Celestial Saga

[Oblation]

So, I've got some awkward conundrums here.

I guess Rachel told Grue from her old team that joining NOVA was a thing, and now he wants to, which is fine, except the part where there's some kind of wacky triangle thing going on with Lawrence and of all people Kairos.

Oh, yeah, I guess someone gave Taylor the talk about not invoking the Faerie Queen so "Queen Administrator" only lasted a few days.
So she went with a Greek word for "the perfect moment for decision or action."

Anyways, Grue is asking to join Firewatch so he can stay in the city most of the time, and I guess the reason this might actually happen is that Kairos offered to become a part-timer with Firewatch too if we let him stay in the city, and for all of his grudge with Grue, Lawrence REALLY wants Taylor to join our team.

I don't want to deal with the mess, but if there's one thing I'm sure of it's that it's way better to be an ally than a rival of Taylor, so I'm currently combining my lessons with Emily, and my super research and paperwork skills plus the help of a friendly AI to make this legal nightmare somehow a thing.
It would've been 3 AIs, but Pern disagrees with Grue joining Firewatch rather than NOVA, and Dragon fails to understand the mind-melting danger of being the enemy or rival of the Queen of Escalation.

The only real silver lining is that Joshua didn't need much instruction to start taking over NOVA operations, and promised to "make something of it," which is exactly what I've spent several weeks failing to do so far, so I wish him luck, and try not to think about just why he's living in the clinic with Tsunade, even now that he's healed.

…

Oh, and I found out why Alex didn't just go get a pet bird right after getting his power, because he somehow talked Fox and Albus into getting a Post Owl over to Earth Bet.
So now a member of Firewatch is bonded to an owl that is genuinely a terrifying tracker.
All it needs is a name to find someone, even a pseudonym is good enough if they're in costume at the time.
(As we found out when he started tracking me all the way to New Brunswick, where I was petting Samson the other day.)

All this would be really impressive if he'd followed through and given the bird an equally awesome name…
Instead, he gave his kid nephew the job of naming our new member of Firewatch.
Barney.
Great.

…

Oh, and Lung got broken out unfortunately, but at least we've got the go-ahead to go for Nuwa on sight now, and Chris seems to have been inspired to act as the heroic member in their rivalry as tinkers between Nuwa, Charon, and him.

Though it's been a while since anyone's seen Charon, apparently, he's been working with Uber and Leet, but is suspected to still live in the city, unlike them, so who really knows what's up with him.

…

On a more personal note, I've been playing around with enchanting, and managed to even get Silk Touch on the Protectorate Wards' beloved Diamond Shovel, which is really trippy to look at, what with it removing obstacles but not in a destructive way now.

I offered to give Armsmaster and Dauntless enchantments for their gear and was actually glad for my hallucinations thing for once because they apparently spent the next 3 days glaring at me every chance they got… which I can't see.
LOL

Though I did manage to get Protection 2 on every piece of armor used by a Ward in the city, plus all the dog armors, and the Firewatch team, and have started working through the boots worn by PRT troopers and NOVA employees.
Unfortunately, I haven't found a good enough catalyst to get more than the occasional Prot 3 or Prot 4 out of the process, and that's pretty rare.
Still, Prot 2 is guaranteed, with just a bit of amethyst, which we can get by the truckful from Canada.

So it's not a huge issue for now.

…

The only downside to this whole thing is I can't double enchantments.
Combining enchanted items nullifies the effects, unfortunately.

Also, while I've been pretty much just resting and enchanting for a few days, it's still pretty heavy on my reserves.
So I'll need to keep the enchanting to a lower level for a while if I want to actually get things done, sadly.

…

Although funnily enough I did manage to confirm two interesting qualities.

First, my leather boots work as a sort of snowshoes, even for people across the country it's a bit easier walking on or through snow with them.

And second, Frost Walker doesn't make a platform of ice, but does let me walk on water just fine.
Which I know because I got it on a pair of leather boots that are now my new pair since they were yellow and that's one of my colors so PR doesn't mind.

