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scruffyplayssonic · 8 months

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Are the ArchieSonic comics actually an 80's/90's syndicated cartoon? Episode 64-65: TwoMulti-part finale (part 2: Endgame parts 3 and 4)

Welcome back to my look at the ArchieSonic comic series, and how it shared a lot of the same story tropes as a typical ‘80s or ‘90s syndicated cartoon!

…One year in and I’ve finally realised that re-stating the episode title when I’ve already used it in the blog post title really isn’t necessary. Well done, Matthew. 😛

If you haven’t checked out part 1 yet you may want to do so, as I talked about the first two chapters of Endgame there. All caught up? Cool, let’s move on to chapter 3 of Endgame in Sonic #49 then.

The issue opens right where #48 left off, with Sonic doing a Peter Pan right here off of this dam waterfall right here.

Rather than just going into the water like Dr. Richard Kimble did though, Sonic came up with a very… unique solution to his problem.

…okay. Sure. I guess that works? So Sonic ran to safety across a landing strip of... shoe grime... and safely faceplanted in the grass.

While that was going on, Robotnik was in full gloat mode with the Freedom Fighters as a captive audience. What evil deeds did he have planned? Well, he was sticking hard to the classic villain schtick of not killing all of them right now because he wanted them all to die when his ultimate weapon was ready. Oh, and the King was a fake.

Surprise! So where was the real king? Well, Snively had him. Why? What was he going to do with him? I ‘unno, Kenny P never bothered to tell us. But we did find out why Dr. Quack had been acting strangely - Snively had taken his family hostage and threatened to kill them if Quack didn’t cooperate.

He’s okay, the Combot was using his non-lethal bullets. 😛

Meanwhile Sonic had been making his way back to Knothole, but realised that even if he did get there in his exhausted state that he would likely just get arrested again. So he called a friend for help.

Well this is new. Dragons can sense the truth now? Okay, sure. Well that should have solved the problem, right? Dulcy could have just told Geoffrey what she knew, and Sonic would have been in the clear. Hook Sonic up to a dragon polygraph test if necessary.

Geoffrey: Did you hold a grudge against Princess Sally Acorn?

Sonic: No!

Dulcy: Bzzzzz!

Sonic: Alright, maybe I did. But I didn’t kill her!

Dulcy: Ding!

Fleming: Story checks out. Okay sir, you are free to go.

Sonic: Good, because I’ve got a hot date tonight.

Dulcy: Bzzzz!

Sonic: A date.

Dulcy: Bzzzz!

Sonic: Dinner with friend.

Dulcy: Bzzzz!

Sonic: Dinner alone.

Dulcy: Bzzzz!

Sonic: Watching TV alone.

Dulcy: Bzzzz!

Sonic: Alright! I’m going to stay at home and ogle the ladies in the Rouge’s Secret catalogue!

Dulcy: Bzzzz!

Sonic: … (sigh) Foofi’s catalogue.

Dulcy: Ding!

Sonic: Now would you unhook this thing already?! I don’t deserve this kind of shabby treatment!

Dulcy: Bzzzz!

If anyone outside of Aleah Baker and Puppy the N’Oni remember what a Foofi’s is, I will be very surprised. xD

But no, Sonic and Dulcy didn’t do that for some reason. Instead Sonic asked Dulcy to take him to the Floating Island. Even if Sonic didn't want to deal with Geoffrey, then why go there? Why not stick with his original plan to go back to Knothole? From a meta-angle I guess this made sense as Knothole was currently occupied by Robotnik’s forces, and hey, any excuse for Kenny P to bring Knuckles into the story, right? But Sonic didn’t know that Robotnik had taken over Knothole. Did Dulcy know? Possibly. It had happened at the same time as Sonic jumping off the waterfall, so would Dulcy have had time to find out about it before Sonic whistled her up? Actually now that I think about it, why hadn’t Dulcy been captured with the other Freedom Fighters?

…well instead of answering any of that, the story went back to Knothole. Here we finally found out Princess Sally’s real murderer was none other than Hershey, the nothingberg character who had been introduced as little more than a cameo in the same issue as Sally’s fatal fall. And if you don’t think that’s weird enough already, wait until you get a load of the explanation.

…wut.

Are you kidding me?!

Okay, I feel like I have to channel my inner CinemaSins here and go through everything wrong with this.

Oh come on, it was too good for me to NOT use.

First of all, Hershey is approximately the same height as Drago, who is a good head taller than Sonic. How was she supposed to convincingly fool anyone into believing she was Sonic? If you want to justify that by saying Antoine was the only one who properly saw her, and that was only through binoculars, then you still have to justify why Hershey was in Robotropolis that night anyway. Why was she there? Is she a commando? A spy? Does she have any kind of combat training? I’ll answer that for you now - no, she does not. While later issues would see Geoffrey recruit her to undergo training for his new secret service team, it was clear in that arc that she was a civilian who didn’t really seem to have any prior experience with that kind of thing. So how did Drago convince her that of all people, she had to be on top of that fortress in Robotropolis, wear a Sonic the Hedgehog costume, and send Snively to his death? On top of that, could he have talked her into murdering someone, even a high-ranking officer of the enemy army? None of the Freedom Fighters would have cut that rope, so what indication do we have that Hershey would have that kind of killer instinct?

…okay, fair point. That’s getting ahead of ourselves though. And okay fine, the lenses in the Sonic mask made her see everyone as Snively, sure. But then logically, if she’d been spying on Sonic and Sally, she should have seen two Snivelys grapple up to the top of Robotnik’s fortress, after which one Snively went into an air vent and the other Snively started climbing down the wall. Even if she hadn’t seen any of that, then shouldn’t Hershey have logically wondered what possible reason Snively would have to be climbing down the outer wall of his own master’s fortress? Did Drago tell Hershey that Snively was doing maintenance on the wall or something? They have robots for that! Even if Snively had been forced to go out there himself for some reason, he’d have never relied on something as flimsy and low-tech as a simple rope. He’d have a jetpack or a hover platform or something like that.

Even if you can find a bunch of excuses to justify why any of this made sense, the fact still remains that the writers introduced two brand new characters for this arc - Hershey and Drago - and didn’t really take the time to tell us anything about them, just to facilitate a plot twist where it looked like Sonic murdered Sally. You know who could have filled that role instead? Evil Sonic.

He’d impersonated Sonic and framed him for crimes before, so there’s no reason why Evil Sonic couldn’t have done it again. Instead of this elaborate thing with Drago and Hershey, Robotnik could have gone to Anti-Mobius and recruited Evil Sonic to cut Sally’s rope. Maybe even have him infiltrate Knothole when the real Sonic was out, to spy on the other Freedom Fighters and learn their plans. It would have been a lot easier and made a hell of a lot more sense than this nonsense. I mean really, what do we know about these two characters? We know Drago is a member of the Wolf Pack and that Lupe was suspicious of him because he had a habit of disappearing without checking in. But that’s about it - we don’t know jack about what drove him to work for Robotnik or anything like that. And we know even less about Hershey - just that she’s some person who lives in Knothole and is Drago’s girlfriend somehow, despite the fact that the Wolfpack doesn’t seem to have had much contact with the residents of Knothole prior to issue #46. This is a prime example of Ken Penders introducing completely unnecessary characters when there were others already established that would have worked just as well.

Anyway, let’s get back to the story otherwise I’ll be ranting about this all bloody night. Across the planet, Bunnie and Antoine had arrived at a prison camp in the Downunda crater and were locked up with two of the local freedom fighters introduced in Tails’ mini series, Walt Wallabee and Barby Koala. They clearly weren’t doing very well, as they had been roughed up quite a bit and reacted with complete terror when their jailer, Crocbot showed up to introduce himself to Bunnie and Antoine. Crocbot, you may remember, had been defeated in the Tails mini-series when he had been knocked into the crater in his nuclear tank, which had then exploded. But it turned out that Crocbot hadn’t been entirely destroyed by this and had eventually managed to build himself a new body. He’d also managed to salvage enough materials and robot soldiers from the destroyed supply blimp Robotnik had sent him to be able to amass a force large enough to ambush and capture the Downunda Freedom Fighters.

Wow. An exposition dump is one thing, but if it’s taking up entire panels then you’ve got a problem there.

Except for when it’s done for comedic purposes, of course.

This issue ended with Sonic and Dulcy arriving on the Floating Island and, as usual, being attacked by Knuckles without any warning. Never mind that the last time the Freedom Fighters were here they parted on good terms with him - if you come to his island unannounced, Knuckles is going to deck you no matter who you are.

Dulcy was knocked out and Sonic and Knuckles went at it, but were interrupted by an explosive arrow fired by Geoffrey St. John, parachuting in from above and demanding Knuckles let him take down Sonic himself.

I don’t really have a lot of nice things to say about this issue. I’m not a fan of Sam Maxwell’s art in ArchieSonic, and there’s a lot of holes in the plot. Let’s just move on to the final act, Sonic #50.

That is a really cool cover, I’ll give them that. And another cool thing about this issue is that it is a major collaborative effort between the entire ArchieSonic team - I think pretty much everyone who had written or done art for the series up to this point got to contribute to this issue.

The story opened with Robotnik exploring the depths of his memories while asleep. Many years ago, Julian Kintobor committed an (at the time) undefined crime against his people, and was hunted down by them. He managed to escape and was found by two young hedgehogs - Sonic’s dad and Uncle Chuck.

They took him to King Max, who named him warlord and asked him to lead their army into battle against the Overlanders in the Great War.

So this is interesting enough, but it kind of comes out of nowhere. What did Robotnik do to become wanted by his own people? And why was Mobotropolis at war with the Overlanders anyway? Why are Bean, Bark and Astal there? Why does Robotnik sleep in that weird stasis tube? Some of these things would be answered in later issues, but for now the story went back to Geoffrey once again trying to capture Sonic.

When Geoffrey told Knuckles that Sonic was wanted for Sally’s murder, Knuckles was absolutely enraged by this and tried to kill Sonic extra hard. Sonic was able to fight Geoffrey and Knuckles off for a little while but quickly got nabbed by an invisible Espio. Fortunately at that point Dulcy regained consciousness and was able to convince everyone that Sonic had been framed.

So now not only can dragons sense the truth, but they are also physically incapable of lying? And this is well known enough that even Knuckles, who lives alone on a giant rock in the sky, knows about this? Once again I have to ask - why didn't Sonic and Dulcy just confront Geoffrey with this in the previous issue and save everyone some time and drama? There was no need to go and involve the world's angriest introvert in any of this!

Dragons cannot tell lies and can sense the truth. Geeze. I kinda feel like the writers were pulling this stuff out of their butts at this point. It’d be like suddenly saying that echidnas are so big-brained that nature has to slap them in the face and put the whammy on them the instant they meet a compatible partner, otherwise they’d spend their entire lives science-ing rather than making babies. Good thing that never happened, right?

>.>

<.<

Anyway! Back in Knothole, Tails and Rotor managed to slip away unnoticed and tried to escape in their water vehicles, only to find that Drago was already waiting for them.

Well shoot, so much for that. But why were the citizens of Knothole being rounded up for roboticisation? In the previous issue Robotnik specifically said that he wanted to wait and wipe them all out with his secret weapon. Speaking of, back in Robotropolis, Robotnik was calling the prison camp in Downunda to get an update on the ore he needed for his Ultimate Annihilator. Crocobot was dealing with an uprising at the time but assured Robotnik that his ore was on its way. An uprising, you say? Sounds like the Downunda Freedom Fighters had been able to escape, but what about Antoine and Bunnie? We’ll get back to that.

Tails and Rotor were facing imminent roboticisation until Sonic, Geoffrey and Knuckles came soaring in from above to save the day. Working together they destroyed the Swatbots and freed the prisoners, and then Sonic announced his desire to take down Drago, who made a break for it.

…how did Sonic know that Drago was a traitor? Geoffrey couldn’t have told him, he didn’t know either. Did Sonic spot Drago working with the Swatbots from above as they were parachuting down? Did Tails or Rotor tell him off page while they were freeing prisoners? Buggered if I know. I guess it doesn’t matter that much though. Drago didn’t make it very far (further than you’d expect with Sonic the Hedgehog chasing him though) before he got beaned in the head by a rock thrown by Hershey and knocked unconscious.

…yeah, that fake Sonic plan is still ridiculous. But it was nice to see Drago get his comeuppance, and Hershey get to redeem herself and have the satisfaction of bashing his brains in.

