#Business Bay pog!!!!

[divinemissem13]

Happy Threshold.2! And happy 2 days until Prodigy season 2! Let's celebrate with a silly little flash fic, inspired by the prompt "I've made a calculated error."

Jankom Pog CanNOT Fix It

"Jankom! Have you seen this?" Dal exclaimed, crashing through the door of their shared quarters so loudly that Jankom nearly fell out of his chair.

"WHAT?" exclaimed the irritated Tellarite. He was really trying to be on his most agreeable behavior, now that he was an actual Starfleet (warrent) officer… but Dal made it hard sometimes.

Dal waved a PADD in Jankom's face and offered only the sparcest of explanations: "This! How could they not tell us about this?? We could make it to Solum and back in no time!"

"Uh… Jankom has no idea what you are talking about," the engineer stammered unconvincingly. Of course he had learned about the spore drive in his engineering classes, but that technology had been declared unsafe and classified over a century ago. There was no way Dal could have just stumbled upon it on his own.

"Look," Dal insisted, finally holding the PADD still long enough for Jankom to read it.

"WARP TEN?!" Jankom yelped. OK, so not the spore drive then… at least that was a relief. "Warp ten is impossible," he declared, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, it isn't," Dal insisted. "Look, Admiral Janeway herself did it! I wonder why she doesn't just use it now?"

"The Voyager-A is not equipt to handle warp ten. But the original Voyager wasn't either… Hmmm," Jankom skimmed the rest of the article, scratching his head as he thought. "The shuttle modifications don't look all that complicated…"

"So you could do it? We could do it? Go warp ten, find Chakotay, get Gwyn, and be back in time for gamma shift?" Dal begged, his neck appendage swishing excitedly behind him.

"Maaaaybe…" Jankom said reluctantly, but that was all Dal needed to hear.

"Yes! I knew it! Let's go!" Dal exclaimed, already dragging Jankom towards the door.

His enthusiasm was contagious, and Jankom did love a challenge, so he brushed aside his doubts (like why wouldn't Admiral Janeway have just done this to begin with if it's so easy), and gleefully followed Dal to the shuttle bay. 🔟 🦎🦎🦎 🔟

The EMH closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. Holograms don't get headaches, but he had spent enough time with Kathryn Janeway to know when one might be appropriate.

"Let me guess, warp ten?" he asked dryly.

Dal and Jankom Pog sat on biobeds in front of him, nodding miserably.

The change was subtle on Jankom, the all-too-familiar slimy scales largely camoflaged by the Tellarite's thick hide. He probably could have concealed it a bit longer if not for the fact that he was struggling to breathe the ship's air.

Dal, on the other hand, had not only begun to sprout scales and lose the ability to breathe, but the various contributions to his DNA seemed to be evolving at different rates which caused body parts to bulge and change at random. It must have been terribly uncomfortable, and the EMH might even have felt sorry for him if not for the fact that it was the boy's own fault.

"You are very lucky to have me on board. I am the only doctor in the entire fleet who knows how to reverse this, you know," the EMH bragged. He probably could have continued on for quite a while, tooting his own horn, if not for the newest arrival to sickbay.

"Doctor, just get on with it. You can tell them about your endless accomplishments later," Admiral Janeway ordered sternly, adding under her breath, "It can be a part of their punishment."

The EMH busied himself preparing the appropriate treatments while the Admiral marched over to the boys, a stern look plastered on her face. The boys cowered as she laid into them about responsibilities and regulations and punishments.

When she was done, she stood back, put her hands on her hips, and looked them over with a discerning eye. Her voice was gentler when she spoke again, and her eyes glinted with mischief. "Impressive work, boys. Don't do it again. You're just lucky we found you before you finished evolving." She leaned in conspiratorially and added, "I can tell you from experience, being a salamander ain't all it's cracked up to be."

With that, the Admiral turned on her heel and left the boys to the mercies of the EMH.

Dal appeared more confused than ever, but Jankom suddenly remembered something the Admiral had said long ago, when her consciousness was in Dal's body and he shouted, "WHAT?! JANKOM THOUGHT THAT WAS A JOKE!"

[thedroneicles]

Impacts of Social Media

After reading the article, "Before the Internet" and watching Max Stossels Talk, “We’ve Been Sneaking into Your Brain” I realize how much social media or technology has impacted our daily lives. “Before the Internet” article was a blast from the past. That is not to say that I am extremely old or extremely young, but I do remember a time when the only form of communication was a pager and I had to run over to a payphone and call whoever was trying to reach me. I remember those days where the only worry was what type of “POG” was I going to use or where I was going to ride my bike. BTW look up “POGS and Slammers”. Social Media influence in my life has consumed about half my day. I am a photographer on the side and a lot of my marketing goes into marketing my photos that I take of unique landmarks in Los Angeles. With that being said, I am constantly checking for notifications, emails, comments, likes and much more. Social Media to me is more than just social media and checking up on the latest, it’s a business for me that has helped me grow my portfolio. When Max Stossel was explaining the impacts on how certain apps have algorithms to grab our focus, I immediately started thinking of all the times I have lost focus because I got caught up on my phone. Then I tried to remember what I was thinking about, and I couldn’t for the life of me remember what task I was doing. When you think about how our brains are wired and the more, we fall down this technology rabbit hole, the more our brains are getting used to these apps and the more addicting it can be, just like the “slot machine” story in the video. One I think about the affects of social media in my life, I weight the pros and cons of everything. I do not believe that I will ever live my life without social media, but I do believe that taking steps back would help not only with focus, but with clarity and sleep. The “red” notifications that pop up on our phone gives me anxiety, but then I must ask myself why? Why does it bug me that much? You concluded missing out on something important, at least that’s how I feel about it. There were times when I had no internet and I think it was when I went camping with my family in the Bay area of California. It was a 4-day trip without any access to phone or internet. Might have been the best time of life to disconnect and enjoy the moment with my family. I remember everything vividly.  I came back refreshed; I was able to sleep a full eight hours and I had no worries about what I was missing in the tech world. We have an assignment coming up and I am going to experiment a 24-hour day without the use of the internet or phone (minus important calls) to see how that would improve my lifestyle in terms of reducing my use of technology. I will then proceed to continue to not use my phone or any tech for the first hour I wake up and the last hour I go to sleep. My next blog will document everything. Stay Tuned! #socialmedia #Beforetheinternet #We'vebeensneakingintoyourbrain #technology

