#Since joining Project Serenity

[elodieunderglass]

hi! i was just wondering if you’re getting a piece of this pie. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/voidrealmminis/rise-of-the-eldertubbies?ref=profile_saved_projects_live

Oh my goodness! Haha thanks for showing me! And no, of course, this guy is still selling my dream while claiming it’s totally nothing to do with me. I hadn’t heard about it so thank you.

For those just joining us, here is the saga of the elder teletubbies:

1. in 2017 I posted a dream I had on Tumblr. In the dream I discovered that the childish teletubbies shown on BBC’s Teletubbies are merely the children of a species that grows up to be forest cryptids as adults. The post contained a detailed character description explaining how the children’s simple antennae become more complex antlers; their coats become thicker hair; their eldritch screens are unknowable; here, look:

The adult Teletubbies have more branching, complex antlers and shaggy coats. They are less brightly coloured. They are terrifyingly large. Their strangely human faces, emerging from the thick fur, are unquestionably adult; remote, serene, reproachful. Their television screens are glitchy, esoteric and unknowable. They are cryptids whose public exploitation has undermined their rarity and their strange, alien dignity.

That’s a pretty clear description.

2. The post quickly gained attention and many people drew art, made sculptures, designed in-depth character concepts, and even made DnD character sheets and entries with detailed notes. It was 2017. The post got over 90k notes. It had an extremely clear description of the cryptid in it. This wasn’t at all obscure.

3. The post and four pieces of the concept art, including the first piece by were screencapped and posted on r/tumblr. The post included this art by the now-deactivated @finoliatav which is, I think, the first piece of art. Most screencaps don’t show that it’s animated! Once you see it you can no longer pretend that any more work needs to be done in designing these characters, really - they’re all variations on a very clear theme.

4. A guy called Jars started drawing the BBC Teletubbies as adult Teletubbies. He noted on Reddit that his inspiration for the first one was the r/tumblr post but after that, he considered it entirely his own creative work. He drew each of the 4 BBC Teletubbies as adults using my character description and wrote a little story about how his character had stumbled upon them in the woods. He’s a good artist and his work went viral on Reddit and instagram. Those places being separate from Tumblr by the walls of the enclosure, they quickly believed the Jars was being highly original and praised him for it.

5. jars got carried away by his fame and started merchandising for all he’s worth. He’s selling elder teletubbies placemats. He got a collaborator to help him make and sell plushies.

6. Plushies of my character design applied to BBC characters. Jars sells them. To people. Who buy them. He sells these.

7. I think this is like… his job.

8. It has been years of this. I don’t think he has actually come up with anything else to sell by himself. But given that he now has millions upon millions of views on platforms I don’t use, let alone dominate (Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok) he seems to have fully subscribed to the idea that this is his THING.

9. After a while I wrote him a friendly email expressing that since my original dream was very much about discomfort with how the teletubbies were being exploited, I didn’t mind him selling his own art but that I wasn’t happy with him selling plushes based on my writing.

10. He wrote back along the lines of it all being his original intellectual property and absolutely nothing to do with me, etc, so jog on and don’t interfere.

11. I’m not entirely sure where the original intellectual property is when taking BBC characters and drawing them according to someone else’s detailed description of how to “evolve” them (branching antlers, shaggy coats, eldritch screens, serene adult human faces) especially having drawn them after seeing four separate detailed reference photos to base your own drawings on; especially when they’re the existing BBC characters from the show and not even your own. Like, Jars, you were given an entire detailed brief, several sets of references, an entire concept and a television show: the only artistic choices made here were to pick up your own personal pen and do the drawing. You have never deviated from my description, which you did not come up with yourself in any way. But okay Jars. You did some real intellectual heavy lifting here, this is Intellectual Property suddenly, and I guess this is your day job!

12. I myself actually have a day job, am capable of generating lots of other original material just for funsies, have never asked you guys for money, and I’m not generally huge jerk I don’t think. Also, I’m uncomfortable but have never been clear on how to stop him - I don’t think I can. So I don’t do much about this, apart from occasionally scream with hilarity with you guys about it.

13. Like this is the opposite of Goncharov. This is a guy making his wage on a 2017 tumblr collaborative shitpost insisting that this is the beautiful fruit of his only brain. And millions of people believe him.

14. There are now YouTube documentaries with millions of views and TikTok lore about Jars, and his lore, the Elder Teletubbies, which apparently he invented. People are making their wage talking about the history of Jars and his teletubbies lore. These documentaries are, if you can’t tell, not especially well-researched, as it is not difficult to find the original elder teletubbies art on the internet, which is all timestamped. Occasionally hilarious people from Tumblr point this out in the comments (thank you, you guys are hilarious) but the juggernaut is unstoppable!

15. Jars is now, apparently, doing a kickstarter to raise money for some kind of DnD sheets using the grown up BBC teletubbies.

16. I will point out that tumblr made and played with DnD teletubbies in 2017 for free and nobody had to pay $3000, but again. The juggernaut is unstoppable.

I have never, ever known what to do about this guy.

I have always been open to advice but genuinely never been able to articulate how it “damages” me, apart from ethical discomfort about how much I hate my writing being monetised by other people, especially when it was about my discomfort with exploitation. The juggernaut is unstoppable though. He fully intends to get thousands of dollars from this. He almost certainly will!

[clarisse0o]

Camp Wiegman-Part 71

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternative Universe: Military School

Words: 4K

Masterlist

———————————————————————

Sunday, March 20th; 8:30 AM - At Lucy's place.  

I sigh softly as I notice the daylight filling the room. I already know I won’t be able to fall back asleep, even though I’ve barely woken up. I want to move, but I’m quickly stopped by a strong arm wrapped around me. I smile as lips press against my collarbone. Looks like I’m not the only one awake... Not surprising, knowing the woman behind me.

"We forgot to close the shutters," Lucy murmurs.

I chuckle softly at this, which seemed obvious to me. Lucy groans, tightening her hold around me. I understand she’s stretching before slipping her leg between mine. The feeling of our skin touching brings me immense comfort. A sigh of contentment escapes me.

"Good morning," I finally respond.

"Hey," she laughs. "Sorry, I forgot my manners."

I tilt my head back to look at her, and she takes the opportunity to capture my lips. I smile at her and eventually lie on my back so I can see her without straining. Lucy stays on her side, smiling in return as she watches me.

"Are you okay? How do you feel?" she asks.

"Incredibly good," I reply with a knowing smile.

She laughs again, gently running her fingers through my hair. I don’t need to ask her the same question in return. It’s obvious she’s doing well too. Her face glows with happiness. As for me, I struggle to look at her as I adjust to the light, but I force my eyes to stay open so I don’t miss this view. I feel tired but so content at the same time. It’s hard to put into words. The important thing is, I feel good. I finally got over the hurdle, and I was happy about it.

"What time is it?"

"Certainly early for you," she smiles. "Eight thirty."

I groan, snuggling against her. She teases me, but I don’t mind. It’s definitely too early for me. I would’ve loved to enjoy a little more sleep. Even one more hour would’ve been perfect. Lucy kisses my forehead, holding me tight. Well, at least I can savor this moment since Lucy doesn’t seem inclined to get up. I completely relax, lying on top of her. She continues to cradle me in her arms. We stay like this for a while before she suggests:

"I’m going to take a shower. Want to join me?"

The question caught me off guard at first, but the answer was obvious. We had nothing to hide from each other anymore, given the night we had.

"Yeah, I’d love to, if you’re up for it."

I lift my head, smiling when I see Lucy’s expression. She didn’t expect that answer, it seems. Yet, that’s how we ended up under the warm water. We washed each other’s bodies as if we hadn’t already explored them enough the night before. It was the most intimate experience I’ve ever had with someone, but I loved it. Especially with Lucy. I have no doubt we’ll do it more often from now on.  

We finally made our way to the kitchen, me wearing Lucy’s t-shirt and my joggers. I wanted to feel her presence on me everywhere now. Our hair was still slightly wet, but we didn’t care. Lucy put the cake batter we prepared last night in the fridge while preheating the oven. She then started making scrambled eggs with bacon while I set the table with our drinks: coffee for Lucy and orange juice for me. My stomach growled once I finished, making my girlfriend laugh.

"Are you hungry, perhaps?"

"Just a little," I admit, blushing.

"It’ll be ready soon."

"When do we need to head to the gym?"

"Oh, you’re already getting into it?" she asks with a teasing smile.

"Well, it was kind of fun yesterday," I reply shyly.

"We don’t have a set time. I thought we could go around 10:30, after breakfast and getting ready."

I nod. I’m eager to go, but at the same time, I don’t want to break the bubble we’ve created between us. We’re in a completely serene atmosphere that I’m not ready to let go of. Still, I want to support my girlfriend’s project. It’s partly my duty, but also, I’ve grown to love spending time with our friends now that I know them better.

"Alright, I’ll put the cake in the oven, and we can eat."

She takes care of that while I serve what she just prepared to speed things up. Lucy insists on bringing the cake. After everything that’s happened, I hope it at least turns out well. Given what she managed to create, it should be.

Sunday, March 20th; 1:30 PM - At the gym.

I feel uncomfortable. Alexia is making me uncomfortable. The boys are working in the locker room while Lucy left us to throw away our McDonald’s bags from lunch. We’re not talking, but the air is thick with unspoken words and her teasing smile. Alexia isn’t fooled. When your friend is covered in hickeys and happiness radiates between her and her girlfriend, there aren’t many options. Lucy wasn’t discreet. At least I marked her in places hidden by clothes. That’s far from the case for me. My neck was a violet mess. For once, I wish Alexia would say something instead of silently teasing me, but that doesn’t seem to be her intention. After a while, I turn to her, abandoning today’s task of tearing off the old wallpaper from the break room now that all the furniture has been removed.

"Are you going to talk?"

"About what?" she plays innocent. "It’s your turn to speak," she teases.

"True..." I mumble.

She bursts out laughing. Our friends had been making jokes all day, and I was getting tired of it. Lucy managed to ignore them, but I couldn’t. I was uncomfortable.

"There’s nothing to say. It’s your private life, but I’m just happy for you," she says with a knowing smile that makes me blush. "And if you want some advice—or rather, a few... Be less expressive next time, and maybe hide the marks better. It looks like Lucy’s a leech."

Now it’s my turn to laugh. I can’t argue with her. I’m marked all over. Mostly on my neck, but also on my chest, and even on my stomach and thighs. I thought I was seeing things this morning in the mirror, but I was too euphoric to mention it.

"Yeah, she went a bit wild... Anyway, thanks, Ale."

"Oh, it’s no big deal."

"And what about you? You seem a bit off, no?"

She takes a deep breath, shrugging.

"Alba’s been driving me nuts since last night. She’s bombarding me with messages... I think she expected me to stay over at Misa’s or something. Anyway, we had a bit of a fight."

"Oh... She hasn’t realized you’re seeing someone?"

"She knows. Well, we talked about it briefly, but I guess she didn’t realize it was this serious, or maybe she just doesn’t accept it."

"I think it’s the second one. Since she doesn’t know her and all, she’s probably worried seeing it’s so serious. You get what I mean?"

"Yeah, but still. She’s the complicated one. You’ve heard her. She still talks about Luna and Jenni as if it was something reckless. How do you think she’ll react when she finds out it was me?"

"Hopefully differently. I mean, you’re her sister, after all."

"Hmm... I doubt it... Anyway, things are tense between us now."

"Yeah... I can imagine."

I don’t add anything as I see Lucy returning.

"What happened to your efficiency from this morning?" she mockingly scolds us.

"We were waiting for you," I reply. "You didn’t think we wouldn’t save you some work, did you?"

I say that knowing full well she’s probably done the most work today.

"Oh yeah, no chance of you forgetting me," she replies with a mischievous smile.

I blush as she wraps her arms around me and kisses the tip of my nose. Since last night, she’s been giving me the impression that she’s even more in love than before. I didn’t think that was possible. One thing’s for sure, I no longer have any doubts about her feelings.

"Come on, let’s get to work. It’d be great if we could finish today," she says.

- How are the guys doing? Ale asks.

I appreciate the connections forming between them. Alexia is becoming increasingly comfortable with Lucy’s presence. They’re chatting much more, without any pressure. She’s understood that outside of school, she’s no longer the intimidating instructor. In fact, all my friends have pointed out that she’s softened since I’ve been around. It’s a good thing, in a way. At least she’s finally accepted her best friend’s girlfriend.

- They’re still working on the locker rooms, my girlfriend replies.

- How are they dealing with the plumbing? I ask.

- Everything is already in place, as it was already a locker room. Someone will come next week to check if everything is up to code and see if we need to adjust according to our plans, she explains.

- Oh, okay. What an organization! You really think of everything.

- We try, she says proudly.

I don’t know how they do it. I wouldn’t have been able to do what they’re achieving. They’re young, but they’re really not afraid of anything. The afternoon continues with good humor and music. Lucy has managed to disconnect me this weekend. I even start to feel down when the clock strikes ten. In a few hours, I’ll have to dive back into a much less pleasant atmosphere than this weekend. Lucy suggested ending the day with a meal at The United before heading back to school. I didn’t know that bar served food, but Lucy told me they offer quick dishes. Luckily, we prepared and took our bags this morning. Alexia didn’t, but it’s not a problem since the bar is near her apartment. When we arrive at the bar, I’m surprised by the crowd for a Sunday night. We must not be the only ones wanting to end the weekend quietly.

