#the magic of cable cars

[whosyourcreepyunclenow]

ETERNAL HANGOUT (the bug I suppose I should share)

if you're tired of goodbyes, try it

invite your friend(s) and go to the cable cars (the icons aren't visible during hangout, so it would be easier to tag the place in advance) wait one, get in, get out, then get in again. you'll see the option to use the cable car for $10, do it. and once more if you're not exited of hanging out on the Chilliad peak.

keep in mind that:

- you can't go to the bar or do any other activity (except shops & customs), the map will be empty as if you were on a mission

- you also can't drop your friend(s) off, only abandon them but you'll still be unable to do something else

- the only way to get out is die

- or load. not sure if you can save during that, but it makes sense to try (as you can save during a normal hangout but not with your phone, the bed only)

- you might accidentally abandon them so make sure they aren't stuck. if you do, you won't get a warning notification to come back, they'll just stop following you (still react on bumps and shoves though, if you're into that))

- they might die. from a tank shot or a plane crash (even if you're on a painkiller and made it out alive)

SO WHAT'S THE POINT? well, first, they'll not be scared when shit hits the fan (did you ever get a message "Trevor got scared" when your car went underwater or something exploded nearby? what a nonsense). second, they'll not be wounded so you can bump into them as much as you want and they'll become much more tenacious during shotouts. third, they'll not suddenly leave you with an unavoidable goodbye cutscene after you spend a few days together. kinda satisfying, for T especially)

♡♡♡

and now a little background. a few months ago I saw a cute trikey dream where they had a cable car ride together. it wasn't the game's one, more like a ski lift but without skis and without even winter, rather a blossoming spring. it felt sorta "secret after-ending scene which you can get only after fulfilling some conditions" so I was somehow aware of myself as a player and took A HELL LOT of screenshots. they weren't an actual couple there, just chilling buddies with a complicated backstory to talk out, so they talked (it's a shame I didn't remember any dialogues, visual only, but the vibes were like "so everything settled, we're both alive thanks to Frank, he did great and we did great too"), they argued, they laughed, and then Michael almost fell off (for wtf reason), Trevor grabbed him. and held in his arms for the rest of the way, Mikey didn't mind (what surprised me most) and they kept talking. then the cable car stopped (or they just jumped off while it was closest to the ground? more likely) and later they were standing on a cobblestone sidewalk, whispering quietly, without moving even an inch away of each other's faces. I turned on my paparazzi mode again wondering why this scene is so underrated and no one even said a word about that. and when I already was like "omfg, they're so damn close it nearly looks like a kiss!!1!1" they really STARTED KISSING without any "looks like". AND AFTER THAT, I thought sincerely, SOMEONE STILL CLAIMS THEY AREN'T LOVERS? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PPL? ehh it's rather what's wrong with me but ok... more importantly, the one who initiated was Trevor. the view was from his back, so I only could see Michael's face: he wasn't surprised, rather uncertain if he should've done it first. their kiss was long, not really passionate but very affectionate and gentle. like they finally reached their comfort zone and it all worked out the best way possible.

don't recall anything further, guess I just woke up or the dream channel changed to something boring. hmm... probably first.

(just to say, it was long before I learned how to use rockstar editor and started to take these kiss-alike shots, but yeah, I've become obsessed with the idea since that))

next day I tried a cable car with them and detected the bug (or whatever else it is). was playing as Michael and got confused at first, like what do you mean he can't get rid of T now? I suddenly felt trapped. tried a lot of shit to trigger back a normal hangout, with no results. didn't dare to simply abandon Trevor but I knew it can't go on like this. so I just killed Mikey to let him escape lol. such an irony.

so in summary, it's a trap. a gay trap, particularly. maybe you'll find it entertaining ;3

[downfalldestiny]

We all remember our first 🚠 !.

[inktr3pid]

Buoyant

[cumdumpstiel]

me: and the foundational family myth, the Winchester Story, the altar upon which john sacrificed his sons' childhoods, comes CRASHING down in season five with the revelation that john and mary had a rocky, tumultuous marriage and that heaven had to conspire to magically brainwash them to stay together long enough to produce their fated angel vessel offspring as part of a millennia-long human breeding program ensuring that the fated apocalypse would come to pass

my date: *puts down half-eaten breadstick* we're talking about the cable tv show? about the bitches in the car?

[utilitycaster]

look, I know polls are silly and fun and so I want you to understand writing this rant is silly and fun for me but EMON? Emon is the Critical Role Entry for Most Place of All Time? I must call bullshit. And so:

Friends, fellow critters, and people who have me blocked but hate read my blog each morning over breakfast: Emon is not even the Most Place on the Material Plane. It is not even the Most Place in Tal'Dorei. Hell, it's not even the Most Place on the fucking Bladeshimmer Shoreline, which includes a destroyed city now overtaken by bandits, and a cave system that hosts both a rift to the Far Realm and a different rock than residuum that can make a different magical drug than suude. Emon is if you took the aggressively mid vibes of Washington, DC and transplanted them to the inconvenient location and city of refuge for flaky people who avoid gluten for non-medical reasons of Los Angeles. The second Percival Frederickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III invents the motorcar that sumbitch is going to have traffic bad enough to summon Tharizdun. Also there's a literal pit of fire that's been burning for 30 years that both hasn't been adequately addressed but also doesn't really seem that interesting. Like oh a bunch of dragons destroyed your city? Big deal. Draconia got so fucked up it doesn't exist anymore, and at least Westruun has some fucking charm. At least Pike and Grog actually lived there, whereas Vox Machina got a house in Emon and proceeded to spend their time literally anywhere else.

Here is a brief list of places on the planet of Exandria in the Material Plane - not even across Critical Role's main campaigns/EXU, which includes such non-Exandrian places as "living city of people who mind-melded and escaped to the Astral Sea during a century-plus-long war of the gods"; "Ligament Manor"; "Ryn's groovy pied-a-feu, man I wonder what made the scorch marks on that furniture, anyway", and "THE MOON THAT IS ACTUALLY AN PRISON FOR A THING THAT EATS GODS AND IS POSSIBLY HATCHING" - that are more of a place than Emon:

Jrusar: 5 spires no waiting, sweet cable car system, city almost entirely destabilized by goo creatures as part of an overly complicated plot to blow up the aforementioned moon

Bassuras: (literally "garbagetown") Run by Mad Max gangs and everyone is cool with it; regular sandstorms; one of those gangs apparently sits atop a hive mind and NO ONE has examined this (except for them)?)

Whitestone: has a tree planted by one god over a buried temple to another god that was corrupted in the name of a third, shittier god; overrun by zombies but it's fine now; streetlights and two bears that are allowed to do whatever the fuck they want.

Yios: The canal system of Venice meets the colleges per capita of Boston meets the orcs from your fantasies, also there's some kind of kitchen-based organized crime ring so intricate it could be its own campaign (so, also like Boston).

Vasselheim: literally no one understands what the fuck its government system is. Old as balls. Temples everywhere! Temples full of trees. Temples full of blood! Temples full of an old guy who will kick your ass. A sphinx that regulates the monster hunter mini-game. Presumably the giant titan full of the ancient cannibal dwarf city is like, still there, as a new fixture, since I don't see how they're moving that.

The arctic: where teleportation doesn't work, there's a river of lava in the middle of the snow, ancient ruins full of snow globes full of actual people, and the Chaos Bisexual Emerald - and that's just a smattering of what Eiselcross has to offer.

Since this is about space and not time we can toss Aeor and Avalir too, since they once were places, and while we're at it whatever the fuck is going on with the Shattered Teeth and its permanent fog cloud and fish dream cult and capitalist shipwrecked merchants.

And, of course, any arbitrary square millimeter of Wildemount, frankly, has more Mostness than the entirety of Emon could muster under absolutely ideal conditions. But for the sake of one place per region, let's hand it to Rosohna (city of eternal night for practical purposes, built over the Evil God Headquarters); Uthodurn (underground! Giant goats! Elves and dwarves, living together, mass hysteria!); Hupperdook (steampunk gnome party city); Nicodranas (Fjord, Jester, Veth, Marion, and Yussa literally all live there at once; plumbing used to be courtesy of an imprisoned marid...but watch out); and Blightshore (Blightshore).

In conclusion: Emon is boring, nominating it was a mistake, there are literally sealed gods in other parts of the world and also way better taverns, good night, and what the fuck.

[twst-kumi]

Weeping Maiden

[ACT I]: CHAPTER 3

[ACT I]: CHAPTER 3

The weekend surprisingly came fast, mainly because the teachers were going easy on them for their first week in class. [Name] waited for Neige at the Tree rooms, she looked at the feminine face smiling tenderly at her.

“_Good morning, Princess! Oh? What a surprise we matched our outfit.”

She turned to see the young Idol running toward her. She wore a mint-colored plaid skirt, matching jacket, and white shirt. To her surprise, Neige’s outfit matched hers. He wore white and mint clothes instead of his usual color palette. [Name] smiled at the “coincidence” before going with him.

The young idol smiled happily as he held her hand firmly. They were so soft in his hand, that he wished that he could always keep her. Just like the mirror was used as a portal in NRC, they had to pass through the door at the tree's bark.

“_Wellcome to Shaftland, my homeland.”

[Name] looked in awe at the beautiful city. It had a very European style, a gorgeous mix between rococo and modern architecture that showed the rich history of the place. Neige smiled as he studied her face.

