#a sort of spoiler for our main thread

[shisui-uchiha-anon]

❝ How do you even look at someone knowing that they will be dead before the end of the day? ❞

𝐈����'𝐒 𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐑

"The key is not to feel anything. To detach yourself from reality, to kill your own heart and soul. To turn your love to hate passion to indifference and once your loving heart turns to stone you are half ready, and from stone to dust. I had my last meal with my family, it was LAST but I didn't know back then. That dinner was the most precious one, the food was perfect, my father was in a good mood, and my mentor was as well. But my failed plan backfired and I fell first. I lost my eye Danzo took it. I awaited the cold embrace of death, but it never came. I wish that it did. We would not be where we are now..."

He moved away his eye patch, showing stitched eyelid and a scar going vertically over it. "He dug out my eye, but the scar I made on my own in a fit of madness and anger."

"All I felt was resentment and anger toward Uchiha Itachi. I told him to protect the clan not to butcher them!" He slams his fist on the table rattling all the glasses. He spoke quietly after the fit of rage was over.

"Who is Uchiha Itachi to decide who lives and who dies? Why is Sasuke better than my family? Why he deserves to live, and my blood and my lover to die?" His smile was laced with chilling air, and his tone was even nastier. For the first time, she could hear that he cared and even loved someone.

"I was waitin', I bid my time. Till Sasuke like a little moron didn't go against everything Itachi "saved" a brat that should be killed the moment he was born. In all honesty, Fugaku is one to blame, even without the massacre Sasuke was a rotten apple poisoning the basket. Fugaku was praising one son and scolding another, weakening his already weak personality." Shisui's tone was light, his tone was forceful and vicious.

"So while they fought I got in, preventing Sasuke to kill Itachi his head was mine. But the brat didn't want to give up. So I Fought him while half alive Itachi watched. The kid was so arrogant and so disrespectful, that killed him. He thought that he is supreme he thought that he is Madara. And even Madara fell because of that. Manipulated the whole time. I killed him with the curved blade that I had as Akatsuki. I slit his throat and the silver blade drank his blood" The mad fury and violence brimming in Shisui's eyes was completely exposed. "I avenged my family when my blade went through Itachis chest. I felt nothing, my heart was turned to dust. How do I look them in the eyes? I looked Itachi right in the eyes and told him, See you in a fiery pit of Amaterasu's black flame"

[vasito-de-leche]

;R1999 Vertin's Wheel, Unilogs, Fate and Summoning Analysis

Analysis and theories regarding the suitcase's wheel, unilogs, fate and the process of summoning characters as of the 2.8 patch.

It's been a while since I've written an analysis in this blog, but yesterday I had a sudden realization and after discussing it with the R99 RP server, I decided to properly expand on these ideas in case someone else is interested or can offer more insight!

Just as a heads up, this post will tackle big spoilers from the upcoming CN 2.8 patch!

As usual, the majority transcripts were taken from the R99 Transcript Neocities and the transcript project!

First of all, we must discuss Vertin's suitcase.

By now, everyone probably knows about the way Bluepoch integrates in-game mechanics, items and such as diegetic aspects of the world building--the most known example being Picrasma Candy, an item used by players to recover energy and keep playing, but also a real medicine within the universe of Reverse: 1999 created by Medicine Pocket to enhance an arcanist's own arcanum for a while.

Vertin's suitcase and everything related to it is no different; in the prologue, we see Vertin save Regulus from the "Storm" by taking her into the suitcase, which acts as some sort of pocket dimension with a living space for her team; the Wilderness is also confirmed to be a real space that people can explore, as we see many times throughout the main story and anecdotes; Ms. NewBabel's critter business within the suitcase is also real, being mentioned on advertisements in one of 2.5 Showdown in Chinatown's trails.

In Stage 6 "The Living Past" of the game's prologue, we get introduced to the suitcase proper. This is the only instance we have of Vertin using an incantation to lead Regulus inside the living quarters and Wilderness proper.

Vertin: … Relax, Regulus. I will tell you, but not here. Say this with me … Neirü milde en tiün bonan nokton. Take my hand. Let me take you into the suitcase.

We also get some descriptions of what's inside these living quarters--the majority are various things that Vertin has rescued from previous eras, the most important being the photos and documents about the people she's met across time. She confirms that her suitcase and anything she puts inside can brave the "Storm," and avoid being reversed--we now know that arcanists of all sorts can also do this, a loading screen from the game added during 1.5 "Revival! The Uluru Games" clarifies by stating that humans can enter, but they need to find a "Storm" immune place outside to avoid being reversed. The suitcase is also affected to a degree by external forces--if one were to shake it, the people inside might feel an earthquake. But this also happens on reverse--the seeds Druvis III plants drops inside grow outside of the suitcase and take over the St. Pavlov Foundation's courtyard.

Then we have the spinning wheel and the lake. These two things are introduced immediately after the prologue, in the chapter "In Our Time," Stage 1 "Wretched Brats." We know that Vertin has never been to this part of the Wilderness that holds the lake and the spinning wheel.

The outside scenery keeps changing and changing … What has remained unchanged for ages is the lake and an old spinning wheel. Regulus: *sobs* ... The records ... Don’t nick my records ... Vertin: ...! Her voice doesn’t sound right. I should go and take a look. This is where Vertin has never been.

The lake is said to be surrounded by a mist that causes everyone except Vertin to slowly fall unconscious, and the water of the lake is explicitly rainwater from the "Storm." The spinning wheel has "strange threads" that Vertin describes as two-dimensional and by following this thread, she summons Sonetto into the suitcase.

The line in her hand, technically the line-like thing in her hand which cannot be felt in any way, has gradually formed a path in her sight. And someone is going to be invited over. Spin it as you've done so many times. It's someone familiar. Sonetto: The lake is overflowing. It's cold, just like a flowing line … Wait, where am I?

During the early months of the game, a lot of us assumed that this scene was simply a way to introduce the gacha mechanic in a diegetic way, without truly having an actual impact on the story. And there is also the issue of explaining how could Vertin acquire members from eras outside of the 20th century, such as Charlie, The Fool, Dikke and Nick Bottom, when the main story never take us to their respective eras.

I want to argue that the former statement is not true; the summoning aspect is real within the universe, and that it explains the latter statement, giving a reason for these people to exist within the suitcase. There is already so much that explains game mechanic as diegetic, in-universe aspects that exist, so I don't see why this would be any different!

In 2.8 "Paradise Regained," we get a lot of information that ties in a lot of loose ends and plots set up by previous chapters; this is the patch that confirms Urd is indeed Vertin's mother.

The scene where they find each other is meant to point out the similarities between the two--the cave Urd is in, where the Manus ritual is taking place, also has the same exact mist as both Vertin's suitcase and Apeiron's cave, and it urges Vertin to remember her childhood in SPDM, namely moments in which she interacted with Urd or somehow remembered her but was never able to recognize her as her own mother. A glowing, golden thread, identical to the one that was used to summon Sonetto in the suitcase, leads Vertin to Urd, who has her very own spinning wheel.

The reveal here and all the references in Urd's own character point to the fact that she is, to some extent, fate itself or a weaver of fate. Her namesake comes from Norse Mythology, referencing one of the Norns, one of the three deities that weave the thread of fate and dictate the lives of mortals--Urðr.

Urd explains that, just like Vertin, only she seems to be able to see and sense these golden threads. And she also explains her purpose and calling. Here is my transcript of the spoken dialogue they have, and you can see it here in Merui's stream.

Urd: I will go with you, but not just yet. There is something I must finish, these threads I'm spinning. Vertin: Threads? Urd: Yes. Others don't seem to see them, but I do. It's strange, I don't know what they are but I know how to spin them. Does that sound ridiculous to you? Vertin: Not at all. In fact, I can see them too. But perhaps we should do it together, later when the danger has subsided. Urd: There may not be a later. I must finish this now. Vertin: Why? Is this worth more than your life? Urd: I believe it is. These threads must be spun so the all ruling law may be woven in. That is my purpose, my calling. That is why I was led here. That's why you're here too, is it not? To answer your calling?

Urd's role as the weaver of fate or existence as fate itself was foreshadowed by 6 at the end of Vereinsamt as well, when he talks to one of her many iterations, Ms. Marta.

Marta: I find myself uncertain of which way to go. Would you kindly give me some guidance? 6: The guidance I can offer you is limited, Ms. Marta. I think fate knows its own fate better than anyone.

Urd is aware of her purpose and calling to uphold the concept of fate itself, even if she may not understand it fully. And thus, we can understand that the golden threads being woven in her spinning wheel are the threads of fate--they led Vertin here, after all.

This patch also confirms that Urd was the reason Manus Vindictae's plans failed back in 1999, during the first "Storm," and how they're now using her as a catalyst to fulfill their plan by sabotaging her process of weaving--her spinning wheel above can be seen tainted with the characteristic Manus Vindictae black goo, and they force it to spin, taking the threads of fate into the well where Arcana's heart rests. Compare it to Vertin's own wheel in the suitcase.

This leads us to the following point: Urd guides upholds order through these golden threads, which represent people's fates and lives. Vertin, as her daughter, has a similar ability in relation to the summoning mechanic in-game, which explains why the banners are presented as the spinning of their threads. For example, the Golden Thread banners.

To follow this, I want to point out the other items involved in summoning! For example, the Unilog rabbits--they can come in Decalogs, which is a set of 10 Unilogs, and they can have different variations for the other unique types of banners (Boon of the Water, Promise of the Water, every Limited character banner, etc). But if you pay close attention, you may see that these rabbits contain a golden thread inside.

[UNILOG] The golden rabbit is a well known myth. It spies on people, steals their time, and sometimes even changes their fates. Though it's old, decrepit, and stale, it is unique and indispensable. [DECALOG] The storyteller never thought that golden rabbits could travel in packs. Nobody knows what this might entails, but no one chooses one single rabbit over more of it. [DECATONE] Now you see them, many, many rabbits. They change their appearance, whispering secrets. And you―you know what to do now, don't you?

The fact that they're seemingly made from the same thread of fate discussed before, along with these descriptions talking about stealing time, changing fates and the implication that the one using them--Vertin--knows what to do now, works to explain the gacha aspect as a diegetic feature.

Then, you have drops as a different type of currency--there are two types, Clear and Crystal. These items are explained as the "Storm" raindrops that didn't fully make it upwards before the "Storm" ended, Clear being the raindrops closer to the ground and Crystal being the ones closest to the clouds, hence why the latter are more valuable.

You may turn Crystal drops into Clear drops, and Clear drops into Unilogs, which draws a parallel between the threads of fate and "Storm" rainwater, leading to my next point: If these threads represent an organized and linear fate, "Storm" rainwater is chaotic fate in disarray.

Throughout the game, there is a lot of emphasis on the importance of water. It holds memories and information, the entirety of people's lives and entire eras, both metaphorically and literally. In 2.5, the one thing that remains of Pei City from 1.6 "Notes on Shuori" is one of Yenisei's vials from the river, which is highly coveted by Laplace to study and understand what could've transpired there. Yenisei's own arcanum revolves around the idea that water holds information, and can serve to return home. As mentioned previously, the mist in the Wilderness lake, Aperion's cave and the heart of Antarctica is special--we've seen it urge Vertin to remember, and in 1.4 "Prisoner of the Cave" that very same mist contains the same elements that are immune to the "Storm," Asymmetrical Nuclide R. And, above all, we know that the "Storm" itself takes entire eras away from the linear path of time.

In 2.8, Ulrich concludes that the "Storm" has always meant to be a flood--in 1999, Urd stopped this ritual somehow, and ever since then, every "Storm" has been a failed attempt at flooding the world through this water that will reverse everything to the past.

During Arcana's revival, she summons this very same flood across the entire globe, raising the water level of the entire planet. And the water has the same or even worse effects to the rainwater from the "Storm," as it causes those who touch it to disappear.

Thus, we understand that water is an important aspect of the story, and that this special water from the "Storm"/Flood holds the totality of history and chaos, being related to concepts such as time and space due to the way the "Storm" functions--it absorbs eras and people into it, taking them out of the linear thread of fate.

