lifted your gaze back to his eyes, your eyebrows bowing in concern and confusion.

“A lot of swordplay is based on experience and instinct.  You can practice as much as you want, but in the end, your opponent may surprise you.  There’s no amount of running through moves that can prepare you for real swordplay.”  Lee’s golden eyes burned into yours.  “In real fighting, you have to respond in split-second moments.  You need to think, but not too much or it can cost you too much time.”

You stared up at Lee.  “That sounds intense,” you finally said, not knowing what else to say.

Lee’s posture shifted.  “It’s the life that refugees have to live.”

You hummed, gaze dropping to the ground.  Clearing your throat, you looked back up at him.  “Where are you refugees from?”

Lee turned away from you.  He was silent for several moments.  “The Fire Nation.”

You nodded, though his back was to you.  “Who isn’t?”

He tensed further.

“Well,” you sighed, lowering yourself to the ground.  You leaned your back against the tea shop.  “I would say that you’re safe in Ba Sing Se, but there are problems here, too.”  You rested your elbows on your knees.  “The segregation between the different wealth classes, for one.  And this place is extremely suspicious at times.”  You crossed your arms, lowering your legs so they laid flat against the ground.  “The only thing I can say for this place is that it’s got thick walls.  We’re safe from the Fire Nation in here.”  You paused, looking up at Lee.

He looked incredibly stiff.

You frowned.  “You’re safe from the Fire Nation…” you tried.

He turned slightly towards you, but you still couldn’t see his face.

Several beats of silence passed.

“That’s enough training for tonight,” he finally said.  Turning around, keeping his back to you, he went back inside the tea shop.

You blinked at the now-shut door.  Frowning, you pushed yourself off the grass.

The poor man clearly had some things he was working through.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I need one ginger tea!”

“Two jasmine over here!”

“I cannot brew any faster,” Mooshee exclaimed with a laugh.

You walked towards the counter, grinning as you placed your hands on it.  “Your customers are waiting, Mooshee.”

The pot finally boiled and he handed it to you.

You returned to one of the customers, beginning to pour water into his cup.

“This is the best tea in the city,” he remarked, a smile on his face.

You smiled back.  “It certainly is.”  You stood back to your full height and moved around the tables, pouring more water into people’s cups.  When you were out of water, you walked back to Mooshee and handed him the pot.  “We’re out of hot water.”

“I’ll boil some more,” he said, turning around to take care of it.

The door slid open loudly and you turned, seeing a man in the doorway.

“I’m tired of waiting!”  He stepped into the shop, his shoulders hunched slightly.  His eyebrows were bent low and his finger shot out, pointing to the side of you.  “These two men are firebenders!”

You glanced to your left.

Mooshee and Lee looked at each other.

The sound of metal drew your attention forward, seeing the man holding two long metal weapons, the ends formed into hooks.

“Are you crazy,” you asked, taking a step towards your friends.  You kept your gaze on the man.

“I know they’re firebenders!  I saw the old man heating his tea!”

“He works in a tea shop,” a guard said.

The man lifted his weapons.  “He’s a firebender, I’m telling you!”

“Drop your swords, boy.”  The guard stood from his table, his companion joining him.  “Nice and easy.”

The man held his weapons in a defensive stand.  He turned to Mooshee and Lee.  “You’ll have to defend yourself.  Then everyone will know.”  He began to walk forward.  “Go ahead.  Show them what you can do.”

You took another step, standing in front of your friends completely.  Your eyes narrowed at the man.  “Leave here.  Now.”

He pointed his weapon at them.  “Not until I prove these men are firebenders.”

You drew your swords.  “Alright.  ‘Hard way’, it is.”

“Y/n, no!”

You ignored Mooshee’s plea, zoning your focus in on the man before you.

He grunted as he charged, swinging his weapon.

Your heart rate skyrocketed.  Instinctively, you brought your blade up, blocking the blow.

He slashed at you with his other weapon.

You deflected that blow, bringing up your leg and kicking him in the stomach.

He backed up a few steps, grunting.  His head shot up, a glare on his face.

You lowered your stance, readjusting the grip on your swords.

He brought his leg to the side, dragging a table towards him.  He kicked it towards you.

You jumped over it, hoping that Mooshee and Lee got out of the way fast enough.  You heard a loud ‘crack’.  As you landed, you risked a glance over your shoulder, seeing they were both unharmed.

The table, however, was broken in two.

Your eyes widened in amazement and confusion before returning your focus forward.  A gasp unintentionally left your lips as you saw metal swinging towards you.  You brought your sword up, trying to press against it.

He was stronger than you.

You grunted as you brought your other hand up, still clutching your other sword, and used your fist to press against the flat side of your blade to add more force.

The sound of grinding metal filled the air.

The hook at the end of the man’s sword wrapped around your blade.

A sharp tug pulled the sword from your hands.

You gasped as you watched it fly out the window.  Your gaze drifted back to the man, eyes narrowed.  You swung your leg out, hooking it around his and pulling.

His leg came out from underneath him.  He fell to the floor.

You jumped over him, rushing outside.  You bent down, picking up your sword.  As you turned to face the shop again, a blade was held against your throat.  Your eyes widened as you looked up at the man.

He still had that piece of wheat between his teeth.  He pulled you against him, turning around to face the tea shop.

Everyone had rushed out to watch.

“Please stop!”  Mooshee grasped the doorway.  “You’re confused, son!”

The man’s grip on you tightened, his blade coming closer to your neck.  He looked between Mooshee and Lee.  “You’re going to have to firebend if you want to save her.”

The two exchanged glances.

You brought your right sword up, sliding it between you and his blade.  You used it as leverage to push his weapon away from your throat.  Spinning around to face him, you lowered your stance and began to spin your blades.

The man lunged at you.

You turned, blocking it as you brought your sword over your chest.

The man swung his blade at your head.

You turned, bringing your sword around your head.

His weapon clashed against it.

Your other arm followed your first to block another blow.

The man grunted in frustration as you turned to face him again.

He lunged at you.

You spun to the side, kicking one of his blades out of his hands.

It hit the ground with a ‘clatter’.

You raised one of your swords, pointing it at the man.  “Leave my friends alone.”

“Drop your weapons!”

Everyone turned, seeing two Dai Li agents approaching the scene.

Jet turned, pointing at Mooshee and Lee.  “Arrest them!  They’re firebenders!”

“This poor boy is confused!”  Mooshee stepped out of the shop.  “We’re just simple refugees.”

The tea shop owner pointed.  “This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees!”

“It’s true, sir,” the guard said.  “We saw the whole thing.  This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city.”

“Ohh, that’s very sweet,” Mooshee said sheepishly, bowing his head.

The Dai Li stepped towards the man.  “Come with us, son.”

The man slashed at the one on his right.

The Dai Li agent brought his hand up, the blade hitting the rock glove he wore.  He and his companion quickly disarmed the man, encasing his hands in earth.  They drug him away.

“You don’t understand; they’re Fire Nation!  You have to believe me!”

The Dai Li threw him in the back of a barred wagon before driving away.

A few moments of silence passed before the crowd dispersed.

You sighed, your shoulders slumping.  Sliding your swords back into their sheaths, you turned to the shop.

Mooshee and your boss were ushering everyone back inside.

Lee was just standing there, regarding you curiously.

You raised an eyebrow.  “What?”

“You did it.”

You glanced to the side before looking back at him.  “Did what?”

“The move I’ve been trying to teach you.  You did it.”

“I did?”  You looked back to where the man had been standing before being dragged away.  “But I didn’t-”

“You didn’t think about it,” Lee said.

Your gaze drifted back to Lee.

“You didn’t need to.”  His expression tightened for a brief moment.  “It’s instinct.”

You chuckled lightly, before smiling over at him.  “Thanks, Lee.  And thank you for being willing to train me.”

A few beats of silence passed.

Lee nodded before turning around and heading back inside the tea shop.

You shook your head, a smile on your face before following him in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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A/n: Hope this is everything you wanted! Thanks for requesting!

Tag List: @hitsugayarose

#Avatar: The Last Airbender #Avatar: The Last Airbender x reader #x reader #reader #reader insert #A:TLA #A:TLA x reader #Avatar x reader #Avatar #Avatar: TLA x reader #Avatar: TLA #Zuko #Zuko x reader #my imagine #Mara's imagine #my works #Mara's works #request #my gif #Mara's gifs

[girls-alias]

Doctor Wars - Gregory House

Title: Doctor Wars - Gregory House

Words: 1,982

Relations: Gregory House X Reader

TW: Strong language.

Requested: Anonymously.

"Hii! Hope your having a great day ✨️

Could you write a House story where him and the reader tease each other until one of them can't keep up with the tension and makes a move?

I hope I made everything clear English isn't my first language, also you write the best and most jaw dropping stories I've ever read, I hope you'll continue writing you're really talented 🫶🏻"

Thank you for the amazingly kind words, I hope this lives up to expectations and that you enjoy 💜

I smiled at the patient before taking the opportunity to leave. I smiled politely as I waited at the door, another patient passing by. I let them walk first before entering the hall. I approached the help desk and signed off the files and notes I had taken before filing my paperwork.

"Are you always smiling?" A rough voice asked me. I chuckled softly knowing it was House's usual and morbid demeanor. I had not talked to him before but often heard some of his funny remarks or acts of antisocial behaviour around the hospital. I smiled as I looked up at him.

"Usually yes," I replied in a chipper tone. He seemed to study me a second longer than normal. I smiled a little brighter, a nervous habit. He clenched his jaw, taking in my expression and looking slightly puzzled.

"Walk with me," He instructed, turning and beginning to walk around the desk.

"I have patients," I exclaimed, raising my voice slightly as he began walking down the hall and away from me.

"Walk with me," He repeated as he continued to venture in a different direction. I watched after him, my eyebrows slightly furrowed. I shrugged my shoulders before going back to my work. I began reading the file of a new patient. I tapped the top of my pen to my teeth as I examined the file. "You didn't follow me," I looked past my file at House.

"I told you I have patients," I explained, my gaze falling back onto the file.

"People usually follow me," He explained, I looked back at him with raised eyebrows.

"I'm not a usual person," I shrugged, turning around to go to my patients' room. House staying behind.

I finished taking the patient's family history before leaving the room, I looked at the desk, a part of me expecting to see House. He wasn't there. I smiled, walking out. "You never stop smiling," House's voice commented behind me. I knew instantly he had been waiting by the door. I didn't bother looking back at him as I headed to the desk to continue my work. "Wilson hasn't seen you without a smile so now there's a bet going that I can stop you from smiling, Wilson isn't on board yet but he will be," House explained tauntingly as he followed me. I chuckled as I shook my head, turning around with an extra sincere smile.

"Have fun with that," I smirked, turning back around and continuing my work, fully intent on ignoring him.

When I teased House I didn't know what I had expected. He did a lot to mess with me. He would jump out at me, scaring me but I always smiled and laughed it off. He began recruiting people to walk in front of me whenever I was walking. It's mildly irritating but I always just smile, take a deep breath and stabilise my patience.

It's been 2 agonising weeks of House messing with me. It's gotten to the point where it's just us being stubborn now. He's doing everything he can to piss me off and I'm being too stubborn to lose. He's locked me in supplies cupboards and set off alarms for my patients so I rush in, he has even resorted to tripping me. I smile through gritted teeth but refuse to lose.

I walked through the halls, face buried in a file as I walked. I've become more aware of my surroundings as time has gone by. If anything I'm better at my job now. I am getting to alarms quicker and my spatial awareness has improved from the practice of House messing with me. I skipped, jumping up slightly as I took another step. I smirked as I heard House moan. He was trying to trip me with his cane but I've grown a sixth sense for it. I feel like anything he throws at me now I can handle.

I walked into the clinic, I'm not rostered to do it now but I've swapped shifts with a colleague to help her out. She's working my shift on Sunday to do her clinic hours. I'm not sure why people are so against doing it, I like meeting new people, it's interesting.

"Have a good day," I commented as I walked a patient out. She smiled politely before leaving. I checked my watch before filing the paperwork. I can fit one more customer in. I picked up the next file, smiling brightly as I turned to the waiting room. "Jake Rossy?" I asked, raising my voice slightly so I could be heard over the room. A guy looked up, smiling as he got up. I smiled brighter as I examined his walk towards me. He seems to have a tight back as he's walking stiffly. He's around 30 years old and not a keen advocate for self-care. I guided him to a room, holding the door open for him. "Have a seat," I instructed, gesturing to the examination chair. I opened the file as I closed the door. "What can I help you with?" I asked politely as I rolled the stool closer to me and perched on it.

