#I left which bat time-traveled/dimension traveled vague

[starry-songs-canvas]

Saving the Spare

I was reading a couple time travel batfam fics and had this cool idea. Hope ya’ll enjoy!

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Thrown back in time before Damian joined the Wayne’s, he tried to make the most of it. Now Damian’s backstory was incredibly messed up, but this…

“Talia’s started cloning Damian already?!?!?”

The clone with blue eyes looked back in confusion, shock, and anger,

“I am not Damian’s clone, I am the other half of the Demon Twins, you— you— fruitcake!”

Oh.

Oh.

[orangeoctopi7]

Every Little Past Frustration

: Part 1 : Part 2 : Part 3 : Part 4 :

Bill watched through the eyes of a hundred eye-bats as the truck carrying his quarry barreled down the wooded back roads of Gravity Falls. The flock was closing in, despite Sixer's erratic blaster fire and manic driving. Of course, just as soon as it looked like Bill’s victory was in the bag, the Mystery Shack came into view on the horizon through the trees. The demonic triangle growled with rage and willed the flock to fly faster. He was not letting his bargaining chip get away! 

The cloud of eye bats descended on the truck. Maybe Bill’s luck was changing. The idiots had just left Four-Eyes lying in the truck bed unprotected. Bill didn’t know much about humans and the protection laws they used to try and keep themselves alive a little longer, but he was pretty sure that was a stupid thing to do even if you didn’t have otherworldly forces chasing after you.

Unfortunately, the eye-bats weren’t strong enough to turn someone to stone yet. They still hadn’t absorbed enough of the Nightmare Realm’s power. But they did have this nifty tractor beam ability, which came in handy since they didn’t have any hands or claws to speak of. A few of the eye-bats got in close enough to start lifting the scruffy hillbilly out of the back of the truck. He started thrashing and yowling in panic. 

“I TOLD YOU, YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL I GET WHAT I WANT!” Bill crowed triumphantly. True, since he was back in the Nightmare Realm instead of possessing that time traveling loser, the only one who could hear him was Four-Eyes, but it wasn’t any fun if Bill couldn’t brag to someone.

“!Votmzrig ivskrx oory! Taht rebmemer ot tnaw t’nod I! Niaga ti ees ot tnaw t’nod I! Gnimoc si mlaer eramthgin eht…” McGucket howled.

Of course, every time Bill spoke directly to Fiddleford’s mind, the nerd had to go and be a drama queen about it! It was honestly the main reason the demon had continued tormenting the guy over the years. It wasn’t like Bill got anything out of it, he couldn’t possess the old coot or coerce him into helping the rift along. It was just hilarious to see how he reacted. Some mortals and the Nightmare Realm just didn’t mix.

Four-Eyes’s clamoring got the attention of the rescue team sitting in the truck cab. Shooting Star fired her grappling hook out the back window and snagged onto the old inventor’s overalls. Meanwhile, Sixer leaned almost half-way out the driver’s side window, blasting down the eye-bats that had been carrying off his friend; Question Mark struggled to keep them on the road while the driver was otherwise occupied.

Bill roared with volcanic rage as the truck veered around the corner, into the long driveway leading up to the Mystery Shack. They were almost to the barrier! He was not going to lose this bargaining chip, not after everything else that had gone wrong over the past few days.

The remaining eye-bats clustered around the open windows, trying to squeeze inside and block the view of the road. The truck careened through a few advertising signs, but stayed on course for the Mystery Shack. Maybe, if he blocked their view long enough, he could make them crash into the wall of the Shack and break the line of unicorn hair, disabling the shield spell.

But luck was not with Bill this week. The breaks squealed, and the truck skidded to a stop just inches away from the gift shop entrance. Sixer threw his door open and laid down some blaster fire to cover Shooting Star and Question Mark as they carried Four-Eyes inside. They were within the barrier.

“GGGGRAAAAAH! COME ON!” Bill conjured a glass just to throw it at the wall in frustration. “WHAT IS WITH THIS TIMELINE!? DECADES OF PLANNING, AND IT’S JUST ALL THROWN OUT THE WINDOW BECAUSE WHAT? PINETREE AND SHOOTING STAR ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS!? EUGCH!” 

“DiD tHeY gEt AwAy, BoSs?” Hectorgon asked, noticing his boss’ temper tantrum.

“THE ONLY REASON THEY GOT AWAY IS BECAUSE I’M STUCK WORKING WITH SUB-PAR LACKEYS!!” Bill steamed. Hectorgon took the hint, scurrying away.

It really was a shame that good pawns were so hard to come by in Gravity Falls. Since the original plan of taking the rift from Shooting Star didn’t pan out, Bill had to start improvising. And hey, he was an ageless being of pure energy. He could do that. But the mortals available to him in Gravity Falls were just so lame!

Wendy, the Cool Girl, had seemed promising. She was smart and strong, and best of all, the Pines trusted her. Unfortunately she was a little too smart. Bill had known convincing her to smash the rift was a long shot, but she would have been a real asset, had things worked out. As it was, she was a nice distraction.

Toby Determined had definitely just been a distraction. The guy was about as competent as a leaky paper cup. But he’d actually gotten most of the Pines family out of the house, so that part of the plan, at least, had worked. They’d even left the Big Mackerel in charge of guarding the place! It seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out his new pawn, Preston Northwest. Bill had been sure Stan would take the bait, but no! Everyone in the Pines family had to do the opposite of what was expected this week. And Preston was such a priss, he’d rather just make vague threats and drive off than actually do what Bill asked him to and get his hands dirty! 

Unfortunately, possessing Preston wasn’t possible quite yet. The guy was too business savvy to make a deal on a handshake. It all had to be in writing with him.

The only other viable pawn in town was Lil’ Gideon, but he didn’t exactly have easy access to the Shack right now. Sure, Bill could break him out of prison, but it’d take a lot of effort, and it’d draw a lot of attention. Not just from the Pines, but from the Time Paradox Anomaly Avoidance Squad. There were a lot of perks to possessing a time traveler, but they came with the inconvenience of having to watch his step whenever he used them.

Bill sighed as he watched Sixer through one of his effigies still left in the Mystery Shack. Now there had been a good pawn! That rare balance of competence and gullibility, of intelligence and naivety, really did only come around once in a generation! So eager to please, so desperate to prove himself, so willing to just go along with things and not ask too many questions. Too bad Four-Eyes had to blunder his way into the portal on the test run. If Bill hadn’t had to tip his hand early, he might have brought the party to Earth thirty years ago. Ah well. Fighting Sixer all these years certainly kept him entertained.

For now, Bill was going to have to make due with his current pawns. Speaking of which, his latest puppet was trying to make a break for it. Bill popped out of the Nightmare Realm and into Blendin’s mindscape. The bumbling time traveler was about to pull out his time tape and jump into the future.

“AND WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?” 

“Y-y-you can’t do this to me!” Blendin stammered. “I-I’m a time officer! I h-have rights!”

“OH, SORRY, MY MISTAKE!” Bill said sarcastically. “WHY DON’T YOU HURRY BACK TO THOSE JERKS WHO CONSTANTLY MOCKED YOU FOR LOSING GLOBNAR TO TWO CHILDREN. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU’D BE EAGER TO ADD ‘GOT POSSESSED BY MY BOSS’S WORST ENEMY’ TO THE INSULT LIST. THAT IS, IF THEY DON’T LOCK YOU UP FOR AIDING IN THE END OF THE WORLD!”

“I-I’ve escaped the infinitentiary before!” the time traveler protested.

“YEAH, SURE, THEN IT’LL JUST BE LIFE ON THE RUN WHILE TIME-BABY PUTS OUT A DIMENSION-WIDE MANHUNT FOR YOU! FACE IT, BLENDO, YOUR BEST CHANCE OF SURVIVAL IS WITH ME!”

Blendin opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to come up with a good comeback, or rebuttal, or any reason to refuse Bill’s offer, but he apparently couldn’t think of one. Finally, he just hung his head in defeat and held out his hand. Bill smiled with his one eye and grabbed it, taking possession of the time traveler once again.

“THAT’S MORE LIKE IT! NOW, LET’S GO FIND A LADDER AND AN AK-47!”

* * *

The flock of eye-bats dispersed once Mabel and Soos got McGucket within the barrier. Ford breathed a sigh of relief. That had been too close. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if Bill had tried to bargain with Fiddleford’s life for the rift.

