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notmyneighbor · 4 months

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here is the news | doppel! izaack gauss x female reader

words | 4k

cw | explicit sexual content, fluff and smut

ao3 link

Everyone in the city knows who Izaack Gauss is.

The famed news reporter for the local tv station has won countless awards for the journalism considered brave, gritty, unflinching and detailed. Always on the cusp of a breaking story, it was uncanny how often the man seemed to be at exactly the right place at exactly the right time. He was a household name, a favorite with a variety of age groups. Handsome and compelling. A face you couldn’t stop staring at, a voice you couldn’t stop listening to. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t gotten off to the sight and sound of him on more than one occasion. A girl has needs, right? And it’s not like guys don’t do the same thing all the time. You’re just…evening the score a little.

Now, that man you’d daydreamed about and climaxed to was in your booth inside the apartment building you both lived in, about to conduct an interview with you, the guard, responsible for screening for sneaky doppelgangers trying to trick their way into the building to harm the residents.

There is a lot of preparation that goes into the event. There are multiple cameras you’re constantly told to turn to. Pauses midway while hair and makeup is touched up. The attention is overwhelming, but at your young age, you’ve got a flawless track record for correctly identifying the doppels and it’s caught the attention of many, including your intrepid journalist neighbor.

Once the dust has settled, once there are no more set lights shined in your eyes or powder applied to your nose or Izaack’s rich voice bidding you to smile again for the camera, the sudden quiet is a relief. The crew has gone home. Everyone has left, save you and the news reporter.

You’re not quite done for the day, though. The segments you’d just filmed would be edited down. In truth, probably very little of the footage would even be used. But you guessed that’s just how the magic of television really works behind the scenes. The last chore for you today is to do a dry run through the interview you’ll be participating in live on air tomorrow night. You’re still seated in the swivel chair behind the desk inside your security booth, leaving the reporter to perch on the corner of the desk, one hip cocked over the edge, the lifted leg so long it still nearly touches the floor. Izaack is six foot four, and broad shouldered, an intimidatingly large figure. It’s no wonder, considering he’d played football in highschool and college.

He hasn’t lost any muscle mass in spite of his cessation of playing sports, the considerable physique still apparent even within the confines of the charcoal suit he’s wearing. You’re willing to bet he exercises to keep that appearance, to maintain his appeal with his adoring fans. His skin is smooth and unblemished, his raven hair always styled in neat waves. He’s got a strong jaw with a cleft chin just below a pair of full lips so generous they’d make any woman envious. They part often to flash brilliantly white, even teeth.

Those teeth are dazzling you right now. Trying to make you feel less nervous, no doubt, but you find the gesture intimidating instead. He might not be a Hollywood movie star, but he was still a local celebrity, and the source of more than one successful late night round of self pleasure. You squirm nervously in your seat and it squeaks, making your cheeks flush.

“You can relax, you know. I’m not going to ask anything you don’t know the answers to.” His voice is rich, deep, velvety. You nod and swallow thickly, waiting for him to begin.

He doesn’t even look down at the pad of paper clutched in one hand, nor the ballpoint pen seated in the other. His azure eyes are locked on your face and the color reminds you of the tropical ocean you’d seen on a poster in a travel agency’s window once, some exotic destination that you’ll likely never get the opportunity to visit.

“Why don’t we begin by you telling our viewers what you do each day.”

You clear your throat. “Well, the shift begins with a list of expected visitors to the building handed to me by an official DDD staff member, which I keep posted on this wall here,” you say, gesturing to a now blank spot to the left of the window. “I have a checklist of things I should be expecting from each person. This includes their appearance, their identification card, their entry request form, and, as I’ve just mentioned, the listing on the day’s expected visitors.”

Gauss nods. So far, so good. “What are some of the things that are a tip off about the identification card being incorrect?”

“One of the first things I look at is the serial number. We have a complete record of all the inhabitants of the building, complete with their photographs, their distinguishing facial characteristics, their addresses, professions, and relatives.

The next step is to compare the image on the card with the image we have on file, paying close attention to those unique appearance details. For example, someone may have a mole on one cheek, or have freckles spread across their nose.”

“I see. Anything else?”

“The DDD logo must be present. This is something that gets missed quite often. It is required on both the ID card and the entry request form. The expiration date on the ID is the last thing that needs to be verified. Seems simple, but you’d be surprised how many doppelgangers ignore the importance of a valid date that hasn’t expired yet.” You point to the calendar tacked to the wall.

Izaack taps his pen against the pad of paper thoughtfully. “What about the entry request?”

“Well, that’s similar in some ways, and different in others. It, like the ID card, needs to have the DDD logo. It also features a photograph of the resident, along with their name and address. These names can be misspelled or the apartment numbers incorrectly labeled. The final piece of the puzzle is the reason for travel. It can be very obvious when a doppel is using a forgery. Some are more astute than others, but a lot of them lack the knowledge of a plausible reason to explain their absence. I once saw one state they were going out to do ‘human things’” you say with a little chuckle, and the dark haired reporter smiles indulgently.

“It certainly seems like you’re quite the expert. No wonder the residents of the building feel safer with you around. A perfect safety record thus far, I understand.”

You lower your eyes, blushing, feeling a little blossom of pride blooming inside of you. “I try my best.”

Izaack slides from his perch, straightening, the pad of paper and pen disappearing back into a deep pocket of the trench coat he’d left draped beside him. “That’s basically how the interview will go. You’re a natural. Just replicate that same confidence and you’ll do fine.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, there is one more thing,” he says as you stand. “If you wouldn’t mind indulging just one more question. Off the record, as it were.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“What if the paperwork looks correct, and the doppel’s appearance is a perfect match?”

“Oh, that reminds me. I forgot to mention it. I call the residence to verify the identity, either by a family member, or—”

“—But supposing there was no one home to answer. The visitor is on the day’s list. They’re expected to be out and returning home. They live alone. There is no one to vouch for them one way or the other. And every other detail seems correct. What do you do?”

You draw in a deep breath. “Well, thankfully, my instincts have helped me in those rare situations when they occur.”

“I see.”

You step forward, thinking the older man will be exiting the office, but he remains where he is, blocking the doorway.

“Um, Mr. Gauss, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be getting home now.”

“Oh, I do mind. I mind very much. You see, my dear, your so called instincts, those ones you’re so proud of, have failed you.”

Your blood runs cold. You’d been tricked by a doppelganger. You back away now, your hand reaching for the alarm. It’s too late to worry about shuttering the office, but it will still alert the residents that something is amiss.

“Don’t even think of touching that button. Or the phone, either. Your DDD pals won’t be coming to your rescue tonight.” The tall mimic smiles, gesturing towards the chair beside you. “Why don’t you sit down, get comfortable.”

“Why? You’re just going to kill me. Eat me, or whatever.”

“No, I don’t think I’ll be killing you. Eating you though, now that is an idea.” His teeth flash again, and this time they are no longer the perfect pearl white specimens you’re accustomed to, but pointed, slightly yellowed teeth. The turquoise eyes are now black, the white orbs bloodshot. “Sit down,” he says again, “before I change my mind about the not murdering you part.”

You sink back into the swivel chair, your heart pounding. How had you not known? How long has he been pretending to be Izaack for? Where was the real version?

As if reading your mind, the creature elaborates about the fate of the male human he’s pretending to be. “He’s not dead. Someone like that is too valuable to waste. Let’s just say we’re keeping him tucked away safely for now.”

You wonder if the new reporter’s capture is truly a better fate than a swift passing. “Don’t hurt him, please.”

“Why? Isn’t he a virtual stranger to you?”

“He’s my neighbor.”

The wide shoulders lift and drop in a shrug. “You have plenty of others. Or was there some other reason making you so concerned about this particular individual? Something a little more personal? A touch more…intimate, shall we say?”

It’s disconcerting how transparent your thoughts and feelings seem to be. The invader’s hands, now tipped in dark claws and studded with jagged veins that look ready to burst through the skin, curl around the armrests and tug you closer, the wheels bringing you right up to the doppel. “I can guarantee you if I was the real Gauss right now, he wouldn’t have spared you a second glance. He’d never have gotten this close. He’s arrogant and obnoxious, so nauseatingly self absorbed that I wager you wouldn’t be nearly so taken with him if you got to know him as well as I have. I’ve done you a favor, trust me.” The irony of that last utterance is not lost on you. A master of deceit imploring you to believe his word. Insanity.

The replicant’s mood shifts and his voice softens, drawing you out of your reverie. “I bet if I were to just peel this off of you, I’d find something very sweet and tasty beneath it.” The sharp tip of one digit sinks midway through the fabric of your skirt, dangerously close to your thighs, and splits it wide open. He grabs each flap and tugs, tearing the material further until it’s completely separated. You wince when you feel his hand seat on one leg, the claws scratching but not piercing the skin. It doesn’t take them long to shred your panties, leaving your lower half bare save for your shoes and stockings. “Spread your legs for me.”