"I'm having some problems with my back, I got hurt at work and they sent me here to get it checked," He explained as I nodded. Smiling sympathetically as I took in his words.

"I'm sorry to hear that, how did you get hurt?" I asked, readying my pen to add it to the file.

"I fell from the top of the ladder, I'm a window cleaner," He explained so I nodded as I took a note of it.

"Okay, well what I would like to do is get you set up with some painkillers but as you're walking we know that nothing is broken so that's a good sign." I started explaining as I put on my gloves. "I would just like to take a look just to be sure," I explained so he nodded and pulled his shirt over his head. I was a little shocked as I only needed to lift the back but this works too. I suppose. I smiled politely, getting up from my stool and walking around to examine his back.

"Since I'm shirtless, it's only fair you are too," He commented, my eyebrows furrowed as I looked at the back of his head disgusted. I forced a chuckle figuring it was just an inappropriate and ill-timed joke.

"I don't think that's appropriate," I explained, trying to keep my tone friendly and simply shrug off the matter. I took off my gloves, walking back in front of him with a smile. "I can't see any other issues so I'll write you a prescription and you can pick it up at our pharmacy," I explained politely but he looked at me confused. I raised an eyebrow expectantly as he was clearly wanting me to say something else. My eyebrows furrowed the longer he was silent.

"You're really not going to take your shirt off?" He asked as if it was an obvious question to ask. My eyes widened slightly.

"No, sir. I will remain-" I started but gasped as he harshly gripped at my shirt and pulled me towards him.

"Come on," He spoke venomously. I placed my flat hands on his sweaty chest. I stabilised myself and quickly lifted my arm to hit his wrist and remove his hand from my shirt. I took the time to step back and out of his reach. I looked at him disgusted as he smirked. I shook my head, my whole body wanting to punch him but I can't I'm working. I'll be fired. I took a deep and angered breath before shaking my head and storming out. He wasn't regretful, he didn't care. He was smirking and showing no remorse.

"Are you okay?" A nurse asked as I passed her but I'm too angry right now. I walked out, rushed to the stairs and sprinted up them, two steps at a time. I saw red as I hurried around. I slammed the door open as I walked in.

"You've taken it too far, House." I boomed, my anger spilling out as he looked at me with wide eyes. "Tripping me, having people walk in front of me, the jump scares and everything else I can deal with but this?" I scoffed, my anger swelling in my throat. He looked at me confused, my anger growing at him for playing stupid. "You paid someone to assault me," I shouted, my anger overtaking me. I didn't care about people hearing me outside of House's office. I don't care. He's gone even crazier than everyone already thinks he is.

"Someone did what?" He asked, his voice also raised as he looked angry. My eyebrows furrowed as it was not the reaction I expected. He looked at me expectantly, his anger making his temper short. He groaned as he got up and started approaching me. I stepped back confused but soon realised he was leaving. I followed after him.

"House, what are you doing?" I asked as I hurried after him.

"Well, I'm going to find the person who assaulted you, God, I knew you were dim but I didn't realise you were stupid," He expressed making me roll my eyes. I hurried in front of him, stopping to face him and blocking his way so he couldn't pass me.

"You really didn't do it?" I asked, my gaze softening as I came to the realisation that House hadn't done this and it was insane of me to have assumed it was him.

"No, I was about to give up," He explained but I raised an eyebrow expectantly at him. "Okay, I put a glitter bomb in your office but then I was done." He explained. I chuckled as I shook my head.

"Please, don't make a scene. I apologise for accusing you but you won the bet, I stopped smiling." I explained, my gaze softening as I admired him. I'd be lying if I pretended I didn't have a crush on him. House smiled as he surveyed me.

"That wasn't the bet," House explained, I looked at him confused as he smirked.

"What? You said it was a bet to stop me from smiling," I explained in a confused tone. I couldn't help but mirror his smile. It's rare to see him smile, people always say House and I are opposites because of that fact, I always blush knowing opposites attract. That's probably why I have such a crush on him. I shouldn't like older men but there he is, a man, older than my father and I want nothing more than to kiss him even though he's been annoying me for weeks.

"That was the original bet but Wilson didn't agree. He bet I couldn't get you to go on a date with me," He explained. My insides fluttered as I realised his words. I tried hiding my smile but I couldn't, it came out as more of a smirk.

"What did you bet?" I asked, my voice reflecting my smirk. I blushed as he studied my expression.

"I bet we'd be on a date before Friday night," He explained, I raised an eyebrow.

"It's Thursday," I explained so he smirked.

"Well, we have to hurry then, I hate losing," He explained, his eyes belittling me under his gaze. I bit my lip, another feeble attempt to hide my smile.

"I wouldn't want to stand in the way of you and your pride," I chuckled, smiling up at him.

"Glad you agree, see you back in my office at 7," He added before smirking and turning back to his office. I bit my lip, blushing as I watched him walk away. I turned back, internally dancing as I smiled. Best but weirdest day ever!

Masterlist

Working On

Taglist

#fanfic #fanfiction #house fanfic #house md fanfiction #house fanfiction #gregory house #house md

[themonotonysyndrome]

What is castins fav thing about celica?

It can be anything,from looks to personality to background stories,anything

Aww, this is a sweet ask, Anon! Let's expand this in a oneshot.

-

"Now, take off the veil."

With that single sentence, Castin Hammer's fate is sealed.

The first thing that he sees is a pair of sunsets, as red as the hibiscus - his favourite flower - and the lack of warmth of an actual sun. Those eyes seize Castin's heartbeat and breath in one fall swoop without any mercy. Absentmindedly, Castin can't help wondered how many men had buckled their knees against such beautiful, piercing gaze.

Goddess... he needs Celica Anesidora to always look at him in this world and the next. He needs to convince her to be in his life. He needs her to be his wife. He needs to -

Not put his foot in his mouth. Or present lingerie as a gift in public. Why oh why did he thought snubbing his potential bride just because she's an Imperial was a good idea? He'd blame it on the mead that he's been drinking the night before but his men assures him that it was worth it. That the Baroness deserved it.

When Castin stumbled out of the tavern after that disaster, alcohol buzzed through him and the scent of the barmaids' perfume became too much, the sun was just about to set.

It's beautiful. It chills Castin.

It's no longer his favourite thing in the world.

Celica's eyes begin haunting him ever since that day.

She's in his dream wearing nothing but a swathe of black silk that loosely wrap around her body. Strings of pearls accentuate every curve. Her eyes convey nothing but arrogance as a lone finger beckons him close to her bed. It never fails to have Castin waking up with a hard-on and an intense yearning.

In the daylight, the spell remains. It's only thanks to Castin's discipline and embarrasment that prevent him from approaching the Baroness. Like a school girl with a crush, he spies on her just out of sight. Today, Celica can be found in one of the many lounges of the palace with her visiting Imperial friends while Castin is outside behind a tree like some sort of stalker. Nevertheless, the open window gives him the perfect view to stare at his new favourite thing in the world.

"... coming back home with us, Your Grace? I can't imagine living in this subpar they called a palace for more than a month." A snooty-looking woman huffs and Castin's dig his fingers into the tree in annoyance. Rhett spared no expense to ensure the comfort of these Imperial and they had the audacity to complain!?

Before Castin could do something stupid like jumping through the window, the Baroness intervenes.

"I will be staying for the foreseeable future." Celica calmly replies. The other ladies know to wait as she sips her tea. "Intacia is a new venture that has pique my interest."

A different noblewoman hesitantly pipes up. "Even after..."

Clink! The ladies flinch when Celica returns the teacup back on its saucer. Her expression is as placid as ever but Castin knew better. He stomps down the bubbling guilt. He listens and observes.

Castin makes a note how her friends share the same body language towards the Baroness. For one, all heads turned n to the right where Celica is resting at the head of the table. The snooty woman is the closest to her so she can pick up subtle cues from Celica. The hesitant Noblewoman taps her finger nervously on her dress but is the one to keep Celica engage in their conversations. The one sitting at the other end of the table gesture the others to push the plate of snacks near Celica. The one with a fan that covers half of her face snaps it shut to show genuine concern to Celica. The one on Celica's right pour more tea for everyone, but made sure to pour Celica's cup first.

It's with confusion that Castin realise they all defer to the Baroness like subordinates rather than actual friends.

"Her Majesty Queen Isolde is here. It would be remiss for me as a friend to abandon her." Celica finally said and Castin knows that tone. It's when someone is utterly done with the conversation.

The hesitant Noblewoman picks up her role once more and quickly change to a more safer topic. Soon enough, the other ladies throws in their thoughts and comments on it, letting the Baroness bask in their presence in silence.

Suddenly, without warning, Celica snaps to the window. Her gaze almost pierces through the tree that Castin quickly ducks below. His heart beats so fast, his face flushes in boyish glee. Phew! That was close! A part of him wants Celica to see him, capture him again with those eyes of her. Unfortunately, the ladies would definitely freaked out if they notice him sneaking around.

The third time Castin stare into those eyes again, he's in the bathtub with Celica - now officially his wife - naked across him. Her long, blonde hair is wet and it covers her breasts; giving it a sort of seductive allure. Water sluice down her neck and travels down to her clevage, slow and tentalising that it made Castin's mouth dry with want.

She glares at him for his impertinent and Castin would gladly roll over to show his belly like a puppy if it means keeping those eyes for himself.

And finally, finally, went the two are chest to chest and sharing the same air, Castin lost himself in Celica's eyes before they kiss.

#monotony's rambling #desmond asmr #headcanons #castin hammer #baroness (oc)

[greatwyrmgold]

Silicon Valley Capes

Inspired by one of Blastweave's posts, I started thinking about Silicon Valley capes. Not in the sense of "the capes Tattletale was talking about when she said 'Silicon Valley capes'," but capes whose trigger events involve classic Silicon Valley stuff.

Information about Deep Thought, Venture, Agile Strategy, Hand Aid, and Antipath—their backstories, powers, and how they used them—is under the cut. ...I kinda want to write a heist fic with some of these characters, each with different motives for the heist, each being driven in a different direction by those motives.

Alice, the Burnout

Let's start simple. Alice was really optimistic about her new job. She bought into the American dream of the 90's; study hard, get a degree, work hard, prosper. She followed the map, lived how she was supposed to live. But things didn't turn out how they're supposed to.

Alice went to one company after another. Some of them went bust despite her best work. Other times, she was fired for reasons that had more to do with office politics than her actual work. She worked hard, but didn't make the right connections.

Eventually, Alice found a job at a mature company, one which didn't fire her. It was hard working there; she had to endure crunch, sudden changes in project direction, harassment from senior coworkers, et cetera. But that's fine; she's working at a good company now. She just needs to work harder to overcome these challenges. And surely her boss will recognize how hard she's working and reward her appropriately.

She works there for years, waiting for her reward. She gets small raises, usually enough to keep up with inflation, but no promotions. She decides that she just hasn't been working hard enough to earn those promotions. So she works harder. She keeps working harder, sacrificing more, doing whatever will make her worthy of the success she's worked for.

Over the years, she becomes aware of political events which should cause her to question her confidence in the meritocracy. A financial crisis like our world's Great Recession, where the people who caused it get bonuses and the victims get to foot the bill. Awareness of systemic racism and lingering antisemitism and other problems that should have been eradicated decades ago, but which endure. Horror stories from other women in the tech industry, stories which other people are reacting strongly to, even though Alice has grown used to similar events.

But she can't give up on her dream so easily. She can't give up on the ideas that gave her hope all of these years.

One year, a new guy is hired, fresh out of college. He's not a complete idiot, but he's not exactly talented either. Alice keeps being assigned to guide him, or fix his mistakes, or pick up the slack when he misses deadlines. She does this willingly. Upper management clearly has their eye on this kid, and Alice is helping him—obediently, quietly, competently. But at the end of the year, the new guy gets a promotion, and Alice just gets her nominal raise.

She breaks. Alice storms into her manager's office—the man who decided that the new guy was worthy of a promotion over Alice after spending months ordering Alice to pick up the new guy's slack—and demands an explanation. Her manager chews Alice out, pissed that his decisions would be questioned, and threatens to fire Alice if she keeps being a pest.

The first time she set a toe out of line—the first time she was anything less than a perfect little drone—the first time Alice realized that the American dream she had worked for her entire life was a lie.