Hence why a second important aspect of the summoning batters is water. The First Drop of Rain, Abundance of the Water, Invitation from the Water, etc etc. These pictures were taken from the GL Fandom Wiki!

The way Vertin summons people is by weaving the golden thread and throwing Unilogs into the water, as explained by the in-game mail reminding players to use their Decatones before they expire.

All shall return to the waters, to tranquility. Before leaving, don't forget those special little rabbits of yours. Although they may not be able to embark on the next stage of your journey with you, they're more than prepared to jump into the lake.

So you could equate this to Vertin throwing a literal lifeline info the lake of the Wilderness to save and take people from the chaos of history, stealing their time and altering their fate--and because it's "Storm"/Flood water, it's possible to bypass linear timelines, thus reaching characters from beyond the 20th century like Dikke, Nick Bottom, Charlie and The Fool.

There are other details to support this entire theory that I had no idea where to fit in, so they're going here as an extra round!

The Crystal Drops, canonically a much more valuable currency than Crystal Drops, are the currency used to buy different garments--some of these garments are diegetic, meaning that they do exist within the canon of the world (think of Sonetto's free garments that show up throughout the main story, Regulus pilot garment which makes a cameo in 37's anecdote) but some of them are not (6's detective garment from 2.0, we know he doesn't ever leave the island, Voyager's 1.9 garment, or any of the garments from 1.6 as it's physically impossible for any character from Vertin's team to have visited Pei City)

If we remember that drops are "Storm" rainwater and that Crystal drops were closest to the cloud, therefore stronger in their effect, we could explain these non-diegetic garments as Vertin acquiring a glimpse into different or alternate timelines in which these situations are possible. Which would also explain Diggers as a whole, since he's portrayed as his 1.1 "Theft of the Rimet Cup" self as a playable character while his 1.4 garment is actually the canonical fate he suffers in the main story, having joined Manus Vindictae. The only caveat to this is the Grandfather Clock Paradox explained by X and Regulus, which states that it's impossible for two versions of one person to exist at the same time.

Moving on. Unilogs are represented by rabbits, and I'm pretty sure there is no myth regarding golden rabbits that steal time--but Vertin as a character has been officially related to rabbits, like the latest offline masquerade event, or her themes as the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, solidifying her role as the Timekeeper but also someone who also guides others and alters their fate.

Also, Urd, Vertin and Arcana seem to also represent the three Norns of Norse Mythology--as usual, I only had a very surface research reading Wikipedia articles, so if you have more insight on this feel free to correct me. As far as I know, the Norns are tied to three springs or wells scattered in different places, which coincidentally match the three locations in Reverse 1999 that carry the same mist--Vertin's suitcase, Apeiron's cave and the heart of Antarctica, furthering the parallels between these three characters and the concept of fate.

I think that's pretty much everything I wanted to talk about! Thanks to the R99 RP server for hearing me out and fueling my deranged ideas!

[voidcat]

so... amphoreus, huh. i think as 3.2 is out, we all know and are aware it is, without a doubt, a simulation right?

(aka my mini rambling post regarding the world thus far, less of a theory and more of a "pointing out the obvious" in my terms because im still seeing posts in denial or not reading a single text in the main quest then making "theories" and im a salty person who's annoyed by this ahahaha)

with 3.2 being out and we have been shed more light with anaxagoras' help, i want to talk about the world a little, and appreciate mhy for the foreshadowings they've done. credit where its due, for all the bs they do, they always nail foreshadows right and do it well. not spoiler free !!! im lazy to add visuals (esp regarding anaxagoras quotes) so i'll quote to the best of my ability (idek where to begin lol) kind of a long thread, mostly to keep my thoughts somewhere,,, ty if you read to the end <3

So even for non hi3 or genshin players, amphoreus was a suspicious world on its own. the corrupted areas looking to be like erased data or a virus of sorts. how garmentmakers nymphs always resembled "bugs" and made emoticon faces to react. i said before that i thought the world was stuck in a cycle- a samsara cycle like tevyat (genshin) perhaps. with the broken moon, "the sea of flowers at the end of the journey" (the twins' ultimate destination in genshin) which was revealed to be the nether realm aka the afterlife and how the dead are never fully dead and we have these memory fragments often left behind at crucial locations.

cerces had called herself "calypso" before and said she came up with it on a whim. but this quest showed, calypso was one of the seven sages and her past form for a better lack of a word. like how gnaus was once nikador/strife. "titans of today are heirs of yesterday who claimed the coreflames and passed the trials" it's as simple as that, really.

(also here is what one of the nymphs in dawnbreak say when you catch it) (the nymphs seem to be more aware of the reality of amphoreus than the citizens and heirs)

amphoreus is a simulation- that resets its data. that's why while cerces has remained her appearance (despite her contradicting lines saying they decipted her as a tree in the demigod council, easiest and best way to illustrate her when they didn't know what she looked like) some of the previous heirs did not- or to our knowledge so far. how the new titans' data is "constructed" entirely depends on the "memories" collected in the previous era. and from there, their new forms are based on. kephale hinted to be not dead nor alive, in the state of dying and thus stuck in a dynamic, i think fits well with phainon's contradicting entity too. only surviver of his town, his "true form" on the other side wreaking havoc. he is the trickiest heir most likely last to obtain divinity for this reason. because it's flame reaver that is the lord ravager lygus told madam herta.

amphoreus is a simulation made to keep lord ravager in. the why isn't clear but there must be some history between his past and cyrene/elysia to have gone through these lenghts. with a simulated world that "resets" itself and starts over, FR is more or less aware of his entrapment at this point and that'ss why he has begun to go after the coreflames: the hard drivers of the world, if we take amphoreus not just as a simulation but as a simple computer of sorts.

that's where erudition and remembrance plays factor, intentionally or not in a collabration with each other, as brought to reality and guarded by lygus, an antikytheran.

and what is an antikytheran? a hand powered orrery (solar system model) that could be used to predict asronomical positions/athletic cycles of olympic games and such. it can be considered as the oldest known example of an analogue computer. (all these, simply from a basic wikipedia search). in the game we are told there used to be many "antikytherans" and lygus is one of the last of the species, but in a simulated world, how much of it holds true, who is to say this isnt fabricated history? anaxagoras also points out the history before the titans is unclear and implied/told to be in utter chaos. just because it wasn't recorded properly does not mean this was th fact.

same as the case of lygus. in his dialogue to madam herta, there is an emphasis on predictions, similar to the real thing. he says he ws gazed upon by nous too but herta has showed us already that nous is not exactly the gazing or responsive type. before he is an aeon, he is a computer. so who is to say lygus is not an extension of it, or maybe an earlier model, a prototype perhaps made by zandar one kuwabara himself- or based on one of his earlier inventions? just like that, it's most likely lygus/nous' influence that the first "seeds" of "nousporists" was planted (again, credit where its due, nous' name and the philosophy of nousporism in amphoreus tie wonderfully and show us clear influence/interventions of nous. just like how nihility is named ix not for the number but after the major arcana card ix). everything in amphoreus is a repetitive cycle that is rewritten by the previous data that has been saved/collected.

as a world that is overlooked by three paths, i think destruction came last, with the arrival of lord ravager. now im not certain if the world was already existing before that with the intention to keep him, or if he was inserted after, but the last scenes with herta imply he was the latest component and lastly added- one of the true outsiders. his fragment image being able to move as herta walks is another display of his self awareness of his predicament.

and now onto why i emphasized on mhy's foreshadowing (if you've read this far lmao) if you've done the seal event, you see TB has a "prophetic dream" that shows phainon. some things that stand out regarding him is that: he refers to his seal army as his "legion" which instantly reminds me of "anti matter legion" or simply known as the "legion", lead by nanook and his lord ravagers. in the event, phainon (or pie-non as he introduces himself in the dream), he does say "i was always the invader. there was never any side switching." for the remainder of the event after the dream, we don't see much of him. it gives us more information regarding cipher and aglaea in fact.

which further leads me to believe his purpose is for the following story. because one thing mhy loves is to hide their best drops and foreshadows in fun, silly looking events (ie: summer events that always foreshadow upcoming regions in genshin) people will skim over or will put to auto (or webevents, as the latest moon sisters loredrop in genshin proved once more.) please do note this is the same company who foreshadowed/gave us a lot of crucial intel on the harbingers and even the story of ru and the thunderbird as early as games earliest existing artifacts (the og electro set to be specific for ru/thunderbird.) the timing of the event being right after 3.2 and giving you a warning to play it if you havent finished the latest quest are all intentional.

offhandedly it is also said during the quest, hycilens is dead. (not surprising since she is most likely an expy of dr mei) but with anaxagoras' death as well, before we could learn more regarding him and the odd void within his chest, i think we are meant to see the upcoming cycle. all of the heirs being foreshadowed to die isn't very surprising, since we have examples such as tingyun, fugue, misha, gallagher and whatnot... but considering they are all part of a simulation, as long as their coreflames/souls remain protected, they will live on for a better lack of a word.

and we do have calypso suggesting alchemy in the previous cycle, and supposedly in the new era when supposedly "alchemy hadn't existed to align/sync with the story of dragon of styxia", castorice's existence alone is the first step perhaps that the repetitive cycle is being broken.-- castorice and pollixia breaking the natural order of the world by directly inserting her into the new cycle is the first step on the path of disturbance, or destruction.

and while i got into the whole foreshadow thing, i do want to add, black swan's existence in penacony from the start seemed iffy to me. so when we put what we know about misha/mikhail, black swan and all she told us so far, the memetic virus event that stuck out like a sorethumb when we all were expecting amphoreus, i am certain, these were all setting stones for amphoreus for us players. (the black tide being corrupted data/a virus, the nymphs being bugs/antivirus installment that record data and watch over until we collect them all back while coreflames are the drives where all data is restored for the world to be reset with a "new age of titans".

so much rambling for so little conclusion ahahah sorry, i didn't have much time to ponder regarding phainon being "cursed by mnestia" but considering the golden threads that always listen and the nymphs belonging to her, her role isnt just the "titan of love and romance" nor "created by cerces for company, only for the creation to fall in love with the creator". -> especially after with thanatos and the twins, reaching the conclusion that with the cycle of life and death and the passion to live and enjoy as long as you breathe, thus the humans learned to love; bringing this hand to hand with thanatos playing a role in mnestia's nymphs, their roles mightve been more mixed than what we have been shown so far.

after all, all we learn in amphoreus is just memories of people of the past- manipulated data if you will. oh and the vortex of genesis is most likely the heart of amphoreus and the whole world itself. as it is where the coreflames are "returned" (restored) and why when entering the world, herta finds herself there with fragmanted forms of the outsiders (lord ravager/fr, trailblazer and dan heng) while lygus is fully intact and in its form as it has shown us.

if anyone (especially hi3 players) have anything they want to add or have noticed themselves, pls feel free to add! i mainly wanted a post to gather my thoughts and will most likely edit this in the foreseeable future when i remember the rest of my thoughts ^^) but yeah, elysia/cyrene is most likely a emanator (remembrance) too but if she's not playing dumb as mem and that gaze of fuli black swan noticed in 3.2 wasn't the moment we were gazed upon by fuli, then it'll really be a paimon situation for sure... rip oh and whenever we "purify" the corrupted areas, the symbol we interact with seem to resemble kephale's symbol... edit 2: i'm thinking maybe as black swan has said regarding the garden of recollection and memokeepers, there is a third party playing too that we are unaware of yet who is causing this chaos/corruption- possibly even the black tide itself. similar to how march 7th's ice shoing up when she is unable to remember, the remnants of black tide is data removal- and in case of amphoreus, we know data = memories. perhaps the third party is like HoC was for elysian realm and Cyrene is now trying to guide us as Mem. and for all that concerns Phainon/FR/Kevin, the world to be built only to reset over and over is perhaps the true trial of not just Kephale but for Phainon/Kevin to reach a certain form or state of mind Cyrene/Elysia hopes for him to reach as humanity's survivor and protector. edit: i think this qrt thread by twitter user lenteels sums up all of amphoreus as a world down to its basics pretty much too (and gave me a good laugh so i'll link here)

(also idk how many of you follow leaks or not but just today we've got leaks that say flame reaver is the true protagonist of the story-- they didn't elaborate further as to not spoil anything else, and "because it's long". buuuuuut yeah let's see what we will be getting out of FR vs Elysia / Phainon vs Cyrene and was the driving force behind her actions^-^)

[daily-nikki]

Ch. 1, Pt. 1 | Rainbow-Touched Land

After finishing [Where Will the Bubbles Go?], Nikki and Momo find themselves in a new land: The Island of Serenity.