- Are you allowed to drink before your shift? I tease my girlfriend, who is taking her first sip of beer.

- Take care of your own drink, will you? I’m not “on duty” until tomorrow morning anyway, she retorts, making quotation marks with her fingers. You know, when I have to check your room?

I stick my tongue out at her and cross my arms, making our friends laugh. Lucy puts her arm around my shoulders and kisses my cheek.

- You should have had one too, instead of sticking with your soda, Aitana mocks from the end of the table.

- Hey, don’t criticize my drink, you bunch of alcoholics.

Even Alexia had left me tonight, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t want any alcohol. It was seven o’clock when our burgers were served. Unfortunately, we couldn’t linger since we had to return to school within an hour. The meal was brief but effective. I was stuffed when leaving the bar. We followed Jenni to her place so Ale could get her stuff, and then we set off for a new week. I feel uneasy during the drive. Responsibilities will return tomorrow. Lucy spent her time stroking my thigh, as if she knew what I was thinking. It was pretty obvious given how silent I was. We arrive at school. Lucy drops us off at the street nearby so we can finish on foot. A final goodbye and a last kiss shared before watching her drive away. We finish on foot, dragging our bags with Ale. It’s late. I think it’s the first time I’m coming back to school so late.

- Are you okay? You seem... Disconnected.

Alexia couldn’t have described the situation better. I sigh, running my hand through my hair.

- I’m okay... I’m a bit worried about the upcoming tests, I admit only partially.

- You don’t care, she rolls her eyes. Well, I know they’ll assess our ability to understand a lesson, but it doesn’t mean failing will ruin your chances for the May exams.

- I’m afraid of not being ready, I confess. Lucy had to pull me away from my studies because I was becoming obsessed.

- I think she did a pretty good job...

I give her a nudge at her implication, and we burst into laughter. She’s not wrong. This weekend was exceptional, but will she manage to make the next ones just as great? It’s hard to say.

- It’s not funny.

- Come on, at least tell me one thing... Was it worth it?

I laugh again, shaking my head. I’m not sure if she’s joking, but my good mood makes me want to respond.

- Oh yes. She really knows what she’s doing.

We arrive at the reception where the woman tells us we’re almost late. She opens the doors for us and wishes us a good evening. We return the sentiment and continue down the hallway. After a while, Ale resumes the conversation.

- Really? Well, I’ve only known Jenni, so it’s hard to judge, she says with a slight blush.

- You’re lucky to have only known one person. I wish it were my case too... Feli only cared about her pleasure, so...

- I see... And if you had to compare Mapi and Lucy? Because, well, I suppose it’s down to those two now.

I smile and nod. I haven’t known anyone else besides those three.

- It would be Lucy.

- Even after a night? she laughs.

- It was... There are no words. Maybe I’m moving too fast, but it was truly powerful, intimate, and full of love. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy being with Mapi. I did, but it was really different.

I’m really glad to have Alexia in my life. I couldn’t talk about this with anyone else if she weren’t here. She listens and nods with a small smile.

- I understand you, and you’ve reassured me at the same time. The way you describe it, I feel like it’s us, Jenni, and me. You’re probably right in saying it depends on oneself and the person on the other side. I think you just need to find the right person for a good connection, and I believe we both have found that.

I smile at her response, but it fades quickly when I see Alba pacing in front of our dorm. Misa is with her, sitting on the steps, looking bored. Alexia’s words come back to me, and I sense trouble.

- Oh no, Ale whispers.

- Yeah, I see, I reply as we get closer.

We see Misa talking. She must have warned her of our arrival because she turns sharply towards us as soon as we approach.

- Finally! I was getting anxious, she yells as soon as we’re within earshot.

- What’s your problem? her sister replies with indifference.

- What’s my problem? she repeats. Did you see what time you’re arriving? I thought you wouldn’t come back!

- Calm down, we’re here now. There’s no need to make a fuss.

I try to defuse the situation, but I can see there’s no use. Alba is fuming. She goes into an endless monologue about how crazy her sister is. She thought she wouldn’t come back. Ale tries to respond at times, but she doesn’t have much luck. She accuses her of never telling her where she is or who she’s with, and for that, she’s not entirely wrong. She’s driving me crazy. It’s insane. She’s known for a long time that she’s with someone. There’s never been a problem before. She must have realized it’s serious now that it’s been going on for a while. I knew it was tense, but not to this extent. Alexia must have downplayed it when I asked her questions, it’s the only explanation.

- And what about you? Do I ask you where you are every time? Let me live a little.

- She was with me, relax, I try again to defend her.

I give up as she continues shouting, ignoring my comment. It’s really the word. I look at Misa, who has stood up. She seems just as alarmed as I am. The last thing we want is to get into trouble. I’m relieved when I finally see Lucy approaching us.

- Oh! What’s going on here!?

Her voice manages to overpower Alba’s, who stops immediately. She now looks like a deer caught in headlights, having been caught in the act.

- Do you want me to help you shout like this in front of the dorm!?

- It’s just that, I was worried about my sister, she responds.

- Oh, and that gives you the right to shout like this? Can you imagine if everyone acted like you? It’s past eight o’clock. You should be in your rooms by now! We’ll see if you’ll be so ambitious tomorrow morning when I deal with you.

- That won’t be necessary.

- I think I’m still the one making the decisions here! That wasn’t a question. You’ll be with me for the day, and we’ll sort this out in my office after classes, no exceptions.

The tender Lucy from this weekend is clearly gone tonight. Alba clenches her fists and grinds his teeth. I can see from my place that she’s holding back from responding.

If I were in her place, I wouldn’t do it; it could end badly. Without saying another word, she turns her back on her and slams the door as she goes into the dorm.

- I’ll go calm her down, Misa says.

With those words, she hurries to catch up with her before it’s too late. We remain silent after this unexpected attack until Lucy lets out a heavy sigh.

- Can I not leave you alone for even five minutes?

- Thanks, Alexia murmurs. I really don’t know what got into her...

- We’ll deal with this tomorrow. It’s time for you to head upstairs.

Alexia looks to me for support, but I know when it’s best to negotiate with Lucy. It’s certainly not the time now. Alba managed to irritate my girlfriend ahead of time, having to intervene tonight already.

- We’ll head up, I reply. Have a good night...

My words manage to relax her a bit. We exchange a small smile.

- Thanks... Sleep well too.

She turns around while we stay in place. Alexia turns to me when she’s at a safe distance so she can’t hear us.

- Why didn’t you say anything!? I don’t want to face Alba in her office! This whole thing doesn’t need to get back to Jenni!

- Calm down. I’ll talk to her tomorrow. It wasn’t the right moment to bring it up given her mood.

My roommate sighs heavily, running her hand across her face. I understand her situation, but talking about it tonight wouldn’t have helped.

- Let’s go upstairs. We’ll talk about it up there.

- No, it’s fine, she mumbles.

She heads in first without waiting for me. What a mood... No need to wait until tomorrow to get to the bottom of things. We reach our room together, but Alexia doesn’t wait to dive into the bathroom, where I hear the shower turn on. I understand she doesn’t want to discuss it further. I take this time to unpack my suitcase. At least that will be done. If our return starts like this, I don’t even want to imagine the week ahead. Well, at least one day will be off thanks to my outing, so there’s that. When Alexia emerges, I’ve just finished with my suitcase. I then take my turn to change and brush my teeth. There’s still half an hour before curfew, but the mood has definitely faded since. When I come out, I notice Alexia has started a series on her computer with her headphones on. Since she still doesn’t want to talk, I start reading a book I found in Lucy’s library. I was surprised to find a huge shelf full of books in her office. She told me I could help myself, so I did. I spend the rest of the evening reading and my mind is still agitated. I hope everything will be okay between Ale and Alba. The last thing I want is for them to not get along anymore. Alexia won’t admit it, but I don’t think she can live without her for long. They’re far too close for that. We all have secrets. Especially here, but it’s time for her to reveal hers.

[papercupids]

and cut!

pairing -> director!reader × ex!mingyu ft. (ateez) actor!yunho + a heck lot of ocs

summary -> never take an artist seriously when they say their work is inspired from their "imagination."

or alternatively, where to get over mingyu you write a script about you and him.

warnings -> angst, drinking, there's a scene where the reader is drunk and there's profanities too.

a/n -> finally a one shot after constantly putting out <500 words blurbs/drabbles (?) i put my yunho/mingyu agenda here and hopefully someone will actually relate to it!! as usual feedback is v v appreciated <3

word count -> 4.5k

"come on, come on, this is my favourite song!" he's jumping up and extending his hand out to you as the speaker is playing some song which goes a bit like "dum da dum da dum da dum da dum," and you don't like it, but looking at his face, encouraging and eager for you to join him, you get up and slowly join mingyu.

the apartment was quiet, save for the soft music and the sounds of bare feet touching the floor, but no one cares, it’s summer. it’s sticky but the air conditioner's on. he spins you around and then when you turn he places his hand on your back trying to silly dance as much as he can to make you laugh.

maybe you love him, you think. but you don't want to say it out loud and risk a withdrawal from him.

and you laugh at him, he's pleased with himself after that, but he keeps on making you jump and spin and the laughing, it all is making you choke a little so you stop suddenly and try to catch your breath, still laughing. and when he stops, he's looking at you and laughing too except he's coming in closer and closer until there's no gap between you both and he's wrapping both of his arms around and leaning in to kiss you and then touching his forehead to yours afterwards.

"i love you," you whisper lowly.

"what?"

"i love you," you declare as you cup his face gently, and you don't mean to, but your voice shakes a little bit.

“AND CUT!” the producer yells, making you snap out of your fantasy in a second, and shake your head. the actors that were in front of you break character and get away from each other desperate to get to their vans and have a break.

seungcheol put down the microphone at your table and then gives you a fake grin, “earth to you, our beloved director,”

you close your eyes, “i was watching the scene, okay, i was just thinking if we could do something to-“

“save it,” he leans close, “look, babe, as much as i love you, we need to be on track, okay? we can’t afford to lose time, not even a little bit. you know the fans have been waiting for long, ” you nod. you knew how important this project was for you, after 2 years of radio silence and nobody to support your script except seungcheol. maybe that was why it was called 15 minutes of fame, because when it was over, nobody really cared.

but the response had been overwhelming when it was revealed to the fans that you were actually coming back with a film, and on top of that writing and directing your own story, it had a lot of hopes resting on it.

but what people or seungcheol did not know was that, the script was personal to you, as any piece of art to an artist, and it resembled a time in your life when you were truly happy, not the career high you felt when your first film got 80% rotten tomatoes, but a different, serene kind of happy. a happiness which could only exist there, and only with a certain kind of person, who was kim mingyu.

as the schedule for the day wrapped up, you sat on your computer at home, reviewing the footage from the past few days. the days after your college was over, moving in with him, dancing around the apartment… it made you pick up your phone, as it did since the day you thought of the script, or wait, scratch that, since the day you left him hanging there at the restaurant and you went to his contact.

your calls and texts were long since blocked by him, which was valid, ofcourse, but you desperately wanted him to know, you wanted to shout from the top of mountains if that could make him hear it, but you wanted him to know that "yes, mingyu, i miss you, and i made a mistake, but i don't know how to make it better, please help me!"

but nothing of that sort would happen. this was real life, not some sort of hallmark movie.

so when nothing resonated with you enough to write a script about, the idea came to you in a dream, to write about him. and you did, even if the probability of getting funded was about 20-80, you went ahead with it. and one of the top producers in the industry, known for his last two streaks of movies that were ranked number 1 on letterboxd, seungcheol decided to go through with it.

in his words, the story was raw, unique and heart-wrenching, it would make for a great contribution to a genre that closely resembled an indie movie type thing but also did not have the iconic manic pixie dream girl. he liked that.

the next scene was the aftermath of a party, of a new year’s party to be precise, and the feeling of a new year hadn’t quite settled into the both of you because you were too busy cleaning up the confetti and beer cups left by your drunk friends.

“i’m never hosting a party ever again,” you declared, picking up polaroids that were discarded being labeled ‘unsatisfactory’ this specific one was of vernon and seungkwan with the former crouched down to be shorter than seungkwan as he poses with an open mouth, it was attempted to look like seungkwan eating vernon’s head, but it had ended up as a hilarious mistake as seungkwan looked to be doing nowhere what he’d intended to. this was one to show them tomorrow sober, so you quickly put it in your pocket.

“i’m just thankful they left, it looked like some of them had plans to sleep over,”

“not a chance in hell,” you responded. you loved your friends, but they were probably making a mess of their sinks by throwing up, judging by the amount of alcohol they had.

“hey, wait, wait,” mingyu left the plastic bag he was collecting the trash in as he came walking to the living room, “do you hear that?” he went to the speaker which was set to the lowest volume. it was one of the songs that was in the first ever playlist you’d made for him.

he walks over to you, and you already know what’s coming, but you’ve long since accepted these impromptu sessions, so when he takes your hand and spins your around, it’s graceful, but afterwards, it’s just slow dancing in the living room.