“_There you are Neige. And this is?

_Oh, right! [Name] this is my manager, if you need anything just ask him.”

The young girl greeted the woman politely. She looked quite sharp with her cat-like eyes. The woman looked at her up and down with a long hum, before turning toward Neige.

“_What agency is she from? I never heard of her.

_Ah, she’s a freshman in my school.

_In an all-boys school?

_It’s a special case”

She looked at her critically, almost like she was a pest. Neige put himself between them, trying to disperse the situation. The Manager still glaring at the young girl, huffed before walking to the car waiting for them.

“_Whatever, I believe I told you to be careful and avoid getting a girlfriend. What do you think will happen when your fans learn about it?

_I’m sure I can-!

_Oh no, we are not together. We are truly just friends.”

[Name] interjected quickly and ignored Neige's slightly hurt expression. An expression that didn’t go unnoticed by the manager’s curious eyes. The boy had a crush on the girl. It was obvious, so much, that the woman felt pity toward him. The drive was only punctuated with talk between the young idol and [Name]. The young boy talked excitedly about the movie and Vil. It's mostly about Vil. Once at the set, the young girl followed Neige and the manager inside the studio. It was surprisingly quite a normal set. Since it was a world full of magic, she expected them to work with many magic objects. Much to her surprise, they weren’t that different from her world.

[Name] tried her best not to be a bother to the crew who accepted Neige’s request. She tried to be as helpful as she could. The young girl was carrying a small cable box that was supposed to be given to the tech crew when she felt a strong hand slip the box from her grasp.

“_Seriously, who makes such a weak girl carry such heavy loads?”

[Name] could feel the warmth on her back. The man's presence against her back was making her conscious of herself. She looked up, her eyes met with familiar light-purple eyes. His pale blond hair fell around his face to highlight his beauty. Seeing it in person was far different than looking at an art book.

“_Good morning, I’m Vil Schoeneit. I don’t believe I saw you during the crew meeting. Are you new?

_Ah uh… I’m just helping around. I’m not…

_I see, so you are a newbie actress! Helping is good but you shouldn’t overexert yourself.”

Before [Name] was able to get out of her stupor, it was too late. Vil had already taken the box and walked ahead. Meanwhile, the Pomefiore dormleader was in turmoil. He could feel his heart beat uncontrollably. It was strange, he was sure he wasn’t one to act on emotion like that but the girl had a familiar warmth he couldn’t forget. And how could he? It was the same warmth Yuu gave off some time, before that incident. Vil couldn’t but feel attracted to the unknown girl. Now that he thinks about it, the Ramshackle prefect looked way too different from what he remembered, like he was always surrounded by light but not anymore. It was almost like something was preventing them from seeing the boy's unhinge personality before.

“_Where should we put this box?”

The young girl was a little startled reminding the young actor of a little rabbit. She hurried to catch up to him.

“_It’s for Kelvin.

_I see, it’s for one of the sound techs.

_Yes.”

Both walked to the crew as the others greeted Vil.

“_By the way, I didn’t get your name.

_It’s [Name] Yamada, nice to meet you Senpai.”

“[Name] Yamada”... Vil couldn’t help but test her name on his lips and tongue. He couldn’t help but feel illicit with how it deliciously rolled on his tongue. Until it dawned on him, Yamada was Yuu’s family name.

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Tags

@cocomollo

[oreoambitions]

The thing about Lena, Kara thinks to herself as she strolls down Main Street with her hands shoved in her pockets, is that she wants to seem tough. That's the problem in a nutshell. And anyone else here in Midvale would tell you that it's just a city thing, that all the city kids want to seem tough, that Lena is no exception, but Kara doesn't think that's true. Well, okay, she knows it's true. But with Lena, it's something else. Something deeper. Something maybe related to the way that Lena has withdrawn into herself day by day as Midvale has begun to dress itself up for the holidays.

But Kara can do I'm-so-tough. She can do I-hate-Christmas, and she can do I-don't-believe-in-fun because at this time of the year she can do anything and get through to anyone. A little bit of light, a little bit of magic... maybe a little bit of love. That's how Christmas goes, right? Especially in a place like Midvale.

Kara likes to think of Midvale as a postcard town: the kind of town folks are only ever passing through on their way up and down the coast, a scenic detour, a cozy place to spend the night or just the afternoon before you move along. It's a place where time seems to have come to a standstill or at least a crawl, where it was a big deal when the first (and only) Starbucks opened, where nothing at all is open after 8pm, and you'd be hard pressed to run any errands on a Sunday, and you'd better not let Mrs. Nal catch you doing anything untoward or you can expect you'll be the topic of every conversation in or out of church for the next week or so at least. Kara would know; she's been the talk of the town on more than one occasion.

But these last several weeks the talk of the town has been the young woman who pulled up one evening in a car worth probably more than every vehicle on Main Street put together and strolled into the aforementioned Starbucks in a beat up hoodie sporting red rimmed eyes and trembling hands to ask the barista whether possibly anyone had a spare phone cable. She didn't want to bother anyone, only she'd left Metropolis in a hurry and forgotten hers and without GPS she didn't have any idea where she might stop to purchase one. She'd slid a hundred dollar bill across the counter as payment for the manager's beat up old charger and rolled right back out of town before anyone could tell her just how far from home she was.

Only then she'd rolled back into town some six hours later and booked herself into the bed and breakfast. And then she hadn't left.

The Danvers have assured Kara that in all the years Eliza and Jeremiah have run the bed and breakfast, and all the years Jeremiah's parents ran it before that, stretching back all the dusty decades since Midvale was founded, they have never had a longterm guest, no sir. It has simply never happened before. Kara doubts the veracity of such a statement but it has been delivered to her with all the solemn weight of sacred fact, and so she's taken it in stride - something which Alex seems to have found suspicious. And, true, on another occasion Kara might have been found elbow deep in records on a personal mission to prove that Jeremiah has pulled this particular historical "factoid" from some place the sun don't shine, but, well, she's been a little distracted these past weeks. Distracted by sad green eyes and coy smiles and the overwhelmingly mysterious circumstances that have delivered Lena directly into Kara's home.

Unfortunately Eliza has strictly forbidden Kara from asking the hundred and one questions perpetually on the tip of her tongue, and Kara's objections that she's twenty four now and she'll ask her questions if she so pleases haven't actually outweighed the sense that, at least where Eliza is concerned, she ought to do as she's told. So she's restrained herself. And as the weeks have gone by, she and Lena have fallen into an amicable, if not entirely comfortable, routine.

Kara serves Lena breakfast in the dining room with the other guests at precisely 8:15 every morning: two poached eggs with avocado on a thick slice of Winn's sourdough bread, a cup of coffee (black, diluted with hot water), and a side of roasted vegetables (no potatoes). Every morning Lena invites Kara to join her at the table, though Kara only does so when there are no other guests around to serve. They eat - together or not - in a silence broken only by small talk and the occasional lingering gaze when one catches the other looking until, at precisely 9:15, Lena excuses herself to seek out Eliza and enquire after the availability of another night's lodging. She pays in cash, one day at a time, without fail. She and Kara see one another again on the stairs, Kara on her way out to work a shift at the library and Lena on her way back up to her room. A small smile passes between them, affectionate and familiar, and Kara thinks perhaps... But no, the moment has passed and they've gone their separate ways for another day.

Kara has resolved that this pattern will not repeat itself again. Not now, not when Midvale is draped in heavy golds and greens, when the smell of Christmas pastry is wafting through the streets, when the trickle of seasonal tourists is threatening to become a thunder which will by necessity pry Kara's attention away. Not now when Lena is withdrawing further and further, when those lingering glances at breakfast seem to be few and far between, and it seems the onslaught of Christmas cheer is threatening to drive Lena out of Midvale altogether. If Kara is going to get through to her, today is the day.

She swings into J'onn's diner with a determined expression, sidestepping the younger Arias who has eyes these days only for her iphone and not so much for where she's going. J'onn is predictably behind the counter; Kara isn't sure he's taken a day away from the diner in all the time she's known him.

"I need two to go mugs of Bad Day Danvers Brew," she tells him. "It's urgent."

He plops two large paper cups down onto the counter almost before she's done asking. "I thought your sister was on duty tonight."

"She was. Is. It's not- It's for me."

"I don't suppose this has anything to do with a certain green eyed young lady from out of town."

It's not really a question the way J'onn says it but Kara somehow still feels pressured to answer. She flushes, turns away, scans the room. The dinner rush hasn't quite arrived. J'onn bustles about behind the counter without further comment, though he does arch an accusatory brow when Kara meets his eyes again.

"You do know," he says as he slides the drinks across the counter, "She's going to leave this place. She may not be ready yet, but the day is coming."

Kara frowns at him. "Leave is a four letter word."

"L - e - a -"

"You know what I mean."

"Maybe you should consider it too. Whole world out there waiting for you, Little Danvers. Seems a shame not to go out and see it."

Kara thinks for a moment of this world as she saw it first: a little marble hanging in a black sea, so fragile and small, so far away from home. Midvale is home now, and she'll be damned if she's going to leave it behind. She forces a smile for J'onn's sake.

"I'm right where I'm supposed to be," she says. She tries to pay him for the drinks. As he has a hundred times before, he turns her money away. Kara slips the cash into the tip jar on her way out the door.