You resist, shaking your head and clamping your lower extremities close together.

“Do not make me repeat myself.”

A choked sound escapes you as your legs spread open.

“My, my. That does look delicious. So pink and pretty. Just a perfect little pussy to snack on.”

You hate that your body responds to his words, your sex throbbing from the attention, from being bare in your work space. The fake reporter kneels down, but his presence is still no less initimidating even at this reduced height.

“A lot of people would be glad to trade places with you right now, you know. So many of you humans lust for this face, this body. Are you one of them?” The claws have vanished, the only bit of relief you find, gasping when those human looking fingers stroke right over your damp sex. Your clit pulses needily and the movement is not lost on the doppel. “I think the answer to that question is a resounding yes.” His thumb massages that sensitive pearl while his middle finger spears your drooling entrance. You are soaked. You can hardly believe your body is betraying you like this.

“Oh, look how wet you are. Tight, too. It’s a good thing I have the right tool for the job to pry you open properly.” A tongue emerges from between the rows of sharp teeth, a dark maroon colored tentacle looking object with a pointed tip that flicks your bud and has your hips involuntarily lurching, seeking more contact with the foreign muscle. “Delicious,” he murmurs. “Best fucking thing I’ve had to eat so far on this miserable planet.” Then his mouth crushes against your pussy.

You need something to hold onto, and that something becomes the carefully coiffed hair of the news anchor, instantly sending the coal dark tresses into disarray. He sucks so hard you think your clit is going to be pulled right away from your body. He adds a second finger and, at times, that wicked, alien tongue into your channel and you no longer care that you’re getting your cunt eaten out by a doppel. Your throat burns from how rapidly you’ve been searching for air. You feel like you’re going to cum, but that something else is about to happen, too. There’s a pressure inside, similar to needing to void, but slightly different. That bizarre, wonderfully obscene tongue of his keeps touching your g spot and it’s doing things. Things you can’t control.

His eyes lift and they’re that pretty teal color again, the hair you’ve mussed tumbling across his ivory forehead, and you fall apart against that Adonis face, the orgasm so intense you find yourself squirting, splashing fluids into the waiting mouth that sucks and swallows and laps every stray droplet, seeking more.

Your legs are shaking violently and you’re embarrassed and you’re afraid, too, but the lust is doing a nice job of muting that last feeling somewhat.

“Absolutely fucking delectable. That was a pleasant surprise, dear.”

“I didn’t know…I…”

“First time for everything, isn’t that how the expression you humans use goes?” He licks his lips—fully back to the human features again, normal tongue, teeth, eyes—and rises to his feet. “Perhaps you’d like to continue this elsewhere? Somewhere a little more comfortable?”

“Um…” You’re still coming down off your post orgasmic high, the nerves in your legs firing and tingling. You’d just squirted in a doppelganger’s mouth. Had a mind blowing climax, the best of your life. With an imitation copy of famed news reporter Izaack Gauss. Fuck.

“Or I can bend you over the desk and fuck you right here. Your choice, dear. But make up your mind quickly, or I’ll choose for you.”

The brazen declaration strikes you iron hot in your core. Either offer sounded tempting. “Um…” You repeat helplessly.

The replicant clucks his tongue softly. “Cock dumb already, are we? And you haven’t even seen it yet, let alone felt it.”

“Upstairs,” you manage to blurt your decision.

“Fine. My place or yours?”

“You mean Izaack’s?”

“I mean mine. He’s hardly in a position to use it at present.”

“Oh. Yours, then.” You suddenly realize you’re naked from the waist down and you no longer have any intact garments to cover your nudity. “My clothes…”

“Use this.” He lifts his coat from the desk and tosses it at you. It’s absurdly long but it does the trick, shielding your naked body from view.

The doppel says nothing to you on the elevator, seemingly unconcerned if anyone were to run into you now, or if you had any thoughts of trying to escape. There’s a slight delay when he realizes his apartment key is still tucked into his coat pocket, shoving his hand into the outerwear he’s loaned you, the sudden warm press of him inviting, in spite of everything, and then you’re ushered inside.

The reporter’s living space is modernly furnished, and neat as a pin. You’re guided to the bedroom, a large portion of which is occupied by an enormous closet full of clothes—necessary for the job, you suppose, although to your eye one suit is much the same as the next—and a king sized bed covered in a steel gray sheet set and comforter.

“It’s, um…your place is nice,” you say, feeling a need to fill the sudden silence.

The doppelganger grunts at the compliment, thumbing open the button of his suit jacket and tossing it over the back of the chair in front of the desk placed before the window. He tugs on his tie, a silk item that’s a few shades lighter than his eye color, and this joins the blazer. His fingers move briskly over the cuffs of his shirt sleeves, then unfasten the row of buttons draped over his torso. He sheds the shirt and the undershirt unceremoniously and you have your first glimpse of the body the copycat has adopted.

There were a few paparazzi photos snapped here and there that had circulated the tabloids, so it’s not as if you’ve never seen the man on one of those glorious resort beaches you know you’ll never experience in your lifetime, but seeing those muscles in person is much, much different. You can’t help but appreciate the beauty of the figure in front of you, even if it is a phony.

“Like what you see, do you?” There’s a little smirk on the imposter’s lips now as he begins working open his pants.

You stare open mouthed, gaping like a fish out of water as he continues shedding clothing. He hadn’t been exaggerating about his cock size. At all. If anything, he’d been too conservative. He was going to break you in two. You’d be slain after all.

His gaze sharpens, piercing you after he finishes undressing. “You’re not going to clam up like this during the interview tomorrow night, are you?”

“I…what? We’re still doing the interview?”

“Of course.”

“But…but I thought…” You can’t stop staring at the massive erection saluting you.

“It’s a hassle changing faces sometimes. I’ve got a good thing going here. Good job, nice place to live. Appreciative viewers,” he murmurs, his fingers tucking under your chin. “So I'm not keen to do anything to draw attention to myself. You keep my secret and I’ll make sure you’re…compensated. Deal?”

You nod, unable to form words. If you declined, you feel certain the consequences would be dire.

“Good. Now get out of that coat—mind you place it nicely on the chair there until I can hang it up later, I do like this human’s wardrobe—and I’ll see about making some more of those fantasies come true, hmm?”

You’re blushing again. He’s already seen your pussy up close; is removing the rest of your clothes after the borrowed coat such a hardship? You let the blouse and brassiere fall to the floor, about to peel the stockings off but he bids you to keep them on, pushing you gently back onto the bed after he drags the comforter off. “In case you have another…episode.”

He’s talking about the squirting. You glance away hurriedly.

“Look at me,” he says, drawing your gaze back to his features. His knee sinks into the mattress, joined soon after by the other. He climbs over you and you’re struck again by how large the creature is in every single way. His face dips to yours and he kisses you for the first time and you forget all of your earlier misgivings in an instant. Those plump lips were made for this, for stroking and brushing against another’s. Your own part and his tongue slides between them, nudging yours, trying a little sample of the taste of your mouth. Ink smudged fingers caress your breasts and smooth over your ribs. Everywhere your own hands touch meets firm, muscular flesh. Everything is toned, lean. You knead his shoulders and stroke his chest and squeeze his biceps, marveling at how massive his arms are, far more than your fingers can stretch around. You’re still not brave enough to explore further south on your own.

“Touch me,” he whispers beside your ear before nibbling on it, and your hands collide with something scalding. You’ve found his cock. Wet at the tip. He groans a little, his hips pushing that erect organ through the circle of your fingers, effectively fucking them. “Good girl,” he praises, and you feel a fresh flood leaking from your sex. “Let’s get you nice and filled.” His hand wedges between your thighs and you instantly spread them open. He strokes the head of his prick over the moist petals and then pushes at your opening and oh, it burns, it’s too much, too much but not enough, you want more, rolling your hips up to help him sink in further. “Hungry little thing, aren’t you? Just like a doppel.”

At the utterance of this final word his face changes again, his true form once again asserting dominance, revealing itself. You can’t kiss him like you had earlier, not with those razor teeth, but his tongue reaches your mouth easily, twining around inside, poking and prodding. His hands brace against your thighs and fold you over and he goes in even deeper, sinking into your wet cunt that sucks at him, throbbing, already trying to milk seed from the alien.

You can feel him burrowing inside—feel him from the outside, even, the bulge palpable through the exterior wall of your abdomen—and the ache starts to become more pleasurable. Your body wants this. It wants to mate with this imposter.

The gentle introduction completed, Gauss’ replica starts pumping faster. You’ve still got one orgasm up on him and he wants his now. “Fuck, you feel so good. Are you going to cum on my cock this time? I’d love to feel that hot, wet cunt of yours spasming around me.” He snakes a hand between your bodies, stroking your clit again.

“Mmmm…Izaack….” You realize you’d just addressed the clone by his human name and your tongue freezes against his, your rocking hips halting.

“You can call me that.” Softer mouth again. Human lips. Wet against your throat. “Let me hear how much pleasure I’m giving you.”