So now I can Jesus walk on water!

Spoiler: A/N

The Frost Walker thing is the best compromise I could come up with for an enchantment that relies so heavily on game mechanics.
If it did make an ice platform, Saga would rapidly slip off into the water, because she got the enchantments, not the game mechanics.
(I'm treating the Walking on powdered snow thing as an enchantment all leather boots come with, but even there it's weakened from its in-game version.)
So instead, no ice, but keep the walk on water effect.

Does anyone have an opinion about what Brian's been up to?
The easy answer is to just have him kept his head down from when the war against New Wave picked up until now.
But I'm tempted to add some heavier stuff to his record from that time and the things he did to survive after Coil was taken down.
I'm just not sure if that's a good idea or not?

 

[Oblation]

Brockton Bay: Danny's Truck- 8:35am

TAYLOR:
I don't care about a paycheck, Dad. I care about rooms where people who know how to do this let me watch, then let me try, and don't treat me like a problem when I mess up the first time. I care about gear that fits my hands, so I'm not guessing while someone bleeds. I care about rules that don't change when I look away, because that already happened and I'm not doing that again. I want this. I want the map they're offering. I need you to say yes and keep them honest when I can't see the whole picture.

PRT HQ Conference Room 9:00am

THINKING DANNY:
The room is glass on three sides. The lights are bright. The table is polished and a little dented at the corners. Raymond stands at the head, jacket open, hands relaxed. Taylor sits one seat back on my left, jacket straight, fingers laced. Phoenix sits across from Taylor, tablet on a kickstand. The screen stays dark, for now.

[Raymond sets a booklet in the center.]

RAYMOND:
This covers the scope and protocol for live ops. I am open to better wording. The frame stays where it is.

THINKING DANNY:
I came ready for confrontation. I get a door held open instead. I still do the job she asked me to do.

DANNY:
Start with control. Taylor decides. She sets the pace. She picks up any extras. Keep me looped in so choices stay choices. I am not here to block her. I am here so she gets the benefits without getting railroaded.

RAYMOND:
Sure. The agency stays with Taylor. We supply structure, options, and continuity. If snacks somehow become the bottleneck, I can escalate to the Boss.

THINKING DANNY:
Fine. A joke helps the wheels turn. The point still stands.

[Danny reads the page headers: Training. Patrol. Safety. Protocol. Compensation in kind.]

DANNY:
Baseline next. Training first. School hours stay protected. One patrol a week. Anything extra is her call after you tell me.

RAYMOND:
Got it. The baseline is modest on purpose. Extra hours pile up where she already prefers to be. I expect she will volunteer past the cap without a push. My priority is clear procedure when she is active. Clear order of operations beats posters and pep talks every time.

THINKING DANNY:
He knows the gravity here. He leaves the names off it. That's fine. He doesn't need to say Lawrence's name for me to hear it.

[Phoenix taps the tablet and tilts it toward Taylor. Success Kid. Taylor's mouth twitches, then she straightens.]

RAYMOND:
We start with precision. We layer timing under controlled pressure. When schedules converge, we add partner work. Rhythm and trust keep people alive.

THINKING DANNY:
He doesn't look at Taylor when he says converge. The air still shifts. I don't follow it. I keep us on the track we picked.

DANNY:
Hard rule. Chain of command. Put it on the record. She needs to know exactly what happens when sirens pull attention sideways.

RAYMOND:
Authority follows function. Orders travel through the vest, not age and not reputation. In a live scene, she follows the chain without delay. If the most qualified officer is twelve, that officer commands. Quick compliance. Clean execution. Boring, but it keeps people breathing.

[Phoenix swipes. Rage Comic face. Taylor presses her lips together, then fails not to smile.]

DANNY:
No fuzzy language. Cause first. Fuzzy rules make people freeze at the worst time and get people hurt. Write exits that open when hands shake. Taylor can step back at any point. No penalty on paper and none in practice. She moves forward when she is ready. No pressure verbs. No hinting at the answer you want.