“happy new year,” he wishes you.

“happy new year, my love. to this one and to so many more we’ll spend together,”

“CUT!” this time it’s you, not seungcheol. you were close to tears, the set, the music it was too familiar and it felt like walking on glass.

“great job, yunho!” he smiles as he walks up to you to monitor the footage.

he watches intently as you review it. he’s satisfied with it and you honestly couldn’t have had anybody better to portray mingyu.

“you’re perfect, really, you’re bringing the story to life really well,” you compliment him.

“is it, though?” he takes a chair and sits next to you, his assistant brings him a fan and he silently accepts it, keeping his eyes on you.

“is it what?”

“a story, i mean. either you have a intricate imagination or it’s a lie, it has actually happened,”

thankfully, to save you, your phone rings, you excuse yourself as yunho just smirks.

“seungcheol?”

“how’s it going? i wanted you to remind you to not get too deep into it, it’s fine if we need to push it back, just don’t overwork yourself,”

“aw, where’s this change of mind coming from? ah, i should really make you go home more, your wife is clearly the more rational one. i knew she would give you a piece of mind,”

“it’s me, yuri, how are you, baby? i hope seungcheol is not being too harsh on you,”

“ahah, no, no, he’s just giving me the push that i need, it’s alright,”

“what’s next on the schedule? i was thinking of coming down to watch the magic happen myself,”

“ofcourse, ofcourse,”

today’s shoot is about the time when you both first met.

you’d been new in town when your friend, alice had taken a quick liking to you and you’d both hit it off too, becoming the best of friends in no time almost.

but there’s one thing about that you absolutely dislike, her boyfriend vernon. they seemed to be perfectly alright with each other a minute and fighting the other, with the fighting mainly consisting of alice talking vernon’s ear off about how he didn’t value her as much as he should and how he never texts her, and vernon, constantly trying to make amends, i’ll be better, i’ll text you more.

one of those days though, the fight had ended with alice in your bed, passed out while crying and someone rung your bell - a tall guy with a fang-y smile that he didn’t hesitate to show even if he was here to solve a serious issue.

“i’m mingyu,”

and he’d tell you later on that he was determined to make the two patch up after that to get an excuse to hang out with you, to get to know you, and to keep you close. and he patched them up so well that they actually ended up getting married.

“wait, cut,”

you command and instantly, the actors turn to you and you walk over to yunho.

“we need a little teeth in the smile, please,”

he grins awkwardly.

“yunho, please,” the whole set has stopped to look at the conversation, and you talk in a lower voice to not let everybody hear you pleading.

“why does that even matter? i’m doing what i would normally to people when i’m introducing myself. isn’t that natural?”

“you don’t get it-“

“do i not smile like him?” he whispers, and you throw him a glare as you walk back to your chair, “rolling again,”

“oh god, i love it!” yuri exclaims after the last shoot is done, she’s in awe of the plot of the simplicity and yet intricity of it.

you wrap things up as she talks to you. “let’s go somewhere for dinner,” you’re tired but you nod, “okay,”

the first thing she does as you both sit down on your booth is lean in, her elbows on the table and her face leaned in, “now tell me, what inspired the script!”

“not this again,” you groan.

“it’s definitely something and i need to know, for science,”

“can we at least order first?” she giggles, “yes, okay,”

almost 2 hours later, as she scoops out the last spoon of her ice cream, you’ve finished your story.

she quietly enjoys that one bit and then comments, “i don’t think you’re to blame at all,”

“how? i was the one who left him,”

“well, because if you didn’t you wouldn’t be here right now, and i’m not talking like being with me here but this,” she points to the bag where the script is cozily snuggled up. “you wouldn’t have had this. and i’m not saying it’s his fault, because, ofcourse there’s nothing wrong with what he wanted either, it’s just that you both were different people who wanted different things. it was, simply put, circumstantial,”

she makes sense, but it doesn’t feel right to just blame the time when you’ve gotten so used to blaming yourself for choosing to leave.

“but it must have been beautiful, your love,” she puts a hand on your shoulder comfortingly, “i’m glad you experienced something like that and you can portray it so gracefully too,”

“and, um, yuri, don’t tell seungcheol, please,”

the movie was coming along exactly on time, all the actors were cooperative and the weather didn’t meddle much, seungcheol came around often and advise you about a particular scene should be reshot but he did not push a lot, something that you should probably thank yuri for.

and soon enough it was the day that filming would wrap up and you could finally shove your feelings in a movie and not look back, as much as it had been a dream to relieve it all again, the grave realization that these memories might be the only ones you would ever share with mingyu made you breakdown a lot of times.

yuri came down again, to congratulate you and she sat beside you for the last scene in the movie as well as shooting.

this scene, you could truthfully cross your heart and say that it’s fictional.

in this scene, they bump into each other once again, hopeful to start where they left off, looking at a stranger with a knowing smile, you knew him before and maybe, just maybe you’ll know him again.

but real life wasn’t anything like that, the film goes into post production, and you still haven’t gave up on your habit of lying on your side and scrolling through your phone looking at his photos and some screenshots of your chats (you had long since switched through multiple phones and had way too many drunk nights where you swore to get over him) but it was no use, every night ended the same, with your heart feeling hollowed out as you dreamt of his laughter and his touch, how was it that you had to go through your entire life without it now? it made you cry all over again.

“when are you going to come home?” the aspect chilled you but you decided that if you wanted to do something about it then you had to go home, and you had to face him. even if going home wasn’t necessarily that because your parents and mingyu lived on the opposite ends of town and had cut ties with each other after the way you ran away, enough time has passed for you to try and make amends, or just at least check up on him.

“mingyu?”

he’s sitting in the cafè where you used to frequent during your time together and you look at alice who encourages you to go talk to him as the said person turns and stands up after he recognizes you.

and it’s obvious, you run to him, throwing your arms around him.

“i’m so glad you’re back,” he looks into your eyes with the same hope he got down on one knee with. maybe this time you can say yes, your movies have been doing well and you’re no longer struggling and but he doesn’t want to get out of this town and-

the alarm rings, and you’re at home, miles away from the previous title holder of home and even farther away from mingyu himself. and who were you kidding? how can you even expect him to welcome you like that? you yourself didn’t deem yourself worthy of a normal conversation let alone a hug and a hopefulness to start over, the movie bit was really getting to you.

the time read 8:00 am, the premiere was today, if things went smoothly you could ditch after a few interviews and be on the way home and as early as tomorrow you could be breathing the same air as mingyu?

“i’m coming today,” you call your mom en route to the venue, and she visibly smiles, you haven’t gone home but home, your parents have been here a lot of times, understanding and empathizing with your choice.

muting the call, she nods to your father, the home was about to regain its fullness again.

“but isn’t the premiere today?”

“well, i can get out as soon as i’m doing with the mandatory obligations.”

“don’t rush and drive safe, okay?”

the lights flashing and the loud voices of the public, the flashy setting with pretentious people and their fake smiles and wishes about “i hope the movie does well,” but when in reality they hoped the exact opposite was too much for you even on normal days let alone the days when you were already itching to get out, and so you did, 2 hours after you entered, and painstakingly, turns out the superpower you’d want to have if someday was invisibility, take that TMZ!

but the very next memory is of the warmest bed you’ve ever known, the smell of the incense sticks your father lights every morning without fail and the country song playlist your mom has to play, what an odd combination.

“so, um,” sitting at the breakfast table, you can sense an odd shift in the atmosphere after you’ve settled down in the household and it’s almost tense, the bread and butter doesn’t seem appetizing now.

the look that your parents give each other is unmissable.

“okay,” your father clears his throat, “we’ve been beating around the bush and avoiding anything that’s related to mingyu or anything but,”

“but?”

“um,”

“he got married,” your mum says quickly and shoves food into her mouth, all the while they both look down at the dining table, the pattern become very interesting to them at that moment.

three words and it’s enough to slash your heart into two, but to be honest it hurt less compared to the times you’d thought of the possibility, you thought you’d be more hurt, the scene would be more dramatic, and everything. but it was a numb kind of pain, the kind that is in the next room, sleeping and you have to open drawers quietly to not wake it up, but still numb.

it’s okay, when you were out there you were desperate for a piece of home and found it in your memories of mingyu, but when you’re here, you realize that more than mingyu there were a lot of other chracters in your story.

speaking of characters, there were alice and vernon who had long since gotten married, had a kid recently and there was so much to catch up on.

“we go to the movies only for you, really. because it’s so hard to get this guy,” alice points to vernon who is sprawled on the sofa with his baby on the side, “out of the house,”

“hey, it’s not my fault that you can literally do everything without moving a finger out of the house,”

they hadn’t changed a single bit since college and you were glad, it was unbelievable that these were the same two people who were breaking up every 2 days a few years back, that was a great story to tell the baby about.

when you mention mingyu, they share the same look your parents did, “it’s okay, guys, i know he’s married. jeez, did everybody collectively know i was still pining over him?”

“it was obvious,”

“i wish you could have worked out though,” alice sighs. “i mean, his wife is great, we see them once a month but it would have been different if it were you, right?”

“are you sure they aren’t home?” mingyu whispers as he climbs in through your window. and you’re too tipsy to care if they are or not.

‘i don’t know!” you announce in a voice that was sure to wake up the neighbours enough.

mingyu wanted to laugh, the way you were swaying and struggling to walk straigh was adorable and so was the look in your eyes, that you could achieve anything, but he noticed it even when you were sober, the look which said, i know what i want and i’m not afraid of going for it. it scared him sometimes, but it was that very thrill that had attracted him to you in the first place.

“mingyuuu,” your voice dragged, thankfully and luckily your parents were either asleep or really not here.

“baby,” he place a finger on your lips, “you need to be quiet, okay? people are sleeping,”

“hmm,” you walk over to sit on your bed.

“mingyu,” you call his name out again. he looks at you with a smile on his face, your voice has dropped to a whisper, mocking him.

“come here,” you pat on the space beside you.

“here,” he sits down and grab onto his arm softly, snuggling into his chest.

“i love mingyu,” is the last thing you say when you drift off beside him, and you’ll never know that he said it too.

“i love you, always and forever,”

on the same bed, you sit alone now, the review are pouring in, people love the rawness of their love, people hate that it’s too slow, people love yunho’s acting, and people call out “loopholes” and it gets overwhelming to you at some point so you stop looking at it and decide to go out to clear your head.

the grocery store is a perfect place to do that and as soon as you tell your mom that, she has an entire list of things you need to get for her, ready.

and thankfully, just as you’re in the first aisle of biscuits and snacks, the caller id shows yuri’s number.

“i love how it turned out so much,”

you smile as you push the shopping trolley, that was one of the only opinions that matter.

“so you’re home?” she asks.

“home sweet home after like 6 years,”

“wow, that’s a lot.” she’s a little touchy around the subject but you know what she wants to ask.

“nope, yuri, i haven’t seen mingyu,”

“oh, haha, yes i wanted to ask that,”

the chips, and the nachos and now the sauce section. but you had to get some detergent for your mom, where was that aisle?

“but i’m actually thankful for that.” you take a deep breath, “yuri, he’s married.”

“shit…” she quietly mutters. and shifts her phone to the right ear, “are you okay?”

“yeah, i’m.. fine, it’s not something that i didn’t think about so it’s okay, i was prepared for it,”

a small girl is reaching up for a bread in the baked goods section and you have an involuntary grin plastered on your face, it suddenly reminded you of a time when you were like the same little kid.

“here, let me help,” you reach up for it and give it to her, but she gives you a blank look and runs away.

and you’re suddenly reminded of the whole stranger danger campaign your aprents used to do for you, maybe the same is for her parents.

but just as you turn and push your cart, still looking for the damned detergent, someone calls out to you.

“excuse me,”

and you turn before the voice registers itself in your brain.

mingyu.

and the kid from before, hiding behind his legs.

he’s looking down at her, “i’m sorry, normally she does say thank you. haneul, baby, say thank-“

and he looks at you.

“..y/n?”

“uh, yuri, let me call you back in a bit,”

nothing could have prepared you for that one moment, no matter how much you think about it in the shower, or try to practice a conversation.

shortly after your little reunion in the baked goods section, his wife follows, “should i get this or…?”

and thankfully, it wasn’t awkward (read, kinda awkward) but you greeted them formally and his wife seemed to know about you but she made the little girl greet you as her father's friend.

"how have you been?" he asks, and the wife, who introduces herself as hari, grabs his arm.

"come over to ours, i'm sure you both have to catch up."

and that is how you end up in the same house that well, you used to be practically living ij but out of respect for both haneul and hari, you shake off the memories, you had the rest of your life for them.

"haneul, can you go upto your room and make a drawing for your father's friend?" hari brings three cups of tea into the living room as you make small talk with mingyu, turns out his parents had both tragically passed away in a car accident 2 years ago so now he lived here.

and you don't even know what it means because you don't even live in the same rented apartment in a different city for too long, you couldn't imagine having a family in the place where you wete born, there was nothing wrong with it, but it wasn't what you wanted.