[ao3feed-crimeboys]

Of Sunshine Princesses And Kingdoms Of Ice

by Riyummy

Thalia wants to do the best for her kingdom. Her parents had failed them, and she was determined to fix her family’s mistakes. It’s really unfortunate that another icy empire have set their sites on her home.

—

Fem tommy. Her name is Thalia :)

Words: 1451, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 4 of Female Tommy Pog (I have no idea what I’m doing gods help me)

Fandoms: Dream SMP

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Other

Characters: Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Phil Watson | Philza, Justin | TimeDeo, Bitzel (Video Blogging RPF), Luke | LukeOrSomething

Relationships: Tommyinnit & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson

Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Dark Sleepy Bois Inc, Yup I’m trying this again, Crimeboys - Freeform, She/Her Pronouns for TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Royalty, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Assassination, yuhhhh, Business Bay Faction on SMPEarth (Video Blogging RPF), Antarctic Empire Faction on SMPEarth (Video Blogging RPF), Tags Are Hard, Princess TommyInnit, not me making tags bc wtf is going on, i made this off a comment while I have like three other fics going, BAMF TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Business Bay is an Empire, OOC, Out of Character, I’ve never watched smp earth lmao, ITS ABOUT CHARACTERS NOT CCS!!!!, reality is my bitch, therefore time isn’t real, Abused TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), yeahhhhhh

[strawberrylemonz]

Strictly Business

Part 3

Part 4 [CURRENT]

Part 5

DT: @lynnarts @snapdragonfirefly @artistconk

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

Techno was busy today. Tommy couldn’t help but notice that the king was becoming more and more busier as the days turned to years. He couldn’t really complain, he was busy too. He was a big man, after all! Big men have big men things to do! Besides, Tommy was eight now! He had big man classes to take! He had to be the cool one and attend to his princely matters. Life was great, but it was also boring as days went by. Don’t get him wrong, he enjoyed his time in the castle. The only downside was his repetitive schedule whilst he grows older. Going into his daily lessons was starting to become boring and lonely, no matter how many instructors and guards were around him. As much as he cared for and appreciated everyone, he desperately wanted friends. More importantly, he wanted friends his age.

“Prince Theseus, you did wonderfully! That concludes today’s lesson! Be sure to go over all of the study material for testing. Have a nice afternoon.”

His instructor didn’t even wait for him to answer, packing up and leaving the room. The young prince sighed, boredom already filling him. Peeking out the room, he took note that his usual guards weren’t there. Slowly creeping out, he peered over the corner to see them conversing with each other. Peeking over to the nearest clock, he realized that his instructor had dismissed him early. Smiling to himself, he quietly slipped away. Once he was sure that he wasn’t being watched, he slipped behind a pillar. Crawling into a small hole behind it, he stood up into the secret tunnels. He had discovered the tunnels after his seventh birthday. He spent so long in them, cleaning and decorating them, that he had the entire layout of the castle memorized. It was the answer to how he managed to never miss a class so far, which impressed everyone. It was his little secret, one that he loved. Making his way down the tunnels, he swapped his princely coat for a brown cloak he left in the tunnels to work as a backup disguise. He had successfully changed into his casual shoes as he finally came across a wall. Moving a bit of stone out of the way, he peered into the cellar of the castle. After confirming that it was empty, he crawled out and returned the stone. Scrambling to the cellar doors that led outside, he carefully opened them. He suppressed a giggle as he made it outside, unseen.

“Are the carts ready to go?”

He heard people approaching, their voices growing in volume as they walked closer to his direction. Looking around, he hummed as he climbed into a cart of hay. Squeezing himself into the hay as a hiding spot, he suppressed his laughter as he felt the cart move. After a few minutes, he peeked out to see that he was out of the castle walls and in the city. Wonderful. He waited until the cart stopped at the edge of the city before getting out. Smiling to himself, he happily set off to search for adventure in the unexplored parts of the city.

--------

The water looked beautiful. Tommy happily watched the fish swim about the docs, a bundle of flowers in his hand as he studied their colors and forms. He was content with just sitting there, listening as the citizens went about their day. His smile faltered, however, when he heard yelps. Peering to the right of him, he saw some older boys follow two boys into the woods. The two boys, who appeared to be around Tommy’s age, seemed nervous. Puffing his cheeks in anger and annoyance, Tommy stood to his feet and stomped over to the group. He watched as the older preteens pushed the two boys to the ground, laughing as they teased the two. Tommy had enough of it. Putting the flowers in his knapsack, he stormed up the older boys, anger fueling him. These pricks didn’t have the right to be such jerks!

“Hey! Leave them alone!”

