#~C: Bonejangles

[thevalicemultiverse]

So what do you guys do when Alice is asleep during the day?

Londerland Bloodlines

Victor: To be fair, I sleep a lot in the day too -- I like to be up when she is, so I generally go to sleep when she does at dawn and wake up around lunchtime. But we all have ways to spend the time -- I still draw and play piano, and I'm getting into more model-making.

Victoria: I've got another server job at one of the local restaurants -- I know we have Victor's trust fund, but I like having my own source of income too -- and I sew in my spare time.

Emily: I sew as well, and play piano with Victor -- and I'm starting to get a little into gardening! It's so nice to grow little herbs and flowers...

Bonejangles: I'm sticking with my music -- might not have the band Downstairs behind me anymore, but I've been a solo act before. Been doing a few gigs here and there at the clubs and cafes in Hill Valley. [grins] Lucky I'm put together enough to pass as living! And of course me and Liz find ways to pass the time.

Lizzie: [laughs] That sounds a lot naughtier than it really is...anyway, I've always liked reading, so I'm catching up on some of the books I missed out on while I was dead, and I'm helping Emily with the gardening. Been contemplating taking martial arts classes or something like that too. [rubs her neck] Just like the idea of being able to defend myself better.

Victoria: [to Emily] We should probably look into those too.

Emily: Oh, definitely.

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Valicer In The Dark -- More Score & Story Ideas!

Because, uh, I have a lot of ideas for stuff I want to do in this verse, and the original list from a year ago has expanded quite a fair bit:

-->While I haven't gotten all of my stories into a proper timeline yet, I do have the first five sorted:

A) "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of" -- the story currently in progress, where the trio all meet, solve Victor's ghost problem and Ghost!Emily's Barkis problem, get wrongly accused of murder, run from the police (showing off their special starting scoundrel abilities along the way), and eventually end up in Elder Gutknecht's old place in Six Towers. This is sort of the "prologue" to the whole mess, putting all of them in the right position to start on a life of crime. XD

B) "A Murder Shared Is A Murder Thirded" -- yes, I did have Gale of Baldur's Gate III's line about how "a parasite shared is a parasite halved" when I came up with that title. XD As you might imagine, this is the trio first "unofficial" score, with them going to murder Bumby, because the fucker needs murdering. Of course, it's only after they kill him that they meet up with Smiler's parents and learn they were exonerated of the original "murder" by the Spirit Wardens. XD Still no regrets, though.

C) "The Van Dort Vacancy" -- came up with that title while looking at old Oxventure Presents: Blades In The Dark episode titles and being inspired by "The Cab-Con Caper's" alliteration. This story focuses on Alice and Smiler returning Victor to the Van Dort mansion...only to discover the Van Dorts hosting a party. Victor quickly learns that his parents never even considered the idea that he might be in danger when he vanished, only caring about the fact that Victoria Everglot married someone else (and is now due to wed Imperial Guardsman Christopher White after her first husband's death and disgrace) -- and after overhearing his mother declare "what ghost would marry our Victor?" decides fuck them, he's taking his stuff, stealing what money he can, and going to live with Alice and Smiler in Six Towers. Features special guests Barnaby "The Butcher" Fortescue III and Kasimir Jones from Oxventure Presents: Blades In The Dark, because it tickled me to imagine them doing a score to steal some of the Van Dorts' money at the same time -- only for Victor to catch on to what they're doing when he meets Barnaby at the party and go "if you wait five minutes for me to get my things, I will open the safe for you and give you a good chunk of the money inside." XD

D) The currently-untitled story detailing the gang's first "official" job as a crew, picked up when they go to dinner at the Ball & Socket Pub and Smiler overhears two workers from Coalridge discussing needing to get something back from their boss -- the "something" is a list of potential union representatives that the boss stole in order to call assassins on the people listed. The workers need it back to keep their nascent union safe. Notably, the score involves the workers saying they can't give the trio much in Coin, but they'll do what they can -- and then one of them jokingly saying, "Unless you want to be paid in furniture."

Cue Victor, Alice, and Smiler, who currently live in Elder Gutknecht's-not-exactly-comfortable house, going "what kind of furniture?" XD (A couch and a proper dining table, specifically -- old furniture one of the workers was trying to shift after inheriting some stuff from a late relative.)

