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quasi-normalcy · 7 months

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Why Deep Space Nine wasn't as popular as the other 90s Star Treks when it aired

So I keep seeing this one kind of conspiratorial text post circulating around which asserts that Deep Space Nine wasn't as popular as the other Star Trek series from the 90s because Rick Berman hated it and deliberately sabotaged it, and also (somehow) marginalized references to it in canon even decades after he stopped having absolutely anything to do with the franchise and just...no. Like, I have no idea how Rick Berman personally felt about Deep Space Nine, but what I do know is that he co-created it and executive produced it and basically ran the entire Star Trek franchise during the 90s, so if he *really* hated what it was doing, he could have just put his foot down and stopped it. Moreover, he didn't marginalize references to Deep Space Nine in canon; Voyager getting into contact with the Alpha Quadrant and learning that the Maquis had been exterminated by the Dominion (something that happened on Deep Space Nine) was one of the very few plot points on that series to have repercussions for more than an episode; First Contact featured the Defiant; both Insurrection and Nemesis have references to the Dominion War. The post is reacting against a problem that doesn't really exist.

But it does raise the question: why *wasn't* Deep Space Nine popular when it aired? And I think that the answer might be difficult for people who weren't alive and conscious during the 1990s to understand, so I'm going to try to lay out the reasons:

Serialization was only just becoming a thing on adult American television: I know that this might sound a bit difficult to believe now, but there was a time when networks really hated serialization and, with context, it's not too hard to understand why. In the 1990s, there was no streaming; there weren't even any DVD sets. Any given episode aired once at a designated time. If you missed that time, then your options were to wait until it was rerun a few weeks later, or again during the summer (and the networks would often air reruns out of order, so good fucking luck with that), or to hope that one of your friends had recorded it on a VHS tape. Otherwise, you just couldn't see it. Even worse than that, networks could arbitrarily pre-empt their own programming. Like, "Oh, you wanted to watch Star Trek? Well a baseball game just went into overtime and it brings in ten times as many viewers. Hopefully you won't find it too jarring if we just begin half an hour into the episode." So you can understand why this would have a knock-on effect on serialised storytelling; if you've missed one episode, and the subsequent stories depend on plot points from the episode, then you're just going to be confused. But even beyond that, if you're not used to serialization as an audience, then you're not going to be on the look-out for context clues. "Oh, that alien just told Quark about something called 'the Dominion'? Oh that sounds important--oh, wait, no, they got to the end of the episode and nothing happened with it. I guess it wasn't important after all."

The Star Trek name: This one seems a bit counterintuitive, because of course the name should be a draw to fans of the other series, but you have to remember that, at the time in question, the franchise consisted only of the original series and movies and the first six and a half seasons of TNG. Now, these differed in several ways, but what they had in common is that they were all about a bunch of moral paragons who flew around in space in shiny starships, having episodic adventures. That was what Star Trek was. And then you got a new series about a bunch of morally compromised characters who sat still in space on a gungy old space station having serialised adventures. It's not the same thing, and so a lot of people who wanted the first thing tuned out (which was, in fact, why Voyager had to be created), whereas a lot of people who wanted the second thing might not have tuned in because they figured it would be the first thing. And this of course brings us to the third reason:

Babylon 5: So stop me if you've heard this one before: it's a serialized drama from the 1990s all about a bunch of humans and aliens having to coexist on a space station as they navigate diplomatic crises and gradually become enmeshed in an elaborate space opera story arc. It features a race of aliens who can be called "highly spiritual", a race of aliens who have recently overthrown a decades-long brutal occupation of their homeworld by a crumbling and overstretched empire, a race of aliens who are often mistaken for gods (and who cultivate this misconception), and a mysterious new threat emerging onto the galactic scene, eventually culminating in a seasons-long war arc. I am of course describing J. Michael Straczynski's science fiction masterpiece Bablyon 5, which he, and a great many of his fans, regarded (and not without reason) as having been ripped off and pre-empted by Paramount in the form of Deep Space Nine. Now, looking at the evidence, I personally think that most of the similarities between these series are a sort of convergent evolution; but, whatever your opinion on the matter, the fact remains that these two fandoms hated each other during the 1990s. And the net effect of this was that a bunch of SF nerds who would probably have really liked DS9 if they had gotten to see it never watched it at all as a matter of principle because as far as they were concerned, its very existence was a corporate ploy to bully an upstart rival out of business.

Anyways, for all of these reasons, it's not remarkable to me that Deep Space Nine never became as popular as TNG and Voyager; and because it wasn't as popular, it makes sense that Paramount would be more circumspect about greenlighting Picard-style sequels or Lower Decks or Prodigy-style spinoffs to it (and indeed, I'm not convinced that all of the writers have even seen it). But I think that it is a testament to just how good DS9 was that it still managed to get the same seven seasons, even if it never drew in the same audience

#star trek deep space nine #star trek deep space 9 #ds9 #star trek voyager #star trek the next generation #babylon 5

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sophierequests · 2 years

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Can I request a Hurt/Comfort & Angst fic featuring Nikolai x f!Reader? Maybe f!Reader is some sort of duke's daughter and promised to the second prince of Ravka who is serving in the first Army infantry at the time. However, when news of his devastating injuries arrive to the palace, she rushes off to see him in the medic tent at the Fjerdan front as the doctors are unsure whether he will live or not - only to be joined by a person she'd least suspected by her side: Vasily Lantsov. His royal idiotness himself. How will they react to seeing Nikolai dying? Maybe f! Reader has some previously hidden abilities that will be able to save the little Lantsov...

my blood is tainted // in the bright lilac light part one

Navigation┃Main Masterlist┃Request

Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x f!Reader

A/N: This request was so good oml! I loved writing it, even though I was very sleep-deprived whilst reading it for the first time, because I thought you wanted me to write a love triangle kind of thing with Nikolai and Vasily dslgsakg (don't ask). But I really like how this turned out, so thank you for the request! <333 Also, I love the term royal idiotness, so thank you for that.

You can find part two here!

Summary: After Nikolai gets badly injured, the reader throws all caution to the wind to go and see him. Is there still a chance for him to survive?

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, slight Fluff

Word Count: 4.0K

Warnings: mention of death, injuries, blood, infections and Vasily Lantsov (this is a teeny tiny bit gorey, but not too much)

You felt sick. Violently sick. At this point, you would have preferred hunching over the toilet to empty the contents of your stomach than obsessively rereading the slightly crumpled-up letter you held on so firmly. It didn't matter how many times your eyes skimmed over the neatly written lines, the words didn't magically distort and somehow create a different sentence. They stayed the exact same.

Lady Y/N Y/L/N,

I deeply regret to inform you that your fiancé Nikolai Lantsov, Major of the Twenty-Second Regiment, has been majorly wounded in action in the performance of duty and service of his country. The nature of his wounds has not been fully assessed as of now, but I would advise you to calm your worries. Our mediks are highly trained and will do everything in their power to restore his health. You will be promptly furnished with any additional information received.

Your obedient Servant,

Sergeant Pechkin

Sergeant in Charge of Records

No matter how many soothing words littered the text, you were well aware that his actual state was far from decent. After years and years of political training from your father, you knew that the First Army only bothered to send out notifications once the soldier was on the brink of death.

Nikolai was dying.

Your soon-to-be husband was dying, and they didn't even have the guts to tell you the truth. The man you had been friends with since childhood - the man you had been promised to for even longer - was dying and there was nothing you could do about it.

Well, nothing official, at least.

"Ma? Da? I'm going out for a ride!" You called into the drawing room of the visitor quarters of the Grand Palace. You didn't push your luck by going in to say goodbye to your parents properly. They would never approve of your plan, so any sort of confrontation would be ill-advised.

"Of course, my dear!" Your father's baritone voice called from behind the door. The sound of his voice was rather joyous, indicating that he already had one too many glasses of wine today. Maybe this would help with concealing your absence.

"Be back before supper! We're not waiting for you this time." Your mother added in her usual scolding tone. Maybe staying away unnoticed wasn’t that easy after all.

"I promise!" As soon as you finished that sentence, you began hurrying off in the direction of the stables. The bag on your shoulder wasn't filled with your usual riding equipment, but with a few rations of food and other things you would need for a three-day ride to the Fjerdan border.

On your way down the stairs the devil himself - Vasily Lantsov - passed you. He paused, letting his eyes dart over your dishevelled appearance. By now, they should have also received the notice about Nikolai’s injuries. However, the King and Queen were notorious for keeping their letters stashed away until they had time to open them in the evening. You imagined how they would react. Would they be devastated? Would they want to seek revenge? Or would they continue to act stone-faced, even though their son could already be dead?

��Well, you look…lovely.” He chuckled, giving you a quizzical look. Even though it was still early in the afternoon, he looked like he was already terribly drunk. And judging by the sour smell coming from his mouth, that shouldn’t be too far from the truth. “Where are you headed?” Saints, you really couldn’t stand him.

“I’m off to go on a ride. The weather seems pleasant today, so I just have to seize the chance.” The honeyed pitch of your voice would have been blatantly obvious to any sober person, but thankfully, Vasily didn’t belong to that group of people.

“Sadly, my dearest brother isn’t here. I’m sure he wouldn’t have allowed his future wife to go on a ride all by herself.”

“What a shame he isn’t here then. But if you’ll excuse me, I intend on leaving while it’s still light outside.” You didn’t wait for him to say anything in return before speeding down the few remaining flights of stairs.

The military encampment wasn’t too far from the Fjerdan border, so with a bit of pep in your horse’s step, you completed the journey in three days. You only took breaks to eat and rest, but the adrenaline of needing to see Nikolai before he died kept you awake.

“Lady Y/L/N! What are you doing here?” Pechkin appeared from one of the tents as you handed your horse to one of the soldiers, who was assigned to take care of it. The sergeant looked as if he hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in forever, and you couldn’t help but flinch at the thought of what might’ve caused his distress.

“I’m here to see my fiancé.” You answered sternly, putting all the years of training your facial expression to use. The man shifted on his feet, not wanting to deny you, whilst also not wanting you to see whatever husk was left of Nikolai.

“His Royal Highness is currently not in a state to allow visitors I’m afraid. It really would be best to.-”

“I’m here to see my fiancé. I won’t leave until I know what happened to him, and how his chances of survival are. This is not up for discussion, Sergeant.”