The permission relaxes you, draping you in warm comfort. You card through his hair—now a tangled licorice shaded mess—and gaze into aqua eyes, moaning his name over and over. His hips slam into yours roughly, at odds with the gentle circles he’s still tracing along your nub, and it pushes you over the brink. The smirk is back, that satisfied curve of lips followed by a Cheshire Cat grin that fades as his own release builds.

“Here it comes, get ready for it…fuck, it’s so good…”

A series of jets of hot liquid fill your womb and you shudder as the invader fills you with his cum. His teeth sink into your shoulder—human ones, but biting hard enough to leave temporary dents—and then he collapses beside you.

“That was, um…”

“Good?” He supplies, still sounding a little breathless.

“Yeah. Really good.”

“Mmmm.” He folds his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling while he recovers. You shift on your side and he glances over at you. “You’re sure you’re good for the interview tomorrow? Remember what you’re going to say?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t want to rehearse it again?”

Ah. A concealed invitation. “Maybe we should. Just to be sure we have all the details just right.”

“My thoughts exactly.” The doppelganger pulls you into his arms.

#izaack gauss #izaack tnmn #tnmn izaack #thats not my neighbor #that’s not my neighbor #izaack gauss x reader #izaack gauss x you #tnmn smut #doppelganger izaack gauss #doppel izaack #divider @saradikagraphics #divider @cafekitsune

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grapenehifics · 6 months

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Obikin His Girl Friday. Is this anything?

(Obi-Wan as the intrepid reporter on his last day at work before getting married and moving upstate, insisting he won't miss the job at all and is actually looking forward to being a stay-at-home husband for a while, thank you very much. Anakin as both his editor/boss and ex-husband, throwing one last juicy story his way, ostensibly as a 'one last hurrah' present but not-so-secretly mostly to try to convince Obi-Wan to stay and get back together. There's a murder suspect, Anakin gets Obi-Wan's fiance 'accidentally' arrested, they uncover a sinister plot involving crooked cops and politicians...and obviously Obi-Wan and Anakin get back together. Obviously. )

(In fairness this could also work with the roles reversed. But I like Anakin as the jealous ex.)

#fic idea #I just love screwball comedies okay #also trying to work out a possible Philadelphia Story AU #not like I need any more AUs lol #write the fics you've already got Grape #obikin

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jq37 · 7 months

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The Report Card – Fantasy High Junior Year Ep 9

Into the Woods

Note: I almost called this recap "There's Something in the Glade There" but I figured I'm go for the less obscure reference.

Welcome back to Fantasy High and, more specifically, to the Vulture Dimension where our intrepid heroes have been shunted after Kristen, in a moment of peril, decided to “Hey Girlie” a random vulture in the middle of a fight. In fairness to her, she was out of spells at the time but, let’s be real, odds are good that this would have happened regardless.

The Bad Kids are immediately faced with the giant, screeching Vulture King who demands that they answer his riddle and asks if they want to do it individually or simultaneously. Because they have a higher sense of chaos than self preservation, the majority votes for simultaneously which means they all have to answer the same thing at the same time and the Vulture King will kill them if they try any shenanigans (and ooh do they try). Lucky for them the riddle is a multiple choice question: Vultures-Yea or Nay? Everyone says yea and the Vulture King happily says they all pass. Adventuring Party note: Brennan did have a whole fight planned for if they failed the “riddle” so it’s a good thing they got the nonsense out of their system before they answered. Especially because, contrary to what they assume, time doesn’t pass differently in the vulture dimension. The fight is still happening! As a prize for solving the riddle of the vulture dimension, the King has his minions rip his body apart and his viscera become magic items the party can take, which they do as they exit back to the fight.

Back at the Festival, the battlefield has changed. More people have fled, the girls washer and dryer are fighting, and Grix is casting Hold Person on Ruben. I won’t give a blow by blow here but suffice to say, they finish up the fight and Fabian gets the killing blow, committing Principal-cide before we’re even halfway through the season. Gorgug, uncharacteristically pissed, gets on mic and tells everyone to get off his lawn and leave his house. Fig, as Wanda, gets a 30 to create an illusion of her leaving on a bus while Ruben desperately chases after her. Shortly after that, Agent Clark shows up asking about the Wanda sighting but Gorgug is absolutely not having cop behavior on his property and asks for a warrant, oinking at him when he admits he doesn’t have one and retreats. Our boy is *aggro* today!

Everyone goes to check on Grix’s body to see if they can figure out what that dude’s damage is. Gorgug thinks there might be something related to the Cloud Rider engine happening but, with a 21 Tinker's Tools check, finds nothing. Grix’s hard drive is encrypted and bears Aguefort’s arcane mark (an on-fire egg and an open book). Adaine’s Identify spell doesn’t clock him as anything other than what we’ve been told he is: an automaton made by Aguefort (and stored at school) to maintain order. Curiously, we are specifically told that he had directives to enforce school bylaws, make sure nothing hinky is happening while the superintendent's office might be investigating, and to leave campus to take care of things that might be a direct threat to the existence of the school.

Fig wonders if someone tampered with the school’s bylaws to make him act in such an an-Aguefort manner. Riz wonders if making a crazy robot by not thinking things through is exactly what Aguefort would do but thinks the bylaws idea is good to follow up on. Fabian says Mazey, as school prez, might be a good person to ask about bylaws.

Riz has another idea: What if Ruben and his band were executing some kind of ritual with their performance? Fig notes that there were/are no other Rat Grinders around which feels suspicious while Riz, Kristen, and Adaine investigate the stage. Under the stage, they find these glowing singers/power connectors that are giving off a faint, red glow. They aren’t in an obvious pattern but Gorgug notices they don’t make any sense the way they’re set up–you wouldn’t set up connectors that way for effective electrical wiring. Riz notices there are 24 of them just like the rage stars and where Ruben was standing would be the center.

Fig wants to question Ruben but he’s gone, still chasing the ghost of Wanda Childa. A victim of her own success! When Gorgug unplugs the power source that’s powering the stingers, there’s not a release of energy. It seems like whatever was going on with them has already happened. He also notices that there was one under each speaker and everyone realizes that the lyrics of Ruben’s song were all about getting mad: probably rage god related!

Riz wonders if the other Rat Grinders were pressuring Lucy to switch to the Rage god (and *I’m* wondering if this rage god was the reason for Ruben’s switch for acoustic guitar to emo screamo) and Adaine suggests they go to the Farhaven Woods to talk to the rats that they were so fond of grinding.

Kristen tracks down a rat to talk to and Fabian eats the raw guts of a full vulture to activate a magical item that will allow him to speak with animals before realizing that he completely misunderstood the item. Whoops. He gets it right the second time (eating the V King’s tongue) and they’re able to have a very illuminating conversation with Spot–a rat that got a Nat 20 on his history check about Lucy.

Spot says that they didn’t like the Rat Grinders very much because they were always killing them but, around Sophomore Year, Lucy started coming back after her party left to resurrect the dead rats so they liked her a lot. Fabian asks about if the RG’s had a hideout and Spot says they hung out all over the place but there’s one place he and the other rats like to go because it was the last place…he trails off. After a brief interlude about the Rat World under the school (don’t worry about it) and a Bardic from Fig (DO worry about it), Spot agrees to take them to the special place.

By now, it’s late and Fig and Kristen have a short conversation about how this is all very Cassandra vibes. The shards Kristen carries glows and she vows to find Cass’s husband (or WIFE, cuts in Adaine the ally. Don’t assume).

As they approach the lake, Fabian feels his stomach get upset and, before anyone can do anything, an owl swoops down and eats Spot. RIP. Please, hold an exorcism for Fig you guys I’m BEGGING you. Anyway, Riz comes in hot with a Nat 20 Investigation check which means that Brennan has to give them EVERYTHING.

There are a bunch of violently felled, rotten trees around them and expertly hidden under vines and foliage Riz finds the body…of Yolanda Badgood! That’s Kristen’s teacher that she informed about Lucy a few eps back. Last we heard she was going to talk to Jace about it. The body seems like it was taken apart by force damage (which Emily thinks is Steel Wind Strike which we do know that Grix has, for the record). There’s no magical residue (which either means no magic or great cleanup) and it’s about 3 hours dead. Three hours ago is also around when Ruben was playing.

Kristen tries to cast Raise Dead but she finds that something is preventing her. Yolanda’s ribs are cracked and in the center of the sternum is something she can’t see–specifically there is something there that she can tell is there but is effectively censored–she realizes that it’s the sigil of the dead god’s name and it has been stamped here in some kind of unholy last rites to keep Yolanda’s soul trapped. Adaine switches her diviner vision to the ethereal plane which allows her to spot the sigil in another place. That helps them find Lucy’s dead body under a tree because the same process was done to her.