E) "Who You Gonna Call?" -- As you might guess from the Ghostbusters quote for a title, this story involves the gang busting some ghosts. XD Specifically, it involves Bonejangles -- here a Whisper who does entertainment work for the Ball & Socket on the side -- deciding to school Victor in the art of ghost-catching by taking him on a job to catch a few Echoes (non-sapient ghosts who continually do the same thing over and over again in a loop), with Alice and Smiler tagging along for moral support. However, as it turns out, one of those "Echoes" is actually a Specter (a sapient, feral ghost who attacks people and possesses them to feed on their life force) who was biding its time... I felt a little bad that none of the previous stories really had any Whisper-y stuff for Victor to do, and decided he needed a "day in the limelight" score -- as a bonus, this score is how he gets his ghost-hunting equipment for later!

-->I also have plans for two possible prequel stories -- one showcasing the three times Alice and Smiler talked before the events of "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of" (I have the first bit, Smiler giving Alice the money for lunch, actually written already), and one showcasing some of Smiler's life even before that (I have a rough draft of the scene where they wake up the "morning" after inventing Joy Serum and go "bwuh?" over their newly-glowing yellow eyes). Good for filling in gaps and writing more stuff from Smiler's POV!

-->I mentioned Victor wanting to make a community greenhouse very briefly in the very first post I made about the AU -- this has expanded into a whole little arc about him finding an abandoned conservatory while wandering Six Towers and the gang fixing it up into a place where they and the other residents can grow food. In order, the stories would cover:

1) Getting enough money to pay a glazier to fix all the broken window panes (or doing something for the glazier in trade)

2) Acquiring the initial plants (which involves a trip to Barrowcleft and probably doing a job for someone there in trade)

3) Victor researching ways to infuse butterflies and moths with electroplasm to create radiant energy insects to help the plants grow; my idea is that he eventually tries mixing it with some of Smiler's Joy Serum -- and gets REALLY BIG bright yellow glowing moths, to his and Smiler's delight and Alice's concern

4) And then, once the place is just about ready to "open to the public," Lord Rowan, the only lord who maintains a permanent residence in Six Towers, rocks up, claims the greenhouse is his, and demands an absolutely ASTRONOMICAL rent from the trio to use it. Fortunately he proves to be a man who likes games when Smiler asks to negotiate, and tells them if they can break into his house and get the deed to the land from the safe in his bedroom, it's theirs (the trio smartly get this written down and notarized by someone in Charterhall first; Rowan is PIIIIISSED when he realizes he'll have to honor the deal)

-->A related idea would be for the gang to encounter some of the people in Charterhall (the neighborhood mostly made up of one big university) who are working on an alternative power source to help replace leviathan blood (which is refined into the electroplasm that powers everything electric in the setting) and need a place to test it. The trio decides that the alternative energy group can try to get the streetlights back on in Six Towers, and there's a score all around helping them get there safely, and keeping Lord Rowan's nose out of it until they're done. Not sure what exactly it will entail yet, but I'm eager to find out!

-->As stated in previous posts, the gang eventually has to go after Dr. Kelman when he puts out a notice saying he wants the three captured so he can submit them to his special "social compliance therapy" (aka do horrific brain surgeries on them and/or Hollow them by ripping out their souls). This is how Victor and Alice learn Smiler's birth name, and the whole trip proves to be a rather dark look at Smiler's childhood pre-running away and joining the Advocates. In fact, I already have one specific scene in mind of Victor finding a photograph of a young Smiler and noting that their smile in the picture looks incredibly strained, as if they're desperately trying to see the bright side. Also, Miles Cedars is definitely going to show up, and possibly get to murder Kelman. Because I like giving him the chance to murder Kelman. :)

-->Speaking of Smiler angst, I also have in mind a story where, on a particularly chilly night in winter, Smiler, Victor, and Alice are wandering the streets together when Smiler somehow falls into one of the local canals. Victor and Alice fish them out as fast as possible, fortunately, but the rest of the story proves a race against time to get Smiler home and warmed before they succumb to hypothermia. Featuring half-naked cuddling when they learn that skin-to-skin contact can be an excellent way to warm a chilled person (fortunately this is after they get together as a polycule, so the partial nudity isn't as awkward as it could be)...and Smiler crying in front of Victor and Alice for the first time when they can't stop thinking about the fact that, if they'd been walking with their fellow Advocates, said Advocates would have believed them when they said they felt okay...and they probably would have died. :( It is a story of many feels, is what I am saying.