The group now needs to see what's going on in this new place that the Puppy Piecey has led them to.

To track your progress and gain more rewards for completing the new main story quest line, you can use the new event page.

This post contains spoilers, pictures, commentary, and dialogue.

[Rainbow-Touched Land] starts Chapter 1: Land of Peace and Purity for us. There are two Pieceys in front of the Warp Spire talking to each other. Nikki and Momo need to ask them about what's going on in this new place that they've been led to.

⋯⋯ Dialogue ⋯⋯

Tiny Treads Bootsie: What's our goal?

Ash: To be... To be Bubble Choir Conductor!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: What do we need?

Ash: Precision, and... and rhythm!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: And do we train?

Ash: Wh-When catching bubbles, we must... focus?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: That's not enough! Listen to me... Bubblebloom, Bubblebloom, a flick of the wrist, catches them all! Conduct to the left, conduct to the right, and the wind will carry the tune. Just aim at the bubbles and conduct to win!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Here, try those bubbles over there.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Who! By the Rainbow Bubbleboom! Are you two...?

Nikki: Hello there, we're—

↪ A human and a Momo

Nikki: I'm Nikki, a human stylist, and this is my companion...

Momo: Hehe! Not a cat, not a stylist... I'm the one and only Momo!

Ash: A living human... I've never seen one before. Fascinating...

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Humans have never been to Serenity Island before! This is as headline-worthy as the Bathing Bliss Festival being postponed. I should write this down now...

Nikki: Bathing Bliss Festival? What's that?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: It's the grandest festival on Serenity Island! It only happens when Bubbleblooms blossom. When they do, bubbles fill the sky, and Pieceys line up for a bath! The rainbow spring water washes away all our troubles and stains!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: There's a bathing contest for the village heads, and the Bubble Choir gives a special performance... Oh, Ash was just practicing for the choir conductor audition. We were helping him rehearse!

Nikki: That sounds so fun! But, didn't you just say the Bathing Bliss Festival was postponed?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Ah, yeah... There's been a recent outbreak of Dirty Thread Disease. To keep everyone safe, the village heads decided to postpone it.

Momo: Dirty Thread Disease? Is that a Piecey sickness? It sounds dangerous!

Ash: It's very dangerous! Infected Pieceys become dirty and grimy, and they get... hallucinations.

Momo: Huh? Nikki, that Puppy Piecey we saw...

Nikki: Oh yeah! We saw a Puppy Piecey outside. He had stains all over and was acting strangely... Have you seen him before?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Outside?! But we cant leave this place. How could...?

Nikki: You can't leave?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Hmm, a dirty Puppy Piecey... Haven't seen one of those.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: All the infected Piecey cases in Soakville are being managed by Terra, the village head. Why not go ask her? She might know the puppy you're looking for!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Actually, I need to report to Terra anyway. When I'm done gathering bubbles, I'll head to Soakville and meet you. See you there!

So here in Serenity Island, they aren't allowed to leave and are dealing with some sort of dirty threads disease. The Puppy Piecey that the group saw wasn't supposed to be able to go outside of Serenity Island, because all of the Pieceys are supposed to be stuck there for whatever reason. It hasn't really been explained yet.

The infected Pieceys are being managed by Terra, so Nikki and Momo have to make their way over to her.

⋯⋯ Dialogue ⋯⋯

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Reporting in, Terra! Bubble collection was a success! The bubbles are silky and smooth. Perfect Cleansing Lotion ingredients!

Terra: Hmm, well done1 Once this old Piecey retires, you youngsters...

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Come on, Terra, quit messing around! You've been talking about retiring for years!

Terra: Hey! Don't be cheeky, Bootsie! If you all didn't insist on nominating me every time, I'd have stepped down ages ago...

Terra: Ah! A human? An actual human!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Nikki, Momo, you're here! This is Terra, head of Soakville, and the most formidable "Scrubbing Champ" on all of Serenity Island!

Nikki: Terra, nice to meet you!

Momo: Whoa! Scrubbing Champ?! That sounds impressive.

Terra: That's right! Back in my prime, no one on Serenity Island could out-scrub me. Any Piecey who entered my bathhouse couldn't leave until their fabric was spotless, their threads smooth, and their colors vibrant!

Terra: How about this... Why not hand Momo over to me? I'll scrub his front paws, then his back paws, his back, and his belly... Even his little toes and the tip of his tail will be spotless!

Momo: Ahhh! N-N-No thanks! I may not be a full cat, but I also really don't like baths.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Terra, you're going to scare our guests like that! Besides, didn't I just tell you? They have something important to ask you.;

Terra: Ahem, uh... yes, you're right. Business first then. Business... About that Puppy Piecey you've been looking for... I haven't seen him.

Terra: Normally, all the village's infected Pieceys are given Rainbow Springwater Therapy, and there haven't been any puppies among them...

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Huh? Could he be from that weird group? The ones we refuse to bathe after getting infected. The something-somethings...?

Terra: Hey! Quit talking nonsense, Bootsie!

↪ Pieceys that refuse to bathe?

Nikki: Isn't... bathing a major tradition in Soakville? Why would they...?

Terra: Ayyy... Well, some of those infected Pieceys have started experiencing hallucinations and causing a bit of a ruckus. It's nothing serious, don't worry!

Nikki: That Rainbow Springwater Therapy... is it specially made to cure Dirty Thread Disease?

Terra: That's right. Centuries ago, there was a massive outbreak of Dirty Thread Disease. Nearly every resident of Serenity Island fell ill.

Terra: Thankfully, the Guardian saved us. He left behind two nuggets of wisdom, one of which was Rainbow Sprintwater Therapy.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: The Silvergale's gift, the source of the rainbow, Serenity Spring cleanses all contaminates.

Terra: Back then, the legendary Serenity Spring flowed with Rainbow Springwater, curing everyone and restoring peace to Serenity Island.

Nikki: What an amazing story... So, can we speak to the Pieceys undergoing therapy? Maybe they know that infected Puppy Piecey.

Terra: They're... uhm, well... they're uhm... still in therapy!

Terra: Once their fabric is fully restored, I'll definitely let you meet them and ask your questions. Yes...

Terra: Any, my esteemed guests, as the saying goes, "Event the busiest Piecey needs a good scrub, and even urgent matters require rest to complete!"

Terra: I've prepared a Thuddy Squash Cabin just for you. Bootsie, you're in charge of showing our guests around Soakville and ensuring they get a proper rest at the cabin.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Leave it to me! Nikki and Momo, you two follow me! You'll have a fun and relaxing time for sure!

Thuddy Squash Cabins

⋯⋯ Dialogue ⋯⋯

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Everyone in Soakville lives in these Thuddy Squash Cabins.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Sit just outside your door, sunbathe, and enjoy a bubble bath... How about it? Sounds relaxing, right?

Soakville Bathhouse

⋯⋯ Dialogue ⋯⋯

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Welcome to the Soakville Bathhouse, our favorite spot to relax and bathe!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: The bathhouse is run by Granny Bubbles. My friend Murmur works here too.

Their poor spring water looks like it has an oil slick on top of it.

Rainbow Springwater

⋯⋯ Dialogue ⋯⋯

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Every time I see Rainbow Springwater, i think of the Guardian...

Tiny Treads Bootsie: According to the legend, the Guardian was a Piecey revered by all. He is brave and responsible.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: But, after leaving behind those two nuggets of wisdom, no one knows where he went. Only some legends remain...

High Stonetree

⋯⋯ Dialogue ⋯⋯

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Ah, I almost forgot to show you! Look at the highest place in the distance. That's High Stonetree!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: There's another village on top of High Stonetree called Steamville.

Nikki: Steamville? So there are two Piecey Villages here?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: That's right! I was supposed to take you up there to visit, but recently the path between Soakville and Steamville has had some issues...

Tiny Treads Bootsie: But it's alright. I'm sure the issues will be solved soon!

Going around the Soakville Bathhouse and venturing toward the shoreline, the group runs into Murmur.

⋯⋯ Dialogue ⋯⋯

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Hey, Murmur!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Over here!

Murmur: Huh? Bootsie?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: These are my new friends, Nikki the human and her companion Momo!

Nikki: Hello there, Murmur!

Murmur: Hello...

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Hang on. How come you've not at the Soakville Bathhouse, Murmur?

Murmur: I-I had some personal matters, so I took the afternoon off. But don't worry, I put the cleaning brushes in neat rows and filled the Cleansing Lotion bottles all the way to the top!

Momo: And you scrubbed every Piecey nice and clean?

Murmur: Y-Yes! I made sure everything was ready before I left, so I could take off from work for a bit...

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Are you okay, Murmur? You're acting strange today...

Murmur: It's just I promised Granny Bubbles! I promised her I'd hurry back because the bathhouse has so many guests lately. It needs more Rainbow Springwater and more hadworking Pieceys.

Murmur: I'm sorry! Bootsie, Nikki, Momo... I've gotta go now. I need to get back to the bathhouse to help Granny Bubbles.

Murmur: Bye... Bye bye! Have fun!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Hmm... What in the...? Murmur's acting so weird today!

Nikki: Does Murmur always act like that?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: She's completely different! Murmur doesn't normally talk that much. But today, she met two complete strangers... a human and a Momo... and said over five whole sentences!

Nikki: Murmur's normally a quiet Piecey? That really is surprising!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Yeah... She acted more like her old self just now. She used to always be a bit shy, but was eager to help others. And when she was happy, she would chatter nonstop.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: But after that thing happened, Murmur has become more and more reserved...

Nikki: And what was... "that"?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Well, a long time ago, before the Bathing Bliss Festival, there was a cave-in at the Steamville Crystal Salt cavern.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Unfortunately, Murmur was there and got trapped! She was missed for several days. We were all so worried... Luckily, she somehow made it back to the village on her own.

Nikki: That's good. Thankfully everything turned out okay.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Yeah! But... the experience left Murmur shaken. Afterwards, she started talking about strange things. Everyone was a little... put off.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: But I thought the strange things were fascinating, even if they were just hallucinations. I even asked if I could write them down so I could turn them into a series of novels!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: But Murmur hasn't talked much since. Maybe... she stopped because nobody believed her stories.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: After that, Murmur became less cheerful. She often went off alone to the Guardian's statue, hugging a whistle and staring vacantly. Sometimes, she spent all day doing it.

Nikki: Seems like... it had a big impact on her.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Yeah... but it's okay! Murmur was really talkative just now. Maybe that's a sign she's starting to feel herself again!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: After that incident, Murmur became very interested in all sorts of legends. Stories about the Guardian and humans... Maybe she was excited about seeing a living human for the first time!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: I'm going to compile the stories you've told me and the Guardian legends I've already collected. Then, I'll give them to Murmur. I'm sure that'll make her happy!

Nikki: Great idea! In that case, let me tell you more stories about humans...

Nikki and Momo told Bootsie many of their stories...

Moving on from the Murmur situation, Bootsie finally shows us to the cabin where Nikki and Momo will be staying.

⋯⋯ Dialogue ⋯⋯

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Here we are. This is the Thuddy Squash Cabin Terra prepared for you.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: She's not big on managing village affairs, but when something needs doing, she's super efficient!

Momo: Hehe! Alright, Nikki! We get to stay in a Thuddy Squash Cabin!

Nikki: What a cozy cabin... Thank you, Bootsie, and thank you, Terra!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Hehe, you're the most special guests Soakville has had in centuries!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: You can rest here or explore the village as much as you like. Just don't wander too far. Leaving the village might cause problems.

Momo: Huh? Is it dangerous outside Soakville?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Well, usually it's super peaceful. But the path leading to Steamville has been broken recently, and there's the Dirty Thread Disease issue... Everyone just thinks it's best to stay cautious.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Besides, Serenity Island hasn't always been so harmonious.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: A long, long time ago, during the Great Mending Era, there were a lot of injuries. Everyone had to work hard together to mend their terrifying wounds.