When she gets home it's to the smell of apple pies bubbling in the oven and the sound of some old 50's Christmas record playing almost too loud for Jeremiah's battered old bluetooth speaker and hardly loud enough to compete with Jeremiah himself. Kara creeps up the stairs two at a time, one Bad Day Danvers Brew clutched in either hand, quiet quiet quiet. If Eliza catches her she'll try to put her to work and Kara isn't sure she can explain exactly what she means when she says she's too "busy" right now to help out.

She occupies herself with that thought, thinking up excuses for Eliza, each one more improbable than the last, and then she finds herself standing in front of Lena's door. She feels suddenly grimy, foolish, clumsy. What she hasn't considered in all her planning for this moment is that with both hands occupied she can hardly knock on Lena's door, and with her heart pounding an urgent rhythm in her chest and her body trembling with something that is distinctly not fatigue Kara doesn't trust herself to tuck one of the drinks into the crook of her arm.

So she does what any sane person would do: she kicks the door. Gently. As gently as she possibly can, but it still feels brutish and Kara winces as the sound of it tumbles down the hall to clash with Jeremiah's crooning and the roar of the vacuum cleaner in the foyer. Grimy, foolish, clumsy. But then the door swings open and all such thoughts fall from Kara's mind.

She has words picked out for this moment but they don't come to her. Lena stands in the doorway in jeans and a cardigan and socks that have bumble bees on them and Kara feels like she needs just a moment but the moment is already passing. Green eyes search hers, curious, bemused. Kara wants to reach out and tuck that stray lock of hair away, but-

The drinks. Right. "I brought refreshments," she says, proferring the paper cups. "For us," she adds, in case it isn't clear.

Lena reaches out for one of the cups, hesitant, then pries the lid off to take a whiff. "Hot chocolate?"

Kara wants to melt on the spot but she sticks to her guns. "It's special hot chocolate," she clarifies. This is not how this conversation was supposed to go. She had this exchange all planned out, there were contingencies, it was all perfect and here she is muddying it all up. "I was thinking maybe we could go out tonight."

"Like on a date?"

Oh, Rao. Kara's eyes drops to Lena's mouth without her say so and then they travel a little further south to the line of that cardigan and she swallows. "No," she forces out, "like on a walk?"

There's a long pause and then Lena laughs. "You're really very charming, Danvers," she says, and Kara feels an unexpected thrill at the sound of her last name in Lena's mouth. "Let me just get my sweater."

"You're already-" Kara starts, but the door clicks shut before she can finish. "Wearing a sweater," she mumbles to herself.

Lena emerges some minutes later, just when Kara is beginning to get fidgety. She's thrown on a hoodie which is perhaps a size too big and a pair of converse rather the worse for wear and Kara isn't sure what she was expecting but it wasn't this. Which is not to say that she doesn't like it. Lena licks her lips and fixes Kara with a pointed look.

"There is whisky in that hot chocolate," she says.

Kara shrugs. "I did say it was special."

They make it down the stairs and out of the bed and breakfast without Eliza noticing, though Kara is all but certain Jeremiah saw them leave together and will have Questions with a capital Q about it later. The sun is just now sinking below the horizon as the two of them turn down Main Street, ducking around Mr. Schott who is occupying most of the sidewalk with a rickety old ladder in an attempt to install another strand of lights above the toy store window. Already the street lamps bear oversized red bows and long, heavy pine garlands, and it will be only a matter of days now before every storefront from here to the edge of town is bright and warm and magical. Kara takes it all in with a growing smile. Lena takes it in with an expression that borders on an outright scowl.

"So are we going anywhere in particular?" Lena asks. They duck around a knot of visitors asking after a table at the brewery and for an instant Kara is almost certain she feels Lena's fingers brush hers.

"We are," Kara admits. And then, because she doesn't want to give away their destination, she adds, "You don't like Christmas."

Lena grimaces and takes a long sip of the Bad Day Danvers Brew. "I wouldn't say that I don't like Christmas."

"But?"

"But I've never been festive. And this year..."

Kara's mind fills in the words that Lena doesn't say: This year it's hard. Hard to see the joy and the magic and the laughter all around when you're alone and far from home. Well, Kara knows a thing or two about that. She takes a sip of her own drink and, resolutely, carefully, looking straight ahead, she reaches out to touch Lena's hand, so gentle it could have been an accident.

"This year you have me," Kara says. She's shocked the line comes out of her mouth as smoothly as it does. Her heart is so far up her throat she almost fears she'll choke on it.

Lena steps in closer until Kara swears she can feel the heat radiating between them even through both of Lena's sweaters and her own Christmas flannel. They walk in silence for a block or so, shoulders bumping once in a while, before Lena asks, "Do you have any favorite holiday traditions?"

Kara shrugs. "I like the carols. Jeremiah and I always go out caroling on Christmas eve. Oh! And the cookies. Pie for breakfast on Christmas morning."

Lena laughs at that. "Pie for breakfast? Lilian - my step mother - she'd have a fit."

"Well you can have pie with us this year if you want; I promise not to tell Lilian a thing. If you're still hanging around."

Lena looks at her sharply and then looks away, leaving Kara to feel silent and small and a little rejected. But Lena touches Kara's wrist as they move through the crowd and then, when Kara doesn't pull away, she takes her hand.

"Christmas is always an important social event for my family," Lena says. She glances at Kara as if to check that she's listening and then away again so quickly that Kara almost wonders if she imagined it. "Everything has to be perfect. The food, the decorations, the music. The family. And it's beautiful, really. Imagine a pine tree towering up to the very rafters, all the ornaments carefully curated and arranged, and a cellist flown in from Italy perches in the corner playing O Come Emmanuel while the city's elite pass through pretending to enjoy bite sized Christmas pastries prepared overnight by a team flown in from France. I suspect it would feel magical if it weren't so much work. It's hard to enjoy the magic when you're a part of it. Especially as a child."

Kara frowns. Her fingers tighten around Lena's, tugging her ever forward towards the Christmas tree in the center of town. She's thinking of Krpyton, of a perfect family, a perfect people, and a perfect world crumbling under the veneer. But she can't say that to Lena, so she flashes her a bright smile instead and says, "In Midvale, everyone who wants to gets to put an ornament on the town tree."

"Everyone? That doesn't seem practical. There have to be, what, at least a thousand people living here."

Kara nods. "Yeah. Not everyone participates, but most people. And of course that means the tree isn't curated like your family's, but it's got a special kind of magic to it. The kind you get when you aren't trying to make magic follow the rules."

There is a sort of comedic timing, as this is the moment Kara steps over the low fence with the sign that reads "do not walk on the grass" and tugs a protesting Lena after into the shade - or, in this case, the light - of the Midvale tree.

"Rules," Lena is saying, "Generally exist for a reason, and when you break them willy nilly you don't get magic, you get chaos. It's important to- Wait, is this your Christmas tree?"

"Yep," Kara says. She reaches out to press a hand to the trunk and then stares up at the tiny golden lights wound among the branches with care, ornaments dangling here and there, some homemade and some not. She's definitely not supposed to get this close to it but, well, it's Alex on duty tonight and she doubts her sister is about to arrest her for trying to make a move on a pretty girl. "This is the one."

"But it's an oak tree," Lena observes. She steps up beside Kara to touch the trunk.

"Couple hundred years old, or so they told us in middle school," Kara says. "She's a gorgeous tree, isn't she? Not a pine and not perfect, but. Our own kind of magic." Then she grimaces. "Sorry; I'm being terribly cheesy right-"

"Did you know that mistletoe often grows in the California oak?" Lena interrupts.

Kara falters. She did know that, but this tree is carefully tended. No mistletoe here. She opens her mouth to say so when Lena holds up a finger to stop her again.

"To be perfectly clear I'm suggesting that we kiss here under this tree. Because you're charming and a little over the top and I hate that I love your Christmas flannel and I would very much like to have pie with you on Christmas morning. So if you'd like we can pretend there's mistletoe in the Midvale Christmas tree. It would be a very reasonable mistake; mistletoe really does grow on-"

Kara kisses her. The surprised gasp that falls from Lena's lips almost makes her laugh, but this is a serious moment so she tries to keep it in. She's got only one hand to work with - the other is still holding her Bad Day Danvers Brew - so she slides it around Lena's waist to pull her closer, and it's her turn to gasp when Lena tilts her head to slide her tongue along Kara's bottom lip.

Someone on the sidewalk cheers, and that is when Lena drops her drink. And then they do laugh together there under the tree, spiked hot chocolate splattered over the bottom of Lena's pants, Kara pressing her own drink into Lena's hands, and the sound of Mrs. Nal nearby screeching about public indecency while James tells her to go suck an egg. The two of them will be the talk of the town for weeks. Certainly through New Years. Kara doesn't think she minds.

[ask-the-critters-survival-au]

This might be a dumb question but what if you cut the cable car cord? It will cut off travel for everyone but it will slow down Picky and give time for the magic or whatever to wear off

Rrgh, are you kidding me? Why didn’t I think of that?! Too late now, I guess. I’m too far away. I’m almost at the hiding spot anyways.

[heliza24]

Love your blog and all your analysis!!