"we watched one of your movies together," she admits, "it was actually our first date and he said, the director is my ex, and i just laughed i couldn't believe him,"

and the conversation went on, scratching at the surface but not really going in, it was like catching up with work acquaintance.

when haneul called out for her mother, you took that time to tell mingyu that you want to be excused.

"i'll walk you out,"

and as soon as you're on the porch gate, you turn to him.

"i'm happy you got what you wanted, mingyu."

"i wanted you, y/n. this is what i needed."

"right, yes," it gets awkward for a bit as memories resurface.

"for what it's worth, i'm really sorry for that day," you confess. "i've never stopped thinking about what could've been if i didn't leave,"

he looked away, not wanting to go down the lane and be reminded of all of that again.

"it's alright, i wouldn’t have haneul and hari, and you wouldn't have another hit movie under your belt either,"

it stung a little but he was right.

a little hope inside you that was still alive even after all of these years died down slowly, like a candle wick melting out along with the wax, it ran its course, now it's time for another candle.

you exchanged goodbyes and you watched him go inside and the muffled squeals and laughter of him and his daughter, and then the door opened again, this time, it was hari.

"uh, i'll get going now," you signal to your watch, "it’s getting dark, i should reach home before that,"

"wait, but i made dinner for you,"

she was such a sweetheart, you were so glad that they'd both found each other. the kid would grow up to be such a gentle person.

"thank you so much, but i'll come by next time, maybe, i promise,"

she stands on the porch until you take your car out of their driveway, waving lightly.

there was no next time, for the sake of your mental health, it was the last time you would ever see kim mingyu.

[ellie-dew]

A new expansion MOD project is underway!

You can see a little bit of character information on Nexus 💘

You can see more detailed information on Discord.

The release date has not been decided yet.

Also, we are currently looking for people to help with the GDS team's MOD production.

If you're good at pixel art or coding, join the GDS team.

Since the development server is only in Japanese, it would be helpful if you could speak Japanese to some extent.

If you participate, please feel free to contact Ellie's personal Discord DM.

My team and I look forward to hearing from you :)

[rpgpolls]

Happy Independent TTRPG Month!

July is Independent TTRPG Month and RPGPolls is joining in on the fun in celebrating small press games that are just as if not more fun than the famed Seattle game.

This is a little overdue but I have been exhausted between work, my GM-ly duties, and some projects I have going.

Non D&D focused polls to come but for now enjoy a list of small press games I enjoy under the read more. Happy Indie RPG Month and happy rolling!

Dungeon Crawl Classics (and its variants) - An absolutely gonzo OSR fantasy game and what I currently run at my table. Cannot recommend it enough.

Shadowdark RPG - A wonderful bridge between the OSR school of play and 5e. Don't know how available it is since the kickstarter just finished but I ran Andrew Kolb's Neverland using it and had a blast.

13th Age - A super simple d20 system made by some of the devs who worked on 3.5 and 4e. Plays like a wonderful blend of the two and makes natural rolls more important beyond the usual 1s and 20s. Super fun.

Fantasy AGE (and its variants) - A 3d6 system that's a lot of fun. Popularized by Wil Wheaton's Titansgrave setting/game. I feel like it's magic system is a little lacking but overall its a fast paced and creativity focused game.

The Apocalypse Engine - For the sake of simplicity and brevity, all PbtA games will be counted under here. Requires a lot of player creativity and buy in but overall super fun and versatile. An indie darling to be sure.a

Swords and Wizardry - One of the big three systems that basically started the OSR movement (the other two being OSRIC and Labyrinth Lord). Unfortunately I only played this system briefly and without understanding what it stood for. 5e came out like a month after I started to the campaign was quickly converted. Would love to revisit it.

The Cortex System - Mostly used this to play the Serenity RPG. It's a decent system and good for what it is but the combined die types as stats doesn't work with me.

GURPS - What Fallout was originally going to be based off of, GURPS is a monster of a generic system. If you can think of it, it's probably got a rule for it. Works best when you narrow it down and can be a little complicated. You may have better luck with

Savage Worlds - A more streamlined generic roleplaying game with tons of pre-made settings. The card initiative mechanic is a refreshing take on the mechanic and the bennie system is so much fun. Full props.

Crash Pandas, Honey Heist, Goblin Quest and anything by Grant Howitt - Solid gold, great, light, comedic games that are guaranteed to make for a night of fun. No notes. Goblin Quest in particular is heavily underrated imo.

We Are But Worms - Meets the bare definition of a roleplaying game. Play it constantly with my friends. All we have to do is look at each other, say one word, and the game gets going.

I could go on. There's a metric ton of RPGs that I've played and even more that I haven't but would love to. Fiasco (I can never get anyone to play with), Blades in the Dark, Candela Obscura, Mork Borg, the Black Sword Hack and so many others with more catching my eye every day. So take the remainder of this month (and beyond) to explore the community and play something you haven't - or maybe even never planned to. This hobby has so much more to offer than WotC and Paizo and so much more to offer than just roll high on a d20 in a fantasy game. Get out there and start rolling the bones (or not in some cases!) And have fun!

[ask-agent-rapzutin-vodello]

Razputin Vodello 2: The Tides of War - Chapter 4: Infiltrating the Syndicate

‘So far, so good.’ Raz thought to himself – and to the others - as he and the rest of his team waited in the hidden compartment bay at the bottom of the cargo ship Gisu had prepared for them. With him were Lili, Lizzie – with the two of them in a tactical get-up – and Norma, who was busy with the final setup of her communication equipment. While Raz and his team would rely mostly on radio-silence unless in the direst circumstance, it also provided a link with the rest of the team that had remained on the mainland with emergency response units. If anything would go wrong, they could relay a message to HQ.

Lili looked over to him, giving him a nervous smile. ‘No signs that they’re on to us?’

‘I’ll check.’ Raz closed his eyes and used clairvoyance to connect to the mind of the one of the Agents that were posing as crewmen on the upper deck. He soon saw blue skies and calm seas, and a burly pair of hands holding on to a mop as they were scrubbing the deck. A scratch in the back of his mind told him the Agent acknowledged his presence. ‘Agent Sanchez, how is the situation?’

The Agent didn’t answer, but instead directed his gaze towards the starboard – or was it port side? – of the ship. Raz saw a big crane unloading cargo containers – probably some other supplies were stashed with the Psilirium. He suppressed the urge to whistle when Agent Sanchez looked up at the giant oil rig the Syndicate was using as a base.

‘That’s a big rig.’ Lizzie commented, who had joined in the clairvoyance session. ‘You guys are gonna have a heck of a time navigating that, even with the plans Forsythe managed to dig up.’

‘Hollis’ intel has never failed us in the past, so why start now?’ Lili added. ‘I’m a bit more concerned about the oodles of bad guys on every corner.’

Raz had to agree – with both statements. As far as he – or rather, Agent Sanchez – could see, there were a lot of armed men all around the rig. Raz recognized some of the men looking over the unloading process. He had thrown several of them in jail personally. He wasn’t surprised they were out again, though, considering the Syndicate seemed to have gained a lot of pull these days.

The rig itself was massive, even for oil rig standards. Raz had looked into the facility’s history as to prepare himself. Seemed it was a rather ambitious oil drilling project of the Brazilian government, with less-than-satisfactory results. Afterwards, it got repurposed and retrofitted with the intention for it to act as a maritime observatory and deep-sea research facility, but after that didn’t bare any fruition as well, it got abandoned. After that, it seems that the Syndicate managed to get their hands on it, and they’ve been shipping out their ‘produce’ from their out ever since.  

Feeling he wasn’t gonna get any more intel this way then they currently had, Raz ended the clairvoyance and let out a silent sigh.

‘No sign of the big man himself.’ Lizzie commented.

‘No surprise there.’ Norma answered, finally breaking her silence. She swiveled around her chair – which she had Gisu bolt to the floor, so the waves wouldn’t throw her around while she was working – and folded her hands on her lap. ‘The Baron is notoriously known to be very much absent with most of his operations, preferring to lead from the background. Probably to do with the fact he is wanted in most parts of the civilized world.’

To the untrained eye, Norma was a beacon of calmness and serenity; an exemplary attitude of an Agent ready to undergo a mission. She had trained herself to always present herself with an air of professionalism, but Raz – and he figured that Lizzie had noticed it too – saw that Norma was nervous and anxious. It was the little things: the way she had pursed her lips together in a thin line – something she might have picked up from Agent Forsyth -, the way her fingers were digging into the back of her hand or how she hadn’t taken her eyes of Raz since she had turned around.

‘Something wrong, Norma?’ Raz asked. Lili turned around at this question, throwing a concerned look at the older Agent. Lizzie cocked her head, her expression seemingly asking that same question.

Norma sighed, leaning back into her chair. Her frow burrowed and she rubbed her chin in thought. ‘It’s my first time taking the lead in a mission like this….’

‘Uh, no it’s not.” Raz commented. ‘I’ve seen you take charge a lot of time’

‘Yes, but those were either in the field or I was backed up by another Agent.’ Norma grimaced. ‘This is my first true solo op.’

‘What are we, Swish cheese?’ Lizzie asked with a grin.

‘You know what I meant.’ Norma replied, a ghost of a grin tugging at the corner of her lips. She folded on leg over the other and placed her elbows on them, letting her chin rest on her folded hands. ‘I meant that I am in charge and the outcome of this mission largely depends on how I manage the Agents, your infiltration, exfil, things like that. It’s … daunting.’

‘Well, if someone can do it, it’s you.’ Lili commented with a smile. She walked over to Raz and tapped his head. ‘After all, you managed to keep this one and all those other ragtag collection of rambunctious interns in line back when.’

‘Hey!’

‘Ahem, weren’t you part of that rambunctious collection as well?’ Lizzie asked with a sly grin.

‘Exactly my point.’

Norma giggled silently. ‘Thank, Lili.’

‘No prob.’

Norma’s expression, however, turned concerned again, her brow furrowing even deeper. ‘It’s not just that, though. It’s also …’

Raz noticed how her tone faltered and looked up from his gear checkup. ‘Norma?’

Norma took a deep breath. ‘There is this …nagging feeling that’s been bothering me ever since we’ve arrived here.’ She explained. ‘Something feels …off.’

‘As in…?’ Lizzie asked.

‘Don’t know… I can’t explain it.’

‘You know, it’s a shame that Elka went into the fashion industry instead of getting her Psychonauts Specialist Certificate like so many other we knew at camp. She’s a master in using Precognition …even if she only uses it to get a feeling what the next year’s trends are gonna be.’  Lili chimed in, letting out a sigh. ‘We could have used a Precog Specialist on the roster so we could be warned if something wasn’t right.’

‘Even if so, it wouldn’t do us much good anyway Precognition only gives a ‘vision with the most likely outcome of events that is greatly influenced by choice and circumstance’ and never a precise picture. It’s still guesswork, even with the most talented of precogs.’ He turned to Norma. ‘Are you thinking that we should postpone the mission?’

Norma shook her head. ‘No, no, we aren’t going to get a second chance on this. We do this here and now. It’s probably just my nerves anyway and I’m not going to risk messing up an op just because I’m feeling a little queasy.’

Raz wanted to say something, but a sudden rumble that went through the ship stopped him. Norma spun her chair around and looked at her screens. Raz dropped whatever questions that were lingering in his mind and went back to giving his gear a final inspection. He didn’t need to ask what was going on. The ship had started moving, which most likely meant that the business up top had been concluded. The ship was probably being escorted away from the rig.

The job of those on deck was done …now it was him and his team’s turn.

‘We are moving away from the rig, so I officially declare this mission started.’ Norma announced, swiveling around to face the three others in the bay. ‘From here on out, we’ll be using code names. My call sign is – and I would like to point out that Gisu has suggested these and I didn’t have any say in them – Ice Cream Parlor.’ She rolled her eyes at the snickering of her colleagues. ‘Yeah, real professional. Laugh it up; you’re next and your code names are...”

She pointed at Lizzie. ‘Gelato.’

‘Exotic. Nice.’

Norma moved over to Lili. ‘Soft Serve.’

‘It’s sarcastic, I like it.’

She turned finally to Razputin and the grin that was forming on her face was making his one drop. ‘Slush puppy.’

Lizzie let out a sound that sounded like a mixture of a snort and choking while she forced back a laugh. Lili’s shoulder shook as she held her hand firmly against her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

Raz projected the image of a middle finger into his dear friends’ minds, pulling his goggles over his eyes with a silent groan. ‘Next time, I’ll come up with codenames.’

‘You’ll have to take that up with Forsythe, Slush Puppy.’ Norma commented nonchalantly as she spun back to her screens. She stayed silent for a moment while Lizzie playfully ruffled Raz’s hair.

“The Syndicate escort has broken off and are returning to the rig” Norma spoke up suddenly, making Raz and the others jump as her voice suddenly echoed through the empty bay. She presumably felt secure enough to forgo the telepathic conversation for the moment.

Raz cleared his throat, having been silent for so long it had started to feel a little dry. “Okay, let’s get ready, team.”

“What makes you team leader, Poots?” Lizzie asked, grinning mischievously. “I’m the oldest of us three.”

“Yeah, and I am the only official Agent of our little trio, which makes me more qualified.”

