#i do want to try making Ava's webpage

[wyrmwinds]

I think that the closest thing to a personal social media for her would be either:

A bot she paid someone to code that cycles through various sentiments of hers named something like Drangahr Quotes (it mostly @'s various official Ishgard accounts daily to dunk on them). Most people believe that it's a fake account with no real association with the real Ava Drangahr and consider it a poor taste parody ("It's so reductive to reduce the Warrior of Light to her slight distaste of Ishgard. I can't believe that account is still up")

A webpage. It's really bare-bones, very web 1.0 but readable. Hosts information about the New Order of Dragoons, basic information about herself, dragons, a copy of a legal document outlining the crimes of Ishgard, a page where she reviews various fishing spots, and a page full of low res photos of g'raha in his cringe chuuni moments captioned like an adoring mom on Facebook. Once in a year or so she makes a very messy blog post.

Really don't know what Ava would be like on social media because while she is a Hater and could definitely be a poster of all time, she is also very anti-Allagan, and would be very reluctant to use a tomestone. She'd be keyed in on how they scrape your data for the creation of biochemical abominations and thus not use a tomestone unless it's jailbroken to avoid sending sensitive data to the main server, or alternatively use a garlond ironworks flip phone.

She would delegate any crucial posts she wants to make to Alisaie to post on her social media account. Ava does not have a personal digital footprint. I do think people would meme the hell out of how Ava refuses to get on Loporitter or whatever. You post a bad take and people would reply with "Posts that would make the warrior of light join the site just to kill you".

There would definitely be people misinterpreting her trepidation for just hatred of technology. It's not that, she's basically a few degrees away from an IT worker who knows enough about technology to avoid using anything made in the last 8 years.

[vikenticomeshome]

Cyberchase: How It All Started (Episode 1)

This comic was later renamed to Cyberchase Web Adventures Episode 1.

When I make posts about certain Cyberchase characters or important events, I sometimes show panels from the prequel web comic "How It All Started", which was released online in December 2001, a month or so before Cyberchase premiered. I have restrained myself from just posting the whole thing, since I don't own it.

However, it is no longer available on the live pbskids.org website. It is available through archives, but there are some difficulties in tracking it down due to missing images in some places. Additionally, even when it was available on the live pbskids.org website, it was free for all to view, so posting it here wouldn't hurt anyone.

The best way to enjoy the web comic is through the FlashPoint Archive Project. This is because the webpages used simple animations in some places. Essentially, each comic page is treated like a tradition animation cell. They have a background layer, and then the webpage places images on top of it that can be exchanged for one another. This produces simple three-frame animations for things like flashing lights or repetitive arm and eye movements. This isn't something I can easily reproduce on Tumblr, since it isn't like posting a single animated GIF. There may be some round-about way to convert it (i.e. take video of the webpage animating and convert it to GIF), but I'm not going to do that. So, this will just be still images. There is no author or illustrator credited for this. The webpages mention a copyright of 2001 for the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, but I don't know if they actually assembled the content in-house, or if Nelvana or WNET did it. I just want to make sure that everyone is aware that I do not own this. I am presenting someone else's creation here, in an unedited form.

There is one other thing I should point out. When the comic was originally released in 2001, it has a certain framing to it.

However, in 2002, the Cyberchase website got redesigned, and the comic was changed as well. Some animations were removed, some images were replaced with lower-quality images, and some assets were altered to fit in a new frame. They started calling these webisodes to fit in with Cyberchase Web Adventures, which included an original Poddleville story and one about Hacker trying to knock over Tikis in Tikiville.

I prefer the original framing, and I dug into the archives to find as many panels with the original framing that I could. However, I was unable to find the original framing for a few pages. It may be possible for someone with better Photoshop skills to try to put the assets back in their original forms. I'm not that person, but the assets are on the Internet Archive and the Flashpoint Project for anyone who wants to try. In those cases, I will use the new framing. All of the images necessary to understand the story are intact. However, there are some special cases that I will note when we get to them.

Anyway, my plan here is to show the panels, transcribe the narration and dialogue, and make some commentary at the end. So, let's begin.

Narration: Cyberspace... A place where time and space are one... A place where the lines between reality and imagination no longer exist... A place where anyone can go and anything can happen.

Narration: Throughout Cyberspace there are thousands of places called cybersites, each very different from the other, and all under the watchful eye of their thoughtful and peace-loving leader: Motherboard.

Narration: The heads of several cybersites gather for an important meeting with Motherboard to discuss the future.

Narration: Motherboard tells everyone that all is well, and reminds them that peach and harmony are the key to the future.

Dr Marbles(?): Together we are strong

Assembled Heads(?) of Cybersites (Ava of Symmetria, Sheriff Judy of Sensible Flatts, The King of Happily Ever After, Zeus of Mt. Olympus, an unknown character, Ollie Nollie of Solaria, Lucky of R-Fair-City, and Two-Headed Sam of Castleblanca): To Motherboard

Editors note: Motherboard is absent from this panel during this version of the comic. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be a shot from Motherboard's POV, or if they just wanted to wait another page before showing her. That speech bubble is so far away from Dr. Marbles, that I wasn't sure if he was even the one saying the line. Maybe they were implying that Motherboard was speaking through the screen behind Dr. Marbles, even though it doesn't have anything on it.