Thankfully, McGucket’s incoherent screams had stopped once he was safely inside. The old inventor looked exhausted, but relieved, like he’d just outrun a raging wild animal. Ford locked eyes with him, and for a moment, he could have sworn a hint of recognition flickered on Fiddleford’s face. But then, the fatigue caught up with his old friend, and he passed out in Soos’s arms. 

Dipper, who had been keeping watch from the window, rushed over to them. “Oh my gosh, are you guys ok?” He asked, taking in everyone’s battered appearance. 

“I think I might’ve cracked a rib.” Soos said nonchalantly, as though he was talking about a paper cut and not one of the most painful injuries he could still walk on. 

“Come bring Fiddleford into my room; I’ll examine you both.” Ford instructed.

Dipper followed them in as they laid Fiddleford on the couch. A quick glance over found no serious injuries that needed immediate attention, although the old inventor definitely looked like he needed a few good meals in him. Next, Ford had Soos pull his shirt off, so he could properly check his ribs.

“Luckily they’re not cracked, just badly bruised.” Ford assured the handyman after a few moments of careful prodding. He handed Soos a small packet of some medicinal cream. “This cellular-regeneration optimizing salv should allow you to heal within the hour. I assume you can apply it yourself.”

“You got it, dawg.” Soos took the packet with a salute and left for the bathroom.

“Er, alright…” Ford wasn’t quite sure what that response meant, but it sounded like an affirmative. 

“What happened?” Dipper asked once Ford finished his examinations and just sat down, watching his friend anxiously.

“Your sister was there for it all. You can ask her.” Ford replied simply. He was trying to let the boy down gently, but the kids really were better off without him.

“Oh, O-ok…” Dipper left reluctantly, casting a glance over his shoulder as he closed the door.

* * *

“And so we skidded into the parking lot next to the gift shop like something out of Nagoya Burnout!” Mabel concluded her dramatic retelling of their rescue mission.

“Aw man, I wish I was there!” Dipper complained. “Although, I did get to see Stan psych out Preston Northwest. That was pretty gratifying.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Mabel pulled out her cell phone. “Pacifica called me while we were at the dump, but it wasn’t a good time, so I hung up on her.”

“Huh. We got a call just before her dad showed up, but Grunkle Stan told me to just let it go to voicemail.”

Mabel checked her inbox to find several missed messages from Pacifica.

“Hey you asked if my parents were acting weird earlier?” The rich girl’s voice crackled from the voicemail. “Well, my dad just asked the chauffeur to take him to your shack. Last time he wouldn’t even ride there himself, he made ME go! ...Omg he’s packing a briefcase of money. I’m gonna have to call you back.”

The next message continued Pacifica’s panic, “When I asked him what he was doing he just said he was going to make a ‘business transaction’. Mabel seriously, call me back! I am freaking out!”

“I think he’s going to try and buy your house? Either that or maybe your uncle deals drugs? None of this makes sense to me. Just call me back already!”

“Mabel! Pick up! Why aren’t you answering!?”

“Uugh, fine! I’m calling your house!!”

“Oops.” Mabel grimaced. “I guess I should call her back.”

“Do you think her dad is actually working with Bill?” Dipper asked worriedly.

“I mean, I know he’s a shady rich guy and a bad parent, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of person to make a deal with a demon.” Mabel reasoned. “But maybe Bill came to him disguised as Blendin, like he did to Toby, and offered him technology from the future or something?”

“Maybe.” Dipper agreed. “I can’t think of any other reason the Northwests would try to buy out this place. I know Stan’s made enough to support himself and run the portal, but the Shack can’t be that successful compared to all the Northwest’s businesses. I’m just worried about Pacifica. Her parents are already the worst. If Bill is controlling them, who knows what they’d do to her?”

Mabel pulled up Pacifica’s contact and started calling. Her crazy rich rival picked up on the second ring. “Now you pick up!? What happened!? My dad said Stan pulled a gun on him!”

“Sorry!” Mabel apologized, “I was on a rescue mission, I had to be stealthy!”

“And Stan only pulled a gun on him after he made it clear calling the cops wasn’t an option!” Dipper defended.

“Why didn’t you just text me?” Mabel asked.

“And leave a written record that I was trying to warn you guys?” Pacifica scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“...Your parents go through your texts?” Dipper asked warily.

“Yeah, don’t yours?” Pacifica asked, clearly not seeing anything wrong with the practice. 

“Nevermind all that!” Mabel interrupted, “We wanted to make sure you’re alright!”

"What? I'm fine. You two are the ones living with the guy who pulled a gun on my dad!"

"After he threatened us!" Dipper repeated.

“Not in any way that would hold up in court, I’m sure.” Pacifica said, and Dipper swore he could hear her rolling her eyes.

“Anyway, we called because we’re worried about you!” Mabel broke up the argument.

“Why would you be worried?” Pacifica asked. “Guys, I’m just grounded. It’s not like my parents have me locked up in a dungeon or something.”

“We have reason to believe your parents are fraternizing with a dream demon.” Dipper explained. “Or at least your dad is.”

“Um… you’re joking, right?” the rich girl huffed a weak laugh.

“Don’t freak her out, Dipper!” Mabel elbowed her brother.

“But it’s true!”

“Hey Pacifica, sorry, Dipper’s being crazy paranoid.” Mabel forced a laugh, “But seriously though, you should keep an eye on your dad. And like, if he gets yellow eyes or something, you should just leave.”

“What!? What the heck is going on, you two? Is this another ghost thing?”

“Well I mean, it does seem like Bill’s main way of getting things done in our world is possessing people, so that’s kind of like a ghost…” Dipper answered.

“Who the heck is Bill!?”

“He’s a dream demon who wants to end the world.” Dipper explained bluntly. “But he needs something in our house to do it.”

“Are-are you serious?” Pacifica asked incredulously. “You’d better be serious right now, because if you’re messing with me I’ll come over there and buy your uncle’s filthy tourist trap myself!”

“I’m dead serious.” Dipper assured her. “What do you know about that creepy tapestry in the alcove just to the left of the grand staircase in the main dining hall? The one with the triangle eye on it?”

“Ugh, that ugly thing?” Pacifica groaned. “Mom can’t talk dad into throwing it out because it’s a family heirloom or whatever. Once I inherit this mansion, it’s going in the trash where it belongs!”

“Haha, Bill belongs in the trash!” Mabel giggled.

“So what, is Bill the guy who made the tapestry or something?”

“He’s the one on the tapestry.” Dipper corrected. “He’s the triangle eye.”

“I told you, if you’re messing with me--”

“I’m not messing with you! I know it sounds crazy, but this is a matter of life and death!” Dipper said earnestly.

“Ok, ok!” Pacifica backed off, surprised by Dipper’s sincerity. “I honestly don’t know anything else about it, though. Just that apparently it was a gift to Nathaniel Northwest when he founded the town.”

“Which we all know he didn’t do.” Dipper reasoned. “So where did it actually come from?”

“How the heck should I know?” Pacifica retorted.

“Could you maybe ask your dad about it?” Mabel proposed.

“I guess. He might find it a little suspicious if I suddenly seem interested in it though.”

“Could you at least take a picture of it and text it to us?” Dipper asked. “I didn’t think to take a good look at it while I was there, and I only remember a few vague details.”

“Ugh, ok, but you’d better help me find a good way to explain why I sent it to you once my parents find out.”

* * *

Dinnertime rolled around, and Ford still hadn’t left his room since the rescue party returned earlier that afternoon. Dipper was beginning to worry. Despite his insistence that he could live off of his nutrition pills for another three years, Ford always made a point to join the family for dinner. Even though the old researcher wouldn't admit it, Dipper was pretty sure it was because he got lonely spending all his time in the basement. The fact that Ford was absent as they dug into a plate of Mac'n'Cheese left Dipper wondering if something was wrong.

"Hey, uh, Mabel? Did Great Uncle Ford seem upset when you guys found McGucket?"

"He did seem pretty sad, but I don't think he really had time to be upset. We were busy running from Bill."

"Of course he's upset. He's finally seen first-hand how his old college buddy has become the self-proclaimed local kook." Stan said without looking up from his dinner. "Just give him some space, kid, he'll be fine."