“Can you guys please act like it’s an official mission and be professional about it?” Norma asked loudly, but Raz had noticed the amused hint in her voice. She looked over her shoulder, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Don’t make me turn this boat around.”

“We’ll behave.” Raz promised with a chuckle. Teasing or not, Norma was right. A bit of playful pre-mission banter wasn’t a big deal, but they were on an important mission and they needed to have all their wits about them. This wasn’t going to be easy. “Okay, we’re ready.”

“Good to go.” Lili added.

“Yeah, I need to go take a leak, can we wait for a bit?” Lizzie joked. Judging by the way the temperature in the room slightly increased for a moment, Norma had reached her limit for jokes. Something her sister luckily picked up on. “Okay, okay, I apologize. I’m ready for assignment, Agent sister Natividad.”

“Better…” Norma sighed. “If only a little…Okay, we are reaching our drop point. Get ready to jump, squad.”

The trio made their way towards a hatch in the floor, which Norma opened for them with a push of a button. The hatch, which was one of the modifications that Gisu had installed for the mission, opened with a metallic screech. The sea rushed under them, a mist of cold water splashing on them.

“Okay, I’m ready to engage the diversion in 3 …2 ….1 …now!” Norma pulled a lever on her console. Immediately, Razputin heard a groan echoing through the ship, like a beast letting out a dying roar. Red warning light started flashing in the bay, and probably the rest of the ship. Judging by the current, the ship was steadily slowing down until it come to a full stop.

“Oh dear, we are now dead in the water.” Norma allowed herself to joke.

It was little thing that Gisu had installed that would simulate a critical engine failure, complete with smoke and – she had assured them – mild, totally containable fires. If all was well, the rig would have…

Norma’s console crackled and a voice sounded. “Hey, what’s with the smoke?”

Raz didn’t recognize the voice, which meant that someone on the rig had noticed their little trick. All part of the plan.

A new, kinda rough voice sounded, which Raz did recognize as the captain of their vessel. He sounded annoyed, to the edge of total rage, it seemed. “That damn engine finally broke down. I told them fancy mechanics at the docks it sounded weird, but nooooo…. We’ll need to make some repairs before we can move on.”

“How long?”

“Couple of hours and we’ll be out of your hair.”

silence fell on the other end of the line for a long while, before the first voice spoke up again. “Fine. Make it happen. You got two hours. If yer not gone by then, …”

“Aye, aye,…”

Norma let out a sigh of relief, turning to Raz and the others. “They took the ruse, which means: you’re up.“

“Okay, here I go…” Raz took a deep breath, gathered all the concentration he could muster and extended his hands towards the water. After a few moments where nothing happened, the water slowly started to bubble and slosh around, before eventually it started to slowly part away. Slowly but surely, Raz was essentially making a tunnel they could down in. He had made it wider than the hatch, to make sure that enough oxygen would find its way down there.

Lili was looking down the hatch as the tunnel was forming. “Okay, I think you’re deep enough, Slush Puppy.” She eventually commented, a small smirk on her lips as she said Raz’s code name.

If it weren’t for the fact that Raz had to use all his concentration to keep the liquid tunnel from collapsing, he would have replied with something sarcastic. Instead, he just rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Soft Serve. Gelato, you’re up.”

Lizzie rubbed her hands together, white smoke flowing through her fingers like they were made of dry ice. “Time to work my magic.”

Lizzie knelt down next to the hatch and placed her hands on the edge. First, the area around her hands started to form a thin layer of ice, which slowly started to spread around the hatch. Lizzie let out a soft groan as the ice started to make its way down the hatch, freezing the tunnel that Razputin was making.

“It’s working.” Lili announced. “Keep it up, you two.”

“Lizzie, I think the tunnel isn’t dealing well with the pressure.” Raz commented. “Can you make the ice thicker?”

“In a moment…” Lizzie took a deep breath. “Once I get the first layer done, I’ll work on reinforcing.”

“Roger that.”

Norma looked over her shoulder, allowing herself a soft smile – and a sense of pride - as she watched her sister and surrogate brother work together. It was Razputin who had come up with the idea of combining their powers to do this. It was a favorite pastime of them when they were still interns. Raz would use his Hydrokinesis to make all sorts of structures and Lizzie would freeze them solid. More than often, they made them for Gisu who would use it to perform her next ‘most epic stunt’. Who would’ve thought that a silly game like that would have real world applications?

Only Razputin’s imagination could concoct something like this.

“How’s it going?” She asked eventually.

“Just about done!” Lizzie replied. “Just putting the final touches on the bottom. We don’t wanna crash through it, don’t we?”

“Aaand …done!” Razputin announced, letting his arms fall to his sides with a heavy sigh. He grinned as he looked down the tunnel, feeling the cold rise of from its frosty depth. “Phase 1, complete.”

“Still no sign the Syndicate suspects something.” Norma commented from her chair. She turned around. “Okay, you know the plan, Razputin. Get to the rig, get inside, find the Baron, use whatever means to incapacitate him and exfiltrate as fast as possible.”

“Got it.”

”Good luck and be careful, all of you.”

“Always.” Raz commented with a wink. “See you in a bit, sis. You ready, Lizzie?”

“Ready, Slush Puppy.”

“Ugh …Lili?”

“Yup!”

“Let’s go.” Raz levitated down with Lizzie and Lili following behind him. Immediately, he felt the temperature drop down farther and farther the more he went down. He exhaled, watching wisps of breath disperse into the air. Maybe he should’ve worn a sweater. Razputin looked up as they hovered down, watching the opening of the hatch grow smaller and smaller. He had no idea how deep they were going, but he could feel the pressure building up in her ears. It was getting darker too, so they ignited their flashlights just before they hit ‘floor’ of their tunnel.

“Okay, we’re at the bottom.” Razputin said as he activated his earpiece.

“How’s the view?” Norma’s voice asked.

“It’s ice, Norms.” Lizzie answered. “Not much too see through it.”

“I’m sorry, Gelato, could you repeat your statement?” Norma sounded neutral, but Raz could pick up the tinniest hint of amusement in her voice.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Ice Cream Parlor, visual is minimal and a bit frozen.”

“Roger that, Gelato. Ice Cream Parlor, out.”

“She’s having fun.” Lili commented with a giggle.

“Yeah, but we better get serious.” Raz said. “This won’t be a walk in the park. Soft Serve, which way to the rig?”

Lili fished a small device out of her pockets and checked it. “Gisu’s doodad says ‘thataway’. “

Raz smirked and extended his arms again. “Ready, Gelato?”

“Yeah, I’m not using code names anymore, Raz.” Lizzie commented as she extended her arms too. “But yeah, I’m ready.”

“And …go.”

Lizzie made a an opening in the ice at the same moment that Raz used his HK to form a new tunnel, which the former quickly started to freeze as well. And so they gradually made their way forward, forming a tunnel and instantly freezing it around them. The process was slow, since Raz had to make sure the ‘hallways’ he was making connected with each other as Lizzie was making them solid.

Even though oxygen flowed from the above them through the tunnel, it was till sparse enough for Raz to feel its effect. The fact that he had to concentrate so hard didn’t help at all. Lizzie was silent throughout it all. She probably had the hardest job so far. Not only did she need to freeze the tunnel around them; she also needed to make it thick and dense enough so it would break under the pressure. Combined with the fact that she also was making ‘support beams’ under the tunnel so it wouldn’t collapse under its own weight, Raz was more than amazed at his adopted sister’s abilities.

“Doodad says we’re approaching the rig’s entry point.” Lili announced at one point. “Just a bit more, aaaaand ….we right below where we need to be.”

Raz nodded and started to work on forming a bigger area for them to get started in. After that, he directed his HK upwards and started making a tunnel up to the rig. When the tunnel was completed, Raz dropped his arms. “Okay, we’re done, Gelato.”

Lizzie dropped on one knee with a heavy sigh. Her face was glistening in sweat and she looked fatigued. “That …was a lot.”

Raz walked up to her and knelt down. “Hey, you did amazing, Liz.”

Lizzie grinned and waved the comment away. “Yeah, I know …Slushy.”

Raz grinned as well. “That’s ‘Slush Puppy’.” He stood up, holding out his hand to pull Lizzie to her feet. “Lili and I can take it from here. You return to the ship.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Lizzie agreed. “After I fortify this tunnel a bit more. We don’t want your exit collapse before you can use it, don’t we?”

“That would be preferable.” Lili joked.

Lizzie slapped a hand on Raz’s shoulder. “Good luck, you two. Go raise some hell up there.” With that, she knelt down again, placing her hands on the floor. Judging by the cracking sounds, she had started with making the wall thicker. Raz nodded at Lili and both of them levitated upwards towards the rig.

As they reached the top of the tunnel, Raz dug into his bag and fished out a stethoscope.

“Really, Raz? A stethoscope?”

“What? It’s one of Gisu’s. Especially made for situations like this.”

“It’s a bit …cliché, isn’t it?”

“Hey, it’s pronounced ‘classic’ and if it works, it works.” Raz placed the bell against the ceiling – rig‘s floor – and listened. He couldn’t detect any footsteps or voices in the room above them. He put the listening device away and nodded at Lili. “Your turn.”

Lili nodded, placed her fingers against her temple and concentrated her focus on the metal plates. A spot on the metal started slowly heating up, becoming redder and redder until it started sparking. Lili, using a finger to guide the way, slowly started to cut out a hole for them to enter.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Raz complimented.

“Shut up and let me focus.” Lili growled softly, despite the little smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Once Lili had managed to cut out the hole, Raz used TK to carefully push it out. They waited for a few moments, listening if someone potentially had noticed them. When it looked like they were in the clear, he radioed Norma.

“Ice Cream Parlor, we’re about to infiltrate the rig, over.”

“Roger that, Slush Puppy.” Norma replied. “Radio silence until further notice.”

“Understood.” He gestured to Lili that he was going to enter first. He took a deep breath and levitated himself up the hole. The room was dark, probably not even used by the Syndicate, judging by the junk that was sprawled around. He landed gently on the floor, looking around if no-one had heard him. When he was sure they were safe, he signaled Lili to come up.

“So, we are here…” Raz said, pulling out a map out of his bag as Lili landed next to him. He folded it out and pointed at a spot on the schematics. “We can use the elevator shaft to climb up and make our way further down the compound.”

“Where do you think Baron Breaker will be hiding out?”

“He’ll probably be in the control room, to keep an eye on his operations” Raz said, pointing at a structure at the top of the schematic. He folded up the map again and put it in his bag. “Okay, we are deep in enemy territory, so we better be careful. We’re trying to get this guy off guard. If we’re quiet and sneaky enough, this shouldn’t be a problem.”

“And if we do get caught…” Lili grinned and slammed a fist in her open palm.

Raz chuckled. “That’s why I love you, Soft Serve.”

“Shut up, Raz.”

[bjorntheswordsmith]

This chapter is a point of view chapter for Amirah and goes into what she was doing before reuniting with bjorn and more of her backstory as well. It also goes into more about Zalam-dar and the Rising Dawn Syndicate as well: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16784941/chapters/118510942#workskin

Here’s an excerpt: Amirah rode through the sands of the Alik'r desert. She had purchased two scimitars and armor with the gold she and Bjorn had earned performing music in inns. On her way there she fought off giant scorpions, sand serpents and other creatures. It was a good opportunity for her to practice her fighting skills. Her father had taught her a few techniques in the past, but it had been a while since then. She was a little rusty. She knew she couldn't be too green if she wanted to join the Swords of Serenity, even though they'd train her.

The first few battles with these creatures were challenging. She was even poisoned by one of the giant scorpions at one point. Luckily, she had brewed herself some potions at Aunt Mahsa's, including a cure poison potion. She drank this potion and quickly recovered. Amirah's fighting skills improved greatly by the end of the trip. She cut off a stinger from one of the giant scorpions to bring with her as a trophy. She planned to show it to the guild to prove she was a worthy warrior.

When Amirah finally arrived in Sentinel she was in awe of the architecture. She looked up and admired the buildings made of stone that seemed as tall as the sky.

Amirah was mesmerized by how magnificent the scenery looked. The sand all around the city didn't look particularly flattering to her, but the beautiful palm trees made up for it.

Amirah felt proud. This was a city her people made. This was the Hammerfell most people saw in their mind's eye whenever the province was mentioned. Sure, she loved her hometown of Dragonstar, but the feeling this place gave her was something different altogether.

Amirah had an interest in joining the Swords of Serenity for a long time before this. Her older brother Jamal was the first to inform her of their existence. He had worked for them a few years, but eventually was let go. Their leader Azzan didn't approve of his unorthodox methods of fighting drunk or his boisterous personality. Jamal told his sister that it was better if she didn't mention his name if she ever wanted to join them. He suggested that she mention her father because he was a respected war hero by Crowns and Forebears alike. Amirah preferred showing Azzan the giant scorpion tail instead. If she were to be accepted into the Swords of Serenity, it would be because of her own courage and bravery, not someone else's legacy.

Read about her and other original TES characters of mine in: Dragonborn Begins: The Ballad of Bjorn the Swordsmith which takes place before the events of TES V Skyrim and references events from other TES games as well

[mercy-is-not-forgiveness]

A Great Transmuter: Twilight Trill

A member of the Stellaron Hunters. A dashing, collected, and professional beauty. Used the enchantment of Spirit Whisper to set up Trailblazer to absorb the Stellaron. Her hobby is shopping for and organizing her collection of coats.