RAYMOND:
We will formalize a step back with no adverse record and a public rationale of the school and health. We will map an opt-in progression that needs explicit consent and evidence of readiness. Coercion can file paperwork and get declined like everyone else.

THINKING DANNY:
Good. Keep going until daylight reaches every corner.

DANNY:
Compensation next. No checks. We get that. Be clear that you are replacing money with training, gear, and access. List her compensation without brochure gloss.

RAYMOND:
Compensation is not monetary. Training is tuition-free on the mat, the range, and the simulation floors. Mentored blocks across the term. Standard gear is issued with custom fitting when needed. Consumables and raw stock for practice with a locker that locks every time. Transport with vetted drivers. Medical coverage for incidents on or off the clock. Counseling available, opt in unless safety requires a mandate. Confidentiality is guarded by policy and by habit. No tote bags. There might be a mug pilot in discussion because tradition is stubborn.

THINKING DANNY:
That's the trade school I expected. Mat time. Tools that fit. Doors that open when you pull. It can grow a life or grind one down. Which one it does depends on exits and on honest people and realistic schedules.

[Phoenix swipes. Doge. Taylor hides a laugh behind her wrist.]

DANNY:
Media. Do not turn a student into a sign. Cap mandatory appearances at twice a month. Veto stays with us. No cameras on school nights. No mask off images. No leaks from clever angles.

RAYMOND:
Outreach stays scheduled and chaperoned. Releases are opt-in. No end to the request. Some community nights are consistent and useful. If she chooses those, crowds and cameras behave. A steady team does more for public safety than a slogan. I will still approve a tasteful poster for morale.

THINKING DANNY:
He talks rhythm and keeps optimism off the page. Good habit.

[Phoenix swipes. Grumpy Cat. Taylor coughs into her sleeve and pretends she didn't.]

DANNY:
School day protection. Pulls during class go through me unless someone is in immediate danger. Break patterns so no one maps her walk.

RAYMOND:
Approved. We meet her at the doors when needed. The umbrellas belong to people. We even open them when it rains. Revolutionary, I know.

DANNY:
Pair work. Heat sticks to people and places. If you put her with someone who draws it, record the plan, the location, and the exit. Put an adult in the room who can end drills with one sentence and will use it before pride performs.

RAYMOND:
Plan documented. Exit named. Adult empowered to stop the moment stopping is needed. Transparency note. A reconciliation block launches next month. An independent under observation runs basics under heavy oversight. The focus is de escalation and safety culture. Presence matters. Kairos stabilizes groups in measurable ways. If Taylor volunteers, the room steadies faster. Faster is ideal when gauze is the alternative.

THINKING DANNY:
That matches what I heard. It also matches where she'll be on her own time if I pretend she won't. Better to write it down and supervise it.

[Phoenix swipes. Bad Luck Brian. Taylor snorts, covers it, and looks back at the page like she just caught herself drifting.]

DANNY:
Equipment scope. Basic issue first. No live-edge toys. Do not start with a lethal kit outside supervised sims. Eye protection. Respirator. Gloves that fit. Storage that locks. Sign in and sign out. No side lending to friends or teammates.

RAYMOND:
Agreed. We track equipment by serial and by hand receipt. No unauthorized transfer. No exceptions. If she needs specialized fittings for unique capabilities, we schedule fittings and document usage limits.

DANNY:
Training schedule. Cause first. School comes first. No weekday drills start after nine. No scheduled overnights on school nights. Weekend blocks are fine if she asks for them and her grades hold. Quarterly review with me and with your training lead.

RAYMOND:
Accepted. We can set it as a rolling six-week evaluation with adjustment windows. If school performance drops, we pivot to academic training until it rises again. If she accelerates safely, training volume can step up by request.

DANNY:
Transport. No unsecured rides. No last-minute pickups from unknown numbers. If a ride changes, a live human calls me, and I call back the number on file.