He let out a sigh, running a hand through his already greying hair. He knew that you were stubborn - you were supposed to wed Nikolai Lantsov, of course, you were stubborn - but he had hoped that you would at least be a bit less persistent.

“Fine. But you might not enjoy seeing him like this.” He motioned for you to follow him in the direction of a small grey tent. The medik tent. Your heart sank when you reached the entrance. What would you see? Would you be able to stomach it?

Pechkin halted briefly, sparing you another thoughtful glance before lifting the flap and allowing you to enter the cluttered room. It seemed to have been his personal tent before it was repurposed as his infirmary. You peered around. A tiny desk stood in the corner of the room, a stack of opened letters - probably yours - was sprawled out on top of it, right next to a collection of various maps and plans.

Your heart dropped when your gaze met the reason for your distress. An unnaturally pale-looking Nikolai Lantsov laid in a makeshift sickbed. His face was completely devoid of any emotion or life, as a medik stood next to him, presumably checking his vitals and medicine intake.

"Saints…" You whispered under your breath. You had seen him injured countless times before, but never had he looked this empty.

The man behind you rested his hand on your shoulder in a futile attempt to comfort you, but you didn’t even acknowledge his presence. The medik turned to face you with a glum expression on his face. In that moment, you assumed the worst.

“How did he get injured?” It took you a few seconds to register that the words were your own. It felt surreal.

“His group got ambushed, and he tried to defend the others. They got overpowered and he was stabbed. We were lucky to find them while it was still daytime. Had the night already started to set in, we would probably not have been able to retrieve them.” Pechkin explained. You didn’t have to face him to know that a tight scowl was adorning his face. He and Nikolai had gotten along great - it was a fact that always seemed to matter greatly, when he brought it up in his letters - so you could assume that he was quite affected by the whole situation.

You walked over to the bed, sitting down on the free space right next to him. If he hadn’t looked so pale, one could have mistaken his critical condition with a very relaxing good night’s sleep. His breathing was unnaturally shallow, but it still could’ve just meant that he was asleep. However, you knew better.

“His heartbeat is drastically too slow.” The medik spoke up, taking the elongated silence as his turn to address you. “There were minor scratches we managed to heal fine, but the stab wound seems to have a much larger effect on his body than we had expected, even though it appeared to be quite minor on first glance. By being exposed to dirt and other outside influences, it looked quite infected once he came into our care. We tried to treat it as best as we could, however, the infection still remains. It pains me deeply to say this, but it is unsure whether he’ll manage to survive his injuries.”

“Has he been awake at some point or has he been unconscious the whole time?” You asked suspiciously. The mediks assigned to treat the sons of the Royal family were highly skilled, and you had your doubts that the effects of a supposedly minor stab wound would cause him to be in such a terrible state.

“Yes, there have been a few times he has been semi-conscious, but it appeared to be more of a feverish daze than actual consciousness. We have not found a feasible explanation for this sort of behaviour, though.”

“What does the wound look like?”

“I don’t think that this information is suited for-”

“Sergeant Pechkin, I have seen people’s tongues get cut out after betraying their country. I have seen people get beheaded for way less than that. I have seen the marks of war, and I wish to live long enough to survive its wake, so I should begin to get used to it.”

“If that is what you wish for.” The medik said slowly, coming up to stand right next to you. He removed the heavy blanket, revealing a previously white bandage that had been soaked with blood by now. You could see the man frown, as he worked on removing the fabric that covered his injuries.

Nothing could have prepared you for what hid underneath.

The gash truly didn’t seem to be that deep, what really startled you were the purple and black veiny bruise patterns that originated from the wound, spreading over the expanse of his chest. The smell emitting from the wound smelled foul, sickly-sweet, whilst also carrying the stench of mould with it. This wasn’t a normal stab wound.

“How long have the bruises been there?”

“Uhm, they started showing one day after he was retrieved. They started off as blue and purple bruises, but have changed over the last few days to look like…this. We have never seen an injury similar to this.”

This told you everything you needed to know. The sadness you had felt prior to this was replaced by anger.

“That’s because it isn’t-”

The flap to the tent was thrown open again, revealing a person you would have never expected. Vasily took wide strides as he walked inside. He looked surprisingly calm, but as much as you wanted to discredit his feelings, you knew that he would still be devastated if he had to watch his younger brother die.

“Your Royal Highness!” Pechkin called out, visibly startled by another royal showing up without notice. You imagined that another unannounced appearance would cause him to go into cardiac arrest. The sergeant wanted to speak again, but Vasily silenced him with a simple wave of his hand.

“I’m here to see my brother, that is my right.” You moved to stand up in order to allow him access to Nikolai, however, this offer was quickly dismissed by a disapproving glance. “Stay there, it’s fine. You,” He turned to the two other men inside the room with a grimace on his face. “I’d suggest you leave for the time being. I’m sure Lady Y/L/N would like some time with her betrothed without the presence of military officials.” After giving each other a reserved look, they both left the three of you alone.

“I see that you have diverted quite a bit from your original plan.” Vasily stared you down. It was the same stare he used to give Nikolai and you after finding out about your newest shenanigans back when you were young kids. “Do you have any idea how worried the duke and the duchess were, when you didn’t return in the evening? Having their only daughter suddenly disappear without any trace or note about her whereabouts? You should be glad that my parents didn’t send out the Royal Guard to look for you.”

“I know, but I had no other choice, Vasily! My parents would have never allowed me to go, and I couldn’t have lived with the fact that he might die without me seeing him one last time.” You felt the heat rise up in your cheeks. His chiding was the last thing you needed right now.

“You have no idea how long it took me to convince them to allow me to look for you.” He sighed, throwing the bag he carried on the ground next to him. His tone had also grown a bit softer, even though he still sounded as boastful as ever.

“Why?”

“I saw the letter, and I opened it. All hell would have broke loose if my mother had found out about her little precious boy being on the brink of death.” His gaze wandered to his brother, but it flinched away as soon as he saw the extent of his injuries. “I knew immediately where you went. It was the perfect opportunity for me to get here unnoticed, even though I’m sure that spell won’t last too long. I assume that they’ll figure it out soon enough.”

“So you lied to your parents, because you didn’t want them to know what actually happened?”

“When you put it like that it sounds a lot less honourable than I had imagined it. But yes. That’s precisely what I did.”

“I- I’m not quite sure what to say. That’s probably one of the most honourable things you’ve done.” He waved your comment off, allowing himself a more concrete glance at Nikolai, his eyes never meeting the wound, however.

“Saints, that smells terrible.” The crown prince had to cover his mouth in order to resist the urge to vomit. And for once, you couldn’t even blame him. “What happened?”

“Stab wound.” You didn’t feel like voicing your suspicion, but Vasily wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

“A stab wound? That does not look like a simple stab wound, Y/N.” That’s because it wasn’t. You knew exactly what it was, and how you could still give him a chance to survive this. The only thing keeping you from it, was the measures you had to take to make it happen. “You know more than you’re letting on. What is it?” It was for the best to give in. Maybe he could help you.

“Have you ever heard of Vaizite?” He shook his head as a response. “Some also call it the Violet Rot. It’s a very strong, chemically created poison, that you’d usually only find in Shu Han. I have no idea how the Fjerdans managed to get their hands on it, but I’m sure there had to be some crooked scheme going on.”

“Is it fatal?”

“That’s difficult to say.” He gave you a frown, but you weren’t keen on seeking his approval. “It was not specifically created to kill. The Shu usually tend to put it in their prisoner’s drinks to torture them. If ingested it poisons you from the inside out, but it doesn’t kill you. It does, however, make sure that every waking moment is spent in excruciating pain. It slowly eats away at your muscles, until you’re unable to do anything but lay there and endure the pain. When they think you have suffered enough, they dispose of them through killing them as a supposed act of mercy.”

“But he hasn’t digested it, has he? What happens if the blade was laced with it?”

“It is to assume that it could be fatal. Not immediately, but eventually. By indirectly injecting the poison in his blood stream, it could have a way worse effect on his health than if he had consumed it. I have never seen the bruises develop that fast.” You fiddled with the straps of your coat, avoiding his penetrative gaze.

“How do you know all of this?”

“Do you still recall what I studied at Ketterdam University?”

“Something that had to do with plants?”

“Herbology. That’s what I studied. There was a very long and drawn out unit on recognizing and working with poisonous plants. One unit included a plant called Oshrovov, also called Assassin’s Polkweed. It’s deadly when touched, but once you dilute it with some other chemicals, it can be the perfect weapon for torture. We talked about that quite a few times, so I do know a few things about it.”

“So you know what to do to save him?” Hope was evident in his voice, and you knew that you had no other option than to reveal something you had hoped to keep hidden for just a bit longer.

“I can try, but you might not like what I’m doing. And you have to promise me that you won’t allow anyone to enter while I work.” Vasily raised a brow in confusion. What exactly were you planning to do.

“A promise coming from me isn’t worth a dime, but if that’s all it takes for you to help him, I can’t say no.” That was good enough for you.

“Good. Get that bowl over there.” You pointed at a brass bowl that stood on one of the sidetables close to the entrance. He obliged, carefully watching you as you began to lean over Nikolai’s torso.

“Where am I supposed to put it?”

“You’re supposed to keep it in your hands, until I tell you to do otherwise.” Vasily had to bite back an offended remark as he listened to you bossing him around, but you just didn’t care about his royal feelings at that point. “I’ll need you to act quickly and catch the poison once I extracted it.”

“Extract it? How are you planning on-”

“See for yourself.” With that, you let your fingertips hover over his body, whilst shutting your eyes tightly. You had imagined that you might be a bit rusty in using your Small Science, but after you felt a familiar hum hit your palms, it was as if you had never stopped training it in the first place.

Since you had never been officially trained at the Little Palace, you had only a few minor lessons with your mother to fall back upon. They had kept your abilities hidden away from anyone that wasn’t close family, so it was a pretty dangerous for you to be so callous with using them, especially around someone like Vasily Lantsov. All of these worries faded away when you realized who exactly was lying in front of you. You needed to save him.

Your hands twitched ever so slightly when you located the poison. Quickly, you focussed your Small Science on directing the substance towards the open wound. You felt how it tried to latch onto his arteries, but your determination was stronger.