Kafka, huh? Her record on the wanted list of the Interastral Peace Corporation only lists her name and her hobby. People have always imagined her to be elegant, respectable, and in pursuit of things of beauty... even in combat. But have you ever heard about her nen ability? It’s time for you to get to know her.

One day… Kafka dreamt that numerous bodies fell from the sky like rain and found herself staring into space, watching the numerous stars passing by as the ship. It was only a matter of time before she would reach her end. Ever since joining Elio in his grand plan, Kafka knew this day would creep onto her. Elio’s script has predicted everything so she, as one of the Stellaron hunters and Destiny’s slave with no doubt has to comply. The spider is propped up against a building somewhere unfitting to her. Someone always dressed to the nines with a closet full of expensive clothing obtained through less than legal means, a face is done with beautiful makeup. It’s almost an insult for her deathbed to be in a banded building far, far from home. Her death is one that will bring many, many good things. It was only a matter of time, she reminds herself once more. It was as Elio had foretold and she was merely playing her part in it all.

“𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯: . . . You will be okay. It’s okay,[ 𝘙𝘌𝘋𝘈𝘊𝘛𝘌𝘋 ] you’re going home.”

A deep, croaky sigh heaves out of her when the command is finished. Immediately a wave of calmness and serenity washes over her and all is well once more. The former hunter lays still on the ground as the sun shines brightly, a shadow cast over her body as though protecting her from its harsh rays.

Ever since then, she gained the ability to transmute her aura, turning them into a pack poker, convenient to use as it does not depletes her energy overtime and projects them into a spiderweb projectile imbued with lightning power to trap the enemy. As a sword and double rifle user, this ability will help her to keep her enemy stays in place, allowing her to attack and move freely. That’s the story behind Twilight Trill.

[starryjeekies]

~ Comfortable ~

Pairing: oh yejun x gn!reader

Genre: fluff

Summary: your life with your best friend has been easy going and comfortable. the routine you two have has made you content in life. your usual late night talk goes a different direction when yejun asks you a question.

Warnings: none!

Words: 1.6k

A/N: hello! this was a request I got in my box a while ago and finally got out of my writers block enough to be able to try and clear it out! this is just a little yejun blurb I thought of and decided to write out. it’s not proofread so if there are mistakes let me know. my requests are open! happy reading ^^

Things had been comfortable for a while. There weren’t many parts of your routine that you didn’t find enjoyable. Sure work could be a drag at times, but you always found a little bit of meaning in what you did most days. What you did before and after work was what made you prepare and forget about the more stressful parts. There was always a cup of warm tea or coffee that would get you ready for the day ahead. Stretching your body out so you can be ready for whatever comes at you. Once you were home, there was the lovely comfort of your place and the familiar smells of your air sensor spraying your favorite scent. There also usually was a lovely mop of curly brown hair waiting for you on your couch.

Yejun had been a best friend of yours for years. You had met him through your classmate, his older sister, when you had done a group project one time and ended up becoming closer to him than her. He would start asking you for help with homework instead of her because she was “annoying” but you figured it out pretty quickly because he enjoyed your company. You two understood each other and what made your atmosphere comfortable. So you had been there for him when he had auditioned for E Ent. and got in. You were there for him when he was put on a diet but the staff didn’t realize he has a fast metabolism so you would buy him snacks and eat them together whenever you got together. He was there for you when you joined university and when you graduated.

Today was no different when you walk in the door and see him lying on the couch with some fried chip food in his hand, watching your TV. “Well good evening to you.”

“Hello there, took you long enough.” He turns his head to you slightly, stuffing his mouth. “Thought I would need to call the police and report you missing.”

“I’m only ten minutes late than when I usually get home.” You huff, kicking your shoes off and putting your coat on the hook. “It’s Friday, it’s going to be busy.”

“Well now we can cook dinner.” He says, shutting off the TV and getting up from his spot.

“We? You mean I cook and you keep me company?” You laugh at his joke, not minding that you cook because he always cleans.

“If that’s how you want to put it.” He shrugs, walking into the kitchen to find something to make.

You change into your comfortable clothes and go back into the same routine as you have before. You make dinner, talk about your day while you eat, clean up, and move onto your balcony to look at the little park that’s in the middle of your complex. Now that it’s getting chilly, you pass him the hoodie he stashes at your place while getting cozy in your own blanket. There’s someone who is jogging down the concrete path. Another person is walking their dog with a little coat on. It’s serene and peaceful and there’s no need to force conversation between you two.

“The boys keep asking about you.” He mentions.

You chuckle and glance at him. “Oh really? It has been a while since we hung out. Hasn’t been since Dark Dream promotions ended, right?”

“With everyone, yeah. So maybe I have to bring you around soon so they stop pestering me.” He smirks, knowing his friends adore you.

“I’m surprised that they pester you. You are their baby after all.” You joke.

“You pester me.”

“You’re not my baby.”

“Wow, wow, okay now I’m hurt.” He feigns his pain, clutching his chest.

“What, do you want to be my baby?” You lean back in your seat and stare at him, feeling how different it is to call him “baby” and not in a teasing way.

“Don’t make it weird.” He waves you off and he hides his face from you. “I can’t have you insinuating we should date too.”

A slight wave of shock comes over you, realizing what he means. “Wait, your bandmates want us to date? That’s suspicious.”

“I know, right?” He exclaims, his brown eyes locking on the small fountain in the center of the park. “They think because I talk about you, I have a crush on you.”

“Well, how do you talk about me?” You wonder, wanting to know what he says. “It has to be how you talk about me that gives them that idea.”

“Nothing too out of the ordinary.” He shrugs, not getting what his friends mean. “I will update them about you, make sure that I make it to your place for dinner twice a week whenever I don’t have schedules, I pay you back for whatever you feed me.”

Trying to look at it objectively, that does sound like things someone would do for their crush. Again, a lot of things that you two do seem like things a couple would do now that you’re thinking about it. “I can see it.”

“Not you too!” He groans, going back to hiding his face.

“Now wait, let me make my case.” You start, trying to keep him from shutting you out. “You’re an introvert, you’ve got maybe one or two other friends besides me that you hang out with but you come to see me the most. So it makes sense that the one person you hang out with the most besides them looks like a romantic interest.”

He’s quiet for a moment, then lets out a sigh. “I guess I can understand it now.”

“It’s not a bad thing, it just shows how close we are.” Your chest burns lightly, feeling a small sense of awkwardness set in. Sure, you and Yejun still have awkward moments; neither of you two talk about your feelings all too often unless they’re overwhelming and you need each other. So talking about romance with each other is foreign.

“Could you even see us dating?”

The question shocks you a lot, wondering where this is now coming from. Something stirs in your gut, a former feeling you’ve had in the past. You shrug, not really knowing how to answer it. “I mean, knowing us, it wouldn’t be that much more different than how we are now.”

“How so?” He sounds curious now, wanting to pick apart your words.

“I don’t know, like, we already put our full trust in each other, care about each other, have dinner, talk about our lives and what we want to do with each other in mind. I’m the only person you do skinship with. If you think about it, the only thing that is missing is feeling attracted to each other.”

He goes back to being quiet which isn’t abnormal. If he has his answer, he doesn’t have to probe further. You two go back to your silence for a while before he asks, “Would you want to date?”

“Do you want to date?”

“I asked you first.”

You chuckle, taking a glance at him. His face is serious. You can see underneath the curls on his head that his eyes are focused on you. “I’ve thought about it before. Back when you had just joined E’last, we both started to find ourselves more and grow with each other. I felt special to be part of that with you. I thought about what it would be like to continue to do that.”

Yejun takes in your words, watching you open up little by little to him. “And now?”

“I’ve found comfort where we are.” You smile at him, but see him still be expressionless. “If we want to try dating, I’d be willing to put as much effort into it as you are. Like I said, it might not be as different as we are now. If not then, there’s nothing lost. We can continue one as we are.”

He nods slightly, his eyes glittering in the moonlight. “And if we try?”

Your smile stays on your face as you reach your hand out to him. He slowly takes it and laces your fingers together. Your chest grows warm again, feeling him be vulnerable too. “We can try at your pace. If it works, then it works. If it doesn’t, then we can at least say we tried. Would you want to date?”

“It’s been on my mind recently, but I didn't really know how to bring it up.” He mentions, giving your hand a light squeeze. “So, yeah, that’s kind of why I brought it up.”

“Well I’m glad you did.” His smile finally cracks at that statement, his big grin coming out. “I definitely wouldn’t have brought it up.”

“I wouldn’t have if Rano didn’t push me into it. He says you are, ‘too cute to miss a chance with.’” He states, feeling the awkwardness set in again.

“Wow, so you’re just making sure Rano can’t shoot his shot?”

“No, I’ve been repressing my feelings for you for five months and don’t want him to take away my chance.”

You laugh at him, pulling your chair closer to his. “I get it, I get it. But I’m surprised it only took you five months.”

“Oh you shut up.” He jests, resting his head on top of yours.

The comfortable silence comes over you two again, listening to the sounds of the outside together. Everyone seems to have retired to their homes for the night and you are no different. Eventually, you and Yejun retire inside for the night, ready to binge watch a drama series while cuddling on the couch. While this is normal for you two to do, now there’s another warm layer to add to you two.

[legends-expo]

Featured Exhibitor: California Browncoats is a 501(c)3 non profit dedicated to promoting the fandom of Firefly & Serenity and other projects of their cast & crew through charitable works. We can be found at conventions, screenings, shindigs, and other events throughout California. Since 2007, California Browncoats has donated over $250,000 to various charities. We are so excited to have them join us for Legends Con!

We have some commonalities between our fandoms (Dark Horse Comics, a desire to keep the fandom alive for a mostly discontinued 'verse, etc.) and we love their charitable efforts!

@cabrowncoats

[ewan-mo]

Our first graduate and out to the villages

Monday 6th March 2023

Ewan and I first came to Kumi Hospital in 2018. We met Amuron, then a general registered nurse. This year she graduated as a psychiatric clinical officer, having been sponsored by Jamie’s Fund, and is taking the lead in the development of mental health services in Kumi Hospital. Having been impressed by Amuron’s lovely warm personality, intelligence and care for people with mental illness, we are thrilled to have witnessed this career progression.

Dr Raymond, Medical Director, and Amuron

Kumi Hospital was originally for leprosy patients and is a spacious and serene setting – that suits our patients with acute mental illness too. The medical director is new, and is building a good team, supporting Amuron in all the possibilities for the future.  

It is in a poor area.  Most people are subsistence farmers.  The soil looks poor and bare rock is visible in some places.  The main crops are the more drought-resistant ones – millet, sorghum (a kind of millet) and cassava. Most of the houses are of sun dried mud brick, rather than the more durable and more expensive fired brick and most have thatched roofs rather than the corrugated iron we commented on before

We had a morning meeting, with what we thought was an early lunch part way through: bread, boiled egg, mandazi (Ugandan doughnut, sort-of), and banana. Great work in the meeting, reviewing Amuron’s annual report and considering her project proposal for what next.

The team then invited us to join them on a home visit. Oh yes please!

Our vehicle took us with Amuron and her colleague out to a rural area, dry and brown, awaiting the rains.  The vehicle stopped under a tree, and a relative of the lady concerned led us on a long walk through the cassava fields under the midday sun. Brought back so many memories of similar expeditions in earlier times. 

You learn so much on such a visit. We were sitting amidst a ring of thatched houses, the lady herself there, with the husband across the circle, while a whole group of neighbours and assorted children sat in a ring on the dusty ground preparing the cassava tubers in the centre. 

Taking the outer coating off the cassava

The clinical consultation continued, and no one took the slightest heed to issues of confidentiality. That doesn’t take a priority as it does in the west. You need your family, neighbours and friends to support you, and they might as well hear what is being said so they are properly genned up. All very interesting indeed.

Then, would we mind seeing another patient? A similar trek, to find that this patient had taken off to avoid us and didn’t look like she was coming back any time soon. So we talked to the family and concerned friends while we could. 

A relative plaiting rope out of sisal.

Finally, perhaps just one more? Off we went again across the fields. This was a man of 40 or so, at home with his parents, and depressed for a long time. We were able to discuss possible changes of meds, and identified some psychosocial dynamics that might benefit from discussion. 

There is something very special about seeing patients at home.

As we got back, lunch appeared, the full whack with rice, Irish potatoes (called thus since our Malawi days long ago), beef stew, veggie casseroles and water melon. Oh! That earlier little confection must have been breakfast!

We drove on later in the afternoon ...

Rocky outcrop with mudbricks drying. Eucalyptus trees widely grown for straight poles in 4 to 5 years, but alien to the ecology.

... to arrive at the Benedictine Eye Hospital in Tororo, and gave ourselves another, brisker walk to get the legs going again. We are sleeping tonight at the Benedictine Fathers’ Retreat Centre.