Lucy has clearly been dead for months and her body looks like it was attacked by many assailants–weapons and magic. There’s also something weird about the soil around where these bodies and the sigil are. The plants’ roots are almost refusing to grow. And Fabian notices that Lucy’s blood vessels were crushed with such force that the blood has carbonized and turned to diamonds (Adaine–no).

Gorgug looks at the trees and thinks that based on how violently they were felled and they way they’ve broken, someone fought a giant here (unclear if that means an actual giant or Lucy herself being giant-kin) and the tree on Lucy was put there intentionally to hide the body (which suggests a non-Lucy giant being involved).

It's about 3am. Kristen tries for a Divine Intervention and fails. Then she remembers what Yolanda said about how since Cass is gone, she’s the one who has to work the miracles of doubt. Kristen reaches out her awareness to her goddess and hears some words: Spies, Tongue, Curse.

There’s a discussion about whether they should report this so that Lucy’s parents can at least have the closure of her body being found that ends inconclusively but Adaine gets a sample of the weird soil so Riz can take it to his soil club buddy Molman (Riz Gukgak: king of the dweebs!).

Kristen starts an impromptu, ad hoc ceremony, combining Spare the Dying with her sadness that Yolanda is dead and her regret for not being a better student to a teacher she actually really liked. She places one of Cass’s shards on Yolana’s chest and the sigil loses its grip on her. Her soul is no longer stuck. Kristen quickly does the same for Lucy and Gorgug and Fabian witness the souls of Lucy and Yolanda holding hands and moving on. Kristen may be a so-so student and a meh evangelizer but gods, she’s a GOOD cleric. And a much more useful one now because as soon as this happens, she regains her spellcasting! How? Don't ask too many questions. Her domain is doubt. The logic can be fuzzy.

Fig gets a Nat 20 to cover their tracks and, with their limited time, she chooses to cover the tracks leading directly to the body, not the ones that show they were in the woods. Riz/Murph hilariously points out something I say all the time–this is a magical world where Zone of Truth exists. If anyone accuses them of killing the women, they can just submit to a truth spell. Once they leave the woods, Fabian calls the cops with a fake name and a voice filter and idk why he thought Brennan would make the cops helpful. They’re transferred to Agent Clark at the Council of Chosen almost right away and Fabian hangs up as Clark starts to trace the call.

With that, we enter another period of downtime!

Riz is up first. He rolls Academics first (DC 5) and tries to find the Rogue prof–he needs a 30 for that but “only” gets a 25 which is still an A. Next is Extracurriculars (DC 10) which he gets a 22 on even with disadvantage. He hands off the soil to Molman who is excited to check it out but gets suspiciously aggro when he sniffs it (though it’s played as a joke). Third track is Popularity (DC 15) and with a 19, he’s gathering all sorts of freaks and geeks to vote for Kristen. He doesn’t roll for Relationships which means that he’s not spending that much time with his Mom and he misses her visit to the cemetery to see his dad. He runs into her after the visit and amidst the guilt, asks about her Frostfair case. She said the case folded and he wants to know about that so she says she’ll drive him to school and they can talk about it on the way. We don’t get that conversation this episode so put a pin in it for now.

Fabian drops some cash on some nurses with B12 shots to help his friends relax, but, due to the mechanic, they can’t roll relaxation later than third to benefit and Relaxation has to be the last track they roll.

On to Gorgug! He decides that it’s time to take care of business and rolls Barbarian first (DC 5) since Porter says that he won’t sign his MCAT without an A+. He doesn’t make it at first but, luckily, his party includes a Div Wizard. Adaine drops a portent roll on him and he clears it with ease as she helps him study. She also starts having visions of him spellcasting while raging and specifically, a vision of him doing that while making a big triumphant leap at a party (which is described as Fabian’s bday party–I assume this is the same party she had a vision of before but I previously thought it was a campaign victory party or Gorgug/Riz’s bday. I will also say, Brennan has specifically mentioned the glowing moon each time. Anyway, moving on).

Emboldened by his success, Gorgug slams down the door and tells Porter he sucks. Porter is loving this energy and asks about the video of him oinking at a cop. Where has THAT energy been this whole time? Porter finally has a solid conversation with Gorgug and tells him that he has to give himself permission to get angry when he feels it rather than always smoothing it down, especially when he literally gives himself permission to murder people on the regular. He signs Gorgug’s MCAT and tells him about an optional exam called the Last Stand which is kind of a loophole that Aguefort built in to help kids screwed over by bureaucratic rules. He says if Gorgug needs it at the end of the semester then they can talk more and that there are definitely kids who are gonna need it this year because he heard a full class went pass fail. Kristen realizes that her teacher straight up died so that class might be her class. And that will affect a lot of parties potentially because almost everyone has a cleric. Finishing up with Academics, his Artificer 1 (DC 10) is a 23 (A+). His Art 2 (DC 15) is a DC 15. He takes a stress when he fails and passes with a C. Art 3 (DC 20) he also passes with a C once Riz takes a stress for him. He has a talk with Henry, his teacher, who says he needs to buckle down because things are getting rough though he understands there are only so many hours in the day…unless he builds a time machine of course. It’s said like a joke but this is the chronomancy 4 life school so who knows. Gorgug says he’s gonna do better, especially since he has his MCAT now. He also rolls for Owlbears (DC 25) and gets a 26, managing to not get kicked off! Gorthalax is thrilled. With all that rolling for school he doesn’t have time to roll for Relationships and his bio parents head back before he has a chance to hang out with them. Just like Riz, he feels bad about having missed the chance to connect.

Now, let’s check in with the elven Oracle. Adaine rolls Academics first (DC 5) and gets a 15 which is an A but not an A+. She takes it and Prof Runstaff says that her spellwork is immaculate but she needs better materials. Adaine swallows her frustration at that and, over the weekend, she gets a text from Aelwyn: Can't believe I'm gonna say this. Miss my little sister. Everything all right? Adaine asks for her to come to Basrar’s so they can talk and Aelwyn does. She fills Adaine in on her living situation (TEN CATS???) and seems genuinely concerned and appalled that Adaine is working as a waitress in an attempt to solve her diamond problem. As she correctly points out, that math on that just doesn’t add up. She gets Adaine to take her break, abjures some annoying Falinel elf who’s trying to get Adaine to do oracle stuff, and says that there are other ways to make money besides waitressing. Adaine is suspicious and those suspicions are proven true when Aelwyn reveals that she’s been getting her extra cash by working for none other than Kipperlilly Copperkettle. Just can’t help yourself from working for bitchy, blonde, Aguefort girls huh?

Honor Roll

Kristen for Being A Damn Good Cleric

Listen, I have stuff to say about Kristen the student and Kristen the sole manager of a religion but I can’t say anything about Kristen as a Cleric in the purest sense of the word. When the chips are down and she’s locked in, she’s truly untouchable in her field. And outside of just the raw power, her genuine emotion and care for Lucy and Yolanda was really touching. She may have a C in class but right now she’s getting an A+ when it counts.

Detention

Fabian for Eating A Normal Ass Raw Vulture

This is honestly more just for his own safety than to punish him. Reading is fundamental my guy! So is cooking raw meat! (Though idk how much that will help when the animal you’re eating mainly eats ROTTING CORPSES).

Random Thoughts

I wonder if Aguefort had an ulterior motive for going on a semester-long vacation this year. Perhaps avoiding an investigation he knew was coming?

Given Lou is playing Fabian as oblivious to Adaine’s money troubles, how insane must it be to watch your “rich” friend for a moment consider robbing a dead person’s blood for diamonds?

RIP Yolanda :( You would have loved to know that Kristen got her spellcasting back.

Very predictable of me but I’m so psyched to jump right into Abernant stuff at the top of next episode. Aelwyn said she was gonna get them sandwiches and Dimension Door them to the wreckage of their burned down mansion. That’s SO dramatic. I missed her so much. Also very curious to know to what level Aelwyn is working with KP. In her mind is this an evil plan she’s working on or does she just know KP hired her to do something maybe slightly shady but not evil? I assume this is what she was doing when she texted Adaine back that winky face. Does she know Adaine hates her? Because Adaine is very not subtle about it. We’ll see next week!

(Also, “miss my little sister”. Ugh, love. And I love that she seems genuinely concerned in a sisterly way about Adaine’s money troubles).

There’s the matter of what Kristen got from Cass: Spies, Tongue, Curse. In the episode, they speculated that Tongue is Fabian because he had just eaten the Vulture King’s tongue to speak to Spot and the Curse was Fig for obvious reasons. If they’re correct and the words all match up to a different Bad Kid then spy is likely Riz or Adaine. Riz because of all his spy gadgets or Adaine because with this revelation from Aelwyn that she has dirt that she’s willing to share on KP/presenting KP as a potential way to make money, she could be the spy.

The fact that Grix can intervene outside of school if there is a threat to the school’s existence is a big clue. It seems likely that he was trying to ice Ruben, not for any drugs he may have done but to stop the ritual he was doing. We don’t really know what it was about or how much he (Ruben) even knew about but it’s hard to imagine that it was a fun, chill ritual.