The second version of the comic adds a screen with Motherboard to the background layer, implying that it was supposed to be her saying the line all along. This is confusing.

Narration: Motherboard exists in a vast, hi-tech computer center known as control central.

Narration: Motherboard is the brain of the giant computer system that oversees all of Cyberspace.

Narration: The brilliant Dr. Marbles is responsible for keeping Motherboard's parts working smoothly and efficiently at all times.

Dr. Marbles: Your memory is now optimized, Motherboard.

Narration: Needing an assistant with a high level of intelligence, Dr. Marbles assembles a cyborg who calls himself The Hacker.

The Hacker (thinking): Hmmm, someday I'll take over all of Cyberspace!

Narration: Wanting an assistance of his own, Hacker makes a robotic Cybird he names Digit.

Digit: Yoikes!

Narration: One night, while Marbles is away, Hacker removed the Encryptor Chip from Motherboard... ...and hides it inside a secret vault.

The Hacker: Without the Encryptor Chip, Motherboard cannot function. Ha-Ha-Ha!

Digit: Stop! You can't do this!

Narration: Digit needs to figure out the combination to the safe so he can replace the Encryptor Chip inside Motherboard before it's too late!

Digit: This is definitely not going to be easy!

Editor's Note: And then, we play "Crack Hacker's Safe". This game still exists on the pbskids.org website almost 25 years later. It was done in Javascript, so it survived the death of Flash that took out most of the rest of the Cyberchase game library. Feel free to pretend that Digit is the one pressing the buttons for these panels. Make up dialogue if you wish.

Narration: Congratulations you did it!

Narration: With the Encryptor Chip safely back in place, Motherboard tells Hacker he has to leave.

Motherboard: Your hostile actions cannot be tolerated, Hacker. You are no longer welcome here.

Narration: The power is drained from Hacker and he is placed inside a remote-controlled Cyberpod.

The Hacker: Someday... somehow, I'll return. And when I do, I'll take over all of Cyberspace!

Dr. Marbles: Page down, Hacker. Your file is closed!

Narration: Hacker is banished to the farthest reaches of The Northern Frontier.

The Hacker: NOOOOOOO....!

Narration: Neither Motherboard nor Dr. Marbles realize that Hacker has taken Digit with him.

The Hacker: I'll be back! Ha-Ha-Ha!

Digit: Yoikes Lemme outa here!

Narration: Check out webisode 2... ...and find out about Hacker's Evil plan ... and what happens to Digit!

Editor's Note: So, we have the narration inviting us to watch webisode 2. Normally, you would expect the alt text attached to the web page to match the text for the image, so that if someone was unable to load the image, they would still get the text. The alt text is: "Tune in next week and find out about Hacker's evil plan and what happens to Digit!"

This leads me to believe that there was a different version of this image back in 2001 that had narration that was either the same as the alt text, or more similar. However, it appears that that version of the image was replaced, and the original version was not archived.

That's the end of the comic, so let's get to my commentary.

So, what do I think about this comic? I enjoyed reading it. I like the idea of The Hacker's schemes to topple Motherboard starting before the main virus. I find it a bit odd that he was able to remove the Encryptor Chip without either Motherboard or Dr. Marbles being alerted instantly, since it is an essential part.

I suppose Digit was already a good guy at this point. Otherwise, he would have looked the other way, Motherboard would have ceased function, and we wouldn't have gotten the show at all. Now, Digit never being a bad guy is a controversial idea in the fan community. If he was always against The Hacker's evil plans, then it removes the idea of him being genuinely bad and having a change of heart later. I'm also not sure why The Hacker took Digit along after he foiled his plans this first time. Perhaps Digit was able to hide this betrayal from him at the time. But then, who else would have known about The Hacker's secret vault, or the fact that he stole the Encryptor Chip?

It is questionable how much of this is still canon. The Hacker's origin story in particular has been expanded in the years that followed. The modern story talks about him wanting to help Motherboard, and then turning evil later. Meanwhile, this original origin story had him turning evil immediately. At this point, they had not even created the young Hacker that we see in flashbacks, since he only appears (from birth) in his final form.

The show has also animated a flashback of Dr. Marbles exiling Hacker in the same cyberpod. But then, we got Season 5 Episode 6 "The Flying Parallinis, where his banishment involved being trapped on top of Mount Wayupthere until the Parallinis accidentally released him. Both items may have been ret-conned in Season 12 Episode 8 "Hacker Hugs a Tree", when we see him banished via portal. He is also alone in that episode, so he didn't bring Digit along with him in that version of events.

Also, can we go back to the board room with the leaders of a few of the Cybersites?

