#~1100 words

[useless19]

Remember this au?

Here's a bit more.

This time it is a dark and stormy night, but it's still not fitting.

Bowser's returning to the castle after a late meeting with Lemmy (which conveniently allowed him to escort a supply wagon of colourful pigments to the part of town where Junior's staying; the meeting came first, that's his story and he's sticking to it), when he spies something suspicious across the courtyard. Technically he's off the clock, but if it turns out to be some sort of attack then he'll get woken up by panicking toads anyway. Better to deal with this now and ask for a raise in the morning.

The bedraggled intruders spot Bowser the same moment he begins to recognise who they are. Lightning flashes, illuminating them and leaving no doubt: hero of the kingdom, Peach, and the former king himself, Mario.

Mario draws himself up, as though to order Bowser's arrest, but then winces and hunches over again. Peach holds him upright, while shooting Bowser a glare. And Bowser...

Bowser doesn't know what to do.

This is a perfect opportunity. Mario's on his last legs, Peach has clearly been through the wringer, while Bowser is relatively fresh. There's no one else around to interfere or tattle on him. It's not a 100% chance (nothing ever is when Peach gets involved), but it's still the best shot Bowser's ever had.

With Mario out of the way, Bowser can keep his cushy job as long as he likes. He won't have to live in a kingdom with someone he truly hates (it takes a second to drag the old hatred up, but it's still there, fitting like a glove). He won't be hounded by the palace guards for doing what he had to live.

But if it ever got traced back to Bowser, he'd have burnt his last chance and he'd be for the hangman's noose before sunrise. And the king knew Bowser's habits, his people, his family. It's a risk.

The rain lashes down. The humans shiver. All Bowser has to do is be enough of an impediment that they catch their death. He might even not be blamed for it.

Mario looks up at him with resignation and not one ounce of fear. How dare he be more afraid of something other than Bowser! What right does he have to look at him with such familiar eyes?!

Bowser inhales. Peach pushes Mario behind her, nearly dumping him in a puddle.

"OPEN THE GATES!" Bowser yells instead of spitting the fireball they were obviously expecting. "CALL A DOCTOR!"

He takes advantage of their surprise to grab them and hurry towards the opening doors. Toads squawk and scramble and seem like they're being a nuisance, all the while getting hot drinks and blankets and clean clothes.

"When did this happen?" Mario asks quietly, looking at Bowser's knightly armour.

And because Bowser still definitely hates him more than anyone else (the problem with gloves, even metaphorical ones, is that they can be outgrown), he forces a nasty grin. "There's a new king now."

...

The new king paces around the corridor outside the royal infirmary, worrying so much that he's going to do himself an injury and be next on the doctor's list.

Much more reasonable, Bowser sits on a bench, enjoying a late supper. He watches Luigi pace back and forth until it makes his head spin.

"Sit down, you're making me dizzy," Bowser says, shoving one of the comfy waiting chairs into Luigi's path.

Luigi dodges it and shakes his head. "I can't sit still. Not when Mario might be -"

"He's in the best place he can be," Bowser says, trying not to make it too obvious that he's hoping for the opposite outcome.

Luigi runs his hand through his hair. His circlet has been discarded on the bench next to Bowser because he kept knocking it askew. His hair is sticking in every direction, his fingernails have been bitten to the quick, and his moustache is a clumpy mess from how often he's pulled at it.

Bowser snags him on his next circuit. He feels so small and fragile under Bowser's hands.

"What have I said about wearing yourself out over things you can't do? Do you think your brother wants to see you all haggard any more than you want to see him like that?"

Luigi's been in the sickroom twice and both times hurried out barely five minutes later, looking nearly as green as his doublet. The healers are good and Mario's apparently stable, but it sounds like there's still a lot to fix.

"I can't do anything to help," Luigi says, sounding close to tears. "What good am I if -"

"Hey!" Bowser barks.

Luigi shuts his mouth and shakes his head.

"You've done your job, let the doctor do theirs," Bowser says firmly. "We're not at war because of you, so we've got the supplies and personnel to help fifty Marios."

And if he hadn't convinced Bowser to playact a knight long enough for some of the stupid ideology to get stuck to him, then that encounter in the courtyard would've gone very differently. Luigi's a great king, it's a shame his reign's going to end so soon.