Lucy’s body seems to have been destroyed by a party of diverse adventurers, potentially her own party which would be messed up. But we have to consider the possibility that they didn’t do it on purpose. Those Rage Mages killed their friends in the mall fight and that wasn’t on purpose. And I can see dumbass teens covering their tracks.

Lucy being dead and her soul being trapped to her body makes the fact that Fig’s disguise didn’t phase her at the party even more baffling. Ivy, what games are you playing???

Lucy named Spot :(

Let the record show that my autocorrect also thinks that KP has four (dog) names:

#Dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #d20 #d20 spoilers #fantasy high #fantasy high spoilers #fhjy #fhjy spoilers #spoilers #the report card

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suzukiblu · 10 months

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Hi! I love too much of your writing to pick one myself, so can I ask for either transfemme Kon with amazon soulmates or trans Clark but not trans Kon for wip Wednesday?

transfemme Kon and her Amazon soulmoms:

He hears wind whipping through a cape and a thrumming, inhuman heartbeat, and a moment later Kal lands lightly on the street in front of him, frowning in faint concern. Which makes sense, since Kon is currently hanging out with a supervillain and his two favorite lackeys. That is definitely something Kal should find concerning. Kon sure as shit finds it concerning.

“Everything okay down here, Superboy?” Kal asks, his eyes briefly flicking towards Luthor. Kon only wishes Luthor were the problem here.

“I can’t answer that question without confusing myself,” he mutters with a grimace, hunching his shoulders.

“What?” Kal says with a deeper frown.

“Is your presence really necessary here, don't you have an intrepid reporter to compromise the marital vows of?” Luthor asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Please shut the fuck up,” Kon says, gritting his teeth. Fuck, like Kal would ever fuck with Lois Lane’s marriage, she’s his friend. Kon has no idea why she picked Clark Kent over Superman, mind, but if she has a thing for slightly incompetent farmboy reporters with shitty posture, that’s her prerogative or whatever.

He guesses the guy is kinda cute, if you squint. And if, like, you’re a fan of especially hapless and nerdy puppies.

Kon cannot imagine what their sex life must be like, though.

the one where Clark is trans and Kon is not:

“Fucking prick,” Kon snaps, and Match looks unimpressed. She wonders if Match cares about being insulted like that–like, gendered insults or whatever. She wonders if Match is her . . . not-actual-sister. If Match is just as much of a girl as she is.

As Kal isn’t.

She wishes she knew, though it’s not like it matters. Even if Match were a girl, she’d–he’d, they’d, not it’d–still be an asshole. Still be standing here in front of her calling her “difficult” because she isn’t going to let the Agenda chop her up for parts or unzip her DNA again or . . . whatever other fucked-up thing they wanna do with the dead body everyone would still be calling “Superboy”.

Kon can’t let herself die if she’s gonna be getting buried as Superboy. That’s just–not a thing that she can do.

It’s going to happen one day, she knows, but she’s not just gonna lay down and take it.

“Just give it up, Superboy,” Match says with a bored, disdainful expression, posture shifting into aggressive readiness; into a stance that could go from neutral to offensive in about two seconds flat. She’s seen it happen. She’s done it.

They’ve got the same body, after all, whether it’s right or wrong on both of them or not.

“Over your dead body,” Kon snarls, and then she thinks of the cell walls she slashed into with her TTK and throws herself at Match with her fists wrapped in invisible sharp edges like telekinetic brass knuckles. She needs to do damage, make Match think twice and fall back, and do it quick.

Though it’s admittedly not very smart to use a trick that Match could probably figure out how to copy, but when is she ever smart anyway? When has she ever been, even once?

#anonymous #wip: amazon kon #wip: trans clark and cis kon #long post

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discoverywriter · 6 months

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20 Questions For Writers

Didn’t actually get tagged on this, but it looked like a fun one. 🤣

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

AO3 says I have 24. Huh.

2. What is your total AO3 word count?

288,626 since I started in 2021, which seemed like a lot to me until I realized 179,551 of those belong to the second thing I ever wrote, a massive 4 part series covering from Rio’s resurrection to their inevitable HEA.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Veronica Mars brought me to AO3. The Punisher (Kastle) made me think for the first time about writing prompts, but it was the Good Girls (Brio) fandom that finally got me to put the proverbial pen to paper.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Even If It Hurts (Part 3 of Walk Through The Fire series)

2. Sanctuary (Part 2 of Walk Through The Fire series)

3. Get Your House In Order (Part 1 of Walk Through The Fire series)

4. By My Side (Part 4 of Walk Through The Fire series)

5. What Would Elizabeth Do?

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I try to, at least. Sorry if I’ve missed any, sometimes I lose track of the notification emails.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ooh, definitely Enemy of My Enemy. Hardest fic for me to finish. Not fluffy. No HEA. Rio is aaaaaangry.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hmm… there’s a lot to choose from cause I looooove a soft, fluffy Brio. If you can slog through the 4 part series, it covers the most ground, ending years after the show. It’s loosely based on canon to start, but veers off.

8. Do you get hate on your fics?

Hmm… Not really. Luckily just one I can think of. A vague accusation that all my ideas were suspiciously like a lot of other ones on AO3… except those other writers did it way better. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I blocked them and figured if anything, it meant I’d finally “made it”. 😂

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I try to. I aim for the kind I think people will enjoy reading, but I often alternate between worrying it’s either a little too cheesy, or over the top.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don’t, but I would never say never. There are some I would *love* for other people to write, though. Karen Page (Punisher) and Steve Rogers (Captain America)… Intrepid reporter interviews national hero after the Battle of New York. Neither are looking for anything, but sparks fly. Anyone? Anyone??? 🤣

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t think so?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but wouldn’t it be awesome if AO3 had a button that would do that automatically?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Again, no. I won’t say it would never happen, but I’m a bit of a lone wolf writer. Strict deadlines, etc are tough for me, so I think I’d find a co-writing situation very stressful.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

It has to be Brio. 🥰

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

This is a tough one. I don’t tend to release fics until they’re finished, so I don’t have any orphaned stories out there crying out for a happy ending. I do have a dozen or so ideas that are in various stages of completion. Some are almost done(ish), so I suspect the ones that are less likely to get finished are the ones that are literally a sentence fragment… barely a complete idea. I mean, they’re great random scattered thoughts, but… Yeah.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I’ve been told my Brio characterizations are good.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Hmmm… Dialogue and smut. My descriptions aren’t bad, but my writing style isn’t as “flowy” as I’d sometimes like.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I’m not bilingual, so if I include another language in a fic I tend to keep it fairly short and straightforward to lessen the chance of getting it wrong.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Good Girls. First and only.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I don’t mind rereading (most of) my own stuff. I have a special soft spot for ones where Brio interacts with the kids, like Smarter Than Your Average Gang Friend (Rio gets shown up by the Jane), and In Sickness (Jane’s sick and Rio shows Beth an uncharacteristic kindness).

Not tagging anyone in particular. Please, jump in!

#ask game #gg fanfic #brio #brio fanfiction

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desertfangs · 5 months

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2, 15, 23 - aunteat <3

Fandom Ask Meme!

2. OT3?

I've feel like I've had tons of OT3s in this fandom because let's face it, you put any of three of these vampires together and it's going to be a good time. They all just have such good dynamics and then you add another person and bam! It gets weirder in the best way.

My top 2 are Armand/Lestat/Daniel and Marius/Armand/Daniel. Apparently I just really love Daniel being a mediator/peacemaker between two guys who love each other but also love to set each other off like gasoline and matches. Which is extra fun because Armand and Daniel also have a tendency to set each other off, so things can get dramatic.

I can't choose. I wrote a lot of Armand/Lestat/Daniel last year (In City Never Sleeps the "Armand" is silent but actually a massive part of it and I wrote the threesome in some follow up fics). I've been more obsessed with Marius/Armand/Daniel lately, and I just wrote a 5-part plot-based fic with them that I am trying to convince myself to post.

15. Have you noticed your style change over time?

Oh, 100%. I've always been very dialogue heavy and character-driven as a writer, but I think I've gotten better at descriptions and balancing the elements of a story better. I also used to RP a lot so a lot of fan writing was for that, rather than contained stories like I write now, and it's really fun to really dig into the motivations and feelings of everyone in the scene.

23. Has your favourite character/ship changed over time?

Oh yes. When I first read the books, Louis was my favorite hands down. I did not like Armand very much. I held a grudge over what he'd done to Claudia/Louis, and Louis/Lestat were my ship. I read the books out of order so I read TotBT before QotD, and when I read that, I feel in love with Daniel - who doesn't love an intrepid reporter chasing after a vampire? (and Jesse! ILU girl!) and learned to appreciate Armand. I became a big DM shipper just in time for Daniel to vanish from the books for years. 😭 And I still love the dynamics of the four of them hanging out doing shenanigans, sometimes with Marius and others.

So Daniel became my favorite special guy second and I still love and empathize with Louis a whole lot.