At supper we met the delightful Philip, Austrian, working with Caritas, the Catholic development and psychosocial agency, to improve agriculture and another Spanish brother who has worked with people with intellectual disability in a rehab workshop. We think he does carpentry with them. He has virtually no English and our “best” combined language was fractured French. What a wonderful maelstrom of 4 spoken languages and Google translate!

I also talked with the other couple in the dining room who were Ugandan, and were here for husband to have his cataract done tomorrow.

[morrowkite]

Music of the Shire

Here's a fun topic I know a bit about, since I researched it heavily for a music project in high school once. I think it's really fascinating, so that means I'm going to subject as many people as possible to an essay about it. Enjoy!

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(Image ID: A wide view picture of The Shire, from Lord of The Rings.)

I think just about everyone who's seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy can hum (or at least remember with a vague fondness) the main theme melody for the Shire/Hobbits. If you can't, well, here it is in its most plain form, for reference. This one melody is easily the most recognizable part of the score as a whole, which is incredibly impressive considering just how gargantuan the score is in both scale and musical richness.

Now, there's no doubt that the Shire Theme is beautiful - it has this wonderfully gentle rising/falling quality to it, as if the music itself were embodying the rolling hills of Hobbiton. But I think the reasons that it sticks with you so well after watching the trilogy go beyond the musical beauty of it, and into the absolutely genius ways that this one melody is thread throughout the three films, assuming a new musical/narrative context with each appearance.

These contexts are called settings, according to Doug Adams, the pre-eminent LOTR musicologist, and if I'm honest, I'm absolutely obsessed with them. The way that they're used to shape this one theme and turn it into something that defines an entire trilogy is incredibly fascinating to me, and has changed the way I think about film music. If this sounds interesting to you at all, then stick around and join me for a little dive into the world of the Shire and it's music.

(Warning: lots of music nerd stuff up ahead.)

Part 1: The Theme Itself

(Image ID: Sheet music for the Shire Theme, with the first half highlighted a separate color from the second.)

Before we can start talking about settings, we need to define what the Shire Theme actually is. The music pictured here is taken directly from the song In Dreams, from the end-credits sequence of Fellowship, which I linked to before but will now link to again (Don't worry if you can't read musical notation, I still love you).

This is the closest we can get to the most basic form of the Shire Theme, without the extra ornamentations that are usually added in other contexts.

Now, the reason that I've highlighted the two halves separately is because these two are actually considered distinct themes: Shire A, and Shire B, or the verse and chorus of In Dreams, respectively. Shire A is the one you're probably most familiar with, appearing most often. But Shire B has its place too, and is just as relevant.

As you can see/hear, Shire A is more gentle and relaxing, with the 'hilly' style melody and lots of second/third intervals. Shire B, on the other hand, is more dramatic, with these soaring ascensions that really grab the audience and shout "LISTEN! I'M PRETTY!" directly into their ear.

Got all that? Brilliant.

Part 2: The Pensive & Rural Settings

(Image ID: Frodo and Gandalf sitting on a cart together, talking.)

I'm going to kick off the setting discussion by talking about the two that you're probably most familiar with, because they dominate the majority of the early-trilogy Hobbiton scenes. In fact, if you pull up Concerning Hobbits off the soundtrack here, then you have a pretty good place to start when dissecting these two and the relationship between them, as they're intertwined throughout.

The Pensive Setting is the very first one you hear on that track, right after the little plucked-string opening (which, incidentally, is called the Outline Figure). The reason it's called that is because, generally, this setting is used to inspire a feeling of calmness, serenity, and affection toward the Shire. You can often pick it out because it's being played on a soothing instrument like strings, or in this case, a tin whistle, playing the Shire A melody.

(Image ID: Sheet music for the Pensive Setting of the Shire Theme.)

If you compare this to the basic version from In Dreams then you can see a pretty big difference - the rhythms are more free flowing, not particularly beholden to the beat and with plenty of extra notes added in-between for smoothness. You can still tell it's the same melody, though.

The Rural Setting of Shire A starts up right after -where the Pensive Setting gives a general sense of contentment with the Hobbits' way of life, the Rural Setting is more about Hobbiton itself and the folksy, lighthearted fun that takes place there in the early scenes. That's why, once Frodo leaves home, it isn't heard again until the end of the trilogy.

(Image ID: Two hobbits, looking very disappointed.)

(Unfortunately, I couldn't get proper sheet music for the Rural Setting. You can hear, it though.)

This setting is played on a fiddle here, and in fact is accompanied by a whole bunch of folk instruments that add to the lighthearted feeling, alongside the fun melodic variations that are included (syncopation, trills, etc.) that contribute to the fun atmosphere. Not too much else to say about this one, considering its short appearances.

If you keep listening to Concerning Hobbits, it becomes easier to pick out the changes between the two settings. For example, right after the fiddle section, some lush strings pick up the Pensive Setting again, but this time playing the Shire B version. Then the Rural Setting actually gets its own unique conclusion, separate from either version of the melody.

Next time you watch through the beginning of Fellowship, try pick out which setting is playing in a given scene! It's very fun.

Part 3: The Hymn Setting

(Image ID: Frodo sitting under a tree, reading.)

This is where things really start to get interesting. The Hymn Setting is very important, because it's the one that makes you cry. In any situation where the hobbits, especially Sam and Frodo, are feeling homesick or mourning the loss of their simple lifestyle, then you'll probably hear the Hymn Setting.

If we jump back to In Dreams again, then you might notice that there's a series of chords playing underneath the melody, lasting two beats each. That's because these are the Hymn Chords, and I was LYING to you when I said In Dreams didn't have a setting (Okay, I didn't say that, but I implied it).

In actuality, In Dreams is practically one long instance of the Hymn Setting, but it still works as an example of the basic melody because the Hymn Setting doesn't have anything to do with the melody, only the accompanying harmony.

(Image ID: The same sheet music of the Shire Theme from earlier, with added chords.)

These are the so-called Hymn Chords, named that because they are intended to evoke a chorale effect found in traditional Western religious music, according to Doug Adams. Now, if I wanted to, I would go into a long musicological analysis of why these chords make the melody sound more melancholic, but this post is long enough already, so I won't.

Just know that these things are everywhere in the most emotional scenes of the trilogy, like the ending of Fellowship, or "My friends, you bow to no-one," and I'm half-convinced these simple chords are responsible for a few swimming pools full of tears.

What makes the Hymn Chords even more interesting are their connection to Frodo, and a special variation on the melody, called...

PART 4: A Hobbit's Understanding

(Image ID: A picture of Frodo crying.)

This one is special, because it's not so much a setting as a melodic variation on the Hymn Setting. That being said, it's very important, and worthy of its own section.

A Hobbit's Understanding is sort of an 'epiphany' theme, kept for whenever Frodo is confronted with some terrible situation that forces him to come to a certain realization (this is why I like to call it Frodo's Theme, as well.) Here are some examples:

When Bilbo talks to Frodo alone at his party, and the young hobbit gets some insight into a deeper pain in the old man.

In his soul-searching conversation with Gandalf in Moria - "I wish the Ring had never come to me..."

At the moment when Frodo recalls these words and decides to leave the Fellowship at Parth Galen (see image above).

When Sam follows Frodo anyway and he is forced to admit his need for companionship.

At the end of the Two Towers, when Sam gives his speech about the lasting good in the world.

You can hear it best here, in The Breaking of The Fellowship.

(Image ID: Sheet music of A Hobbit's Understanding.)

You can instantly recognize this melody by those three upward movements at the beginning (and the Hymn Chords underneath). In Shire B, which this example is based off of, there are only two upward movements. If you scroll back up to that original sheet music, you can see the foundation that this melody is based on, and the points that it differs.

The really effective part about this melody, for me, is how is mirrors the feeling of an epiphany. Those three rapid ascensions at the beginning are the realization itself, which goes on to slowly solidify in Frodo's mind as the melody itself descends back onto that oh-so-satisfying D note at the end. It's absolute magic.

Part 5: Conclusion

(Image ID: Merry, Frodo, Sam, and Pippin standing, surrounded by bowing people.)

There are a few other minor melodies and settings that are used infrequently, but I'm satisfied with having discussed the main ones. I hope this has provided a bit of an insight into the wonderful world of leitmotifs, and added something to your next LOTR viewing.

Personally, I find the different setting and variations of the Shire Theme utterly fascinating. If you want to read more about it, follow the link posted below in the credits.

This was a pretty big post to make to kick-off this tumblr, and I'm not sure if I'll make one this big again, but we'll see. Thanks for reading all the way through, if you in fact did. Follow if you wanna see more stuff like this, and have a great day!

CREDITS

The organizational system used for the themes is borrowed from an old LOTR soundtrack blog called the Magpie's Nest, which no longer exists, but can be found on the Wayback Machine here. The author of this site based his system on that of Doug Adams and his brilliant book The Music of The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, so credit is due to both of them.

The sheet music transcriptions used throughout come from an anonymous transcriber, and was published on the website of a fellow named Alcaeru, found here.

[doomedandstoned]

Witnesses Take on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in Doomy New Single

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

I've long felt that heavy music needs to be treated more seriously than your average three-minute one-hit wonder. More and more I find myself using the term "composition" to describe the kind of music crossing my desk. Witnesses takes the craft of songwriting seriously as a medium of expression, and in so doing creates something of enduring interest.

Greg Schwan is the main driver behind the project, manning guitar, bass, keys, drum programming, hell even mixing and mastering the darn thing. A true auteur! In the song before us, he is joined by collaborating musicians Gabbi Coenen (vox) and Jørgen Munkeby (sax).

The three of them personify different characters in a kind of tone poem revolving around The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a painting by Edward Hull (which is, in turn, inspired by gothic storyteller Washington Irving). Here the fabled Headless Horseman (a Hessian soldier who lost his noggin during the Revolutionary War) terrorizes schoolmaster Ichabod Crane. Greg represents the archivist and historian of TarryTown, with Gabbi giving voice to The Hessian (aka Headless Horseman), while Jørgen takes on the role of a mourner.

"For the sound of 'The Curse of TarryTown, or The Hessian’s Diary'," Witnesses tells Doomed & Stoned, "I knew I wanted to continue stylistically in the vein of 'The Holy Water' EP. Coming off of the previous doom albums, it felt right to deepen the atmosphere, slow down further, and go in a moody direction with the vocals. Beyond that, the imagery and metaphor of Irving’s headless horseman has fascinated me since I was a kid. Mix all this together and you get the song!"

The singing is clean, melodic, and sanguine throughout. Even before downtuned guitars, bass, and drums enter the picture, the ambience of funeral doom is established quite effectively by the piano and acoustic strings. With the addition of the saxophone, we have another rare (but welcome) instance of doom-jazz, joining acts like Messa, Old Blood, and Mope. There's something at once mysterious and warm about the performances overall, and it makes me eager to hear even more.

The single is out Wednesday, December 1st (get it here). This is the Doomed & Stoned world premiere.

Give ear...

LISTEN: Witnesses - The Curse of TarryTown, or The Hessian's Diary

SOME BUZZ

New York City based Witnesses is preparing to unleash the enchanting heavy single "The Curse of Tarry Town or the Hessian's Diary". The new track follows the success of The Holy Water EP released earlier this year.

The cross-genre project of multi instrumentalist Greg Schwan began in 2015 designed to explore a multi-genre approach through a non-traditional band structure. Continuing to develop Witnesses' music, "The Curse of TarryTown" tells the story of Washington Irving’s headless horseman, but from the latter’s perspective.

Opening with entwining serene acoustic guitar and piano melodies, a dark undertone delicately emerges before venturing into heavy realms. Entrancing vocal deliveries from Gabbi Coenen enhance the immersive quality of this release and complement the stylistic transitions.

The slower pace and elongated chords, inspired from a growing influence of doom metal, combine with the instrumental and vocal textures to produce an atmospheric sound. Playing further with genre expectations and instrumentation, Witnesses incorporate a bright saxophone lead that bridges across the light and heavy music.

Experience the enthralling delights of Witnesses through an unconventional twist on a dark tale. Taking an unusual approach through all aspects from the lyrical narrative through to the music itself, Witnesses opens the door to the obscure.

Greg comments "I wrote this song foremost to have fun with Washington Irving's Headless Horseman. I wanted to give the character a certain perspective on what's happening around him, while the music continues in the vein of The Holy Water EP."

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[shraddhamatre]

 Steps to Clear the HPCL Exam and Get a Lucrative Career

One of the top public sector enterprises (PSUs) in India, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is essential to the country's energy industry. HPCL holds recruiting exams each year to choose eligible applicants for a range of technical and non-technical roles. Achieving your goal of joining this esteemed firm as an applicant requires that you comprehend the HPCL exam procedure and prepare well.

Comprehending the Structure of the HPCL Exam There are usually two primary stages to the HPCL recruitment exam: a Computer-Based Test (CBT) and a Group Task/Personal Interview afterward. The purpose of the CBT is to evaluate both general aptitude and technical expertise. Below is a summary of the components of the exam:

Technical/Professional Knowledge: The information in this area relates specifically to the engineering discipline for which you are applying, such as chemical,mechanical, electrical, or civil engineering. The questions are related to the job description for non-technical roles.

Quantitative Aptitude: This assesses your aptitude for math and your capacity for solving problems. Math, algebra, geometry, and data interpretation questions are to be expected.