This was early days for the show, so they only had so many characters created. Now, Zeus makes sense. He is the king of the gods on the Mt. Olympus Cybersite. The King from Happily Ever After also makes sense. Judge Trudy makes sense, I suppose. Back then, we only really knew her and her sister, Sheriff Judy, from Sensible Flatts. This was long before Sensible Flatts had a separate mayor.

Ava from Symmetria is an interesting choice. She runs the factory that produces the symmetrical objects, but is she also the head-of-state on that Cybersite? We don't see anything on that Cybersite other than the factory, so maybe the site really is just the factory.

I'm surprised to see Two-Headed Sam here. We know he runs the Cryoxide factory in Castleblanca, but this isn't really an Ava situation where the entire site is just one factory. Is Sam also the head-of-state across Castleblanca? That would explain his monopoly on the Cryoxide business, and it is a concerning conflict of interest. This was before the mayor we all remember from the Halloween Howl.

Ollie Nollie was the cart driver on Solaria, and Lucky was the cab driver on R-Fair City. I get that Solaria is mostly a vacation resort, and R-Fair City is an amusement park. But it's still weird to me that these two would be the heads-of-state over there.

Does anyone recognize the character in the top right? I can't find any reference to him.

Edit: I was looking back at S01 E21 "Less Than Zero", where we see a meeting of the Cyber Council. They used the same room, and the characters are in much the same arrangement. Our mystery character is replaced by the Mayor of Poddleville. The Mayor of Poddleville is easily the most senior member here, due to his place in the pilot. So, I'm a little surprised that he was the one character to change between "How It All Started" and this episode.

We also get Lachesis, one of the three fates from Greek Mythology, seated across from Dr. Marbles. I'm not sure why only one of the three fates gets a seat at this table. Why would Olympus get two representatives on the council?

[pepsiwriteswords]

Word Find Tag

!!! :D Thanks for the tag @emelkae!  My words are avoid, uncomfortable, hand, and sleep.

Let’s see what I’ve got!

Happenstance:

  Avoid

   By the time she finds it, there’s someone sitting on the bench to her right.

   He’s focused on the phone in his hand, giving her the opportunity to look at him. 

   Also Korean, though his skin is fairer than her own, and his hair darker. Somehow wearing jeans, despite the heat. His hair isn’t quite long enough to hide the tips of his ears, and it takes Su-Jin a moment to realize they’re not turning pink because of the sun.

   She rises again slowly, so as to avoid drawing his attention to her, and tries to be subtle as she stretches in his direction to peek at his phone.

   Bless whoever decided that smartphones should get bigger as the years pass rather than smaller; it makes snooping so much easier. Just as she’s about to give up on getting a look at anything particularly scandalous -- he’s got a university’s webpage pulled up and she’s not interested in grad school, thanks -- a notification comes across his screen and he taps over to it.

   A text, from someone in his phone as ‘Love’ followed by a little smiley surrounded by hearts and a smaller emoji she can’t really see.

Roses of Silver:

 Uncomfortable:

   Nitya takes a deep breath, hand against her sternum. "Can we start with how the shift works? Is it controlled by the moon? Does it hurt?"

   "We only shift during a full moon, yes. As for the pain . . ." Imani turns to face Nitya as she walks, pace not slowing. "The only shift that hurts is the first one. After that one, it's mostly just uncomfortable." Her hands start moving as she talks. "Ona--she's our primary medic back at base--taught a bunch of us newbies about how shifting actually works."

   Nitya almost wishes they weren't walking while talking. She kind of likes the image of a younger Imani sitting at attention with some other kids while an adult paces in front of them. It's one she thinks she'd like to dwell on a little longer. "Didn't you say you were turned at thirteen? And you actually listened?"

Children of the Dreamer:

Hand

   “No, but it was so weird, though,” Lyric says, walking backwards ahead of the group. Her hands are flying as she talks, wide gestures not so much emphasizing what she’s trying to tell them as distracting from it. “I’ve never heard this song before, and the person singing it didn’t have a face!”

   Elliott’s only partially listening, Lyric’s excited rambling reminding him of his own dream the night before.

   Ava, sitting next to him in the grass, picking clovers and dandelions to make a wish. Her blonde hair tucked into a beanie, blue eyes wide with emotion he wasn’t able to identify before waking up.

   Humming a tune he’s never heard before. 

The Sun Rose:

Sleep

   The forums are full of people planning end of the world parties and outings, started by believers and nonbelievers alike. One thread in particular catches her eye.

   So if the world is ending, wanna go on a road trip?

   The timestamp is recent enough, and the location is a city only a few miles away now. That’s enough to get her to select it and read the actual post.

   I’m not sure I believe that the world is actually ending – we’ve had like 6 “world ending events” and 4 different sets of “unprecedented times” in the last 4 years alone. BUT. If it is actually happening this time, I wanna road trip with a couple of strangers and get in trouble and sleep in the back of a van with a shitty mattress and just have one of the many experiences all those teen movies promised me growing up. Anyone with me?

   Rhosyn taps the side of her phone with her index finger contemplatively, then taps on the username – starbeans – to view the poster’s profile.