Many people didn't like S2 because Simon, according to them was just a tool to drive Wilhelm's story, a love interest only and didn't really have his own story. In particular, many are frustrated at the lack of narrative on the video's effect and Simon's subsequent trauma. Of course, everyone's allowed their opinions but seeing as you have experience in the world of writing and making tv magic, wanted to get your insight on this. Thanks, a S2 fan! 💜

Hi anon! Thanks for the question.

I’ve already written pretty extensively about Simon’s arc in season 2 and why I like it in this post. In short, I think he grows a lot in season 2, but his growth takes him towards emotional vulnerability and openness, which is not something we’re used to seeing in characters (especially not male ones). 

I also don’t mind how they address Simon’s trauma in season 2. I’m going to approach this momentarily not as a writer, but as someone who has been in therapy for years. There are some traumas that have happened to me (like a serious car accident when I was a kid) that are very concrete, with a set beginning and end, and that began to affect me right away. (I had ptsd symptoms pretty immediately after that accident). But there are other traumas that feel like a series of small cuts instead of one big punch. It’s harder to decide where they begin and end, and their effects are more subtle. Sometimes it takes me years to even realize that they were traumatic and that they are still affecting me. (The medical trauma I’ve experienced as an adult over several years is like this). To me this is more what Simon is dealing with with the video. Once the video goes online, it’s not coming down. There’s no set end date, and Simon spends most of season 2 not even knowing who the perpetrator was. He’s in the kind of no-man’s land between the initial blow and coming to understand how the whole process has affected him. That being said, I do think we see some changes in him that reflect what he’s gone through. He seems to care a lot less about his academic classes than he did in season 1. He’s writing music in an attempt to process what he’s been through. And you could even see his attempt to have sex with Marcus as a trauma response. The last time he hooked up with someone his agency was taken from him. So it makes sense to me that he’s eager to have sex again but fully on his own terms, to partially erase that feeling of not being in control. I don’t know for sure if this will happen, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more traditional ptsd symptoms from Simon in season 3. If there’s some sort of legal action against August that would signify a sort of “end” of the video trauma, and would also probably be re-traumatizing in a lot of ways. I also think interacting directly with the royal family might stir up some things as well.

Ok, now I’m going to totally switch gears and approach your question from a writing perspective. Let’s talk about story structure for a minute, specifically TV story structure. Most TV has an A plot and a B plot (and sometimes a C plot too). In old school cable procedurals, the A plot would be the mystery of the week, while the B plot would be about whatever was happening in the characters’ personal lives. If there was an overarching mystery or storyline that tied the whole season together, that would be the C plot. As you can guess by how they’re named, the A Plot would take up the most time and do the most to drive  the episode forward. The B plot is next most important, etc. Once shows started to become more serialized in the age of streaming, the concept of A and B plots changed a little bit. Now the plots are divided by character and theme. The A plot will be headlined by the protagonist and will explore the main themes of the show. The B plot will be headlined by a secondary protagonist, who doesn’t have as much to do as the A plot lead, but is still answering a dramatic question that relates to the central themes of the show. A lot of times the primary and secondary protagonists’ actions influence each other, but they don’t share a ton of screen time. (If they did, their stories wouldn’t be separate.) You can think of the A and B plot protagonists as two sides of the same coin. They’re intricately connected, they’re exploring the same ideas, but they rarely come face to face, and they often represent different perspectives on the same themes. Black Sails is probably my favorite example of this. (I’m not as active in the Black Sails fandom as I am in the Young Royals fandom, but Black Sails is probably my all time favorite show and I absolutely love all the ungovernable pirates over in the Black Sails tag. Shout out to them). James Flint is the main protagonist and headliner of the A story, but Max is the secondary protagonist that headlines the B story. Both are struggling with the question of how to achieve and wield power in an unjust world, and their political maneuvers consistently influence each other’s plots. They share a lot of secondary characters across both of their plots, but they themselves never interact. So that’s one example, and if you look around at your favorite shows you’ll be able to find lots that adhere to this formula, including, I would say, Young Royals.

I think a lot of people are kind of subconsciously looking for this kind of structure, and have decided that Simon is the protagonist of the B plot. I understand this, because we all love Simon. He’s really well written and acted, his personality is so compelling, and his chemistry with Wilhelm is great. I spend a lot of time writing him in fic (I’m the writer of all the Simon content in Heart and Homeland) so I understand this impulse. But if you were looking for Simon to be anchoring the B plot in season 2, you might have been disappointed. Because in reality I don’t think he’s the secondary protagonist. I think Sara is. 

Sara is set up as a foil to Wilhelm, the main protagonist, in so many ways. I always say that the driving dramatic question of Young Royals lives with Wilhelm, and it’s something along the lines of “should I conform and live the oppressive life that was designed for me, or rebel and find my own path to happiness?” Sara is wrestling with a similar question that’s kind of the inverse of this; for her settling into a prescribed role in the Hillerska class system initially seems like a relief. So maybe for her the dramatic question is something along the lines of “is the price of fitting in worth it? Will it lead to true happiness?” They feel so much like opposite sides of the same coin to me. 

So Sara and Wilhelm are both trying to define themselves in relation to their families and also the class system. This comes up in the similarities of their family structure (they both feel very connected to their class position through their families; they both have complicated relationships with their mothers and bad to negligible relationships with their fathers; they both have a deep connection to their siblings) and in the relationships they choose to embark upon. They’re both navigating a very serious and complicated first love. They’re both dating across class (in the opposite direction, a perfect example of the “different views on the same theme” aspect of primary and secondary protagonists). They both have concerns about how and when their relationships become public, and by extension are both playing in the sandbox of themes around privacy and authenticity that define so much of the show.  

Both have difficulty regulating and recognizing their emotions. Sara seems to exhibit alexithymia, a common aspect of autism that makes it hard to recognize one's own emotions. Wilhelm has been taught to repress his emotions, which he does well until he explodes (like when he got into the fight at the top of the series or when he yells at his mom on the phone). He’s also managing a lot of physical symptoms of anxiety. 

Both also struggle with questions of justice and how to make things right. In the beginning of season 2, Wilhelm is initially determined to destroy August because he thinks August will never repent, but by the end of the season he’s starting to realize that this was the wrong technique. He realizes this largely because of Simon; he only puts down the gun and walks away from August because Simon does first.  Sara makes the opposite journey: she starts by trusting that August will change and repent on his own, but then she is forced to confront the fact that this is not true, and that she needs to use the legal system to bring August to justice. She makes this realization largely because of Simon, and seeing the ways that she has hurt Simon, in the same scene with the gun. 

The other big argument in support of Sara as the secondary protagonist of the show is that she and Wilhelm never directly interact. Their actions affect each other all the time, but they don’t share a scene together. They’re living on parallel but separate story tracks. 

Simon is a crucial character in both Wilhelm and Sara’s stories, but the fact that he is close with both excludes him from being a protagonist of his own plot line. (I would say the same about August, who is a catalyst for both Wilhelm and Sara.) That doesn’t mean that Simon isn’t well written. He has a very compelling character arc, motivates much of the plot, and his relationship with Wilhelm forms the heart of the show. But I think the reason people were disappointed in his story in season 2 is that they were expecting something from him that the structure of the show doesn’t support.  

If you’re interested in reading more about A/B/C plot structures I found this website really easy to understand. Also shout out to @bluedalahorse for talking to me about Wilhelm and Sara and helping me articulate what I was trying to say here. 

Thanks again for the ask, anon and for the vote of confidence in my analysis! I really appreciate it. If anyone else has a Young Royals scene or question they want me to break down from a writing or cinematography perspective, my ask box is always open.

[jerzwriter]

One Step...

A follow-up to Just Passing By... and part of the From Here to There arc of their story.

Book: Open Heart (Book 2 Timeline) Pairing: Tobias x Casey (Eventual) Rating: Teen Words: 2,500 (fic and brief HC following) Summary: It's a month after the chemical attack at Edenbrook; Casey is struggling and not ready to face the world. She only leaves her apartment for therapy, and her recently reunited friend, Tobias, has been playing chauffeur. But today, he wants to see if she's willing to take a little step back to being her old self.

From Here to There Arc: It's a month after the chemical attack, and Casey's still not ready to face the world. She'll only leave home for therapy with her recently reunited friend, Tobias, playing chauffeur. But today, he wants to see if she's willing to take a little step back to being her old self.

Tobias & Casey Masterlist | My Main Masterlist

Casey shivered as she waited on the busy street corner, donning an adorable pink cable knit sweater and matching cap; she looked as lovely as could be. Unfortunately, adorable wasn't the quality needed to fight the cold on this frigid New England day. Her roommates knew that when she left earlier that morning, but they remained silent. They never knew what might make her bite their heads off these days, and, more importantly, they were elated to see her concerned with what she was wearing, something she hadn’t done since that dreadful day a month before.

Tobias had told her to wait inside; he was a couple blocks away, but that could still take some time in city traffic. But surviving a violent attack had done nothing to quell Casey’s stubbornness. It was cold enough that she might have listened, but then – it happened. That magical moment she eagerly waited for every winter - when the grey Boston sky opened and the season’s first snowflakes would fall. Without thought, she rushed to the door.

This could be it! She thought. This could be the moment she’d been hoping for. The moment when she’d feel... something. Something other than the wretched cycle of emptiness and pain that had marked her existence since... maybe this would be it...   