Dipper wasn't in the habit of listening to Stan, so as soon as he finished eating he dropped his plate in the sink and snuck down the hall to Ford's room. Thankfully, it wasn't locked.

Ford looked up at him with such a dead-eyed stare when he stepped in that the boy suddenly wished he had listened to Stan.

"H-hey… um… we, uh, missed you at dinner… heh…"

"I'm otherwise occupied." Ford said quietly, not looking the boy in the eye. "Don't worry about me, I still have plenty of nutrition pills."

"Oh, uh, yeah…." Dipper scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "... That's not what I'm really worried about though."

Ford tensed. "Has there been a new development with Bill?"

"Uh… I mean, Preston Northwest did come by here and try to buy the Shack, but Stan scared him off, for now…. Oh! And Wendy wanted to know if you would help put up a barrier around her family’s house if she got some more unicorn hair.”

The old researcher nodded. “It will take time. It would be safer for her to stay here until I’m able to assemble another barrier spell.” 

“Oh, ok, I’ll let her know.” Dipper shuffled his feet. “So, uh, how’s McGucket?”

“He needs rest.” Ford watched his friend’s sleeping form carefully, still refusing to meet Dipper’s gaze.

“Um, are you ok?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Ford reiterated shortly. “Shouldn’t you be getting back to your sister about now?”

“...Mabel told you we weren’t going to stay, didn’t she?” Dipper fretted. “...Are you mad at me?”

Ford finally turned to face him. “Of course not, my boy! If anything, you should be mad at me.”

“What, why?” Dipper asked in confusion.

“I came between you and your family. I got you involved in my problems. I put you in danger. I shouldn’t-- you shouldn’t-- you’d be safer if you kept your distance from me.”

“But you are my family!” Dipper insisted. “And I was involved with Bill before I even knew who you were!”

“Because you found my journal. I still started you on that path.”

“Well, technically, I guess.” Dipper admitted grudgingly. “But that wasn’t your fault!”

Ford scoffed and looked away again, obviously not convinced.

“If you and Mabel already came to your own decision to return home, then you must have realized on some level that I am a toxic influence. I don’t understand the thoughts and feelings of other people. I’ve hurt every person I’ve ever been close to.” The old researcher watched the slow rise and fall of Fiddleford’s far-too-thin chest. “You deserve better than that. You deserve better than me.”

Dipper was dumbstruck for a moment. He never would have guessed that his Great Uncle Ford, the Author of the Journals, would feel this way. And it felt so wrong, because this wasn’t the way he viewed his uncle at all. Didn’t he know he was Dipper’s hero? Deserve better? Ford being Dipper’s uncle, and actually liking him and spending time with him, was better than the boy had dared to hope for.

“That’s not why we decided to go home!” Dipper insisted. How had Mabel put it? She made it sound so simple. “It’s not like we don’t want to stay with you. Now just isn’t the right time.”

“Not now… and not ever.” Ford said glumly. “It’s… it’s for the best.”

“No it’s not!” the boy blurted. “I know a lot of the people you care about end up hurt, and I know you have a hard time understanding why other people do things sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you don’t understand other people’s thoughts and feelings at all! That doesn’t mean all you do is hurt other people! I know because you were the first person this summer who understood me! 

“I love Mabel, but we don’t see the world in the same way. That’s a good thing most of the time, but sometimes when I try to talk to her about the paranormal, she just dismisses it as me being paranoid, or ‘dumb nerd stuff’. And don’t even get me started on how hard it is to talk to Stan about that stuff. 

“When I found your Journal in the woods, it wasn’t just an exciting mystery that fell into my lap. It was like finding validation that all the weird things I saw actually mattered. I think that Journal helped me get out of trouble just as often as it got me into trouble. And as the summer went on and I read more and saw more, it was like I was getting to know you, even though I still didn't have any idea who you were. I knew I felt a connection with whoever wrote it, so I started trying to figure out who it was. 

“Yeah, I got in a little too deep and got in trouble at a few points, but that just made it all the more amazing when I finally found out that the Author was you, and you were my family, and I wasn’t just imagining that we had something in common! And somehow, impossibly, you’re even cooler than I ever imagined because you’re more than just paranormal mysteries and cryptograms that take me ages to decode! You like to play the same games I do, and you actually take my theories and stuff seriously instead of just laughing it off or telling me I’m paranoid! And… and…” Dipper slowly became painfully aware of how long he’d been talking without any response from Ford, who was still turned away from him. “And you’re really important to me, ok? I know we’ve known each other for less than a month, but I just can’t accept a future where we can’t hang out anymore, ok?”

Ford didn’t answer for a long time. He just stared down at McGucket’s sleeping form. But if Dipper watched closely, he could see his uncle just barely keeping his breathing under control.

“You’re a very intelligent boy, Dipper.” The old researcher finally croaked. “Why can’t you see the evidence lying right before you?”

Dipper looked down on McGucket's prone form, then to his uncle, who was just barely containing his grief.

“You may have hurt McGucket, but you can’t completely blame yourself for the state he’s in now. And you obviously still feel bad about what happened, and you’re doing everything you can to help now. If you ask me, that’s not toxic. 

“I know you’re scared of hurting the people you love again, but just cutting yourself off from everyone isn’t gonna help, even if it seems like the easiest option. I think you just need some people who love you back and are willing to help you learn to be better.”

Dipper decided to take a risk and stepped forward, tentatively hugging Ford around the waist. His uncle tensed for a second at the unexpected contact, but his rigidity crumbled after a moment. The old researcher dropped to his knees and hugged his nephew tightly. 

“Thank you, my boy. I didn't realize how badly I needed to hear that.”

[vulpinmusings]

Letters from Buxcord #5: The Ways of the Fey

After a month of delays for various reasons, we return to Buxcord the day after the fiasco at Nollthep’s magic shop.

Samantha,

Some good news this time.  My memory is still full of holes, but it’s only been a day.

I will admit I spent most of the day following the disaster at the magic shop in an existential funk. I was too shocked by losing… those memories to even start thinking about how to reverse the effect.

As evening fell, I heard Lea and Piper’s voices outside my apartment, and a desire to apologize for dragging Lea into the fiasco was enough to pull me out of my funk.  I went outside and we had that conversation; Lea said it was her own choice to accompany me to Nollthep’s, and we agreed to talk about the experience in more depth later.  At the moment, Lea and Piper were planning to sneak out into the bayou to investigate some strange lights that Lea had seen around one of the islands when we’d gone looking for Rocky and encountered the basilisk.  Needing to do something to distract myself from my own brain, I asked if I could tag along.  The girls readily agreed, citing faith in my ability to handle trouble with a level head.

That’s… I think someone would find that hilarious?

Anyhow, we made our way quickly to Bayou Boating, arriving just as it was being locked up by an employee I’d never seen before.  He was a quirky individual, both looking and sounding like a hard-boiled detective from some cookie-cutter police drama or other, and he took an oddly supportive interest in our plan to sneak out a boat.  He even warned us that Officer Weaver had been stationed at the docks to watch for boat thieves and offered to help us convince her to let us go out anyway.  His intensity gave me deja vu.

It turned out that this man, Mr. Penn, was a poor negotiator, so we ended up relying on Lea’s charm magic (which she seems to be learning to call up on purpose) to get Weaver to look the other way for an hour.  Penn invited himself into our boat, and when we pressed him for why he’s so skvetchte interested he said he just wanted some excitement in his life.

It was full night by this point, and the Bayou Boating craft aren’t equipped for nighttime use, so I conjured up a mage-light for Piper’s benefit.

When we reached the islands, Lea immediately directed Piper to land on the second one, claiming it was covered in floating lights.  Nobody else, myself included, could see the lights, but we didn’t protest.  Lea was the first to disembark, and she quickly started acting like things were gathering around her.  I got off next and approached Lea, sensing nothing except for a brief warmth on one shoulder.  I still had little to go on at this point, but from Lea’s reactions, the subconscious abilities she’s demonstrated, and the general feel of the situation, I started to suspect Faeries.

The invisible lights started nudging Lea deeper into the island, and I made to follow, warning the girl gently to keep her wits about herself but not resist too strongly unless things started looking dangerous.  I warned Penn and Piper that they shouldn’t delay following after me unless they wanted to be left in darkness, but it still took them a bit to decide to disembark and catch up.  Penn finally realized at that point that I was using a mage-light and not a flashlight, and let slip a comment about being in the business of magical artifacts.