Deep Thought: Powers

Looking over the Tinker docs...Focal tinker, with a bit of Resource and Controller.

Alice (aka Deep Thought) can build and maintain a big supercomputer housing an advanced AI, which she calls 42. 42 is capable of answering almost any question, as long as it's fed with a sufficient volume of relevant data.

Luckily, DT can build some sensors to gather data about her immediate surroundings and transmitters to communicate with 42, but that's not enough on its own. With such limited information, 42's answers are vague and often inaccurate.

Deep Thought initially supplements her tinkertech with an Internet connection. 42 requires a lot of bandwidth and consumes immense amounts of electricity, but this additional information improves her answers immensely. Deep Thought almost initiates a "singularity"—using the answers to hack various systems, giving 42 access to more data and Alice access to financial resources needed to upgrade 42 and her internet connection.

But all of this—Alice's suddenly frequent absences from work, her mysterious funds, her immense electricity bill—alerted the authorities that something weird must be going on. Ultimately, this lead to Alice's landlord requesting a police investigation of her house. Once they saw the supercomputer towers around the house, it didn't take long for them to figure out that Alice was a huge white-collar criminal.

Deep Thought promptly fled, and created 43—a new AI mainframe, smaller and weaker and starved of data, but enough for her immediate needs. It's something she can show to potential collaborators, other villains who can help her capture her old workplace.

This isn't just a matter of revenge; she has two other reasons. First, their computer hardware and the data in their databases would make a great seed for 44, her planned next AI, bigger and better than even 42. Second, she intends to take the rewards she feels they owe her for her years of hard work and sacrifice, by any means necessary.

Bob, the Grifter

Bob started a startup with high hopes, big dreams, and absolutely no idea whether the product he promised was physically possible. (Think Theranos.) But he's confident, he's charismatic, and if he can pull it off, he'd make a killing. Investors pour money into his project.

Over the course of a few years, Bob goes from optimistically assuming his company would be honestly profitable any year now, to convincing himself that his company's high stock price is a justifiable reflection of the high reward offered with its high risk, to willfully lying about his product and his company finances. The only constant was that Bob had earned every penny fairly and squarely.

When Bob's company came under scrutiny, he was confident he'd come out fine. He wasn't brazen enough to admit to anything, of course, but he was confident that everything he'd done was either above board or hidden well enough that nobody could prove his responsibility. He sold his stock, but otherwise carried on as usual, even when some of his investors started a lawsuit.

That self-confidence collapsed before he even got to court. The lawyer Bob hired storms into his office, furious at how Bob had mislead him about the nature of the case. The plaintiff had submitted reams of evidence, far more than Bob had insisted existed. His lawyer insisted that Bob try to settle out of court, whatever the cost might be.

The trigger comes from two mixed emotions: The realization that he was nowhere near as clever as he thought he was, and terror over facing consequences for his actions.

Venture: Powers

The Thinkers doc identifies a bunch of categories Thinker powers can fall into and the triggers which cause them; this feels like Skill ("helplessness or questions of competence, often scenarios where the thinker is out of their depth"), perhaps with a dash of Social ("emotional factors that...dwell more on the emotions at hand than the isolation or betrayal").

Bob gains the ability to shift between different mindsets, each of which alters the way he processes and retains information. For instance, his combat mindset improves his ability to learn his opponent's "patterns" and learn various combat-related skills (martial arts, marksmanship, etc), while his social mindset lets improves his ability to deduce/intuit what other people are thinking and learn various social-related skills (rhetoric, bluffing convincingly, etc).

This power has a downside that Bob doesn't intuitively know about, and that he ignores any signs of: Each mindset also feeds him "bad data" for other kinds of activities or skills. He makes bad interpersonal assumptions if he stays in his combat mindset, and develops bad habits. The positive influence from his mindsets is a lot stronger than the negative ones, though; if Bob switched between mindsets regularly, he could maintain an Uber-tier (heh) level of skill.

Bob stuck to his power's social mindset for pretty much the entire lawsuit, hoping that it would let him get out of his scandal scott-free. It did not. He then tried to pull off a pretty wild plan that would let him escape the USA with much of his fortune (in the form of gold bars), but overuse of one mindset eroded too many of Bob's other skills (and his ability to evaluate his own abilities, which was never exceptional).

After focusing more on his athletic and combat mindsets, Bob managed to flail his way out of custody and became a low-grade villain—the kind who mostly works as muscle/support for other villains, while being absolutely certain he can be a Big Shot some day.

Carl, the Failson

A rich kid from a new-money Silicon Valley family. He can't program himself, and struggled to start a profitable tech company. He's hardly broke; he can get interest-free million-dollar loans from his folks, and has the business skills needed to build companies that he can sell piecemeal for more than he invested in them.

But he's not the success he thinks he should be. His parents went to a C-tier college and turned thousands of dollars into millions. Between those genes and his MIT education, why can't he turn millions of dollars into billions? He deserves to be a legend!

Enter Cauldron, who "accidentally" mention that Hero is one of their past clients.

Carl buys himself a fancy Cauldron vial. About half of it is a tinker formula associated with computer tinkers. About 10% is associated with thinker powers and Noctis capes; Carl hopes that this will help him maintain his grindset. And another quarter is the premium Hero juice.

Unfortunately, Carl gets a bit of deviation. Physically, this just means metallic ridges a few inches across growing on his forearms, thighs, feet, back, and over his eyes. It also means his powers are nothing like what he expected.

Agile Strategy/Angelo Vestor: Powers

First off, he has electrosentience. That is to say, he can sense electric currents (and magnetic fields) with those ridges. It's not a replacement for eyesight, but it's something. He also has two related tinker powers.

First, he can design a powered armature for himself. It's basically a thin mechanical superstructure which connects and interfaces with his ridges, which can have a wide variety of gizmos installed. Not as wide as he imagined when he asked for some Hero juice, but wide. (One of the first gizmos he designed was a visor with visual sensors, because he can't stand feeling crippled like that.)

Second, he has an instinctive understanding of computer programming. Not programming languages, or even assembly code, but if he uses his armature to connect his mind to a computer, he can usually figure something out. This can be used to hack stuff or to code stuff.

The thing about his tinker powers is that they're bad at focus. In theory, he could build a building-sized mecha that his armature links with; in practice, building that would take so long that he couldn't complete it before losing whatever spark lets him solve impossible technical problems. And it gets worse if he only uses half of his power; the more software stuff he tinkers, the less he can focus on any of it until he indulges the hardware side of his power.

Carl initially tries to use his powers to become a celebrity-tinker-entrepreneur. His initial armature was sleek and futuristic—a shiny chrome second skin, designed to resemble an idealized masculine body. He focused more on the software side of his powers, making some pie-in-the-sky promises about what he could personally develop.

Of course, that didn't work out. He could come up with incredible computer programs, but he couldn't focus on one project long enough to debug it, let alone fix the problems that came from tinker code decay. He eventually realized he had to indulge the hardware side of his power to get anything out of the software side, which kept things going for a while, but somehow it wasn't enough.

Eventually, Carl looked at the pile of random gadgets he had lying around his garage, and started to realize what he could do with them. Why let them go to waste? A billion dollars is a billion dollars. Carl threw together a second armature, one designed around the gadgets going into it rather than for aesthetics, and became the supervillain thief Agile Strategy.

(I'm imagining Carl's civilian suit looking kinda like SotM's Benchmark, while Agile Strategy's looks like spare bits from a dozen different cosplay artists making costumes for a dozen different sci-fi franchises, bolted to a suit of high-tech splint mail.)

Agile Strategy steals valuable objects, sells them quietly, and then adopts a third identity—Angelo Vestor—to invest the profits into Carl's company. This silent investor helps keep Carl's business running, which he hopes will give him enough runway to get a profitable project off the ground.

Dave, the Mediator

Dave was the HR manager at another startup, developing an all-inclusive personal wellness app, which lives by a policy of work-hard-party-hard. The company hires mostly recent college grads, people who will be attracted by benefits like concert tickets and company parties and chances to win big vacations, who won't realize that working unpaid overtime every week is a raw deal.

Dave is cursed with two things that are innocuous in isolation but noxious together. His friendship with the CEO, Buster, is a good thing in isolation; it gives him job security and a greater ability to influence the company than an HR manager generally would. His scruples are also a good thing in isolation, but Buster doesn't have them.

Morale among the employees is pretty bad, and Dave tries to manage it. He tries to balance the needs and well-being of the employees against what's good for the business (and his friendship with Buster). The employees don't need parties, they need longer deadlines and fewer working hours and nicer supervisors—but if they delay projects or hire more employees or replace managers, Buster's business goals are endangered.

Dave convinces himself that the company would go under if they took their foot off the gas even a little, and that the employees would be worse off if they were unemployed, which lets him resolve that internal conflict for a while.

Then things get worse, and Dave follows some of Buster's plans to improve company morale. They're a frat boy's wet dream, booze and hookers and drugs. Buster quickly realizes that letting employees microdose on cocaine during work hours could not only improve morale, but productivity. For a moment, Dave thinks his conflicting drives are in agreement.

Over the next few weeks, cocaine turns from an optional perk into another thing low-level employees are expected to do to keep the company afloat. Dave starts to feel uncomfortable about this arrangement, but it's just taking everything he agreed to a little farther than he anticipated, so he doesn't feel like it's his place to complain.

Then one of the employees collapses, vomiting. Turns out that everyone being pressured to microdose on cocaine means some people are going to macrodose. Management starts arguing about what to do, Dave grabs his phone to call 911, Buster yells that the whole damn business could get shut down if the cops find out they've been distributing illegal drugs like party favors.

The life of an employee, or the life of the company.

Helping Hand Hand Aid: Powers

If that trigger doesn't sound like a binary/multithreaded tinker trigger to you, you probably haven't read the tinker docs. The mad scientist or magi types fit decently well, too; I'm inclined to think mad scientist over magi, since Dave was successfully compartmentalizing the internal dilemma for months.

One half of Dave's tinker power is biochemical tinkering. The thing about this is that, while he obviously knows the main effect of his chemicals, he doesn't know the side effects until they manifest down the line. He can make new chemicals to counter the effects of his old ones, but those have side effects too.

The other half is external cybernetics. He can't design a replacement organ, but he can give you extra metal limbs. Or maybe some kind of external device that provides organ-like functions. These tend to work best on himself; he can give someone an extra arm, but controlling it won't feel as natural as it does for Dave.

Dave uses his power to save the employee, but that doesn't do much to save the company. The unfortunate employee is alive and sent home to rest, but he still feels like shit (and doesn't 100% trust the disgusting cocktail the HR guy poured down his throat), so he goes to the hospital and doesn't hesitate to explain how he got poisoned.

The company's work environment is swiftly revealed through a bunch of interviews and investigative journalism. Buster (and successfully) flees the state before charges can be fired, disappearing to Scion-knows-where; the management collectively decides to throw him under the bus to cover their own asses.

It doesn't work for all of them, but Dave's good reputation among the staff and the fact that he saved the OD-ing employee's life let him avoid criminal charges, or even a bad reputation. He still feels guilty for his part in the company-wide disaster. He uses that guilt to drive him to use his powers for good, helping the local Protectorate.

He can design cyberweapons and poisons and stuff, but he chooses to instead focus his tinker efforts on advanced medical drugs and ways to deliver them where they're useful. (Most of which are bundled into a cybernetic third arm, which is why he was disappointed to learn that the name "Helping Hand" was already taken by a Canadian rogue.)

Hand Aid is a battlefield medic, applying medicine that keeps heroes alive long enough to get to a hospital; he can also help patients recover from long-term injuries faster or more completely. Of course, his medicine all has side effects—often serious ones, ones he can't predict until they arise. Whenever he uses a drug on a patient, he has to keep designing new ones to handle the side effects that crop up from the last batch until the side effects are tolerable or he runs out of time to help them.

Iterating on the same drug, adding in new chemicals to counter its side effects, can make this side effect spiral less severe, but it can't stop it. As long as he cares about his patients' well-being, he's stuck in a cycle of fixing problems he caused while trying to fix other problems.

(If the Slaughterhouse Nine ever goes to the West Coast, he probably gets nominated by Bonesaw. He wouldn't survive the tests very long.)

(Note to self: If you go with the heist fic idea, write up a trigger event for the guy that ODs and gets tinker juice shoved down his throat. Clusters are fun, even if they're two-cape clusters.)