-->So, when does my OT3 actually become an OT3 in the actual stories? Shortly after the Kelman score, in a story entitled "And There Was Only One Bed" (a play on the fic trope, and the fact that the house only has one good bed -- at the time the story starts, the three are taking turns using it, with the other two sleeping on cots borrowed from The Advocates). The story involves Smiler (who has been trying to subtly push Victor and Alice together, having noticed they seem to like each other) finally revealing to Victor and Alice that they're a pretty accomplished hypnotist, and offering to use their skills to help Victor with a nasty bout of insomnia. Victor agrees, with Alice wanting to watch for her own peace of mind -- cue Smiler hypnotizing Victor the next time the three of them are going to bed...

And a deep-in-trance Victor asking to be held as he falls asleep. Prompting both Smiler and Alice to cuddle him...and fall asleep against him because neither wants to get up and possibly disturb him after he does drift off. Meaning when everyone wakes up the "morning" afterward, they're all really awkward -- Alice because she's like "wtf why did I find that hot;" Victor because he's like "oh no I liked that too much and I have to process the fact that I'm in love with both of them now;" Smiler because "damn it I think I just decreased total happiness in this household should have kept my stupid mouth shut." They do their best to push through and complete the latest job they have though (a random "steal something from this rich fucker's house" deal, it's not actually important), which ends up with them having to clamber up onto the roof at some point --

And then Victor nearly falls off said roof. Prompting both Alice and Smiler to nearly have a heart attack and have their feelings toward him thrown into STARK RELIEF. Meaning they all finally have a chat once they complete the job and get back home, which allows them to finally discover that a) they're all willing to get into a polycule and b) that they actually have quite compatible kinks. Story ends with Smiler delightedly returning one of the cots to their parents (Alice insisted on keeping one in case one of them does want or need to sleep alone) and the three of them regularly sharing the bed. :)

-->I also want to do at least one follow-up concerning them starting to play around with hypnosis, and Alice insisting she wants to do something that will help keep Victor Victor no matter what they do to his head -- cue her and Smiler coming up with a safety suggestion that involves Victor picturing the core of his personality as a glowing tree, and then having him encase it in unbreakable glass so his personality can shine out, but nothing can get in. :) It's just a sweet scene that's been rattling around in my head for a while, and I'd like to put it to virtual paper.

-->I mentioned a "Lord E.A. Bethesda" in my Duskwall Slang post a while back, as a guy who gets labeled with the very-dangerous-in-Duskwall title "Welcher" (someone who hires someone for a job, but then decides to try and kill them instead of pay them; people who do this generally end up dead themselves). How does he get saddled with this label? By hiring the Three Pillars to steal a golden beetle statue from a rival (Lord Bethesda is a bug collector, you see), plying them with a hefty reward if they pull it off (which he can afford as the "Gambling King" of Duskwall -- his fortune was built off of getting lots of people to pay him small amounts of money in hopes of great reward). They do indeed pull it off --

And Lord Bethesda happily orders them killed by his guards, forcing them to escape his house in Brightstone. However, Bethesda (who has done this before) employs Plan B and has his guards herd them toward his garden and through a gap in the lightning barrier around his home --

Before turning said barrier back ON and stranding them in the HEAVILY ghost-and-horror-riddled Deathlands just beyond (specifically, they're in the Lost District, a formerly rich neighborhood that was abandoned once the lightning barriers went up). This leads into the sequel story, where the trio have to find a way back into the city while navigating the horrors of the Deathlands...which results in them discovering that Alice's Wonderland Jabberwock, inspired by an illustrated poem she read as a child, is actually based on a REAL CREATURE. Which has the horrible eye beam and wants very much to kill them. (And which may have the voice of Christopher Lee because I might as well throw in the nod to Tim Burton's Wonderland -- Victor is VERY CONFUSED as to why it sounds like Pastor Galswells.) They manage to kill IT instead by strapping Alice's Vorpal Blade (now a real thing, Victor bought it for her as a present) to Victor's ghost-catching kit while Smiler whacks together a sort of motorized skateboard thing for them to ride on and then using the electroplasmically-charged Blade to slice the damn thing's unprotected belly open. Alice claims one of the eyes as a trophy, and shortly thereafter they're found by the Spirit Wardens, who look at the corpse and go "let's just get you back inside the barriers, shall we?" Cue the the trio tromping back to the Ball & Socket and telling the clientele about their experience...leading to Lampblack gang leader Bazso Baz declaring Bethesda a Welcher, and the guy soon afterward getting killed.