The older boys turned to face Tommy, who stood behind them in a confident stance. He crossed his arms in annoyance as the older boys barked out in laughter. They couldn’t see the anger that was filling the boy’s eyes, eyes hidden beneath the hood of his cloak.

“Aw, da wittle baby came to save his fwiends?”

“What are you gonna do, brat? Cry?”

Tommy was fuming! He wasn’t a baby! He was a big man! As prince, it was his job to take care of the people of the kingdom! Picking up a large stick, Tommy pointed it at the boys with confidence.

“I’ll fight you!”

And he did. Despite his size, he was able to do pretty good damage to his foes. Despite the lack of experience due to Techno just now putting him in lessons, he held his own for a good amount of time. But a stick in the hands of a child could only do so much. As he swung at the knees of another boy, he was intercepted. His stick was snatched away, causing him to momentarily lose his balance. He couldn’t help the yelp that escaped his lips as he was snatched up by the collar of his cloak.

“Aw, is the baby scared now that he’s been stopped? You really shouldn’t have done that, brat. Now, we’re gonna make you regret it.”

Tommy gave no shits. Screaming a string of curse words he picked up from the guards who were off duty, Tommy reeled back his foot. Using all his strength, he kicked the boy in the crotch with all his might. The boy cursed, doubling over in pain. Tommy used this chance to try and run to the terrified boys he was helping, but he was stopped. A friend of crotch boy pulled him into the air.

“You little shit! You’re gonna pay for that!”

The next thing Tommy knew, he was pummeling towards a sharp rock. That was the moment that Tommy realized he had been thrown to the ground. Remembering the safety lessons he was taught, he covered his head as he hit the ground, the sharp rock cutting his cheek. Anger and hurt filled him as tears filled his eyes, head swimming with many thoughts as laughter filled the air. Wiping away his tears, Tommy returned to his feet, turning to face the older boys. The laughter instantly stopped. Tommy was confused by their widened eyes, fear filling their gazes. He reached up to wipe the blood that was trailing from his cut, only to realize why they were acting weird. His hood was off.

“The prince!”

“Shit! Run, quick!”

“Fuck, the king is gonna be pissed off! Scurry!”

Fucking cowards. Huffing, Tommy frowned at his dirtied clothes, along with his bruises and scrapes. Pa was not going to like this.

“You were so cool!”

“Yeah! Thank you!”

Tommy turned to see the two boys happily yapping about how cool Tommy had looked when he stood up and fought against the older boys. He blinked a few times, a small smile finding its way to his face.

“Cool?”

“Yeah! Very cool!”

“Cool! Cool!”

“I guess it kind of was. They were cowards, though.”

“You’re bleeding! Oh no!”

The two boys began to panic as they began to realize how injured the boy really was. Much to their relief, the cut on his cheek was the only injury to break skin.

“I’m Luke, this is Bitzel. Thank you for saving us!”

“Er, I’m Tommy. It’s no problem, big man.”

“C’mon, we know someone that can help with the bleeding so it doesn’t get infected!”

Tommy hesitated for a moment, but only a moment. Nodding to the two boys, he followed them to a small cottage on the edge of the city. He snorted in amusement as the two barged in, uninvited. Following them in, he took off his shoes and placed them besides the shoes of the boys. Taking off his cloak, he let Bitzel hang it up as Luke called out into the house.

“Deo! Your bestest buddies are here! We have someone who needs help! His name is Tommy!”

Tommy tilted his head in confusion as Deo entered the room. He had expected an adult or guardian of some sort, not an eleven year old boy. Deo took one look at Tommy, only to sigh as he faced the other two boys.

“Luke, Bit, why is Prince Theseus here?”

“He saved us!”

“Pf, your real name is Theseus?”

“That’s one of my middle names, my real name is Thomas. That doesn’t matter, I told you guys to call me Tommy!”

Before anyone knew it, Tommy got into a playful banter with the other two children his age. Just as he was about to start cursing, a hand stopped him. Peering over his shoulder, he watched as Deo flashed him a genuine smile.

“Alright Tommy, let’s get you cleaned up. Want something to eat while you're at it?”

“Uh, sure. Thanks, big man.”

Deo just snorted as he ruffled the younger boy's hair, motioning the three kiddos to follow him. Tommy felt warmth squeeze his heart as he slowly touched his hair, feeling the spot where Deo’s hand once was. Giving himself a smile, Tommy laughed as he followed the three into the dining room. He may have just found what he was looking for.

[wisp-exe]

*sigh* I’ll bite. What’s ur idea -🐌

TOMMY,, HOTEL,, BUSINESS BAY,,

[thatoneao3writer]

Business Bayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

So we've established that they're Tommy's school friends duh

But also I think that they know bizarre facts about the Syndicate just because Tommy won't shut up about it

Also one time they were playing hide and seek and they accidentally stopped a bank robbery; they don't even know they did it

And Wisp betraying them was when Wisp moved to a new school because of his parents job

Ayeee business bay pog!!! love this! <3

also pffft honestly accidentally stopping a bank robbery is on brand for them lmao. probably goes like deo wanting to hide in a van that was somehow left in front of the bank, all doors open and engine on. so he hid and he got found, but before leaving, he decided to close the doors because what if someone decided to take it and make a run for it?

but does that mean the van's still there when the robbers finally decided to get back to the van before the police caught up to them? nope! because deo also somehow deactivated the parking brakes. and yes, the van rolled downhill because there's just no way it wouldn't.

those robbers just had the worst luck smh.