RAYMOND:
Yes. Dispatch calls with a single-use code phrase you choose. No code, no ride. We will keep the phrase boring. Boring is harder to guess.

DANNY:
Medical response. If she's hurt during training or during the weekly patrol, I get the call before the press does. Keep me out of spin. Keep her out of press conferences.

RAYMOND:
Affirmed. Family first, not optics. The media office can learn patience. We have a binder for it.

[Phoenix swipes. Trollface. Taylor's eyebrows jump, then drop. She looks at me, not Raymond.]

THINKING DANNY:
She keeps her voice careful. The edge underneath is an old cut. She wants the work. She wants the gear. She wants a schedule that overlaps with someone she trusts. I hear it. I don't repeat it. Knowing is enough.

DANNY:
Therapy. Make it easy. No grading. No punishment in a friendly wrapper. If she says she's going, that's the end of the conversation.

RAYMOND:
Access is low friction, in the building and outside. No black mark for using it. Safety is the metric, and we enforce it. Notes get read, not filed and forgotten.

DANNY:
Contact chain. Nights fail where you forgot to look. If I call, someone answers. If I ask for eyes, someone with eyes goes to her.

RAYMOND:
Confirmed. Live voice. Live presence. If you get voicemail, I owe coffee and an apology, in that order. Good coffee, not punishment coffee.

DANNY:
Privacy. Names and addresses break fast and don't fix clean. If a reporter plays games, call me first. If a rival plays games, call me faster.

RAYMOND:
Carefulness is a habit. Faster is the principle when harm starts sniffing around. I can Sharpie it on my hand if that boosts confidence.

DANNY:
Boundaries on appearances. No recruiting pitches using her likeness. No staging her next to someone who needs a photo op. If you want her at a community night, you ask her and you ask me. If I say no, that's a no.

RAYMOND:
We'll route all appearances through the same approval path as operations. No back doors. No surprises. I dislike surprises almost as much as lawyers do.

DANNY:
Probation window. First four weeks are training first, patrol second, zero discretionary interventions. She builds rhythm and understands the board. Four, she can volunteer for one extra patrol every week. That stays volunteer, not expectation.

RAYMOND:
That is workable. We can publish a four-week plan with milestones and a first four-week review. If she wants more after that, she asks. If she wants less, she says it. Paper will match reality.

THINKING DANNY:
This is where the hook usually hides. I don't see it on the page. That doesn't mean it isn't in the room. I'm here for the page.

[Phoenix swipes. Philosoraptor. Taylor nods once like she filed the idea where she'll find it.]

DANNY:
Grievance path. If she's told to do something that violates safety or ethics, she stops, says stop, and calls me. No retaliation. No freezing her out. No schedules that look like punishment while pretending they aren't.

RAYMOND:
Agreed. We will write a stop clause and a no retaliation clause with examples. We will add an escalation ladder that reaches me directly. If retaliation appears, I want the chance to end a career with due process.

DANNY:
What I want to avoid. I don't want Taylor used as a symbol. I don't want Taylor carrying the weight of adults who should know better. I don't want Taylor choosing between someone she cares about and a procedure you forgot to teach. I don't want Taylor alone in a room where the plan fell apart, and people act like that's normal.

RAYMOND:
What I want to avoid. Overextension, heroics, and the illusion that instinct replaces training. Also, meetings about preventable messes. We can collaborate on all four.

[Phoenix swipes. Doge again. Taylor tries not to grin and looks exactly fifteen.]

TAYLOR:
I'll play by the rules if the rules are where I can see them. I'll follow orders if the orders fit the situation and the person giving them knows why. I'll add hours if I'm steady and school is steady. I'll walk back if I need to, and I won't let pride dig the hole deeper. I want this. Please let me have it, and stand behind me when I say Slow down.

THINKING DANNY:
That is the whole ask. Training. Gear. Time in rooms that make sense. A schedule that lines up with a person she trusts. We both know it. We don't say it.