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Then came the Dirty Thread Disease outbreak, which was truly awful. Without the Guardian's wisdom and the Silvergale's protection, I don't know how we would've gotten through it...

Nikki: I didn't realize Serenity Island had such a tough past...

↪ Ask about long, long ago

Nikki: So, what happened back then? Why did everyone on Serenity Island get hurt?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Well, it was because... because...

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Ah, it was so long ago I really can't remember. Like the Guardian's disappearance, we don't really know for sure. All we know is that after leaving his wisdom behind, the Guardian never appeared again.

Nikki: Earlier, Terra mentioned the Guardian left two nuggets of wisdom. What was the other one?

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Ahem, the Guardian said, "Never set foot upon the Misty Peak, nor stir The Silvergale from His sleep."

Tiny Treads Bootsie: So, on Serenity Island, the Misty Peak is strictly off-limits. No one's allowed up there!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: The elder say it's because the sacred Silvergale lives up there. But, some of my friends are in the "Piecey Adventure Club". they think it's because there's...

Tiny Treads Bootsie: ...an Esseling that eats Pieceys!

Momo: Ahh!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Hehe, did I scare you? Don't worry, it's just a legend!

Tiny Treads Bootsie: Alright, I've got to help move some Bubble Essence. That's a super important ingredient for the Cleansing Lotion! I'll also drop by the bathhouse to check on Murmur...

Now Nikki can finally get some rest in her cabin after such an exciting day of trying to figure out wtf is going on. Girl, we all are, don't worry.

⋯⋯ Dialogue ⋯⋯

Nikki: Err... Huh?

Nikki: You came to Serenity Island too... Hey! Your bell is still...

Nikki: Huh? Wait, wait!

Nikki: Momo, wake up! That strange Puppy Piecey is here! Let's check it out!

Momo: Oof. Ugh...

In the middle of the night the Puppy Piecey reappears with a sad look on its face. Nikki decides to go after him and thus starts the next quest: [The Bell Rings at Midnight].

[positivexcellence]

Walker Boss, Jared Padalecki on Series Finale’s Surprise Cameo, Cordell and Geri’s [Spoiler], More Season 5 Plans

Walker wrapped up its four-season run on Wednesday with the introduction of a surprising but familiar face as Cordell’s new neighbor: James Van Der Beek!

The Dawson’s Creek vet appeared in the show’s final seconds, dressed in all white, with a smile on his face and a gift of soaps for the Walkers. But don’t let his jovial demeanor fool you: Van Der Beek’s character was set to stir up drama on the Davidson property next door as… a cult leader, showrunner Anna Fricke reveals in the following Q&A.

Talking about the casting, star/executive producer Jared Padalecki tells TVLine that Van Der Beek is “a personal friend.”

“He lives here in Austin, and he and his family are friends of me and my family, and so, it was kind of a phone call. I was like, ‘Hey, dude, you want to come do this?'” Padalecki recalls. When he then mentioned Fricke’s name — the showrunner got her start on Dawson’s Creek — Van Der Beek was on board.

“He came over, and just drove from his house and brought one of his daughters, and did it,” Padalecki shares. “We were really excited to explore that storyline.”

Elsewhere in the series finale: Cordell took a leave of absence from the Rangers to spend time with Geri and his kids, and as he readied to hit the road with them, he pocketed a ring box! Despite thinking she botched her interview, Cassie beat out Trey for the lieutenant position. Meanwhile, Liam and Ben decided to move in together, then Liam got a phone call from the governor, asking for his help, after which a black SUV picked him up.

On the kid front, August graduated high school, and Geri made Sadie and Stella a business proposal. Finally, Bonham and Abeline came to an understanding about the event business — she just wants to oversee things, and he suggested they use the boat for events — then the couple took a ride on the water.

“The season was not written, but needless to say, that [James Van Der Beek] cliffhanger was going to pay off as an enormous part, probably the main driving force, of Season 5,” Padalecki says. “Cordell taking a backseat with his Ranger duties and maybe being purposefully naïve to what’s going on next door… There were so many ways we could go, and it was going to be a damn good season of television, but it’s going to have to live in our imaginations.” (Get more of Padalecki’s thoughts on the show’s end and his TV future.)

Below, showrunner Anna Fricke details Van Der Beek’s role and what else was planned for a fifth season, including Cordell and Geri’s potential engagement and Liam’s mysterious new job.

TVLINE | Looking back on the episode, is there anything that you would’ve done differently or changed? Or are you pretty satisfied with the way it ended? Well, it’s probably a two-part answer. We did not know the fate of the show when we wrote the finale. I wrote the finale with Blythe Ann Johnson. We did know, as always, things are uncertain, and so we tried to, as always, write a cliffhanger, write some twists, leave some threads for an upcoming season. We were given the chance, a little bit into either the prep or the filming of the finale, to change anything, just in case, and we did not yet know the fate of the show. So it was sort of like a gamble, and I wrestled with that decision for many days, and talked to the writers, and talked to the producers and to Jared [Padalecki] about what we should do, if anything, and basically, ultimately, we didn’t want to insert a last-minute scene that would sum everything up. It’s 42 minutes of television. We didn’t want to summarize a whole series in one scene, or a few changed lines, or anything like that. So we, ultimately, decided to leave it as it was, which was a tough decision, but I still feel like it’s a good finale. It’s satisfying in many ways. It does not tell the full tale. This show was supposed to go on for 10 years, in my brain, and so, it doesn’t sum up everything, but I didn’t want to rush it, if that makes sense.

TVLINE | You still get a sense of where these characters are going to end up, even though we don’t actually see it. One thing we did get The CW to agree to, which I’m super grateful for, [is] we do have an extended finale by a few minutes, which is a huge deal in terms of scenes, because there were scenes that we had cut that we put back in, which was huge. So we do have that closure, and everyone is in a good place. When I was discussing the finale with our producer/director, Steve Robin, who I adore, we were talking about like, “It’s a good finale, but is it the-lights-off-at-Cheers?” which is, for a certain age group, like the ultimate finale. [Laughs] And it’s not the-lights-off-at-Cheers because I wasn’t prepared for the end. Had I known I had been writing for the end, I would’ve taken the whole fifth season and really written to the end. But I don’t feel like the characters have been robbed.

TVLINE | You set up some really fun cliffhangers for a potential Season 5, especially with the reveal of James Van Der Beek as the Walkers’ new neighbor. How did that come together? That whole process was so exciting. We always wanted to leave some threads for Season 5. We were going to do the cult next door. So he was supposed to be a cult leader. Ever since James Van Der Beek moved to Austin, we’ve been like, “How do we get him into the show? What can we do?” and this just seemed like the perfect thing, and we finally got him for this part. A small-known fact is that we had actually approached him to be Clint West [in] Season 1, which Austin Nichols, ultimately played, and Austin was so excellent in that role. I would not have it any other way. But James had been on that list for a possible villain. We were sort of circling him, like, “Is this possible? Can we get James?” and Jared and James are friends, and Dawson’s Creek was, of course, my first job in this industry. So it was a very beautiful full-circle thing.

TVLINE | Of all the cliffhangers in this episode, that one was the most like, “Oh, darn, I wish I could’ve seen this play out.” I’m not going to lie, part of me wanted to leave people mad. [Laughs] Part of me wanted to have like a big, splashy ending, so then people would be like, “How could you end this?!” No, it was going to be a lot of fun, and to me, personally, I think there was something profound in James Van Der Beek with Jared on this show, sort of like a great throwback to the original WB, and the commentary on the evolution of this network, which I was maybe reading too much into, but I enjoyed it. [Laughs]

TVLINE | What would the dynamic have been like between James’ character and Cordell? Had you thought that far ahead yet? Oh, gosh. I talked to James, and it was so last-minute. He’s a saint. I think it was truly like the day before we were shooting. It was really, really insanely last-minute, so thank God he lives there. He loved the idea of the cult leader, and I think, actually, half those clothes are his own clothes. [Laughs] He was super into it and super into the dynamic he would bring, and he was really into the idea of playing a fun character, an interesting character, a bad character. He was going to be kind of quirky bad, but amusing. He was going to be a really whimsical, amusing character. We were not going to do blood cult, bad, bad, bad cult. We were going to do like kooky cult.

TVLINE | There was a moment, earlier this season, where I thought Luna might be The Jackal, but then I was like, “No, they wouldn’t do that to Cassie.” But then you killed him, which is, I think, even worse. I know, it’s so funny. So many people thought he was The Jackal, which I love. The crew gets the scripts when all the department heads get the script, so they didn’t know, and so there were crew speculations, all season long, about who The Jackal was, and Luna was up there. Some people thought it was Sadie, which was a good one, too. [Laughs] It was devastating to kill him, but it had to be done for drama. I have a joke about all of our best guest stars, like Matt Barr, Austin Nichols, Justin Cortez Johnson, we just kill them all. But it doesn’t mean anything on our show. You can come back as a ghost. It’s fine.

TVLINE | You did give Cassie a bit of a hopeful note there at the end, when she got the promotion, and it leads to this interesting dynamic of she’s now Cordell’s superior. What were you excited to explore with that, if the show had continued? I was really excited to explore exactly that, her being his superior, but it wasn’t going to be a desk job with her. She was going to still be on the streets. But I was excited to see the dynamic of her having to discipline or corral or whatever Walker and Trey, and sort of be in charge of them a bit, and make calls with Captain James. We’ve never seen him have a number two. So that would’ve been really fun. And just seeing her have that dynamic of taking control of a job that Cordell, himself, never wanted, and just seeing her take charge would’ve been really fun.

TVLINE | Geri and Cordell went through their struggles this season, but they ended the finale in a much healthier place. Is it safe to say they were definitely going to get engaged? You know, it’s funny. We had a joke in the writers’ room about the end of the series, and truly, I thought it was going to go 10 years. Walker says to Emily in a flashback, I think, in Season 1, Episode 6, I think he says, “Going to marry Geri and work at the Side Step,” if Emily ever dies. And so that was sort of the end goal, but even when I was given the chance to alter the finale in any way, I didn’t want to get there. It was too fast for a proposal. So I didn’t want to do that right away. The engagement ring box was a very last-minute add. It was truly on the day of filming that scene. We went to the props department and said, “Hey, do you have a box? Can we put it in his pocket?” We shot it as an insert so that we could cut it out if we needed to. We didn’t want to be married to it, literally. I didn’t want marriage to be the end-all, be-all for her. I wanted more for her. So I didn’t want to rush to an engagement for that reason, and it just seemed too fast. I think, ultimately, yes, they end up together. If we’d had a fifth season, we would’ve made a story point out of the engagement, as in, like, he didn’t ask, or he did and it went south, or something happened. We wouldn’t have done that off-screen, for what it’s worth.

TVLINE | When she calls out to him, he says in this meaningful way, “I’m ready,” and it’s obvious he’s talking on another subtextual level. But it sounds like Geri’s not ready, she’s not in the same place. For sure. I was always, like, “Geri’s not ready.” I was always very interested in the character of Geri, of she wants more, and she wants something else. So even if he was ready to propose, I don’t know that she was ready to say yes. That was going to be a whole other thing.

TVLINE | How might have this time away from work have changed Cordell with the leave of absence? That’s interesting. Part of me wonders, in a fifth season, if he ever goes back. Because I never thought, in my mind, that he went to the grave a ranger. I think, at a certain point, he stopped it, because to me, his struggle has always been the work/life balance between family and work, and where is he going to end up? I think that, ultimately, hopefully, he gets more invested in his kids and steps away from that, and from the get-go, he wasn’t gunning to be captain, lieutenant, anything like that. He’s not trying to climb that ladder. So what is it for him? And I don’t know. I think he would’ve gone back for a season to be partnered with Trey on the streets, just doing the daily grind as a ranger. But I don’t know if he would’ve gone too much further beyond that. I think he would’ve maybe gone on to something else.

TVLINE | What can you say about what the governor wanted Liam’s help with? The governor’s daughter was kidnapped. Liam has a very particular set of skills, and the governor wanted Liam’s help. We were going to get Liam back into the halls of the political offices and dealing with that stuff. So it was going to be fun, Liam-doing-high-stakes-government stuff.