"I'm just so scared for him," Luigi says, so softly Bowser nearly misses it.

Bowser pulls him into a hug. With Bowser seated, Luigi can bury his face in Bowser's shoulder (good thing he took his spaulders off). Bowser ignores the wet patch growing on his scales.

"Everything'll look better in the morning," Bowser promises, silently vowing to drop the doctor down a well if Mario's condition worsens. He rubs Luigi's back. "And things can go back to how they used to be."

Luigi pulls back just enough that Bowser can see his face. Even with red-rimmed eyes and a fuzzy for a moustache, he's still pretty. Bowser's going to miss just getting to look (he's always been pushing it to touch, but he hasn't had his hands lopped off yet).

"What if... what if I don't want everything to go back to the way it was?" Luigi breathes.

He presses a kiss to the tip of Bowser's snout.

If Bowser were a better koopa, he'd gently turn the emotionally fraught king down and send him to bed on his own with a sleeping draught from the doctor to make sure he doesn't spend the night wide-awake and fretting.

However, Bowser is a thief, a criminal, and a twisted up loyal knight. He's greedy and so incredibly stupid for a pretty face. He's not going to pass up on this chance - the *last* chance he'll ever have - to take the king to bed. Hang the consequences.

It was nice while it lasted.

[amandaherzman]

fairy ring fungi 💖🌟

This is the herbologist reward for April! If you'd like these postcards as well as three pages worth of fairy ring fungi folklore and facts, consider joining my patreon for this month - a handful of slots are free!

[lis5664]

Margo x Sergei Mini Fic: "Pomegranate"

My take on prompt “18. Pomegranate” from @ddagent 's Margo/Sergei Spring Challenge list. Canon-compliant, set during episode 2x08. More notes at the end.

She scanned through garments hanging in her closet, considering her options for the day’s outfit.

Grabbing Margo’s deep red skirt suit and holding it up, Emma said, “I’d go with red.”

“What?”

“He likes red!”

“Who?”

“Mr. Nikulov, your first meeting.”

Margo folded her arms and blinked several times. “What does what he likes have to do with anything?”

“Oh. Nothing, I suppose.” Emma rolled her eyes.

She handed off the red suit to Margo and returned to other tasks, leaving her boss contemplating the possible meanings of this exchange.

Margo had no idea how Emma had learned what color he liked. She decided she didn’t want to ask.

What else did Emma know, or think, or think she knew? Was any of it going to be a problem? Did Emma believe she was interested in him? Or he was interested in her? Both?

Margo took a breath. She’d known and worked with Emma for many years, and knew she could rely on her discretion. No matter what her assistant might privately think, or how she had gathered her information on color preferences, Margo could be sure that any problems here wouldn’t be caused by Emma.

That didn’t mean there were no — issues surrounding this entire situation.

First and most importantly, Sergei — Mr. Nikulov — no, that was no good, she was already on first-name terms with him and there was no going back on that, certainly not inside her own head. Sergei was married.

Well. Accuracy was important. She did not know it to be a fact, but the most logical conclusion from the available information was that Sergei was very likely to be married. He wore what very much appeared to be a wedding ring. On his right hand, but that was the Russian custom. Still — he had never actually mentioned a wife or a family. The subject had not come up. Margo had not brought it up.

The next significant issue was inescapable. It presented, well, a very literal red flag. Sergei was a Soviet. His nation and her nation were adversaries. That remained a fact, despite this mission on which the two of them were now working, meant to be a symbol of peace.

And yet, ever since that night at 11:59, Margo was unable to think of Sergei as the enemy. Yes, he’d infuriated her the first couple of days here, but that night, he’d let her see past his façade, and they’d been able to truly connect.

And what a connection it was. She’d known exactly where his thoughts were going the moment he began tearing up that coaster. The experience of working on the docking system design with him that night had been beyond exhilarating. Their scientists’ minds were so well attuned to one another, it almost took her breath away.

This was why Margo couldn’t, in her own thoughts at least, deny that she did find him attractive. His appearance, yes. But more than anything, his mind.

But there was another issue, stemming from the previous one. Because he was a Soviet, Sergei’s presence in her life was inevitably temporary. Before long, he would be returning home to the other side of the world. When the Apollo-Soyuz project was concluded, she would in all likelihood never see him or speak to him again.

She wasn’t ready to think about how that knowledge made her feel.