-->Not that Baz is actually a friend to the trio -- for another future story has the trio invited to one of his fancy parties, supposedly to recognize how rapidly they've made a name for themselves in the Duskwall underworld. The three go, figuring it's a good way to keep relations good with their fellow criminals -- but are quickly rather disgusted by the party itself, as it feels pretty much like any party Nell Van Dort would throw (overly ostentatious and making it clear he's only in it for the power). They resolve to get through the shindig and head home...

And then Baz reveals that the actual reason they were invited was because they've collected a variety of bounties on their heads (including a big one from the Van Dorts, specifying Alice and Smiler have to die but Victor be brought home alive, and a huge one from Lord Rowan, wanting them ALL dead) and the other criminals want to claim them. Cue the Three Pillars having to try and find a way to escape from the house as the other criminals hunt them. Fortunately for them, they have unexpected allies in Baz's staff, with one guy in particular having a sister and nephew in Six Towers whom they've helped a lot (probably both in general with the greenhouse, and specifically by helping the kid when he got sick once). They eventually manage to get out with the staff's help, and limp their way back to Six Towers...

Just in time to see Lord Rowan trying to make a big speech to the citizens about "how your heroes are dead" and blah blah blah. He is gobsmacked to see the trio still alive, leading to, of all people, Smiler strolling up to him and clocking him in the face. XD Gaining the Three Pillars a reputation as, frankly, unkillable...

Aaaand I should probably cut it there because this post is getting long enough. XD And I haven't even touched upon all the stories I have in mind that are based off of other properties I like! Guess that would be a good follow-up post to this one, huh? :p

[makariax]

Suplex me to space and call it a day. ( bain )

sentence starters  ( @bcnejangles )

“i would if i could, but does it count if i get someone else to do it....?”

[agutknecht]

Your butt makes a good foot warmer. ( bain )

sentence starters ( @bcnejangles )

“...do you have to make everything weird.”

[thevalicemultiverse]

You think vampires get drunk off zombie blood cause technically it's fermented?

Emily: That's a funny thought, but -- well, I offered my blood to Alice once when she needed a feed, and...

Alice: Didn't get drunk because I could barely force myself to swallow. It's not an experience I'd recommend.

[thevalicemultiverse]

So have you guys ever thought about adding hot sauce to food instead of letting it rot?

Bonejangles: You mean like that Tabasco stuff they got in the States? Not enough of it around here to use. Maybe they do that in other parts of the Land of the Dead.

Lizzie: Rotting's most convenient for us. . .though now I'm curious as to what would happen if we could get our hands on a bottle. . .

[thevalicemultiverse]

"What are you doing?" "The 12 bar blues." "Why?" "I want to see what he does."

"Hey, it's a classic for a reason," Sam (formerly Bonejangles) Thatcher says, grinning. "And if you give me a few more minutes, I think I can come up with a ditty to match it."

[thevalicemultiverse]

Actually selkies are skin changing fae, not wereseals. The difference is selkies are skin changers while werewolves are shape changers.

Lizzie: Wait, so they’re a type of fairy? Who -- well, skin changing sounds like it has the same result as shape changing --

Sam: [pinching the bridge of his nose] I have enough trouble keeping track of how many different clans of vampire there are. We don’t need to get into this too!

[thevalicemultiverse]

Do you still have working taste buds? Cause you could always just chew on the cake and then spit it out when the flavor's gone.

Alice: . . .so, what cake does everyone want?

Sam: You’re actually going to -- 

Lizzie: You have not seen my sister eat cake when she was alive.

[thevalicemultiverse]

"So how come you don't want to be Immortal?" "Cause I don't want to see my love ones die!" "You could always make them immortal too." "...I didn't know that."

“There’s also always the strange random chance that someone else will bring them back for you,” Alice adds. “I mean, it’s obviously better if you simply make them immortal yourself -- after asking, of course -- but. . .well, I rule out nothing after some of my experiences.”