Tagging . . . @kjscottwrites @blind-the-winds @holyatlas and leaving an open tag for anyone who sees this & wants to join in! Usual policy of ‘do if you want, don’t worry about it if you don’t’ applies. :P

Your words shall be . . . Justify, blade, circle, keep. ^^

[jj-lives]

Inktober - Enchanted (bmblb)

I did it! Two in one day!!! It’s late here so sorry if there are mistakes. 

--------------------------------- Dragging her feet, Yang felt her exhaustion start to take over. She brought her coffee to her lips and took a couple big swigs. She did not have time for sleep. As she came to the front entrance of the library another student stepped out. He saw Yang approach and held the door for her.  

“Thanks.” 

The smell of books assailed her the moment she made it passed the entrance. It was a surprisingly comforting smell. Yang spent so much time there this semester it was more of her first home instead of her second. She had a long night of studying ahead of her which she was not looking forward to.

Making her way to her usual spot on the second floor Yang was disappointed to see it taken by a group of four students. With one last longing gaze at her favourite nook she turned to try to find a replacement. The rest of the second floor was packed and she had just as much luck on the third. Climbing to the fourth floor Yang prayed for just one quiet little corner to settle down in.  

Yang was about to give up after a quick initial inspection of the fourth floor. Her mind was made up to check the lower floors one more time before maybe finding a late night coffee shop to study in instead. Just as she was going to give up she noticed the arm of a chair in a half hidden alcove. Making her way towards it she realized the space consisted of two chairs, a couch and a small table in the middle. It was the perfect study spot. Yang berated herself for not finding it before. She’d gone to classes here for almost two years now. Why was she just now finding it?

The only negative was that the sanctuary was already occupied. A girl sat sideways on the couch with a book in her lap. Her backpack resting by her feet. She looked up at Yang’s approach giving Yang pause. In the darkened alcove the girl’s eyes seemed to glow bright gold as they took in the stranger before them. It didn’t help that the girl’s other features were obscured by the dark curtain of long hair framing her face. 

“Hi,” Yang tried, not knowing what else to do. The unnerved feeling of being scrutinized never dissipating. A pull at the side of the girls mouth was all she received in greeting. “Do you mind If I share this space? Everywhere else is full.”

The girl shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the book in her lap. Since she didn’t directly disagree Yang jumped at the opportunity to settle down with her own books. Sitting on the chair across from the stranger she spread out her books and got to work.  

It was over an hour before movement from the couch drew her attention. The other girl had been so quiet Yang almost forgot about her. She blushed knowing she’d been talking to herself not that long ago thinking she’d been alone. Lifting her arms above her head the girl leaned into the arm of the couch to stretch. Back arching she let out a relieved sigh.

Half expecting this abrupt movement to indicate the girl was leaving Yang was surprised when she reached into her bag and pulled out another book and immediately started reading again.

“Did you finish that last one? It was huge!” Yang blurted.

“Yeah, guess I’m just a fast reader.” The girl replied. Her tone was dry, making Yang feel as if she should explain.

“No. I didn’t mean to question your reading ability.” She started. “I just feel sorry for you is all.”

“Why?” the girl asked, turning her attention from the book to Yang.

“Because whichever Prof assigned those two monster books should be shot.”

Flipping the book shut, the girl took in the cover art. She appeared to think hard about her next words.  “This isn’t for a class. I read these on my spare time.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?” She copied and Yang realized she didn’t approve of her response.

“I just thought everyone in the library would be studying. You could read for fun at home where it’s more comfortable, couldn’t you?”

“I could, but my roommate is pretty loud. The library is quiet and hardly anyone bothers me in this corner.”

“Sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize.” Her glowing irises returned to Yang. “Besides some mumbled curses you’ve been pretty quiet.”

Not wanting to focus too much on the issues that might arise on the topic of her talking to herself she thought a change of subject was due.

“What are the books about?”

“Nothing.” The girl responded sharply. 

“Oh come on. You wouldn’t spend hours reading a book about nothing.” Yang smiled across the table.

“Fine. Nothing you would be interested in.” 

“If you won’t tell me what the book is about, could you tell me the title at least?”

“Ava’s Secret.” She looked at her watch and groaned. “Gotta go.” 

“I didn’t mean to chase you away. I can go back to being silent.” 

“It’s not you. I just have somewhere I need to be.” she said hurriedly as she placed the book back in her bag and shouldered it. 

Yang still had a gut feeling the girl was running because she’d distracted her.  Wasn’t that the thing she was at the library to avoid in the first place?

“Okay, bye.” was Yang’s sad reply. She either didn’t hear the other girl’s response or she hadn’t bothered giving one.

“Ava’s Secret,” Yang mouthed. 

Was that the name of the book or was the mystery girl’s name Ava and the title was her secret?

The unknown bothered her so much that twenty minutes of failing to concentrate on her chemistry text forced her to search the book title.  