Sonic decided he was going to storm Robotropolis alone, but Robotnik was unconcerned, confident that he was ready for him.

Heh okay, that was a pretty good line. xD

So it turned out that Sonic wasn’t the only Freedom Fighter in Robotropolis after all - Bunnie and Antoine had also arrived, hiding in the rafters and planning to sabotage Robotnik's plan. It seems weird to me that they were able to get back so quickly from the other side of the world - seriously, have you ever flown from Australia to North America? I have. A lot. It takes FOREVER. And then you have to allow for layovers and going through Customs and all that stuff and it’s really all such a hassle…

…where was I?

Oh right, the comic. In fairness, Robotnik was waiting for the ore to be delivered to him from Downunda before he could make his next move, so I guess you could justify this by saying the plot was waiting for Antoine and Bunnie to arrive. 😛

Sonic mostly made it past the outer defences but got… tangled in robot parts? I guess? I never really understood what happened there, and the director's cut doesn’t really make it much clearer either (but more on that later). Snively showed up in a jetpack (See? I told you he’d have a jetpack rather than climb down the side of the building with a rope!) to confront Sonic but was dispatched easily, after which Sonic literally ran into Bunnie and Antoine.

They explained their plan to sabotage the Ultimate Annihilator with a bomb they’d conveniently found, but Sonic still wanted to kick Robotnik's generously proportioned butt himself. Unfortunately Sonic wasn’t fast enough to stop Robotnik activating the Ultimate Annihilator, wiping Knothole off the face of the earth. Planet. Mobius. Whatever.

This was followed by several pages of absolutely amazing art of Sonic and Robotnik in their final duel by the legendary Patrick Spaziante.

But how was Robotnik fast enough to punch Sonic in the face, you ask? Well his explanation was that, “This relatively confined space prevents you from making optimum use of your speed.” A bit of an asspull if you ask me, but I’ll allow it because Spaziante’s art is just that good.

Sonic and Robotnik were so busy fighting that they barely even noticed the Ultimate Annihilator being destroyed, taking them with it. But Sonic got better. This is another thing that never really got explained, but chances are it was due to the protective aura he got after grabbing his billionth power ring in issue #35. It was a plot point that had come up several times, so perhaps the writers didn’t feel it needed to be explained again.

Sonic eventually woke up back in Knothole, stunned to find out that instead of being vaporised, the village had been warped into a pocket dimension that existed three hours in the future. …why three hours in the future? Isn’t “pocket dimension” enough by itself? How does that even work? So let’s say it’s 4 pm in Knothole, but as soon as you leave Knothole’s boundaries it’s suddenly 1 pm? Does the sun just shwoop back across the sky three hours when you leave Knothole? Is there any point to this at all? God, it’s almost as confusing as Australia’s policies on Daylight Savings time.

Dr. Quack then filled Sonic in on everything that had happened. One issue I talked about a long time ago was Sonic #43, where Sonic had gone inside King Acorn’s mind and visited his memories in an effort to try and wake him from his coma and stop the crystallisation process. Well it turned out that when that happened, Robotnik had noticed the signal from Dr. Quack’s dream watcher thingy and been able to trace it to finally find Knothole. Dr Quack’s family had been kidnapped and he’d been forced to do Robotnik’s bidding, which included working on his Ultimate Annihilator.

I have a few things to say about this wacky doomsday weapon, but I’ll save them for my next post. I agree with Sonic - what about Sally? Well it turned out that she actually survived her fall and Dr. Quack was able to fake her death. He’d placed her in a stasis tube that was disguised to look like a memorial, where she had been in a coma ever since.

Sonic revived her with true love’s kiss, and there was a fancy full page epilogue.

#50 was a big event issue, but despite featuring so many contributing artists and writers, victory for the Freedom Fighters, and the death of Dr. Robotnik, I don’t think it’s the strongest issue of the Endgame arc. I personally think that award goes to the first chapter, issue #46, but that’s just me. Don't get me wrong, seeing Sonic be vindicated and the big fight with Robotnik was cool and all, but Snively’s sabotage of the Ultimate Annihilator made Sonic’s role in this story largely redundant. Think about it - aside from liberating Knothole and waking up Sally, did Sonic actually accomplish anything in this issue? He didn’t save Knothole from being wiped out via space laser or actually defeat Robotnik himself - those were both done by Snively.

The end of issue #50 did introduce us to an interesting question though - what does a world without Robotnik look like for Sonic the Hedgehog? Over the next two years, Snively, Mammoth Mogul and the newly introduced Ixis Naugus (repurposed from SatAM) all attempted to fill in the role of primary villain. There was also a mysterious figure in the shadows who was slowly building up his resources and causing distractions until he was ready to make his move (spoiler alert - it was another Robotnik). Knuckles also got off the ground with his own ongoing monthly comic around this time, and that resulted in the introduction of his own rogues’ gallery. It was an interesting time despite there not being any Robotnik around, even having occasional crossover events that allowed more interactions between Sonic and Knuckles’ casts.

Normally I would end my review here, but the Endgame story doesn’t end with just issue #50. The following year after issue #50’s publication, a “director’s cut” edition of Sonic #50 was released in Sonic Super Special #6. I’ll be covering that one in my next post, so stay tuned!

#archiesonic syndicated

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dogkin · 3 years

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What if I want you to tackle me back >:3

Alright prayer answered then >:3

#I will gladly tackle you lol #Tbh the prayer answered part makes me think abt gods n stuff #And like #i wouldn’t mind being one #Or just being called one lol #Asks #foofy!#oliver.txt

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the-gay-goblin · 3 years

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Hey babe

Are you absolute radiance?

Because you kill me 2 seconds after I see you every time

Babe I'm blushing too much

#the tree goblin answers #danke for the ask love #Foofy!

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foofs-poorly-drawn-adventure · 5 years

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Mun is still reading SO ?? Oh god so you don't know ...? Poor baby protect yourself from spoil

((too late fam ;-;

#i cri everytim #mun answers #marie screams #not foofie #i mean im still not done reading but i k n o w))

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literatureclub-poetryexchange · 6 years

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I've heard from Sayori that you've made friends at your new school? That's amazing to hear! Can you tell us about them?

💙Is this the right place? I see a founta— Natsuki!!

❤️Hi, everyone! I’m so happy you came... I just needed something familiar right now honestly. Thank you.

❤️Oh! This is Marty! I found him sitting alone at lunch one day and thought I might make a new friend, and I did! He’s one of the only people not giving me weird stares in the halls or spreading bad rumors about me.. It’s same old, same old there. Oh and, just to let you know, he’s mute but he’s got really good at using that tablet’s speech thingy so don’t even worry about it!

💛Good evening to you all. It is an honor to finally meet the people who’ve changed Natsuki’s life so much for the better! You are the only things she misses.

💙Oh my god that’s so sweet!! And it’s lovely to meet you too, Marty!

❤️Oh, right, if you’ll give me a minute, MC what was it you said you wanted to tell me? It’s fine if it’s just what I think it is; it’d just feel good to hear it.

🖤Oh, right, yeah

💜We will give the two of you some space. Marty, that is a lovely dinosaur plush that you have there.

💛Thank you! This is Al and he is of the species albertosaurus, which were theropods living in the late Cretacious, ....

#Mod Renn: ''Marty is one of Foofie’s OCs like Millie is 😊''#Mod Renn: ''Natsuki would never out him but he’s trans too and somebody who understands''#Mod Renn: ''Also if you have anything particularly compelling to say to MC you should do it now''#sayori answers #storyline: natsuki's perfect as she is #storyline: natsuki's home life #storyline: natsuki and mc #natsuki's precious #yuri's so smart #marty's so kind #mc's the best #compilation of story events #actual plot tag #happy thoughts #arc: renn is on vacation

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telomeke-bbs · 3 years

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BAD BUDDY EPISODE 10 – HERE COME THE GROOMS… BUT HEY, IS WAI GETTING MARRIED TOO?

The scene beginning at Ep.10 [1I4] 9:47 was Pat’s symbolic induction into the Archi Faculty, undergoing hazing as is the tradition in order to be with Pran as an Engineering outsider. With some background knowledge, we now know that it was also PatPran’s betrothal and/or wedding ceremony in a way – when Pat was made to answer personal questions about Pran and confess his love at the top of his voice, the whole encounter was not much different from the obstacle games that a groom goes through in a traditional Thai khan maak. (Additional explanation here. 😉) But there’s MORE that follows...

There is ALSO a visual (and matrimonial) gag in the next scene. Immediately after we witness Pat and Pran’s wedding, we suddenly see WAI at Ep.10 [1I4] 13.53 all dressed in foofy white and carrying what looks suspiciously like a bridal bouquet – it’s a Thai crêpe – while being escorted by Pran.

Coming so soon after PatPran's own ceremony, the image calls to mind a bride being walked down the aisle, and it’s funny because hyper-aggressive Wai is anything but the stereotype of a shy and blushing soon-to-be wife.

We know the gag must be intentional because normally you’d carry the crêpe with the open side facing inwards and upwards (with the tapered end pointing towards you) so that the filling wouldn’t fall out. But carried this way (vertically, and with the open side out) – the visual metaphor is unmistakable (at least on the re-watch for me 😂).

And so when they reach the end of the (canteen) aisle, Pran deposits Wai next to his groom – Korn, appropriately dressed in a dark blue (faculty) jacket for their union.

Then, like their dearly beloved gathered to witness, we get to see the rituals of Korn and Wai getting together (just goofy horseplay, but hey, whatever works for them) as they set aside their differences and finally say “I do” to becoming friends. 😂

#bad buddy analysis #patpran #bad buddy wai #telomeke #bad buddy

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flannels-and-fannypacks · 4 years

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WTWT: The Sequel | Part 4/5 [Reggie Peters]

pairing: reggie peters x fem!reader

word count: 6.6k

warnings: angst, swearing

a/n: hey babes it’s drea :) hope you enjoy this part and get to meet mimi and my favorite ocs!!! make sure to like, comment, and reblog! also send in your memes because we adore them!

◤━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◥

If Rose thought he was stupid then, he wondered how she would have thought of him now. Incredibly sleep deprived, clothes wrinkled, and a bouquet of flowers he most definitely sat on at one point in his hand. But none of that mattered now. He was finally here in Canada to see you, his most chaotic plan yet.

Penticton was not like Los Angeles in the slightest. Reggie felt as though he was out of place. This city was calm and small, in contrast to his loud and unpredictable life. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make the adjustment if he had to move here, but he knew he’d do anything for you.

With a shaky hand, Reggie knocked on the door. The door slowly opened to reveal an older couple, one that Reggie barely recognized. Reggie was about to apologize and leave until the woman spoke up.

“Aren’t you that horse boy?” the woman asked, narrowing her eyes. “The one that (N/N) was friends with, right? From Idaho?”

Reggie’s cheeks were flushed red. “Um, Wyoming, ma’am,” he corrected politely.

The woman seemed impressed. “Manners and flowers,” she mused. “Turns out they did teach you a thing or two on that ranch of yours. Come in, I made scones.” Without letting Reggie speak, she took the flowers and shoved them into her husband’s hands. “Earl, put that in water, the poor flowers look parched.”

“Um ma’am I’m not too sure this is a good-,”

“Nonsense, you must have come all the way from California,” she waved him off, “We need to get you fed and rested up don’t we?”

Her husband nodded while finding a vase to put the flowers in. “Best take a seat, son,” he whispered. “Tamara gets a little pushy, so there’s no point in fighting her.”

Sighing, Reggie took a seat on the couch as Earl walked off to the closet.

“I’ll be right back honey,” Tamara insisted, just have to go grab something from the kitchen.

Reggie nodded and sat quietly, waiting for her to return, and when she did she was accompanied by a large plate of what Reggie had assumed to be scones. You were obsessed with them, the cafe you worked at had even started selling them at your request.

“You must be hungry from that flight, right?” she asked, removing her oven mitts. “Have some of these, they’re (N/N)’s favorite, can’t get enough of them.” Without asking for permission, she took a scone and --for lack of better word-- shoved it into Reggie’s mouth. “Taste good, honey?”

They were delicious. Only issue was that they were fresh from the oven.

“T-they’re h-ho-” Reggie tried to tell the woman.

Only Tamara didn’t listen. Instead, she took another scone, prepared to feed Reggie once again. “You’re like a stick, honey,” she scolded with a shake of her head. “I told Eloise about those weird fads in California. Stubborn girl doesn’t want to listen.” Reggie nodded, finally swallowing the scone. Not the smartest choice. “Oh, you’re finished? Have another.”