Eve, the Whistleblower

Eve was an accountant at a microchip research center. It wasn't as abusive as the company Alice works at, as dangerous as Buster's, or as fraudulent as Bob's; however, it wasn't very good, either. Eve suppresses a lot of resentment towards her bosses, her job, the company, Silicon Valley, the world in general.

One week, she was assigned to cover for a payroll accountant who needed emergency heart surgery. She quickly realized that the company was engaging in wage theft to cut costs. She quietly gathered the relevant data she could and quickly passed it on to relevant authorities.

Charges were filed, but the company made a quick settlement out of court. Eve was pretty sure they got away with just paying the wages they should have paid months or years ago. Meanwhile, HR was trying to figure out who had ratted them out.

Eve worked to cover her ass, but there aren't a lot of people who could have gathered the relevant data, and fewer who might have released it at that time. Eve memorized the relevant laws that should have protected her, prepared a defense against every dumb, illegitimate excuse the company might use to fire her.

She was caught off-guard when the research center's parent company reorganized its subsidiaries. It wasn't a substantial change, but it was enough that some administrative personnel were transferred or laid off. Eve was deemed redundant, of course, and she had absolutely no way to prove that she was laid off because she'd blown the whistle. In fact, she hadn't even gathered any proof that the company knew she was the whistleblower.

All of these realizations were forming in her head as her supervisor quietly told Eve that she'd never work as an accountant in Silicon Valley again.

Antipath: Powers

Trying to hide and defend herself against a hostile social force, trying to uncover her "misdeed" and punish her, only to have the rug pulled out, only to realize her efforts were for naught and have her world torn down around her ears. Feels like a Master/Stranger sort of trigger, Machination on the Stranger side.

Antipath can force everyone else to look away from or move out of an area she designates—the smaller the area, the more potent the effect. This clears out an area for her, possibly to make it easier for her to sneak through it, possibly for other reasons.

In the moment, people affected by this power think they have a good reason for looking or moving the way they did; however, unless such a reason genuinely does exist, they'll realize that they've been influenced sooner or later (generally once they can't easily justify leaving/looking away).

People who are aware of Antipath's influence can't be driven from that spot by her power again. (At least, not for a while.) It still has some effect if Antipath's moved to a different spot—especially if it's just making them more inclined to search the area her power drove them from initially—but the more aware that people are of her power's influence, the less it affects them. It's a useful tool, but it won't keep people away forever.

Antipath considers herself a white-collar vigilante. She robs, sabotages, or leaks information from various corporations and millionaires, but she tries to target the deserving. Unfortunately, this crime is also how she pays rent, so she can't always research her targets beforehand. Sometimes that means hitting a target she isn't 100% sure deserves it, sometimes it means hitting one she isn't 100% sure she can break into and out of.

#worm oc #trigger events #trigger event #parahumans #silicon valley #fanfic ideas

[ask-serendipity-sky]

So I was thinking...

Yesterday, the article about the BTS contracts hit. I read the article and didn't get the big deal. It said they would sign...so they hadn't yet, I thought.

I went to twitter and saw all these people celebrating and I was like...do they not know how to read? Why are they celebrating something that hasn't even happened and that the company is saying will happen.

Why would the company not wait until it has actually happened to make a celebratory article? So I went back to sleep lol

Promise? Oh yeah. What a contract. The board agreed...not BTS. Well, only Rm so far.

But then legit people started talking about it and being serious. I saw the many ridiculous tweets and hateful ot7love remarks, solos being dissapointed, and real Jimin fans feeling sad.

That's when I decided to "believe", although it sounds like media play to me. Why are the stocks tanking even more? Investors didn't believe the news or think Rm's post were enough, apparently. Nothing is set in stone. It hasn't happened yet. The stocks will go up when it actually does happen, though. The investors are worried for now and then future, I suppose.

As someone who loves Jimin and his artistry, I am worried too.

Ot7s and company stans want to make us feel like we are the akgaeist of the akgae for believing that Jimin got sabotaged by his company. But do people seriously think that all that happened to FACE was normal? They can't even offer a rational explanation.

Even if we entertain the idea that his company didn't sabotage him on purpose, they still didn't protect their artist and fix the things that were and are within their reach. Things like:

•Combining Like Crazy Korean and English version

•Restocking the Like Crazy single

•Sending albums to China on time

•Investigating Hanteo sales

•Investigating the erasure of Bb sales

•Properly timing the release of other member projects to avoid interference with other projects

•Fixing the Spotify profile and all that stuff that came along with that

The list is quite long.

Somehow, saying these things makes you a solo or an akgae or a manti (who even came up with this one? so stupid.)

Isn't it more hateful to normalize what happened to Jimin and to want BTS back despite the unequal support the company has given each member?

The people I know don't want Jimin to sign because he deserved better as a soloist and not because they hate BTS. The people I know are neutral and positive towards BTS. They literally only want fair treatment for Jimin. They are Jimin fans. Not solos, shippers, ot7s, rando labels. Just people who appreciate Jimin as an artist.

Somehow, the people who want BTS back, no matter what, and can't wait for the solo ventures to be over are better than all of us... because BTS is 7 and they are brothers who love each other and nothing can break them apart...not even solos, akgaes, shippers, and Chapter 2...(insert sad violin music).

Everything is backwards in this fandom.

I look at the members who told their story and shared themselves through their music and notice how happy they are. They were exhausted before, so done with the generic white garbage songs, and their creativity constricted. We've gotten to see the colors of their real music and therefore, their real selves. That's what being a true artist is about. I don't know how ot7s who want BTS back, no matter what, don't see this.

It doesn't make sense to me why any proper fan would want their artist to give that all up.

And people kept saying that this time around, Jimin's contract would include better deals because that's what contracts are for. Then I thought...where was the contract when he was pushed to the sides and no longer in the front of the group, when he was given 2 lines in a song, when he was the harmonizer but not one of the lead singers, when FACE era began and ended.

I guess I have no faith in contracts. Or that company.

Any proper fan who doesn't live in a weird fantasy bubble should be worried...and/or dissapointed.

If there is anything I've learned in Chapter 2, it's that it is a every-man-for-themselves chapter. Looking back at Chapter 1, it was like that too, except I was drinking too much of that purple kool-aid to notice it.

I guess we will see what happens when actual contracts are signed. I can only hope that things go well for Jimin. That's the only thing that matters to me.

I guess we will see.

[shadowuponstorm]

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Munson!Reader

Age Range: I would like anyone 18+ to be reading this since this story involves a character being of legal age, so minors, please scroll on. (Although I can't stop you from doing so and since I warned you, not my fault for what you read)

Series: Stranger Things (S4, Pre-Vol. 2)

WC: Over 1.5K

Chapter 2 , Chapter 3

A/N: Slight spoilers might be included, and I ask that you please have some courtesy and not spoil or post spoilers in the comments! Thank you, and I’m still a bit new to Stranger Things so if I get something incorrect, I'm sorry and will go back to revise as best I can. Also please don't translate, repost, or copy under any circumstances, I prefer my original work to be on just my page.

Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant.

No matter how many other tests I could take, no doubt all of them would have the same result. There’s no denying what is being shown, I’m pregnant and my twin brother & his friends are going to freak, especially the one who is the love of my life. Steve and I started exploring more of our relationship after he confessed his feelings for me after claiming he should’ve done it long before he & Nancy were a thing as well as his venture into the Upside Down to save Will from the effects of the Mind Flayer, to which I couldn’t blame him and the others for keeping me in the dark about that, considering it regarded safety and protection. I set the tests on the counter before I released a breath I was holding in anticipation of what the results were going to be. I tried to keep the negative thoughts at bay, but they’re like a flood, overflowing my very mind.

“Steve is definitely going to leave you now that he has a reason to,” I hear a voice say before they scoff and add, “If given the chance, he would’ve left you earlier than now for someone better.”

I’ve always had insecurities about the reasoning why a guy like Steve, who’s very much a ladies man, is with someone like me. I try to keep quiet about my fears whenever I’m around him or the others, but it sometimes lead me to dive deeper into them, causing them to question if I’m okay. I always answered I was when I knew it wasn’t entirely the truth and it always seemed to work.

“Hey sis,” I hear Eddie say from behind the locked bathroom door, “Everything alright? You’ve been in there for a while”

“Y-Yeah, I’ll be okay, don’t worry about me,” I respond, mentally cursing for stuttering.

“Oh o-okay, well, I have a campaign with The Hellfire Club tonight if you want to tag along, I’m sure they’d love you to. You can even invite pretty boy if you want,” Eddie says as I softly laugh at the nickname he deemed Steve and respond, “Maybe some other time, and I think he’s busy tonight. I might give him a call later or head over to Family Video before his shift ends and hang out with him.”

“Alrighty, just stay safe if you go out,” Eddie says before I hear him step away to then come back to mention, “And don’t go into my memorabillas, I got a customer coming over later tonight after campaign.”

Don’t worry, I won’t. I never did in the first place.

After I hear the trailer door shut, I let out a shuttered sigh and start to let the tears fall, scared of how much my future could change once I tell Steve of our baby’s existence, I wish I could keep it a secret for a long time, but he has the right to know and it wouldn’t be fair to do that to him. Off to Family Video I go, no more waiting.

-At Family Video-

The bell on the door chimed as I walked in to see Robin at the front, reading whatever the latest issue has been released, pulling her attention away to see who has walked into the establishment.

"Oh, hey Y/N," Robin greets me with a smile on her face as she closes the magazine to move it to another space on the counter.

"Hey Robin, do you know if Steve has checked in for his shift yet or not?" I asked as I return a small smile her way before she turns her head in all directions of the rental before shrugging her shoulders to say, "He might be reorganizing the VHS tapes behind the beads, want me to call for him?"

I raise my hand up to almost say no to then remember what tapes lie beyond the beads, prompting me to put my hand down and respond, "If you would, please."

"Hey Dingus, your future wife is here!" Robin yells as I softly laugh at the mention she said future wife before hearing Steve shout back, "Coming!" to then see his body come into view.

"Hey, baby," Steve says as he comes up by my side to wrap his arm on my shoulder before placing a kiss on my temple, causing a fake gag reaction from Robin and a "Get a room" comment from her, before he asks, "What do I owe this visit from you for?"

I took a deep breath and started to say, "I wanted to see you, and to tell you we need to talk about something." causing his smile to sink and fear showcased in his eyes. Before he could get a word out, I then ask, "Is there a break room or somewhere we can have privacy?"

"U-um yeah there is, I'll take you," Steve responds as he then leads the way after he asks Robin to cover for him as long as this conversation will take to be heard.

After we entered the break room and Steve locks the door, I turned around to face him before seeing the worry on his face. This time, he beats me to cut the silent tension in the air, by asking, "Is it me?"

"Wha-what?" I ask in confusion why he automatically would think it's his fault. Well, which it is, but that's not why we're having this conversation, to begin with. It involves both of us doing what has brought me pregnant in the first place.

"L-look, I know we haven't been spending a whole lot of time together lately. With me working a lot of shifts as well as keeping an eye out to protect Dustin and the others, with you tagging along with Eddie to make sure he stays out of trouble and helping him with studying," Steve responds before running both his hands through his hair before continuing with tears brimming his eyes, "God, time really hasn't been in our favor, but just know that my feelings for you have never diminished. I still have so much love for you and I still want to spend my future with you wherever it may lead us. So I'm sorry if I unintentionally did something to you that made you feel the need to talk to me like I'm the biggest disappointment in the world."

I walk to be closer to him before putting my hands on his face and whispering, "Don't think for a minute that I'm anything like your parents, I could never be disappointed in you like they are. You are never a disappointment, you are something to be proud of. All those kids, especially Dustin, are the luckiest ones in the world to have you as their protector, babysitter, and role model. And I'm the luckiest girl in the world to call you mine, just like our child will have the best dad ever."

Steven then laughs and smiles to say, "I would have to try my best in that department, but I definitely can't wait for that day to come."

"How about months from now?" I asked as I reach one of my hands to pull out the test in my back pocket to hold it between us, "I found out just a few hours ago, felt it was best not to wait. You're the first."

I thought Steve would show some reaction immediately after hearing the words exit my mouth, but he just took the test from my hand and stayed silent while staring at it. I place my hand on his shoulder and nudge him a bit to whisper, "Steve? I'm sorry, maybe I should've waited until, ah!" to let out a squeak of surprise from being lifted off my feet and hugged tight into his chest to feel him kiss the top of my head. I pulled away an inch to look up at him again to ask, "I take you're happy about this?"