I would’ve followed up on that, but I had to keep an eye on Lea in case the Fey were waiting to spirit her away.

As it turns out, that was exactly their intention, but I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

The invisible things took us to a clearing with a large circle of mushrooms in the middle.  A very old-school marker for a Fey Way, if we were to judge by the standards of Taryn’s Fey neighbors, but still a marker I was easily able to identify.  Lea heard something that made her hesitate at the edge of the ring and offer me her hand.  I reached for her, but something shoved us, causing her to fall into the ring and vanish before I could grab her.  Penn and Piper arrived just after, and when I explained what had happened, Penn didn’t hesitate to leap into the ring himself.

I shouldn’t judge Penn too quickly, but that seemed a strange thing to risk for someone he’d just met.  In any case, he’d proven that the Fey Way wasn’t selective about transporting people.  I offered to leave my mage-light with Piper if she wanted to stay behind (and reduce the number of bystanders I’d have to worry about to one), but she insisted on coming along, out of guilt for not being there for Lea during the Nollthep fiasco. So, I took her hand and we went through together.

I can’t recall if you’ve ever traveled a Fey Way, Sam.  I don’t recommend it, incidentally.  The Faeire Realm around Taryn has only a passing acquaintance with the concept of geographic consistency, and from what I experienced the same seems to hold true for Buxcord’s version.

The ring we’d all passed through didn’t even connect to the same point in Faerie each time it was used; Penn and Lea were nowhere to be seen.  Piper and I were in some thick, dark forest lit only by a purple glow, and it was as cold as winter save for some pockets of summer heat where the light was brightest.  For lack of a better plan, the two of us started walking in a random direction, hoping to encounter a Fey of some description.  What we found first was a troll.

It may be obvious, but I’m not talking about the Gob-kin mythics that often squat in old gold and silver mines, but something closer to the theoretical Fey ancestors of the Gobs.  Tall, tusked, long arms and thick hair.  I attempted to make conversation on the slim chance that it wasn’t as brutishly violent as it looked, but at best it didn’t understand my language.  It punched me and then threw a log as Piper and I tried to retreat, trapping me briefly.  I retaliated with what is easily the tightest and most thorough Tangler binding I’ve pulled off since arriving in Buxcord, which gave Piper more than ample time to lift the log and for us to limp away.

Some time later, and after many failed attempts to cajole some assistance from the many eyes I felt watching us, Piper and I found Mr. Penn.  Penn had made the acquaintance of a bat-faced gremlin-like thing that was acting as his guide through the realm.  Penn was looking a little frustrated, as the guide had apparently been leading him in circles for a while in different zone of Faerie before bringing him to where “human-like faeries” were. After listening to the two banter for a bit I diagnosed the problem: Penn was being vague with his questions and the gremlin was responding with equally imprecise answers. I gleaned enough to learn that this realm was ruled by a King, and so I asked to be guided to said King.  The gremlin agreed on the condition that each of us pay it with something we were wearing.  It requested my robe in particular.  I should have argued more, offered something easier to replace, but I was feeling overly cautious.  For one thing, Faeries can be fickle and temperamental things, difficult to negotiate with without causing offense.  For the other, I was still reeling from Nollthep’s messing with my memory and hurting from the troll encounter.

So, I’m going to have find myself a new robe and put in several days, if not weeks, of work embroidering my protection runes into it.

The gremlin at least kept it word once it had my robe, Piper’s jacket, and Penn’s shoes.  It brought us to a fog bank and instructed us to enter it, and then scampered.  We entered the fog and found ourselves standing before a food-laden table with chairs in a field surrounded by stone gates.  Lea was approaching from one of the gates in the company of a gnome-like Faerie, and she was glad to see us.

Lea had arrived in a spring-themed part of the Faerie realm, with wispy voices welcoming her home.  As she’d wandered about, memories she had long repressed due to her guardians not believing her tales of growing up in Faerie started to return.  Those memories gave her a better understanding of her magic, but they seemed to have come at the cost of some memories of her life after leaving or returning to the mortal realm.  It’s still unclear whether Lea is a natural-born Faerie called a Leanan Sidhe or a human girl who had been taken and raised as a Sidhe.

All of a sudden, the King himself appeared in the largest chair at the table and asked why we hadn’t partaken of the food.  I told him that I was aware of the dangers of eating Faerie-made food without establishing the full implications of doing so first.  The King commended me for my wisdom, and the commented that that was surprising coming from someone “of the Chain.”

I can only assume he was referring to the Tau’rin Chain.  If he was, that opens up a lot of questions and some possibilities.  The Fey Ways have never been adequately explored; it’s far too chaotic and vast a dimension for anything not native to do so.  Still, I’d always assumed that the Fey Ways of Taryn were just a part of our universe, a separate dimension but still contained fully within the same boundaries as the “mortal” plane.  But this King of a Faerie realm linked to another universe is, apparently, aware of the Tau’rin Chain.  Could there be passage between different Faeries?  It seems too far-fetched to assume that all Faeries are a single space, linking the multiverse together.

The King’s surprise at my knowledge implies to me that if he speaks truly about knowing of the Chain, he may not be aware of the whole of it, or simply doesn’t know enough about the history of Taryn’s Fey Ways in particular. Still, there’s a potential way home; even if I can’t get to Taryn directly or to any universe in the Chain that I’m personally familiar with via this Faerie, I at least know how to navigate the tears once I’m in the Chain.

Enough speculation.  I need to finish this story, as Samantha would insist.

The King declared that he had a policy of not allowing his subjects to leave the realm, aside from a not-insignificant list of exceptions such as going out to acquire human children.  I kept my mouth shut until Lea made her opinion known; I wasn’t about to force her to leave and continue to associate with me if she didn’t want to. Once Lea opted to try and convince the King to let her return, though, I started looking for options.  I didn’t get far before the King decided to play nice and offer a deal: Lea would be permitted to leave Faerie if the rest of us – me, Penn, and Piper – all agreed to enter the King’s service as guards, in essence, to catch and return any Faerie who was in the human realm without permission and to guard the entrances from forces the King wanted kept out.  He hinted that both Penn and Piper had existing connections to those antagonist forces already.  Something for me to look into later. With greater care than I approached the Nollthep issue, of course.

Piper was quick to agree simply for Lea’s sake, and I don’t know what was going through Penn’s mind before he also agreed.  For myself, I saw it as just another job, and something up my usual alley: resolve trouble and maintain an orderly peace. It’s supposed to a life-long commitment, but if the King is able to reach out to Taryn then my efforts to return home won’t create any conflicts.  And if it turns out that he can’t reach Taryn, then he won’t be able to punish me for breaking…

Dangerous thought?

No, that wouldn’t be a violation of the contract, so long as I intend to honor it.

So, I have a regular client now, and Lea gets to not live in Faerie forever.

I’ll gladly take the win.

-Ash

[dansnaturepictures]

My 10 wildlife/photography highlights of 2019 blogs-Post 9: My Cornwall holiday in September with a Devon stop off 

On 2nd September we travelled to Cornwall taking in some nice sights on the way like Salisbury Cathedral, Bodmin Moor and St. Michael’s Mount. It was my first trip here since 2015 and I was so happy to go back to one of my favourite parts of the country. We enjoyed fantastic weather whilst away seeing a lot of the sun at this often changeable time of year. We spent the days taking in and photographing breathtaking coastal views some in the evening, seeing lots of wildlife particularly birds getting three year ticks two of them what we’d come to see and a massive rarity life tick too with many other species starring and visit some very famous and renowned locations some with personal significance.

On our first evening we had the perfect introduction going to Botallack where they filmed the Poldark BBC TV series and it was a stunning and very unique landscape with the chimneys and little historic buildings. The sun over the sea really made it look even more beautiful too I took the first picture in this photoset that night showing this. I also got to see the two birds I had come to Cornwall to see the Chough and the Manx Shearwater. We had two Choughs fly over our heads during the walk and at the end we looked for Manx Shearwater over the sea and were lucky enough to catch sight of some. These both took my year list to a milestone 180. A Chough flew right over our head very closely when we were watching for the Manx Shearwaters. This gave me a really intimate and brilliant moment I got the second picture in this photoset of it. Seeing both birds here marked my first English (I’d only seen them previously in Wales) of them and Chough meant I’d seen all eight crow species in 2019 for only the second time ever and all in England too. Other highlights at Botallack were Gannets seen over the sea and Fulmars, Ravens and many Kestrels hovering by the cliffs. Jackdaw and Rook seen too meant I really celebrated crows that day in one of my best ever years for them. The cottage was lovely too and I took pictures of this when back and it was nice to see a Red Admiral in the garden and some quirky farm animals including Rheas nearby.