It was in fact the title of the book. After reading the summary Yang became more intrigued. The book was definitely of the Fantasy genre as it contained magic and dragons and other magical creatures.  The fact the antagonist was a girl fascinated her. Most of these kinds of books always had a knight coming to some damsal’s aid. The plot of Ava being cursed but pulling her own resources and trying to reverse the enchantment captivated her further.

Besides, if the mystery girl enjoyed them so much she could sit and read them for hours on end they must not be horrible.

She saved the webpage in her phone and made a note to pick up the first book in the series to check out.  Yang was put out that the girl had written her taste of book off. Just because she was blonde didn’t mean she was a bimbo.  It didn’t mean she couldn’t like nerdy things like magic and dragons.  She loved dragons. 

She was a dragon. 

If she ever saw that girl again she would throw that book in her face. She would prove to her that she was wrong to make assumptions about people based on their physical appearance.

[desmondbeaumont-blog]

Those Lunar Sagittarians

“Why is it every time I open my door now, one of you is here with a bag of weird shit?” is the first thing out of Des’ mouth when he opens the door and finds Rory on the other side, holding a bag of said “weird shit.” “I get it. Light. Sense of self. Sense of whatever. I’m tired of being the “sense.”

“Here play with this, you fire sign,” Rory retorts as they shove a white candle in Des’ hands, not pausing to look back at him as they start setting up shop in his kitchen.

Des hovers in his doorway as he flips the candle over in his hands, inspecting it quietly. There isn’t much to it. It’s just a white candle, and it’s not his first time seeing one either. Ruth gave him one as well, but he isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do other than light it. He makes light, not fire, and even that’s finicky sometimes.

Sighing to himself, he peers over at Rory, watching as they dig into their bag and pull out oils and paper. He honestly can’t remember the last time he spent any proper time with the other. It was definitely before the astronomy tower. They always had fun together, their friendship relatively carefree and fun. Des always went to them when they needed a good laugh. Rory’s…well, a bit magnetizing really. When Desmond first met them, he was confused by the clothes and the makeup, until Rory simply explained they felt like both male and female, and Des decided it wasn’t that complicated.

Today, Rory has a blue headscarf tied in their curly hair, and a white peasant top that reveals the majority of their chest. That was another thing Desmond noticed after getting to know them–clothes are optional with Rory. Whereas, he’s basically being swallowed up by Jude’s sweatshirt that’s three sizes too big for him.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he meets Rory at his kitchen island, twirling the candle idly in his hands. “Hey, mate,” He greets Rory properly, prompting them to finally look up at him. “Not that I don’t like having you here, but what’s going on?”

“Look Des, no offense, but you’re really…well, slow when it comes to the magic thing,” Rory says slowly, fingers brushing over the copper pendant against their chest. Des opens his mouth to protest before the other cuts him off. “Now, I don’t want to hear the ‘I can’t do this’ or the ‘I don’t get it’ excuses, yeah? I know you don’t get it. That’s why I’m here. I’m tutoring you,” They inform him.

Des’ shoulders sag in shame. He knows he’s slowing down the group. He keeps explaining that he’s hopeless. The owl exercises Imogen taught him have been helping, but he still has a lot to work through. Des notices Rory’s expression visibly soften. Resting an elbow on the island, they drop their chin in their hands and give Des a knowing look.

“I know you’re going through something, babe. I’m not here to push you or get angry that you’re not up to speed. I know you’ve been trying. I’m just here to try and explain this in terms you understand. I work as a tutor on campus, you know,” Their pink lips fix into a small smile before patting the spot beside them.

Des feels some of the tension ease off him, but he’s still not convinced Rory can help. Still, he takes the seat beside them. “Alright, I guess. But you need to know that I’m bad at this, like utter rubbish. The rituals, the objects, it’s all so confusing.”

Rory nods in understanding, pausing to reach into their bag and pull out their laptop. “One step at a time, Des,” They reassure him as they open up a webpage that Des has never seen before.

“First things first, what’ve you learned about astrology?”

Des wrinkles his nose, afraid to give a truthful answer. He knows their entire predicament is based on astrology, but he still hasn’t picked up a book and actually read about it. He’s planning on doing it eventually…

“I’m a Leo,” Des shrugs, prompting Rory to laugh abruptly.

“Trust me, I know, babe. Even if you’ve been the quietest Leo ever, I know,” They snicker as they pull up a webpage mentioning something about birth dates. Des doesn’t argue against the comment. He has been quiet. He’s sure he was more of a stereotypical Leo back in the day, but he’s not feeling very lion-like lately.

“So, I’ve always been a bit fascinated with astrology even before all this happened, but I didn’t really know anything before I actually started to research. We’ve all got something called a birth chart, which is basically an astrological chart that shows the positions of the sun, moon, and planets during your time of birth. You’re a Leo, but you’ve also got other signs within your chart,” They explain, and Des can tell they’re really trying to put this in the simplest terms for him. He’s listening carefully, but it all still sounds so confusing.