But as she stepped out to the sidewalk, her eyes fixed on the sky, she waited... and waited until her face fell toward the ground with disappointment. She had to surrender to the fact that the only thing she was feeling right now was cold. She slipped her hands under her sleeves and bounced on her toes to keep warm. Repeating the words her therapist told her over and over again: “It's a dark time, but it won’t last forever. One day, you’ll look back and marvel at how strong you were.”

It made sense. It sounded like something she would have told a friend or a patient in the past, but no matter how many times she repeated it, she couldn’t will herself to believe it was true. Just when the ever-lurking shadows were about to pull her into their grip, the loud honk of a horn from an approaching car jarred her from her thoughts, and she felt something a little different - relief.

Tobias shook his head with a chortle as she rushed to open the passenger door. He learned much about Casey in the past few weeks, probably more than he had the entire time they were dating.... and the woman was a simply fascinating contradiction. He knew that as much as she loved the snow, she hated the cold. Yet, she didn't hate it enough to dress appropriately in it and he could see her shiver as she ran. Jumping into the warm car, the cold radiated off her body.

"Oh, thank God!" She said through chattering teeth. "I mean... thank you! Another moment, and I know hypothermia would have set in."

"Hypothermia," he teased. "MacTavish, what kind of doctor are you? It would take a little more than this for hypothermia."

"I know," she half-smiled, and even if it was only half, it warmed his heart. "You should know I’m prone to hyperbole.”

His eyes crinkled as he put the car in drive. “I’ll file that information away."

He never knew what state of mind Casey would be in when she left therapy; she was often sullen, fragile, a shadow of her former self. And while she was far from the confident, effervescent woman he had known in the past today, he could sense an aura of contentment surrounding her. It was only then he realized how heavy the weight on his chest had become, and he was elated to feel it lift.

The conversation was minimal, but neither minded. They had grown comfortable with it. But as they drove closer to her neighborhood, he could feel a shift in her mood. He’d normally make small talk, perhaps crack a bad joke, but his gut told him to try something else; today, he chose to be direct.

“How is therapy going? Are you happy with Dr. Stevens?”

Casey’s head flung in his direction. She had been keeping things pretty close to the vest these days and was inclined to offer her standard reply of ‘It’s fine.’ But the man was kind enough to chauffeur her to her appointments, so she felt it was a fair ask.

“Uhm, yeah. I like her, but... this isn’t easy.”

“I never assumed it would be,” he assured. “But you’re doing it. I’m proud of you; you’re doing the work, and it will all be worth it in the end.”

“I hope so,” she faltered, then turned back toward the window to watch the flurries fall.   

“Almost home,” Tobias noted. “Do you need to get anything before I drop you off?”

“No,” she said sadly. “I’m good. I just... I don’t want to go home.”

“Oh?” He glanced at the time on his dashboard, he had plenty of time before his next shift. “Do you... do you want to stay out?”

She turned to him, her face marred with distress. “No. I hate being out,” she insisted. “My anxiety goes through the goddamn roof every time I leave the front door. I spend the whole time anxious to get home... then I get home...and...” her voice trailed.

“Are... are things OK?” he asked. “I hope this isn’t too forward, but... when we were dating... you and your roommates seemed super tight. I was kind of surprised I ended up being the one to take you to your appointments. Not that I mind,” he quickly corrected. “I’m happy to do it... trust me, it’s just that...”

“Tobias,” Casey interrupted, amused by his stumbling. “It’s OK.”

She let out a sigh and fell back into her seat. “I love them,” she began. “They're more than friends; they’re family. So I feel like a shitty human being because I find it so hard to be around them right now. I know they’re worried about me, but they can be so overprotective that it makes me feel broken beyond repair. And sometimes... I can just see it in their eyes, you know?”

“No, I don’t. What do you see?”

“How disappointed they are that I’m not the person I once was... that they're afraid she's never coming back... and maybe they won't like the new me." Casey lowered her head, unable to admit these were her greatest fears as well.

She waited for the lecture. The lecture about how they only hovered because they loved her, that she was still the same person, and everything would be OK. That’s what her well-meaning parents said about it. She knew they only wanted to make her feel better, but in the end, she felt worse. But to her surprise, the lecture never came.

“You’re not a shitty person, Casey. Not at all. But have you told your friends how you feel?”

“No, I haven’t. I usually just snap at them or go to my room. Avoidance has been my go-to.”

“And how is that working out for you?”

“Not... not well. But I can’t talk about it yet. I can’t cope with much right now. It may sound stupid, but even the thought of that conversation feels too overwhelming for me.”  

“It doesn’t sound stupid at all,” he insisted. “You’ll do it when the time is right. Until then, don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“I don’t think the time will ever come,” she replied so quietly he almost didn't hear.

“It will. I have faith that it will.”

“Really?” she said with a smirk. “Well, that makes one of us.”

“You’ll get there,” he insisted. “Hey, can I make a suggestion?”

“Sure...”

“Why don’t we get a bite to eat before you go back home. It might be good for you to have a change of scenery. I know a nice little diner over on Washington. Great pancakes... great burgers, too. You can get whatever you want. My treat.”

Casey shot him a smug look. “If this is your way of trying to say we went on a date, Carrick....”

“Seriously, Case? You’ve never grabbed a bite to eat with a friend before?”

“I’m just joking,” she insisted. “And a good, juicy burger sounds sooo good, but... I don’t know. I haven’t been away from home since the attack except for therapy, and I... I....”

“And you...” he pushed.

“I’m... scared.”

“All right. Tell me what you’re afraid of.”

“Of something else horrible happening out of nowhere. Of... people. They may recognize me from the news coverage. They’ll end up staring at me like I’m some sort of animal on display, or worse... they’ll blame me.”

“Blame you? For what?”

“For two people being dead....”

Hearing the quiver in her voice, Tobias pulled over into an illegal spot and put the car in park.

“Casey, you are not responsible for Danny and Bobby's deaths.”

“It’s hard for me to believe that. If I had handled things better...”

“No one is prepared for that type of a situation... even if we think we are... when it happens, it's impossible to know how we'll react. You did what you thought was best in the moment. You’re not responsible, Casey... No one is except for the son of a bitch that did it.”

“You wouldn’t understand."

"I do understand because there are still days where I have to fight not to blame myself.”

“You?” she sputtered. “How on earth would you be responsible?”

Tobias's eyes shut as he inhaled deeply, releasing his breath at a painfully slow pace before speaking again.

“The night of the attack... I was running on pure adrenaline. Fight or flight, all the way... I just did what had to be done...”

“I know,” she smiled softly. “My friends say you were amazing.”

“Yeah, well... I wasn’t amazing the next day. Back home, alone, the gravity of what happened and what could have happened hit me. Case, I fell the fuck apart. Two people were gone, and three more were on the brink. We nearly lost you, Casey... you.”

“But I’m still here. Me, Raf ... we’re here, in large part, because of you.”

“Does that matter if none of you would have been in that position if it weren’t for me?”

“What... what are you talking about?”

“Travis wanted to kill Ferrugia, and Ferrugia was only your patient because of me. You wouldn't have been in danger if he had been back at Mass Kenmore. If I hadn’t been an ass and stolen Stephanie from you, then you wouldn’t have stolen Ferrugia from me, and this entire train would never have been put in motion.”

“Tobias! No! It’s ridiculous to think it was your fault. There was no way in hell you could have thought any of that would lead to this.”

“Oh, I know that. I know that now.” He replied confidently.  

“All right, so you fell apart, but a month later... you know that?”  

“Yep.” He smiled. “Because therapy is a good thing.”

“You’re in therapy?” Casey asked, eyes wide. “Since the attack?”

“Since before the attack. But, it’s sure helped me a lot since.”

“Wow,” Casey chuckled. “Tobias Carrick... God’s gift to all humanity... in therapy.”

“You know, here I am being nice,” he smirked. “You really know how to make a man feel good, kid.”

Casey burst into laughter – genuine laughter- and Tobias couldn’t contain his grin. After Casey regained her composure, she attempted to apologize.

“I’m sorry. I just... the man I met... I could never see him going to therapy.”

“What did I tell you the other day? I’m not the man you met. You’re not the woman I met. Things happen... people change... and that's not always a bad thing.”

“Well,” she smiled tenderly. “I’m glad it helped you... because you don’t deserve to carry that burden."

“And neither do you,” he smiled, and with those words, Casey finally understood they were true. “Now, I believe you’ve left a very important question unanswered. Are we going to the diner? And don’t worry, this is in no way, shape, or form a date.”

“A burger does sound good.”

“Trust Mike's makes the best!"

“If I’m still hungry after... can I get ice cream, too?”

“I think I can manage to spring for that.”

Tobias was about to put the car back in drive when Casey reached over to stop him.

“But....” she started.

“But?”

“If it’s too much. If I get too nervous... we leave, no questions asked? No judgment?”

“We can do that,” he nodded. “We can even come up with a diner safeword if you want.”

For the second time that day - and the second time since the attack - Casey burst out laughing.

“I love that idea!”

“OK,” he chuckled. “So what’s your diner safeword going to be?”

“Uhm... how is pumpkin pie.”

“Pumpkin pie,” he winced. “What the hell kind of safe word is pumpkin pie?”

“Hey! A safe word can be whatever you want!”

“It can... but the problem is... we’re going to a diner. How do I differentiate if you want to leave from you want a slice of pumpkin pie?”

“Oh... and I do love pumpkin pie... that’s a definite possibility!”