“No thank-” Reggie was cut off by the pastry filling his mouth.

Tamara tutted, seemingly not noticing the boy’s discomfort. “You know, I remember you from when you were little,” she continued to talk. “Very skinny. But short. You grew quite a bit from last time we visited, right, Earl?”

Earl came back, flowers now in a purple vase. He nodded wordlessly before turning to look at Reggie, his cheeks red and puffed out. Earl’s face showed no surprise. That was his wife, after all.

“Oh, Earl, not that vase,” Tamara sighed, giving Reggie a sneak attack by feeding him another scone. The poor boy let out a muffled groan, but didn’t say anything else. “Get the white one, it matches the flowers’ colors much better.”

“Yes dear,” Earl said, going back to the closet in the back of the house. Reggie slouched back on the couch, hopeless and in desperate need for some water. He came to Canada for you, not to be subjected to some sick twisted grandmotherly world war two-esque torture.

Tamara looked down at Reggie. “You must really like these scones, dear,” she said, visibly impressed. “Have another, there’s plenty to go around. Now I see why (N/N) likes you. You two must really love my cooking, hm? Remind me to give you the recipe for when you go back home. That is, if you want to go home.”

Earl mouthed an apology as he came back with the new vase and Reggie just looked at the old man and questioned whether this was going to be him in fifty years.

Reggie tried to say something but only crumbs flew out of his mouth, stuffed like a chipmunk.

“Hey Nana is someone out here I thought I-Flicka?!”

Reggie turned over to you, eyes wide, face full with scones and he gave you a pained smile.

“Hi Foofie,” he attempted to say with his mouth full.

Tamara pinched the bridge of her nose. “Well, looks aren’t everything,” she sighed. “Come on, boy, swallow before you speak. This is your future bride for crying out loud.”

“Nana,” you whined before rushing over to Reggie, taking a cloth napkin and wiping his face. “You look absolutely ridiculous, Flicka.”

“You lofe me,” he shot back, mouth still filled with scones.

You hummed in response. “Sometimes,” you teased. Tears began to well in your eyes. “I can’t believe you flew all the way here, and suffered Nana’s scone feeding for me.”

Eloise and Mateo walked into the room next looking at the sight before them with great confusion.

“Mom not again!” Eloise complained while her husband just let out a small chuckle, remembering the similar way he was greeted when he was getting to know Eloise. “I’m so sorry Reggie honey, but it’s really great to see you,” the middle aged woman smiled and leaned down, giving Reggie a big hug. “It’s been a while.”

“It has,” Reggie said, finally able to answer properly.

Mateo was next, helping Reggie out of his seat and welcoming him with the same kindness.

“Good to see you son,”

“You too, sir,” he nodded.

Mateo ruffled the boy’s hair before Reggie was pulled in some other direction and out the door of the house.

You sat Reggie down on the porch swing overlooking the rest of the city from where the house stood on the mountain. He could see how the mountains dipped into a valley, surrounded by bushes and trees that faded in the distance, pooling into the crystal blue lake, of which he could see more than one.

His driver had told him the large one was the Okanagan lake, and it spanned multiple cities, the middle point being the city he flew into, Kelowna, the other smaller lake that was more popular with locals was called Skaha.

“You know,” you hummed as you leaned your head on his shoulder. “This is by far the stupidest plan you’ve ever come up with.” Reggie snorted, shaking his head silently. “But I’m glad you went through with it.”

“Me too, I was going to leave a few days after you left, but Rose made me pick up some shifts at her parents store so I could pay for the ticket,”

You laughed softly, taking his hand and weaving it together. “Seems like Rose,” you mused. “How are all of them? I miss them a lot, you know.”

“Yeah, we all know,” Reggie nodded. “Can I just say your grandma is a lot more intense than when we were younger. I legitimately thought she was trying to suffocate me with food,”

“Yeah, Nana does that with all the boyfriends, dad got the same treatment back in the 70s,”

“I hope I passed her test, then,” Reggie chuckled.

“You definitely did, she shoved like five scones in your mouth, I think that’s a record,”

“Pays to have the stomach of a cow,”

“Cows have six stomachs Flicka,”

“Exactly,” he grinned, pressing a kiss to your cheek. “And look at this, no universe, just me in charge, huh?”

“Or, is that what the universe wants you to think?”

“You know I thought you believed in God,” he fired back and you laughed.

“Same idea Flicka, just deal with it, higher power’s got your back,”

Just when Reggie opened his mouth, the door creaked open, revealing Eloise’s head poking out. “As sweet as this little reunion is,” she began sympathetically. “I think you two should get inside, now. You know, the mosquitoes are the one thing that don’t follow the ‘nice Canadian’ stereotype.”

You sighed, nodding. “Come on, Flicka. Sunburns are one thing but I’m not going to help you if you get a mosquito bite.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice, mosquitoes suck,” he said grabbing your arm and pulling you up and into the house.

As soon as you entered the room, Tamara smiled, exiting the kitchen. “There you two are,” she said. “Would you like another sco-”

“No!” both you and Reggie exclaimed in unison.

Reggie’s face turned red. “I uh mean, no ma’am,” he corrected sheepishly. “I’m full, but thank you. They’re really good, though.” Tamara, seemingly pleased with his response, nodded.

“Don’t forget, separate rooms you two,” Eloise warned.

Tamara looked at her daughter with a frown, “You act like you did sneak Mateo in here when you were teenagers. Plus he likes my scones! He’s family!”

“Yeah mom, listen to Nana I’m 22, you can relax,” you sighed.

“I promise no shenanigans,” Reggie added, “Swear it on Tamara’s scones,”

Tamara walked over to her daughter, patting her back. “Let the kids let loose,” she told her. “They’ll be fine together.”

You grinned, kissing your grandmother’s cheek gratefully. “Thank you, Nana.”

“Don’t thank me just yet, honey,” she stopped you. “I still want you to keep your door open. I approve of him, but I’m not ready to be a great grandmother just yet.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not ready to be a dad yet either,” Reggie chuckled. “One step at a time right?”

“We’ll see about that,” you chuckled mischievously earning you a scold from your father.

“Don’t tease the poor boy you’re just like your mother,”

Your mother rolled her eyes, elbowing him not so subtly. “Well, get to bed, the two of you,” she told you both. “I’m sure you have a bunch of things to show him tomorrow, so best get to bed now so you can have an early start,”

“Of course mom, love you guys,” you said, waving to your family and giving your grandfather who had been silent a kiss on the cheek.

Reggie was taken into Mateo's arms for a hug which he received warmly, your parents were like his second parents, they helped raise him, so it was only fair he looked at them that way.

Eloise was next, but along with a hug she whispered in his ear,

“I swear to sweet baby Jesus, Reginald, no funny business,”

“You have my word mama,” he chuckled and pressed a kiss to her cheek before following you out of the living room and up the small set of stairs that brought you to the rooms.

Your bedroom was small, and resembled that of a child’s. It was a bright pink with stars adorning the walls. Your twin sized bed was in the middle, pressed to the back of the wall. Reggie assumed that not much had changed in your room since you hadn’t been here for years.

“Nice room, Cookie,” he complimented as he set his bag down. “Very um, Disney princess chic.”

You shot him a look before throwing a pink throw pillow in his direction. “Shut up,” you shot back. “My grandparents haven’t really changed up the place. Hell, they still think I’m their baby granddaughter that wears princess dresses all the time.”

Reggie approached you, placing his hands on your waist. “Well, I wouldn’t mind seeing you in a pink princess dress,” he teased. “You’d look adorable.”

“As long as you wear the animal sidekick suit. You’d look adorable,” you mocked.

“Okay, I don’t mean to be a downer, but I’m exhausted, somehow my flight had a connection in Colorado then Alberta, so I’ve been awake for hours,”

“The washroom is through that door, you can get changed and then come and rest on the Aurora bedspread,”

“Looking forward to it Cookie,”

As instructed, Reggie made his way to the washroom and got ready while you did the same in your room, turning off the lights and leaving the door open. When you climbed into the bed, Reggie had just opened the door to the washroom, he was wearing flannel pants and a very large Sunset Curve shirt.

“Did they run out of your size, Flicka?” you teased, in your pajamas, a pair of old shorts and Alex’s sweatshirt you had stolen prior. Not that Alex ever noticed you took it, though. The drummer had a lifetime supply.

Reggie scoffed playfully. “I’ll have you know, this is just my size,” he told you. “Size beautiful, duh.”

You held your arms out to him in a welcoming hold and he didn’t hesitate to fall into them, resting his head against your chest while you pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Hey, how is everyone?” you asked with a quiet yawn.

“Well, that’s the million dollar question isn’t it,” he laughed. “Bobby drank Rose and Ray’s place dry when you left, Luke didn’t eat anything but Twinkies for three days and wouldn’t leave your old apartment, Alex stayed with him but he was just as bad and Rose and Ray just took time off from everything to take care of everyone.”

“Wow,” you breathed.

“But,” Reggie continued. “They’re better now, they convinced me to come back up here. I think they want to come and visit at some point,”

“I’d like that a lot,” you smiled softly. “To see them all again. Maybe I’ll come back down for the wedding.”

Reggie chuckled, his fingers running through your hair. “There’s no “maybe,” Cookie. You’re going to be there, even if Rose has to drag you while in a white dress and veil. You’re her maid of honour.”

“About that,” you said, squinting your eyes. “Do you think they’re actually getting married? Like Rose didn’t say she told her parents or anything it was all very weird.”

“Oh, no, they’re definitely lying,” Reggie laughed. “But it’s fun to play along, see how long it takes for them to break or you know, break us.”

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. “Those two are crazy,” she sighed. “Definitely Rose’s idea, though.”

Reggie nodded, his eyelids slowly closing. “Yeah,” he hummed. “I always thought we’d be the first ones to get married in the group, anyway.”

You chuckled lightly and nodded, “With our track record? Really Flicka? I was expecting at least one of us to get married and divorced first, probably me to be perfectly honest and you would have gone on some self actualization trip to Borneo and then we would have found each other again and gotten married,”

“Borneo does sound nice,” he mused and laughed. “We were never one for a normal relationship.”

You agreed. “Normal’s too boring,” you said. “Where’s the drama in a normal relationship?”

“When you put it that way it makes it seem unhealthy,” Reggie poked you and you squirmed under his touch.

“It’s not unhealthy it’s just… just… spicy! That’s it, our relationship is spicy,”

“So were those dances Mrs. Leona taught us,”

“Oh Tamika! She’s such a sweetheart, I went through part of my practicum with her,”

“You’re on a first name basis with her?” Reggie asked, surprised.

“Well, I am almost a teacher now so yeah,” you nodded. “Still wouldn’t let go the whole deal with us having unparalleled chemistry,”

“Why am I not surprised,” Reggie yawned loudly.

You tilted your head upwards to see Reggie, barely staying awake. “Okay, we definitely should go to bed now,” you told him. “You look beyond exhausted.”

“I feel beyond exhausted.”

Laughing softly, you snuggled yourself closer into Reggie’s chest, his arms finding their place around your waist. “Goodnight, Flicka,” you whispered. “I’m glad the universe brought us back together.”

Reggie hummed in response. “I’m glad, too. I love you, Cookie.”

—

You woke up the next morning to the loud sound of banging. Sitting up abruptly, you turned to see the other side of your bed empty. You frowned to yourself. Were you just dreaming? Did Reggie not actually come to Canada?

“YOU HORSE BOY, I TOLD YOU TO ADD SUGAR! WHAT IN YOUR RIGHT MIND MADE YOU THINK ADDING SALT TO PANCAKES WAS A SMART DECISION?” you heard your grandmother yell.

You let out a sigh of relief. Reggie was here.

“I’m sorry!” you heard him yelp. “They look similar, so I-”

“Oh, these Brandanowitz women, worst taste in men, I tell you,” she grumbled loudly. “None of them can choose a man who knows how to cook!”

Rushing down the stairs, you poked your head around the corner to see your grandmother, father, and Reggie trying to cook. Your father seemed to have taken a major offense to your nana’s comment.

“Tamara, I’ve gotten much better, plus I did teach you how to make arepas,”

Your grandmother narrowed her eyes. “Don’t get smart with me, boy,” she snapped, snatching the pan from your father’s hands. “I still remember the cake incident back in ‘84.” Your father blushed sheepishly before stepping back to let Nana take the lead in cooking.