And yet, perhaps — perhaps it wasn’t a drawback after all. Perhaps it was even something to note in the positive column?

Sergei was married. Probably. Maybe. He was a Soviet, definitely. And he would be going home before long, and she would never see him again.

So, really, what was the problem here? For all of these reasons, nothing beyond professional, if friendly, collaboration could ever actually happen between them. Of course it couldn’t. The idea should be unthinkable, really.

Knowing this — that she wasn’t going to act on it, that nothing was going to happen — what would be so wrong with indulging herself just a little? In, what, a crush? That term felt so juvenile. An attraction? Maybe even a tiny little bit of a flirtation?

Margo knew she’d spent long enough overthinking this. She needed to get dressed. She considered the red suit in her hand.

She knew it looked nice. It did go with the blouse she’d already picked out. It had no pockets; an inconvenience, but one she could deal with. She knew the skirt fit quite snugly, restricting her movements somewhat. But that shouldn’t matter; a string of professional meetings was all she had on the schedule for today. It wasn’t as if she’d need to be crawling around on her hands and knees in this outfit, or anything absurd like that.

All right. She’d decided. He liked red. She was going to wear red.

***

When Margo entered the outer office, dressed and ready for the day, Emma smiled at her.

“That is such a good color on you, ma’am. You know, when I bought that suit for you, they also had it in a forest green and a navy, and those would have worked for you, too. But I liked this dark red color; it was called ‘Pomegranate.’ I’m glad I picked it.”

Noticing Margo’s footwear, she smiled more broadly. “And I’m really glad I got you those shoes that match it so well, too. You look great.”

Margo kept her voice carefully neutral. “Thank you, Emma. You know I always appreciate your fashion sense.” That was the simple truth.

***

Arriving in the design room with Emma, Margo approached Sergei seated at a table covered with blueprints and plans. He had on a blue shirt and a brown sweater vest. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought it was a different, if similar, brown sweater vest to the one he’d been wearing that night in his office when she’d invited him to meet her at 11:59. How many of those things did the man own? Not that she thought it was a bad look on him, though. Although — the black turtleneck and jacket he’d changed into that night had been better.

She greeted him briskly. “Mornin’.”

“Ah. Morning,” he replied. “Nice color.”

“This?” Why had her voice gone so high pitched just then? Margo found herself looking down at her shoulder, as if she didn’t know what color her own suit was. As if she hadn’t decided to wear it specifically for him.

Sergei nodded.

She had felt his eyes lingering on her, for just a few seconds, but appreciatively. And Margo remembered that it could be quite nice to have a man look at her like that. If it was a man like him.

The blue shirt brought out the color of his eyes so well.

Margo smiled, just a little. And hoped her hair would hide it when she started to blush.

The idea of using this prompt for a red suit-themed mini fic would not leave me alone this past week. I intended to leave it until after I get through my current longer work in progress, but then I had four hours in the car this weekend and mostly composed this in my head while listening to the FAM S1 and S2 playlists. (Fantastic road trip playlists, by the way.) I totally see how this fic writing thing goes now. Constant losing battle against new ideas invading your brain. Anyway, this was fun and I hope you all enjoy it!

[imekitty]

Tomorrow. I will update Disillusioned tomorrow.

[stunt-lads]

Get ready for the content I will post next month

[far-away-from-tulsa]

posted something soda centric on ao3… homesicks… hehe… also posted my darry thing from a couple of weeks ago

[citedesdames]

[casuallyobssessed]

feverishly writing some kinda fucked up stalker!neo based on @/97keanu's j.ai bot 🫡 gonna try to finish it in time for Keanuween :3c

[timothylawrence]

i know 90% of the reason why i have zero creative juices is because of the state of my country/region but man being unable to write like I used to is kinda getting to me 😀😀

[katatonicimpression]

Hmm maybe it's not worth this but like... ok so is it biphobic to object to St. John flirting with Cecilia in x-factor?

My Credentials, My Qualibications:

I'm bi (as if that's unusual on this app lol). I have many a bi headcanon, and many a canon bi fave.

I'm aware that, in general, in these types of fandom spaces, it's pretty common to see people insist that hc queer characters must be gay. And it's not unusual to see people claim that canon bi characters are actually gay. There's this weird idea that gay is somehow "more queer" than bi, or even that it's more pure. This is annoying as hell and, more importantly, biphobic.