Thank you so much for the ask!!!

#aunteat #answers in the desert #fandom ask meme #ask meme #armand/daniel #armand/lestat/daniel #marius/armand/daniel #daniel molloy #armand #marius de romanus #lestat de lioncourt

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fictionadventurer · 1 year

Text

Imaginary Book Recs Cover Thoughts: Round One

Two Passengers on the Last Train by A.G. Benedict: Obscure English literary fiction from the 1920s. I read it as a Gutenberg ebook, but the original cover was one of those clothbound classics with silhouette images. Any modern-day reprints are by very small publishing houses that provide minimal, low-budget covers using old illustrations (something like this version of Manalive.)

Song of the Seafolk by Marjorie A. Penrose: American children's fantasy from 1954, with illustrated cover typical of the era. Has had rerelease covers in subsequent decades (including one very nice painted cover from the '90s).

Bright Folly by Glorya M. Hayers: 1930s comedy mystery. Most representative cover is the mass-market paperback that looks like the more cartoony covers of Wimsey novels (like the editions that contain this version of Gaudy Night), though with a bit more of a sunny Wodehouse twist.

On Eternity's Doorstep by Willa Aldecott: Classic autobiographical novel about WWI nursing. Several rereleases over the years, all involving variations of historical photographs or historical-nursing-items on a colored background. (The Hiding Place keeps coming to mind as a cover comp, except with more sepia-toned photos and gentle browns and neutrals as background colors.)

The Queens of Wintermoon by Jessica Wagner: 1980s (or '90s, I can't remember) adult fantasy with an illustrated cover. A 2010s attempt to repackage it as a YA series split the book into four covers that each featured the heraldic symbol of the House of each of the four sisters (Raven, Eagle, Falcon, and Firebird) on a different jewel-toned background (probably blue, green, orange or red, and violet or black).

Caroline by Maria Layton: 1820s classic novel. Anything that's been done for an Austen book is applicable here.

The Lands of Dorothon series by Barbara Lamley: Off-brand versions of Narnia.

The Autumn Queen’s Promise by Rose Rennow: 1990s children's historical fantasy. Illustrated cover that combines the fantastical autumn colors of An Enchantment of Ravens with the more straightforward historical imagery of a book like The Sign of the Beaver or The Witch of Blackbird Pond.)

Island in the Stars by Carolyn Taylor Harris: 1970s children's science fantasy, with the period-accurate slightly wonky cartoony style.

The Camille series by Annette Nowell: Anne of Green Gables covers but with more exotic settings as the background. Both Camille in the Alps and Camille in the Andes involve her climbing mountains in intrepid Edwardian girl-reporter wear.

The Lakeshore Plan by Louise Zajac: Something between Swallows and Amazons and The Penderwicks. Could go full-on painted summer scenery, but simple drawings and/or silhouettes are also valid options.

Ever Miss Eliza by Charlotte Koning: 1940s slice-of-life light fiction. Honestly, I just picture the cover of D.E. Stevenson's Charlotte Fairlie, except the illustration is a woman in front of a rural schoolbuilding.

The Ocean’s Revenge by Edward G. Whitmore: 1940s pulp fiction in all its glory. Cover features a striking painting of a futuristic submarine in the grasp of a huge squid-creature.

The Book of All Days by Harriet Street: Painting of a little girl peering at an old-fashioned book.

The Guardian of the Nest by Aurelia T. Noah: 1960s children's fantasy. Probably a cloth-bound cover with the images (fairy tale carved right into the cover the way they are in some old books.

The Thief’s Debut by M.J. Ponders: Very recent indie-published fairy tale retelling that is unfortunately saddled with the genre-typical "girl in a sparkly prom dress" cover that probably involves her wearing a mask and standing in front of a vaguely Venetian-looking building. In a better world, it would get a digital-painted cover more along the lines of The Electrical Menagerie, (though the subject matter would be something between The Princess Bride and The Lies of Locke Lamora).

The Interdimensional Book Carrier by Martin Kaspar: Modern-day bestseller. Cover comps coming to mind are The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

#imaginary book recs #this is already long #and it's harder to gather up links for round two #so i'll stop here for now #but part 2 will be coming

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gritsandbrits · 1 year

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Power Ranger OCs: Fox Kids Era:

Moriah and Bianca Mauveine (Purple Ranger(Moriah)): Twin sisters and students at Angel Grove High. Moriah is the feisty laidback one with a passion for music; Bianca is the intrepid reporter ready to bust the Rangers secret identities. In the Zordon Era Moriah is the purple ranger; Bianca joins her In Space as an ally.

Maggie Phenomenous/Galaxy Purple: Professor Phenomenous's niece who ends up going on Terra Venture alone after her uncle misses the flight. She loves horses and works on the colony's stables to support herself during the trip. While sneaking away to another planet she discovers her destiny as a Galaxy Ranger.

Alya Carr/Lightspeed Purple: the scion of a paranormal/demon hunting legacy who forgoes her destiny to become... A school teacher! She's picked as a candidate but the thing is, she doesn't want to be a Ranger.....

Wilhelmina "Wendy" Collins/Time Force Purple: Wes Collins's baby sister who prefers street cars to the flashy limousine daddy bought for her birthday. She has surprising amount of empathy for those below her social standing. Her status as a troublemaker catches the attention - and annoyance - of her girlhood crush Eric Meyers.

Kyra Lyons/Wildforce Pink: Modern girl and phoneaholic who despises the great outdoors. The return of her long lost cousin Cole alongside finding a magical pink marble leads her on a journey of self discovery and justice for the tragedy that befell her family.

#power rangers oc #power rangers #faceclaims #ocs of color

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levitatingbiscuits · 1 year

Text

There's nothing more INFURIATING than a story that would have been a massive hit if it came out a decade ago so you join the fandom all eager to talk about your new blorbos AND THERE'S LIKE 3 PEOPLE

Anyway everyone go play Pedestal by Uri if you like rpgmaker games, mystery, intrepid reporters, multiple endings, gaslighting, and teenage girls who are secretly fucked up sociopaths. It's FREE TO DOWNLOAD and it only takes a few hours to complete.

plz

#pedestal game #pedestal uri

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catohphm · 1 year

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First Year Frantics

Hi everyone! Welcome to to a new fanfic about my HPHM MC, a Ravenclaw named Cato Reese. In this story it will be explored how he and his new friend Rowan Khanna faced the antics of the Slytherin school bully Merula Snyde in their first year and the consequences her actions would have on Cato's life at Hogwarts.

Fascination and excitement await in most, if not all first year students coming to Hogwarts. Cato Reese was no exception. The expulsion and disappearance of his older brother roughly a year before had been a point of contention in his family but it had been set aside by the busy working of their parents and the prospect of Cato's first term at the prestigious magic school.

However, it was inevitable that the young boy would become caught up in the social drama, rumors and discourse that circulated in the student body like many kids before him. It is important to note that the Daily Prophet had already been running stories on the Reese brothers before Cato first arrived at Hogwarts. From these articles many only knew him as a weird kid at risk for falling into the same dangerous path and misdeeds as Alex. This assessment came about from the Prophet's intrepid, scandalous reporting and the ignorance that collected as a result of little evidence of Alex's behavior at school available to the public. The coverage of his drama had a long-term impact on Cato's Hogwarts education as he arose into his teenage years.

What follows is a recount of a few encounters early in Cato's first year establishing his conflict and rivalry with the school bully Merula Snyde and other bullying and drama incidents later on. Through overcoming these hurdles, he became stronger, mature and confident as an individual.

While on their way to their first Potions Class with Professor Snape, Cato's new friend Rowan was ahead of him when they crossed paths with a Slytherin girl in their first year.

"Just look at what we have here in the halls on their way to potions." She said smugly. "You. Let me deal with your little friend here first and then you're next, Reese."

Back in Diagon Alley, the two Ravenclaws had agreed to look out to each other as friends. While reluctant at socializing, Cato was loyal and he would do his best to stand by his friends if they got into trouble.

Merula started to escalate her confrontation with Rowan. As Cato watched from a few inches back, shocked that this girl he didn't know knew his name, more so stopping them right there regardless, his brows slowly furled.

"What's your name, bookworm? Merula demanded. "R-Rowan, Rowan Khanna." Cato's friend answered nervously. "Oh, I see. You won't amount to anything, just like him." She said. "What do you know about Cato? He's just my friend." She continued "Reese is bound to be a heap of trouble just like his hothead brother, he'll only spell doom for this school. I won't let that happen again, for I will become the most powerful witch at Hogwarts."

Rowan didn't buy her proclamation "What? I seriously doubt that you're gonna earn any friends with that attitude" questioning Merula.

"Silence!" She snapped. "Admit that I'm the most powerful witch at Hogwarts." Rowan froze for a second with a shocked look on his face. "Admit it!!" she then yelled at him.

Cato had enough. He stopped in telling Merula "Please get away from my friend. Just leave him alone." in a serious tone.