“Mom before you start attacking my husband you do know that dad can’t cook right? I’d say that proves you have equally bad taste in men,” your mother countered.

“Mhmm,” Earl nodded, not looking up from his newspaper and sipping his coffee. “Very bad taste ‘Mara,”

Tamara shook her head, swatting Reggie’s hand as he tried to taste the batter. “Oh, I know,” she said back. “I just hoped that after five generations of our family choosing terrible cooks, we’d get some change.”

“Reggie’s got some other talents,” Mateo came to the boy’s defence. “An amazing musician, Eloise and I went to a few of his band’s concerts,”

Tamara gave the boy a dead state. “Fiddling with banjos and drums won’t feed you, unless you plan on eating strings,” she deadpanned.

“Actually ma’am my band and I just landed a huge gig at one of the most popular theaters in LA. Our tickets sold out,”

“Are the drumsticks made of bread?” she asked.

Reggie furrowed his eyebrows. “No?”

“Are the bass strings made of spinach?”

“No, ma’am.”

Tamara made a sour face, taking the batter from the table. “Then not my problem,” she said before continuing to make the pancakes.

“Mom,” Eloise groaned, smacking her forehead. “Reggie honey just ignore her, she’s too old fashioned for her own good. We,” she said motioning to herself and Mateo. “Love you and that’s all that matters,”

“I don’t think he’s that bad either,” Earl mused from the table.

“Oh sure,” Tamara murmured to herself. “I’m too old fashioned until you come running back to me for my scones recipe.” She looked up from her bowl of pancake mix to glare at her husband. “Earl, next time you ask for coffee, you’re getting dirt and worms, you hear me?”

The older man only smiled at his wife. “Yes, dear.”

“Good morning,” you said, finally coming into the kitchen.

You went around, giving the routine kisses, saving Reggie for last and pressing a quick peck to his lips.

“Sleep well Flicka?”

“Like a log,” he nodded. “I-I was trying to help your grandma make breakfast but she seems to think I’m a bad cook,”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” you grinned. “She labels to the sugar salt and the salt sugar just to get people, you’re a fine cook Flicka,”

“Tamara!” Mateo explained, completely betrayed and flabbergasted.

The woman shrugged her shoulders, flipping a pancake on the stove. “Serves you right for thinking I’m old fashioned. I can have fun, too.”

“I-” Mateo stammered before looking at his wife in disbelief. “Eloise!”

Eloise smirked as she approached you with a cup of coffee. “You’ll need it if you’re going to tour around town today,” she told you.

“I’m gonna need it if dad is gonna try and find a way to prove he's a good cook, I can see the gears turning,”

“You know I can cook (N/N)! I always made dinner at home,” he insisted. “Now what do you like more, my empanadas or tira de asado?”

“Ohh the tira,” you and Reggie both nodded, having tasted the delicious steak already.

Tamara turned around with a plate of pancakes, setting it on the table. “But is his cooking better than mine?” she asked, giving you a serious look.

“Well that depends,” you said, you were always honest with your grandmother, no matter what other people had said, “See Papa can beat you without a doubt on the South American dishes, but when it comes to North American comfort foods you’re the queen,”

“At least you raised her right,” Tamara grinned, pinching her granddaughter’s cheek.

The rest of breakfast went by smoothly, with Tamara only threatening to make Mateo sleep on the roof once, a new record. Regardless of the constant threats Mateo loved his mother in-law, that was a fact.

You ran back up to your bedroom to get dressed for the day, while Reggie was held back by your dad, more likely than not to help clean up the mess that they made in the kitchen with Tamara.

But downstairs, Reggie was sat down by Mateo and Earl, serious expressions on their face. Eloise and Tamara were nowhere to be found, but Reggie wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

“What’s up?” Reggie asked to break the silence, despite the erratic beating of his heart. “I’m not in trouble, am I?”

“No, son,” Earl reassured him, sitting down across from him. Mateo sat beside him, patting Reggie’s hand reassuringly.

“We just wanted to have a chat,” Mateo said and Reggie raised his brows, looking over at the two men.

“Am I right to think this has something to do with (N/N)?” Reggie asked and the men nodded.

“You’d be right, sonny,” Earl smiled. “I don’t think we’ve ever asked you how your flight was?”

Reggie shrugged his shoulders. “It wasn’t horrible,” he answered. “But honestly, all that really mattered was that I’d find my way back to Cookie.”

Mateo couldn’t help, but smile, reminiscing the days when he was falling in love with his now wife. “Cookie,” he repeated. “You and (N/N) have the silliest names for each other. I don’t remember why you call each other that.”

“It’s a long story,” Reggie laughed. “I’m pretty sure Flicka’s a horse from Wyoming and well she always did like cookies didn’t she,”

The men laughed and agreed with him. “That girl eats far too many desserts for her own good,” Earl shook his head. “You better keep your pastry stock full at all times once you’re married to her, you hear me? She’s just like Tamara, can never get enough of sweets.”

Instantly, the edges of Reggie’s lips turned up into a smile. “I guess I’ll be needing that scone recipe too,” he joked lightly.

Suddenly, the room went silent. Reggie stared down at the bracelets on his wrists, playing with the loose strings. You had made them for him when you were kids, and he swore to never take them off. And there he was, seventeen years later, upholding that promise.

“Um, sirs,” he began, immediately cringing at the titles. “I-I… you know how much I love your daughter and granddaughter,”

“More than you love Tamara’s scones?” Earl cut in with a teasing wink.

“Oh yes, much more,” Reggie laughed nervously. “More than anything in my life, to be honest. And actually,” he reached into his pocket, pulling out a velvet box and showing Mateo and Earl. “I-I really want to ask her to be my wife. I just thought maybe I could ask for your blessings first.”

Earl and Mateo fell silent once more, making Reggie stammer sheepishly. “I promise you, I’ll keep my pastry stock filled and everything,” he rushed. “I’ll buy the entire company of cookies if it meant she’d be happy. Hell I’m prepared to move here, I’d do anything for her,”

Reggie pulled out the ring from the box, fiddling with it anxiously. “I’m ready to even give up music, if I have to. Because she’s worth everything to me. I’ll take up a job here, a-and I’ll learn how to cook, too. Cookies, scones, tira de asado, whatever she wants to make her happy. I know I don’t have much, e-even my family is falling apart, but I promise I’ll make her my first and only priority, sir and...sir.”

Earl glanced over at Mateo. “If you don’t approve of this young man, I’ll marry him myself,” he said with a grin.

“Reggie, Eloise and I always had a hunch that you’d be the one for (N/N),” Mateo explained. “You’ve been like a son to us and we watched you grow up into such a fine young man, I don’t think there’s anyone more perfect to be my daughter’s partner for the rest of her life,”

Reggie nearly dropped his ring. “Wait, really?” he stumbled over his words. “Like...you’re allowing me to propose? Like marry her and-and everything?”

Mateo nodded. “So long as she says yes,” he told him.

“Which she will,” Earl chuckled. “Welcome to the family son,”

Without thinking, Reggie stood up and leaned over and wrapped his arms tightly around them. “T-thank you, sirs!”

Mateo and Earl laughed heartily. “I think Dad and Grandpa will do,” Mateo insisted, patting Reggie’s back. “Now, I think you have a girl to propose to, right?”

As if on cue, you made it to the bottom of the stairs, ready to go. “Ready, Flicka?” you beamed.

Reggie quickly tucked the ring box back into his pocket. “Always, Cookie,” he responded.

Tamara entered the dining room, wearing a large floppy hat and sunglasses. “Yes, we are,” she announced. “Where to?”

Your cheeks were flushed red. “Oh, Nana, we were-”

“I’ve got the keys,” Eloise grinned. “We can drive to Kelowna for the day!”

“I can drive,” Mateo nodded, taking the keys from his wife and sending a wink to Reggie.

A good ten minutes later the whole household was packed into a car, heading out of the small town for the hour drive up to Kelowna, the largest town along the Okanagan lake.

“Oh mom can we go to Moo Lix? I love their ice cream,” you asked your mother, leaning up from the back seat.

“I’m sure we can stop there,” Eloise nodded. “We can walk through the city park and grab something to eat by the beach,”

The drive wasn’t too long, only around an hour and when they crossed the bridge to enter the city Reggie could sense your excitement, finally being able to show you around some of the places you grew up in.

“Excited, Cookie?” he asked with a teasing grin on his face.

You turned your head from the window, beaming at Reggie. “Beyond excited,” you replied, taking his hand in yours and squeezing it tightly. “Maybe later on, you can show me around Wyoming?”

Reggie threw his head back in laughter. “I’d love to show you the ranch,” he told you.

“Good cause I’m not entirely convinced it exists,”

“Oh not with this again,” Reggie groaned and banged his head on the seats in front of you.

Mateo finally parked the car along the front of the large city park, spanning the length of the beach and lake. You were ready to drag Reggie out of the car and try to take him to some of the places you wanted him to see, but you were interrupted by your grandmother insisting you all went in the opposite direction.

“Reggie, I have to show you Ogopogo,” you told Reggie, pulling on his arm. “I need to tell you the story about it, it’s awesome! It’s this monster that’s said to inhabit the lake, you’d love it!”

Reggie chuckled as he tried to catch up with you, running down the sidewalk. “I guess there’s another monster I need to befriend in the lake,” he joked, remembering the lake back in California.

Tamara shook her head at the two, readjusting her straw hat. “Oh, no one wants to see that pile of rubble,” she told you both. “Come on, there are far better things to see.”

“But Nana,” you whined. “I wanna show him-,”

“Come on dear,” she interrupted you and you sighed.

“We’ll come another time Flicka,” you said, wrapping your arm around his and intertwining your fingers together.

“Of course Cookie, I’m yours, for whatever or whenever,”

Your grandma dragged the group of you through the park, explaining the history of certain statues and whatnots. You were paying attention, but Reggie’s focus was on you the entire time, his hand nervously fiddling with the ring in his pocket, waiting for the right time, any time to pull it out. But every time he tried to take a moment to be alone with you, either Tamara would pull you two to another site or Reggie would get too nervous.

Finally, when Reggie got a moment alone with you, it was absolutely perfect. The sun was nearly setting, and your parents had managed to drag your grandparents to the bench to rest for a moment, but Lord knows Tamara can’t sit still for long.

“This place is beautiful, isn’t it, Flicka?” you asked, looking out in the distance. You turned to face Reggie, a mischievous grin on your face. “Maybe if you go for a quick swim, you’ll see Ogopogo.”

Reggie chuckled. “Maybe.”

The two of you turned back to the scenery, taking in the small moment of silence you were finally given.

Do it. Get on one knee and do it.

“Cookie?” Reggie spoke up. You hummed in response, not tearing your eyes away from the sunset. “You talked about the universe bringing us together, no matter how many times we’ve been pulled apart.”

You laughed softly. “Higher powers always have your back, Flicka,” you said, recalling what you told him last night.

Reggie placed his hand in his pocket, about to pull out his ring and propose to you. “Well, I-”

“(N/N)! Horse Boy!”

Reggie sighed, slouching slightly. Dropping the ring box back into his pocket, he turned around to see Tamara marching over to them. Earl was close behind, mouthing an apology.

“It’s getting late,” she frowned. “We have to get going now if you want to get scones for dessert.”

You smiled giddily, kissing Reggie’s cheek before following your grandmother.

The ride on the way back was spent the majority of the time in silence, just resting. You laid your head on Reggie’s shoulder as he stared out the window, frustrated with himself for not proposing today. There were countless amounts of times where he could have asked you, but there was always something holding him back.

Once you got back to the house, you dragged yourself up the porch steps saying you were gonna go take a power nap before dinner and dessert were ready. Reggie couldn’t help, but look fondly at you while you walked up the stairs, yawning loudly. Even when you were tired you were perfect to him.

Reggie couldn’t stop replaying the day in his head. All the missed moments were taunting him. He needed help, but from who? Suddenly, it was as though something clicked in his head.

Reggie entered the home, finding your mother in the dining room with her father. “Hey, um Eloise is there a phone I could use? I’ll pay for the long distance charges,”

“Yeah of course, there's one in the studio room downstairs,”

“Thanks,” Reggie smiled and jogged down to the phone. After taking it in his hands he took a deep breath. This had to be it, what was holding him back.

Dialling the number and hitting call there was no turning back.

The phone rang for a few moment and just as he thought no one was going to pick up the phone line clicked and there was a quiet,

“Hello?” on the other end.