DANNY:
If Taylor adds hours, she tells me first. If Taylor needs out, she says it, and we do it. That rule is not up for debate. Policy can keep up.

RAYMOND:
Agreed. Simplicity helps in the field. Honesty too, when we use it.

DANNY:
Next steps. Send me the redlined draft. Include the step back clause, the no retaliation clause, the media guardrails, the equipment list, and the schedule template. We will sign when the language says what the room said.

RAYMOND:
You'll have it today. Orientation would be Saturday morning if she accepts. Gear fitting at eleven. ICS overview at noon. Scenario block after lunch. We will bribe participants with pizza, which is ethically complex but effective.

THINKING DANNY:
I can live with that. She can walk out after any block and call it a day. That exit matters most.

[Raymond nods and steps into the hall to take a call. The glass door settles.]

[Taylor slides an inch toward Phoenix. Phoenix mirrors the inch. The tablet becomes their small stage.]

[Phoenix brings up Grumpy Cat, then Rage Comic, then Trollface in quick succession. Taylor tries to school her face and only gets the edges.]

TAYLOR:
If I ask for extra blocks, I'll text you first. Pacing keeps hands and keeps friends. If I need air, I'll say it. You don't have to guess.

DANNY:
I hear you. I'll hold you to that, and I'll hold them to this paper. The rest is calendars, rides, and locking up after.

THINKING DANNY:
That's the shape. A partner. A square of floor. Two people sharing it without speeches. A friend learning daylight who needs a steady witness. A city that does better when good rules get followed and bad ones get deleted.

[Raymond returns with a short nod. Danny collects the folder. Taylor pockets her phone. Phoenix clicks the case shut.]

RAYMOND:
For the record. I appreciate coherent parents. It makes my job resemble a profession.

DANNY:
For the record. I appreciate you writing what you mean.

RAYMOND:
Dangerous precedent, that. Let's keep it going.

THINKING DANNY:
Baseline holds at one patrol per week. Training leads. Extra hours will grow where the right people stand close. That's fine if she's the one planting them and if the exits work. Reconciliation block is coming. Four weeks to learn the rhythm, eight weeks to test the load. Twelve and sixteen sit next to each other in my head and refuse to move. Both are mine in the ways that count.

[They stand. The door opens. The hallway carries the afternoon forward.]

THINKING DANNY:
We step into that and try to hold our promises where someone can see them.

Spoiler: Question for Readers

I'm always wary of writing main characters straight-on.
Everyone's got their own idea of how they sound, so there's no way to please every reader.
I'm just trying to keep the heart of their voices and still let this version breathe inside the AU timeline.
So, do these scenes feel like Danny and Taylor, or did they drift into DINO and TINO?

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: Sugarhouse Sentinel and Mrs. Maplelight

Dropped into a blaster mess today.
One of the NOVA squads blocked a robbery, and Sugarhouse Sentinel showed up to yank the loot back.
I rolled in mid-fight, so I don't even know who got hit.
The room smelled like maple and smoke, and everyone was yelling over the hiss of the pans.

Pern put me on evac and collect:
"No heroics. Get our people out. Bag the weird."
I kept the line open and did exactly that.

The fight was inside a sugarhouse (funny enough), with steam everywhere and bad sight lines.

Sentinel was carving lanes for her people to evac, though.
The floor was wet and loud, and every ricochet sounded like a coin in a cup.

The storage tags Tsunade and I cooked up in science class were finally ready.
They ate her light balls and even a few beam slices like the paper was hungry.
I grabbed what I could reach and kept dodging and weaving in bird form.

Everyone local knows the name Sugarhouse Sentinel.
She sounds old school, and she acts like she stepped right out of 1989.
She moved like she'd done this a thousand times and wanted us to notice.

Her power has been a question mark forever.
People say heat balls and ice lasers, then move on.
But since NOVA is probably going to keep crossing paths with her now, guesses aren't good enough.

I dropped the haul at the lab once the team was stable:
Thirteen spheres.
Six beams.
I wrote the counts on the bag twice so nobody would ask.