- 🏒

[jamisynbradford]

Saturday, April 16 ◦ Determined to make the most of rainy days, we got up early the next morning and drove to the Ha'ena National Park (about 30 min) to do the Kalalau trail. As we approached, we saw that we needed a ticket to get in which we did not have. Upon looking at the reservations, it appeared there were no passes for the whole week. This was a major blow as this had been part of the attraction to staying up north! With the wind taken out of our sails, we returned to the snorkel place where we rented the chairs and snorkels and the guy working the counter suggested we walk around stone dam starting at the dog park around Kiluea. We put that on our list of things to do ◦ We walked around Hanalei and stopped at a kind of weird and tiny farmers market that was next to a huge taro (kalo) field. From my later reading, I learned that early Hawaiian religion believed the kalo was the first hawaiian and their eldest ancestor. ◦ We then went back to the resort and checked out the hot tubs and pools. We made a lot of resort friends which is apparently what you do at resorts! When I watched White Lotus on HBO I thought it was weird how much everyone at the resort was involved in each other’s business but it turns out you do see people over and over ◦ Hot tubbing in there rain was amazing. We closed our eyes and tried to feel each individual drop or just count how many drops fell on one part of our thumb. We also really couldn't stop watching and listening to other people's conversations. I hope we weren't obvious... ◦ We went to Princeville Foodland to get some groceries and got the best açaí bowl at this place called “the spot”. Coincidentally there was a hula and ukulele show in the food court while we were there. Love love Hawaiian music - and the first song they played: Hawaiian Supa man! ◦ Then we went to Hanalei bay to sit and watch the sunset ◦ After, we went to Kalypso and got onion rings, papaya coke slaw, and steamed vegetables - and a mai tai and pog vodka

[technobladebrainrot]

bruh it’s so sad that we’re probably not gonna get the other business bay boys on the smp because i think that would be v pog

[businessbois]

Hi :)! Since you said no one else has considered you for endorsements I come here to say that PTIDE2021 will also be running and having your endorsement would be pog champ :0! We aren’t as big as Tapeworm2021 but we do have a lot of proposals regarding how we should banish Wilbur soot to supercell, give ghostbur everything he could ever want, burn anyone who has ever been mean to tapl and many many more! We’re also a combined group of Tubbo and Tommy enthusiasts with Wilbur analysists, so we have variety >:)! And with your endorsement, we could bring into the table any proposal of your liking :D! (Maybe a business bay commemoration day who knows 👀?)

oh shit, im like honored that people are coming into my inbox to campaign. gotta say, your policies are pretty tight, especially burning people who are mean to tapl. and you clearly know where to get me with that business bay. i really do feel like alexander hamilton from the hit musical hamilton during the song "the election of 1800."

someone tell me when the election is? how long do i have to make up my mind?

[shepard-ram]

We’ve had unhinged and feral SMPEARTH Tommy but now it’s time for feral unhinged y/n on SMP earth who is done with everyone and everything especially business bay and The AE . They just want to eat someone and admire their favorite musicians (this totally didn’t spawn from a convo between me and dodo in the Dsimp Society) 👁 anon

BRO YES- sometimes I want to wreck shit and be the scary one,,, that sounds pog as hell

[a-non-ymouswriter]

Hey Non,i am just curious

Have u known Tommy since Earth Smp or Dreamsmp? If from Earth,do u miss Business bay,or who’s ur fav?

Hope u r having a great day

dream smp, wish i was around for earth smp so i knew the business bay better. i really need to watch those and like, learn bc the stuff i've read about business bay both in fanfic and not has been pretty pog.

[bugsinthebayou]

:O i love that so much!! happy au pog :) if you have any headcanons or stuff you wanna infodump about, im totally down to hear it!! :> i love this au already lol

It's a fairly new au I came up with ngl.

Happy au pog!!

Tommy scams a lot more, and doesnt get into as many fights.

Tommy's horns are like schlatts, but completely black instead of dark brown :)

He has little tail

Remember business bay??? And how tommy wore lotsa suits???? Well he wears suits in the Dream smp from the start

[jayonashelf]

[Tommy time travel outsiders POV fic pog?]

[Dear, Tommy...] Chapter 1 -  Was your heart always aflame? (p.1)

ao3 link. | 1

Wilbur is the first one to realise that there’s something off about Tommy.

This could have been attributed to many things. The way his eyes had stopped glowing, devouring everything and everyone with an intensity that bordered on explosive. The way he had stopped smiling like a boy who had no idea how much he could lose and instead bared his teeth, beamed at others, almost like issuing a challenge.

Or maybe. Maybe it’s because Tommy comes to him one night, dishevelled and scared.

“Wilbur?” He asks, eyes wide, and maybe if Wilbur hadn’t just woken up, awakened by the frantic knocks on his door, he would have noticed how the boy’s voice shook.

“What the fuck do you want?” Wilbur grumbles while rubbing his eyes. “It’s bloody…it’s fucking 4 AM! What the fuck could you possibly want?”

“You’re alive…” Tommy whispers, clearly not really listening.

Wilbur frowns. “Of course, I’m fucking alive. Why would…?”

Then Wilbur pauses, blinks away the sleep from his eyes, and looks over Tommy. He looks like he just got out of bed. There’s no equipment strapped to his figure and while Tommy’s never been the brightest, Wilbur knows he’s not stupid. Clambering into his plane late at night, with no weapons or armour is stupid. Tommy was clearly not thinking straight when he left Business Bay.

“Wait.” Wilbur starts, before a grin overtakes his face. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Tommy blinks. “I – What?”