“Hey dad,” Reggie said quietly chewing on his lip. “C-Can you get mom I want to talk to you both about something,”

A long pause followed. “Um, sure,” he responded. “Is everything alright, Reggie?”

“Yeah,” Reggied sighed. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket. Flipping open the top, he stared down at the small jewel resting on top of the ring. “Everything’s fine.”

There was a quite shuffle on the other line along with some hushed chatter before the phone clicked again,

“Okay Reg, you’re on speaker,” he heard his father’s voice once more.

It had been almost three months since he had last seen or spoken to either of his parents aside from getting the confirmation that they were going through with the divorce.

“Um… well,” Reggie didn’t really know where to start, so that’s what he said. “Everything’s a little all over the place I’m not really sure where to start,”

“Take your time sweetheart,” Diana’s soft voice came through. “Your dad and I have time,”

Reggie took another deep breath, “A-A little while back (Y/N)’s parents… they-they lost the house,” Reggie started to explain. “The job market just wasn’t working for them in LA so they needed to move back to Canada. They’re staying with Eloise’s parents for now until they can find work and get settled.”

“Oh wow,” Darcy whispered on the other end, “W-We didn’t know. I’m sorry to hear that,”

“Yeah me too,” Reggie nodded. “A-Anyways, (Y/N) had to come up with them. To stay and I… I just-I couldn’t lose her again so...”

“Reggie,” Diana spoke up. “Are you in Canada right now?”

“Yes?” he answered, more so like a question.

Murmuring followed from Diana and Darcy’s end. “Okay, we’re not mad you went to another country without telling us,” Darcy began. “But a heads up would have been nice.”

“I-I got a job and everything to pay for the ticket. I’m not in debt or anything,” he assured. “But yeah, I guess maybe I should have said something, but you can understand why I was hesitant to call,”

“Sweetheart,” Diana said. “We’re happy you went to follow the girl you loved. So long as you’re safe.”

“We’re sorry for not being the best parents to you,” Darcy added. “But we want to be here for you now. Is there anything we can do to help you with whatever’s troubling you?”

Reggie remained silent, fiddling with the phone wire. “Dad, how did you know you were ready to propose to Mom?” he asked in a quiet voice.

“I-I’m sorry?” Darcy said back. “Son, you’re going to have to speak up, I didn’t catch that.”

Reggie took yet another deep breath. “How did you know you were ready to propose? Like...what feeling did you get? Because I know deep down I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with (Y/N), but something’s stopping me and I don’t know what.”

There was silence on the other line and Reggie cursed in his head, this wasn’t a good idea he shouldn’t have-

“I-um… I don’t really know how to describe it…” Darcy started softly. “It was almost like… like pain, in my heart. When I wasn’t with her I-I just couldn’t function. Your mom she was… she was my everything.”

Reggie could hear his dad faltering on his words, but before he could get any further he could hear his mother’s soft voice reassuring him,

“It’s okay… we just… we weren’t cut out to be married. I-... Reggie I hope you know your father and I still love each other very much. It’s just sometimes life throws you one too many curveballs. D-Do you think you would be able to get past that with (Y/N) if it were to come to it?”

“I would do anything for her,” he whispered.

“Then I think you got your answer, Reg,” Darcy told him, no doubt smiling. “Reggie, I know we haven’t said it much, but I just want you to know that we are so proud of you for growing up to be such a brilliant young man, despite all the things life has thrown at you, what we have done to you.”

Reggie sniffled, wiping away a stray tear. “You haven’t done anything, Dad,” he said, voice cracking slightly. “Life got in the way, you know? I can’t blame you two for that.”

Eloise poked her head around the corner. “Reggie, dear,” she called out. “Dinner’s ready. Do you want me to save a plate for you if you’re still on that call?”

Reggie shook his head. “No, erm I’m okay, Eloise,” he reassured her. “I’ll be up in a minute.” Eloise smiled before going back upstairs.

Turning back to the phone, Reggie sighed. “I should probably go now,” he told his parents. “But thank you for the advice. It um, means a lot.”

“Of course, Reggie,” Diana said into the phone. “We’ll always be here for you.”

Reggie nodded, gripping the phone tight. “I...I love you,” he whispered, trying to fight back the tears from falling down his face. For once things felt normal. They felt like a family.

“We love you, too, Reggie,” Darcy told him. “Remember to tell us everything, okay? How it goes, if the wedding will be in Canada…”

Reggie laughed. “I will, Dad.”

“A-And, I know you probably have a ring already,” his mother started. “But the one your father gave me is passed down in the family. I-If you want I think we’d like to give it to you.”

“I-I’d love that,” he nodded, “We can save it for the big day… if there is one,”

“I have a strong feeling there will be,” Darcy said, a smile in his voice. “Trust me on that,”

“Well, we don’t want to keep you from dinner, sweetie,” Diana told him. “Tell (Y/N) we said hi, okay?”

After saying their goodbyes, Reggie set the phone down and smiled to himself. For once in his life, everything felt right.

Reggie, not wanting to make them wait any longer, stood up from his seat to join your family for dinner. There, Earl was pouring lemonade in each glass while Eloise set up the table.

Tamara was the next to enter the kitchen with a tray of roast chicken. “There you are,” she spoke up, looking directly at Reggie. “We were wondering where you were. Afraid you’d run off and make friends with the mosquitoes.”

“Tamara’s warming up to you a little more,” Mateo teased. “She’s worries for you. That didn’t happen for me until after (Y/N) was born.”

Tamara rolled her eyes, pointing a carving knife at him. “I’ll have you know,” she began with a pointed look. “I like this boy a whole lot more than I did when I first met you. This one finishes my scones and calls me “ma’am.” You should take some notes.”

Reggie laughed, taking a seat beside you. “Well, ma’am,” he smiled. “I hope you’ll get to see me more often.”

Eloise and Mateo grinned, a knowing twinkle in their eyes as Reggie spoke. You glanced over at Reggie, quite confused. “What?” you asked.

The bassist only shook his head. “Nothing,” he told you softly. Still exhausted from the day, you simply nodded, leaning your head on his shoulder and closing your eyes.

“I’m tired,” you whined in a hushed voice for only Reggie to hear.

Reggie tucked a loose strand of your hair behind your ear. “Eat quickly, then you can head to bed, okay, Cookie?” You groaned, but listened to him.

“Wow, Reggie,” Eloise mused, impressed. “She actually listens to you when she’s tired. (N/N) never does that.”

Reggie shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a gift,” he joked.

With a mouth full of chicken and rice, you agreed. “He’s the special one,” you teased.

Reggie grinned, subconsciously patting the ring box in his pocket.

Yeah, he sure hoped he was.

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foofyschmoofer · 1 year

Note

-high fives for loving The Storm Coast as well-

It’s been a long while since I played, so I don’t remember most of the places (except the Hinterlands 😖) but I definitely remember loving the Storm Coast… so cool. Oh also remember hating Hissing Wastes.

#foofy answers #thanks for the ask! :)#heroofshield

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loominggaia · 3 years

Text

Story Preview: Untitled

Another short preview of the upcoming Looming Gaia story, in which Cinnamon takes after Itchy and makes her Aquarian babysitter miserable:

Once the hour was up, Ginger left to gather ingredients. “I’ll be back later, sweetheart,” she told her daughter, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Have fun with Mr. Ocean! He’s a nice man, he’ll take good care of you until I return!”

“Mama bye-bye?” the girl queried as Ginger walked away, fading from her blurry vision. She turned back to Mr. Ocean and queried, “Minter Oshie, where Mama?”

Mr. Ocean decided to answer in a way that would make the most sense to her. He closed his eyes and exerted his magic, transmitting a telepathic image into her mind. It was not as clear as a memory, for it was no memory at all. It was an image he conjured from his imagination, and Cinnamon watched as his artistic interpretation of Ginger walked down a winding rural road. She arrived at a stall selling shapes and colors, where she purchased an abstract fish-shape.

It was the best he could do. He hoped the girl understood. Cinnamon seemed to accept his answer and observed, “Mama go store!”

Mr. Ocean patted her head and praised her, “Yes, very good! She is going to buy fish. Can you say ‘fish’?”

“Shit!” Cinnamon blurted proudly.

Mr. Ocean jumped slightly, quickly correcting her, “Er, no, no! Fish. Fish,” he repeated slower, leaning closer to her ear.

“Frick!” exclaimed Cinnamon.

“Fish! Fish. Fiiish…” Mr. Ocean repeated even slower, enunciating to the best of his ability.

“Fuck!” the girl shouted. The cecaelia cringed. Ginger was going to kill him, he thought.

Once again, he exerted his telepathy. He conjured an image of a fat, scaly fish and sent it swimming through her mind’s eye. Cinnamon stared into oblivion, dazzled by its sparkling scales. “Foofy! Pwetty foofy!” she said, bouncing with excitement.

“Er, yes, good. Foofy is not a swear,” decided Mr. Ocean.

“Hey!” began Cinnamon. “Know, um, know what?”

“What?”

“Know what, Minter Oshie?”

“Little friend, what is it?” The cecaelia leaned in close, eager to hear what she had to say.

She said, “Papa no wike foofy!”

“Is that so?”

“Foofy stinky!” Cinnamon giggled, pinching her nose for emphasis.

“Yes, I suppose it is,” agreed Mr. Ocean.

The child paused, furrowing her brow in thought. Turning back to him, she asked, “Minter Oshie foofy?”

He chuckled softly, “No, I am not a foofy. I am a cecaelia. Can you say ‘cecaelia’? See-sail-yah…”

“Shit!” the girl shouted. Mr. Ocean dropped his head in his hands, letting out a groan.

“That is a naughty word,” he told her.

“Shit fuck!”

“No, no! Stop that!”

The girl giggled, grabbing her hooves as she rocked back and forth. “Peepee! Twat shit!”

“Where ever did you learn such foul language? Please, stop saying these things!” Mr. Ocean asked, voice thick with desperation.

“Hey! Know what?” she started.

“Er, what?”

“Know what, Minter Oshie?”

“Please don’t swear…” The cecaelia winced, bracing himself.

But all she said was, “I hungy.”

Relaxing his shoulders, Mr. Ocean replied, “Ah. Okay. What would you like to eat?”

“Poopy!” the child giggled.

The cecaelia sighed, lifting her as he rose to his feet. “I think not,” he said. “Let us see what Ms. Fontaine has for us.”

This kid is going places. A true prodigy.

#looming gaia #funstuff #literature

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dire-vulture · 3 years

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omg picking my guardian dilf was incredibly easy but

despite having lots of middle-aged tundras, i actually had a really hard time deciding who was my pick for tundra dilf dfadsf so let’s go through the candidates....

Tarragon - Yeah. doing it in lair order and we gotta start here dfdsaf. Well.... Tarragon is in his 40s, is an actual dad with three kids, and Moraine at least would definitely say he’s sexy.............. but he’s also definitely a twink, and a question that I’d have to answer here a bit is..can twinks be dilfs?? i don’t know if i can answer that. i don’t like putting firm restrictions with labels and while dilf suggests more masculinity than the average twink would have, there’s no real reason for those labels to be mutually exclusive..but. calling tarragon a dilf feels like committing a felony and i’m just not ready for that.

Paragon - In his 40s, and unlike Tarragon, Paragon is very well-built, buff but gotten a bit chubby as he’s aged, so he gets the dad-bod bonus. He’s not a dad, but he is an uncle, and he has an almost mentor-like relationship with one of his nieces so that’s..close? I think he might just barely qualify despite not having much dad-like energy.

Sugarpaws - In his mid-30s..I generally would say dilfs start at 40+, but some would argue that 35 is just old enough so I’ll throw him in. But..he has no interest in having, raising, or just ever being around kids and is basically a gay city twink on a country retreat..he is not dilf whatsoever.

Psoron - Psoron was the one I picked to be my (trans) dilf tundra rep for the bingo card! honestly his being somewhere on the nb spectrum helped me decide to pick him so I could get the trans bonus afasdf. Anyway, he’s in his mid-60s, which is probably a bit older than people would usually say, but I think it’s fine. A bit androgynous, nerdy, romantic, and hunky! Not the most traditional dad-like qualities but I say he works it. One of his bfs is Tamarind (dilf4dilf!) which would make Psoron basically stepdad to Tam’s kids, so he can qualify for the actual dad part! Honestly I need to flesh out his relationship with the kids more but they’re definitely on good terms. All in all a good wind-dad, and definitive dilf in my mind c:

Brightsoul - Brightsoul! When making the bingo post he was absolutely Psoron’s biggest competition tbh. A big and burly tundra in his mid-50s, and a foofy and lovable math teacher. So even though he doesn’t have kids of his own, he does work with kids a lot and is good with them. But..teacher energy and dad energy aren’t quite the same. Having stepkids really gave Psoron the boost over Brightie haha...