“So... you see my dilemma.”

“OK, OK...," she blurted. "How about... Smokey.”

“Smokey?” He asked.

“You know... like Smokey Robinson.”

“Smokey Robinson?” Tobias asked, duly impressed. “You a fan?”

“Huge. My dad raised me on Motown."

“Impressive... damn, if you’re a Motown fan, I’ll pay for ice cream and the pumpkin pie...”

“I’m going to hold you to that...”

~~~~~ 

Headcanon of what happens next:

Lunch didn't last very long. Neither wanted to overdo Casey’s first time out.

But she had to admit, that was one of the best burgers she ever had, which did nothing to shrink Carrick’s enormous ego. They enjoyed each other’s company, but it was very much not a date.

She never needed to say, “Smokey,” but it was good to have it there if she needed to.

Pumpkin pie was said, though it was said by Tobias. After her burger and ice cream, Casey couldn’t eat another bite, so he ordered a whole pie to go so she could share it with the roomies.

On the ride back to her place, they agreed to have lunch after her next appointment in four days.

This led to their once-a-week date—that was not a date. Tobias would pick her up on his day off, take her to do whatever she wanted to do and bring her back home. Some days, she could do it; some days, and some days, she had to let "Smokey" sing, but it slowly became easier for her to be herself again.

Her friends were skeptical at first. Sure, Tobias helped save her, but he had quite a rep, and does a leopard change its spots? Besides, he had already hurt Casey once.  

But they couldn’t deny he seemed good for her, and as their “not-date-dates” progressed, they were seeing the Casey they knew again, so they weren’t about to discourage them.

But, every single one of them gave Tobias a stern talking to threatened him within an inch of his life... and that segment is coming up next. 😊

If you've made it this far, thanks so much for reading!

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[queenofbaws]

There's been a drought of non-poly Chrashley-focused content for quite a while now (apart from the occasional story on Ao3), and I'm starved for ANYTHING featuring the nerds and their schmaltzy escapades. I've considered remedying this situation by making my own food (read: trying to write my own fanfiction), but I fear I wouldn't do the characters justice. You've proven to be a talented author from what I've read of your works, so would you be willing to write a soft, sweet snippet in my stead?

catch me catching up on some not-quite-six sentence sat(or)sunday!

"So...is it that you think glaring it down is somehow going to magically make it safer, or...?" He couldn't mark it down as a full victory, not with the way her mouth was twisted up like that, but there was juuust enough laughter in her eyes for Chris to pat himself on the back. Not that he ever needed much of an excuse to do that.

After another moment of heavy, heavy consideration, Ashley sighed, then groaned, then forced herself to take a single lurching step over the threshold and into the cable car. She mumbled something as she shrugged her bag off and plunked it down on the same bench where he'd ditched his, and while he couldn't make most of it out, he for sure caught "death trap" and "tin can" thrown around in there.

"That'd be a 'yes' on the glaring question, then?" he teased, pretending not to follow her with his eyes as she sat beside him. She folded her arms and sighed again, and he nudged her shoulder with his own. "Think about it this way," he tried instead, "maybe it's Peter Pan rules - if you believe we're going to drop about a million feet and plunge to our icy deaths, then we will, and if you don't, we won't!"

"Chris! Oh my God." Ashley dropped her head into her hands, laughing tensely. Very, very tensely. "Do you seriously think that's helping?"

"Nah. I just didn't want to go full bad movie cliche and say, y'know...c'mon, Ash, what's the worst that could happen?"

The cable car's door clicked shut, the mechanism began to hum, and Ashley's laughter took on a desperate note. "Oooh but you said it anywayyy!"

She scooted another few inches away from the window, and just like that they were flush against each other, her arm pressing into his...from between, like, twelve layers of jacket, anyway. They hadn't even chugged a single inch up the mountain yet and whoop, yeah, uh huh, now Chris was all aboard the Anxiety Express too, his ticket paid for, processed, and punched in not by heights or the decidedly out-of-date maintenance sticker on the back window but Ashley herself. As was so often the case.

What was his move here? Did he have a move here? And, maybe more importantly, since when did he think about his life in terms of moves?

Okay, that last one was actually easy enough to answer: Since he'd hung up with Josh all of three minutes ago. It had been a thirty second call, if that, just enough to let him know they were heading up and he should expect them at the summit's station in the next ten minutes or so...but in true Josh fashion, he'd managed to pack that thirty seconds with as much psychic damage as humanly possible.

"Hope you two have a nice ride up," he'd said cheerfully enough, which had tripped at least five different warning alarms in Chris's brain. "See the sights, revel in the atmosphere, engage in a much-needed heart-to-heart...you know, just...really enjoy each other's company."

Good ol' Josh. Always knowing the exact thing to say to leave a guy completely unarmed.

Armed! Was that the answer? He could, in theory, sort of stretch his arm around her shoulders. People did that, didn't they? If someone they were with was freaked out? It...it didn't have to be seen as a romantic gesture, not if all he was doing was comforting her, but...but would she see it like that?

The cable car crept a foot off the ground, two, three, four, five...and right as they crested the roof of the station, it...well, it stopped. Completely.

"What's going on?" All it took was the cable car rocking once as it came to a halt and Ashley was on him, her face buried in the fur lining of his parka and her arms wrapped so tightly around his middle he could feel her fingers knotting at his side, Princess and the Pea style. "I can't look! How high up are we? I - wait, no, I don't want to know! Don't tell me!"

"I...we're like seven feet up, Ash. Like, maybe eight. Nine?"

"Make up your miiiiiiiind!" she groaned into his coat, her shoulders shaking as he did, in fact, scrounge up courage enough to wrap his arm around them. "I knew this was a bad idea...God, I hate these stupid things!"

"They've never stalled like this before. It's probably just, uh, a glitch or something. The system needs to warm up a little bit." He tried to sound confident as he said it, even as he glanced out the window and started running the numbers in his head. Could they jump out if they needed to? Maybe. It'd probably hurt, though, and he was prone to getting hurt on leisurely walks around the block, to say nothing of sick, snowy stunts. Plus, it'd taken a hell of a lot of convincing to get Ashley into the cable car in the first place; convincing her out of it...

"Yeah," she agreed, poking her head out from his coat only long enough to shoot a worried glance out the window on her side, "they've never stalled like this before, that's the problem, Chris! Maybe this is it! This is the time they break down for good! We're going to be stuck up here and - "

Before she could get another word out, the lights in the car flickered. And dimmed.

They turned to each other, eyes wide as panic began to really set in, and...and then...wait.

Now wait one fucking second.

The car suddenly filled with music. Music of the low and slow variety, that was, music the likes of which you only ever heard during the swelling denouement of a cheesy Hallmark romance movie, and Jesus Christ, he was going to kill Josh when they got to the summit. If they got to the summit.

Chris's head fell back against the glass panel behind him with a dull thunk. He squeezed his eyes shut as tight as they went. "Well," he said, feeling his adrenaline begin to flag, "looks like someone installed speakers in this bad boy since our last visit."

"Oh my God. Oh my...God." Beside him, Ashley slumped. Up until that moment, she'd been a spring wound tight against his side; now she felt more like a ragdoll folded up under his arm, her heartbeat still frantic enough that he could feel it through their layers upon layers of winterwear.

A moment later the cable car chugged back to life, rising up, up, up into the sky and towards the lodge, its lights low and its jams smooth. Chris waited for the moment Ashley straightened again, prepared himself for their inevitable separation...and even as the lights of the summit slowly came into view, it did not come.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Ashley asked after awhile, her arms still tight around him, her head still nestled in his parka's lining. "Just had to go and jinx us, huh?"

It took him a second, but when it clicked, it was all he could do not to laugh outright. Instead, he pressed his luck a liiittle more, tightening the arm around her shoulders to pull her closer before setting his chin atop her head. "Ash, uh, if this right here is the worst that could happen, I gotta be honest, I would love to know what your idea of the best-case scenario would've been."

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Ask me Anything -- Tal Smithson

Have you heard of the magical girl genre?

Fuck yes, have you read Sailor Nothing? World-changing. Preneek. Literature. I mean we only have two thirds of it but they were a great two thirds.

If you had awoken in Captain Aspen’s situation, would you have waited as long to wake others up?

I wouldn’t have woken anyone up. I don’t think it would even have occurred to me.

Do you feel more lucky or guilty that you’re the only one to survive your Ring’s ejection? Sorry if this one is too personal.

Why would I feel guilty? I was asleep.

If this is not too rude to ask, could you tell me a little about the Brennan gender identity, and grammar around pronouns?

I don’t know what you’re asking. It’s just a gender. Some people are men and some people are women and some people are brennan. And some people are something else I guess, like Aspen or the Friend.