Wilbur laughs. “Did you have a nightmare about me dying? Aw! Are you here to check up on me?”

“It wasn’t – “ Tommy says. “It’s not funny!”

Wilbur ignores him. “Oh, it’s extremely funny! Tommy Innit himself stood at my doorstep because he had a bad dream!”

“It’s not fucking funny!” Tommy screams and that makes Wilbur pause once again. The kid’s voice is shaking and Wilbur is forcibly reminded that just because Tommy is brash and is more then ready to fist fight someone triple his size, it doesn’t mean that he’s not still twelve.

But Wilbur would rather would rather get a pet anteater then admit defeat to Tommy  Innit. (“You have to be strong. Transparent. Stand by your beliefs no matter what.” His father tells him once instead of reading a bed side story.)

So Wilbur sighs theatrically and let’s Tommy in. Brews him something warm and spends the rest of the night cracking jokes and not mentioning the reason Tommy came here in the first place. That would mean revealing vulnerability. Admitting that the little gremlin was growing on him and that seeing him risk death (no matter how temporary) to check up un on him just because he had a nightmare had floored Wilbur after he had actually processed what had happened.

“Are you gonna…” Tommy starts suddenly before he cuts himself off and hums. “Am I selfish?”

“Where is this coming from?”

“No no no. Just tell me Wilbur,” Tommy demands his eyes alight, yet –

His voice shook. Again.

Wilbur is not sure what to say. This is weird. This is very weird. That’s not how Tommy works. He doesn’t do emotions that aren’t anger or elation. He doesn’t do vulnerability.

“Please.”

“A little.” Wilbur says and when he sees something in Tommy’s eye’s die he quickly continues. “But aren’t we all? You’re a kid, Tommy. Where is this coming from?”

“It’s nothing.” Tommy mutters.

The rest of the night is spent in awkward silence. Wilbur must have said something wrong, but he doesn’t know what. Since when did Tommy care about stuff like that? He barged into his house for the pure purpose of stealing just a week ago. He gleefully started wars on a whim. He –

He was just a kid.

Tommy left in the morning. Alone and tired.

[strawberrylemonz]

A Mother for Two

Welcome to the continuation! As always, time to dedicate these chapters! Hope you all enjoy, especially @applepie1000

@petrichormeraki I will fist fight you lmaooo /j

Part 3

Part 4 [CURRENT]

Part 5

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

“You two sure you have everything you need?”

“We’re sure, Xisuma, jeez. It’s not like we’re leaving for good, we’ll be back by tonight.”

Grian snickered as Tommy was swiftly swatted on the backside of his head by Xisuma. Huffing, the boy griped as the group walked over to the portal leading to the Hub. As Xisuma gave the two another look over, Grian finally spoke up.

“Tommy and I will be just fine. We’ll just set up the fliers, get supplies, get our asses back here. Done, easy work.”

“Yeah, easy work!”

“Nothing is easy work when the two of you are together for too long. Just don’t cause too much trouble, nothing more than usual.”

After bidding farewell to Xisuma, the two boys walked into the portal. Instantly, voices chatting with each other filled the silence. The two stepped out of the portal and into the Hub. Players of all kinds here entering and leaving several portals. As the two made their way through the portal transportation section, Tommy examined all the portals. 

Hermitcraft

Stampy’s Lovely World

Pixelmon

MCC

Hypixel 

Cops and Robbers

There were so many portals to so many places. He had only been through the Hub to get to MCC. He was always focused on getting to his destination that he didn’t stop to look closely at every other portal around him. Stopping in his tracks, he stared at a ruined portal. It was grand and beautiful, but falling apart. It was cracked and broken, no longer activated. The giant sign above it proudly held it’s name, keeping the world from being forgotten.

SMP EARTH

Grian was walking when he felt something off. Turning around, he noticed that Tommy wasn’t following him. Tilting his head and looking around, he saw that Tommy was just standing there, staring. Excusing himself as he pushed passed the crowd, he eventually made his way to his brother. Before he could get onto his brother for immediately separating from him, he saw what his brother was looking at. Making a humming noise, he nudged Tommy before pulling out a large banner. Tommy nodded in understanding, and helped Grian unravel the banner. Working with haste, the two strung up the banner on the inactive portal. Once it was secured, they stood back and admired their work.

GRAND OPENING!!!! 

HERMITCRAFT PROUDLY PRESENTS:

INNIT AN ADVENTURE?!

We, in Hermitcraft, happily invite you to join us in the opening day of our latest amusement park, Innit an Adventure! Created by our very own TommyInnit, we encourage you to spend the day with us! Come join us as we make unforgettable memories! Keep an eye out for festival week, and join us for a wonderful night of dancing! 

Are you innit with us?

“Looks great!”

“Of course it does, we made it.”

“Yeah yeah, lets just finish the set up.”

Smiling, the two boys set up two podiums underneath the banner. Taking out a good amount of pamphlets and fliers, they neatly set them down on the podiums. Content, the two began to walk away from the portal as people began to stop at the ruin, murmuring in excitement for the adventure park. 

“This is going to be a success, I can already tell you that. Good job, baby brother.”

The two laughed as they made their way through the portal Hub. Grian noticed some people he recognized and waved them over, already pulling pamphlets out of his bag. Tommy laughed as he looked around, fliers in hand, searching for anyone who was willing to get one. That’s when he saw it. Gulping, he quietly walked up to a neon green portal. 