[thevalicemultiverse]

“I’ve done it! Come quickly! I’ve invented a machine that will let you unsee cartoon pornography.”

“Whoa, how does it work?”

“Via this machine, a person can be sent back in time, whereupon they can stop themselves from viewing them.”

“You could also use this to just travel through time in general, right?”

“Huh, yeah. I never thought of that.”

Victor: [snorts at the exchange in the show, then looks over at Alice] I'm sure you've wished you could time travel a lot.

Alice: [nods] Plenty. Lots of things I'd like to undo in my life -- and my death. But these days, my desire to change the past keeps running up against one big obstacle.

Victor: [puzzled] Oh? What?

Alice: [looking at him] The fact that, if I hadn't gone through everything I did -- the fire, Bumby, Fish, vampirism? You would have died that night in Santa Monica. [bites her lip] I really don't like thinking of a world without you in it.

Victor: [stunned silence, then -- blinking back tears -- reaches for her hand] I. . .I wish our meeting wasn't predicated on you suffering such misery.

Alice: [taking his hand] Me too. But I'll take it nonetheless.

[thevalicemultiverse]

(Londerland) Feliz Dia de Muertos. *puts a basket of ofendas on the table for BoneJangles, Lizzie and Emily*

Lizzie: [eyeing the basket and its giver] Er. . .and you are. . . ?

Emily: [poking around inside the basket] Someone who likes making candy skulls, it looks like. And -- skull-shaped bread?

Bonejangles: Hang on, I think this is a Mexican thing. Day of the Dead, goes on around the same time as Halloween. Supposed to be about honoring the dead and all that.

Emily: Are we supposed to go and put this in a cemetery or something then? 

Lizzie: I can’t think of any other reason to give it to three English people. . .

[thevalicemultiverse]

In a couple years, it won’t even matter how long it took. You’ll just be glad you did it. Stay focused.

Alice: [raising a suspicious eyebrow] Running around Los Angeles after a sarcophagus, along with doing a thousand other piddly things for people, is something I'll be glad I did? Hmmm.

[thevalicemultiverse]

A Rescue, A Rescue, We’re Going To Have A Rescue

@pyrokenisisnebby or @dream-lover-annie

Ann? How are you today? 

Are you all right?

We miss you.

No response. Victor sighs and drops his phone into his lap. Alice watches him with concern. “She’s not texting back?”

“No,” Victor confirms, staring at the ceiling. “Not even a ‘don’t worry I’m fine I’m just still getting back on my feet’ message. I don’t like it.”

Alice frowns. “Neither do I. Do you think she’s sicker than she’s letting on and she’s just afraid to let everyone know?”

“Maybe? I’m not sure.” Victor rubs his face. “I’m still scared the doctor did something to make things worse. You know how ‘advanced’ medical care is in our era.”

“Tell me about it,” Alice says, rolling her eyes. “Bonejangles seemed pretty certain he didn’t though. . .” Her brow furrows. “We haven’t heard from him in a while either, have we?”

“No we haven’t. Which -- maybe is to be expected, he doesn’t have a phone, but. . .” Victor sits up straight again. “She hasn’t really sounded herself in the latest messages either. Something’s wrong.” He picks up his phone again, this time to text Nebby directly:

Hi Nebby. Have you heard anything directly from Ann lately? Or Sam? Alice and I were just talking about it. and. . .how long does it usually take to recover from a seafood allergy? This seems to be -- dragging out a bit.

[thevalicemultiverse]

if there were children present, they would've been able to point to where the dog was.

Alice: Hmmm? You’re not one of my usuals, but that’s a good point. [relays this to the others]

Lizzie: That is a good point – and a comforting one. I don’t think it’s a good idea for that man to actually be anywhere near children.

Sam: Yeah, temper like that? Gonna lead to bad things.

[thevalicemultiverse]

Things You Need To Know About: Death Has Nothing On Nebs

Tag: ~V: Death Has Nothing On Nebs

Premise: An offshoot of The Forgotten Vows Verse, where, after setting up house in Sandford, Victor found a portal to the future and met and befriended a sorceress named Nebula Donk and her (accidentally resurrected by her) friend Canny Tim. Nebby, feeling bad for Victor after hearing his story (and Alice’s too), decided that she had the power to right at least one wrong – and brought Lizzie Liddell and Bonejangles (aka Sam) back to life. As you might expect, Victor and Alice are thrilled by this development. Extra bonus: Nebby’s cheesecake-addicted enemy Zarok has resurrected Bumby as an undead punching bag, and is willing to share. Because not even necromancers with a view for taking over kingdoms like that prick.