Day 2 began by me photographing the quirky farmland neighbours and a nice apple tree in the neighbouring property I noticed over breakfast. That morning I was also potentially woken for a bit by Choughs calling but they are quite hard to distinguish sound wise to Jackdaw of which there were a lot of them and Rooks around.

We then went to Kynance Cove which was more stunning coastal scenery this holiday. What had brought us there was the Brown Booby a very famous rare bird which one of had been seen at St. Ives before we came away and Cornish birding reports we saw said on the first night away there was one here. Anticipation built as it became apparent it was a twitch as we walked up from the surfer’s car park and saw many people on a hill. Everyone we spoke to before had seen it which made us eager to get to where it was. We got there and a very kind gentleman told us where the Brown Booby was it was sitting on the side of a rock and let us look through his telescope. It was a moment of euphoria looking through and seeing this pretty and very exotic bird which just looked truly like nothing British. It was a very welcome bird to see though I was so delighted to see it. I took the record shot in the third picture in this photoset of it. There was a great atmosphere here on a sunny day and I felt part of something special as we watched it for a few minutes. It was my 264th bird in my life and year list wise it brought up a very important number for me. It was my 181st bird of the year which is the amount I saw in 2016 which broke my record back then that on this day made 2019 my joint third highest ever year list. I went on to go higher than that obviously and my year list is currently my joint highest ever. It also meant the amount of birds I had seen this year was as many as I had seen a year prior during my previous outright highest ever amount of birds seen in my year in 2018 I was a little bit off that for couple of months before so like my Northumberland holiday the year ticks I got that week reenergised my year list. Shag, Fulmar, Rock Pipit and Wall Brown were other wildlife highlights here.

Later on that day we went to nearby Lizard Point as shown by the fourth picture I took that week in this photoset, the southernmost point of mainland Britain. It was brilliant to be here a place we had wanted to come this holiday on a very sunny afternoon. It was a deliciously beautiful area to look over and very nautical and typically Cornish. Great to enjoy an ice cream here. Wildlife highlights were Small Copper and Common Blue butterflies, Raven, another Rock Pipit, Wheatear and a Turnstone. On the way back we had a look at St. Michael’s Mount one I remembered from my debut 2002 trip to Cornwall well which was great to see on a sunny evening. That evening we walked down to Porth Nanven which the cottage we stayed in was named after down the Cot Valley. This was a brilliant little secret place where I got to take in yet more stunning views. It was great to watch waves crash against rocks as it got dark. As we walked back down the lane with darkness really falling it was brilliant to see a few bats flying over and hear great insect noises.

Day 3 was a packed day darting around more absolutely stunning coast on another very sunny day. Stop one was Cape Cornwall which I found fantastic as a place very beautiful, distinctive and welcoming I took the fifth picture in this photoset here. Here we saw scores of Gannets flying by out to sea as well as Fulmar which made me reflect of these two of my favourite bird’s importance to my Cornwall trip as a whole. Here also I got more Manx Shearwater and brilliant Chough views. More of these birds were waiting as we moved further along to Pendeen and I got some really nice close views of Manx Shearwater in close closer than I’d got all holiday. I also got excited to see Grey Seal here and a Peregrine Falcon another of my twenty eight favourite birds darting past. After me going to the southern most tip of mainland Britain the day before Lizard point I could hardly contain my excitement as we went to Land’s End one of the places I most looked forward to visiting this holiday and I found it very beautiful in more great sunshine some stunning coastal scenery. I had vague recollections of visiting here as a five year old on the 2002 family holiday and I’d not got back until that day so I really wanted to get here and was so happy to it felt special as I had a cream tea I wanted to have in the west country when there too. I took the sixth picture in this photoset another landscape here. A wildlife highlight of this trip was seeing a Raven. That evening we went once more to Porth Nanven and this time saw the sun set a little and watch the waves again which was nice.

Thursday saw us visit Godrevy another great National Trust site that holiday where we got stunning views of the coast again seeing well down the coast in more panoramic views this time. We also had an exceptional time looking at Choughs again with one very close and one seen battling against a Fulmar. I really did get so excited at seeing and was in aw of the Cornish Choughs my main reason for wanting to come here really what stunning birds that we saw at multiple places that week. This week was a key factor in me deciding to add Chough to my list of favourite birds where it had been on my B list for them for six months prior. At Godrevy was also a beach mostly full of Grey Seals as shown by the seventh picture of mine in this photoset which had just started their breeding season I had not seen them at this time of year before and it was entertaining to watch them move around by the sea and in the colony and hear them. Other notable sightings here were other stars of the week Gannet with some diving, Rock Pipit, Oystercatcher, Turnstone and Raven. This made me think that I’d seen both of these crows and Rook and Jackdaw very well this week but none of the two very common crows at home Carrion Crow and Magpie. So it’s just interesting being somewhere different and there being a different make up of certain birds. It was nice to have a brief look on Hayle estuary on the way to and back from Godrevy seeing some Black-tailed Godwits.

Before getting back to the cottage that Thursday we took one last look at Porth Nanven down the Cot Valley to let the dogs swim, it was nice to see it in daylight and sunshine after two evening visits to it. A wonderful place to have stayed so close to. Then that evening we did something that if I had done an updated bucket list (I think I did one years ago and mislaid it) it would be on it. Go to Land’s End to watch the sun set. I took the eighth picture in this photoset of this. It was great to drive down there with so many others and sit on the benches by the famous sign. Watching the sun set here was simply breathtaking. It complemented going there the day before and added another dimension of the experience. I indeed found myself feeling very lucky that we as an island nation have a place to cherish like this where the land ends, many countries don’t have that. Just a week prior to it I was photographing a sunset at home from my room which I love doing but going out to a location like this as that time of night is something I so rarely get to do. So this felt like a perfect relaxing activity for my last night in Cornwall. It was nice to see a Red Admiral at Porth Nanven and Gannets and Manx Shearwaters at Land’s End.

Before we left on the last day of our holiday we revisited a bit of a tradition of visiting one of our standout locations visited on the week again to give the dogs a walk before the car journey home. That Friday it was Cape Cornwall one I really found smashing on the Wednesday. As we walked around the area, taking in more great views looking at Land’s End too and admiring the light blue sea water we found beautiful to see all that week, we saw once more a few of the standout birds seen that week. More Manx Shearwaters visible here than the Wednesday with it being more blustery, Gannets, Fulmars, Shag and Raven. But once again the stars were Choughs. We had one fly over our heads at the car park again then saw a few more throughout the walk or at least some a few more times. One landed right in front of us behind a rock on the hill. We looked over to see another with it and were delighted once more to get so close to a spectacular and stunningly marked bird. I took the ninth picture in this photoset of them. What an amazing week I had with this species one I have so much admiration for. It was perhaps my best week of them ever with the greatest respect to all the Welsh locations I have seen them at in the past. The sight of a more familiar bird for us Buzzard soaring marked time to head off home I think and I ended feeling very happy that I had had this brilliant week away. What a time away.

Later in the day we went to the Axe Estuary by Seaton in Devon as shown by the tenth picture I took in this photoset where we stopped off a couple of times to birdwatch on the way back from north Devon visits a few years ago. It was fairly busy then in early autumn with Oystercatcher, Curlew and Little Egret nice and again more familiar local birds for me to see even if I enjoyed many Oystercatchers that week as I did in Northumberland. It looked very nice as the sun poked through here with it raining much of the journey we were lucky not to get very wet that day a reflection on how lucky we were with the weather all week.

[notesinthearchives-blog]

[This entry was redacted from the Book of the War and history at large for reasons of Homeworld security. The copy below has been kept for analysis. See addendum for further notes from our own investigations of the topic]

Homeland Relay [Lesser Species (?): Group/Technology]: The story of the homeland relay should have been a relatively dull and simple thing from the so called "galactic empire" era of human history. At its most basic, each individual homeland relay was a small, mostly automated space station with a crew of 3-5 people.