"Are you kidding?" Steve responds as he scoffs softly and smiles, "Yes, while I'm nervous, scared, and frightened about what could happen, I'm also excited about this journey and being with you every step of the way."

"Not unless Eddie has something to say about it," I say as we both laugh out loud before he responds, "Oh, he'd be too distracted from the excitement of being an uncle to our little boy or little girl."

"Now I know you're dying to have a boy first, Harrington," I mention as Steve nods his head and smiles before looking down at the test again, "I can't believe you got a plus on a single test."

"That's one of three," I respond as he looks at me baffled, "What? I had to make sure it wasn't a false positive. Besides I was late so."

Steve sighed before saying, "We'll discuss more of this later, but I have to get back to my shift before Keith or Robin kills me."

"Of course, get back to your job," I respond as Steve unlocks the door to let me by, but not before I whisper his new title in his ear, causing his breath to hitch and raise an eyebrow at me as I wink at him. I was almost out of the door to head over to his place before I hear him call my name and make me turn my head to see him mouth my new title, ending it with an “Love you”, making me smile and blush. Makes me excited yet nervous about what is to come for us or what else this day or night could bring us.

#steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #stranger things #stranger things imagine

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Hi, and welcome to the Masterlist of my Fluffbruary 2024 Challenge, hosted by @fluffbruary! 💜

On this Masterlist, you'll find all the prompts I've filled along the way, and they will combine angst, fluff and smut. Each one shot will have its own appropriate warnings when necessary. All stories will be '' x Fem!Reader '' unless specified otherwise.

If you'd like to check out my other works, you can find them on my Main Masterlist. I hope you will enjoy all the works I've created in anticipation of Fluffbruary! 💜

I do not work with a tag list. If you want to be kept up to date when I post new stories, you can follow @nicoline1998enilocin-library 💜

Banners & Header: Yours truly | Divider: @firefly-graphics

| 🥀 ~ Angst | 💜 ~ Fluff | 🔥 ~ Smut |

When I'm with you, I feel like I'm home | 💜 | NATASHA ROMANOFF Prompt | Engagement Getting married is something Natasha had not even considered until she met you and fell head over heels in love. Now, it's all she can think about; she wants nothing more than to call you her wife.

A new start | 💜 | ARI LEVINSON Prompt | Caress You've always dreamt of turning your career around and starting in a new field. When you mention this idea to your husband, Ari, he is very supportive in the best way he knows to be.

Sweet as pie | 💜 🔥 | RANSOM DRYSDALE Prompt | Dessert You're treating your husband, Ransom, to a beautiful and romantic dinner for your anniversary, but he doesn't know that he is the dessert you've been thinking of all week. You can't wait to sink your teeth into him and tasing every last bit he has to offer you.

... Who's the fairest of them all? | 💜 🔥 | LOKI LAUFEYSON Prompt | Kneel After your last experience in front of your life-size mirror, you switch roles, and Loki happily lets you take the lead. From telling him how to touch himself to showing how perfect he is as he reaches his highs, he will never get enough of it, and he might be convinced to switch roles more often.

Angel | 💜 🔥 | SEBASTIAN STAN (RPF) Prompt | Angel Dating Sebastian is a dream come true, and you want to take your relationship to the next level officially. As you're on a beautiful vacation in Hawaii with your boyfriend, you decide to give yourself to him entirely, catching him by surprise. What you don't know, however, is that he has a surprise for you, too, making it officially a vacation never to forget. 

Warm welcome | 💜 🔥 | TONY STARK Prompt | Evening It promises to be a beautiful night at home with your cat and a rom-com playing on the television when you're surprised by your fiancé, Tony. What was supposed to be a three-week mission turned into a two-week one and a surprise welcome, which you're very grateful for.

Love is in the air | 💜 🔥 | ROBERT DOWNEY JR. (RPF) Prompt | Bubble bath Valentine's Day has been incredible since you met Robert, but this time, he plans on making it extra special because this will be the last one where it is just the two of you. From breakfast in bed to a fancy dinner cooked by a private chef and a calming bubble bath, he is pulling out all the stops to make this a very romantic and relaxing day for you both.

A bun in the oven | Part 1 | 🥀 💜 🔥 | BAKER!TONY STARK Prompt | Bakery The relationship between you and Tony has been going steady for a while, and Tony is ready to take the next step in your relationship as he asks you to move in with him and his cat, Oliver. When you find out you're pregnant not long after the move, your relationship takes an unexpected turn, but you and Tony are set on giving your little baby the best life you possibly can.

Boudoir photoshoot | 💜 🔥 | YOUNG!TONY STARK Prompt | Photography Your wedding anniversary with Tony is coming up, and because of that, you venture out and make a special present for him. After some searching, you decide to go for a boudoir photoshoot, which will make a perfect maternity shoot. When Tony opens the present, he can't believe his eyes, and the two of you never leave the house on the night of your anniversary.

Baby fever | 💜 🔥 | YOUNG!TONY STARK Prompt | Wish You and Tony have three beautiful children, but since your youngest son is growing up faster than either of you would like, Tony's baby fever is kicking into high gear. He can't get enough of seeing you pregnant, and he's making it his goal to have it happen again. There's enough room in the house for one more, after all.

World's Greatest Dad | 💜 | CHRIS EVANS (RPF) Prompt | Care package With Chris being away for filming during long periods, parenting can be complicated by yourself. Luckily, your daily FaceTime calls help you through it all, though it is always most exciting when he finally comes home. This time, you and your twins have prepared a little package to welcome him home after another three months of being away from home, and Chris couldn't have wished for a better welcome home.

Life is better with music | 💜 | YOUNG!TONY STARK Prompt | Piano Music is something that has always been rooted deep into both your and Tony's families. From playing instruments since you were little to sing to your heart's content, it always brought you together. Now that you have your own family with your wonderful husband, you cannot wait to teach the same values to your own children, too.

#fluffbruary 2024 #masterlist

[mxc-art]

After his car was totaled in the race against the Downtown gang boss (see Knockout, it's in the back, center right), he was out of any way to continue his crusade to shut down Túl's illegal street racing racket. However, the horse who got him out of downtown, Diji, had an idea; "I've got family out in the sticks, who, if I remember correctly, should have an old War-era Ute out there that hasn't seen pavement in over a decade." Ax'L's hesitant, he's never been much of a mechanic, Anne had helped him keep his old car running while he worked to clear the streets of downtown. "Ran when parked!" he uttered with a wink.

The car was a wreck; sun-bleached, flat tires, chewed through brake lines, bone dry radiator, the cabin was a nest to the local rodent population, but with some muscle she turned over, and with some fresh fenrite and a bit of "go-juice" she managed to bark off at Diji, damn near burning his eyebrows off. By the end of the day, Ax'L had found a new set of wheels to combat the Inner City gang. She's unconventional, she's old, but she's a runner, and still has some life left in her.

Was excited to finally draw Diji in one of these pieces and keep the story going! This was also a piece very roughly blocked out in blender, after a bunch of toying around with the camera and focal length to really push the perspective. Also I wanted to do go for more yellows and optimistic colors, since that's the color I feel best associates with his character. Diji is a former member of the Downtown gang that helped Ax'L escape after the events of "Knockout" as a thank you for essentially freeing him from a very shitty boss. He's absolutely going to make more appearances as the story goes along, and I can't wait to show more of it!

As always, thank you to everyone, whether you read the description or not, for checking out my artwork! Storytelling is something I've always sucked at but always wanted to try to do more, and this is my latest venture! Hopefully I'll have a proper name for the whole thing in the future!

Vehicles pictured/heavily referenced:

1976 Chevrolet El Camino

1973 small riding lawnmower

#car #furry #revival #el camino #chevrolet #city #farm #field #yellow #gecko #lizard #horse #small block chevy #morning

[eurydiceshadowsong]

Eurydice ShadowSong oc introduction

I forgot to make an introduction for my wizard Eurydice lol

I made 3 different character pages before coming to one I liked lol (even though Golem Minion is Myth only, and it's the favorite spell of a Fire wizard??? Eh whatever) Now here is a long lore piece. It's technically capable of being two separate posts, but I preferred them being together because I am lazy (and personally found the third person one to be boring by itself) Can't wait to wake up tomorrow and notice something about the story I want changed, even though I triple checked it to make sure I liked it lol ______________________________________________________________

Deep within the crystalline halls of Nidavellier, under chilly Grizzleheim, roamed Rune-Master Konur the Young. Before he bested Hragar in a battle of wisdom and took his name, he spent hours carving runes into one of the many halls of the labyrinthe Winterdeep Warren. The runes dictate the instructions to install life into things that seldom have it. However, it is unlike Myth's imaginary input, or Storm's creative mechanations. Yet, with the nasty and powerful Grendel Jotun taking command of the Hall of Valor, and his brothers Ullik and Grettir moving into its adjacent Helgrind and Winterdeep Warrens, Konur's runic message (and how the spell worked) was left unread for centuries to come.

One day, an old wizard, wise beyond his years, by the name Merle Ambrose, visited Grizzleheim. He came to Grizzleheim in an effort to understand the lore of runes. Even though Konur was long gone, the knowledge of runes remained well-used in Grizzleheim, as the Bears, Wolves, and Ravens use them consistently. One of many Mystic Ravens, Kol ShadowSong, offered to teach Merle. With soft words and days of patience, the lore of the Runes was passed along.

With plenty of warnings prior, Merle ventured into the Winterdeep Warren in search of Konur's runes. Having made him temporary invisible to avoid the grendels, he found the the runic message about installing life, still eligible on the crystal walls, and studied it. Though his time was cut short as he did not want to alert the grendels. Long ago the first mother of Grendels had asked all things to swear an oath to not hurt her children, and all but the Spider Queen refused. Now, the only thing that can harm a Grendel is a spider. Merle fled from Nidavellier back to the surface, to continue his lore-research, and even begin speaking of trade with the bears of Grizzleheim. After his trip to Grizzleheim, he returned to Wizard City. He enchanted one of the many Wood Golems in Golem Court with these runes, and the runes gave it life-like features. Merle named him Patrick, and that was how he lived for many years. ______________________________________________________________

. . . I've been resting and studying in Wizard City. It's really cold outside there recently. I wonder if my nose will freeze off like Kelvin's, but I am currently residing in Krokotopia to talk to Niles. The temperature here is scorching and I think I may burn. I hear it is hotter in some places of Mirage, I pray to Lady Nightstar I do not go there soon. Perhaps being a fire wizard will protect me from being set on fire, or the runes on my body will prevent me from being set on fire. Headmaster Ambrose has notified me of my origins as a Wood Golem, which I wonder about a lot. Is the runic transformation the reason for my weird eyes? And why am I so sensitive to noises and things that touch my 'skin' if I am a robot (as the Marleyboneans call me)? I do not look like a golem, but I am not exactly human either, I wonder if I am the only one of my kind around. On a slightly different topic, I've yet to adjust to my new body fully, even though the Magic Mirror made the feminization of my body as seamless as could be. I've taken the name Eurydice, from the Greek Story, as well. Niles is very supportive. That makes me happy.

I have done a horrible job trying to segway out of my rambling thoughts back to the topic I wanted to write about. I was wondering how much one's school truly matters. Is it predetermined, or something people can choose by their own will? Are more childish and deceiving students likely to be Fire or Myth, while the mature and patient are Ice? I hear many negative things about Death wizards, but they don't seem all that bad to me. Even Mortis the Death tree is quiet nice and not as annoyingly vague as I would expect. Fire wizards are noted to be quick to anger and easily passionate, but I wonder if they are childish and deceiving as well. With spells like Fire Cat and the playful Fire Elves, and the trickster Helephant and Efreets. Does Myth (which comes from Fire and Ice) take from the deceptive nature of Fire? Much like it may take from the patient nature of Ice? Or do Fire wizards have no such nature, as they are an elemental school? I've been talking with Niles about this for a while now, but I have yet to reach a definite conclusion. It seems one's chosen school is very complex.

I wonder if me being a Pyromancer means anything about my personality, or if I just like it because it had my favorite color and theme. The Book of Secrets assigned it to me, but were those questions really enough to know for sure? 11/12/2023 -Eurydice ShadowSong

(I rewrote the backstory like 3 times before finally doing it in a way I actually liked. Btw Konur is actually a character in Wizard101 lore, but he gets mentioned in one of the Grizzleheim lore books and literally nowhere else from what I've seen. And despite her being a golem, I Hocused Pocused her at the Magic Mirror so she is literally trans lol. I just have attempted to write that as something that is well accepted and not out of place in the Spiral.)