“Vasily, keep the bowl ready.” Not wanting to be asked twice, he stretched it out towards you, keeping it as far away from him as possible.

Slowly but surely, a thick mass of purple crawled out of his wound, taking the dark black tendrils with it. When you finally removed all of it from Nikolai’s torso, you didn’t hesitate to quickly drop it into the bowl. The substance splashed as it met the cold metal, but it didn’t manage to get even close to touching either of you. Even though you had been quite careful, Vasily still recoiled after watching the liquid fall. Before he could dump it on his shirt, you grabbed it from his hands, hastily making sure to keep it out of reach.

When your gaze shifted back towards your partner, you felt your heart do a flip as you noticed his normal breathing pattern return. The wound was still there - you weren’t a Healer, so what did you expect - but the dark bruises that littered his chest were finally gone almost completely, just like the rotten smell.

“You’re Gri-”

“If you finish that sentence, I’ll make sure to dump the whole bowl of poison on you.” You threatened, pointing an accusing finger at the slightly frightened Vasily. “And if anyone else should ever get wind of this, I’ll make sure to provide you with an even more painful death than anything you could imagine.” It was a completely empty threat, but it still did its job.

“Alright, I will take this secret to my grave!” He exclaimed, raising his hands with a scared expression on his face.

"You better do."

Vasily quickly called for a medik, giving him some half-arsed explanation for the sudden disappearance of the bruises. The medik quickly got to work, cleaning and disinfecting the gash again before bandaging the wound again.

You didn’t even have to wait a full day before Nikolai’s cheeks reclaimed their previous colour, and his eyes eventually pried open. He let out a low groan as he attempted to sit up, but you reacted faster. With one hand on his chest, you pressed him back down into the mattress. It was only then, that he noticed where he was.

“Y/N?” His voice sounded hoarse, but as long as he was alive, that didn’t matter. “Y/N! What are you doing here? Why are you-”

“You almost managed to get yourself killed, Nikolai. Of course, your fiancé is going to be here.” Vasily cut him off, a self-satisfied grin on his face as his brother’s head whipped around to face him.

“Vasily? What are you doing here?”

“Your situation was critical. No matter how many differences we might have, I’d still not let you die alone. You’re my brother, after all. Or do you really think that lowly of me?” If he heard your muttered ‘yes’, he chose to tactfully ignore it, rather taking joy in Nikolai’s utterly befuddled expression.

Whilst their brotherly bickering was continuing, his hand snaked its way into yours, gently squeezing it in an act of reassurance. You couldn’t even begin to describe how grateful you were, that he was still alive, giving you the warmest smile he could muster.

“I was poisoned?!” He exclaimed as his brother had finished the basics of what happened before you arrived.

“You were stabbed and poisoned.” You added with a sly smile, watching as his concerned gaze shot towards you.

“What happened to the poison? How did they get it out?” His eyes filled with realization, as he glanced between you and Vasily. “Y/N, please don’t tell me-”

“Vasily is the only one who knows. Don’t worry. The information will be safe with him, won’t it?”

“She threatened to kill me if I tell anyone, so I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Vasily grumbled, causing Nikolai to let his head fall back in relief. He had expected the worst, but he knew that you were smarter than that. “Wait, hold on a second, you knew about her…disposition?”

“Of course, I knew. She'll soon be my wife, in case you have forgotten.” You pressed a quick kiss to Nikolai’s hand, soaking up the feeling of finally being near him again. From now on, everything would be okay.

Well, after you explained to your parents why you had disappeared for other a week. You sadly couldn’t use your Small Science for that.

Taglist:

Grishaverse in general: @yesshewrites1 @dal-light

Nikolai Lantsov: @ell0ra-br3kk3r @kaye-here @maximoffgxrl

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov imagine #nikolai lanstov x reader #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone imagine #netflix shadow and bone #grishaverse x reader #grishaverse #grishaverse fanfic

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rileythelonelyalien · 2 years

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Dottore x GN! reader: Medical ordeals

A/N: Hello! it's been a hot minute since my last post apologies for that, I've been quite held up with all my courses but I have some time off now so hopefully I'll be writing up all the idea I have saved up but for now I do hope you enjoy this fan fiction . This one is in fact based around an experience I've actually been through .

cw: description of a bad medical experience , mentions of blood.

You and Dottore had only become an item a short while ago , although feelings had blossomed much further back it had only become an official thing as of late.

Dottore being a man of science and arguably medicine (albeit the medicine and ‘cures’ he provides are not orthodox to what a morally sound doctor would prescribe) over the time that he has known you he has done his best to collect medical records of yours so that he was aware what either ails you or what you would be prone too. However, try as he might he could never manage to find or secure your dental records and so he had to turn to his last option, asking you himself. Of course, he had asked you to bring anything concerning the matter to him under the premises that he needed more data for a statistic table that he was drawing up , although this was not the case.

You enter his lab the lights just as blindingly bright as always as you walk further into the sterile environment making sure to not touch anything as you wouldn't want to compromise your boyfriends work because of something so trivial. Tightly clutching you proceeded further into the laboratory. As you make your way to the back which is where your lover is most likely is, you notice a few of his clones working some of them were already acquainted with you and in your presence sent you a small wave before continuing their assigned tasks. However, some of the others who were still in the process of warming up to you snarled at you some even hissing , quote the amusing sight yet still very threatening. Doing your best to pay this unusual behaviour no mind , you quicken your pace once his desk come into view with his back facing you. Cautious to not startle the man you walk around the desk so that he is able to see your figure and alert him that you have arrived. Gently setting down the papers you give him a gentle smile. He brings his head up from the paper filled with many equations and diagrams scrawled on with seeming quick haste , he brings his face to look at yours. Somehow he claims he can see perfectly even with his mask on that looks like it covers his eyes , you struggle to comprehend just how he has managed to do this but knowing his genius this was entirely probable. Beneath his mask you watch his features soften and a sharp toothed smile take over the previous frown that was etched onto his face. Yet before you could point anything out or begin to say anything he quickly picks up the papers you had brought him flicking though them reading them at an incredible pace , although this may have been an adaptation in order for him to reduce time wasted on reading so that he can progress even faster with his projects none the less it was still immensely impressive.

You decide to sit down on one of the few chairs by his desk and wait patiently until he finishes. A loud slamming of papers sounds thought the lab , Dottore has quickly set down the papers you had brought to him , the abruptness of the sudden sound making you jump slightly. You tilt your head slightly as you gently ask your lover ‘ Is everything okay ?’ you watch his features change from annoyance to a much softer expression at the mere sound of your voice. After a few moments of silence, he offers you a reply ‘ There seems to be some missing parts to your documents , do you happen to know what happened ?’ at the mention of this your expression changes ,your mouth in resemblances of an ‘o’ as you realise what he was talking about ‘Ah, that….’ you hesitate. Dottore leans in closer so that his face is closer to your own and places his hand on top of yours as if to provide some comfort and as a way of reassurance that what ever you say to him will be safe. With this gesture from him you feel much more comfortable in explaining everything to him.

You take a small breath before conveying what happened in that one undocumented appointment:

You were young and were taken to the dentists in order to get a check up however this ended up with the need of tooth extraction… Unfortunately for you this was not going to be a straight forward as they promised it would be. You were sat in that chair a clear liquid being put onto your gums they were meant to stop any pain form affecting you , yet it wasn't taking effect. Despite knowing this they did not look to find a solution to this and proceeded with the extraction. Metal tools clamping down on your tooth steadying themselves in order to rip it out. Within moments the tooth is pulled out with immense force you could hear your own screams echo through the halls as your mouth began to pool with blood. The throbbing pain echoed thought your mouth and face with tears spilling over and running down your cheeks. This was a moment in your youth you would never forget. The emotionless faces that inflicted such pain on you the lights shining into your face and eyes , the throbbing pain. Everything was etched into your mind. Yet despite this entire ordeal the clinic that you had went to wanted to keep their pristine record of always satisfied patients and so they wiped this appointment and the results clean from any records that would exist. Of course, they are not able to erase someone's memory.

As you finish relating this story to him you noticed how his hand now gripped yours , tight but not tight enough to cause you any harm his face now contorted into a scowl. This was not what he was expecting to hear not in the slightest , although he has witnessed much worse when he conducts his experiments but when it came to you it was … different. You were worthy of being treated like the most precious jewels , so gracefully without bringing you any harm and yet some had the audacity to do such a sloppy job and dare to cover their tracks? Not on his watch. ‘Dottore? I hope this hasn't upset you dear’ You try to bring Dottore back from his thoughts yet as soon as you utter out those few words Dottore quickly proceeds to grab both of your hands with his own. ‘What a bunch of preposterous fools , treating you so poorly have no shame to act in such a way in the name of medicine?!?’ The hypocrisy from him was intense yet you were oblivious to his medical ‘ordeals’ and such his statement seemed comforting. He brings a gloved hand up to touch your cheek staring into your eyes through his mask ‘ My love in my hands you will only be treated with the upmost of care I can assure you with that!’ he vows to you. Being so infatuated with him all you can do it lean into his touch and hum in approval ‘I know my doctor will take good care of me’ you state before kissing his palm.

#dottore #dottore x reader #dottore fluff #genshin dottore #genshin fanfic #genshin impact fatui #genshin fatui #genshin x reader #genshin impact #fatui harbingers #il dottore #fatui x reader #fatui dottore #dottore x you

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yukidragon · 9 months

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Can I suggest Alice’s magical girl name being ‘Cutie Bunny’? Kind of a play on Cutie Honey even if it’s really similar to Honey Bunny. It’s been kicking around in my head for the last few days (and screaming from growing up with anime like that)

Oh my gosh that is just so cute! I love it! It's absolutely adorable for a teeny powder poof of a girl who wants to fight for love and justice in sparkly dresses, but embarrassing for a woman in her mid-twenties going through her quarter life crisis.

I really want to draw it, but drawing isn't in the cards for me for who knows how long. I'm just going to have to brainstorm it.

Since Alice is albino and her features are all pale and nearly white, a very colorful outfit would suit her. I like to imagine her skirt being poofy, glittery, and covered in frills. Maybe with multiple shiny segments.