Rory seems to catch on that Des isn’t really getting it yet, prompting them to pause, lips pursed in thought. “We’ll start with the easy one. You have your sun sign, which is Leo. Your sun sign is supposed to represent your individuality, I guess. Things like your ego and identity. It drives how we seek to define ourselves. But then we have a rising sign as well, which is how you look to others. You know how you may see yourself as one way but someone you’ve just met might describe you differently?”

Des nods slowly, trying to process all this new information. He never really realized there was more than just being a Leo, but now he’s curious. It’s not that he doesn’t want to learn about this stuff, he just has a hard time understanding. He loves his fantasy novels and the idea of magic, but putting it all into practice is so much more complicated.

“What’s your rising sign?” He asks Rory, figuring an example might help him understand.

“I’m a weird case, because I’m an Aquarius sun and rising. It basically means for me what you see is what you get. I’m not really hiding behind anything, am I?” They give Des a playful smirk, gaining a small laugh from him.

“Anyway, I wanted to look at your chart, so we can get a deeper sense of the different placements you have. It might help you get started on magic. I just need your place of birth, time of birth, and date,” Rory lists and Des can’t help but raise a brow in suspicion. That’s a lot of specific information. Do people generally know what time they were born? Des only knows, because his parents have his birth certificate framed like the museum piece he is.

“Uh–born in London. Fourteenth of August 1997 at eleven in the morning,” He lists, watching as Rory types in the information. The page loads and the other immediately giggles at the sight. Des doesn’t know what he’s looking at. It’s a weird chart with lines and symbols that he doesn’t recognize.

“Libra ascending, I should’ve known,” They shake their head, amusement clear in their green eyes. Des doesn’t know what’s so funny about that. Is it a bad thing?

“So like–I’m an Ava rising?” He asks slowly. And putting it into context like that suddenly makes sense to him in a way that causes his eyes to widen in horror. If he gets what Rory’s saying, that means he appears like a walking instagram to everyone else.

“You’re starting to get it now,” Rory says knowingly. “It explains why you need people to like you so much. Libra’s seek approval, and Leo’s thrive on attention.”

Des starts to protest but stops himself, because Rory is right. He can’t stand when people don’t like him or when his friends are mad at him. He almost had a breakdown, because Imogen ignored him after he nearly blinded her. He was so put off when he couldn’t get ever single person in the group to like him. Jesus, he’s a mess.

“I like that you’re using the group as an example though. That’s a good method. Means I might be able to teach you other parts of your chart,” Rory grins, clearly satisfied that this is working. “Another really basic and well known part of your birth chart is your moon sign. The moon rules your emotions and your inner mood. I’ve got mine in Sagittarius or…Imogen, I guess,” They laugh, pausing to look at Des’ chart. “And you’ve also got yours in Sagittarius, high five!” They reach out a hand, and Des give them a high five, though he’s not sure why they’re celebrating. Having his emotions in Imogen doesn’t sound like the best emotional placement.

Rory rolls their eyes when they notice the discomfort on Des’ face, “But remember, she’s not pure Sagittarius and Ava’s not pure Libra. So, don’t take that too seriously. Being a lunar Sagittarius means our emotions are heightened by adventure. We’ve got a need for freedom, and can be a bit flaky at times.”

He supposes it’s not off. He’s not the most reliable when it comes to his emotions or his relationships with others. For fucks sake, he’s ended every romantic relationship he’s had after about two weeks. “Alright, I guess that makes sense.”

Rory nods idly as their eyes scan over Desmond’s chart, but they don’t really explain the other signs. Maybe, they figure that Des can only handle so much learning at once–they aren’t wrong. “You’ve got a lot of earth in your chart, which might explain why you’re not the most firey of Leos. Still lots of fire too, but all this Virgo is grounding you. You’ve got Virgo in Mercury, Venus…just lots of Virgo.”

Des nods slowly along with what Rory says, though he’s got no idea what Mercury and Venus mean, but he’s just telling himself that it means he has a lot of Faye. At one time, that might have meant he’s quiet and contemplative, but he wouldn’t really describe Faye as that anymore.

“We won’t get into all that today though. I’ll email you your chart if you want to review it yourself,” Rory explains as they pull up their email, attaching the pdf file to it.

Des glances back at the supplies on the table, nearly forgetting about it after all this space talk. “So, what’s this got to do with the candle?” He asks.

“Right, so the more connected your sign is with the type of magic you’re attempting to do, the easier it’ll be. Like, since I’m an air sign, it’s harder for me to do earth magic, things with herbs, because it’s my opposing element. You’re a fire sign, so you’ll have trouble with things related to water…”

“Like Avatar the Last Airbender!” Des cuts in before Rory can finish, too excited because he finally understands something. “Aang had so much trouble learning earth bending, because it’s the opposite of air.”

Rory just blinks at him for a moment before nodding slowly, “Uhm…right. Right! Exactly. You’re getting it. In this case, candle magic would be a good place for you to start. I know you manipulate light and not fire, but you’re still a fire sign. Plus, candle magic can bring clarity, which goes well with the fact that your rising sign is an air sign, because air goes well with intuition, and light symbolizes clarity. Or “sense stuff” as you were saying.”