(And Fun fact: Her red/blue clothing is not because of her name lol. I chose the colors when I first made her since I thought they are my favorites [and men couldn't wear pink]. It was just a hella coincidence that a boss I have personal history with in my favorite world just so happened to have my color scheme and a last name I could also choose to have.)

Here's another image I don't have the Blue Moon staff I am working on making a green colored pet (preferably a Crop Watcher) to help make the Hunter's Moon Staff fit in I'm rgb now

#wizard101 #w101 #wizzy101 #I really got so curious about Wiz lore #I made my own Wiz lore #To complain about Wiz lore not making sense #Her character book refers to her as a robot/android in her race #but I changed it during the lore so that she is more of a runic-enchanced golem instead #so oops #but I don't wanna rewrite that book to fix it cuz Im tired so eh

[readingrobin]

This month started off at a real drag and didn't really kick up until probably the near end of it. Looks like I read about maybe 800 pages more than last month, yet still covered the same amount of books. I'm gonna chalk that up to the good amount of DNFs I had for this month. It's a downer when that happens, but hey it's going to happen. I will say that I'm glad I ended this month on a high note with a book I really enjoyed that I've been meaning to get around to for a while.

Total Books Read: 6

Total Pages Read: 2,965

Total DNFs: 4

Books Read:

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn (4.75/5) - The only downside of the book is a somewhat rushed climax, which was an issue I had with Legendborn as well but, other than that....Oh my god, Bloodmarked took everything Legendborn did and took it to another level. Dynamics get more complex, institutions that were sketchy become full on villainous, and, in the end, Bree takes on such a risky, yet understandable move that I'm eagerly waiting to see the fallout of. Deonn expands upon the themes of generational trauma and grief, concentrating on, now that Bree can recognize these things in her own history, how does that affect her personally? How does she, as an individual, relate to all these expectations and duties brought onto her by her ancestors? Bree's reflection on these ties continue to make her such an engaging, powerful character I love to watch develop. We see new sides of the Rootcrafter community, and I gotta say, I love the new character Valec. I may be a bit biased since I love charismatic infernal dealmakers, but I hope we see more from him as well. As much as I loathe love triangles, the connection between Bree, Nick, and Sel never really bothered me. I've found that, if the two love interests have an already established relationship, the love triangle becomes a little more digestable, as their whole dynamic doesn't thrive off any jealousy or competition for someone's love. This book only fueled my need for a Bree/Sel relationship, but I would hate for Nick to go by the wayside. 

Scurry by Mac Smith (4/5) - If you were a Warrior cats fan as a kid, this graphic novel is definitely for you. In a post-apocalyptic world, house mice try to survive through scraps found in abandoned houses, but resources are dwindling. They must venture from their home, with the threat of cats, wolves, and other dangers that lay beyond in the forest. The art is absolutely phenomenal, very cinematic with great lighting. Give it a try if you're a fan of animal survival fiction like Watership Down or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

Shadow Weaver by MarcyKate Connolly (2/5) -Just a very middle of the road middle grade sort of book. While I appreciated the dark tone, there was nothing really that hooked me in. Emmeline seemed totally oblivious to her shadow's darker nature right up until the story decided that it was time to get suspicious. Apparently putting a man in a coma near the very beginning didn't set off any alarm bells. I understand that their relationship may have affected her shortsightedness, but almost every piece of dialogue her shadow has is a big red flag. Even kid me probably would have given Emmeline a big side eye at how she kept dismissing the shadow's clear malevolence. Though I have to say, without spoilers, once we learn of the shadow's motivations, I can't blame her for being the way she is. I'm probably not going to read the sequel because I simply don't have enough interest, but I hope she gets her slay girl slay moment. But, given that this is series targeted towards children, probably not.

The Book That No One Wanted to Read by Richard Ayoade (3/5) - About as funny as you're going to get with a comedic talent like Richard Ayoade. it's a sweet junior fiction about a book that doesn't want to be read and has some great observational humor from a book's perspective. Tor Freeman's illustrations are a great addition here, adding to the humor and giving the book more character.

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle by Victoria Williamson (4/5) - Always had a soft spot for stories featuring two characters from different worlds who come together and find that they have more in common than they realized. Caylin and Reema are two characters that know the trauma of loss, to varying degrees sure, but they know what it means to lose someone dear to you. They bond through caring for an injured fox, sympathizing with a creature that is deemed unwanted by society and has access to a kind of freedom they long for. Though getting off to a rocky start, the two develop a close friendship, bringing out the best in each other and staying resilient in troubled times. An inspirational story for sure, great for helping children empathize with refugee stories and introducing them to the harder aspects of life certain children go through. 

The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke (5/5) (Review)

DNFs:

Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan - I was almost halfway in without really connecting to the characters, plot, or writing style. It takes a while for things to happen and even then, the action seems to drag a bit. Once I noticed that I was skimming more than actually taking in information, I decided to stop. There are some really good bits of dialogue here and there, but it wasn’t enough for me to keep reading.

A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney - I think I knew I was in trouble when there were two time skips, one three months and another a year, within the first 50 pages. We pass right by Alice’s training to fight against Nightmares, as well as her learning more about Wonderland, which really didn’t set the story off at a good pace. It also didn’t help that the book opens with the protagonist immediately in danger, which is somewhat of a bookish pet peeve for me. Without the proper build-up, it makes the moment seem so much emptier and it’s difficult to feel for the character that’s still an absolute stranger to us. I also wasn’t a fan of the author skipping through what could have been great character development between Alice and Hatta and worldbuilding in favor of getting to the action faster. As a result, I felt forced into a world that felt like it was making itself up as it went along. I wanted to be learning about Wonderland and all its history and eccentricities alongside her, not in retrospect. I also didn’t believe the attachment between Alice and Hatta because we don’t see it develop naturally. Hatta goes from stranger, to mentor she has a crush on, to no way I don’t have a crush on him but mayyyyybbeee and that’s all we really see of their dynamic in the beginning. The fact that I have to wait 1/3 of a book to get to actual plot is kind of a breaking point here. I wish I liked it more, because it does sound like a cool concept, but I think it’s all lost on me.

The Ember’s Lantern by Colleen Houck - Given that I had read Houck's Tiger’s Curse series way back when in high school and loved it, I figured I would feel the same way about a story that attempts to exude spookiness and Halloween vibes. What I didn’t expect was for it to, well, fall supremely smack on its face. I don’t know if my tastes have changed over the years, but I didn’t recall her style feeling so bland and empty. There’s nothing that gives any personality or atmosphere to the writing. It’s mostly simple statements, descriptions, and maybe some internal feelings, but it feels rare. I never really felt entrenched in the world that was being built, and, despite some interesting lore behind the lanterns, it never felt properly realized. Also, Ember was too frustrating as a lead character. She kept making poor decision after poor decision that, without a plot security net, would have definitely gotten her killed immediately. I think her stubbornness was meant to come off as endearing, but it was more of a hindrance. 

Thirst No. 1 by Christopher Pike - Bought this book years ago during my teenage vampire craze and yeah, so many of them I got during that phase have NOT held up. I didn’t feel anything for Alisa, a protagonist that has a self-proclaimed “expertise in everything” and as much charisma and personality as a pale block of wood. She’s a five thousand year old vampire that was a little too ready to jump into a jacuzzi naked with an 18 year old boy in order to manipulate him for information, who naturally becomes her love interest. Ultimately, I think she might have worked better in an adult series, with her unlikability possibly working in her favor, but in this direction, she just seemed entirely superficial.

Average Rating: (3.79/5)

#robin's book log #reading wrap up #bloodmarked #scurry #shadow weaver #the fox girl and the white gazelle #the scapegracers #wolfsangel #a blade so black #the ember's lantern #thirst #monthly wrap up

[kareenvorbarra]

i am feeling very scatterbrained and can't decide what story i want to work on, so i'm going to do the 150 words fanfic meme!

send me a number from the list of WIPs below and I'll write 150 words in the project of your choice. this is not a list of all my unfinished stories - it's just Queen's Thief stuff, and just the ones i'm most interested in working on at the moment, but that still leaves me with six options (plus some little excerpts of what i've already written):

What We Are Allowed (chapter 11) - look, it's going to get worse before it gets better

Cautiously, because it truly seemed Mirad would not tell me his news otherwise, I sat. After a moment’s hesitation, Mirad joined me. He was tall enough that I still had to look up in order to see his face. “Laela. Kamet’s dead.” I stared at him, uncomprehending. He continued in the same calm, quiet voice, his dark eyes full of sorrow. “Nahuseresh told me when I came in to help him dress. He had word from the emperor first thing this morning.”

2. In the House of Hanaktos (chapter 3) - After Zec is beaten, Dirnes asks Melinno for a favor.

“What happened to your face?” she exclaimed, reaching out as if to touch his cheek, then pulling her hand back. Gingerly, he felt his swollen lip. After everything that had happened in the aftermath of the incident, he’d almost forgotten about the blows he’d taken from the soldier. It didn’t hurt much anymore, but it probably looked worse than it felt.  “Well?” Melinno demanded. “It wasn’t a punishment, not from Ochto. Did you get into a fight?” “No,” he said at once, then hesitated. “It’ll take a minute to explain.”

3. Marin and her family (working title) - this fic is basically just a combo of two questions I had: "what if Marin had kids?" and "how might she have learned about Kamet's escape?"

It took a while for news from the capital to reach them out here; she usually had to wait until one of her husband’s friends or relatives decided to visit, or for her husband to make one of his rare trips into the nearest city. And, of course, the people in Ianna-Ir whom she most wished to know about were not important enough to be included in such reports.  Despite these gaps, she always found herself curious about Nahuseresh’s affairs, imagining how the slaves in his household had reacted, what they had said to each other. All the girls she’d danced with would be long gone by now, but surely some of the people she had known remained. Mirad and Kamet, certainly, if they had not met with any misfortune.  

4. Assorted WWAA extras (Sevan POV) - This doc has two separate scenes in it right now. The first one is set a few months after "Prize" in which Sevan adjusts to her new situationa and learns some old household gossip from the other girls:

Sevan had been shocked to learn that the handsome man who bought her mere hours after seeing her from a distance at a slave market was the emperor’s nephew, and even more surprised when she arrived at his lavish estate and the other slaves explained that he was in a sort of informal exile from court, and that no one knew when he would be permitted to return. Laela, a former dancer who served as the girls’ matron, made sure they rehearsed every day, but it was really just to stay in practice; their master had no visitors in his exile, so there was nothing in particular for them to rehearse for.

and one about the night Sevan spends with Nahuseresh after the party in chapter 7:

“What did you and the general talk about?” she ventured to ask. It would likely be a safe topic; she’d watched that conversation out of the corner of her eye, and it had seemed cordial enough.  “The dancing, mostly,” said Nahuseresh, not sounding bothered by the question. “He spoke very highly of the performance.” He gave her a slight smile, and Sevan smiled back, pleased at the praise. “He particularly wanted to ask me about Hurik. The rest was mostly pleasantries.”

5. Assorted WWAA extras (Inaya POV) - Inaya and the rest of Nahuseresh's household react to news of Kamet's death.

But just beyond the relief was the painful twinge of guilt that Inaya couldn’t suppress. Not guilt for what had happened to Kamet—his reason for leaving remained a mystery, and she knew it could have nothing to do with her—but guilt at the relief itself. Never in her life had she felt relief over another person’s death, and it was not a pleasant experience.   Then there was the issue of Laela. Inaya’s guilt always grew more acute in her presence, knowing (as they all did) that Kamet and Laela had been close. They had been friends since Laela came to the household well over ten years ago, and it was clear that Laela had taken his death hard. The older woman hid her feelings well, but not even Inaya could miss the signs—there were dark shadows under her eyes, and though she was no less kind, she almost never smiled.

6. Scenes from the Court of Attolis Nahuseresh (chapter 2) - Costis tries to navigate his new responsibilities and ends up attracting more attention than he meant to.