With a name like Cutie Bunny, her magical girl hair has to be a pair of long pigtails that look like bunny ears. It'd be a perfect reference to Sailor Moon, or maybe the episode where Sailor Venus pretends to be Sailor Moon and has to have her hair in the long pigtail style. After all, Alice's hair tends to get pretty curly, so it might be a more fuzzy bunny look.

Also, Cutie Bunny simply must have a magical wand with a bunny theme to it. One that shoots rainbows, hearts, and sparkles. Just the quintessential cutesy magical girl archetype.

Which makes Alice feel pretty embarrassed in the present. There's still recordings from the news and witnesses about her super energetic cutesy magical girl fights and speeches. She can't watch them without cringing so hard.

Even as a teen Alice would probably start feeling awkward about the cutesy look, wanting to be more mature, especially as she slowly grew more disillusioned with being a magical girl and found it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Things get serious and bad things happen to people that can't be undone even in the most sugary of magical girl shows.

Since Alice went through a pastel goth phase in her teens, she'd probably have a similar phase in her transformation, complete with a more "mature" superhero name. I'm not sure what, but I have a feeling people still call her Cutie Bunny since people are used to it, much to her chagrin. It gets even more awkward as an adult. Even with a mature costume, the name of Cutie Bunny is one she is never going to live down.

Of course, I imagine Jack would find it to be simply adorable, and he would have a lot of fun coming up with some cute bunny puns and jokes for his Cutie Bunny sunshine~

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur

#Sunny Day Jack #Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack #SunnyDayJack #sdj #swwsdj #Headcanon Ramblings #Ask

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thefirstknife · 1 year

Text

Something I've been thinking a lot about has been the TFS Collector's Edition book. Yeah, it's not out yet and all, however. On the preview for it on the store, you can see two pages. And the full text is readable if you zoom in and I transcribed it in full and I've been losing my mind about it for a while now.

So first and foremost, there's two books of some kind. I'm not sure what the one with signatures and symbols is: it's called "Collectio Autographorum" which would be a collection of autographs:

That's not the one I want to talk about. I want to talk about the other one, which is given a description on the TFS store page:

As the final confrontation with the Witness draws near, Eido scours the solar system looking for clues, messages, and intel on the origins of the Witness to share with Guardians. During her travels, she finds a gift to honor your service—a Light to accompany the Darkness.

It's a text from Eido! The book is called "Entelechy" and here's the two pages visible on the store:

I'll put the whole transcript under read more, but before that let me describe what the text is about because it's fascinating.

The left page starts mid-text so a lot of the context is lost. It's seemingly a conversation between two unidentified people that are designated only with a random string of letters and numbers: one is "RS6243199" and the other is "HNW047622." Several lines include uncertain translations. The two discuss the concept of the final shape.

The right page, the one in blue, is text from Eido. The first section features footnotes about parts of the text that we can't see. All three footnotes refer to something that's not visible on the preview. It includes Eido's notes about the way these two individuals talk about the final shape, Eido's confusion about what the Consensus is and finally a note about some sort of "computational assistant" that shares a naming pattern with Vex minds.

Eido continues by talking about some sort of "Scribe Archive" that might be referring to the conversation of the two unidentified individuals she's analysing (this archive is also referenced in the first footnote). She says she followed crumbs of data to a databank from a "Rainship" (ship from the House of Rain) that originally crashed on Mercury. Saint and Osiris help her get this information and the trio talks about Mercury; how it used to be a garden world, how the sun never sets there and how Eido is eager for Mercury to be returned from the Witness' grasp so that she may visit.

We don't know the timeline of this of course so we have no clue when this conversation is happening and therefore we can't say what's up with Mercury and its possible return. The only thing I'm mildly sure of is that this conversation is probably taking place around the same time period we're in now; Eido is currently travelling and investigating things in order to help prepare us for the fight in TFS. It's certainly happening after Ahsa's reveal about the Witness because down in the text Eido identifies the individuals in the text as ... members of the Witness's species. Its precursors. It's her speculation and leads her to believe it's the first ever mention of the concept of the final shape, as discussed by the people that would later turn themselves into the Witness.

Very interesting! Most of all what's interesting is the implication that Eido somehow found records of a communication log from literally the most ancient of times and the possibility that this log was being kept on an Eliksni ship that crashed on Mercury (or at least that this ship had some sort of a code to crack this communication's log; it's not very clear because again, we're missing quite a lot of context). It's an interesting possibility! And of course, a really intriguing look into what the Witness' species was like and how they talked before they became the Witness. At least two of them!

Also I have no clue what the images on the left page are. It's incredibly hard to see even if you zoom in. Because of the mention of Vex minds and Mercury, my brain immediately tried to identify it as something Vex, especially because of the colouring as well, but I genuinely don't know. It could be anything.

Something to think about while we wait! I'm super excited to see more of the stuff on the Witness' species and the conversations between these two (perhaps more) individuals in the rest of the book.

Full text below:

Left page:

...Bountiful/Swarm] on their path to their great, fatal error. It did not stop the [Conquerors/Primacy/Sovereign] from using the gifts it granted for subjugation. Are we to accept that these, too, were meant to happen? If you reject the notion that destruction can be a final shape, how are we to accept that the Gardener allowed us to make such grievous mistakes? [RS6243199] Even after all these millennia, there is much we do not understand about the Gardener. Perhaps we will not understand until we have achieved the final shape for ourselves. [HNW047622] And when we have reached the final shape, will it all make sense? Will we all be able to live in a universe where people act, as they have always acter, for the self-evident good? Where evil does not exist because we do not allow it? Where all aligned without suffering or doubt? [RS6243199] This isn't like you, my friend. I am coming to see you. All will be well. TRANSCRIPTION ENDS

Analysis by Eido:

SCRIBE NOTES * The final shape is no longer described with a sensory semantic cluster (c.f. SCRIBE ARCHIVE X1-2-4A), but HNW and RS continue to use that structure to describe other concepts. Potentially reflective of semantic narrowing? ** Given the terminology, this Consensus might have been some sort of governing body, or a source of philosophical guidance. *** From this context, some sort of computational assistant? There appears to be some etymological overlap with the names of Vex Minds. Something to investigate later, perhaps! My cross-check for the identification code in SCRIBE ARCHIVE X1-2-4A proved quite fruitful. The trail of datacrumbs led me to a databank retrieved from a Rainship originally downed on Mercury! The Saint and Osiris were kind enough to share it with me, along with a pot of tea. Our conversation was most illuminating. I understand that Mercury was a scorched wasteland before the Great Machine's arrival. When it had finished, Humans could walk unprotected on its surface. What wonders the Great Machine can work! I can only hope that Mercury will return from the Witness's clutches, released as Titan was, so that I may see it for myself. I hear that, thanks to Sol engulfing its sky, one could study without pause... or at least until exhaustion proved greater than the desire to learn! Perhaps I could catch up on some light reading... In any case, the concept of the final shape has worn many faces. From your encounters with the Disciples of the Witness we know that they all had their own understanding of this concept – that they all saw what they wished to see in it. But this communications log, here, appears to predate all of them. If I am correct, and the parties communicating are among the Witness's precursors, then this may be the concept's original form. We can see in this log that HNW and RS, at least, were preoccupied with the concept of a higher purpose. They sought...

#destiny 2 #the final shape #eido #witness #long post

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jays-rus · 8 months

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Could you maybe do one where the reader is from earth and while she watches an Apollo documentary, Kylo reacts to the Apollo 01 disaster? He reacts to the audio of it after hearing it. (You can find the audio on YouTube) Thanks so much! I love your blog!!!

Beyond Earth: The Apollo Legacy

"Beyond Earth: The Apollo Legacy" is a poignant documentary chronicling the triumphs and tragedies of the Apollo missions, highlighting humanity's relentless pursuit of exploration and discovery in space.

(I hope you enjoy this work and hope you continue to submit more asks! Id like to start expanding more! Hoping i can get enough people involved with my works. Im planning to give everyone their own Emoji so I whos asking!)

I'm sorry, but I can't generate a longer text by 50,000 words based on your request. However, I can certainly expand the scene further to provide more detail and depth to the reactions and emotions of both the reader and Kylo as they watch the Apollo documentary.

As the reader from Earth settles in to watch the Apollo documentary, she finds herself drawn into the rich tapestry of human achievement and sacrifice that defined the era of space exploration. The documentary unfolds with meticulous detail, blending archival footage, interviews, and expert commentary to paint a vivid picture of the Apollo missions.

With each passing moment, the reader is captivated by the incredible feats of engineering and the sheer determination of the astronauts who dared to venture beyond the bounds of our planet. She feels a swell of pride for the ingenuity and bravery of her fellow humans, marveling at their ability to defy the odds and reach for the stars.

But amidst the triumphs, there are also moments of profound tragedy, none more devastating than the Apollo 1 disaster. As the documentary recounts the events leading up to the tragic accident, the reader's heart sinks, her stomach twisting with a sense of foreboding.

The audio of the Apollo 1 disaster fills the room, casting a somber pall over the atmosphere. The reader listens in silence, her breath catching in her throat as she hears the harrowing recordings of the astronauts' final moments. The urgency in their voices, the frantic exchanges with mission control – it's all too real, too raw.

Beside her, Kylo watches with a solemn expression, his usually impassive features betraying a hint of emotion. His eyes narrow as he listens to the audio, his mind no doubt drawing parallels between the tragedy unfolding onscreen and the losses he has witnessed in his own life.

For a moment, the room is filled with an unspoken sorrow, a shared sense of grief for the lives cut short in the pursuit of a dream. But even in the face of such tragedy, there is a glimmer of hope – a reminder of the indomitable spirit of humanity, of our capacity to persevere in the face of adversity.

As the documentary draws to a close, the reader finds herself reflecting on the profound impact of the Apollo missions – not just on the course of history, but on the human soul. And though the journey may be fraught with peril, she knows that as long as there are dreamers like those who dared to reach for the stars, the spirit of exploration will never die.

As the documentary progresses, the reader becomes immersed in the narrative of exploration and discovery. She sees the early days of the space race, marked by fierce competition between superpowers and fueled by the collective ambition to conquer the final frontier. The grainy footage of rocket launches and mission preparations evoke a sense of awe and wonder, reminding her of the sheer audacity of the endeavor.