Candle magic. It’s another one of those things Des struggles to comprehend. Nobody did candle magic in Harry Potter, except light them with their wands. Why can’t they just have wands? Des asks himself for the millionth time. “How does that work?” He frowns.

“It’s all about intention and preparation really,” Rory explains and grabs the white candle they gave Des earlier. “Color is important, because it represents your goal. A white candle is kind of your anything candle, but it can also be used specifically for cleansing, truth, and reflecting energy. I figured you could use some cleansing. Your aura has been so blue lately, and not in a good way.”

Oh god, Rory’s talking about auras now. They’re starting to sound like Ruth. He decides it’s better to just nod along at this point. He’s losing faith that this will ever work, but maybe if Rory just tells him how it’s done, he’ll be able to finally do something.

Rory patiently shows him to steps of doing a simple candle spell, carefully explaining how to dress the candle and allowing Des to write his goal on a piece of paper. They never touch the candle during the process and don’t read over Des’s shoulder as he writes ‘I don’t want to dream about Finn Carran.’ It’s a weird process, but kind of fun as Des burns the edge of the paper with the candle, letting it burn up until his finger tips before dropping into the bowl that Rory has ready for him.

“Now you just let it burn out and bury it when it’s done,” They give Des a reassuring grin, green eyes bright from the candle’s illumination. “It might not work the first time, but it’s all about practice. It’d help if you meditated or got yourself in the right head space beforehand. You should have it down in no time, light boy.”

Des isn’t sure if he’s actually done anything yet, but he feels…reassured. For once, he doesn’t feel like he’s treading through water trying to play catch up. Rory did such a good job trying to explain it in simple terms for Des. He never realized how much he relies on comparisons to the things he already knows. “Thanks,” He murmurs finally, gaze going to the flickering flame. He hopes it works, at least.

“Of course, babe. Any other questions while I’m here? This session is on the house, so take advantage. Not that you couldn’t afford me,” They tease.

Desmond has a million questions, how can he pick just one? The grimoire, the rituals, combining their powers–it’s all so much to try and understand. The chain on Rory’s neck catches his eye. There’s two shapes infused together, looking like an arrow and waves. For some reason, it inspires him to ask, “What about like magical objects? I know some of the others have charmed objects or something.”

Rory’s gaze follows Des’ to their necklace, expression contemplative as they reach to lightly touch the pendant. “I don’t really get that myself yet. Everything I’ve done hasn’t been exactly on purpose. I think it’s all about intention though. Pick something that means something to you or that you use often and will it to achieve a goal?” They shrug, reaching behind them to scratch at their back. “I’m trying to charm my lipstick to make me look perfect at all times.”

Des chuckles with a shake of his head, because that’s such a Rory thing to try. The only thing he really wants is to sleep and feel okay again. It can’t be as simple as wishing it.

“Do you have something important to you?” Rory asks curiously.

Des wracks his brain for a moment before hopping off the stool and going into his room to grab the owl nightlight Imogen gave to him. He may or may not be sleeping with it illuminated every night.

“Imogen gave me this to work on getting my light back,” He explains, placing the owl on the island. “To do exercises with.”

Rory gives the owl a fond smile before nodding in approval. “That’s a really good start. Keep using it for your exercises and maybe try meditating with it and concentrating on what you want out of it. Hold it regularly. That’s my method, at least. I made this earring from one of my feathers,” They tap the feather earring dangling from their left ear. “My back gets all itchy and irritated when I have to keep my wings hidden. Almost like my body knows that I’m repressing myself. So, I thought maybe if I at least had a feather on me when I go out in public, it would represent them even when I can’t have them out. Sooner or later, I noticed my back feels more comfortable when I have it on. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than it used to be.”

Des stares at the feather in awe. Rory made it all seem so easy, and maybe it was. He wouldn’t know because keeps discouraging himself from really trying. He makes a mental note to talk to his therapist about it–in non-magical terms at least. “Thanks, Rory. I mean it. This has been really, really helpful. I mean, I’ve been trying to be better, but I just feel so far behind, and it’s been really discouraging. So, thanks.”

Des gets one of Rory’s famous big dimply grins in response and can’t help but feel a bit warm in response. “You’re welcome, Des. Just stop holding yourself back, yeah? There’s no harm in trying, even if it doesn’t work.”

Rory looks down at their laptop and closes it, beginning to pack up their things. “I’ve got to go. I’ve got a LBGTQ meeting. Text me if you’ve got questions, yeah? Or stop by. I feel like I hardly see you anymore.”

“I know,” Des says softly, getting up as Rory does. The other has a good five inches on him, so his nose is pressed against their sternum as he suddenly pulls Rory in for a hug. He doesn’t know what came over him, but this meeting makes him realize how distant he’s been since the “incident.” He shut out everyone except Jude and Ruth after trying so hard to become friends with everyone. He doesn’t want to lose anyone over his wallowing.  