"Coming in to save your weak little friend like a hero, Weirdy Reese? That will only make things worse. You're only gonna get exp-"

She was cut off by the school bell ringing and an agitated Professor Snape coming out of the potions classroom wanting to know what's taking them so long. He told the three to step inside the class and have a seat before he started taking off house points before being late, dismissing their tattles against each other.

The lesson went smoothly until the very end. Cato had just finished his Cure for Boils when the cauldron started smoking then burst. Everyone at his table springed back to avoid the many small debris flying everywhere while a very dismayed Snape confronted him.

"I knew you would only be trouble, Mr Reese." He said as he put his hands on the table in front of what remained of the cauldron. "Blasting the cauldron on your first day. Not looking good at all for you. Now explain yourself for this dire mishap."

"Professor, I swear, I didn't put anything in my potion that made it blow up." the Ravenclaw told Snape. "Is that true? Who may be responsible other than your very careless self?"

Rowan chimed in "I-I believe it was Merula, sir. She attempted to trifle with us in the halls but Cato told her to leave us alone."

"Is that true, Miss Snyde?

"No, professor." She denied "I'm telling you, they would do anything to make mine and others' time here difficult."

"Yes, Miss Snyde, I understand you come from a highly respected family and will do well to maintain and carry on the good name of their time-honored legacy." She nodded in agreement "Much obliged, professor."

"As for you, Mr. Reese, the mess and shame is on you. 20 points from Ravenclaw." Merula smirked and winked at Cato as the potions master deducted points from the eagle house. He looked down in shock and disappointed as Rowan looked at him with a hint of worry and concern.

The bell then rang. "Class dismissed." announced Snape as Cato and Rowan left their station. He then turned to the two Ravenclaws. "I've got my eye on you, Mr. Reese. On your best behavior you must be, the consequences for further fumbles will be servere. Carelessness and pranks have no business in my classroom, ever. Now get out of here before I take more points away from Ravenclaw."

Feeling rather intimidated by the imposing, cold and towering demeanor of the potions master, Cato was led out of the class by Rowan.

Later that day, Cato and Rowan explained what happened during potions to their perfect, Chester Davies. He produced a note addressed to Cato from Professor Snape.

It read:

Mister Reese,

Perhaps there is some truth to the claim that Miss Snyde botched your Cure for Boils. I have evidence proving that she may be guilty. I want you to head down to my storage and gather a few jars of Pickled Slugs I need for my next class. Return to me in my office adjacent to my classroom with them. Then will discuss the possibility of getting your lost 20 house points back for Ravenclaw.

Directions to my storeroom are on the back of this note.

Professor Snape

"I hope he means it and returns our points back."

Cato was skeptical. "I wouldn't be so sure, Chester. Professor Snape told me he would keep a close eye on me in his classes. He sounded quite serious about it. It doesn't make sense that he'd suddenly change his mind and want to work with me."

"He's right." agreed Rowan "Snape kept on denying our side of the matter. He constantly defended Merula because of her affluent family and her resolve to live up to that reputation."

"Perhaps," consider Chester. "I mean, Snape strongly prefers Slytherin students over other houses in his class. After all, he is the Head of Slytherin."

Cato nodded "That makes some sense, though the professor is still siding with a student just because of her family connections."

Raising an eyebrow, Chester pointed out "what's most peculiar about this message though is this handwriting. I can't argue that it looks like Snape's handwriting. It may be his." he noted. "If I were you, I would still go and check out what he seeks. Snape is no teacher you want to keep waiting at all."

Sharing Cato's skepticism, Rowan offered to accompany his friend to the potion master's storeroom. "It's the least I can do to help you after you stopped Merula." Without any second thoughts Cato agreed. "Sure, Rowan. Snape's letter seems real but I can't shake the feeling this may be a trap. We'll go together."

Following the directions on the note, they arrived at the supposed storeroom in the East Tower.

"Strange," said Rowan. "I thought the storeroom was in the Tapestry Corridor." His friend replied "True, like there may be others, but I don't know what's behind this door. Let's pull out our wands and be ready. Good thing Professor Flitwick already taught us Lumos."

Rowan nodded in agreement. The boys drew their wands. Cato went first and slowly creaked open the door, revealing a pitch black room. "Lumos!" he quietly called out. From the tip of the wand a powerful ball of light flashed out and around. It illuminated the room, revealing a huge array of large green spiked tentacles that revolted and let out a loud hiss in reaction to the blinding light. Cato went "No!" in a panicked gasp upon seeing the menacing green mass. He banged the door shut at once without forethought.

"Rowan! That isn't a potions storeroom. We've been duped. I saw what looked like a huge plant with tentacles in there." Cato's friend immediately knew what he was talking about. "That's a Devil's Snare, Cato. Those plants try to strangle their victims with their tentacles and tighten their grip when they try to resist. Weak to sunlight. They literally hate it and will pull back when any light source hits them." Rowan explained to him. "I know my mum mentioned them a few times. She used to be an herbologist. But I never expected to see such a dangerous plant at Hogwarts." Cato added.

Watching from behind a pillar about a foot away was Merula, she had been secretly observing the entire situation unfold. When she learned that Cato and Rowan had seen through her plan to scare them, she was angry that the Ravenclaws outsmarted her. The Slytherin girl left in a huff when Hagrid showed up to investigate the commotion. Determined to keep her ego covering her own insecurities and traumas afloat, she sought to learn some fighting spells with the intent to get back at Cato and Rowan.

Following the trouble on the first day, Cato was more wary of others outside of the security of his common room. Besides Rowan and those he knew since childhood, he didn't interact much with many others outside his house. An exception was Ben Copper, who spoke to Cato in the following days. The muggle-born Gryffindor boy admired his ability to stand to Merula, Ben was also a target of her bullying because of his blood status. She called him "mudblood" on the train while chasing him. This wrecked poor Ben's confidence in being able to meet new people. He elaborated that he had been watching the first encounter between Merula and the Ravenclaws unfold and observing her so that he would be able to avoid a future confrontation with her in the hall.

Cato understood the poor Gryffindor's predicament. He let Ben know that he got his back and that he would try his best to keep Merula at bay. More than grateful, they introduced themselves to each other and parted ways, Ben feeling a bit better that he found someone at Hogwarts who could be his friend and protect him from the Slytherin girl's tyranny.

To distract from Merula, Rowan helped Cato introduce himself to their fellow Ravenclaws. Out of the group, they got along with Badeea the most. Talbott was silent and distant, Tulip, who was still working with Merula at this point, wanted nothing to do with "weirdy Reese" and while Andre was friendly, he was cautious about getting close with Cato because of the rumors. Badeea however did not pay attention to the news as much. She liked to stay in the peace and quiet of painting pictures. Badeea happily invited Cato and Rowan to come and watch her paint after they complimented her artwork.

The two boys liked to watch her paint on weekends and offered her constructive advice. Badeea got to know them as they all conversed together during her work sessions. They would all bond over their shared appreciation for art and disdain for the drama surrounding the Reese family. Non-judgemental, Badeea assured both Cato and Rowan that they could always confide in her and she would be supportive of them.

In addition to watching Badeea paint, the boys found shared pleasure in the wizarding favorite gobstones. During these games, Cato and Rowan exchanged details about their respective lives at home and their family situations. Yet their peace would soon be disrupted by Merula.

The Ravenclaws were in the middle of a game one day when Merula noticed and approached them, obviously displeased with their presence. "I thought you two would have already been on the train home by now. You're just a danger to the school lurking around like this, weirdy Reese." The boys stood up. Wiith a scaredy glare, Cato responded "I thought I told you to stay away from us." Rowan spoke on his friend's side. "Don't we want anything to do with you? You tried to verbally pummel me on our first day." Cato then added "You blew up my cauldron! You put Bulbdadox powder in my Cure for Boils and made it bust."

Merula wasn't having any of it. "You two aren't making any of this simple. Should've just left quietly when you had the chance. Time we settle this in a duel, Reese." He was shocked. "What!? I don't know how to fight!" Rowan was just as well "M-m-me neither! They haven't taught us those kinds of spells yet." Not looking to fight or be in one, Cato then told Merula "Just me and Rowan alone and go back to your miserable day. You're the one who's a danger, not us."

The witch's face turned red. "That's it, weirdy Reese. I'm gonna make something out of the cowardly little Ravenclaw you are!" She quickly pulled out her wand at him and shouted "Flipendo!" ferociously. There was a bang and the beam from Merula's wand struck Cato, knocking him down to the cobblestone. He yelped and grunted in pain as he went down. Rowan shouted "Cato!" as he went to his side straight away. "Ow! Merula! What's wrong with you!? You just hit me with that spell."

She showed no remorse for hitting Cato, gloating instead. "Look at you spread out on the cold floor. Again if you only had just le-."

Angered that his best friend had gotten hurt over someone's stupidity and brashness, Rowan cut her off "Quiet, Merula! If a teacher saw this, they'd make sure your house would go down with you. This is not at all okay!"