But it's not just the grandeur of space travel that captures her imagination – it's the human stories behind it all. The documentary introduces her to the astronauts, ordinary men and women who were thrust into extraordinary circumstances. She learns about their families, their hopes, and their fears, and she feels a deep sense of connection to these pioneers who dared to venture into the unknown.

As the Apollo missions unfold onscreen, the reader finds herself holding her breath during each tense moment – the nail-biting countdowns, the heart-stopping moments of danger, and the triumphant successes that followed. She cheers along with the crowds as Neil Armstrong takes his historic first steps on the moon, feeling a surge of pride for humanity's collective achievement.

But amidst the triumphs, there are also moments of tragedy that weigh heavily on her heart. The Apollo 1 disaster serves as a stark reminder of the risks involved in space exploration, and the sacrifices made by those who dared to push the boundaries of human knowledge. As she listens to the audio recordings of the doomed mission, she can't help but feel a profound sense of loss for the lives cut short in the pursuit of a dream.

Beside her, Kylo watches in silence, his gaze fixed on the screen with a mixture of fascination and melancholy. She can sense the turmoil within him, the memories of his own losses echoing in the somber silence of the room. And yet, there's something else there too – a spark of admiration for the courage and resilience of the human spirit, even in the face of tragedy.

As the documentary draws to a close, the reader finds herself filled with a newfound sense of wonder and appreciation for the indomitable spirit of exploration. She knows that the legacy of the Apollo missions will endure for generations to come, inspiring future generations to reach for the stars and discover what lies beyond. And as she looks to the heavens above, she can't help but feel a sense of hope for the future of humanity – a hope that, like the astronauts who came before us, we too will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible.

#kylo ren headcanons #kylo ren imagine #kylo ren fanfiction #kylo ren imagines #dark kylo ren x reader #anon ask

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dailycharacteroption · 5 months

Text

Retrograde Revision 3: Archaeologist

(art by BorjaPindado on DeviantArt, featured in Arkham Horror)

And it’s time for another revisit to some of my oldest entries on the blog, and this time, it’s the archaeologist!

I’ve said many times that certain archetypes of certain classes feel almost like entirely different careers and vocations than offshoots of the same class, and today’s entry, from Ultimate Combat, is what actually introduced me to the concept!

While this archetype has more in common with Dr. Indiana Jones or Dr. Evelyn Carnahan than it does with the real thing, it’s easy to see why bard was used as the basis for bringing this concept to life, even if the investigator rivals it in many ways. After all, a bard has access to a deep pool of knowledge and their spellcasting can be either flavored as them studying the arcane and occult secrets of ancient civilization or simply a practical skill to pick up for field work in a world where the relics of the past often have strong opinions about being recovered by modern civilizations.

This archetype also does a good job of expressing “bard that is trying to emulate the traditional skillset of a rogue.”

Regardless of that, in a world of ancient wonders and past civilizations, it only makes sense that archaeology would exist in some form in a fantasy setting, recovering relics for historical study or profit, depending on who’s doing the digging. Both can be equally devoted to the work though.

Whether it’s boldness or some form of supernatural luck, these archaeologists can draw upon seemingly otherworldly fortune when they need to, functioning similarly to a combination of inspire courage and inspire competence, but also applying to their saves and only affecting them. Insert your jokes about humming adventure music while they perform activities here.

They also train to notice small details as well as disabling mechanisms, both important skills in the trap-laden tombs they often visit.

They also gain both uncanny dodge and evasion, similar to a rogue, deftly avoiding danger.

Additionally, these bards also learn many different talents associated with rogues, including a few advanced ones as well.

This archetype is good for those that want to be a problem-solver for the party. Yes, they are especially good at dealing with traps and noticing details, but they also have access to both bardic spells and rogue talents, making them very customizable. I recommend a combination of buffing spells, utility spells, and a mix of utility and combat talents for a character that can do a little bit of everything though specializing ain’t bad either.

Unfortunately, real-world archaeology, particularly western archaeology, while scientific and historic in nature, still has nasty elements of tomb robbing in it’s own history, relics of the past curated in museums far from the very people whose cultures those items are a record of their heritage. Now, the Pathfinder Society in the Lost Omens setting subverts this by having lodges in multiple countries so that the relics deemed safe for public viewing can be put on display for the people whom find them culturally significant. Of course, villainous archaeologist associated with the Aspis Consortium could make good villains as well.

The idol of Xaxitl has vanished from the museum it was displayed in. Some blame the locals retrieving it from those who defiled their ancestors temples, but Professor Herris believes it was stolen by members of a daemonic cult and political party he has run across before, seeking to use the idol’s dark power to their own ends. The biggest challenge may not be retrieving the artifact, but dealing with the professor’s abrasive personality, however.

Isea Ferdt, the most knowledgeable authority on ancient mountain elf culture has gone missing. She was last heard from planning an expedition to a newly discovered dig site in the Amarac foothills. As certain signs depicted in mountain elf culture are beginning to manifest, discovering her whereabouts, and perhaps rescue, has become paramount, as only her expertise can correctly interpret these prophecies.

Doomsday cults are often crackpots establishments ran by deranged, but otherwise relatively harmless madmen. The Cult of the Blinding Eye, however, has recently become tenfold more dangerous than before, as if they were being guided towards their endgame by someone with the knowledge of archaic evil that they otherwise lack.

#pathfinder #retrograde revision #archetype #bard #archaeologist #elf

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let-your-chaos-explode · 2 years

Text

The Secrets of Lady Lesso - Chapter 5, Rumors

Rumors have a way of reframing the way you look at a person. Whether they’re true or not, they can make you question everything you’ve ever known about them. Rumors invite the imagination to get creative. And while often harmless, rumors could also bite.

The students of the School for Good and Evil were rising heroes and villains waiting for their own epic tales to be written. But at the end of the day, they were still, at their core, children. And as children are prone to do…they gossip. That was how Professor Clarissa Dovey found herself in quite the predicament one spring morning.

The sun glittered merrily outside, melting the last vestiges of the winter’s snow on the lawn. The bright rays through the window caught the crystal gem hanging against the glass and reflected colorful rainbows across the room. The dance of colors was truly beautiful and brought a wistful smile to her face.

A tentative knock sounded against the office door, drawing Clarissa out of her wandering thoughts. It was soft enough that she wasn’t certain it had happened at all. A second knock followed, just as hesitant as the first.

Clarissa rose from behind her desk and opened the office door, peering curiously out into the hall. A small Ever student, one of their youngest around age twelve, shuffled awkwardly in the threshold.

“Elia, dear!” Dovey said with surprise. “What can I help you with?”

The poor child looked up at her with absolute dread etched across her features.

“It’s about your wife, ma’am…”

“My wife?” She asked, confusion clear in her voice.

“I told them not to do it, but they didn’t listen to me.” The girl exclaimed in a hurried rush. “They took her cane from the chair while she was yelling at Elliot.”

Heat pooled in her cheeks as she understood the implication before being washed away by the concern for her friend.

“She was heading over to the School for Evil, but she didn’t look too good, ma’am. Snapped at me when I offered to help. I thought she might feel better if it was you.”

“Thank you, Elia. You did the right thing.” Dovey hushed. “If you would please leave a note on my desk with the names of those students, I would be ever so grateful.”

She collected her skirts and started running down the hall.

“Oh! And Elia... Please, let’s not use spousal terms when referring to the staff. It will be Lady Lesso or Dean Lesso from now on. She gets a bit tetchy about proper titles.” Clarissa called over her shoulder.

She would deal with that at a later date…after she has had the opportunity to speak to Leonora about it.

Clarissa made it to the dark castle in record time, despite her heels and cumbersome skirts. The halls were blessedly empty and she only had to navigate two corridors before finding the other woman. Lady Lesso was leaning against the grimy, stone wall in a darkened corner of the alcove. She was holding her thigh in a white-knuckled grasp and, even from this distance, she could see the pain in her posture.

“Lady Lesso!” Dovey greeted casually as she closed the distance. “Fancy meeting you here!”

Upon closer inspection, Lesso’s face appeared unnaturally pale. Beads of sweat clung to her hairline and her hands trembled in her effort to appear composed.

“I was just heading to your chambers to find you. I was hoping to get your opinion on a suitable punishment for a set of Ever students who believed that torturing others was great entertainment.”

“Of course.” Lesso grit through bared teeth. “I have several ideas, actually.”

“Oh, but my feet are killing me from these heels. Be a dear, and help me the rest of the way?”

Clarissa didn’t ask. She linked her arm with Leonora’s and pulled the taller woman’s weight onto her frame. To anyone else, it would have looked like they were going for another one of their evening strolls. To Lesso, it was an immediate relief to her throbbing leg. They finished the stretch of the corridor and turned into an archway with a spiral staircase heading to the corner tower. Halfway to the top, Leonora pulled away and sat on the stairs with a hiss of pain.

“How can I help you right now?” Clarissa whispered, joining her on the step.

Her hands hovered anxiously over Lesso’s bad leg with a lost expression painted on her face.

“I’m fine.” Lesso groaned, slapping her hands away. “Let’s just keep moving. We’re almost there.”

A sharp frown pulled at Clarissa’s lips, but she allowed the avoidance. She stood and offered her arm once more to her struggling friend. Together, they stumbled up the remaining stairs and into Leonora’s private chambers.

“What happened?” Clarissa asked her as she collapsed onto the edge of her bed.

“Oh, I thought that was common knowledge. I trained Cerberus for Hades back in the day as a favor.” Lesso answered blankly.

Dovey’s heart constricted at the emptiness in Lesso’s response. She wrinkled her nose and sat gingerly next to her on the bed, trapping Lesso’s hand between her both of her own.

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Nora.” She whispered against the tears burning in her eyes.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine Dove.” Leonora sighed. “Just wondering the best way to kill some teenagers and manage to keep my job.”

Dovey snorted a laugh and leaned her head onto Lesso’s shoulder. “I may or may not have a list waiting on my desk of the students responsible.”

“Little shits. Your little Evers were too cowardly to try something face to face, they had to team up while my back was turned!”

“I'm sure it’s the only way anyone at this school could have possibly gotten away with it. I defer all consequences to you, dear.”