Dr Müller took one look and told me to eat something while he made the room safe, the rest is his show:

…

Official: PRT: SCIENCE!: Preliminary Results Chat (record it before you forget it!)

CarambaQuantico [Mod] >>

Posting this before the coffee crash wins. Twelve hours on benches. Instruments behaved. I will keep it plain.

Sugarhouse Sentinel first. Civil age is 66. In person she reads late 30s because the power pays her back in little slices of time. She runs with the Keepers. Think winter volunteer corps that treats the county line like the edge of the map. Her effect is thermal. She calls organic or inorganic before she shoots. A clean hit pulls a third of the target heat. A bright ball appears and spends about a minute and a half bouncing and leaving tidy coin burns. É batata que o relógio manda, a energia só finge que manda. [The timer is what matters.]

Her daughter is Maplelight. Civil age is 44. Same family of effect with calmer delivery. Slow draw by type. Stores charge. Spends it to keep a person walking. Hits like a bat, not like a torch. No time refunds. No glamour. She is the one you want when the wind bites and the ambulance is still on the far side of the county.

We did not have either cape in person. We had artifacts. Ward Phoenix brought thirteen spheres and six beam segments in paper seals. I knew Phoenix could lock down objects. I did not expect a paper that could hold a slice of a power and keep its clock. Selos de papel que guardam comportamento, não só coisa. [Paper seals preserve the effect.]

On release the spheres behaved like the rumor that would not sit still for instruments. They do not fade by use. They end by time. Call it ninety seconds with a short side near 87 and a long side near 95. Early contacts burn. Late contacts burn the same. Thermal cameras put peak heat where it starts and leave it there until the light dies. No slope. No mercy from the clock. O tempo é rei, o resto bate continência. [Time is in charge.]

Beam segments behaved the same way. Open one in a test bay with a valid target and it performs the full three-second draw like a metronome. At the end, you get a fresh sphere with a full window. The segment does not care about the donor. It cares about the rule and the countdown.

Deposit marks read like tiny craters. Hot rim and cooler center. You see it on steel. You see it on damp cloth. You can coax it on frosted wood if the sphere returns to the same spot. Water stays friendly. Drop a sphere into a bucket and you get one perfect ring ripple and a polite hiss. No flash. No chain. Água é advogada de defesa com carteira assinada. [Water mitigates.]

Here is the part that asks textbooks to sit down. Pulling a third of a person's heat in three seconds should be lethal. Case reviews do not show that outcome. People shiver, stumble, then recover with blankets and warm fluids. We ran phantoms with sensors and saw the same shape. Skin and near-surface blood take the insult. Core dips less and rebounds if you fix the basics. My read is that the power obeys a floor inside living targets. It will punish reaction time. It will not push hearts off a cliff. Jeitinho de vida mínima garantida. [There is a floor on harm.]

Typing rules are petty and reliable. A tool in your hand makes you count as connected for organic. A free-standing barrier that is not touching anyone breaks the link and gives the Sugarhouse Sentinel a small strain when the shot fizzles. Clothing with trapped air beats pure R values. Foil blankets are not suggestions. They are treatments. Spray and fog blunt the burn when the ball starts tapping the room. A wet sack on a long net will park the thing and let the clock grind it down. Do not get clever with shiny steel in tight rooms. Você monta um pinball do capeta sem querer. [Avoid reflective steel in tight rooms.]

Beam visibility refuses to showmanship. No bright line. Just shimmer. Absorb starts at contact and runs a clean three-count. If you are timing a push, do not trust your eyes. Count in your head and move on two.

Collision testing without the Sugarhouse Sentinel in the room still told us a few things. Two spheres of the same kind met with a sharp noise and a low-pressure wave. Teeth felt odd for a breath and then the room settled. Opposite kinds met with a soft flash and a measurable bump in background temperature at floor level. No lingering light. No mess. With the Sugarhouse Sentinel present, you would expect her health markers to jump. We did not have her. All we can say is the bookwork is finished and left nothing dirty behind.