DREAM SMP

Reading the sign attached to the portal, Tommy saw that only whitelisted people could enter. He was whitelisted. He could walk in, right now, and possibly lose his final life tied to the world. Shaking his head, he snapped himself out of his thoughts and scoffed at them. He liked it in Hermitcraft, he didn’t want to leave it for a terrible past. He didn’t have to worry about permanently dying in Hermitcraft. He didn’t have to worry about losing his shit or having said shit used against him. 

“Although...”

As Tommy mumbled to himself, he eventually came to a final decision. Nodding to himself, he crumbled a couple fliers and chucked them into the portal, sending them to the SMP. It was common knowledge that, even though people couldn’t enter, they could send items. With the fliers crumbled up, it would appear as if random passerby’s just threw trash in, making it easy for Tommy to deny inviting them.

Tommy knew that he didn’t want to go back to his past, that much was crystal clear. But what was stopping his past from going to him? If they missed him as if and wanted to see him again, they would need to make the effort. Humming with approval, he walked over to Grian, who was finishing talking to his acquaintances. 

“Hey, big man, maybe we should send some of the fliers and pamphlets into the portals.”

Grian thought for a bit, before nodding in agreement. Taking half of Tommy’s fliers, Grian gave him half of his pamphlets. Nudging towards the main server, he explained his plan.

“I’ll handle the portals and the travelers, okay? You go out and hang up banners and set up more podiums. Meet me at Feast Street for lunch, okay?”

“Okay, okay, calm down. I can do this, I’m not useless.”

“Far from it. See you later, Toms, love you.”

Tommy stood in silence, watching his brother walk away. His brother’s proclamation of love had caught him by surprise. A smile formed on his face as a warm feeling bursted through his chest. Looking around, he found some crates nearby. Standing on them, he inhaled before hollering out.

“GRIAN!”

He saw his brother turn around, confused. He felt his face flush as a couple of strangers faced him as well. Ignoring them, he yelled out in confidence through the crowd.

“LOVE YOU TOO, BIG BROTHER!”

He saw Grian laugh, a big smile painted on his face. The two exchanged waves of goodbyes before turning their separate ways, ignoring the cooing noises from the crowd. Tommy laughed as he situated his satchel. Nodding, he made his way down to the capital city.

--------

Things were going great for Tommy. Do take note of the use of past tense, just pointing that out there. Now, Tommy was being scolded as if he were a child again. For Nether’s sake, he was 18! Yet, here he was, being scolded for something he didn’t do.

“I swear that I didn’t do shit!”

“Then why are you being so defensive?”

“Because you’re accusing me of crap that I didn’t even do!”

Apparently, according to the stupid shopkeeper that was currently giving him a hard time, some kids were going around and stealing stuff from the shelves. Due to the stress, the shopkeeper immediately accused Tommy of being apart of that group of kids. She wouldn’t let him leave, even after he explained himself. So there he stood, feeling like a helpless child once again.

“Is something the matter?”

Tommy turned to see a petite woman standing behind the shopkeeper, arms crossed. Despite her height, or lack of it, she seemed very intimidating. At least, that’s what the shopkeeper seemed to believe.

“Oh, ma’am, my apologies! I was just reprimanding this deli-”

“My son. You’re reprimanding my son.”

“Son???”

“SON??? WHAT???”

“What is she doing?”

“NEW PARENT POG???”

“Huhhhhhh??????”

“FINALLY OBTAINING A MOTHER, POG???”

“MUMZA???”

“MOTHERINNIT???”

Tommy perked up at this, peering over at the lady once more. The shopkeeper seemed flabbergasted at how blunt the woman was with her. The woman, however, stayed firm with her stance and gaze. 

“You’re son, ma’am?”

“Yes, my son. How many times do I need to repeat myself? I sent him in here to buy some fresh fruit to snack on before lunch, but I now see that was a mistake.”

“W-Wait, no! Ma’am, I didn’t-”

“We will find a different shop to go buy fruit at, instead. Do think about things before acting. Here,”

The woman grabbed a flier and a pamphlet from Tommy, handing it to the shopkeeper.

“You can make things up to both me and my son by telling shoppers about this. Now, we shall take our leave. Come on, dear.”

The woman held her hand out to Tommy, who nodded his head and took it. She led him out of the store and to the street, ignoring the apologies coming from the shopkeeper. Once they were a good distance away, she let go.

“Sorry about that, but you seemed stuck with her hounding you like that. I was going to ask for a flier or pamphlet, but figured I should help you instead.”

Tommy blinked a few times before laughing alongside the woman. Chat was laughing alongside them, taking a liking to the mysterious woman who had saved their little pogchamp.

“Ah, I should introduce myself. I’m Kristin, very nice to meet you! I’m originally from SMP Earth, but I somehow ended up here many years ago.”

“SMP Earth? Holy shit, I’m from there, too! I’m Tommy, by the way. Well, my actual name is Thomas, but everyone calls me Tommy. I’m from Business Bay, but I eventually became the youngest prince of the Antarctic Empire.”

“Youngest prince? Are you Phil’s brother?”

“What? Nah, he adopted me as his son.”

Tommy was startled as the woman, Kristin, began choking on air. Alarmed, he pat her back as he gave her a water bottle he had on him. After a while, she raised her hand and nodded, indicating that she was okay.

“Wow, he has a son. The world is ending, hah.”

“Four, actually. He has four sons.”

“Oh my god, I’m going to have a heart attack.”

Tommy laughed before asking what was on his mind. Judging by the breezy feeling that moved across his starry face, he knew that Clara led this woman to him.

“How do you know Phil?”

Kristin’s face brightened up as a small blush painted her cheeks.

“Er, how about I tell you about it as we walk?”