This AU is an exclusive with my friend pyrokenisisnebby -- our characters met over on the old Forgotten Vows blog, and when I transferred over here, I decided that they should have their own verse. It's basically identical to the main Forgotten Vows Verse up until the point Victor and Alice move to Sandford. On a walk one day near the house, Victor happened across one of those places where reality is thin, and found himself in the modern day, in Nebby Donk's bakery. Nebby, being a sorceress in training who accidentally resurrected a man -- Canny Tim -- as her first bit of unknowing magic, is no stranger to the weird in her life, and the two quickly struck up a friendship. To Victor's surprise, Nebby already knew about a certain Dr. Angus Bumby -- one of her foes, Zarok the sorcerer (who despite threatening her is also pretty much addicted to her cheesecake, so he's not as intimidating as he could be), had resurrected the man. And despite Zarok being an evil necromancer who would happily take over entire kingdoms if he could, he ended up finding Bumby insufferable and dedicated himself to the former psychiatrist's torture. To the point of letting Victor and Nebby take a turn when he visited seeking baked goods in the middle of one of Victor's earlier trips. (Victor of course was only too happy to indulge.)

Victor and Nebby remained in contact for a while, with Victor making visits to say hello and occasionally cook with her and Tim (whom he also befriended), but then fell out of touch for a year. A phone call from Nebby reunited them, with Victor startled to find Nebby pregnant (she'd met a guy during their inadvertent break). Starting a family of her own (as well as hearing about how much Victor's wife missed her sister) seemed to inspire something in Nebby, and shortly after the birth of her son Davey, she decided to practice her resurrection skills -- on one Lizzie Liddell. The spell worked better than expected, pulling Lizzie's boyfriend Sam "Bonejangles" Thatcher along for the ride, and the pair were reunited with their sibling and friend respectively over a grand welcoming feast. (After a preliminary "introducing Lizzie, and then Bumby, to chainsaws" party.)

So that's the new status quo -- both Liddell sisters alive, Bonejangles with his own second chance, an excellent cook and sorceress as a friend, and continuing ready access to Bumby as a punching bag. Victor forsees many happy years ahead for all of them -- so long as nothing happens to the portal between their times, of course!

Thanks to the Bumby stuff, there's basically a general warning for violence in this verse. It's against a deserving target, but it can get pretty gory, so be warned!

This verse has no sub-categories – threads can be set anytime without any major changes of location or cast.

Common NPCs:

Alice Liddell

Lizzie Liddell

Bonejangles (sort of -- Nebby currently plays him, but he's worth mentioning)

Dr. Bumby

Shipping: Victor/Alice, just like in the main Forgotten Vows Verse. No surprise, right?

NPC Ships: Lizzie Liddell/Bonejangles

Important Facts:

Victor has a modern-day phone in this verse -- he picked one up to make it easier to contact his modern-day friends. He's still rather confused by all the functions, though, and only really knows how to make calls and text people.

Victor retains all his magical skills from the Forgotten Vows Verse -- Glowing Orb, Spring's Breath, Imagination Into Reality, Write Across The Miles, Nile's Blessing, Scrub & Shine, Protection, and Travel Into Fantasy. He's growing interested in Nebby's different style of magic too, and might in the future try to learn a few of her style of spells.

Lizzie's a main character, natch -- her resurrection is the main reason I made this its own thing, since it's such a huge life change for my characters. She and Bonejangles have a steady romantic relationship, though she's very sex-repulsed after what happened with Bumby. She also tends to be cautious around strange men, and is not afraid to resort to violence against anyone who won't leave her alone. Treat her respectfully, however, and she'll do the same. And she'll gladly accept help in figuring out modern-day technology -- she's even more out of date than poor Victor and Alice!

Threads in this verse are exclusive to my partner pyrokenisisnebby! I will however accept asks, and if someone asks for a headcanon post or simple meme response, I'll probably do it.