TVLINE | One of the other things that you hinted at but was kind of left dangling was the business proposal that Geri made to Sadie and Stella. Any details you can share about that? It was going to be the Side Step expanding and just keeping it in the family, and also, just keeping Saylor [Bell] on the show, because we love Saylor, we love working with her. We could only have so many series regulars, but we really loved working with Saylor. So it was sort of dangling a carrot of if there’s another Side Step, do we open this up? Do we have another storyline with the expanded Side Step? And what that opening is like, and what pursuing Sadie’s music is like at the same time. We just wanted to keep her in the mix.

TVLINE | Have you changed your mind, at all, about Cassie and Trey? [Fricke previously told TVLine there were no romantic feelings between the characters.] [Laughs hysterically] No. I never want them to be together. [Laughs] That’s so funny, Vlada, that you would ask that. Oh, my God, I’m like crying laughing. That was an ongoing argument in the writers’ room.

TVLINE | I remember you mentioning that. So I wondered if maybe somebody had swayed you by the end of the season. No, I did not want them to be together. Here’s the thing: In my mind, if we had gone 10 seasons, in the finale, maybe they would’ve gotten together, yes. Certainly not in this timeline. Ultimately, sure, but no. If we had been on 10 years, and she had gone on to the FBI, and blah, blah, blah, and they revisited each other, sure. But not when they were working in the same office. No, no, no. In Season 5, he was going to have an old Army friend, a female friend, calling. He was getting mysterious phone calls. He was going to have an old Army friend calling him for help that was going to cause some complications for him. So that was going to happen there.

TVLINE | Were there any other Season 5 storylines that you were excited about? I’m sure we had a ton. The cult was going to be fun. August was going to fall in love with — That was our in: August is going to fall in love with the girl next door, get dragged into the cult, have to be extracted. That was going to be fun. The governor stuff, leading to a proposal at the end of Season 5 with Walker and Geri… It would’ve been great.

[the-tmnt-ficfinder]

Ficfinder finds: The Lemonade Leak

Chapter 5: The Witness

Chapter 5 Summary: Leo sees something he shouldn't have.

The Witness: Appraisal and Ratings

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The fanfic ratings are not based on quality, favoritism, or how good I think it is, but rather, how intense a subject may be. Like a movie review, or the tags on Ao3, letting the readers know what to expect.

Plot: 💛💛💛🖤🖤

"Plot is three out of five!! To start off, this chapter starts out right in the action, and ends leaving the reader only with more and more questions."

Suspense/Mystery: 💛💛💛💛💛

"Suspense/Mystery is five out of five!! Gosh, this chapter is filled with so many unanswered questions!! The whys, the who's, the how's... Each chapter is only getting more and more confusing ^^"

Angst/Hurt: 💛💛💛🖤🖤

"Angst/Hurt is three out of five! The way the angst is written, is so subtle, yet so powerful. Unsaid words, glances, pangs in deep-seated wounds. Literally ouch."

Fluff/Comfort: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Fluff/Comfort is zero out of five! Some comfort is attempted, but is completely brushed away, which hurts even more than if comfort didn't happen."

Emotions Conveyed: 💛💛💛🖤🖤

"Emotions Conveyed is three out of five!! While I read this chapter, I felt how thick the tension levels were. My eyes blew wide, and my expression froze as I attempted to understand what was going on. The levels of mystery and suspense is excellent."

Drama/Tension Level: 💛💛💛💛💛

"Drama/Tension Level is five out of five!! The distrust, along with the subtle arguing really made for high tension levels."

Triggers: 💛💛💛🖤🖤

"Triggers for this chapter are three out of five. As stated in the beginning notes of the chapter, it contains Physical Violence, Blood, and Minor Self Harm. Nothing super triggering, but it is there."

Legibility (Reading): 💛💛💛💛🖤

"Legibility (Reading) is four out of five!! As always, the chapters of The Lemonade Leak are very fun to read! The complexity of the chapters make for a tasty eye treat."

Legibility (Audio): 💛💛💛💛💛

"Legibility (Audio) is five out of five! I really liked listening to this chapter!! I prefer to keep busy while reading suspenseful chapters, and this chapter definitely qualifies as a suspenseful one."

Length: 💛💛💛🖤🖤

"Length is three out of five!! Chapter 5 of The lemonade Leak takes about 22-23 minutes to listen to!!"

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The Lemonade Leak: Story Ratings and Chapter List

Personal thoughts on chapter below cut (Contains Spoilers)

Maybe Mikey’s thin-throated, gold-freckled neck felt too tight for air.

You ever imagine the freckles to look like gold flakes? Or like the gold leaf you see on cakes, fancy drinks, and delicacies. The kind that are small, sweet, yet so rich. When I first read this sentence, I accidently read "gold-flecked" rather than "gold-freckled" which is how I came upon this conclusion. Regardless, its a fun thing to imagine.

Raph balled his fists and looked away. Then he swallowed and dared to rest his hand on Mikey’s shoulder. The one that wasn’t littered with scars of Leo’s fingernails. The movement, like all motions Raph made, flexed steel-threaded muscles under touch-traced skin.

This is something I hadn't taken the time to really think about before. How when Raph choked his brother, how Leo may have scrabbled for a grip of some sort. How in his oxygen-deprived state, Leo would have dug his fingers into the first thing he could hold onto, gasping desperately for relief. How now whenever Raph sees the thin scars across his hand, he feels guilty.

“Double cheeseburger with fries and apple slices,” Leo said. “Now that we’ve all said what we want,” he leaned over the edge of the pipe, “We can all agree to just collapse the tunnel. They’ll be buried for good. – It’s both ‘not physical fighting’ and ‘not leaving parasites alive’. And then we ditch this dump and go grab lunch. Everyone on board?”

Literally this is hilarious!! This is such a sibling answer!! Lol "Now that we’ve all said what we want," he apparently wanted a cheeseburger.

It felt sickeningly good. Killing his mistakes with a cut and a spin. God, I’m disgusting. He felt the flesh give away to his swords and it cried. The parasite or the human? He couldn’t tell and he couldn’t risk wondering.

Since visiting Draxum, Leo has begun to ponder over what he said. Rather than just dwell on how good it felt to fight, Leo's following thought is on how disgusting that makes him. That he's a being built and designed to enjoy killing.

Not that those people deserved to be killed by him a second time. Not that his brothers should be cleaning up after him. It wasn't their job to compensate for his-. I should protect them, but keep dragging them along. I keep using them for myself. Is this my ‘love’?! God, I do need them.

Leo continues thinking about it, then realizes that Draxum was right, and that he does physically need his brothers. Its after this that Leo starts actually taking what Draxum said seriously, thinking on a deeper level about what was said regarding his twin.

And as Leo stood there, trying to understand what he’d just seen, he felt a sense of wrong expand in his chest. His heart hammered. He swallowed, blinked. Then his grip around the katana tightened and he turned to follow the sharp line of Donnie’s figure back into the light.

Here's right when Leo realized that Draxum may have been right. The biggest give away, was how easily Donnie reacted to being caught, and how smoothy he responded. If we know anything about Donnie, its that he's a horrible liar, and terrible at cover-ups.

Leo cleaned the dust and blood off his arm and hurried to sew it shut. Dang, I’m leaking all over the floor. He worked the needle too slowly, wasting his time while Raph needed him and Donnie wasn’t here to help.

Leaking, like the lemonade pouring out of his head. With every new discovery, with every new worry, is a puncture in his skull. The Lemonade is leaking out, and nothing is being done to plug the holes.

“He isn’t a machine, Leo,” Raph growled but winced at his own volume, before he looked away. As if seeing Leo kneeling at his feet was suddenly, for some reason, unbearable. Leo’s chest warmed, because it was the first time ever, since his fuck up that Raph had growled at him again! So his urge to defend our little brothers is stronger than whatever dumb restraint he forces onto himself.

The opposing perspectives right here are very powerful. Raph growls at Leo, then is immediately regretful of it. Last time he growled at his brother, he tried to sacrifice himself, and then quite literally died. The last time he growled at Leo, everything went to hell. Now, for Leo, the last time he was growled at, was his last normal moment. His last time being treated like a brother rather than glass. Leo is grateful for the anger, because in his mind, its proof that the chemicals and triggers in their minds don't have full control. Because, earlier, he though to himself that he really did have no control. He used his brothers like objects under the guise of love. To him, Raph's little angered outburst proves him wrong.

Leo froze. An Order. Oh, how long had it been?! He wanted to follow this dumb thing, so badly. Leo turned to see Raphael actually looking at him. Like a leader should.

Leo, despite being designated leader, still craves following orders. Just as how Raph, despite hating that Leo is now leader, follows his orders, and doesn't go against him. Because neither of them were built to be leaders. They we're built to be followers, following Draxum.

Raph gave him a warning look at the swear word, but Mikey didn’t see it, wiping across his face again. Sometimes their youngest had an ocean in his head, leaking through his eyes.

This could go two ways. Mikey has ocean eyes, meaning that there is more to him than meets the eye. Bright, reflective, and welcoming on the surface, but deep down is where the dangers and horrors lurk in the dark. Mikey has an ocean in his eyes, so vast, and filled with things still not understood. The ocean is like a concoction of wild emotions, sometimes calm, sometimes playful, sometimes raging with wild waves, and when the waves grow to strong, the water leaks out as tears. Always tears for his family, for his loved ones.

Leo forced himself to take in every line of his living breathing baby brother. Mikey. So wise and foolish and kind and powerful and fragile, fragile, fragile. The main pillar of his family, shaped like a wiry 4'7" kid.

Raph is the bomb shell, Donnie is the wiring, Leo is who aims the bomb, and Mikey keeps it intact.

And next to him hunched Raph. His hero, who had taught him how to walk, how to not eat sewer-trash, how to talk – the latter with eventual regret, Leo assumed. Raphael, who was toughed up and delicate and too forgiving with everyone but himself. Cannibalistic in his very nature, Eating his own self when no one needed him wholly.

Snapping turtles are cannibalistic. They eat other turtles, and even eat their own kind. Since Raph was quite literally built to be the shell for the other three, it goes against his very being to be against his brothers, instead turning on himself.

Now, one last thought, and this one has a TW for drugs. The name "Lemonade Leak" is actually really insightful. The deeper you look into the meaning, the more and more you learn. Lemonade can be used as slang for weak drugs, typically heroin. Now, heroin works as a narcotic, making your brain all sleepy and calm. The effect the boys have on each other, is similar to the effect of drugs. The chemical reactions in their minds, along with the triggers they have, are similar to drugs, such as heroin. They calm each other, keep each other from going crazy, and quiet each others wild violent thoughts. Now, what I find interesting, is that as the lemonade leaks out of Leo's head, he grows more and more wild and anxious. Just as an addict would when cut off from their supply. When Donnie told Leo that Leo was simply addicted to the idea of him, rather than him as a person, he was right. The further Donnie gets from Leo, and the more Leo learns about his twin, the faster the lemonade leaks out, and the wilder he becomes. Just some thoughts to dwell upon.

[horsegamergirl]

The main May blog is here

This blog has two parts, first is about the upcoming summer event and the second is about the main story quest.

BIG SPOILERS for the summer event

Star Stable May Blog - Summer Daze Craze & Story Quest

Summer is getting closer and closer in real life and in Jorvik. For our monthly game blog, we have some fun insights and details for our upcoming festival and our recently released new story quest.

Summer Daze Festival

By Ella Kårefalk (Narrative Design Intern)

Hey there Starfam! It’s me, again! Ella, your friendly neighbourhood narrative design intern at Star Stable (still). And I’m here to (once again) talk about some parts of creating our wonderful in-game festivals!

This time around, the festival team has been hard at work creating a new iteration of a summer festival. As some of you veterans may know, we’ve had some different summer festivals throughout the years, the beach festival, the rainbow festival, and midsummer. This year, we wanted to grab bits and pieces from these festivals and bring them together for a perfect mix of everything, creating a summer festival we can reactivate every year. This doesn’t mean this is the last time we’ll iterate on the summer festival. Next year, we might bring back even more content from previous festivals ;) The process of creating this festival has consisted of sorting through the previous festivals, evaluating what we can bring back, what needs to be updated in the content we bring back, and what new content we can create. Bla bla bla, I know what you're all waiting for: spoilers! So, get ready for the fresh, the funky, the fun festival we’re calling…

Summer Daze!