Brondelle - 40, so they just meet my age requirement. A definitive bear tundra too, so they get the dadbod bonus. But, honestly I didn’t really consider them at all omg. They don’t feel like a dad whatsoever. They care far more about mushrooms than children haha,, and with their bfs the three of them together I tend to see as more youthful even if Brondelle is approaching middle-aged sooner than the other two. Probably doesn’t help either that they have their mom and younger siblings in the lair haha. doomed to be a big child forever fsadfs

Mykytyn - Probably a bit redundant with Brondelle but at 38 years old, he probably is worth mentioning. Actually, I want to say he feels closer to being a dilf than Brondelle does, if only because he seems more established in a career with his life sorted out, compared to his partners Brondelle and Kayleigh who have been ambling in their life a lot more. I don’t think Mykytyn is especially interested in having kids, but he does get along well with Brondelle’s 18 year old brother! Also I don’t think I’ll bother reviewing Kayleigh separately. He’s 35 and definitely has the most youthful energy of the triad fasdf

Brigitta - Just in the abstract with their snapper-y design I feel like that gets points but. sdfsdaf they’re a birthday dragon and i consider my birthday dragons like..halfsonas so. im not ranking myself a dilf even if this guy technically meets the 35+ requirement adsfasdfds

Ahavah - I actually really wanted to pick Ahavah for the dilf role but. he’s only 22 adsfasd he has like. such older man energy honestly?? just a sleepy looking boat captain that sounds perfect haha but no..he is way too young to be a dilf. come back in 15 years dude.

Glacier - 51 years old, spirited and adventurous motorcycle dude. Definite dad bod, and even though he’s not a literal dad, he does have a 22 year old kid he’s taken under his wing, in addition to being an uncle* to his second cousin Moraine’s kids. I feel like he qualifies in spades! Heavily considered him as my pick for dilf in the bingo post, but it just didn’t feel quite right for whatever reason. Just way more of a cool uncle than a dad I suppose haha. *he’s actually a second cousin once removed to Moraine’s kids but for everyone’s sanity they just say uncle sdafsd. why is english like this.

Pavo - Honestly I considered them! I just don’t know enough about them yet tbh. i feel like they have really the vibes though! dilf peacock...

Bryony - Another one I considered, but probably too old haha. 85..grandilf.......... just a guy who loves bugs and i love them. they’re a dilf in my heart.

Willehad - my bear tundra. would definitely be a contender but i also don’t know enough about him yet. some day......

anyway sdfdsaf if you read any of this thanks. just. no time like the present to explore dilf tundras!! sadfasdf . i spent way too long on this to not hit publish so here we go

#pheel talk #text post #tundra #im not tagging this with the word because that will inevitably attract bots dfasd #psoron #bingo #ill give it those tags so i can find this later if i need #psoron makes sense since he was the winner so. this is officially his post fadsf #suggestive text #not really but. i guess the concept omggg

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miscreantsmadness · 4 years

Text

Day 1

Main quests day 1

Summary

The player first arrives at Moorland Stables and gets introduced to everyone working there, and of course their very own horse! We also help Thomas sabotage GED so that he gets more time to figure out how to handle the situation. Eventually he gets the title deed back, but a masked rider steals it from him! Luckily, we manage to get it back.

We help Ydris set up his circus.

We try to deliver some buns to the castle, but no one answers the door. We eventually meet up with the butler for a delivery of wine samples and he explains that The Baroness has been very busy. He tells us that if we want to explore the the Equestrian Center we should speak to Linda, but quickly corrects himself and instead says that we should speak to some other stable girl.

Complete quest dialogue below the cut

Justin: Hi! You must be Name. Nice to meet you and welcome to Moorland! My name is Justin and I run this stable with my dad.

It’s pretty hectic right now... A lot of things are happening here, but forget about that for now! You’re new and I don’t want to bother you with out problems during your stay.

Over there is your horse who will be your horse for the summer. Take him for a quick ride so that you get to know each other. Ride off and talk to Maya who is in the yard next door.

Maya: Hi, I’m Maya! Nice to meet you, Name! It’s great that you chose to come to Moorland! Welcome!

This is the best place ever to spend your summer vacation. I’m doing a bit of work in the stables around here to earn some extra Jorvik Shillings, it’s always good to have pocket money. Come back to the stables later and I’m sure we can find you a job.

There is so much to show you and talk to you about, but first you should go and speak to Jenna. She can tell you a little more about how things work here in Moorland.

Jenna: Hi, Name! I’ve been expecting you!

Hi! You’re Name? Welcome to Moorland Stables!

Normally Thomas Moorland shows new visitors around, but he’s very busy right now. I don’t know if you’ve heard about the horrible company, GED, who want to demolish the stables and build luxury condos?

But enough about that. Before I let you ride off beyond the stable gates, you have to show me that you can ride. There is a small yard behind me. Show me that you know the basics and ride around the square track. Ride one lap and come back to me!

Fantastic! Nice work on the square track. You and Your Horse really worked as a team. Keep it up!

I think you’re ready for some bigger challenges. As promised, you’re now allowed to gallop freely outside the stable walls!

A while later the same day

Justin: My dad, Thomas, wanted to meet you. Apparently he wants to ask you about something important. I’m scared it might be about our troubles here.

Mr. Kembell, a nasty boss from the company, GED, is doing everything he can to evict us so that he can demolish the stables and build luxury condos here. We’re still trying to figure out what we can do to stop him, but he’s as slippery as an eel.

Thomas: Thank you for coming so fast, Name. The situation with Mr. Kembell from GED is getting out of hand and I need your help.

I just heard that he has almost convinced the Council that GED has the rights to the land and there is hardly any time left to stop him. Right now his creepy surveyors are setting up their equipment so that they can make a detailed map for the planned demolition.

I’m the true owner of this land but I need time to prove that to the council.

Can you help me save Moorland stables?

We have to delay Mr. Kembell’s surveyors to buy some time. All you have to do is turn off their GPS equipment. They’re setting them up in the area outside the stable, between here and the hills where their construction site is.

I’ve marked more or less where the GPS equipment is on your map. Good luck!

Splendid! Good work! I truly appreciate it. That will delay them for a while. Now I’ve at least got a little time to build my case against Mr. Kembell for the Council.

What am I going to do, Name? Mr. Kembell is really putting pressure on me with all these legal documents. I’m sure I could stop him if I just had a little more time. Hmm...If he wants to play dirty I’ll show him that he has met his match.

Let’s see, ride past the blacksmith’s and up towards the hills. Along the road there is a power distribution box, just where the road turns at the construction site. It should be possible to turn off that horrible sign by turning off the power there. Here, I’ll mark it on your map.

Ha ha! I think I can hear that nasty man shouting all the way over here! Now I have a bit more time - just what I needed. Now we don’t have to see that horrible GED sign anymore!

All I need to do is prove that I actually own the land. Then I can stop Mr. Kembell. There is a deed to Moorland Stables that my father was given over fifty years ago by The Baroness of Silverglade, who lives in the castle.

I can’t find the documents here but I think that our old accountant, Mrs. Holdsworth, must know where the title deed is - she knows everything about our business. She retired last year and now spends her days taking care of the flowers outside her little cottage. Go see her, she should be able to tell you where the documents are.

Mrs. Holdsworth: Why hello, dear. What can I do for you?

Hmm...Let me think. I believe there was a deed of ownership, but it got lost some years ago. When Thomas Moorland’s wife, Catherine, died in childbirth, Thomas lost all interest in papers and documents and just wanted to spend time with his horses. All the paperwork was put in a chest and sent over to Catherine’s father, and there’s a good chance that the title deed was in that chest. Her dad is Jasper Holbrook and the child that was born is, of course, Justin.

Jasper blames Thomas for Catherine’s death and they haven’t spoken in twenty years. It’s a tragedy that this feud has been going on for so long, but if anyone has the title it would be old man Jasper. It won’t be easy convincing him to part with it, though. Good luck, dear!

Jasper: Well you found me! And now you can leave me alone again!

Bah! What do I care if Moorland Stables is razed to the ground? That place killed my daughter and I have hated the Moorlands for the better part of twenty years. If you think you can change that you’re welcome to try, but I won’t help you.

Justin: Hi Name! Have you been to see my grandfather, Jasper? That crazy old man hates us and nothing would please him more than to see our stable razed to the ground.

I don’t know how I could make that old fool of a grandfather change his mind. I know that my mom really loved my dad, Thomas. What happened was a terrible tragedy.

I have these letters from my mom and dad that they wrote to each other before they got married. They prove it was true love. I’ve been thinking of showing them to my grandfather, Jasper, but never really dared. If he saw them he would realize that Catherine and Thomas really loved each other. Maybe you can show him?

Take these letters and show them to Jasper, they should make some kind of impression on him!

Jasper: What? Are you here again? What’s with all the papers?

Let me have a look at that - it looks really old.

I recognize that handwriting...

Is it true? Were they really written by my daughter?

When I read these letter from by beloved daughter, my heart weeps! I’ve been such a proud idiot all these years and it’s cost me my grandson...Sob sob!

I have the title deed and of course I will give it to Thomas Moorland. That slime ball, Mr. Kembell, is a disgrace to this island. Here is the key to my deposit box in Fort Pinta - you’ll find the title deed inside. Collect it and bring the key back to me before you say anything to Thomas Moorland.

From now on you can ride across my land whenever you want.

Thanks for getting the title deed! These are the old legal documents that show that Thomas is the rightful owner of Moorland Stables.

And you brought my key back too. Great, thank you. Thanks once again!

Well, what do you know? My frosty heart is now warm, after twenty years in the cold. Young lady, I give you this title deed to Moorland Stables, you have certainly earned it. Thomas will definitely be happy now.

Thomas: Holy horses! You have saved the stables from demolition!

Finally, I can prove that I’m the rightful owner of Moorland Stables and it’s all thanks to you. I will show this to the council and then Mr. Kembell will have no choice but to stop construction of the new buildings.

I don’t know how to thank you, I owe you more than I could ever repay you.

A while later the same day

Maya: I don’t suppose you lost a horse? A big foofy girl with a black coat, a draft horse I think? Sorry, I can’t be more specific but we don’t see a lot of horses like that around here, especially not ones with an attitude like that. She’s so...

Y’know what? You should probably just go check her out for yourself, see if you can find any leads about who she belongs to. I’d rather this get sorted before the boss finds out. We’ve got a lot of new arrivals here at the riding camp who don’t know their way around horses the way you do, so it’s sort of a liability thing.

She’s over at the dock on the beach just west of here.

Player: This must be the horse Maya was talking about.

(There’s a note attached to the bridle).

“Property of the AMAZING YDRIS! If found, please return to Nilmer’s Highland along with any cargo and you shall be rewarded handsomely”

“P.S. -- In case of stubbornness, use cookies”

“P.P.S. -- But not too many, no matter how much she begs.”

Ydris: Stop! Do not tell me who you are. The Amazing Ydris knows all!

I am Ydris. “Ydris the Amazing!” “The Magnificent!” “The Phenomenal!” Call me anything you wish as long as it’s not “ordinary.”

And you must be...Xanthippe? Yosephine? Zoriya? ...Name? I must have a little psychic power after all.

A great fool once said, “the noblest art is that of making others happy.” That is just what I intend to do here, in Jorvik -- make people happy. And, who knows, perhaps someday the joy I bring can spread to the entire world! Wouldn’t that be grand?

How do I hope to spread my gospel of delight? By following in the footsteps of the aforementioned fool. With a CIRCUS!

And what a circus it shall be! Magic, miracles, mischief! Your every dream will come true. And of course, this being Jorvik, there will be a special place for horses.

But I can’t do it alone. That is why I sent dear Zee on a very important mission. Did you find what I asked for, my four-legged friend?

Zee: *nudge*

Ydris: Name, if you would be so good as to open the box and place the contents on the pedestal there, I will show you another good trick that I know.

Voila, a simple wooden mask! Masks are one of the most powerful forms of magic. They allow one to become someone else. They can render the wearer’s true self invisible. So, perhaps this mask is not so “simple” after all?