By the end of his first month guarding the queen, Costis had begun to feel as though Aris might be a better choice for the captain’s eyes and ears in the palace. He knew why his friend had not been chosen—Aris was okloi, and his family lived in lands administered by Baron Erondites, one of Attolia’s most powerful and dangerous barons. Still, as Costis tried to learn as much as he could about the people he encountered in the queen’s circle, no matter how insignificant it seemed (for he had no idea what might prove useful to Teleus one day), he found himself wishing over and over that he had Aris’ knack for reading people and keen memory for personal details.

#meme #my fic

[a-plethora-of-peters]

Since you asked, ZITS :D

*inhales deeply before yelling* ZITS MY BELOVED!

THESE BOYS! THESE BOYS! I LOVE THEM!

So to set the vibes for them all we have:

A Gremlin that was found eating the electricity in an iron farm by an Anthro Magma Cube hybrid on one server and said hybrid takes the Gremlin away with him

And far far away on another server, a Centaur Enderman hybrid is being bugged by an Electricity Demon to make a Contract with him

Vibes secure in your head? Good cause I'm gonna pop off about Impulse and Skizz meeting and officially becoming friends now because I have Skizz brainrot and I love he!

~0.0~

At first, Skizz thought that Demons were just myths.

Stories told to keep wandering children close to home during the day when most mobs can't venture out.

Don't wander too far or a Demon will snatch you away!

Keep close to home unless you want a Demon to eat your soul!

When he was a teen and moved out on his own, he started doubting the stories about Demons being ready to snatch him up and suck out his soul.

He probably still would've doubted their existence if it wasn't for Impulse.

Well, he didn't go by Impulse then. Skizz was the one to call him Impulse after the Demon had given him an awkward English translation of his name from Infernal.

("I'm named qui agit in instinctu-masculina praesentia-odorem ozonis et sonum longinquum tonitrui. I use he/him pronouns. I don't have any Contracts yet, but I'm definitely in the market to make one if you want." The brown haired and golden eyed being - apparently a Demon - tells him with a polite smile and a wink.

Skizz appreciates that he doesn't even try to make direct eye contact with him.

Skizz blankly stares at him for a few moments. "Can you uh... can you translate that first part into something I can understand, buddy?"

The Demon blushes - Oh! He blushes red like a human does, that's neat! - electricity sparking between his tall black and yellow striped horns. His tail curls around his leg, yellow fluff on the end sparking like sheep's wool.

"I suppose the closest I can get in English is... he who acts on instinct-a masculine presence-the scent of ozone and the distant sound of thunder. More or less." He hazards cautiously.

"Acts on instinct?" Skizz snickers. "So your name is literally that you're impulsive?"

"Wha- I-... okay that's not entirely untrue..."

"Alrighty then, Impulse!" He claps his hands before offering one to the startled Demon.

"Wait wha-?"

"You can call me Purpur, I use he/him pronouns too, and I'm not interested in getting a Contract - whatever that is - right now!")

Impulse took to his new name surprisingly fast and lurked around Skizz's home for a number of months afterwards.

Skizz would leave to go mining for the day and Impulse would be leaning on his mailbox with a friendly smile and offer him something in exchange for a Contract.

("What if I made you look like a Passing Hybrid? I can do that, you know. Make you look more human so you don't stand out so much?"

"Nice try. I'm pret-ty good with how I look thank you very much."

"Oh well, worth a shot right?"

"Yeah that was a good try!"

"Hey! Leave my hair alone!")

Skizz would come home from grocery shopping and Impulse would be perched on his fence, munching on an apple before making Skizz a different offer.

("Okay, I think I got something for sure that you'll be interested in!"

"Is that so, 'pulse?"

"Oh yeah! You get to keep your Centaur form, but! But! I give you two complete enderpearls in your body rather than just the halves that you have! Huh? Huh!? How's that sound?"

"Mmmm tempting but no thanks. I don't mind being unable to teleport as frequently as other Enderman hybrids."

"Oh you're no fun!"

"I mean if you want fun, you can always go to like Hipixel or a server like that?"

"What is with you and your addiction to messing up my hair?!")

Skizz got used to the offers, got used to Impulse hanging around his place whenever he left to do things, got used to messing with Impulse's hair everytime an offer fell flat.

Then one day he came outside (he had to thin his carrot bed out, so that they could grow properly) and Impulse was sitting on the edge of Skizz's porch looking... not quite sad or upset, a bit melancholy perhaps?

"Hey buddy. Something the matter?" Skizz asks, kneeling next to him.

A stifled curse in Infernal comes from Impulse as he jumps before he looks up at Skizz and plasters on a stiff smile. "Hey Purps! I got a new offer today! It's-"

"Lemme stop you there, Impulse."

Something seems to crack, his smile falling and becoming resigned.

"Oh... so is this it?"

"Huh? Is this what?" Skizz looks at him confused.

Impulse shrugs and looks at his clawed hands in his lap. He speaks softly as if he's scared that Skizz is going to yell at him.

"Where you get fed up with me and tell me to leave because you're tired of me trying to make a Contract with you?"

Skizz frowns. "Where'd you get that idea from?"

"I just figured..." Impulse shrugs. "It's been... almost 2 years now? And I've offered you so many things and you always turn me down-."

"Cause you always talk about making a Contract with me-"

"Cause I need to make a Contract!" Impulse bursts out loudly. He flushes and says quieter. "Cause without a Contract, no one will want me."

"Hey that's not true!" Skizz frowns. "We don't have a Contract and I still want you to stick around!"

Impulse freezes and looks at Skizz's collarbone to avoid looking in his eyes.

"You don't... You don't mean that... do you?"

Skizz huffs and takes Impulse's face in his hands and tilts his face up towards his own. He croons softly - sad-dont fear-friend - when Impulse immediately closes his eyes. He gently rubs under his eyes with his thumbs.

"I like our exchanges. If I didn't I would have said so sooner." Skizz gently says. "Not to mention... well open your eyes. Please?"

Impulse is trembling in Skizz's hands but he opens his eyes.

Glowing gold meets blue that is verging on purple.

There's no burning urge to fight, to destroy whoever meets his gaze.

He smiles and says "You're Haunting now. You're not gonna be alone, not while I'm around."

Impulse swallows and nods, tearing up. He really starts crying when Skizz leans in to rest their foreheads together and whispers. "Most people call me Purpur but my name is Skizz."

They didn't move from the porch for a while after that. When they did though? It was so that Skizz could invite Impulse into his home for the first time since they met.

#me stuff #peter speaks #IACBHAH #impulse and skizz the beloveds #maybe ill explain more about tango & zed later #i do wanna write full stories for them after im done with iac #so yeah #fun shit #also jsyk impulse has his own place in the underbelly where demons come from #he just has a small spell on Skizz's door that alerts him when he opens it #and teleports to the house so he doesn't ever miss a meeting #felicityphoenix5

[boss-poss]

I really think that people haven't grasped how insanely bleak the world of art is going to be once AI generation gets advanced enough to create even half coherent animation and video. In the space of few scant years it went from producing amusing nonsense that was seen as quaint to being able to create nearly any image prompted in relatively clear detail. It still can't do words right and you have to slog through a few pictures to get to a good one but that will likely be corrected in a couple generations of this technology. When it gets to the point where someone can input a script, set pieces, and a slew of aesthetic descriptors then wait a week and get even a semi-watchable show, I believe we are going to enter an artistic wasteland driven by human laziness and greed.

Consider how little corporations like Disney want to pay people to make their shows in the current year. They squeeze out crappy, garbage media en mass because its cheaper to just CGI everything and their reputation and sheer output will guarantee that enough people will watch it to make at least some profit while they fish for the next big thing to really rake in the money and make up for any lost on other ventures. Now give them the ability to have AI algorithms create full shows, hell, even partial shows that they can polish. They would release a season of a new show every week, everything and anything would get a show, reboot, or spinoff, and it would not only cost them less but allow them to flood the market with so much content that they could functionally monopolize it through sheer volume. It's hard to watch a competitor's product when you have to wade through a sea of copycat shows solely created to bury it and confuse you about which similar series is the one you wanted to watch. Sounds pretty horrible right? That's just one company.

Now imagine HBO, Paramount, WB, the rest of the big media producers all doing the same thing, all chasing trends, trying to steal the thunder from their competitors, and doing it all at the fraction of the cost of paying people to make a show in a fraction of the time. IPs will become so diluted and spread out that no story progress will be made until necessary. Shows will have so many spinoffs meant to be turned into crossover specials that conflict will be gridlocked and left stale and impotent. Copy after cheap copy after cheaper copy will follow any modicum of success and run entire genres into the ground, kill off all but the most broadly appealing content to be offered up to the people who are so lost among the vast oceans of choice that they just lap up whatever comes their way. You think streaming is a convoluted mess of services fighting and cannibalizing each other for content now? Try again in a couple of years when the fatigue of dealing with this shit really sets in and even the most popular shows are viewed as just mediocre. The sea will only get deeper, but surely something must break through to the surface.

And this is just watchable media. What about games? What happens when an algorithm can be handed a set of tools and spit out a playable product? Design? Set the rules and let the machine work out all the most efficient shape. This shift won't happen for a lack of care or interest in the traditional human method of creation, it will happen because people with money, seeking more money, will jump on the easiest and most efficient method of generating income, integrity and craft be damned. After all, art is just pretty shapes and colors to stick in a corner of your mansion you'll never visit and as bragging rights. Series and movies are for the poor to distract themselves from their shitty lives for a bit. Video games are for children and imbeciles. What is there to lose?

#ai artwork #streaming #capitalism #oh its going to get so bad before it gets better folks

[alabasterplasterart]

Excerpt : Stories From the Cosmos

I have a brand new little duo that I'm pretty stoked to start developing. They originate from my original world but, by virtue of their abilities, could technically end up anywhere. I've got their designs but used a base to refine them, so I'll post art of them later once I've had a little more practice with them!

For now, here's the needed info just for clarity:

Shel: An ancient god, born from the explosion that brought reality into tangible existence. Currently, he's a big fan of multiple arms and posses two sets, four total.

Baz: In essence, a minor god of sorts, created by Shel to be a space traveling companion during his ventures across the cosmos. Through some crossing of wires during her creation, she can't form words, but can understand them, and her mind was bonded to Shel's. He can hear her thoughts, though she cannot hear his.

Below the cut is the ~2.7k word short story I wrote for them of a scene idea I had. Enjoy!

This planet was lush, but..motionless. Like something was missing in it. Some spark, some little piece that made it all come together. It functioned, but that was it.

“Like something went wrong.” Shel added with a furrow of his brow. His jaw was set hard and he seemed to be sensing something she couldn’t.

“There’s..I don’t know how to describe it. The magic is wrong here. Like it was broken in some way. Or disrupted.”

We could keep going.

“No, I want to see what’s going on here. If there’s life here that needs help, I’d feel awful passing them by just because we felt a little weirded out.” He took a breath and clapped one set of his hands together. “Put those thoughts aside then, let’s treat this like any other venture.”

Baz nodded but swallowed hard. She couldn’t feel the magic disruption he was talking about. But she could feel something wrong with it. Like it was buzzing. Like it was angry.

They came down on a coastline of an unmoving ocean. It was the clearest spot they could see, the rest of this landmass was blanketed in an unbroken canopy of dull green. As Shel set his lower arms on his hips and looked into the treeline, Baz kicked a stone into the water. It didn’t ripple. Just sank a few inches back into the sand. She shivered at the uncanny sight. Nope, not here. She didn’t want to be here.

“Just a quick look around, that’s all we need. Just to see what’s going on. If there isn’t anything here then we’ll go, okay? Promise.” He looked to her and smiled, but she couldn’t return the expression. She just turned away, staring back at the stone. He sighed behind her and she heard his footsteps retreating.

“Wait here then, I won’t be long. I’ll come get you in a bit.”

And with that he was out of sight, fading from earshot into the thick foliage. She heaved a nervous breath and plopped down on the sand. Despite being in the sun, it was oddly cool here. Not in a seasonal kind of way, but like the sun itself wasn’t very warm at all. She pulled her legs up, setting her chin on her knees. There were no birds in the sky. No clouds either, she noticed, but it still had a gray filter to it. Like the blue wasn’t as blue as it should be. Same with the ocean. Everything here felt..washed out. Like the whole planet was slowly fading. Something rustled behind her. Shel?

No response. Another rustle and she turned over her shoulder. She couldn’t see far into the treeline. The trunks were thick and they blended into each other as the dim sunlight was quickly blocked by their canopies. She didn’t see anyone, nor any movement. But she knew she heard it. Shel wouldn’t sneak up on her, so what had she heard?