Summer Daze combines everything that makes summer great: beachy days, beautiful nature, warm weather, and dancing the night away with your friends. It really has evoked a hankering for summer in our spring-bound office.

When we had to combine all of these historical festivals, finding the red thread to have a consistent narrative in Summer Daze was quite vital. Oh, what may this red thread be, you ask. Well, what do you do over summer?... 

Sorry, right, I haven’t invented time travel yet, and this isn’t live, so I have no clue what you just answered. But if you answered travel, we’re on the same wavelength. Traveling! Touristing! Vacation! So, that became our reasoning as to why there would be a gigantic festival during the summer in Jorvik. We want tourists from all over the world to come and visit!

Location! Fort Pinta was the obvious choice for Summer Daze. With a gorgeous beach backdrop and a historical fort, of course this would be the location tourists were going to flock to! But what would a tourist destination be without a tourist attraction? Well, I guess it wouldn’t be a tourist destination then if there was no reason to tourist. Maybe the tourist attraction makes the destination…. Ahem-hem, tangent aside, we needed something super duper interesting in Fort Pinta!

And so, he fell into our hands, our little…well, actually not so little baby, our gleeful, finned son…

Bruce the shark!

Bruce has been a familiar face (or fin?) at Fort Pinta beach for years at this point, most notably playing a role in the beach festival. Therefore, he ticked a bunch of boxes on our checklist for Summer Daze. He comes from the beach festival with content and quests we can reuse, he’s a great tourist attraction, and he’s, like, really, really cute. Right?

Ah, such a charming old man… Right??

Ah, I’m just pulling your leg! While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and while old Bruce had charm, new Bruce has beauty! That’s right, we had a new and improved Bruce lurking in the depths of the backlog, so why not give dear ol’ Brucie a facelift?

What a cutie patootie! With such a cute face, we couldn’t help but use him in even more content! 

Thanks to the Equestrian Festival, we found that the “Impress the Baroness” content is really appreciated, as it gives you something fun to do every day when you log in! We wanted to implement something with the same system for Summer Daze: do daily quests, reach levels, and get rewards. So, the brainstorming about who we should impress this time began, and all the roads led to the same answer: Bruce. However, using Bruce didn’t come without issues.

I wouldn't say my shark knowledge is as great as a great white, but as far as I know, sharks don’t talk! A talking shark in our magical horse game would be toootally immersion-breaking, so Bruce needed an alternate way of communicating, and a translator! Early in the brainstorming process, a character whose job was “beach” was brought up for fun, and I immediately jumped into creating a narrative concept. Beach guy Ben was born, and he was, like, an incredibly fun character to write, dude.

Oh, and how does Bruce talk then? Well, I guess you’ll just have to wait and see. We might’ve taken a leaf out of Avalon’s book… ;D :O \o/

I’ll keep you in the dark just a tad longer, I’m not going to spoil everything that Summer Daze has to offer! But believe me when I say we’ve got so much fun stuff coming your way for Summer Daze. I can’t wait for you all to meet Ben the beach guy, Bruce the shark, Mariposa from BASTU, Winnie the PR agent, and more! But until then, eat some ice cream, enjoy the sunshine, and get in the festival moodfor Summer Daze! Coming soon to an island near you.

Until we meet again, may it be at yet another festival, I wish you all a lovely summer!

Ta-ta for now!

----------------------

Main Story Quest

By Linnéa Thimrén (Senior Game Designer)

Gather round, for I bring news of a new story, an exciting story, a… Main Story! We’ve been working on the next chapter of the main story for a while now, in two iterations, and that extra time and love have really paid off; the coming quest chain will bring excitement and feelings galore.

This post will contain some spoilers for the content of the quest chain, so if you haven’t played it yet, I highly recommend doing that first!

The production of this content went a little differently from how we usually do it. We basically created the whole quest chain, and then we went back and remade it! Sounds inefficient? It actually allowed us to make sure the content was tip-top! We could test the whole thing— could see what worked and what didn’t— as a whole, which can be hard when you only have pieces of a quest chain ready!

We don’t have many boss fights in Star Stable Online, and I was excited to explore what we could do in that area. After all, if you’re gonna start swinging, then Garnok is a pretty good target! We started our exploration by putting every idea on the table, by gathering all the knowledge and tips and tricks we could find about how to design a good boss fight, and by deciding what we wanted the player to experience and feel. A main point here was to include gameplay that reflected the training that you’ve gone through with the different Soul Riders leading up to this. And we wanted the whole fight to feel epic! Fairly quickly, we settled on the idea of a two-part fight, one part to rescue your friends with the Dark Riders working against you, and one part to properly fight back against Garnok. By doing this, we could highlight the importance of the whole sisterhood working together, add some gameplay variety into the fight, and allow each Dark Rider to shine on her own. Not to mention raising the stakes; your friends are captive and only you can save them! It’s all the Soul Riders against all the Dark Riders! Darko is there, blasting away! It’s all going down!!

We also had some difficulties to face; it’s all well and good to fight a malevolent extraterrestrial deep-sea tentacle creature, but to do it while manoeuvring on horseback? Shudder the thought. Luckily, that could be solved by extending the area of the fight to include almost the whole of Guardian's Dale, so you have room to take those turns! We also wanted to get rid of poor old Mr. Sands, to let Darko make a grab for power after his return to Jorvik, and to highlight some of the politics at play between Mr. Sands, Darko, and the Dark Riders. But who knows how long Darko will be able to hold onto that power? And what really happened to Mr. Sands…?

One of the most interesting aspects of working in this was the balance we had to strike between the feeling of failure, as you have to destroy the Light Book, and triumph, as you banish Garnok (for now). You kinda succeed, but also kinda not… We wanted you to reflect on all that has led you here, all that you’ve done and overcome to stand here with your friends.

And on that note, friends, I want to say thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings about the new main story quest. I hope you enjoyed playing it as much as I enjoyed working on it!

[momoliee]

Finished Can Ci Pin, time for a review! [Warning: this review will contain some spoilers!]

Priest…that was brutal. You murdered me in cold blood. That was CRUEL. When was the last time a danmei had me crying this hard?!? I genuinely didn’t think you had it in you to do us all like this😭

To start off the review, I will first talk about the plot. The series spans 7 novels, two of the novels being split into two parts along with the extras, resulting in a total of 10 installments, making it one of the longest danmei novels that i’ve read, along with 2ha by meatbun and tgcf by mxtx. It takes place in a futuristic sci-fi society that exists in space, in a world run by technology and Ai with humanity inhabiting not one planet, but instead 8 whole galaxies (no there are no aliens in this series). I guess the reason why it’s incredibly underrated and overlooked, despite being one of Priest’s best works ever (literally on par with sha po land, mo du and lie huo jiao chou), would be its unique and niche genre, not preferred or sought after or appreciated by the majority of the danmei readers in both the chinese and english fandoms. Nevertheless, if you got some time on your hands, i would definitely recommend you give it a go! Priest makes it super easy and uncomplicated to settle into the world with her incredible world building skills (think of the steam punk universe of sha po lang), and the whole plot literally revolves around politics, war, and the struggles between different parties for power, which is smth that’s already pretty popular within danmei!! and the aesthetics are pretty cool too!!! think spaceships and astronauts!! also there are elements of mystery and comedy and action!! come on yall!!!

Now let’s get into the ACTUAL review. In a world where the Interstellar Union is constantly being tossed around like a tennis ball between the Eden Committee and the Military Council (think of the IU as the king/emperor/ruler, the Eden Committee as the prime minister of the government, and the Military Council as the marshal or commander of the military), the struggle for power led to centuries of underhanded and unethical and inhumane tactics and practices being brewed under the surface by all parties involved. On the surface, there was ‘peace’, peace that came at the expense of others, peace that was no thicker than a hair strand, ready to snap at any given second. Our main characters happened to be born in the century in which this fragile and delicately maintained peace is finally shattered, everything fell apart and no more secrets were kept hidden as all was exposed. The story follows so many threads that priest has managed to weave slowly here and there from very early onwards. The first two novels, priest spends them introducing several different plot lines and several different ‘problems’ and ‘issues’ that she later on ties together into one thick huge interwoven heavy plot in the fourth book. Most readers end up abandoning the story after reading the second novel, feeling that the pace is too slow, everything that’s happening is too random and left up abruptly without a satisfying conclusion, there is no one consistent plot line to follow, and the whole thing feels very overwhelming. However, after reaching the fourth novel, where the plot pace is suddenly picked up dramatically and everything becomes set to motion, it is clear the build up was very necessary or else the whole series wouldve turned into one big jumbled mess. There are time skips within the novel, one in the beginning and one in the middle, the one in the middle sort of splitting the series into a ‘before’ and ‘after’. The last detail i’ll mention regarding the plot, would be that the war doesn’t exist between just two sides, it exists between our main characters, the union, two other parties, and the internal strife between the split factions of the union. so you can….already imagine how complicated and intricate this is.

Now onto the characters. There is Lin Jingheng!!! The Man of The Hour. Aloof and cold on the outside, soft and kind on the inside. Ruthless and Merciless on the outside, a big mother-hen on the inside. A former commander turned mafia leader, his heart dead set on revenge, his body a weapon hes sharpened over the years, his life absolutely disposable to him. Keeping his distance, staying away from everyone, closing himself off to the world, he only ever had one goal in mind and it was to tear apart the union that took away his loved ones. Hes the best at what he does and he knows it, and he will absolutely use himself up to the max. He will not hesitate to make cold and harsh sacrifices, if it means he can logically get to his goal as efficiently as possible. Watching him grow as a character, watching him develop attachments and warm emotions, watching him slowly let out his inner child, was worth it. I absolutely love how the more he developed as a character, the more feelings he started expressing, the more bonds and attachments he started to form with those around him, the more he loved, the stronger he got. Unlike what he initially thought, love and affection and care did not hold him back or make him weaker, it only made him stronger and more invincible, ready to take on anything now that he finally has a purpose, now that he has people he wants to protect and more importantly, return to. An absolute favorite of mine, a true gem. His character is easy to grow fond of, and definitely enjoyable to be around.

Next is Lu Bixing, aka, my absolute favorite. Starting off as the naive, charismatic, funny, hyperactive and handsome little engineer and scientist, neither the series nor priest are kind to him😭😭😭😭 priest, you’ve truly put our sunshine boy through a LOT. i’ve cried several times. tears were shed. Lu Bixing underwent a dramatic character development due to extreme pain and trauma (im still recovering from this) and was stripped off of many of his most endearing character qualities to become a sharp blade ready to take on the world. but despite everything, the seed of kindness in his heart wasnt gone, all it needed was a bit of rekindling and healing and by the end of the series, we had our beloved son back again!!! His character started off well, drifted off the rail due to the harsh circumstances, then came back again, stronger and more mature than ever but still retaining his flirty and bright and active spirit and personality. I absolutely LOVED his healing arc, i love how no one gave up on him even when he gave up on himself, and i love how he came back to us again. Priest truly did his character justice, and didn’t let him off to be this “forever cold and heartless because of my trauma” character, the way many other authors wouldve.

One more thing that i loved, is how priest gave detailed and thorough attention to the side characters in this masterpiece of a work. Priest has managed to make sure that almost every important character in the series had a whole backstory and arc going for them, making you care about all of them and get attached and grow fond, even if some of those characters were already dead years before the novel even started. Priest dedicated several extras to some of those already dead but important characters, and it was the best decision she couldve ever made, making you all nostalgic and sentimental while reading.