Did you have any pets, or tend to animals growing up?

I had a pet monitor lizard named Cthulhu.

Have you done any work salvaging preneek data?

Yeah I used to be involved in tracking down and scraping old hard drives and servers for any possible recoverable data. Fillmore! Episode 5, Red Robins Don’t Fly? That was me. I found AND recovered that. You’re welcome.

Would you download a car?

I did once but the machine shop wouldn’t build me anything from unverified files. Also I don’t drive, obviously. Also I have nowhere to put a car.

What is Neocambrian meme culture like?

What’s meme culture?

Do you think the developments with Amy are as wild as I do?

Amy makes no fucking sense, my entire life since waking up on this ship has been a fever dream. In fact I’m not entirely convinced it isn’t a fever dream. Possibly I went to sleep and the neurostimulator started making me dream to preserve my brain on the trip and that’s what’s still happening right now. We’ll all wake up at Hylara super disoriented and filled with years’ worth of false memories.

What do you think should be done with the colonists that are too affected by Amy when the ship reaches Hylara?

It’s hardly up to me, is it? They’re going to die. I’m not a necromancer.

Do you ever worry you are in some sort of preneek science fiction novel, or movie?

What kind of weirdo would write something like this?

You are good at being a cybercriminal, how did you get caught?

The police, as it turns out, are also good at catching a cybercriminal.

If you could bring sometimes from earth with you, what would you pick?

Reget Bryce. Fucking arsehole. I hate that guy. He should have to be on this ship.

Do you want to give some of your dreams to Amy?

No, I’m very glad to have woken up before that could happen. Although maybe if she had a brain that knew literally anything about computers she wouldn’t be such a fucking mess in there.

What you hate the most?

People who think Star Trek and Star Wars were alternate names for the same franchise and totally fuck up our databases through unnecessary combinations. No Spock wasn’t a Force user. That took so many months to fix.

Are you scared of being made into a slave when you land?

I honestly don’t see how things are going to be significantly different to our current situation, except that we will be on the ground and presumably have less gaming time.

Kill someone innocent or be killed? Choose one.

We’ve got like four thousand spare innocent lives on hand, it’s not like it’s a limited resource. I probably will end up fucking up and killing at least one of them anyway. Just based on probability and this fucking nightmare of an AI.

Have you even be out of Texas?

Yeah I went on this submarine trip once to follow an old internet cable we discovered in the hopes that it would lead to some interesting server with some interesting information. It didn’t. It just lead to a small bunker from the time of the collapse, a seal had been breached and the entire thing was flooded. Nothing electronic was recoverable. There were some cool skeletons in there though.

[peathepirate]

Please please please tell me more about bunpollo

It’s bunpollo time!! 🐰

Trucy turns Apollo into a bunny on purpose. "It'll be a fun trick", she says. "Don't worry, I know how to turn you back", she says.

She does NOT know how to turn him back.

Apollo spends a week as a bunny. Trucy calls him Bunpollo the whole time. He hates it.

Apollo is furr-ious at first (Trucy thinks it's "super cute" when he angrily stomps his little foot) but eventually he has to accept his furry fate.

He's in the middle of a case, so spending the week in hiding isn't really an option. He does consider living the rest of his life in Trucy's magic hat after Klavier Gavin calls him cute, but Phoenix kindly reminds him that being a bunny is not an excuse to let his client down.

And so he becomes the first ever bunny attorney to defend a client in a murder trial. Trucy even makes him a tiny tie and a doll-sized red vest so that he can show up to court "in style".

The cool attire doesn't help. No one takes him seriously. Klavier calls him Hare Forehead more than once and the judge brings him carrots on the second day.

Eventually they have to postpone the trial until “Mr. Justice stops playing a rabbit and can take this trial seriously”.

Bunpollo’s having the worst time of his life. Things can’t possibly get worse than this!

They do.

That evening Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth joins them to dinner. Apollo finally snaps when Phoenix brings him a bowl of rabbit food and tells him to "enjoy his snack". After unsuccessful attempts from Trucy and Phoenix to calm him down, Mr. Chief Prosecutor himself tries to dissolve the situation. It doesn't work. First Apollo bites Edgeworth in the thumb, then Phoenix.

Apollo is put in a time-out box. The time-out box is put in to a car. They take a looong car ride – during which Phoenix wonders if he needs to go get a tetanus shot or not.

“He’s not a wild animal, Wright.”

“Yeah, so? We don’t know what kind of diseases he’s carrying!”

“STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I’M NOT HERE!!!”

The car comes to a stop. Someone lifts up the time-out box. Apollo secretly hopes that Mr. Edgeworth is going to throw him in the nearest river and so end his bunny misery.

His hopes are crushed when he hears a cheerful: “Ah, Herr Chief! Herr Wright! What brings you two to my office at this hour?”

The time-out box is left at Klavier Gavin’s office without much of an explanation. Klavier is very happy to see his “favorite furry friend” inside the box. Apollo is not happy to see him.

Klavier quickly finds out that having an angry bunny in his office full of cords and cables and scattered legal papers on the floor isn’t the best of combinations – even if the bunny in question does look very cute.

“Stop eating my aux cords, you little Scheiße!!”

Apollo is put in his time-out box once more. The time-out box is put in to a car once more. And once more, there is a looong car ride. This time no one accuses him of carrying any diseases. Instead Klavier plays him the demo of his upcoming solo album. Apollo decides he doesn’t like the music and proceeds to fall asleep during one of the ballads.

He wakes up in Klavier Gavin’s apartment.

Long story short, Apollo ends up spending the rest of his bunny days with Klavier. During that time he learns that 1) Klavier is actually a decent guy and really fun to be around, 2) his “anger” and “annoyance” toward Klavier might actually be just him having a big fat crush on the rock star, and 3) his bunny-self enjoys belly rubs. A lot. Like a LOT lot.

They cuddle in the evenings and it doesn’t even feel awkward after the first few times.

It’s his seventh day as a bunny. Apollo is comfortably in Klavier’s arms getting his before-bed-belly-rubs when he finally accepts that he might spend the rest of his life this way.

That evening he falls asleep as a bunny. The next morning he wakes up as his usual human-self.

There’s no obvious reason why he finally turns back into a human. It just kind of happens. Trucy says maybe Apollo needed to learn some kind of lesson "like in the movies”. Apollo thinks he was getting too comfortable as a bunny and the universe does NOT want him to feel comfortable. Ever.

So, it is the dawn of the first day AB (After Bunny) and Apollo’s freaking out because 1) he’s sleeping in Klavier Gavin’s bed, 2) he’s sleeping next to Klavier Gavin, and 3) he’s very, very naked.

Apollo’s thrilled to be back to normal (coffee doesn’t make his tummy hurt anymore!) but his joy is short-lived when others kindly let him know he isn’t “as cute” anymore.

The only one who makes him feel somewhat better about the whole ordeal is Klavier.

“I guess I’m happy to have you back as your normal self, Herr Forehead. I couldn’t imagine myself going on a date with a rabbit.”

[leet911]

The Way Things Were

When they finally return to Jrusar, Imogen removes her Circle of the Hidden Eye as soon as they're inside the city proper.  And although the thoughts of the city's denizens start to press in around her, Imogen sends her mind out, searching.

Laudna?  I'm here, Laudna.

It's been weeks of trekking across Exandria, worrying about gods and magic and moons and battles and skyships.  So many failed sendings and teleports, so many sages consulted, so many sleepless nights spent thinking of Laudna, hoping that Laudna was all right, wishing that Laudna could hear her if only Imogen just tried hard enough.

So Imogen searches now, bypassing the drone of thoughts around her, focusing in one direction then another, her brow furrowing as the city gets louder and louder.  The thoughts of each mind she passes become clear for an instant before she shoves them to the background, continuing to scan.

When she hears what she's looking for, it's faint, like a distant wind chime, but immediately recognizable.  Imogen stops walking then, falling into her own consciousness as she makes contact.  The music is strong, and vibrant, and hopeful, and Imogen drinks deeply from it.

Laudna!

Imogen?

Continued below the cut, or on AO3.

And the relief that washes over her is palpable.  Her shoulders sag as they relax, the knot in her stomach loosens just a little, her fingers tremble.  Then she's running, her mind guiding her higher up the spire.

I missed you so much, Laudna.

Me too.

Imogen reaches the cable car station where a crowd is waiting to board.  Without thinking, she runs right up to the edge and leaps over the railing, her powers carrying her up faster than the gondola.  Below, Chetney and FCG look at each other, but Fearne transforms into a stork and follows her flight.

I'm here, Laudna.

I see you.

And as Imogen lands on the core spire, there's a figure running towards her, dark hair and pale skin, thin frame and ragged clothes.  Imogen has never seen anything more beautiful.

The thoughts become jumbled then, on both sides, each a whirlwind of everything that haven't managed to say to each other for weeks.  They have never been apart for this long.  Not since they met.  Not even that time when Laudna died.