Then, a voice. “Drop.”

A lot happened in a few seconds.

Baz had been hit before. They’d been to planets with no people, only creatures. Creatures that could wield magic and used it with all the grace of a wild animal. They’d been to planets where they scared someone with their arrival, or met hostile people who didn’t care for strangers, whoever they were. Being attacked wasn’t novel.

But whatever this spell was, it crippled her. She was already sitting down but the sheer force of it had her dropping to her side. It felt like a spear was shot through her chest, but she didn’t see anything. Just felt an exponentially rising heat inside of her. A deep burning that drew an anguished scream that made her throat hurt. Fighting the pain she pushed up on one hand and aimed her other forwards.

But the instant Baz had eyes on the fucker, her vision went black.

Before she saw where she was, she felt it. A stickiness that uncomfortably suctioned her already tight fitting clothes to her. The humidity was accompanied by a near unbearable warmth and as Baz came to she became aware of beads of sweat rolling down her face and back. Her eyes felt heavy and, like a pendulum coming down from the top of its arc, fell shut again when she tried to open them. Baz gritted her teeth and growled in her throat. There was little she hated more than a lack of control. And this numb, heavy feeling of her body was beyond aggravating.

“We had to run from the other one, the spell did nothing to it. We’re lucky we got this one.” She stopped struggling against her own body and went still, listening intently to the conversation her mind tuned into. It was coming closer and she tried again to open her eyes.

She got a glimpse of the room this time. It was incredibly dark, but she made out a light coming closer off to her left. There was a light source above her too, from the wall she was leaning against. It was dim, but looked natural. A window?

“So what are we gonna do with it? The big one I mean.”

“I have no idea. We talked about it for a bit but we’ve never really found one of these things that didn’t go down before. It’s new territory. For now, we just gotta hide from it. It didn’t seem too happy we got its lackey here.”

There were two voices and they stopped a short ways in front of her. She tried moving an arm again, immediately ready to fire off a spell. But her fingers barely moved with the attempt and she growled again.

“Oh, it’s awake.” One of the voices said. Then it laughed. “You’re not going to break the paralysis. But we won’t cast anything else on you if you tell us why your partner didn’t go down like you did.”

Okay, so Shel was still out there. Baz didn’t know if he could hear her, but he was evidently far enough that she couldn’t hear him. She tried clearing her thoughts of the anger that was building, trying to project a helpful thought to wherever he was. I’m underground maybe, in a dark building. It’s hot and humid, there’s two people here. I can’t move.

“You should be able to talk just fine. Unless you can’t do that. Would be a fuckin’ shame, then you’ve got no bargaining chip.” The same person said, a smile evident in their voice. The smugness had her grinding her teeth together and mentally slamming her fist against the wall. Baz wished she could decast the translation spell. Shel insisted they always have it going, and to his credit it was helpful far more often than it wasn’t. But her head was pounding now from every word she was hearing out of this rat bastard’s mouth. Who the fuck were they, calling her and Shel ‘it’? Why did they shoot her down? What the fuck was this planet?!

“Well, I’ve got better things to do. Like I said before, it’s paralysed so all you need to do is stay here and call someone if that spell starts to wear off. Someone’ll come get you when we’ve figured out a plan for the other one.”

“Got it.”

A set of footsteps walked away and Baz heard a creak, like someone sitting in a chair. A few moments later, she heard small, dull scraping. It took her a few seconds to pick it apart as the sound of a knife through wood.

“It’s really weird how long it’s been since we’ve found any of you. You two are different looking too. I wonder if something changed.” The remaining person in the room spoke. They spoke quieter, but that softness did nothing for Baz. They, by virtue of being connected to that other fucker, grated on her ears.

“Hm..your energy is rising. Are you trying to break the spell? We’ve been refining that for centuries, it isn’t worth the effort. You’ll just black out trying.”

Fuck, what was this spell? Baz had been hurt before, seriously hurt. But nothing could ever hold her down. And nothing at all could lay a finger on Shel. That was part of the fun of exploring these worlds. There was no physical danger to it, no threat of death and a small threat of damage. They could go anywhere they wanted, see anything they wanted. Every world was their oyster.

So what the fuck was happening now?

“Can you talk? You made noise before. Your kind have always been able to talk. It’s weird if you can’t. Assuming you’re not just refusing, it would be another new thing.” They paused, scraped at the wood in their hands, then continued. “People have been talking about the energy changing. Like something upset it. I dunno about that, but maybe something shifted it. I guess we don’t really know how it works, just that it does. But if it’s been a while since we found new one of you’s, and you both are different, maybe the rumours are true in some way.”

What in the everloving fuck was this person going on about?! Energy? Other people like her? Are there other gods on this world. Or, judging by the way these people were talking, had there once been? It sounded more and more like they were gone for some reason, and more and more like it was the fault of these people.

Baz took in a sharp breath through her nose and tried to fight again. They were right, it felt like she about to pass out. The strain of trying to move even the smallest amount had lights flashing in the darkness of her closed eyes. Her stomach cramped and she tried to not let her breathing pick up pace. She wanted to scream. Just start screaming, hoping Shel was somewhere nearby. But that isn’t how she did things. She didn’t give up, she didn’t give in. And she refused to let these lowlife scumbags break her perfect streak.

“You know,” they started to talk again and the fury that noise sent through her was enough to fuel another attempt to move. “I don’t really think you things are all that bad. Not in the malicious sense. You’re like pests, and that’s not your fault. Just how nature decided things should go. It’s a shame you’ve got such awareness, it makes pest control feel more personal and cruel.”

Okay, that was it! Time to die! Baz’s heart was thudding against her chest and she choked down the sickening feeling rising up her throat. She wasn’t moving, not yet, but the willpower she was exerting to try to was sending her into a tailspin. She was growing rapidly dizzier and she felt her thoughts clouding and nearly gave in to the urge to fall unconscious.

NO! She wasn’t going under, not again. These self important, murderous pieces of shit weren’t catching her off guard again. She wouldn’t be held captive here, she wouldn’t be made to sit here and listen to how little worth they thought she had. She was going to get up, she was going to break this stupid fucking spell, she-

“What the hell?!”

Last words. Her ears rang as the explosion reverberated off the stone walls of the small room. She saw a small, unfinished wooden carving bounce across the floor, rolling through the bloody mess she’d blasted across the ground. Pest control my ass.

Quickly, she scanned the room to weigh her options. She wasn’t locked up, surprisingly. She had been envisioning a cage around her, but in reality she had just been propped against a wall. She smirked to herself and glanced at the upturned chair. Too much faith in your perfect spell, sucker.

She heard voices and running footsteps and spun around to the wall she had been lying against. There was a window above her. Or, more accurately, a wide cut in the stone that led directly outside. It was ground level and looked to be sunset judging by the rapidly fading light. Not having any desire to run deeper into whatever this place was, Baz grabbed a hold of the edge of the opening and heaved her way up, pulling herself through the gap she was barely small enough to fit through. She heard shouts of anger and disbelief behind her but was able to get to her feet and stumble back from the opening just as a spell was blasted towards her.

She was more than done here, they were leaving. She looked around but saw only more jungle in every direction, and no indication of being anywhere near an ocean. The voices were fading, running off down one of the two hallways she saw. She had no clue how far the exit of this bunker was from that room, so with a pivot on her heel Baz took off into the brush and thought as she ran.

She still didn’t hear Shel. If they were far from the coastline there was no telling where he had gone looking for her. Or where he’d gone after the encounter he seemed to have with those cocksuckers. So, with few other options, she aimed her palm skyward and fired off a bright flare from her palm. With a hissing whiz it rocketed twenty, fifty, a hundred feet above the treeline and exploded into a shower of multicoloured sparks. He just needed to get close enough to hear her, and then they could get the fuck off this miserable planet.

Baz had gotten distance on them, but she was still close enough to hear a group of people pursuing her. And it sounded like far more than just a couple of them this time. She tore through the foliage, not even noticing the end of her gloves being ripped away over her clawed nails. From the sky, to her side, she heard a wind picking up. Then as it got closer, understood it to not be wind but rather the sound of something falling through the sky. And a moment later, some thirty feet to her right, something massive crashed into the forest.

Baz skidded to a halt, digging her heels into the muddy earth of the forest floor, and spun her body to face that direction. She grinned devilishly and broke off in a dead sprint. Before her vision even registered she was flying into another person, spun in a circle in their tight embrace. She cackled with laughter and buried her face in the crook of Shel’s neck. He laughed with her, though his fell away before hers in a heavy sigh. He leaned back enough to look at her, one of his upper hands cupping the side of her face.

“Baz I am so sorry. I don’t know where they took you from the beach but by the time I got back you weren’t there. I couldn’t hear you, I had no clue where they’d gone with you. They were determined to take me down to but they got a nasty surprise with that attempt.” He snorted a laugh and she matched him. It was okay, she was never mad at him. But she was tired of this bullshit planet already. Honestly, she couldn’t care less what was going on here. They’d made it clear they weren’t in any desperate need of help and she saw no reason to stick around.

At the sound of encroaching voices and rustling underbrush, Shel nodded. “Agreed. Your call was the right one all along, who’d’ve guessed.”

And with a tightening of his grip around her, Shel threw down a spell that surrounded them in a thick, semi-opaque bubble. On its underside he set a mark that burned itself into the outer shell. With a cocked brow he looked at her. He didn’t need to put the question into words. She grabbed a tight hold of the edge of his jacket and nodded, and at her mark he twisted his wrist and uncapped the spell that burned away the forest floor beneath them in an instant. In moments they were sailing away, up and up through the stratosphere and out of the pull of the planet.

#alawriting #eorde char #original character #writing excerpt #fantasy writing #fantasy writer #fantasy author #fantasy character #short story

[andrewolinek]

Short story and digital art.

The Last Sunset

The sky was ablaze with hues of crimson and gold as the sun dipped below the horizon. Sarah, a middle-aged woman with two young children, stood with them at the edge of a desolate cliff, their eyes fixed on the breathtaking spectacle before them. It was the last sunset on Earth.

The world had changed. Humanity had reached the pinnacle of technological progress, only to bring about its own downfall. Wars, pollution, and resource depletion had ravaged the planet, leaving it uninhabitable. People had been forced to flee to space colonies, leaving only a handful behind.

Sarah gazed at her children, Anna and David. Their faces, innocent and full of wonder, reflected the fading light. She held their hands tightly, cherishing this final moment. The end of humanity's time on Earth was drawing near, but she wanted her children to remember this last sunset, to carry it with them into the unknown future.

As the sky darkened, Sarah's thoughts wandered back to her own childhood, when Earth was still a thriving and vibrant planet. She remembered the lush forests, the crystal-clear rivers, and the diverse wildlife that once roamed freely. It seemed like a distant dream now, lost in the ruins of a dying world.

"Mommy, will we ever see another sunset?" Anna asked, her voice laced with innocence and hope.

Sarah's heart sank as she struggled to find the right words. "I don't know, sweetheart. We're going to a new place, far away from here. Maybe one day we'll witness something even more beautiful than this."

David, the younger of the two, tugged at Sarah's sleeve. "But Mommy, I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with the trees and the birds."

Sarah knelt down to his level, her eyes moist with unshed tears. "I know, David. I wish we could stay too, but we can't. The Earth can no longer sustain us. We have to find a new home."

The last rays of sunlight painted the landscape in shades of purple and blue, casting long shadows over the barren land. Sarah's heart ached as she realized that this was the end of an era, the closing of a chapter in human history. But amidst the sadness, she found a glimmer of hope for the future.

The children clung to their mother, their eyes still fixed on the vanishing light. Sarah's gaze drifted from the setting sun to the star-filled sky above. She knew that somewhere out there, among the vastness of space, lay new worlds waiting to be explored. And maybe, just maybe, humanity would learn from its mistakes and build a better future.

As darkness enveloped the land, Sarah whispered a silent farewell to Earth, thanking it for the life it had provided. She rose to her feet, holding her children's hands tightly, ready to face the unknown. With a heavy heart, she turned her back on the cliff, leaving behind the remnants of a dying world.

The last sunset on Earth had faded into memory, but the light of hope burned bright within Sarah and her children. They embarked on a journey, carrying the legacy of their home planet in their hearts, determined to find a new beginning among the stars.

And so, as they ventured forth into the vast expanse of space, the story of humanity continued, leaving behind the ruins of a broken world and embracing the possibilities of an unwritten future.