Messages and news from Earth would be encoded as light, before being shot through a primitive sub-spatial dimension that would allow the message to move at even greater speed whilst avoiding the worst of the dust and radiation and other things that could distort the light. The message would be intercepted by another homeland relay, which would check the data for distortions, before re-encoding it into light again and shooting it on to the next homeland relay, on and on until its inevitable destination.

The homeland relays should have been just another symptom of the centrality of Earth in human thought at the time: as all roads once led to Rome, so all the homeland relays led out from and back to Earth, with even various rival empires and break away factions being fundamentally linked back to their homeland. By all rights, the homeland relays should have become redundant after Earth was destroyed.

As we now know, they didn't. Something kept sending messages to the relays.

Here information becomes scarse, until recently our main sources of information on the homeland relays and their inhabitants were the devastation they would leave behind: fake distress beacons luring in help that would never leave the space station; colony ships passing too close would find their hibernating passengers drained dry of blood and their corridors infested with strange carnivorous bats; nearby planets finding themselves visited by strange ships in the dead of the night, powerless to stop their townsfolk being herded into the ships and never seen again.

Strangely, the inhabitants of the homeland relays weren't the only thing that was changed after contact with this new signal: the local structure of space-time itself appears to have been affected. Visitors to the space around the homeland relays reported that light appeared to shine dimmer; whilst entropy seemed to take on increasingly aesthetic qualities; even death itself was a more negotiable concept for the lesser species.

We have more information from when the inhabitants took a more evangelistic approach: making the shift from space travelling apex predators to being the leaders of militarised religious sects. But even here direct information from them was cryptic, vague and usually overladen with mysticism; and close examination generally suggested that their rhetoric and explanations of their nature were usually crafted to facilitate an infiltration and high jacking of the local institutions and power structures.

A few general themes can be discerned from their sermons: claims that the Earth that was destroyed being a fake Earth, a course not meant to be taken, but there is hope as the armies of the real Earth were coming: a prince or a knight or a messiah carrying the blood of a dragon leading the charge. Drawing from this, the general consensus among later post humans is that the whole affair was a particularly bloody overreaction to Earth being destroyed- a sort of apocalyptic theology or inverted apocalyptic theology for a post apocalypse culture. Select War historians are less sure [data corrupted, unretrievable]

We can learn more from their impact: after converting the leaders at a local and planetary level they'd set up strangely hedonistically inclined theocratic states. These appear to have meant to be temporary: less meant to be a pillar of society and more as a way of preparing society for holy (or perhaps unholy) war. Both internal warfare against dissidents and cannibalistic crusades against nearby cultures were the norm, yet neither of these were the ultimate target: instead being a way of priming the population for what was to come.

Though it is not difficult to guess who this future war was meant to target, we do not have to worry: the homeland relay, the so called "homeland cults" that grew from them and their theocracies were largely exterminated by the House Military's second wave before they were ready for such a war. Doubtless a few relics remain, the Anticonvent culture, for example, was largely ignored by the House Military due to a combination of their isolation and comparative absence of bloodlust and war mongering instinct, but the days when these could have had an impact on the War at large are gone.

Addendum 1 [addendum uses common codewords- "Hand", shortened to "Ha", for the leader of field operations in this theatre of War; "Mind" being the collective statements of his superiors and shortened to Mi"]

Ha-- Circumstantial evidence suggest that earlier conclusions may have been optimistic- we know damage to space-time in affected areas was diluted and contained but never mended. Permission to reexamine second wave's data in conjunction with modern surveillance Y/N?

Mi---- Y- permission granted. [see addendum 2]

Addendum 2.1 [Timeline corruption- destroyed by interference earlier in timeline. We have preserved addendum from this timeline- see 3.1 for start of current timeline]

Ha-- It appears that there were more survivors from the homeland relays than previously thought. The cult known as The Lesser Brides has been confirmed as having survived- they appear to have altered the sub-spatial dimension the homeland relay used to send messages, essentially dragging at the very least the space station itself and a population of unknown size into it. An extended stake out found that they were leaving the dimension to collect resources and recruits.

Ha---- Further information will require the infiltration of the sub-spatial dimension itself. Permission to launch infiltration Y/N?

Mi-------- Y- permission granted [see addendum 2.2]

Ha---- The discovery of The Lesser Brides leaves open the possibility that other homeland relay groups may have survived. In particular, their use of sub-spatial dimensions may have been replicated by others, and may suggest that they have the support of some time active power. Permission to launch wider scale investigation with House Military heavy support Y/N?

Mi-------- Y- permission granted [see addendum 2.3]

Addendum 2.2 Ha-- Infiltration successful- our agent is in the Lesser Brides' sub-spatial dimension and is sending reports to us. Posing as a local posthuman, he was initiated into a cult we had confirmed the Lesser Brides had been using as a recruitment tool.

Ha---- Initial description from agent follows, full log sent via [data corrupted- unretrievable]

   "Imagine walking inside a tube large enough to fit a cathedral in: that you can see so high and goes on for so long that no matter where you look you get vertigo. Imagine now that gravity is subjective: that where ever you place your feet is down for all intrinsic purposes and, if you know how, you can fall upwards or sideways. Now imagine if this tube was filled to the brim with architecture built to take advantage of this. Domed temples floating in mid air- their insides painted in a colour you'd swear was midnight black were it not for the fact that it glittered. Impossibly tall towers- the bells at their top causing vibrations that cause chimes throughout the rest of the tower to sing for hours in perfect harmony. Canals great and small, whose ink black water flows smoothly even at right angles or double backing on itself- which after defying gravity in a thousand different ways proceeds to link back to its source in a sprawling möbius loop."  

   "There are people who have lived there entire lives here. The canals are dotted with boat houses and little Venices; every tower and temple is maintained and guarded by its own unholy order that grows most of their new members in vats; whilst the many parentless hybrid children are nursed and raised in crèches by what I believe to be the people closest to original Lesser Brides aesthetically speaking. The children are fed the Bride's milk as babies, are gently corrected as they consider rebellion, and diligently cared back to health as they fall sick. For abominations against history and nature, the Brides make for excellent parents."  

Ha------ this log has come to my attention, and makes me concerned that our agent may be at risk of being compromised. Permission to extract him Y/N? Extract from log below:

   "We visited a planet under the Brides' influence. No, that's an oversimplification. The planet we visited had a forty hour day, with the average night in the areas with some population (excluding the poles for instance) generally varying from 15 to 26 hours depending on the season and distance from the equator. The governing bodies of the planet lay claim to different hours of the day. The governing bodies that control the hours where there is sunlight year round are fairly conservative Arcadian or proto-Arcadian post human cultures. The hours near midnight are governed by the law of the Lesser Brides. When one government goes to sleep, another one wakes up."  

   "In between these hours the patterns of law and authority wane and wax from one to the other, changing based on what they can plausibly enforce and what one will let the other get away with. In these not quite either hours, a network of hybrid subcultures flourish: party goers and cultists; musicians and gangs; the night shift staff and the strange customers that they service..."  

   "... It was a dispute over one of these not quite either hours that drew us from the subspace dimension. Matron Tremaine was arriving as a diplomat, I was part of her retinue. I didn't see what negotiations went on, but her opposite number left looking fairly pleased with himself, apparently having wrangled substantial concessions out of her. Matron Tremaine was also satisfied with the concessions, giving me the impression that her opposite number didn't quite grasp the power of who they were negotiating with..."  

   "As Matron Tremaine later said to us, 'It pays to maintain good relations with our neighbours. Afterall, we are always recruiting.' I could have sworn the Matron gave a pointed look in my direction, and for a moment I was worried that my cover was blown. I relaxed when I realised that surely they'd have done something already if they knew..."  

Ha-------- Belay that request. After a worrying but understandable period of silence from our agent, we have received her latest and almost certainly last entry and are now certain that she was compromised before regenerating into a form that was antithetical to Homeworld's interests. The entry was generated by our agent's emergency protocols that act to inform us in the event of our agent's corruption by hostile powers. Extract below:

   "I was on my knees for the ceremony. My Husband was absent in the flesh but nevertheless there in spirit as He was for us all. Two of my fellow brides lifted up the veil of my wedding dress as Matron Tremaine brought the goblet- holding it up to my mouth. The Blood of the Dragon slid smoothly down my throat, painting my lips a deep, dark red as it passed down."  