“Better yet, why don’t you tell me and my older brother about it over lunch?”

--------

Grian was not expecting Tommy to come back with an older woman. He didn’t mind, however, after hearing how she saved his brother from the shopkeeper’s rage. Laughing, he ruffled the younger boy’s hair. 

“Haha, you found a mother!”

“We’re brothers, so wouldn’t that make her our mother? Sheesh, dumbass.”

Kristin laughed out loud in the background, holding her stomach and she doubled over. Tommy happily smiled, very glad to have someone appreciate his language. Once they all gave proper introductions and a reason as to why Kristin was with them, they all got food and sad down at one of the outside tables.  After getting a few decent bites into their meals, Tommy spoke up.

“So,  how do you know Phil?”

“Ah, yes, that old fart-”

She smiled as both boys snorted at that statement. Taking a bite out her bread roll, she waited for them to settle down before. Nodding her head, she continued.

“It’s true, he is! Anyways, I knew him when I lived back on SMP Earth. I was, well, am the princess of a smaller kingdom back there. Phil’s parents had started a small kingdom of their own, the Antarctic Empire. My parents, along with his, arranged for the two of us to be married to one another. I would have usually thrown a fit at an arranged marriage, like I always did when they brought up suitors, but Phil and I actually liked each other, so we agreed. I disappeared before the wedding, however, fell through my mirror and into a hardcore world. Once I made it out of there, I ended up here. Been here ever since.”

Grian started choking out of surprise. Tommy and Kristin both moved quickly to help him, worried. Once he gave them a sign that he was okay, he adjusted himself.

“You’re Queen Kristin?”

“Queen?”

“Yeah. I read it in one of the books in the archive when I was younger. Although you disappeared, you were still married to my dad, and the two kingdoms were merged into one.”

“What?”

Kristin stared at Grian, confusion and disbelief painted her face. Suddenly, she groaned and hit her head against the table. 

“This explains why some of the things I bought took way too long to finalize! My last name has been Minecraft this entire time!”

Tommy and Grian shared a look of disbelief. This was the only thing she was concerned about? Being married to Phil wasn’t troubling or shocking news to her at all! Suddenly, Tommy’s eyes widened as he gasped, pointing at Kristin. 

“WHAT THE FUCK?! THAT MAKES YOU MY ACTUAL MOTHER.”

--------

Kristin helped them finish setting up banners and podiums. She also aided them in passing out fliers and pamphlets to passing people. Once they ran out, she walked them over to the Hub. As they stood at the entrance portal to Hermitcraft, Tommy hugged Kristin, who ran her fingers through her head. She may have been new to the whole mother thing, but her caring instincts were enough to comfort the young boy.

“I wish I could come, I really do, but I’m not on the list. I’ll have to wait until opening day.”

Before Tommy could whine, Grian spoke up. 

“What if we got you on the list? Would you move in, then?”

Kristin laughed as she pat Grian’s shoulder, a smile painting her face.

“Of course! I just found out I had family! You guys aren’t getting rid of me that easily. Here, take this. If you guys get me on the list, use this to get to my house.”

Tommy brightened up as he was given a compass labeled Kristin. He nodded as Grian promised. 

“Bye Kristin! See you around!”

“Bye Tommy, Grian, I’ll see you two soon.”

The boys watched as she walked away, a pep in her step as disappeared into the crowd. Nodding to each other, Tommy and Grian went home.

[rememberthattime]

Chapter 42. Christmas in Hawaii

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say, on a bright Hawaiian Christmas day

We’ve made it to Post #3 in this four-party holiday run. Where are we now? That’s right: the most wonderful time of the year, spent in one of the most wonderful places. Christmas on the North Shore.

Chelsay & I booked this Hawaii trip almost immediately after Chris & Sumner told us they were expecting. Meeting baby Orly, kicking it with young man Miles, and spending Christmas with the Wrights & Garbers in Hawaii was a perfect way to spend the holidays.

In my last post, I mentioned that I decided to fly in from London rather than returning to Sydney first. This was great because it meant I’d fly business class in – I’m pretty sure the whole plane got these views, but mine came with complimentary POG juice and cakes.

I had no agenda for our week in Hawaii, but was a bit hopeful we’d get to explore the North Shore this trip. Our #1 priority was kicking it with family though, and I knew “exploration” would be difficult with two kids under 4. That said, for the first day or two, Chelsay and I couldn’t be happier taking it slow and hanging with our nephew and new niece, including lego building, playing monster auntie, giving wagon rides, and militantly reading Miles his bedtime stories

Little did I know that this would actually be a genuinely active week. Given a still-pending New Zealand post, I’ll again have to cover via bullet:

The action started with a hike of the Kealia Trail, stretching our legs as we took in the expanse of the North Shore. Alli, the Garber’s horse-dog, made the trek with Chelsay, Sumner, and I.

Afterwards, we met Chris and Danny for po’boys in Haleiwa. Chelsay and I stuck around after to see the renovated town and grab Matsumoto’s shaved ice.