Reasoning Ability: This portion uses syllogisms, puzzles, analogies, and pattern identification to assess your ability to reason logically and solve problems.

English Language Proficiency: This section's questions test verbal skills, comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary.

General Awareness: It's important to keep up with current events, particularly those pertaining to the energy industry. There may also be questions about geography, history, and significant historical events in this area.

Practical Strategies for Preparation Recognize the syllabus: Start by familiarizing yourself with the syllabus for your particular field of study. This aids in concentrating your study on pertinent subjects.

Standard Study Material: To establish a solid basis in your technical courses, use standard textbooks and reference resources. For those interested in quantitative ability and reasoning, books written by authors such as R.S. Aggarwal might be quite helpful.

Internet Resources: Make use of websites that provide classes, video lectures, and tests specifically designed to help you prepare for the HPCL exam. Websites that provide structured courses and sessions for clarifying doubts include Gradeup, Unacademy, and others.

Regular Revision: Make sure you revise on a regular basis. For fast revisions, make brief notes and flashcards, particularly for formulas and key ideas.

Time management for the exam: Set aside designated times for each section and adhere to them. Don't linger too long on any one query. Accuracy Over Speed: Accuracy is more vital than speed. Steer clear of speculation since it may result in unfavorable marking. Remain Calm: Throughout the exam, maintain a composed and serene attitude. Breathe deeply and maintain your focus. Stress might negatively impact your performance.

After Exam: After passing the CBT, you'll move on to group projects and in-person interviews. Improve your understanding of group dynamics, communication abilities, and in-depth domain knowledge for these. Peer group talks and mock interviews can be very beneficial. In summary One of India's major PSUs can offer a potential career path with the HPCL test. You can pass this test and start a fruitful career with the appropriate preparation plan, regular practice, and composed attitude. Wishing you luck!

Start your preparation with: https://gameacademy.in/ / https://clppenny.page.link/cTBm

[kaashni-co-in]

The Influence of Scandinavian Design on Modern Interiors

Welcome to Kaashni, where timeless design meets innovative solutions, and Scandinavian influence weaves its elegant thread into the fabric of modern interiors. In this exploration of our journey, from our inception in 2016 to becoming a premier provider of top-quality aluminum products, we unravel the profound impact of Scandinavian design on our ethos.

Join us as we delve into the exclusive ventures like Pearl Concept and Partiglass, showcasing Kaashni's commitment to sustainability and immersive design experiences inspired by the simplicity, functionality, and natural elements characteristic of Scandinavian design.

Kaashni's Evolution: A Nordic Symphony

Our journey at Kaashni is a testament to our appreciation for diverse design philosophies, and Scandinavian design has played a pivotal role in shaping our approach. Since our inception in 2016, we've recognized the timelessness and elegance that Nordic design principles bring to interior spaces. Our commitment to innovation and sustainability is seamlessly intertwined with the clean lines, functionality, and natural elements that define Scandinavian design.

As a major distributor of Indaux hardware, we've embraced the quality and simplicity inherent in Scandinavian design. The evolution of Kaashni involves infusing our top-quality aluminum products with the essence of Nordic aesthetics, creating a harmonious marriage of form and function.

Pearl Concept: A Nordic Haven Beyond Hardware

Enter the exclusive world of Pearl Concept, where Scandinavian design takes center stage and goes beyond conventional hardware displays. Our flagship showroom is not just an exhibition of top-quality products; it's a curated space that reflects the purity and simplicity of Nordic design. As you walk through Pearl Concept, you'll encounter spaces that evoke the serenity and functionality synonymous with Scandinavian interiors.

The curated collection at Pearl Concept pays homage to the principles of Scandinavian design. From minimalist furniture to natural materials, the showroom invites homeowners, interior designers, and architects to experience the beauty of simplicity. It's a showcase of how Kaashni's commitment to delivering immersive design solutions extends beyond hardware, embracing the holistic essence of Nordic design.

Partiglass: Nordic Elegance in Glass

In collaboration with Ambica Aluminium, Kaashni has translated the elegance of Scandinavian design into the innovative glass partition solution, Partiglass. This customized solution seamlessly integrates with Nordic design principles, offering clean lines, transparency, and functionality.

Partiglass becomes a canvas for Nordic elegance, where the use of glass brings in a sense of openness and connection to nature. The unique features, such as dynamic transparency control and adaptive privacy settings, enhance the functionality while adhering to the simplicity and purposeful design that define Scandinavian interiors. Notable projects like Bengaluru Airport TERMINAL 2, Good Earth Malhar, and Hyatt Centric showcase how Partiglass brings the Nordic touch to diverse spaces.

Kaashni's Perspective: A Nordic Affair with Design

From Kaashni's perspective, Scandinavian design is not just a trend; it's a timeless affair with design principles that stand the test of time. Envision a living room bathed in natural light, adorned with minimalist furniture, and featuring top-quality hardware that seamlessly integrates with the simplicity of Nordic aesthetics.

Our commitment to sustainability aligns seamlessly with the eco-friendly principles often associated with Scandinavian design. We envision spaces that not only capture the elegance of Nordic interiors but also contribute to a more sustainable future. It's about creating homes and offices where functionality and aesthetics coexist in harmony, just as they do in the serene landscapes of Scandinavia.

As you explore Kaashni's journey, we encourage you to envision your spaces transformed with our cutting-edge technology and bespoke solutions inspired by Scandinavian design. Picture a bedroom where clean lines and neutral tones create a calming sanctuary. Envision a workspace where natural materials and top-quality hardware foster creativity and productivity.

In conclusion, Kaashni's ode to Scandinavian design is an expression of our commitment to crafting spaces that resonate with timeless elegance and functionality. From the immersive experience at Pearl Concept to the Nordic-inspired elegance of Partiglass, we invite homeowners, interior designers, architects, and design enthusiasts to join us in embracing the simplicity and sophistication that Nordic design brings to modern interiors. Together, let's shape a future where the beauty of Scandinavian design becomes an integral part of sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, and harmonious living spaces.

[theheartbrokensystem]

A timeline of who met who

All of these events are in chronological order and how Amber and their friends canonically met each other. - Joey

Amber

Amber and Joey met 1st, when Joey was getting bullied by some kids during dismissal; Amber stepped in to stopped them, they became friends. They actually knew each other beforehand, only by presence.

Amber and Patty met 2nd, when Patty wanted to buy ice cream from the school fund raiser during lunch. Patty forgot to bring her money; Amber gave her their ice cream instead and brought another one. Patty was thankful for this, as a "you're welcome" Amber offered her to come sit with Joey at the lunch table and she did.

Amber and Dustin met 3rd, while playing dodge ball in gym class. Amber needed one more person to join their group, Dustin joined the group; since nobody else picked him due to his reputation as an ex-bully at the time. Amber helped Dustin change for the better by seeing past his reputation.

Amber and Tristan met 4th, they met when Tristan was nervous to present his project in Science class, Amber helped him present his project by reading words he had trouble pronouncing; because of this Tristan grew confident in talking to people and became friends, Amber also introduced him to Joey and Patty during lunch. They got to know each other during math class when doing a group project, Amber needed help; so Tristan helped organizing said project and managing to finish it. 

Amber and Serenity met 5th, they met in Music class while doing a project about songwriting. Serenity was struggling to write lyrics for her song, Amber helped her out, as they gave Serenity ideas as she wrote and they became friends.

Joey

Joey and Amber met 1st, when Joey was getting bullied by some kids during dismissal; Amber stepped in to stopped them, they became friends. They actually knew each other beforehand, only by presence.

Joey and Tristan met 2nd, in Art class Tristan needed help on what to draw. Joey helped him by writing down ideas, then let Tristan pick out ideas he liked. Tristan drew him and Joey together; Tristan thanked him for the ideas and became friends.

Joey and Patty met 3rd, they met when Amber let Patty sit with them at lunch when Amber brought ice cream for her, Joey, and themselves. They got to know better during Technology class when Patty needed help with coding; Joey helped her by guiding her through and helped her when she got stuck.

Joey and Dustin met 4th, during recess Joey was being bullied by some kids and Dustin fought them, after one of the kids pushed him. Joey thanked him and became friends; at first, he was scared of Dustin and he knew, but Joey eventually grew comfortable around him.

Joey and Serenity met 5th, they met in Music class when Serenity was struggling to play a song on the piano cause she was nervous. Joey helped her by playing notes she had trouble playing and managed to play a song together.

Patty

Patty and Amber met 1st, when Amber brought her ice cream during lunch, as she forgot to bring money for a school fundraiser; she also got introduced to Joey and Tristan during lunch. They got to know each other better during Culinary class, when Amber was struggling

Patty and Serenity met 2nd, they met in music class when they were practicing for a play and Serenity was scared to participate. Patty offered to be Serenity's partner; she helped Serenity practice her parts for the play together and became friends.

Patty and Joey met 3rd, they met when Amber let Patty sit with them at lunch when Amber brought ice cream for her, Joey, and themselves. They got to know better during computer class when Patty needed help with coding and some assignments; so Joey helped her by guiding her through it and helped her whenever she got stuck on things. 

Patty and Dustin met 4th, they met in gym class when Amber was playing dodge ball and needed one more person for their group. They got to know each other better during recess, when Patty saw Dustin getting harassed by some kids; Patty ended up fighting the kids after they pushed him around. He was impressed by her strength and like Joey, became friends despite their different interests.

Patty and Tristan met 5th, they met when Amber introduced him and Joey to her during lunch, they got to know each other better in History class when Tristan was struggling with assignments; Patty helped him by doing the assignments with him and became friends.

Dustin

Dustin and Amber met 1st, during gym class while playing dodgeball and Amber needed one more person to join their group; Dustin joined the group, since nobody else picked him due to his reputation as an ex-bully at the time. They got to know each other better during recess while playing tag with Joey and Patty. 

Dustin and Tristan met 2nd, they met when Tristan saw Dustin being harassed by the bully group that Dustin used be apart of. Tristan had the courage talk said bullies out of harassing Dustin; he thanked Tristan for helping him and they became friends.

Dustin and Joey met 3rd, they met during recess when Joey was being bullied by some kids; Dustin fought them after one of the kids pushed Joey, Joey thanked him and became friends. They got know each other while playing soccer in Gym class with Tristan, Amber, and Patty.

Dustin and Patty met 4th, they met when Amber was playing dodgeball and needed one more person for their group during gym class. They got to know each other better during recess, when Patty saw Dustin getting harassed by the bully group that Dustin used to be apart of; Patty ended up fighting two of the kids, after they kept messing with him, Dustin thanked her and they became friends. 

Dustin and Serenity met 5th, they met during Serenity struggled with reading during History class, Dustin helped her out by reading words she had trouble pronouncing, Serenity thanked him and they became friends. They got to know each other during recess while playing and talking on the roundbabout with Amber, Joey, Patty, and Tristan. 

Tristan

Tristan and Amber met 1st, they first met during science when Tristan was nervous to present his project to the class. Amber helped him present his project by reading words he had trouble pronouncing; after finishing his project and they became friends. Amber also introduced him to Joey and Patty during lunch. They got to know each other during Math class, while doing a group project; Amber needed help so Tristan helped organizing said project and finishing it. 

Tristan and Dustin met 2nd, they met when Tristan saw Dustin getting harassed by the same bully group that Dustin used be apart of. Tristan had the courage to talk them out of harassing Dustin; he thanked Tristan and they became friends, They got to know each other better during recess, while playing on the swings with Amber, Joey, and Patty. 

Tristan and Joey met 3rd, they met during Art class when Tristan needed help on what to draw. Joey helped him by writing down ideas and let Tristan pick out ideas he liked; Tristan thanked him for the ideas and they became friends. They got to know each other better during technology class. when Tristan was struggling with assignments; Joey saw him struggling and helped him by doing their assignments together. 

Tristan and Patty met 4th, they met during lunch when Amber introduced him to her, they got to know each other better during History class while Tristan was struggling with assignments; Patty helped him by doing the experiment with him and they became friends.

Tristan and Serenity met 5th, they met during Gym class, when they were doing an activity and Serenity was nervous about participating. Tristan helped her by going through it together and they became friends.

Serenity

Serenity and Amber met 1st, they met in Music class while doing a project about songwriting. Serenity was struggling to write lyrics for her song; Amber helped her out, as they gave Serenity ideas as she wrote and they became friends.

Serenity and Patty met 2nd, they met in Music class when they were practicing for a play. Serenity was scared to participate so Patty offered to be Serenity's partner; she helped Serenity practice her parts for the play together and became friends.

Serenity and Tristan met 3rd, they met during Gym class, when they were doing an activity and Serenity was nervous about participating. Tristan helped her by going through it together and they became friends.

Serenity and Joey met 4th, they met in Music class when Serenity was struggling to play a song on the piano as she was nervous. Joey helped her by playing notes she had trouble playing, and they became friends.

Serenity and Dustin met 5th, they met during History class when Serenity struggled with reading during History class; Dustin helped her out by reading words she had trouble pronouncing, Serenity thanked him and they became friends. They got to know each other during recess while playing and talking on the roundbabout with Amber, Joey, Patty, and Tristan.