Xin, what a proper fool you are! It’s no wonder you’re my favorite companion!

Zee: *snort*

Ydris: Of course, Zee. You are also my favorite. We are all one big happy family of misfits. No need to be jealous!

Xin, say hello to our new friend Name, brought into our circle as if by destiny. Now now, don’t be shy!

Xin: .............

Ydris: Merci, my sweet.

Now that we are all properly introduced, let us det down to brass tacks.

The four of us are going to build a circus together. Actually, make that five of us. Your Horse is part of our family now too.

Zee: *glare*

Ydris: First up, the big top! Name, if you wouldn’t mind pulling the tent out of the crate over there -- it’s not there is it? Hold on, I know it’s around here somewhere. Whoops! Well, one of those has to be the right one. Step to it, Name! Find our tent!

After building the tent

Ydris: Our big top is missing something... Of course! The cherry on top of our sundae of dreams. A luminous sign to welcome my guests to the show. Now where did I put the sign...?

Perfect! Our circus shall light up the night, bringing in guests like moths to a flame! Yes, a conflagration of delights! We will put on such shows here, the likes of which this world has never seen. And I have YOU to thank.

Let no one tell you that you’re just another silly girl with a head for horses. Stick with me, my dear girl, and we’ll bing down the house!

A while later the same day

Thomas: What in the world? A masked rider just came by and stole the original deed! Ride after him! He’s over there by the gate! Hurry!! HURRY Name! Catch him!

Well done. I will try to hide the papers better this time, sorry. There was something strange about the horse? Ghost-like, you say? Um...I really can’t say - it all happened so fast. I’m sure it was just a regular horse with an unusually nasty owner.

I need you to visit the town hall for me, ok? These copies of the deed should be there if something should happen to the original. There must never again be the slightest doubt that I own this land!

Here are the documents. Hold on to them tightly!

Council man: And what have we here, young lady? A deed from Mr. Moorland, I see. I’ll file these away safely.

A while later the same day

Harold: Once a month we deliver a jar of cookies to the castle. These cardamom cookies are greatly appreciated by The Baroness. Will you take them over there, please? Ride there on thet beautiful horse of yours and you’ll get there in no time.

Player: Nobody is answering the door. There’s nothing to do but head back to the store. Unless I want to taste one of those cardamom cookies...They smell divine.

As nobody is answering the door, I guess the best thing to do is head back to the store.

Harold: The castle was closed? Nobody answered the door? You know, lately there have been some rumors about that place. Someone said they heard what sounded lika a young girl crying. Frankly, I don’t know what to think. Lately, The Baroness has seemed anxious.

Have I heard the crying? I can’t say I have. Actually, it kind of sounds like a silly ghost story to me. The Baroness’ family, the Silverglades, run way back in history. They have been the most influential family in Jorvik since...I don’t know when, maybe hundreds of years.

Here are some wine bottle samples that The Baroness has requested. See if you can deliver them to the butler, he should be at the vineyard. Ride carefully! The bottles are fragile.

Godfrey: Miss? Oh, the bottle samples, great. Thank you. What? Yes, the Winter has been hard indeed, for the manor as well. How is The Baroness? You heard that she was very busy - I see. Well, one could say that she’s had a lot on her mind lately with GED exploiting the land and all. She’s building a new racetrack as well, which of course takes a lot of time and effort. But I’ll see that she gets these. Certainly, miss. Good bye.

Sorry? A stable? Why of course we have a stable here: the Silverglade Equestrian Center - the noblest stable in Jorvik, miss! You come from Moorland? Well, you should indeed pay a visit to the Equestrian Center: it houses some of the best performing horses on the island.

Why don’t you speak to Linda...Hold on...What am I saying - not Linda! Ha, ha! Not Linda, miss. There are other stable girls over there, however. I think one of them is called Judy. Judy will be able to help you.

Judy: Hi, Name! Of course I know who you are, I’m so glad you’re here! I’m Judy by the way. I spoke to Thomas Moorland earlier and he told me that you and Your Horse are really great together, like you’ve truly bonded. That makes me happy since You Horse is the horse I used to ride when I first started out as a stable girl at Moorland. He’s a wonderful horse and deserves a rider that understands him.

Anyway, we’re short on people here since Linda went away. Thomas said that if you happened to come by, I should ask you if you would be willing to help out a bit here.

End of day one.

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Masterpost - find all the parts of the main quests here

FAQ

#starstable #star stable #star stable online #starstableonline #sso #jorvik #soul riders #soul rider

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sammylamb1967 · 5 years

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I just got a box of 80s.. I had thought they all needed TLC but it's only peaches dress so now I have to find a pic with her dress fastener close up and we are off... I've never posted in tumblr before... andrea... it's the snaps on her goofy orange bits, I'm pretty sure I've answered this in the wrong place but I'm going to have to work it out and I didnt want to ignore your kindness

Foofy not goofy good grief

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boundforhiveswaphell · 4 years

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The Campfire Song Except Without the Song Part; A Tender Pseudoreligious Story

Artemis, my lovely dnd pc, regales her party with the Tabaxi creation myth, which also happens to be Homestuck fanfiction.

In other words, a short story written about an evening around the campfire involving my group's DnD party. All characters mentioned are original excluding the four beta kids, obviously! So, no. This isn't the beta kids playing DnD, sorry to get your hopes up. Many thanks to my lovely, lovely beta reader, Nym_P_Pseudo on Ao3! And so, I humbly present.... a Work.

This can also be found here on Ao3 - if you wanna check out my other, non-homestuck stories!

Smoke danced before them, ember and ash swirling in the summer air. Rancorous laughter merged with the crash of distant waves, the crackle of fire and the shifting of feet providing the backdrop. The evening was alight with fireflies, and the sweet smell of the afternoon’s hunt whirled through the sky in long, lazy arcs.

Khr, the party’s resident Gnoll, was doubled over in laughter. His sickle was embedded in the earth beside him, forgotten in the evening’s relative peace. His laugh was unmistakable - a high-pitched keening giggle that rebounded off the trees. His dark claws were sunk into his knee-fur, and his mouth was agape as he struggled to breathe. Bella, a diminutive figure chuckled beside him. Her elfin features beamed with pride behind the curtain of dark hair, a clear indication that she was the source of his laughter.

“And what would you two be up to?” inquired Vega, her tone joking and light. Her robes glimmered with magic, fine craftsmanship showing even in the dim lighting. A quarterstaff rested beside her, also pulsing with power. Her face was unwrinkled and child-like - but when she smiled, her eyes showed depth beyond their years.

“Nothing!” barked Khr and Bella, near in perfect synchronization. They looked at each other and burst into yet more giggles, even louder than before. Artemis snorted as she tended the fire, feeding another log into its base. She turned to the pair to find them both practically rolling in the dirt, Khr’s tail thumping the ground.

“Sisters help me,” muttered Artemis, lips curled in a grin made menacing by her fangs. Her catlike eyes blinked slowly as she surveyed the group. They were a rag-tag bunch, for sure, but they were certainly capable enough when it came to the adventuring business. She was proud of each of them in turn and loved them as she would her own blood.

“Artemis, I thought you only had brothers?” It was Foofy, the puppet’s, high, comical voice that broke her reverie.

Artemis’s creme-colored face looked up from the fire in confusion. Did pupp… not know who the sisters were? “Y’know,” she began, speaking slowly and deliberately as if to a child. “The Jade and Violet Sisters?”

“The fucking what?” Merlin, a brooding young prince, had joined in on the conversation - ever the eavesdropper.

“I - the Sisters! Life and death, the giver and ender? Y’know, the important ones?”

“Let me restate since you didn’t understand the first time - The fucking what?”

The party had gone eerily silent, Khr and Bella stopping their childish antics to watch the imminent conflict. Judging by their perplexed expressions, it seemed that no one else knew what she was talking about, either. Her mother would be having a conniption in the face of so many pagans.

Artemis was still not entirely sure if her companions were playing a joke on her, but she prepared to educate the gaggle of heathens regardless. She quietly called upon a lifetime of her mother’s adages and stories, harkening back to her days as a helpless whelp being told tales of the strings that shaped the very world. A silent prayer formed on her lips to the Violet Sister, to spare the heretics before her.

She let out the breath she was holding and opened her eyes.

“Would you like me to tell you?”

“Maybe,” came Khr’s grating voice, still breathless from his earlier hysterics. “Is this one of your father’s weird Dragonborn things?”

“No!” huffed Artemis. “It’s Catfolk history. I learned both as a cub.”

“What are you, anyway?” Foofy’s pitchy tone again. Artemis chuckled softly.

“We’ve been over this, Foof. My mother’s Tabaxi, and my dad’s Dragonborn.” Foofy sat in thought for a moment before nodding sagely, as if in understanding. Artemis shook her head in fondness.

“So,” she continued. “Do you lot want to hear the story?”

Seven bright pairs of eyes captured in varying degrees of interest stared back. Foofy was the first to answer with an enthusiastic nod and a cry of “yes!”.

Gracefully pulling herself off of the pine-soaked earth, Artemis rose to her full height. It was for dramatism, of course - she would have towered over her companions even while sitting.

“This world,” she began, “was once a wide and white nothingness. Bright, inescapable, and unfathomable.” Artemis’ voice mimicked her mother’s famous story-telling cadence, though she withheld a majority of the dramatic flair. It was a low, sweet tone, like honey trickling from a spoon.

“The desire to create - that which we all feel - and to leave one’s mark on the world. The hunger to know and to understand the world in which we live. The void, empty as it was, still felt this need, this innate desire. It is from this grandest, ceaseless emotion that Heat and Clockwork willed himself into existence.” Fire blazed behind her eyes, and the scarlet of her scales seemed to glow brighter in the dying ember’s light.

“It was a fiery blaze of desire, passion, and want. The universe willed itself to create, and Brother Crimson was to be its first creation.

“Born of invention itself, his destiny would be as such. He was the antithesis of the blank void around him, dark and fire-fueled, his burning red eyes like hot coals. His life’s work would be to build from the space before him, a task whose monotony was comforting.

“Lord Time created this, the first world, in a symphony of molten rock and flame. It was here, at the center of this feverish landscape that the Forge was created - the workshop of the gods.”

“Yes, yes, that’s all well and good,” drawled Steve, the party’s quip-hurling bard, “But I was under the assumption we were learning about a few familial goddesses, not some red cherry-scented loser!” If his words weren’t enough to set Artemis off, his languid, careless posture certainly was. He was sprawled across a wide log next to Vega, lying with his stomach to the skies. His back was a half-circle against the ground, curled in what must have been the most uncomfortable position possible.

Artemis ignored the barb, instead choosing to reprimand her friend using a most motherly tone. “Sit your sorry excuse for an ass up before you ruin your back, Stephen. You’ll be sore in the morning if you fall asleep like that!”

Maybe not a motherly tone, but it got the point across.

“The Forge,” she continued, eyeing Steve with an unveiled challenge, “would become Heat and Clockwork’s playground, an endless molten landscape with which to smelt his creations, and to flaunt his prowess as a skilled smith of rhyme.” Her expression shifted back to the flickering eyes and bright smile of a well-meaning zealot.

“Hold on, hold on!” Maxwell’s lilting voice interrupted. “You lost me at Brother Crimson. Who is he? I thought it was Heat and Clockwork?”

Artemis’ whiskers twitched in poorly concealed amusement. “They are the same, Max. Lord Time, Knight of the Forge, Ascendant’s Anger, et cetera. It’s all the same, dear.” Though her expression seemed annoyed, her tone was light and full of affection. “Any other questions?” The cleric murmured a soft “no” in response.

“The Knight’s hands carefully crafted the First Being, his finest creation. All was perfection, from the soft feline face to the fur that rippled down her back. Satisfied with his work, Brother Crimson stood back and proudly surveyed it. The fires around him grew dim, no longer needed to smelt and shape.

“With a smile as bright as the heavens-jewel, the Knight of the Forge breathed into his creation, giving life from himself to the beast before him. Though he blew and blew, the statue did not - could not - move. Its empty eyes seemed to mock his disheartened visage.

“Tears of sputtering, flaming rock rolled down his stony cheeks. He tried again and again, forming new husks as quickly as he destroyed them. The Pyre found that no creation of his would breathe. Thus, his passion rendered into bitterness, and the fires of his purpose grew cold. He was alone in this vast world, without a means to escape.”

The group was still and silent. Artemis’ voice swept over them like an enrapturing spell.