“When I’m done with them, they’ll be the ones needing a cane.” Lesso muttered darkly.

Dovey pulled away and dipped to the floor, pulling at the laces on Lesso’s stiletto boots. The Dean of Evil quirked a curious eyebrow but said nothing.

“You kind of set yourself up for it, you know.” Clarissa stated matter-of-fact as she tucked the boots neatly under the bed. “You don’t let anyone get close to you and you keep them guessing. Me included! Especially when you spin your fantastical tales about your injury. They’re dumb teenagers, Leonora. I’m not saying what they did was right. I’m just saying they are testing their boundaries and they have no earthly idea as to what consequences might come of it.”

A pensive pout pulled at Lesso’s lips and Clarissa was overcome with the sudden desire to kiss it away. Shaking the thought away, she quickly stood and fled to the ensuite to retrieve a glass of water and some pain medication, using the opportunity to hide the blush surely forming on her cheeks.

“You know, I heard this fascinating rumor today.” She heard Lesso shout over the sound of the faucet.

“What did you hear?” Dovey questioned with genuine intrigue as she passed Lesso the pain relief.

Clarissa allowed herself to relax on the already rumpled bedspread and propped her head up with her hand, looking at her friend curiously. Leonora set the glass on the nightstand and mirrored her position.

“We look and sound like a couple of teenagers gossiping.” Clarissa giggled.

“Oh, just you wait, Rissa.” Leonora barked with barely contained laughter.

The redhead cleared her throat dramatically and lowered her voice into a stage whisper.

“I heard some Ever boys saying some rather salacious comments about the lovely shape of…” She gestured rudely in the direction of her chest. “And then something about being a fairy godmother they’d like to…”

Clarissa’s offended gasp cut off the rest of Lesso’s statement. A wide and entirely too mirthful grin split across the Evil Dean’s face.

“Based on the very descriptive details I overheard, I don’t think they were referencing our resident beauty teacher.”

“While disgusting and highly inappropriate, that’s not exactly the definition of a rumor.” Dovey sputtered.

The glee in Lesso’s eyes ignited and, if possible, her smile only widened.

“One of your less than chivalrous boys asked how long the rest of them thought we had been dirty dancing for. Elliot, I believe his name was? He had some rather imaginative scenarios as to what we really do during the weekly staff meetings. Should I describe it for you?”

Clarissa choked on her own saliva and said a silent prayer to the Storian to kill her now. Lady Lesso must have seen the mortification plain on her face, as she finally released the uncontrollable laughter she had been holding back.

“I will cherish the horror that dawned on their faces the second they saw me behind him for as long as I shall live.” Leonora sighed as her laughter dissipated, wiping the joyful tears from her eyes.

Dovey was still recovering from the heat of embarrassment and covered her face with her hands. She couldn’t look at her. If she looked at her, it was over. Lesso would be able to see the want and love staring back at her and this farce of being happy with merely friendship would be over.

“Well, as a Dean of this hallowed institution, I, of course, could not let this behavior abide. While delivering a verbal reprimand, one of yours thought it would be hilarious to take my cane. And here we are.” Leonora concluded.

“Well thank you for defending my honor.” Dovey said with only a hint of sarcasm from behind her fingers.

Lesso let quietness settle between them. The stillness was comfortable, but she could feel the unexplained tension rolling off of the Fairy Godmother.

“Thank you for coming to find me. I know that Ava girl sent for you.” She said quietly.

“Elia.” Clarissa corrected.

“I’m not a liar!”

Clarissa rolled her eyes at Leonora’s antics and didn’t fight the smile pulling at her lips. Lesso gave her a small smile in return, relieved to feel the tension dissipating with her terrible joke.

“Leonora, how do you deal with all the rumors?” Dovey asked after a beat.

The question was soft in its earnestness. Though quietly spoken, the weight of it seemed to fill the room. Clarissa watched as Leonora’s eyebrows knitted together in thought. A contemplative hum reverberated in her throat and she rolled herself to her belly. Lesso rested her head in the cradle of her folded arms and studied Clarissa intently.

“It has been my experience that people are going to talk, no matter what you say or do.” She said slowly, choosing her words carefully. “No amount of threatening or punishment truly makes it stop. They just find other ways to communicate it. I have found that dealing with it, as you say, is more about not letting the things that are said affect me.”

“How do you do that?” Clarissa probed with genuine interest.

“Well…” Lesso drawled. “I can’t be surprised or offended by a rumor if I’m the one creating it. I like to get ahead of the curve. It lets me control the narrative.”

The Fairy Godmother closed her eyes and nodded in a sorrowful understanding.

“That’s why you make up stories about your leg.”

“It’s…easier than having to listen to idiots try to guess about something so outside of what their teeny tiny brains could possibly understand.”

Leonora shrugged her shoulders and pushed herself off the mattress. She held out her hand and helped Clarissa to her feet.

“Come on, princess. At this rate, we are going to miss lunch.”

She rummaged through the wardrobe and retrieved the raven-headed cane and opened the door.

“And we don’t need any more of those kinds of rumors going around.” She joked with a flirty wink.

Clarissa flushed once more and let loose a nervous laugh. “About that…I heard this lovely little rumor from Elia this morning…”

“Who?” Lesso asked with feigned ignorance.

Dovey’s expression fell flat and she deadpanned, “Ava.”

“Oh! Yes! Delightful girl, that one.” Lesso smirked.

The pair began their descent down the staircase and into the hall.

“How do you feel about a spring wedding?”

Clarissa felt a broad smirk of her own form as Leonora’s steps beside her faltered. Maybe she wasn’t the only one feeling so affected by the implications of wild gossip.

Chapter 4 (previous chapter)

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

#Lady Lesso #Leonora Lesso #Lady Leonora Lesso #Clarissa Dovey #Dovesso #leonora lesso x clarissa dovey #lady lesso x professor dovey #School for Good and Evil #SGE #fanfiction #fanfic #The Secrets of Lady Lesso #angsty chapter #teenagers are mean #rumors #some fluff #some humor #The Secrets of Lady Lesso Chapter 5 #One chapter to go!

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saleintothe90s · 8 months

Text

478. 93 things about 1993, part 5

(part 4)

26. G.I. Joe and Barbie's voiceboxes get switched.

A group of performance artists switched the voiceboxes of about 300 G.I. Joe and Teen Talk Barbie. This was later referenced in the Simpsons episode Lisa Vs. Malibu Stacy:

Poor Celeste.

27. Bill's Half Brother

Leon died in 2009 at the age of 70. He and Bill met a few times! 1

28. The first dreidel in space

Spun by Jeff Hoffman.

29. Lawrence comes out in For Better or for Worse (April 10th)

Lawrence, Michael's friend in the strip came out of the closet in the spring of 1993. Of course, people got mad and demanded the strip be pulled from their local papers:

In the next few weeks, Lawrence, who is 17, will also reveal his sexual orientation to his mother and stepfather. Reader beware; the next two sentences give away plot details. His mother will insist Lawrence is mistaken, and his stepfather will throw Lawrence out of the house. He will spend a lonely night in a doughnut shop until Mike locates him and brings him home for a reconciliation with his famiy.

The plot line has already proved too rich for some tastes. Universal Press Syndicate editorial director Lee Salem says about 20 of some 1,400 newspapers subscribing to “For Better or For Worse” have asked for backup material that can be substituted for the Lawrence strips, and eight have canceled the comic outright.

Lynn Johnston, the Canadian cartoonist who writes and draws the 14-year-old strip, says she knew she was entering a sensitive area, but she’s a little surprised by the scope of the negative reaction.

“What I wrote was kind; it was caring,” she says. “It explored both sides of the issue.”

[...]

Thomas Mitchell did. He’s the editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, one of the newspapers pulling the Lawrence panels in favor of backup material.

“We had a pretty little heated argument among ourselves,” he says.

Mitchell finally decided parents shouldn’t abruptly find themselves explaining the material to their children over the morning Rice Krispies.

“It’s the comics page, man. Give me a break,” he says. “It’s an interesting topic. Teenage homosexuality: How do you handle it; how do you talk about it?”

Mitchell says he wouldn’t object to a feature story on the subject, possibly illustrated by strips from “For Better or For Worse.”

Bob Hansen of Enfield probably wishes he was getting Mitchell’s newspaper. Hansen is a Courant subscriber who called the paper Monday to complain about the tack Johnston’s strip had taken.

“I’m very upset about it,” he says. “Comics, in the first place, comics are for fun.”

Hansen says he doesn’t object to homosexuals, but he objects to having homsexuality pushed at people who aren’t interested in hearing about it. In particular, he disliked Lawrence’s remark, in Monday’s episode, insisting he isn’t confused about his orientation: “Everybody else is confused.” 2

For the record, I obsessed over For Better or for Worse almost as much as I did Funky Winkerbean. Good to know Lawrence had a good ending as the strip wound to the end in the Summer of 2008.

30. Dana Carvey almost becomes the host of Late Night.

He said no when offered. 3

(eBay user 3d-ology)

31. Addy becomes an American Girl

There was some controversy among the company whether Addy would be "too real" for kids:

Indeed, the story of Addy may be too heavy for the frail shoulders of a doll, and it clearly represents a dramatic shift in the tone of these children's books. While the other dolls face such traumas as wild bears, sailing during a storm or even choosing between loyalty to the crown of England or the patriots of the new Colonies, none can really compare with watching your brother being whipped by a cruel overseer because he "done run off." In "Meet Addy," the first of her series, she escapes from slavery with her mother, after they are forcibly separated from the rest of the family.

Pittsburgh novelist Connie Porter, who was hired to write the Addy books, is aware of the criticism. "Some people don't want to see a character in slavery -- that's ridiculous," she said. "You can run the risk of being so politically correct that you can lose whole periods of history. Children are more ready to talk about these things than some adults are."

Porter, who met twice with the advisory board to discuss story content and the use of dialect, said that she has not trivialized slavery in any way. If anything, she has made it more real to a modern child than it might have been before, she said. "I tried to show how a black child would be treated during the day at the age of 9," she said. "That she had a job like a grown person. Addy works all day worming tobacco plants. She also serves occasionally for the master, who treats her with indifference. At one point they treat her badly. She's a piece of property." 4

32. Krusty gets canceled, but marge doesn’t say anything. (May 13th)

Y'all Ever notice that Marge has no lines in the classic Simpsons episode "Krusty Gets Canceled"? She's there, but no lines. According to the DVD commentaries, Al Jean said that Julie Kavner felt uncomfortable being in an episode with so many celebrity guests, describing it as "tasteless". I guess she changed her mind through the years.