Rory pauses before lightly scratching the back of Des’ neck and pulling him in closer. It’s different than hugging Jude, not as comforting, but still nice. It reminds him once again that he does miss being touched, even if his body forgets it sometimes.

“Alright, Teeny Leo. I best be off,” They put on their best posh accent as they de-tangle themself from Des’ arms. “Keep playing with your candles.”

Des salutes them playful, watching them go before grabbing his owl and returning to his bedroom. If anything, he can just hold it for a little bit.

[mysteryshelf]

BLOG TOUR - Glitter Bomb

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SHANNON MUIR’S THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF!

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Glitter Bomb (A Scrapbooking Mystery) by Laura Childs with Terrie Farley Moran

  About the Book

Glitter Bomb (A Scrapbooking Mystery) Cozy Mystery 15th in Series Berkley (October 2, 2018) Hardcover: 320 pages ISBN-10: 0451489543 ISBN-13: 978-0451489548 Digital ASIN: B078VVDSQT

An exploding Mardi Gras float has got to be the strangest murder weapon scrappy sleuth Carmela Bertrand has ever encountered in this latest Scrapbooking Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author.

It’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans and scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand is excited to be attending the Pluvius Parade along with her best friend Ava. Carmela’s ex-husband Shamus rides by the duo on his float at the head of the parade, when suddenly the revelry turns to disaster. Shamus’ float crashes and explodes, and although Shamus escapes unhurt, a member of his krewe is killed.

Carmela and Ava plunge into an investigation of the krewe-member’s death, but as they dig deeper it starts to look less like an accident and more like a murder….and Shamus seems less like a victim, and more like a suspect.

Guest Post

A Day in the Life

  Guest post from Laura Childs, New York Times

bestselling author of Glitter Bomb,

A New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery.

  When I talk to readers – at bookstores, libraries, scrapbook shops, and tea shops – I’m often asked about my work schedule. How do I get inspired? Do I wait until a big idea sparks inside my brain and then start writing? Is every day filled with excitement and glamour?

  Well, you might be surprised at how I actually spend my time. Which is why I thought it’d be fun to give you a peak into a day in the life of a full-time author. Ready? Here goes.

  Get up at 7:30 am and feed Asia (dog). Make breakfast for Dr. Bob (husband). Read newspaper for ripped-from-the-headlines ideas and watch Squawk Box on CNBC, trying to kill time so I don’t have to face my half-written manuscript.

  Capitulate and go downstairs to office at 10:30 am. Check emails and respond accordingly. Especially check sale emails that have come in from Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Dream about $800 leopard print Manolo heels. Decide they’re way too expensive.

  Check in with Facebook. Accept Friend requests and try to post something amusing that will interest people. (Maybe ridiculously priced leopard shoes?) Check email again. Correspond with two libraries and set up dates to do an author talk. Bite fingernails, worry about what I have to talk about.

  Open manuscript and read through the chapter I wrote yesterday, fearful that it’s mostly gibberish. Am happily surprised that 60% is actually usable. Punch up sagging spots and start to feel better about my work in progress. Check email again.

  Start to get hungry around 1:00 pm so go upstairs and pop Weight Watchers hamburger in microwave. Eat burger while doing crossword puzzle in newspaper.  Scrounge in cupboard for chocolate-covered peanuts to eat while working.

  Go back to office and eat chocolate peanuts, getting keyboard all sticky. Check email. Look at clock, surprised to find it’s nearly 2:30.

  Fear begins to take hold, so I write like crazy and manage to bang out a good 8 to 10 pages. Something furry nuzzles my arm. Dog. I’ve completely lost track of time and realize that the dog wants dinner (so does Dr. Bob) and it’s quittin’ time for me. Whew. What a killer day!

  If you find my writing mildly amusing, let me assure you that my new book Glitter Bomb, is even better. In fact, here’s a quick synopsis:

  Mardi Gras in New Orleans is in full swing when the King Neptune float explodes, sending a plume of glitter into the night sky and killing a hedge fun bigwig. Scrapbook maven Carmela and her BFF Ava have front row seats to the mayhem – and get pulled in when Carmela’s ex, Shamus, becomes a key suspect. Running her own shadow investigation, Carmela tries to clear Shamus while dodging the watchful eye of her fiancée Detective Edgar Babcock. Haunted cemeteries, fashion show, sports car rally, and hungry alligators round out the humor and mischief.

  Thanks for reading me!

  Love,

  Laura Childs

About The Authors

  Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Laura’s Links:

Webpage – http://www.laurachilds.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31

Short-listed twice for The Best American Mystery Stories, Terrie Farley Moran is delighted to introduce mystery fans to the Read ’Em and Eat café and bookstore, which debuted with Well Read, Then Dead. followed by Caught Read-Handed and Read to Death released in July of this year. The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is playing games and reading stories with any or all of her grandchildren.

Terrie’s Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrie.moran.9

Blog: www.womenofmystery.net

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23186092-terrie-moran

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BLOG TOUR – Glitter Bomb was originally published on the Wordpress version of Shannon Muir's The Pulp and Mystery Shelf