I'm still mad about a time years ago when I saw someone call Maeve from The Boys a lesbian (and in context they definitely meant not bi) when that show has an entire bit about how PR deliberately pretends she's gay in order to not have to sell her bisexuality to the public. It was, like, 3 years ago and i'm still mad at that comment.

On the flip side, there is also a phenomenon where people take canon gay characters and say "but they should be bi actually". Think Willow from Buffy and Bobby Drake. This is also incredibly fucking irritating. Willow's a bit off topic for this blog (but my bug with it is that her history with boys as a teenager is actually very typical for a lesbian and therefore isn't really a relevant point on its own for why she "should" be bi). When it comes to Bobby, I've ranted about this a million times already, but in short:

Bobby's history of queercoding is specifically gay coding. The subtext (and in some cases practically text) is primarily focused on his attraction to women being a perfomative lie, masking his actual interest in men. It is not about him being into guys too, but rather about him being into guys instead of women.

So, what about Pyro?

I Think It Matters that It's Not Canon:

With St. John, we have a character who is portrayed as camp/flamboyant/however you wanna call it in his earliest appearances. Plain as day queer-coding. Textbook. We also have some extra-textual information that, yes, the original intention was to portray a gay man.

Later on, we get some softer queer-coding with St. John's relationship with Avalanche, and specifically the Legacy Virus and its AIDS metaphor.

We also, bizarrely, have the whole Simon Lasker thing, which could be interpreted as a metatextual nod to the original intention of gay pyro, and/or to the allerdrake dynamic in the 2000s films. On a weird, metatextual level, this was kind of a retroactive queer-coding of St. John.

But then they brought him back and Gerry Duggan (*spits on ground, makes sign of the cross*) wrote St. John as seemingly being attracted to Jean Grey, and now Russell wrote him as hitting on with Cecilia Reyes in X-Factor. The latter panel is easily the most unambiguous portrayal of Pyro as being attracted to women in his entire comics history (there are other moments, but are more open to interpretation).

Thus, the Simon Lasker thing ends up being recast in a totally different light. Since Duggan, Lasker is no longer a nod to Gay Pyro as a concept, but rather he is the Gay Pyro.

Could St. John still plausibly be bi? Yeah, of course. But bear in mind that he hasn't been queer-coded since he died. He has not been portrayed as maybe interested in men since that scene with Avalanche more than 20 years ago.

The flirtation with Reyes isn't simply saying "this guy is into women too", but rather it's establishing him as interested in women, and women only, with no canonical or subtextual nod to any queer identity.

I think that matters. This scene reads as straight-washing adjacent because it's textual, plainly canon and therefore surplants his (now decades old) subtextual queer-coding.

But What If It Was Canon:

Let's be absolutely clear, if St. John is portrayed as canonically bi, i'd be so into it.

I personally hc him as gay currently, but that's entirely vibes based and I'd be so psyched to get bi!pyro... byro... (sorry)

If they were to go down this route in canon, it would render any complaint about the flirting with Reyes biphobic, because the context would have changed entirely.

And, unlike Bobby, I think that making St. John bi would do a service to his earlier queer-coding. The stuff with Avalanche and the Legacy Virus in particular. That storyline feels very suitable to a bi interpretation.

Gay Stereotyping and the Bisexuals:

Before we wrap up, the lingering question is whether St. John's original dandy persona, and the word-of-god knowledge that the stereotyping was very much intentional, should be taken as implying a gay or a bi character?

And this is stupid. It's hair splitting. It does not matter.

But, it is interesting. Culturally, we talk as if campy flamboyant stereotypes denote gay men, and butch, sexually agressive stereotypes denote lesbians. And, while homophobes don't usually hold a coherent enough picture of what these terms even mean to be worth arguing with them, when we talk about these things within the community, there's something going on here, right?

Bi women can be butch, bi men can be campy. Bi people can come across as obviously, visibly queer on sight (both unintentionally and in public performance of queer-coded traits). And gay people can seem straight af. So, why does it feel that OG pyro was very much originally intented to be gay and not another flavour of queer?

Because he does, right? That's the vibe. Michael Caine's character in Miss Congeniality (the quintissential example of queer-coding) is definitely supposed to be read as a gay man, right?