Now onto the romance, definitely in my top 5 favorite danmei parings. The commander and his engineer. If Lu Bixing was a crown prince, then Lin Jingheng would be his knight. If Lin Jingheng was a sword, Lu Bixing would be his shield. A relationship that is also a partnership, where theyre both standing on equal ground, where they both need each other’s strengths and talents, where they both trust each other endlessly both on and off the battlefield, whether it be with each other’s lives or with each other’s hearts. It’s like those countless queer quoted shows and movies where two generals or two soldiers go through everything back to back, except this is a danmei so they DO end up together and it doesn’t end up being dismissed as a ‘friendship’. I love their hot and cold dynamic, i love how well they complement each other and how they somehow complete and balance each other. i love how they bring out the worst and best in each other. i love how they always wanna live one more day to come back to each other. Also Lu Bixing’s attempts to win over Lin Jingheng in the beginning were a 10/10 entertainment, definitely had us all, readers and side characters, rooting for him and cheering him on to get that cold commander’s heart!!!

This series will make you laugh, make you cry. There are intense action scenes, complex war and politics scenes, brutal bloodshed scenes and extremely funny and light hearted scenes. Even the romance gets its fair share of attention, the relationship building up at a perfect and reasonable and natural pace, as you grow to love the characters individually then love them together. it was cute, adorable, embarrassing, sexy, angsty (oh the ANGST) all at once!

Would definitely be rereading this, would definitely be giving this a 15/10.

[Here is my favorite scene from book 2 (i hope the humor convinced yall to pick up this incredible series!!!)] :

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed - Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

[The following review contains SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning opens with a lengthy montage of clips from the franchise’s previous installments. Several critics have dismissed this “sizzle reel” as shallow “fan service/nostalgia bait,” but I disagree with that assessment; its inclusion is extremely purposeful: to begin the saga’s alleged “swan song” (we shall see, won’t we?), producer/star Tom Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie briefly glance backwards, reflecting on and reevaluating the core themes that have defined the series so far.

And what do they choose to emphasize? Ethan Hunt’s tragic backstory and his enigmatic history with the nefarious Gabriel (an ambiguous dynamic belatedly introduced in 2023’s vestigially titled Dead Reckoning Part One)? No; although that thread isn’t quite discarded altogether, it winds up becoming rather incidental to the overarching conflict, almost to the point of being virtually inconsequential. (Indeed, Gabriel is essentially demoted from main antagonist to minor obstacle, and is actually more compelling for it; Esai Morales relishes the opportunity to portray a Saturday morning cartoon villain—cackling maniacally, posing melodramatically, and ineffectually taunting his rival from the safety of his primary-colored escape biplane.)

The flashback instead highlights our hero’s recurring encounters with loss. Ever since his entire team was slaughtered in the first film while he watched helplessly from the sidelines (we are, in fact, treated to two separate reprises of Emilio Estevez's infamously grisly demise), Ethan has been haunted by death, tormented by each subsequent failure to protect those that he (as Luther and Kittridge phrase it) “holds close.” The significance of this repressed trauma is reinforced at the tail end of the prologue, when Hunt brutally butchers (largely offscreen) the henchman that threatened to torture and murder the latest addition to his crew; dazed, panting, and drenched with sweat and blood, he desperately stammers feeble justifications for the uncharacteristic act of violence: “You know I wouldn’t have done that if it wasn’t necessary, right? I had to; he would have killed you!”

This emotional foundation contributes some much-needed personal stakes to the otherwise skeletal plot—a common feature of the franchise’s most recent chapters. Notice that I said “feature” and not “flaw,” because the relative simplicity of the story is a deliberate creative decision—a juxtaposition of sorts: the minimalist substance allows the maximalist style to shine all the brighter. Cruise and McQ have made it no secret that, when crafting these movies, they always start with the spectacular set pieces and reverse engineer any requisite narrative context from there, gradually filling in the gaps as they go along—and despite the seams showing more obviously in this case than in their prior efforts, that process still serves them well: the best moments here (a literally breathtaking sequence in which Hunt navigates the narrow, rotating corridors of a submerged submarine precariously perched on the precipice of a vast undersea chasm; a finale that pays homage to silent cinema in general and the works of Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Harry Houdini in particular) are every bit as suspenseful as Top Gun: Maverick’s climactic bombing run—a scene so action-packed, nerve-racking, and anxiety-inducing that it made me feel as though I was experiencing a heart attack in the theater.

Unlike many Twitter users, I refuse to rank the entries in the Mission: Impossible series; they vary in quality, of course, boasting their own individual strengths and weaknesses, but they’re consistently more visually accomplished than the average Hollywood blockbuster. If I were inclined to do so, however, I’d place The Final Reckoning somewhere near the lower middle of the list. It takes some huge swings, and while it strikes out as often as it hits a grand slam, it nevertheless deserves credit for sheer ambition.

[acsredstringbrigade]

Now that everyone, not just Backers and Patrons have had a chance to listen to the first episode, here are my thoughts. Note, spoilers ahead for all of TMA and the the first episode.

First, I do adore our main cast. Sam and Alice are both very entertaining, and Colin is easily going to be a fan favorite. Im unsure about the tension between Lena and Gwen, but we will see where that goes.

Second, FR3-D1 is apparently an old computer program, and clearly related to some facet of the Eye, given its abilities to snoop through the entirety of the internet and get personal information that definitely violates GDPR. Though the fact that the computers are this old, perhaps they are still analog, allowing them to get around the digital issues that were encountered in the previous podcast. Though there is some irony in an Eye based program searching through the World Wide Web for information.

Next, the added voices. The first two of the three are obviously Martin and Jon, aka Norris and Chester. The third voice, Augustus ... the only person I can think of who would have been pulled into an eye based program with them had to be Jonah. I almost wish it would have been Anabelle, and I do hope to see her later on, but with the masculine name, and a name that sounds as old-fashioned as Augustus, really couldnt be anyone else.

Then, that first incident (yes, I am calling them incidents, not statements, as they are ... distinct in important ways) was fascinating. Obviously, elements of the Corruption are laced throughout, but what fascinates me is how many other facets could be identified there. Stranger, End, Dark, and maybe Spiral. That, plus the fact that the computer can only take one code for each incident ... something is going on there, and it is something that may cause problems for our protagonists later on.

The interview between Lena and Gwen was interesting. (I will come back to this in a later post. There's a lot to unpack, but it is being overshadowed by the next point)

And finally, the incident involving RedCanary. The Canary puns are easily made, though canary in the coal mine seems to be the one they were going for, given the "Canaries dont belong underground" comment. Also, it seems as though the institute itself served as the Panopticon did in the first universe, the offices serving as the cells, and the top floor almost certainly the panopticon itself. That and the ritual down in the archives themselves was likely the place where Magnus died.

The blood stains, the symbols on the floor matching those on a carved box. And we don't know what the picture itself was of, since the moderator removed the image. But based on the reactions of those in the thread, it was some sort of gore, and something involving eyes.

I see two major possibilities. Either something like what happened to Albrect Von Closen, and the man died of internal eyes, and whatever had stalked him posted the picture of his dead body. Or, RedCanary was trying to post a picture of the box for a while before, and it finally posted after he opened it, revealing a set of eyes inside. If the latter is true, those are most certainly Magnus' eyes aka Raymond Fielding from Hilltop Road and the spider box. Either way has implications, and I am fascinated to see which theory holds more water.

Odd that The Magnus Institute had been put on the list of buildings that had already been cleared. Theoretically, that is a list that only a few people use. Then again, I am not a spelunker, so I dont know how tight-knit the community is. I wonder who put it on that list.

Similarly, who or what removed all the paper? Not even pulpy traces of ash? Where are all of the records of the archive?

And for that matter, who burnt down the Institute?

[shinraelectricpowercom]

Silly-marillion* Fanworks Community discord launch announcement

*Silliness not mandatory (but strongly encouraged)

After my interest check got a decent amount of responses, I've decided to launch the server!

The Silly-marillion Fanworks Community is a Silmarillion fanworks-focused Discord server, intended to be a space for Silm fanwork creators to discuss the Silm and our Silm-based works, such as fic, art, meta, fansongs and filk, speculative linguistics, etc. It is an adults-only (18+) space with no mandatory content warnings and no limits (besides applicable US law and Discord TOS) on fictional discussion and content, including art (although NSFW images are required to be spoilered).

A few of the server rules & a server map are below the cut, so that people can get a sense for the server & see if they want to join it before actually clicking on or requesting an invite link.

The invite link will be in a reblog.

Server Rules sample

1. Don’t be a dick. That includes not engaging in hate speech, harassment, bigotry, or threats, even “as a joke”. Remember that there is another human being on the other side of the screen. Bannable "being a dick" behaviors include (but are not limited to!) using slurs in an insulting context, harassment, doxxing, and targeted bigotry. N.b.: The owner of this server is pro-bodily-autonomy with regards to pretty much every issue that covers. I am not interested in having server members who do not respect others' rights to autonomy. I will kick people over this.

2. If you’re unsure about something, ask. This goes for everything from pronouns to “what type of feedback do you want” to “can I make X sort of jokes with you”. Accept the answer with grace, respect it, and act accordingly.

3. No topic is off-limits. This is an 18+ space and as such may include frank and/or explicit discussion of sexuality as well as potentially triggering and dark topics (including abuse, incest, and suicide), as the text of the Silmarillion itself does. N.b.: It is the responsibility of individual server members to remove themselves from discussions that they may find upsetting or triggering. However, please use your judgment about whether this chat is the best place for discussions of IRL sexual activity and other such sensitive/personal topics.

4. Images that are NSFW and/or gory are allowed, BUT if you post one, please spoiler the image and put a text note ahead of it explaining that it contains NSFW and/or gore.

Server map

–HOUSEKEEPING ⁠#rules: where server rules are hosted. Read well and respect them, please. #announce: where changes to rules and other important server updates and information is shared. #⁠intros: where newcomers can introduce themselves. An introduction is required to gain access to certain channels.

–SILM DISCUSSION #general-silm: main home of discussion in this server. Anything Silm-related can go here. #meta: for meta relating to the Silm. #works-gallery: for sharing your Silm fanworks. #works-discuss: for discussing Silm fanworks. #works-assist: for asking for assistance with specific aspects of your fanworks. (Only introduced members can message in this channel.) #project-threads: for threaded discussion of specific fan projects that server members are working on. (Only introduced members can message in this channel.)

–OFF TOPIC #off-topic: for discussions which started on-topic and then went elsewhere. If there are only two people in an off-topic discussion, consider taking it to DMs. ⁠#fandom-whining: for complaining about those petty annoyances that fandom life sometimes contains. (Only introduced members can view and message in this channel.)

[tenfoldrage]

THIS BLOG IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

indie, mutuals only, low activity blog for the tenth & fourteenth doctors from do.ctor wh.o as loved by denise. please read the rules below & the google doc before interacting. est. dec. 2018, rev. dec. 2023, re-rev. may 2024

about playlist. music taste. pinterest board. headcanon tag.

MAINS: @isbrilliant (donna noble), @carbondated (river song), @yoakkemae (martha jones)

RULES:

ONE. Basic rules apply. Don’t godmod my muse, don’t nag me for replies, don't be gross, & don’t forceship. I don’t tolerate any kind of bigotry here & I will block on sight if I see it. Zionists DNI.

TWO. This blog will have low/slow/sporadic activity because I have ADHD & depression & I’m also a full-time college student. There will likely be periods of time of varying lengths with little to no ic activity.

THREE. Please note that my portrayal of the Doctor exclusively uses THEY/THEM PRONOUNS, thank you!

FOUR. The PSDs I’m using on this blog are called Baby Blues & A Little Wicked, both by honeypsd. The icon border & divider I use is called Starry Kisses by lavenderph. The graphic in this post is called Lost Cause my niixzee.

FIVE. DM me if you need me to tag anything: due to the nature of the muse, this blog will contain triggering themes such as death, grief, suicidal ideation, genocide, war, & more. Triggers will be tagged as [#trigger tw]. My only triggers are se.xu.al as.sau.lt & ped.ophi.lia.

SIX. This blog will not be spoiler-free: follow at your own risk.

SEVEN. This blog is not affiliated with Doctor Who, the BBC, David Tennant, or Big Finish Productions. However, my portrayal & my headcanons are my own: please refrain from taking them for yourself.

EIGHT. My portrayal of the Doctor is canon-divergent. I'd love to discuss alternatives to certain canon events with other muns who are down for it.