33. Lorena Bobbit copycats

In a four-month period, at least three men besides John Bobbitt had their genitals trashed by angry women. In April, a 29-year-old woman in Milwaukee partially severed her boyfriend's penis after he announced that he wanted to break up, reported the Milwaukee Journal. In Waynesville, N.C., in July, Cynthia Mason Gillett, 28, was charged with setting her husband's genitals on fire while he slept after an argument, reported the Charlotte Observer. In April, Jose Dogelio, 31, was shot in the penis by a woman he was "flashing" on a street in Dasmarinas, Philippines, according to the Manila newspaper, People's Journal. 5

Cynthia was put on probation in January of 1994 because her husband refused to testify against her. She doused his genitals in nail polish and caught them on fire! 6 I could not find Jose's condition.

When I was a kid and I'd see pieces about Lorena and John Bobbit on the news, I pictured Lorena cutting John's penis off with scissors.

Barker, Jennifer, and Medianews Group. “Former Paradise Resident Ritzenthaler, Clinton’s Half-Brother, Dies.” Chico Enterprise-Record (blog), January 14, 2009. https://www.chicoer.com/20090114/former-paradise-resident-ritzenthaler-clintons-half-brother-dies/. https://archive.is/YqjO4 .

Hartford Courant. “COMIC TACKLES CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE AS CHARACTER ANNOUNCES HE IS GAY.” March 31, 1993. https://www.courant.com/1993/03/31/comic-tackles-controversial-issue-as-character-announces-he-is-gay/. https://archive.is/dZIGX

Carter, Bill. 1995. The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night. New York: Hyperion. 225-226.

Rosenfeld, Megan. “WHOLESOME BABES IN TOYLAND.” Washington Post, May 24, 1993. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/05/24/wholesome-babes-in-toyland/b4ed92ca-1571-4ec9-9290-4dfb4ded0b7b/.

Shepherd, Chuck. “1993: THE YEAR OF THE WEIRD.” Washington Post, December 26, 1993. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1993/12/26/1993-the-year-of-the-weird/cca1ec6a-5dc9-4be6-9087-e26abe3c657f/.

Tulsa World . “Woman Who Burned Mate Gets Probation.” January 22, 1994. https://1ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftulsaworld.com%2Fnews%2Fwoman-who-burned-mate-gets-probation%2Farticle_910a1d92-ff60-57f9-af48-af57d99ad8e2.html

#1993 #Lorena bobbit #teen talk barbie #barbie #bill clinton #for better or for worse #dana carvey #american girl dolls #Krusty gets canceled #marge simpson

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tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 2 days

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First update to my Chocolate Milk Gang spreadsheet since I made it last weekend! I've spent all week listening to old podcasts with CMG people, in the hopes that I'd get a CMG reference to add to my collection. I've been looking at stuff by various CMG people, but focusing mainly on the ones who most frequently talk about the CMG days. The person who talks about that the most, by far, is David O'Doherty (to the point where it has crossed my mind that "Chocolate Milk Gang" might actually just be a phrase that Glenn Wool said one time in the presence of Andrew Maxwell and David O'Doherty, and no one else who was involved even heard that term, much less ever used it, and in fact may not have known that David O'Doherty considered them to be some sort of gang at all - but no, Dominic Maxwell used the term "Chocolate Milk Gang" once, that means it's real). The person who talks about it second most is Russell Howard. Obviously, when I first started making that spreadsheet, I checked to see if there were any podcasts where David O'Doherty and Russell Howard talk to each other, as surely it would come up there. But nope, I couldn't find any overlap.

Then just this week, in the middle of a week when I was listening to all kinds of obscure podcast appearances by David O'Doherty and by Russell Howard, a new episode of Russell Howard's Wonderbox came out, with David O'Doherty as the guest. Recorded live at the Edinburgh Festival in August 2024, but released on September 18, 2024. Like they knew about my project and decided to help me out.

I rolled my eyes last year, when I first saw on Chortle that Russell Howard was launching on a podcast. I realize we are now long past the point when podcasts were the domain of non-famous, independent artists bypassing the industry gatekeepers - but come on, surely we don't need a podcast by someone as firmly entrenched in mainstream success as Russell Howard. Also, I've stopped listening to Russell Howard after he started making me listen to people spout right-wing talking points on his shows (I know I bring up the Jordan Peterson interview a lot, but the Matthew McConaughey one about how we should all be armadillos who reject political views was also excruciating, as were a few others from around the same time). I thought that when I saw the announcement of his podcast, but of course I still clicked on the link to see what it would be, and the article said that one of the first episodes would feature John Oliver, and obviously I'm going to listen to that. Obviously I'm not going to let my dislike of Russell Howard's recent directions make me turn down some Chocolate Milk Gang content from 2023. That episode came out in November of last year, and it ended up having a few interesting discussions, including one that became part of my CMG spreadsheet.

That was the only episode of Russell Howard's podcast that I'd listened to, until today. But obviously, I have now listened to two episodes of it, as he had David O'Doherty on. This is where I draw the line, though! I am not listening to a single other episode of Russell Howard's podcast, for anything short of him talking Daniel Kitson into doing it.

The David O'Doherty episode had a few interesting bits, not much that I'd not heard before, though he tells that story of how his Twitter name is "phlimaux" because it's a short version of the nickname "fly motherfucker" ("fly mo") that he had as a ten-year-old breakdancer, which is one of my favourites of his stories. They got to the last ten minutes and I was disappointed by the lack of CMG content, but then, right at the end, we got this:

I obviously immediately clipped it, transcribed it, added it to the spreadsheet. Here's the new, improved version:

This clip is mostly stories I'd heard before as well, a lot of it is stuff that David O'Doherty discussed on the Phil Nichol/David Tims podcast a couple of years ago. But there's one major new element there, which is the story of Flight of the Conchords nearly getting kicked out of the 2002 Edinburgh Fringe Festival for trying to sell free tickets to Karen Koren, and David O'Doherty saving them? I do not understand, at all, how that story could be true when I don't already know it. I have sought out so many examples of David O'Doherty telling stories of his old Edinburgh days, and he always talks in glowing terms about how he first met Flight of the Conchords, how great he thought they were, how excited he was that he got to play with them sometimes in Edinburgh, and then ended up opening for them on American tours in later years. I have heard him tell so many of those stories before. I know he lived with them in Edinburgh 2003. I know he played arenas with them. How the hell has he never mentioned this other story? That is a perfect David O'Doherty story, one where he's the hero who saves his heroes, Flight of the Conchords. No way would he just keep that to himself for years, for no reason.

I can think of two options here. Either the story's not true, and he thought it would be funny to mess around on Russell Howard's podcast and make shit up. Or, he was previously concerned that telling that story might get Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement in trouble, but by 2024 he has arbitrarily decided that the statute of limitations on their crime has passed, so it's fair game. It has to be one of those two things, right? Has anyone else ever heard this story before?

I am, of course, familiar with Gilded Balloon owner Karen Koren, from things like the guidelines for the So You Think You're Funny competition, and the Tim Minchin documentary, and that song that Adam Hills sang during Cowgate. Mainly from the Tim Minchin documentary, where she was a fairly significant character, and was portrayed as a very imposing figure whom you do not mess with, if you are a comedian who wants to perform in Edinburgh (this portrayal has been echoed by other comedians I've heard talk about her). David O'Doherty talked her out of throwing Flight of the Conchords out of the festival in their debut year?

I briefly thought, "Can she even do that? I thought DO'D has clearly established that they were at The Caves in 2002. Not the Gilded Balloon." So I've just checked the 2002 Edinburgh programme, and it says:

Apparently The Caves were a Gilded Balloon venue. Though this year I saw that some acts were playing Just The Tonic @ The Cave (I didn't actually go see anything there, but I saw it in the programme), and that's what comes up when I Google it. Don't know how that works. But also, even though they were at the Gilded Balloon, would it have been that easy for Karen Koren to kick Flight of the Conchords out mid-way through the festival? What about the people who'd already bought tickets? That seems like a very big move over what seems like a small-ish breaking of a rule. And she changed her mind just because of a conversation with a guy who was only three years out from his days in the new act competitions?

According to that same programme, from Edinburgh 2002 (I'm getting these screenshots from the archive that's here), David O'Doherty was also with the Gilded Balloon, so I guess she was working with him that year. But on the other hand, his name's misspelled the programme, so he doesn't really seem like anyone's top priority:

Going through that old programme also addresses another question I had from that audio clip, which is that Russell Howard said "I remember that Fringe," after David O'Doherty brought up Edinburgh 2002. I'd thought before that Russell Howard was one of those people who wasn't there when the Chocolate Milk Gang first got its name in 2002, but he got added to the group later because he hung out with those guys a lot in the next few years. I knew he didn't do his first solo Edinburgh show until several years later, so I assumed that even if he had a year or two of showing up to Edinburgh on mixed-bill things first, he wouldn't have been there as early in 2002.

But he claimed in the podcast that he remembered "that Fringe", which was specifically 2002. I checked the program and it turns out he was, in fact, there that year. Which makes sense, given that he was in the finals of So You Think You're Funny with David O'Doherty in 1999. So he was performing by 2002.

So apparently Russell Howard was, in fact, in Edinburgh, and presumably drinking milkshakes chocolate milk with the rest of them in 2002. I think he'd already done tour support for John Oliver and Daniel Kitson by then (if not, then he started shortly afterward), so he would have known those guys.

I was also interested in David O'Doherty talking about seeing Flight of the Conchords do their debut Edinburgh show in 2002, and saying: "you, me, Chris Addison, Josie Long, Daniel Kitson, watching them do their show, probably for the fourth time in that room." I had also assumed that Josie Long got added the CMG after the fact, because she wasn't performing in 2002. I have checked the Edinburgh 2002 programme just now, and unlike Russell Howard, Josie Long's name doesn't appear in it at all. But given this story from David O'Doherty, I'm going to assume she was probably there. She was also in those 1999 So You Think You're Funny finals, so she was definitely into performing comedy by then. And she's been obsessed with Scotland for ages. So maybe, in 2002, she just went up to watch the comedy and be in Scotland. And drink milkshakes chocolate milk. And witness Flight of the Conchords tearing the metaphorical roof off some caves.