She went "Hmph. You two are very lucky I'm backing off now. It would be too… dishonorable for me to hit someone wounded and needing tending to."

"How in Merlin's beard did you learn that spell?"

With rolling eyes, Merula answered "I've been training while you Ravenclaws have your heads stuck in books and homework. I don't see why any of you couldn't learn how to fight, spending all that free time in the library, not that it matters."

"Why?" asked Rowan.

"Cause I'm going to be the most powerful witch at Hogwarts and show you all I cannot be beaten. I hear you've been giving that poor mudblood Ben company."

The remark about the Gryffindor boy disgusted both Ravenclaws. "Merula!" Cato shouted at her while Rowan glared at her.

"Once I'm through with that filthy little horklump, I'll be after you both. Be ready, or not. Mark my words." the Slytherin ended before departing.

Cato exhaustedly told his friend as he lay on the cobblestone "We've got to learn how to defend ourselves if we're going to stop her." A concerned Rowan agreed "You're right, Cato. Merula doesn't appear that she's going to let up if no one does anything. She's been causing a ruckus all over Hogwarts."

This did not help the mood of Rowan's friend. "No one should have to be in fear of her."

"I'm with you on this and will be all the way, Cato. I will do my best to help you. Our common room should have some spell books for dueling."

"Yeah," said Cato. Defence Against the Dark Arts is a load of rubbish. Maybe we can also ask Professor Flitwick for help." Rowan agreed with his suggestion. "Our head of house was a dueling champion when he was a student here. He must know a few charms that can help you protect yourself against Merula."

"We'll have to ask him later," said Cato. We should get back to our common room now before our prefect gets too worried."

Rowan helped his friend back up onto his feet and they returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room together.

While Merula's attack on Cato was flagrantly past the line, it was an isolated incident they could not do much else about. A concerned Chester agreed with their assessment about learning self-defense to keep Merula at bay, but he advised Cato and Rowan to keep the matter on the down-low. Dueling was tightly regulated and unauthorized matches were not taken lightly by the teachers.

Cato's social confidence was also negatively impacted by Merula's actions. He was more avoidant of others and jumpy out in the halls. Already a shy boy with anxiety, the Slytherin's aggressive behavior only made Cato's situation worse. While his boundaries had been pushed greatly by Merula and others shoving the drama of his expelled brother and the Cursed Vaults in his face, Cato's loyalty and devotion to his friends kept him going as he gradually built up his strength studying dueling spells with Rowan in the event should they be pulled into such a confrontation with Merula again.

As they always did though, rumors of Cato and Rowan's struggles with Merula circulated throughout Hogwarts. They resonated with many others who had the misfortune of being subject to her torment and bullying. The boys did not know much of it, but many students were rooting for Cato to step up and put the menacing Slytherin in her place.

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kryptonbabe · 1 month

Text

DC's Mutants or How Perry White Won his 3rd Pulitzer

From Superman #265 (1973) by Elliot S! Maggin & Curt Swan

A normal day in Metropolis, and as we can see in the panel above that is Perry White deciding to stalk two unassuming citizens. Their crime? Wearing gloves. But first! Did you know Perry White won a Pulitzer prize? Well, actually he won three, two of them related to Superboy (the first one due to this interview young Clark gave him revealing he was an alien and the second one when Superboy revealed to Perry he was living in Metropolis... yeah, it's that easy). I'm only mentioning it because this is a story about how Perry White won his third Pulizer, and it all begins with the intrepid journalist pursuing a glove wearing couple.

During this time Morgan Edge owned the Daily Planet - I believe that happened in issue #233 of Superman - and he was not happy with Perry and his old ways, a traditional reporter, 20 years away from his last Pulitzer. In a way Perry shares Edge's frustration, he feels behind and powerless in this new position as Morgan undermines his editor role. I feel for Perry and that's why I'm ok with him following and questioning random people in the streets.

Suddenly the guy Perry approaches shoots him with an energy bolt from his fingers. Proving Perry's suspicions were right all along, the man still got it. This is just like his times covering the Korean War all over again.

Clark sees the energy bolt and realizes that is a job for Superman, while Perry feels like it is a job for a middle-aged journalist. They follow the couple to a heliport and there Clark, already as Superman, gets knocked out by their energy bolts, Perry then hides himself in the helicopter, tagging along with the gloved people.

When he wakes up Clark heads back to the Daily Planet and there he has to deal with the real menace to society: Steve Lombard's sex drive. He deals with it in a very silver age-y way and I approve of his methods. Glurgg indeed, Steve.

Meanwhile Perry gets off the helicopter, knocks out a guy, take his clothes, hides the body, applies some makeshift make up to his face and infiltrates the Air Force base he sees himself in. The feel of it is like watching a spy thriller, Perry getting cooler and cooler by the minute, he's proving something to Morgan Edge, proving something to himself. My favorite parts of the issue are the spy Perry White.

Enter Calixto, a government employee and mad scientist, who 20 years before planted a mutagenic substance in a atomic bomb testing (yeah, while Perry was winning a Pulitzer Calixto was violating human rights, the choices you make in life).

Calixto must have been a pretty smart guy because his mutagenic substance not only made the kids to be born mutants with specific energy powers and two opposite thumbs, but they were also weak to hypnosis. The amount of testing it must have take to achieve these results. I also like Maggin's logic here, if the evolution of the human opposite thumb made so many technical advances for our species possible, imagine having two thumbs, the possibilities could be endless.

Calixto's origins are weird, but his goals and methods of conquering are mad scientist villain 101, gather an army of mutants, mentally control them, take over an army base and plan a announcement to blackmail the world into submission. And he would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for Superman and meddling journalist Perry White.

Superman finds their base and does an anime girl spin trick he learned from Flash to fight their energy blasts. While at it he thinks "No force in the universe is completely irresistible!", and it is a hard hitting thought, especially coming from Clark whose powers are already seen as unstoppable. Coming from him this sentence goes to show how he doesn't believe completely in his own invulnerability, since no force in the universe is irresistible, himself included. Even the biggest challenges are not impossible to overcome... Am I reading too much into this? Probably, but it's cool anyways.

Proving this point... Superman goes straight to a wall of energy and passes out (for the second time in this issue, spending too much time with Hal Jordan maybe?).

To what undercover Perry reacts to with a surprisingly nonchalant "Hmmm..." that made me chuckle a little, Perry is adorable. His mind is cooking however, never doubt.

It's Superman's pal Perry White acting all spy-like again, this time he releases Superman from Calixto's jail, gives him the clothes of a guy he knocked out and suggests Clark to wear a pair of glasses as well.

So we have Clark as Superman disguised as a third person wearing glasses, it's a Russian doll scheme of secret identities. Perry almost figures out Superman wearing glasses looks uncannily like his colleague Clark, and he would probably win five Pulitzers at once for discovering that.

"Go sit on a pomegranate Calixto!" I don't think Calixto ever recovered from that comeback.

In a nearby desert Superman builds a giant tuning fork that disrupts Calixto's power over his mutants, their trance is over and they leave, now Calixto is alone and hysterical, absorbing a ton of energy to fight Supes. Then, in a very Superman fashion, when realizing Calixto's energy intake was exceeding his body limitations, Clark got in his way trying to save the man, to no avail though. The energy ray was too potent and the whole building blew up, leaving only Clark alive, crawling from a giant crater. Dramatic!

I think is cool how the mutants decided they would simply leave Earth after Calixto's death, they must've been up to date to their X-men reading, because I can't see things going well for people with two opposite thumbs here on Earth really.

Perry's reports his investigative work, his exclusive on Calixto's rise and downfall. I know Superman is close to the Planet crew and he helped to solve the whole Calixto crisis, but how many times is he called to comment on national developments like this? I'd gladly listen to his inputs so I'm not complaining, but I do wonder.

"But these mutants are the lucky ones... they at least had the choice to make!" do I feel a tinge of bitterness here Kal-el? Are you unhappy with our services? I mean, I know we're not the best but we're no Apokolips or I don't know... Warworld - I know we're bad, but are we worse then Warworld? Tell me Clark.

Overall, Curt Swan's art really fits the story, it's not over the top, the action is clean and the character's expressions elegant. Maggin's writing is charming, infusing the characters with a sense of purpose, especially Clark and obviously Perry. Calixto is more on the generic side, his mutants were interesting though, not exactly bad people, just manipulated, why did they chose to leave Earth? How are they now? In which planet are they? I have questions. Perry White is the main attraction of the issue for sure, he feels even more heroic than Superman, which is nice to see if you already like Super family characters and thinks investigative journalism is so cool (I do). I heard there's an Action Comics also written by Maggin in which Perry gains super powers... That's probably what I'm reading next. Thank you for reading this!

#superman #clark kent #kal-el #perry white #elliot s! maggin #curt swan #morgan edge #bronze age #comic review #single issue #review #text #dc comics #dc #comics #long and unnecessary deep dive #long ass post

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