“His despair was so great, and so vast, that from it formed the first Sister. The Jade Sister, Frost and Frogs, stood before him in all her radiant glory. Her hair was long, dark, and tangled, an ever-moving sea of creatures and landscapes. It was full of beastly things and lilypads alike, a cacophony of creation. She had three eyes that glowed green as grass, bloody and beautiful in all that they saw. Her teeth were sharp as needles, stained with the raven-wine of those who would come after. She was splendid. She was beautiful.”

“She was life itself.”

“Okay, gayass.” Khr, ever the instigator, called to her across the circle. Artemis rolled her eyes and suppressed a chuckle.

“The Jade Sister,” she continued, “reached out to her Brother. Shaking, unsure, he took her hands in his - and the world went green. A verdant, endless green. Viridian and emerald as far as one could dream.

“And lying, hidden, at the center of this green expanse lay a secret. That which Brother Crimson had so desired to produce - life.” The forest around them seemed to sing a hymn of agreement as she spoke. The branches of the looming pines shifted and creaked, whispering the name of their creator.

“Heat and Clockwork dried his tears and filled his lungs with feral joy - he knew in his heart that his creations would no longer be lifeless. Though the world was devoid except for them, the Crimson Brother would scream and cry for all the void to hear that he was no longer alone. Touched by his display, the Fern Mother held his hands in her own, gripping so tightly that her claws coaxed the wound-sea from his veins.

“Locked in an embrace, the Siblings danced upon the newly lush ground. With each step they took, a forest was brought to seed. With each note they sang, a field was grown to fruition. Before his Sister’s birth, the Blind Son thought he had known happiness - but as he leapt and twirled with the Witch he came to understand that it was nothing in the face of her smile.”

Khr hurled another jest, louder this time, but much the same.

“I have a girlfriend at home, Khr,” Artemis admonished. “I’ve no reason to go chasing after goddesses.” Bella let loose a mocking “Oooh!” in response, and he elbowed her with an embarrassed chuckle.

“And so,” she continued, “The two waltzed their way to the heart of the earth, where the Forge lay empty.

“Frost and Frogs, all gleaming teeth, placed her hands onto the First Being. At her touch, it awoke - its ears and tail began to twitch, filled with the life that surrounded the Jade Sister. It bounced and leaped and jumped. The Siblings danced with their creation, their happiness burning brighter than the Forge could ever hope to be.

“It was from this immense jubilation that the Cobalt Brother was born. His siblings’ bliss was so powerful, so potent that it spat forth the god of Wind and Shade. Born of laughter, harlequin god, bringing joy to those who would gamble and hope.” As she spoke, the wind around them stirred, ruffling Artemis’ fur and scattering the lingering smoke from the now cooling embers.

“His visage is porcelain and pale; his eyes drip with black blood, thick with stars like the night sky. Like his sister, he is always smiling, though his teeth are far less terrifying than the Fern Mother’s maw. His arms are uncountable and many - each unseen and unknowable. In his left-most arm, he carries a hammer with which to shape the world. In his right-most, a mask, its face obscured. It is said that with it, he can assume the shape of any creature he should so choose.”

“What the fuck…” muttered Merlin.

“The fuck indeed!” Artemis laughed. “The Trickster is the god of curses and profanity, in addition to his other domains.”

“A god for cursing, hm? I need one of those…”

Artemis let a brief silence hang and then continued. “As they walked, the Motley Jester’s thoughts turned to mischief - born of laughter, he was predisposed. A dark grin festered behind his eyes - and with one swing of his hammer, the Son of the Tempest brought forth a mighty gale to set the world spinning.”

“The Heir’s joke completed, his siblings fell to the earth below as it began to spin beneath them. Slowly, but it did - they watched as the sun above them moved slowly to their West. Their creation was spinning, much to their chagrin - but they loved each other, and could not stay mad at their youngest Brother. They continued their walk to the Forge, excited to show the Motley Jester their playground.”

“Upon their arrival, he turned his attention to the First Being - now a stumbling, walking beast. Its claws were sharp as daggers, its fur dense as earth. A single entity, born of metal and fire, of life and verdance. The Trickster produced his signature leer, and wrest a mask from the void into one of his many arms. It was a perfect mockery of the creature's face, fine as silver and smooth as bone. Ensuring his Siblings were preoccupied with other parts of the Forge, Brother Cobalt fitted the mask upon the First Being’s face.

“It was from this perfect mask of porcelain that the First Being felt - was given the ability to form bonds, to experience emotions, just as its creators had done.” Artemis’ claws gleamed in the moonlight as she spoke, a deadly reflection of the First Being she described.

“The Siblings hollered with delight at their creation’s fate, a sweet song with which it joined in harmony. It was a joyous night, and the lush earth, spinning, living, and beautifully cratered, seemed to pulse with excitement. From the rich earth below, the Witch pulled woven cords to the surface. Her brothers wrapped them around rocks and trees, pulling them taut. It was then, the three Siblings acting in harmony, that the first Song was played.” Had any of her audience not been so enraptured with her words, they would have heard the dulcet tones of a soft-spoken tune in the distance.

“The Trickster played strings with his hammer by his side, striking deep notes in a flurry of exhilaration. His sister’s tones were more muted, though just as excitable. She plucked the strings with her long, clawed hands - careful not to tear them. The eldest brother, though slow to join his family, plucked and sang a melody. It was brash and loud, a flurry of notes that was perfect to the ear.

“From each string plucked, from each note coaxed, a new being was born unto the world. It is said that the songs made that day were the purest expressions of music, unmatched by any performer.” Vega gave Steve a warning look, to deter him from making an expected pompous comment regarding his playing skill.

“The Forge was alight with sparks and laughter, and the Siblings’ bonds grew stronger as they worked beside one another.” Her expression grew dark. “But - they worked too quickly. The world they had created was only so big, after all. And as they built a thousand creatures, they began to fill and fill the space that was left. They crowded the land, clawing at each other. Their claws and teeth, built for singing and creating, had become tools of violence.

“It was the screaming that alerted the Siblings to their creation’s plight. Screaming, endless screaming as they fought for space. The Siblings looked upon their earth in horror, in fear, of what they had done. Their world was suffering for their foolishness.

“Heat and Clockwork, the eldest of the three, knew what must be done. The other two, in the hearts, knew as well - though neither the Witch nor the Heir could bring themselves to do it.

“Foolish children that they were, their creations had not been designed to die - they could not kill each other. Their gods had cursed them to an endless cycle of suffering.” She paused, looking into her companion’s eyes.

“Brother Cobalt would eventually decide their course of action. He looked into Heat and Clockwork’s scarlet-red eyes as he summoned a gust of air to smother the flames of his Brother’s Forge. The rich earth around them grew cold and empty, the blissful heat that emanated from the planet’s core now gone. The creatures stilled, the air devoid of the warmth that kept them moving.” Like the creatures she described, Artemis’ movements slowed and halted as she spoke, coming to a standstill.

“The Siblings made a pact, there in the cold and silent Forge. They would not meet again, under any circumstance. Their love for each other was too strong - they would be unable to resist creating more things to fill the earth. Though the Jade Sister, giver of life, had tried to revoke it from her creations, she quickly discovered she was only able to give life, not take it away. Resolute in their decision, the Siblings, weary and heart-broken, pulled themselves away to the farthest corners of the earth.

“Time passed. The Siblings grew restless. Lonely, locked away by themselves for their selfishness. A deep sadness ran through them, and as a result, into the remains of their creations. For the first time in eons, the Forge sat empty, it’s bellows long since cold and forgotten. Lord Time tinkered by himself in his endless stone castles, building things that could not fulfill him. Space’s Beldam performed a joyless dance for the depleted world around her, it’s once vibrant colors dulled. Her footsteps no longer brought forth life - they left trails of a withering blight in their path. Breath’s Scion, the gleeful god, was the saddest of the three. He could not truly understand why they had separated, just that he was now alone.” Her eyes were cold. She was glad for the silence of the night around them.

“Frost and Frogs, born from an abundance of loneliness, collapsed onto the earth she had so loved. Her voice warbled from her vicious mouth, a sad, keening sound. It was high and sweet, carrying easily to the other Siblings. Hearing her mournful call, both Brothers joined her in the sound. It was a feral instinct, deep and instilled. And though they were leagues apart, their song was harmonious, clear as day.” The woods around her seemed to stop. Each member of her party stood in slack-jawed enchantment at her words.

“It is from this hopeless, despair-driven sound that the Violet Sister was born. Called from the same white void as her siblings, she was thrown forth from the emptiness. From her head sprout a pair of long, needle-thin horns. Her lavender skin is marked and scratched, places where her ebony-black blood drips in slow, rhythmic steps. Black twines of a shadow substance beyond mortal comprehension twist from her skin, enveloping her in an unknowable darkness of tentacles. She is the blind goddess, the Empty one, ruler of the creatures that lurk below, the end of life and the bringer of death.” Artemis took a breath. “She is the goddess of Light and Rain.”

“Piss!” cursed Steve, eyes wide with poorly masked fear. “You named this - this monster Light and Rain? What kind of a name is that?”

No longer content to let him disrespect her deities, Artemis squared her shoulders, bringing her up to her full height. The tallest of the party, Artemis was a fearsome sight. Her eyes and scales gleamed a menacing red in the firelight. When she pulled her lips back to reveal honed, gleaming teeth, it was enough to make anyone not used to her promptly shit their breeches.

“Light and Rain is the goddess of the unseen, the otherworldly, and the unknown,” Artemis’ steel-sure voice was the only sound that could be heard over Steve’s ragged breathing. “I will make the place I dump your sorry excuse for a corpse very unknown if you call her a monster again.”

Vega snickered from her comfortable place on the log. Anyone who had met Artemis for half a second knew she’d never actually act on that threat, especially not to Steve - the dorky kid she treated like one of her younger brothers. Despite the clear emptiness of her threat, it was enough to make Steve back down with a few mumbled apologies. Mollified, Artemis turned her gaze back to the rest of the party. She was close enough to the story’s end now that she was unconcerned with Steve’s ill-mannered words.

“Light and Rain, newly born into the dying world, cast her soothing gaze across the fractured land before her. Though she was young, her knowledge was vast. The Grim Seer gathered her elder siblings into her arms, pulling them together once more.

“Though Heat and Clockwork’s furnace-bound eyes burned through her, she continued. Though the needle-fine teeth of Frost and Frogs sunk into her skin, she persisted. Though Wind and Shade’s star-strewn tears burned like acid, she pursued. They held each other in an expression of the purest love, reunited and whole.

“The four held each other, crying. They sensed that with this newest addition, they were complete. Their struggle was over. No words needed to be spoken as they parted, smiles bittersweet and tears drying away. They looked at one another, then to Light and Rain. They knew what must be done.

“The Violet Sister’s horns crackled with dark, purple energy - and then with a flash of light as bright as their void, the world was clean. Her claws had flashed across the earth, quick as lightning. The First Beings were free of their chains of ill-begotten immortality. Light’s Mistress had granted their creations a most peculiar, but needed gift - the gift of death.” A light smile played on her lips. She was thoroughly enjoying the shocked faces of her party.

“It was known as the Scratch - it was the beginnings of our universe. Now mortal, the creations found peace in themselves - and the Siblings found peace in each other. And so, our world was born. The Catfolk, the First Beings, were the first to speak to their creators, spreading this truth to the other races.”

Artemis’s words were interrupted by an enormous yawn from none other than Khr - his arms stretched to the sky, claws curling inwards. “Sorry…” he murmured, eyes threatening to close.

“Well then,” chuckled Artemis. “I believe we’ll call it a night here.”

“What, no! We have to know more!” whined Merlin, now suddenly interested in the mythos.

“Later, dear. Save it for the next campfire.” Her smile was genuine, and her eyes kind to reflect it. “You need to go to bed. We've got work to do tomorrow!” With that, the magic dissipated. It was clear the evening’s entertainment was over. She tutted and shushed her companions as she ushered them to their tents, wishing them a restful sleep. As she snuffed out the last of the fire with a kick of dirt, she chuckled to herself. Maybe her mother would be proud - stop calling her a heathen for not wanting to listen to the same tired stories.

As she padded back to her tent, Artemis was treated with the passing conversation from another party member’s shelter. Though the voice was muffled, it’s high cadence could belong to none other than Bella.

“Catfolk are badass!”

#dnd #homestuck #oc #original works #original work #mythos #religion #fantasy #fantasy religion #world building #homestuck fanfiction #fanfiction

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