   "As the matron took the goblet away, the younger brides took my wrists and sunk their fangs into it. My internal weaponry wanted to activate, as if by reflex, but I restrained it as the brides drank deeply. My throat, of course, was Matron Tremaine's to take. Moving to her knees to access it, spilling rose petal stains down my dress and hers, I was rendered utterly powerless in her grasp..."  

   "I was faint when the deed was finally done, my white dress having turned a liquid red. My ceremony was not yet over: it finished with my chest impaled upon Matron Tremaine's spear. My protocols of regeneration kicked in, now guided by the Blood of the Dragon in my belly. I awoke from the fires of my rebirth with a form made to my Husbands desires, and with hungers the likes of which I had never experienced... Hungers my fellow brides were only to happy to teach me how best to sate..."  

   "Now? My past life seems like a dream, like something that happened to someone else. Did I really live in a world of dull colours and duller senses before the Blood of the Dragon made me see colours so vibrant?"  

   "Did I really half live a half life in service to my House before my Husband taught me to live- really live, really feel alive- in a body of beautiful dead flesh?"  

   "Was I really that pathetic?"  

   "And then there's you, my former masters. Its just like you to install a back door in my biodata, too late for me to stop now of course even with the Blood of the Dragon now cutting my links to the Homeworld. So I suppose I'm stuck with an audience for now. Very well. I can live with that."  

   "Afterall, I don't think anyone has told you just how pathetic you are."  

   "I was pathetic once, but I had the possibility to become something better. You can't even achieve that."  

   "And I now know, that you are nothing."  

   "You are nothing compared to the Prince who carries the Blood of the Dragon, yet alone the Mother of Monsters who empowered Him."  

   "He is coming for you."  

   "You will know fear."  

   "You will know death."  

   "You will know the [data corrupted- unretrievable]  

Addendum 2.3 [data corrupted- unretrievable]

Addendum 3.1

Ha-- Initial fears have been proven beyond doubt. We now have yet another front in the War. Status update attached below:

Probably using information obtained from our compromised agent, homeland cult known as Night's Children launched a surprise attack earlier in history- apparently having partially detached their sub-spatial dimension from history itself- to make war on the local House sympathising societies. The homeland cults Knights of the Dead Suns, Haemomancer Covens, and Night's Black Agents swiftly replicated this tactic.

Just as our forces mobilised to exterminate these forces, the homeland cults took action later in history: across the spatial territories of homeland cults long since exterminated that had been recolonised by various (mostly human or human derived) species, great machines activated and started butchering the colonists on an industrial scale. After the population was sacrificed in these Moloch Engines, the blood spilt seemingly resurrected the dead homeland cults and their theocracies, which started making war on House sympathising societies later in history.

As it stands, our forces have driven back the homeland cults positioned earlier in history and contained the theocracies later in history, current tactics are relying on waging a war of attrition with the understanding that we can afford the losses and they can't. Previous attempts to recapture their territory or wage a more retroactive war against the cults and activated Moloch Engines were bogged down fighting time active partisan cells. We are currently mobilising a task force for locating a destroying any other Moloch Engines before they activate.

The Lesser Brides and a number of other homeland cults have retreated into their sub-spatial dimension completely, our forces currently have them under siege. In light of our agent being compromised, we suspect that the Lesser Brides may soon have access to some Homeworld cultural-genetic weaponry, but nothing the Faction hasn't already traded in and nothing that should be a problem as long as the Lesser Brides remain contained.

The Anticonvent remain unhostile, but we continue monitoring them both for changes in behaviour and information on the source of their transmissions [data corrupted- unretrievable].

Ha---- we are containing the homeland cults, and projections show that in the long run we are winning or at least can maintain this stance indefinitely. However, Homeworld has essentially infinite resources, of which we are using a comparatively pitiful amount to fight these enemies. Even when we reach a point where we can launch retroactive warfare without interference, the homeland cults hiding within their sub-spatial dimensions will remain a security risk, and judging by past and current experience there is a good chance that those forces that we defeat will just stubbornly refuse to stay dead.

Ha----Request: can I have use of heavier firepower to deal with them Y/N? Currently, most of the forces I am using are either allied cultures in the region or conscripted auxilia forces. Whilst functional at containing the threat, they are utterly inadequate for eliminating it. I would like to emphasise that the homeland relay cults are affecting the local structure of space time: we have no idea what kind of damage they are doing but what is certain is that the longer we dither the more difficult it will be to repair.

Mi-------- N- request not granted. Homeworld's resources may be infinite but our attention isn't. Our situation is one of distractions: if we take the time and effort to deal with enemies like the ones you are fighting the real enemies will start advancing on a thousand more important, more delicate fronts. The homeland cults, if they are still around when we win the War, will be relatively easy to mop up afterwards. This is a minor front after all, even if we look at who is sending the signals [data corrupted- unretrievable].

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Link to archive of our own version: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17042054/chapters/42320339

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Defenders #8: “... If Atlantis Should Fall!”

September, 1973

So, here we are. Looking at something completely different.

There’s no tiny disappointed Vision judging us. No A that’s gone off exploring the cosmos.

We’re in new waters. Except for Silver Surfer, all these folks have appeared in Avengers before. I think that purple guy on the cover has appeared a few times.

But what we have in the Dynamic Defenders is something quite different. Its the book about the non-team. Kind of like a support group for ornery loners that work best alone. But frequently accidentally team up.

This is part 2 of the Avengers/Defenders War (well technically part 1 since last time was a prologue) but it doesn’t get to that for most of the book. There’s some Red Ghost/Atlantis Nonsense that is more pressing.

Honestly, before I can get to the / War, I need to go over some context. Because Defenders is the book that explains what happened to the Black Knight and why Strange put a Troglodyte-repelling shield around Castle Garrett.

So how did we get here?

It all started when Namor was dropped from the sky in front of Hulk like a limp bag of smelly fish.

Hulk vaguely recalls liking Namor so he went to get Dr. Strange to help him. And it turned out that it was all a plot by Necrodamus to sacrifice Namor to the Nameless One in front of Hulk and Dr. Strange out of revenge for the three of them thwarting the Nameless One at various times and assorted team-ups.

At the end, Namor recalled that Silver Surfer was the one who dropped him out of the sky so Dr. Strange, Namor, and Hulk all go searching for the Surfer. Surfer doesn’t know anything about any of this because he’s been busy teaching some innocent mountain apes about fire and manners. But it turns out that instead of gentle yetis, they’re secret wizards and there’s a big wizard fight.

After, Dr. Strange mentions he might be able to help get the Surfer past the barrier Galactus used to trap him on Earth by taking a shortcut through another dimension. They end up in the Nameless One’s dimension, where after some shenanigans with a macrocosm maelstrom, Dr. Strange discovers that Barbara Norriss, who sacrificed herself to save him once, has mated with the Nameless One and become his third head.

The four heroes manage to trap the Nameless One and Dr. Strange forcibly separates Barbara from the Nameless One. Which sort of drives her insane. Whoops.

They also discover that you can’t circumvent Galactus’ barrier so easily and the Surfer runs off, feeling betrayed. Oh and then Hulk also runs off, pissed that Dr. Strange harmed Barbara.

It turns out that their dimension jaunt popped them out in front of Garrett Castle. Strange and Namor chase the Hulk inside but are transported to a magical realm and captured by the Executioner and an army under his command.

Remember how Executioner dumped Enchantress like a limp smelly bag of stink fish to hook up with a queen? Yeah. That’s important again.

Dr. Strange and Namor find themselves in castle jail with unhulked Bruce Banner, catatonic Barbara, the Enchantress, and Black Knight.

After Avengers #100, Enchantress snuck off the first time Zeus took a nap and wound up at Castle Garrett. She charmed Black Knight into helping her travel to Queen Casiolena’s realm so she could kick her ass for seducing the Executioner away from her.

It didn’t work out.

But, hey! A catatonic woman! That’s just the tide-changing thing that Enchantress can use to change the tide!

Using her powers, Enchantress implants the Valkyrie personality that she used before over Barbara, creating an All-New, All-Different Valkyrie.

They bust out and fight Casiolena’s army again and this time Enchantress kills the queen, with the aid of a distraction from Valkyrie.