NINE. Please understand that I am mutuals-only for my own comfort & sanity. This means that I will only write with blogs that I follow and who follow me in return. Do not interact with my writing calls if we do not follow each other.

TEN. If I follow you & you have no interest in interacting, please hard-block me so I know where we stand & don't accidentally follow again.

ELEVEN. Tumblr DMs can be annoying to use, so I give my Discord to mutuals upon request.

TWELVE. I write in the third person. I use small text and italics/bold. I use icons with borders. I do not expect my writing partners to do this, I just think it looks nice. All I ask is that you trim your posts & continue asks in a new thread. I also tend to write multi-para replies. No one really needs to match length so much as give me something to work with.

THIRTEEN. I am OC and duplicate friendly! Throw your OCs at me. The only exceptions are OC children of the Doctor, which I will be rather selective about.

FOURTEEN. I’m super interested in throwing the Doctor into all sorts of crossovers. I am familiar with Good Omens, much of the MCU, Legend of Zelda (BOTW + TOTK), Fire Emblem (3H), the Borderlands Franchise, IT (Stephen King), Detroit: Become Human, Baldur’s Gate 3, DnD 5e, Lucifer, & more.

FIFTEEN. I will not ship with anyone unless our characters have some sort of chemistry going on & we have had words about it ooc. It's unlikely to happen but not impossible. I will not write romantic ships with anyone under 18. I also don’t really want to ship the Doctor with any muse who isn’t at least 22. While both mun & muse are of age, there will be no smut on this blog. The Doctor really could not be bothered— they’re ace.

SIXTEEN. This blog is multiverse, so unless otherwise discussed between muns, all interactions with different blogs are considered to be separate universes, so to speak.

SEVENTEEN. I probably won’t be reblogging many ask memes here because I always end up accumulating too many & getting overwhelmed. The best way to interact is by liking starter calls or by plotting! In fact, plotting is my lifeblood & I will rarely write without it. So don't be shy to hop into my DMs! I promise I don’t bite.

[grief-worn]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫.

my name is addi! they/them please. i'm 25+ yrs of age. est timezone.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬.

i do not want minors following or interacting please.

i write multi-para, one-liners, shitposts, whatever!

will only write with mutuals, but anyone is welcome to send asks.

personal or non-roleplay blogs are welcome to follow! but i will only follow back blogs i wish to write with.

i am crossover friendly and oc friendly. i will probably only write with crossovers that make sense with my character. (ie; other fantasy settings)

i don't have any problems interacting with duplicates! i would love to follow and chat with other sharts, but will respect your boundaries if you wish to avoid writing with a duplicate!

activity might be inconsistent! if we have a thread together i make it a point to reply often, but life might get busy :)

i am willing to write nsfw (gore, smut, etc) and will tag any content as such. if i need to add a tag for anyone please let me know!

if you've noticed i've unfollowed or you're randomly unfollowed it's 100% a glitch. i will hard-block if i no longer wish to interact!

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲.

i love plotting and will happily brainstorm an idea before we commit to any roleplay. but i can also improvise! tossing me a curve ball every now and then is lots of fun, too!

i am a hopeless romantic and adore shipping but i won't do so without chemistry and proper context between our characters. that being said, platonic relationships are incredibly fun to explore. (or antagonistic relationships!) i am willing to do all sorts of writing. let's have fun! :)

this character is set in the baldur's gate universe and story and thus will include lore and context specific to that series. i'm willing to write any number of timelines or plots related or unrelated to the main events of baldur's gate 3. (unfortunately i am sorely lacking in knowledge of the other games)

i do write on discord :) it will be available to people i end up consistently writing with.

boundaries are important! you are free to block or stop writing with me for any reason, but if there's something we can possibly discuss and work out then please just let me know :) i'm very open to communication over anything, nothing is too big or too small.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫.

my portrayal of shadowheart will be a mix of fanon and canon interpretations. i wish to remain faithful to her character as seen in the game, but i may take small liberties with some details here and there.

i primarily write original characters, so writing a canon character is a bit out of my wheelhouse! i request a bit of patience as i navigate her portrayal!

i am OPEN to writing any number of shadowheart paths. dark justiciar, redeemed selunite, maybe something different. i'm super open-minded to plotting of any kind, just hmu!

i'm not sure if this needs to be added, but i'm not at all protective over any headcanons i have. if you see one you like and want to yoink it for your own uses, feel free.

i will not be tagging any story spoilers related to shadowheart or the game. please keep that in mind when interacting!

will add more rules as i think of them! thank you for reading.

[lultimagoccia]

RP BLOG CONTENT GUIDELINES. bold all that apply to you and your blog. italics if you’re on the fence about something.

MY BLOG IS: open to all - semi-selective - selective - moderately selective - highly selective - exclusive - only going to rp with mutuals - mostly going to rp with mutuals - indie - affiliated with a group - spoiler free - spoilers tagged - spoilers mostly tagged - not spoiler free

I WILL RP WITH: any fandom - most fandoms - only fandoms I know - only people in my fandom - ocs - ocs with no fandom ties - ocs who are related to/know my character in their backstory ( we MUST plot this first, due to past experiences of people assuming what kind of relationship our muses would have ) - only one version of any particular character ( because multiple dimensions / dimension hopping is canon to pepp's story, he has versions of characters that are from his home dimension ) - people who have the same muse as me - people who do not have a rules page - multimuse blogs - people in rp groups - indie rpers

I WILL SHIP WITH: no one - anyone - chemistry - select ship - ocs - others of my own muse - crossovers with characters from different fandoms - only one version of a particular character - one person in my main certain verses - multiship - one main / canon ship within my main verse ( in pepp's overarching blog plotline / his primary 'verse he is with creech. most interactions will be presumed to take place in this setting, unless specified otherwise ) - self-inserts

MY BLOG WILL CONTAIN: fluff - angst - gore ( within certain limits i ain't a big gore person tbh ) - violence - smut ( confined to an 18+ sideblog, adult muns / muses ONLY ) - blood - torture - shipping - death - dark humor - assault ( as in violence )

I WILL FOLLOW: everyone - only some people - most people - only people in my fandom - every rp blog - people i actively wish to rp with - people who do not post a lot of ooc - people whose posts i am comfortable with on my dashboard

TO RP WITH ME, YOU SHOULD: follow back - answer an open - message me ooc - message me ic - make a starter - answer my starter - send in a meme - like a starter call

OTHER: i practice reblog karma with memes - i expect reblog karma with memes - i expect my rules/about to be read - i always read the rules/about before following/interacting - if you follow me, i would like nsfw tagged - i expect all smut to be beneath a read-more ( AND have a mature rating ) - i am a multiverse blog - i am multi-muse ( sort of, muse + pizzano are their own characters ) - i do not wish for my ooc posts to be reblogged - i do not wish for my threads to be reblogged by those not involved - i expect post length to be matched - i expect icons/gifs to be used in a reply if i have used them - i don’t expect post length to be matched, but I will try to match yours - i am patient when waiting for replies and expect the same courtesy ( pls i am so fuckin' busy irl and i am very mentally ill i am doing my best here )

[exys0n]

𝑆𝑂𝑁 𝑂𝐹 𝐸𝑋𝑌 ;

𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘳.𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘬.𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘤. 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯. 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 +, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴; 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. read rules under the read more.

𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠;

this blog is 21+ and mutuals only; please don't interact with starters, plotting calls etc. if we aren't mutuals. as said further up, this blog is not spoiler free. i do take mains and exclusives, just shoot me a message!

no drama and no wacky behavior please; no tra.nsphobia, ra.sicm, hom.ophobia, you know the gist.

triggering topics will be present and i will be tagging things accordingly. if i ever slip or not tag something you aren't comfortable with, just message me. tags will be trigger word //.

formatting is small words with spacing and icons. i also won't judge you on how you decide to format or if you use it at all. also please tell me if you don't do well with small text, then i'll gladly change it for our threads and things!

all graphics on this blog are made by me unless otherwise stated. the psd i use are from somresources.

the best way to get started with me is either send me a message or perhaps feel free to send a meme as a sort of ice breaker. when answering a meme, i always make a new post; be more than welcome to continue it if you want, but also never feel pressured to do so. please reblog a meme from the source if possible.

hi, thank you so much for reading my rules. i'm kay twenty-seven. i'm a huge book nerd and love everything spoopy. :) please don't hesitate to message me if you want to write!

[philcoulsonismyhero]

Hey! I'm really excited that there are two butch characters in Red Shift Blue Shift, what are their relationships to each other and to the larger lesbian communities around them? Also, are there any trans women or transfeminine nonbinary characters in the cast, or in your other projects? (I tried sending an ask to the comic blog, but I couldn't find the option.)

Hey! (Turns out we hadn't switched asks on for the comic blog, thanks for pointing that out, the option should be there now!)

Oh I'm so glad you're excited about there being multiple butch characters in RSBS, that was something that was really important to us to include when we were building our cast. I'm very fond of them both, they're a great time.

It's hard to say too much about their relationship to each other without getting into spoiler territory, but Kamari is something of a wildcard character. She's working for a cause of her own, something that's sometimes at cross-purposes to the main team, which Georgie is part of, so there's a bit of plot-relevant antagonism there, at least in a big picture sense. It takes a wee while before Kamari interacts directly with any of the main team, although she'll be hanging around the edges of their activities and playing a major role in the other main thread of the story. Georgie and Kamari will end up connected eventually, although how is spoilers, but I can say that they're one of the (many, many) pairs of narrative foils in the comic. The story is going to be split into two major threads, the blue thread following Dan and their team, and the red thread following our masked antagonist and their allies, and Georgie and Kamari are one pair of characters that in some ways mirror each other across that divide and end up having an impact on each other over time as the story unfolds.

Which kind of links in to the next part of your question - Kamari, at the point we find her in the story, is quite isolated from anything really in the way of broader community. She did have that, once, and she doesn't anymore, and the story there is a big part of her character, along with where she ends up going from there. Georgie, on the other hand, is probably the most social of the main team, barring maybe Max. When she's not out on missions, she's a regular in her local queer community, especially the lesbian bars, and she's got at least a few amicable exes in that community and amongst her law school cohort. She's a gregarious, friendly sort of person, and the sort that tends to adopt any young queer people in her vicinity, so aboard the team's ship she's definitely something of a Cool Queer Aunt.

Speaking of Max, I'm not sure transfem is the term ey'd personally use, but ey're definitely the cast member with the most fem elements to their particular flavour of nonbinary. Gender presentation is something fun to em, and ey're pulling from a bunch of different directions when it comes to eir personal style.

As for the rest of the cast, we're still building out from our main ten, but the intention is absolutely to include trans women and transfem folks, both human and robot. Now's probably the point to admit that our jokey working title for the comic is 'Butches In Space', because it is a bit of a self-indulgent exercise in including all the butch and transmasc and agender characters that we almost never get to see (and especially don't get to see interacting with each other). Ultimately you've got to do what appeals to you, personally, with a project, but that doesn't mean that we're not going to make sure that the rest of the world of RSBS is suitably full of all different kinds of folks. Obviously it's really important to include transfem folks in a story that's using a lot of transphobia metaphors, since they're unfortunately one of the groups that's targeted the most. There's a lot of significant secondary characters that we've still only got rough sketches of roles for, like assorted family members and other agents and various folks relevant to different cases, and I'm sure a bunch of them will and up being transfem once we get to know them better. We're planning on having a lot of fun with gender stuff amongst both the humans and the robots.

Also, one last fun note about Kamari and Georgie - there aren't going to be any active romance plots in the comic, it's going to be a very aro sort of story, but like I mentioned above re: Georgie's various exes that doesn't mean that the characters that aren't aro don't have relationships in their pasts. Without spoiling Kamari's deal, I will say that Pearl from SU was one of the characters that partly inspired her, so read into that what you will. And, in the course of the main story, Georgie and Kamari's dynamic when they do end up face to face might be the closest we get to writing flirting. We thought it would be fun to leave a little bit of room for shipping, if a hypothetical reader is that way inclined, even if the main story isn't going to feature any romance arcs and will be more focused on the platonic side of their dynamic. And it was something of a deliberate choice to have the only canon-compatible ship amongst the main cast be a lesbian one, since fandom is after all a bit notorious for ignoring them.