This is probably an essay question in its own right. Hell, it's probably a thesis question. But it is an interesting area of discussion, the intersection between bi-invisibility and queer-coding.

In Conclusion:

So, this is actually me sowing seeds of my inevitable 3 volume treatise on queer coding and how everyone's wrong but me.

For Pyro? As I said, I've been there. I get it. It's upsetting when people insist that a character can't be bi. They have to be gay because they want them to be. It sucks.

But I hope I managed to explain some of why that panel comes across as a quasi straight-wash, even though it's compatible with a bi interpretation.

Also, this is a bit character who's in barely any comics. And this is niche and doesn't matter. So really I shouldn't have written anywhere near this much lol.

While we're here. TAS Pyro: straight and an arsehole. Evo Pyro: his one true love is the flame.

[vakarianshepard]

i'm almost finished with ME2 and i haven't gotten any of the fic or character writing i was hoping to do done lol

i mean obviously i can work on it whenever i want but idk. especially for the stuff about alexa it's easier for me to write about it as i play through the game. and i just. . . haven't done that😅

[herrscherofmagic]

finally caught up with the current HI3rd event, the Luna one! so time to share lots of random thoughts, hehe

It felt a bit surreal first seeing this conclusion to the Captainverse story, but now that I've gone through the whole thing I can say that I really liked the way Mihoyo handled it. Of course there are details that I'm still iffy on, like the whole Luna-aged-over-10,000-years thing is pretty clearly fan service-y; but even that doesn't bother me too much.

More than anything else, I appreciate how the Captainverse gave us a happy ending for the "holy trinity of depression" in HI3rd's main story: Kallen, Himeko, and Sirin. All three of them suffered so much in the main story, after all.

Even if these bubble-world versions of them aren't the originals, it's still heartwarming to see them looking forward to a brighter future, instead of being faced with certain doom in the face of powers beyond their understanding.

Himeko especially hits me in the feels, not just because of Final Lesson but all the way back in her late teens when she lost her father, as we saw in the Alien Space manga. It was a completely life-changing event for her, and if she hadn't lost her father there then Himeko could've followed her passions and lived a very different life.

The Captainverse Himeko isn't the same Himeko, but it feels like she's carrying on that same dream. It's almost like a different version of the Kiana-MemoryHimeko reunion in the Flamescion arc; but instead of a mature Himeko seeing off her student, it's the young Himeko starting a new adventure and following her dreams...

I also loved how well Mihoyo wrote the Captainverse cast. The way everyone interacts w/ each other felt so natural imo, it was really nice seeing all the different connections that started popping up. The rivalry between Luna and Kongming, the budding friendship between Bronie and Sirin, Himeko & Captain, and so on. There was very little technobabble or convoluted plot stuff (at least in my opinion) for most of the Captainverse events. All these fun character interactions were the center of attention, and it was an absolute blast! ^.^

There's two final thoughts I have about the Captainverse, and I know that Mihoyo probably isn't going to explore either of these possibilities, but I'll choose to dream that it'll happen someday >.<

First: The Main Story showed us that HoFi Kiana has the power to stabilize an entire bubble world. Even if she didn't, the Earth civilization is still pretty advanced thanks to the Divine Keys (1st Key and 2nd Key especially). So if the Captainverse Hyperion crew ever encountered Earth and met our Main Story cast... wouldn't that be the perfect solution to the bubble world dilemma? After all, much of the pain these characters have gone through was the result of the inevitable decay and collapse of unstable bubble worlds (which is nearly all of them).

I doubt it'd ever happen in the story, but I'd still love to see how the Hyperion crew would react to meeting their "real" selves, and to discovering that there's a way to save all these worlds. Of course there's probably countless bubble worlds so not ALL can be saved, but every world saved is still a massive achievement!

And I'm curious how they'd react to the existence of the Imaginary Tree. As far as I can tell, none of their bubble worlds seem to have any idea that the Imaginary Tree exists. They likely have no clue that there is a Cocoon of Finality, or that Earth is a thing and that it's part of a solar system, and so on. So learning about all these things would probably be a huge revelation for them. Kinda like a Plato's cave allegory. Which is quite fitting tbh, since bubble worlds are basically shadows of the "real worlds".

Second: I genuinely believe the Captainverse cast would fit perfectly in the setting of Honkai: Star Rail.