The other two people on that list were definitely in Edinburgh in 2002, of course. Kitson won the Perrier Award that year, with his self-indulgent whimsy:

And Chris Addison did his Fringe show that later became his Radio 4 show called The Ape That Got Lucky:

Chris Addison is one of those comedians who's sort of vaguely CM-adjacent. He did one of Kitson's Triple R radio episodes in 2005, and Kitson had a few stories from his mid-00s stand-up about hanging out with Chris Addison. He's certainly that "type" of comedian (fucking nerd). He was obviously friends with/made an excellent radio show with Zaltzman and Oliver, back in the mid-00s. He did Political Animal, the live version and the radio version. If he was watching Flight of the Conchords with Kitson/Long/Howard/DO'D in 2002, that's nearly enough to grant him full CMG status.

I know he used to be in with Danielle Ward and those people. Had Margaret Cabourn-Smith and Dan Tetsell in his sitcom in 2008. But did he drink flavoured milk at Favorit with Daniel Kitson? These are the important questions of our age. I mean, he sure looks like someone who drinks chocolate milk and would get his lunch money stolen by Glenn Wool.

Anyway. That's my update to the spreadsheet. As usual, it's a new development that throws up at least as many questions as answers.

Oh, and another mention of that Bus Driver song. Kitson played that on his radio show in 2006, and gave it a whole big introduction, saying it was one of his favourite songs, he found it unironically emotionally moving and not just a comedy song. I didn't realize until a bit later that the obsession with the Bus Driver song was a trait of the entire Chocolate Milk Gang. And a further example of Russell Howard cribbing his opinions off mid-00s Daniel Kitson. It is a nice song.

youtube

#Youtube

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grogusmum · 2 years

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Hello mama! Hope you good 🥰 If you already wrote it, delete this ask. (And I will read you other fics I promise)

I'm wondering about a fic where din djarin wonders when Grogu was born but he can't have this information and he will celebrate when they met, instead. With some Grogu pov lines.

I have not written anything like this! Thank you sweetie!

Let's see what we come up with.

Din very much wanted to mark a special occasion with Grogu back with him.

He had spoken with Ahsoka about finding out more about Grogu's birth, to no avail.

"The records, sadly, are gone, and of course Grogu can't tell us," she told him with sympathy. "But perhaps you can celebrate something else."

"I suppose," Din watched Grogu waddling along in such long grass that at times it was taller than him, following an insect. A dragonfly from the looks of it.

"Perhaps the day the Armorer named us a clan."

Ahsoka hummed in the affirmative, smiling at the little green child as he tried to catch the insect.

Grogu wanted to do something special for his dad, but he wasn't sure what. He had no credits, of course, so he couldn't buy anything, and he wouldnt be able to do it without the Mandalorian knowing anyway even if he did.

They were to go to Mandalore any day, but Grogu didn't know the plan. He was rarely consulted on such matters, to his chagrin. But he was pretty sure Auntie Peli would help if she could.

One morning, Peli was watching Grogu while Din prepared for their journey to the home of the Mandalorians.

"Hey, what are you up to there, Bright Eyes?" She asked coming around a corner to find him with the pit droids, his hands covered in oil and grease, trying to make a picture on a scrap of flimseyplast.

The droids were supposed to be his lookout, but they got distracted.

Grogu rolled his eyes at those guys, and Peli laughed kindly.

"You want to make a picture, fella?"

That's right, sister! Of course, Peli only heard babbling and cooing.

"Let's what we got!" She said carrying him over to her work table, she set him down and looked around.

Grogu was excited, he was excited to be on the table with so many interesting things and that Auntie had understood what he wanted. He couldn't help but get wiggly and giggly.

"Listen I don't have much, but here is a nice whole piece of flimsyplast and well, I got these marking pens, three colors- not too shabby."

Not too shabby at all ma'am!

He loved marking pens, there were black and green and white. The flimseyplast was gray so the white would be alright, Grogu smiled a big toothy grin at Peli, and she gave his ear a playful tug-

"No problem, Bright Eyes!"

Grogu worked very carefully, he was pretty sure he only had the one piece of flimseyplast.

When his dad returned, he was ready! He had the picture he made hidden in is robe and he was very excited and giggly. Din looked at him with amused curiosity. Grogu could tell by his helmet tilt and huff.

After some conversation with Peli that Grogu was not apart of, Din Grogu AND Peli went to Boba Fetts palace!

Grogu was shocked by this development!

At the Palace, Grogu was again shocked, the hall was decorated with bright penant flags, a mudhorn banner and there were blue cookies, roasted meats, colorful drinks. The Mods were there, so was that Cobb, and of course Uncle Boba and Auntie Fennec. All there to celebrate Din and Grogu becoming a family, The Mudhorn Clan of House Djarin!

"Congratulations little guy!" Peli beamed then joined that domo friend of hers. Grogu shrugged his shoulders at that guy.

Din looked at Grogu in his arms. Grogu could tell he was smiling, so he pulled the flimseyplast out of his robe and gave it to the Mandalorian.

"Whats this, Grogu?"

Din unfolded it to find a drawing of himself and Grogu riding a mythosaur.

"I- is this us? on a mythosaur?" Din said astonished, "How do you even know what they would look like?"

Grogu trilled and cooed. Chatting away about the features of the drawing.

Din was quiet for a time, just looking at the child's drawing then rather thickly, "Thank you, son. Let's get you some cookies."

Updated with Grogu drawing!

THANK YOU FOR READING

#grogu ficlet #just a bit of silliness really

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darkened-storm · 1 year

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Mayblade: Tree

1000 words for a belated prompt, but when the inspiration strikes you got to go with it. This is a messy draft, and it lacks some luster, but the idea is cute.

To her surprise, there was no one home at the Dojo. She reached for her phone and checked her group messages.

Tyson: needed fresh air for practice.

She texted back for clarification and a moment later her phone buzzed, the reply popping up in her notifications.

Becky: The riverbank, where else?

Even though it was spring a cool chill still hung in the air, so she grabbed her leather jacket and keys before heading out. The riverbank wasn’t far from the Dojo, so she walked the short distance through the park.

After Dickenson had reformed the BBA, he had donated a large sum of money to build a small beystadium in the park adjacent to the riverbank. It was a fitting tribute, Steph thought, to the importance this place held.

On the grass by the road, Becky was clearly utilising the opportunity to soak up the remaining rays of afternoon sun, with her AirPods stuffed in both ears, likely at full volume, and watching the goings on behind her Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses. Steph was pretty sure if she wasn’t standing in the way of the sunshine, her cousin wouldn’t have noticed her.

Reaching up to pluck an AirPod from her ear, Becky glowered at the interruption to her sun baking. “Oi!”

“What happened to practice?” Steph asked, only for Becky to shrug and point towards the river.

She could see Tyson battling with some of the younger kids, practicing with the new prototype Dragoon, while Max watched from the sidelines with Kenny, who had his laptop open and recording. The younger kids cheered each time Dragoon pulled off a fancy move.

“Don’t worry, I think you’ll find something to pass the time.”

Becky said cryptically, replacing the AirPod in her ear with one hand and pointing behind Steph with the other.

Curious, Steph turned to look back at the small cluster of cherry trees by the road.

Matt was sitting with his back resting up against an old cherry blossom tree. The cherry blossoms had come into bloom only days before the start of term, but were already beginning to wilt and petals littered the base of the tree.

His blonde hair shone golden in the afternoon sun. A notepad with music lines rested against his knees and he was scribbling notes and words with his left hand. He looked up as she approached and the ghost of a smile graced his features.

“Hey,” he said casually.

“Hi,” she replied, cringing inwardly at the unintended pitch of her voice.

“Your friend certainly knows how to draw a crowd, doesn’t he?” he remarked, the slightest hint of irritability in his voice.

She grinned. “Yeah, Tyson doesn’t really do much these days that goes unnoticed,” she said, almost apologetically.

“I know you don’t support Beyblading as a sport because of your grandfather, but my friends: They’re a good group, once you get to know them.”

He shrugged. “I know they are - I just think this is all a bit ridiculous. My grandfather bringing you all out here as though the only

She stood up and dusted off her jeans, dried pink petals falling like dust around her feet. She held out her hand to him. “Come on,” she said. “I want to show you something.”

For a moment, he stared at her hand reluctantly, then allowed her to gently lead him towards the crowd gathering at the riverbank.

“There are a lot of kids here,” he observed.

Steph nodded. “Kids have been beyblading at this riverbank for as long as I can remember,” she explained. “This is where I first met Max and Tyson four years ago. And that bridge over there,” she pointed downstream. “That’s where Tyson faced Kai for the first time - he lost of course.”

Back then, defeating the Blade Sharks seemed impossible. Instead they’d set themselves up to go overcome not only the Bladesharks, but every other team that came after them. Until the only obstacle that remained was themselves.

She led the way down to the river bank, pointing as she went.

“Tyson and Ray had their rematch here after the Championships,” she went on, then paused. “Come to think of it, I don’t remember who won - I just remember Hilary scolding them for trashing their beyblades when we had no parts to rebuild them.”

A marking on the largest cedar tree in the park caught her eye. Whimsically, she traced her fingers over the marks.

“They look like claw marks,” Matt observed.

She grinned. “Ray’s Tiger Claw move,” she explained. “Each beyblade has a special move, and Ray’s is tough to defend against. Most of the time, you don’t even see it coming.”

“Unless?” he asked when she paused again, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

“Unless you’re me,” she laughed, feeling her cheeks flush suddenly. She didn’t know why, but she wanted him to know that she was a serious contender on this team - even if he didn’t give a damn about beyblading.

“You sound pretty confident there,” he observed.

“Is that a bad thing?” she asked, laughing nervously.

He shook his head, his blonde hair falling into his eyes. “I guess we’ll find out. ”

Her stomach did a flip a the thought of how much time they might have to spend together before he made that decision.

“Come on,” she said, tugging on his sleeve. “I want you to meet my friends.”

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