Now with no queen, Executioner has no choice apparently but return to Enchantress’ service.

Black Knight is pissed. He loves her because she magically forced him to and now she’s just going to dump him like a stinky bag of Namor? Well, you know what? He’ll fight Executioner for her!

She’s touched by this display of how much he loves her. So turns him into a stone statue to make an eternal monument to how lovable she is.

And then she ditches the Defenders and Valkyrie. So Valkyrie takes Black Knight’s horse and sword and decides that she’s going to join the Defenders, despite protests that its not really a team. And also that they don’t need her anyway.

Dr. Strange seals up Castle Garrett to keep it safe and takes Statue Black Knight back to his Sanctum Sanctorum in Greenwich Village.

From there, some other stuff happens. Valkyrie helps defeat the Omegatron, a doomsday weapon that Dr. Strange once stopped but then accidentally restarted in issue #1. Silver Surfer returns to apologize for being so melodramatic and helps stop Cyrus Black, a second-rate wizard pissed that he can’t beat Strange even in his dreams.

They run into Hawkeye and he asks to join the team after getting into a pointless misunderstanding fight. They learn that Attuma is going to attack the surface world and go to the beach to stop him. Hulk ditches because he doesn’t want to go into the water. The Defenders sans Strange, sans Hulk, sans Silver Surfer, are captured along with a marine biologist. Red Ghost is working with Attuma and is creating a cosmic radiation brainwashed army of fishes and whales. Valkyrie and Hawkeye manage to break out of their cells only to discover that Red Ghost has brainwashed Namor.

And that’s where this issue picks up.

With a brainwashed Namor being ordered to kill Valkyrie and Hawkeye.

Um. It doesn’t go well. For them, I mean.

Hawkeye’s arrows break on Namor’s skin and he’s stronger than Valkyrie. Hawkeye does manage to knock Red Ghost in the noggin with a vase but his elation is short-lived because it doesn’t break the brainwashing.

Brain POW! Haha.

See, the brainwashing is perpetuated by natural cosmic rays, the kind that strike the Earth continuously. Only way to break the brainwashing would be if... I don’t know... the Earth stopped getting hit by cosmic rays. But that’s unlikely to the extreme.

Anyway, Red Ghost is going to use his brainwashing machine on the recaptured Hawkeye and Valkyrie now. I mean, its never worked on humans before. Usually just kills ‘em.

So two weeks later, Dr. Strange returns to his Greenwich sanctum with good news, everyone!

Using the powers he gained from the departed Ancient One, Strange has made some progress on undoing the spell which turned Black Knight to stone.

On Clea’s suggestion, Strange decides to summon the other Defenders to share this good news with everyone.

But only Silver Surfer and Hulk respond to his summons.

Because remember that thing? With Red Ghost? Cosmic ray brainwashing? That’s still happening.

There is some good news there too. Hawkeye and Valkyrie survived the process. But the bad news is that Red Ghost’s brainwashed fish army is big enough to take on Atlantis.

Back in Greenwich, Silver Surfer wants to forget the missing three Defenders and get on with the good news about Black Knight.

But Hulk pipes up that he knows where they are. But he’s not telling because he doesn’t do what dumb magician wants.

So Silver Surfer puts him in a headlock and Dr. Strange puts him in a trance.

Tranced Hulk tells them about how an Atlantean showed up to get Namor because Attuma was going to attack. There was a fight, Defenders got spanked and taken onto Attuma’s water ship, and Hulk left because he didn’t want to go. He doesn’t know how long ago it was because Hulk does not understand time.

So Dr. Strange puts Hulk into a mystical sleep that he will only awaken from when Strange returns. And then Strange and Surfer surf off to try to find the others.

Meanwhile, thousands of leagues under the sea: ATLANTIS. Brainwashed whales and squids come bursting through the walls. Although, what good are walls in an underwater city? You can swim over them.

But the whales strong enough to SHOK through walls with no problem aren’t as scary as Namor leading the charge.

So the three brainwashed Defenders lead Attuma’s forces into attacking the Atlanteans. Even Hawkeye somehow is effective, shooting special underwater arrows. What some might call “spear-gun spears.”

But suddenly, Valkyrie stops fighting and collapses screaming in sheer, stark terror. And she’s seeing everything in acid trip monster vision.

Its explained that only the Valkyrie personality was brainwashed, leading the original Barbara personality to partially break free again. But Barbara is still insane. And apparently the personalities are trying to kill each other.

On the plus side, this allows Dr. Strange to locate her because mental emanations. Sure.

Reading her mind, Dr. Strange learns what happened to the missing Defenders and that the brainwashing process depends upon the continual flow of cosmic rays.

So obviously the solution here is to dam that flow.

Which Dr. Strange can do. Although it does require him combining his powers with Silver Surfer and the pair of them using every iota of strength they possess.

But yeah. They put a barrier around Earth that blocks all cosmic rays.

... Yup. That sure looks like it covers everywhere on Earth alright.

But it does the trick. More than does it. It depowers Red Ghost, leaving him to PLOOG! in some undersea mud. I kind of have to wonder if the Fantastic Four were similarly depowered during this.

Ben Grimm unrocking and a brief shining hope swelling within his heart. And then at the end of the issue, ploog, back into the Thing.

Anyway. The fish army is now amscraying and Valkyrie is charging at Red Ghost.

So he does the sensible thing and flees. Right into Hawkeye swinging his bow like a bat. Which was the healthier alternative. Valkyrie was going to shove the ebony sword through him.

Namor comes to too and is less than absolutely thrilled with what’s going on. And he has former personal history with Attuma so even less thrilled than that.

So he swims over to Attuma and knocks him out with one punch, man.

That sort of thing is always happening to fish jerks though.

So with the day saved, the Defenders return the marine biologist home and then return to Strange’s sanctum for Part 1 of the Avengers/Defenders War.

Dr. Strange explains he convened the Defenders because he has made the first breakthrough in his efforts to undo Enchantress’ stoning spell.

And some of the Defenders respond to the news.

Hawkeye just thinks he had been wondering why his back-stabbing Avengers buddies didn’t replace him with Black Knight. Because Hawkeye.

Hulk is pissed off at Dr. Strange and Silver Surfer for putting him to sleep but he likes Black Knight. He’ll wait to see if Strange can fix him before putting his fist through some Strange face.

And Valkyrie feels an overpowering, irrational love for him. Possibly because the Valkyrie personality and the stoning spell were both created by the Enchantress. This has come up a few times before. She feels conflicted about it. If she’s cracking up, she doesn’t want to take the risk of loving someone.

Anyway. Magic.

Dr. Strange has found Dane Whitman/Black Knight’s soul in the dark realm it fled to when his body became stone. Because that’s how stoning works. And using the Orb of Agamotto, Strange will contact Black Knight.

A torquoise pencil scribble finds Black Knight’s soul floating in the void and contacts him. Telling him that the Defenders are trying to rescue him and asking if he has learned anything from his vantage point that could help break the spell.

Black Knight responds that there’s nothing except desolate emptiness. But time isn’t moving and he isn’t suffering. He’s had faith but now that the Defenders have contacted him, he has certain hope that they will save him.

So the message scribble turns around and heads back to Dr. Strange.

But it is intercepted. It was Dormammu who guided Strange’s psychic feelers so that they found the Black Knight’s soul. So he knew that Dr. Strange would send a message scribble and with his power combined with Loki’s he knew he could alter the message without Dr. Strange realizing it had been tampered with.

We also learn that Loki’s salary for his aid in tricking the Defenders will be the return of his eyesight. We also learn that Dormammu isn’t much for small talk.

So the tampered message scribble returns to Dr. Strange and gives him the message:

“Yes, I can hear you! I can! Knowledge that I’ve assimilated in this mystic realm tells me I can be rescued through the power of the Evil Eye! Hurry, please! I have had faith -- and now I have certain hope -- that you will save me!”

Dr. Strange has no reason to suspect that this is a ruse. Silver Surfer thought that the Evil Eye had been destroyed but if random mystical knowledge tells Black Knight that it’s around, then it must still exist!

So the Defenders vow to find the Evil Eye or perish in the attempt!

Hm. So we have the Avengers and we have the Defenders. We have the / so now where is the War?

Guess we’ll find it next time when we swing back to the Avengers side of things.