And Laudna is here.  She's fine.  She is running into Imogen, laughing and crying at the same time, wrapping their arms around each other as they crash together in the middle of the street, not caring about other people around.

"Imogen." She says, not a question or an exultation, just a name, and Imogen shivers at the sound of that familiar voice.  Laudna's cheek is cool against hers, and Imogen is suddenly embarrassed by how wet her own cheek is.

"Oh, Laudna."

Then Orym is there hugging her too, and Ashton, and Fearne encircling them all.  And when the gondola spews out the rest of their group, there are shouts and laughs and hugs and tears all around.

Later that evening, when they are back at Zhudanna's, alone in their room, they lean against each other on the bed, legs outstretched.  The hands between them are clasped, fingers interlaced, and Imogen tells herself she will never let go.

I missed this so much.

Laudna’s free hand traces up a leg, following the purple streaks, lingering at the hem of the shorts.  Imogen shivers even as she covers up with a blanket.

You don’t have to hide.  Not with me.  Nothing’s changed.

Their faces turn towards each other then, dark eyes meeting amethyst ones, but Imogen averts her gaze just as quickly.  She has changed though.  And not just on the outside.  She wants things with Laudna to change.  I don’t think we can go back to the way things were before.

Now it’s Laudna’s turn to look away.  Why not?

Imogen’s heart skips.  She starts speaking out loud because that would make it real.  And she needs Laudna to know this is real.  “Laudna, I—”

“Ashton told me what you said.”  Laudna doesn’t let her finish.

“What?”

Laudna blinks back tears, and Imogen feels her heart breaking even more.  “Ashton told me what you said.  When I was dead and you needed me back.  I heard Orym, but I never heard what FCG or you said.  It was so muffled, so distant.  I couldn’t make out the words.  But Ashton told me, one night when we were apart, when I missed you so much I couldn’t sleep.  Ashton told me what you said.  So why can’t we go back to the way things were?”

Imogen clenches her jaw and lets out a long sigh.  Several seconds pass before she speaks.  “Because I love you.”  It’s not a secret.  It should never have been a secret.

"Of course, I lo—"

"No," Imogen cuts her off.  She needs to say this.  "I'm in love with you." She needs Laudna to understand.  So Imogen is leaning forward, and there's no turning back this time, even if there's tingling in her limbs, fear and lightning in her veins.  Because Imogen can't pretend anymore.

When their lips touch, Laudna sucks in a breath, but she doesn't pull away.  Imogen kisses her, slow and gentle, asking for permission.  Laudna's lips are cool but soft, parted slightly, and when the point of her tongue pokes out, Imogen can't hold back the gasp of relief that overcomes her. As they separate, Laudna shivers, and Imogen doesn't remember that ever happening before.  Laudna's eyes are closed, eyelids fluttering as she licks her lips, nostrils flaring with clipped breaths.

Imogen slides the back of her knuckles across Laudna's cheek, brushes away a lone tear.  Are you all right?   Laudna looks fragile, even though Imogen knows she is anything but.

Dark eyes open, tear-filled and piercing all at once.  Oh Imogen.  Do it again.

So Imogen covers Laudna's mouth with hers.  This time the kiss is insistent, hungry, forceful.  Imogen doesn't mean it to be so needy, but she can't help herself.  There's a humming that starts, and Imogen isn't sure which one of them it is, if it's even a real hum, or just in their heads.  As the humming increases in intensity, so does their kissing.

Imogen is shaky breaths in between furtive kisses, fidgeting hands in between desperate clinging.  Don't ever leave me.

Laudna squeezes her tight.  I always thought that you would be the one to leave.

And Imogen knows this isn't fair.  They've had far too many close calls to make this promise to each other.  But she says it anyway.  I won't leave.  You're my tether.  If you love me, I'll always stay.

Because these feelings are real. Even if they didn't set out to save the world, Laudna deserves the world, and Imogen would give all of it to Laudna if she could.

[eating-the-inedible]

Here is a list of the inedibles that will be in this bracket

Lava

Orbeez

Orange Joe (fictional "beverage" that's a combination of orange juice and coffee)

Doll shoes

Dirt

Pen caps

Mercury

Watermelon tourmaline

Comet/scouring powder

Moss

Paper towels

Play-Doh

Drywall

Marbles

CD

DVD

Dice

Kinetic Sand

Coins 

Fiberglass insulation

3DS Stylus

Plastic Bottle Cap

Chapstick

Babybell Cheese Wax

Paper

Bouncy ball

Human meat

Venus (planet)

Cascade dishwasher pods

Acrylic Paint

Magnets

Molten glass

Pens

Sea glass

Silica gel packet

Leaves

Cocoa butter lotion

Antifreeze

Pencil Toppers, the lil eraser things

Sand

Tumbled amethyst

Rubber Ducks

The rubber balls from the game Cranium Cariboo

Polly pocket clothes

Poison Dart Frog

Snow

0.1 uF Film Capacitor

The sun

Metal

Eraser

Tide pods

Phone charger wire

Those free wooden pencils you get at ikea (just the wood shell not the lead)

Liquid nitrogen

Aquarium gravel

the weird science juice in the beakers in those stock images

Origami star

Styrofoam cup

Sticky note

Collar of shirt

This submission form

Plastic straws

Glow sticks

Oil paintings

Candle wax

Glass

Nickel sulfate solution/Nickel plating solution

Silicone wristbands

Seatbelt

The wax paper under your Poutine

Forearm (doesn't have to be one's own)

Asbestos

Candy wrapper

“Okay so technically this is edible but I’ve had urges to just take a huge bite out of certain sea creatures before. Like just a chunk from an orca or dolphin or great white or seal, etc.”

“Those stupid wooden spoons”

Furbies

Scotch tape

Artificial grapes (the wax/plastic ones for display)

phone

THE FLESH OF MY ENEMIES

Crystals

Fire

The goo inside  Stretch Armstrong

Headphone wire

Raw steak

Art

Small colorful rubber bands 

Tinfoil

Pencil lead

Cattails (the plant)

Foamy soap

Liquid soap

Bar soap

Flourite

Shiny rocks

Grass

A hunk of random fish swimming by

A live goldfish

Toothpaste

Styrofoam

Price Tag Fasteners

The moon

Pool noodles

Smol frog

Destroying angel mushroom

the smoke coming out of the grain refineries two Mike's out of Gary, Indiana, Usa

Popsicle sticks

Cardboard

My hat

The tiny rocks in school playgrounds

Gasoline

Blue laundry detergent

Spray foam insulation

Battery corrosion

Fiber optic cables

Packing peanuts

Your mother

Pond water

Dry ice

Alkali metals

Chocolate shampoo

Ping pong ball

Bricks, like the stuff you'd build with. Minecraft bricks even, if you want

Hoodie drawstrings

Horse treats

Chalk

Copper (II) Sulphate Water / Blue Science Rock + Blue Science Juice

Ink

Floam

Fabric Paint

Oil paint

that one art piece of the banana taped to the wall

the hotdog somebody encased in resin

“the thin lego plates not the base plates but like the lego piece thats like 2x8 and they kinda look like hershey chocolate bar pieces”

One of those little hamsters

Model magic

Battery Acid (the drink)

manchineel apple

Rubber band ball

The lava lamp liquid

Blood

Rosin

Wax apples

That cake decoration that came with your slice and you're like 90% sure it's not edible... but what if ?

Soap bubble

Lush cosmetics' products

Plushies

Strawberry Shortcake's dolls with scented hair

Wood

Glue

Salt lamp

People who think children are not worth their consideration

Tarmac

Shampoo

Pennies

Poisonous berries

Chunky soft yarn

Crayons 

Rock

“whatever the Chuck E Cheese Ticket Muncher Machine is eating (it's not the tickets) (or the sound itself but that's neither a solid nor a liquid so this is just kind of holding hands with the hypothetical ticket muncher food)”

Snow globe liquid

Chisel tip whiteboard marker

Raw dough

Raw fuckin cactus. alive

Grape agate

Car seat

Succulents

Keys

Lock pick

Scrub daddy

Molten sugar 

Allergens

Lightning bolts

“Bark dust. Like the dirt/bark dust that's under the bark chips on a playground. Not the chips themselves. The dust.”

Clear deodorant

Apple earbud wires

Eggshells

Squinkies

Hello kitty sweatshirt zipper

Preshredded mozzarella cheese

Scrap metal

Rose

All of the rocks at a crystal shop

Origami polyhedron model

Bubbles mixture

Cupcake liners

Hair gel

Curtain rods

Incense sticks

Incense cones

Metal thing that attaches eraser to pencil

Windshield wiper fluid

Plastic pencil grips

Wooden ice cream spoon

Book

Tree

The liquid in levels

Vanilla extract

Aroace flag

Coil incense

California state testing “next question” button

Spackle

Forbidden coal iron french fries

Garage doors that look like chocolate bars

Plastic takeout box

Velvet

Weird anime girl hair

Freezable gel ice pack

Clouds

Necklace chains

Nail polish

Pencil Shavings

Pool floats

Bao Dumpling

Spray deodorant

0.1 uF Ceramic Capacitor

Vanillish (Pokémon)

Fondant

Really fancy pillars

Computers

Favorite song

Tumblr

“THE LITTLE ORBS IN THE MOUSE (aka trackballs)”

“Any cutesy anime character like Chopper or Pikachu”

Wooden fan blades

Balsa wood sticks

Those blankets that look like tortillas

Microwave

Milk and golden honey softsoap

Batteries

1x2 lego pieces

Light bulbs

Slightly melted lounge chair

Cork (the material)

Pineapple coke

Fingernails 

Sparkly lipgloss

Race Car Tire Marble

Gold trophies

Konjac sponge

Shirt

Mandy the Slayer / Orange Spyderco Dragonfly Knife

Malachite

Heater

Glasses Temples

Typewriter keys

EVA foam

Airplane

Sword

Crumbs in the couch

Children

My wife's arm/shoulder

Records

Yellow ACE bandages

Neon Signs

Scented candles

[askcardsuits]

for the diamonds kingdom, is the group different colors or are they at different heights?

The diamond kingdom has all of their major cities (7) as floating islands above gorges. Rune magic keeps the foundation levitating thousands of feet in the air, solar powered steam engines power the cities and cable cars are used to travel between the three major tiers. When I get time from work in the future, I will make a render of what city looks like. For now, a map because map designing is fun.