One obvious point is that the Hyperion crew is a clear candidate for a Path of Trailblaze faction. Instead of traveling across the Imaginary Tree with the Astral Express, they travel through the Sea of Quanta on their own Hyperion. They don't connect "real worlds" and I don't think it's accurate to say they connect bubble worlds, but they're still able to travel between them and transfer people and ideas. Surely with enough time they could come up with a way to truly bridge the gap between different bubble worlds, and then they'd be a near perfect thematic parallel of the Astral Express- just in the Sea of Quanta instead of on the Imaginary Tree.

Then there's also the fact that most of the Hyperion crew members have a strong ambition to travel, explore, adventure, and so on. Bronie and Himeko want to see what lies in the countless worlds of the Starry Sea, Captain wants to continue traveling between worlds and helping people, Sirin wants to grow stronger and learn how to better protect her own world, and so on. Almost any of these characters could feasibly join the Astral Express if given the opportunity (and if they weren't already part of Hyperion).

I also feel like their character dynamics would fit HSR's balance of sillyness and seriousness. The Captainverse crew can all get serious when they need to, but they're also capable of plenty of fun shenanigans. I could imagine them getting into trouble and engaging in a bit of tomfoolery just as easily as I could imagine them facing down the Antimatter Legion and fighting to save a world from its impending doom.

Again, there's basically 0% chance of this happening... but I'd still love to see it someday. The Captainverse crew might be a bunch of familiar faces but they all have their own unique origins, ambitions, skills, personality, and so on. They're not just mere copies of the "real" versions of themselves, but they've become their own characters through this story.

It does hurt a bit, knowing that this cast is ultimately going to be relegated to side stories and temporary events. I believe that if you changed some of the terminology and character designs a bit, then the story of the Captainverse could probably stand entirely on its own as an independent piece of media. The concept of traveling between unstable and decaying worlds in the Sea of Quanta, the use of consciousness mapping and how it affects both the world & the user, the Ether Anchors; all these ideas are well-developed and they're conveyed in a story with a lovable cast. There's so much potential here, and this story doesn't really need the rest of the HI3rd story to give context to these characters and the setting they're in.

If this is truly the end of the Captainverse, I'd still be satisfied. If we still get Captainverse content but it's just minor stuff, I'd still be satisfied. I think this event did a great job of answering questions, tying up loose ends, and leaving things open for the future.

But despite that, I still wish we could see more of this cast. I want to see Bronie reuniting with Ciora and Theresa, Sirin growing stronger with time as she explores the Sea, Himeko's excitement in traveling across worlds, Kallen & Luna bonding and growing past their troubled past.

at this point I probably care about the Captainverse as much if not more than the Main Story. I'm excited about Mars, don't get me wrong... but the Sea!!! the bubble worlds!! Himeko & Sirin & Kallen & everyone else!! >~<

[kelasian]

Lexember 2024: Day 15

Sorkish

larák- [lɐˈrɑk] v. 1. curse 2. curse, swear → larkáb [lɐrˈgɑb] n. curse → larká [lɐrˈgɑ] adj. cursed → larkalár [lærgɐˈlɑr] n. curse word zúl- [ˈzul] v. 1. hurt, ache (transitive) 2. suffer (intransitive) → zúlub [ˈzulʊb] n. pain, ache → zulbá [zʊlˈbɑ] adj. painful → yerzúl- [jɘrˈzul] v. hurt (someone) (likely from ye- "causative" + ra- "augmentative" + zúl- "hurt")

Chytari

teuya [ˈtəu̯jɐ] v. curse → teuza [ˈtəu̯ʒɐ] n. curse aika [ˈɛɪ̯kɐ] n. torment, suffering, torture (likely from Standard Imperial Alteian áyaka "pain") → aikaya [ɛɪ̯ˈkɐjɐ] v. torture

[crowdedstrangers]

[cottagecore-raccoon]

🌹!

Have some chronic pain Aziraphale from my frog prince AU:

Zira slowly sat up, and stifled a groan as her back ached in protest. She curled one knee up and twisted. “Fuck,” she whispered to herself as she felt the painful stretch in her lower back. She repeated the process on the other side, feeling the bit of air pulled from her lungs.

Send me a rose for a WIP snippet

[taniushka12]

fun fact alan's name is only spoken both in universe and in the narration only after the first 1000 words, his ghost lingering nonetheless