We had tickets to Sea Life Park the next day, which is on the southwestern tip of Oahu. The park is also very close to Hanauma Bay, which is a marine reserve Chelsay and I were hoping to snorkel. Our Sea Life tickets were for 10:00 though, so to minimize our impact on family time, Chels and I decided to snorkel first thing. This was actually a win on many levels: first, the normally bustling bay was nearly empty. Second, we entered the water just as the sun was rising. I wish I had my GoPro for this. Above the water, Chelsay and I looked out at the pink morning sky, empty water, and enveloping steep green hills of the bay. Below the surface was some of the best snorkelling we’d seen. Impossibly blue water hosted a metropolis of diverse fish and healthy coral. It could have been fake… There was one point where Chelsay and I sat on the edge of a coral community. The reef was illuminated by the morning sun, so rays of light pierced through the deep blue water. Looking out, thousands of fish weaved around the coral, while a passive sea turtle gently floated through the bustle on its way out to sea. All in, we saw thousands of fish, two sea turtles, a humuhumunukunukuapuaa (Hawaii’s state fish) and a colour-changing cuddle fish.

After snorkelling (and Konos breakfast burritos on Sandy Beach), we met up with the whole family at Sea Life. This trip was really for Miles, but I enjoyed watching him dart from animal to animal, taking in the shark-diving, sea lion performance, and wolphin (whale bred with dolphin) show. Despite the name Sea Life though, I think his most memorable animal encounter was the bird cage, where Miles studied the birds intently, and the birds confused Chelsay and Chris’ hats with nests.

Topping off our already active day, we finished our circle around Oahu by hiking the Crouching Lion trail on the northwest corner of the island. This trail was short but steep, so the views from the top were incredible. A full 360 degrees showcasing the North Shore coast line, Hawaiian jungle, and sharp hills resembling the spines of the island.

Chelsay and I were also introduced to the song of the trip, local singer J-Boog’s “Let’s Do It Again”, along with several other island tunes.

Potentially caused by J-Boog’s influx of island vibes (or because the waves were finally tame enough for Chelsay and I), the next three days included four surf sessions. Sumner took Chelsay and I out each day, scouting the best spots for new-but-keen surfers (this is the worst combination: bold, but not very good).

North Shore surf is slightly different than Manly. First, Oahu is a volcano, so we had to compete with lava rocks all along the shore. This was especially true in our Christmas Eve sesh, when Chelsay lost her contact and was navigating the lava rocks blind. Second, the breaks are further out. In Manly, we only swim 50 feet to be in the heart of the swell, while in Hawaii, the swells were 50 yards out – much more difficult to swim to. Third, the waves are just bigger on the North Shore.

Now, none of this was a problem – we had Sumner coaching us, and Chelsay and I were eager to try. Especially Chelsay. She’s really taken to surfing. I think it’s like golf for her. Golf is great because you’re with your friends, enjoying the outdoors, and waiting for everything to come together just right on a perfect drive. Surfing is basically the same, but it’s a better workout.

In terms of memories from the surf sessions, my top 4 highlights were:

Seeing Chelsay nail her biggest wave ever, with Sumner cheering in the background.

Swimming out with Danny, Sumner, and Miles (Miles was on Sumner’s board), and getting rocked by a few bigger-than-expected waves.

Hanging with the other “aunties” and “uncles” (Sumner and Chris’ friends), partaking in their beach-y North Shore weekend routine.

Our Christmas Eve surf session, which included both a Chelsay-Mike-Sumner party wave and a Chelsay-Mike couples-collision.

Chelsay and I were actually flying on Christmas Day, so we had our big dinner on Christmas Eve. This year, for the first time ever, Chelsay would be making the meal! I’m not sure why she took full cooking responsibility, but it was a good showcase for her growing culinary skill. The meat (beef tenderloin) would be the biggest challenge, but I’ll get to that in a second. She nailed all the sides without challenge: green bean casserole, roasted potatoes, asparagus, au jus, and Hawaiian rolls. Chris also pitched in an island mac & cheese.

Now, back to the meat. Chelsay still took the lead on this, but I pitched in as sous chef. We had 7 lbs of meat, and were employing the Pat Kern special to “spice” it: French’s mustard. It sounds sacrilegious to coat such a prime cut with a cheap condiment (like a filet with ketchup), but the mustard genuinely has all the necessary spices. We knew it would work given years of phenomenal Pat Kern Christmas beef tenderloin, but I’m not sure the rest of the family was as confident.  

The next consideration is how to cook it. Again, a unique method: 8 minutes at 500 degrees, then turn off the oven and keep it shut for 30 minutes. When you pull the beef out after ~40 minutes, it should be 130 degrees for medium rare.

We followed the technique exactly, and after 38 minutes, crossed our fingers! Chelsay stuck the thermometer in the meat: 111 degrees. Shit. That’s hardly cooked. The side dishes were already done, so without time to think of what happened, we cranked the oven back up to 400 degrees and threw the tenderloin in for another 8 minutes. Now seriously, what happened?? Same weight of meat, same instructions, different result. No one in the crowd showed this, but I think there was genuine concern. Perhaps cereal for Christmas dinner?

After 8 minutes we pulled out the meat, covered it, and let it sit for a few minutes. After pulling off the foil, I cut into it, crossing by fingers for the right colour. Voila! It was perfect pink! Thank God! After understandable apprehension, Chelsay’s family dug in and absolutely loved it! She pulled it off – her first Christmas meal was a “cooked purfectly, a 10 out of 10” (My Kitchen Rules Ozzy reference).

I just realized that this was my first Christmas with Chelsay’s family. Although it’s hard to be away from my own family over the holidays, spending time with Danny, June, Sumner, Christina, Miles, and Orly was a wonderful Christmas present. Throw in picturesque hikes, ideal surf spots, and chill island vibes, and I already can’t wait for our next Mele Kalikimaka together.

[xenodweeb]

Hey Jim Sterling. How yo doing Jim Sterling. You're still Jim Sterling, right?

Not now, I’m busy collecting POGs as sacrifice to keep the POG fucker at bay.