Sphere size stays constant. Always a plum. Always bright. That, plus a constant window, forces two bad options. Either the 1/3 claim hides a cap on what any shot can truly take, or the ball is topped from somewhere so presentation never changes. I do not love either. I will plan around what I can measure. Poder com cara de termodinâmica e alma de relógio. [This is about timing.]

A word about Phoenix. Those paper seals did not hold things. They held behaviors with clocks. That means the seal cares about rules, not edges. We need a clean program to test limits. Start with a heat lamp field or a fogger cone that you can stop and start. Build to a tethered sphere inside a cage. If Phoenix can pause that without breaking it, we have a new class of tool. Put ethics in the room at the start. Put maintenance in the room too. Cada jeitinho vira puxadinho no manual. [We will need to update procedures.]

Side note before I forget. Test how far Phoenix can go with sealing things that are not objects. If the paper can hold a power segment, maybe it can hold other field effects for study. Bring a thinker field only with consent and guardrails. Volta pro assunto. [Continue.]

Practical notes for anyone who will face this in weather. Split your team so spheres do not find each other unless you want them to cancel or to feed the Sugarhouse Sentinel. Use fog and water to soak the deposit. Carry foil. Carry wet sacks and a long net. Expect the last second to burn like the first. Do not count on decay. If Phoenix says an empty patch of air is busy, believe it and keep your hands out. Se a Phoenix falar, assina embaixo. [Trust Phoenix.]

Open questions that kept me longer than planned:
Why do late contacts look as hot as early ones?
Where does the bookkeeping live when the donor is not present?
Why do three correct hits on a cold, tired person stop short of catastrophe?
Why does an opposite meet feel like the room exhaled and then forgot?

Honest answer for tonight. This is a timing engine that paints with heat. The timer is real and obedient. The energy story will keep lying to your intuition. I am logging everything before memory blurs. Boa noite. [Good night.]

Se der ruim, me chama que eu finjo que não ouvi.
- Dr. Albert Müller

 

[Oblation]

So…
It might have been a mistake, but people have been complaining about the boat graveyard as long as I've been alive.

Plus, as cool as my power is, this was the first time I've had a perk that would just
pop away one of the Bay's biggest issues.

But this, the Y-Gun?

Point at the big one, the one that started it all, and hold for a few seconds, and it's done.

Y-Gun - Gantz
Base Cost: 300cp
Lore:
Black spheres conscript the unlucky into lethal hunts across crowded modern cities each night.
Combat suits and strange devices appear between missions after brutal resets of body and memory.
Teams chase points and prizes while targets vanish cleanly with unsettling, clinical precision.
Right and wrong blur as technology erases obstacles and silence fills the space left behind.
Details:
Handheld emitter sized like a short carbine with an under-barrel drum and twin-ring sight. A half pull starts a three-second lock on one visible nonliving object. On lock, the drum launches a capsule that bursts into micro nodes and lays a faint lattice over the surface. The lattice maps rigid connections by welds, bolts, rivets, solder, adhesive, and crystalline grain. On fire, the lattice swaps the captured mass into the nearest uninhabited dimension. All living tissue is excluded, and all items worn or carried by a living being are excluded. Straps on a wearer stay with them and detach at the target anchors. Objects only resting on the target remain, while fastened cargo goes if truly connected. No blast heat, light, or force on nearby air, water, or structures. The lock fails if the capsule cannot reach the target within ten seconds. If this occurs, the shot dissolves, and the lock resets. After firing, the core locks out and self-recharges over one day. A side ring fills during recharge, and the gun arms again when it closes.
Addons: -0cp The option to return the Y-Gun to your inventory. If used, it will return after 1 week, and the old one will dissolve. However, if you take this option, then the Y-Gun will be fully usable by others, even enemies, until the respawn timer is complete.
Final Cost: 300cp
Bank: 1950cp

The perk even said it "swaps the captured mass into the nearest uninhabited dimension" and "No blast heat, light, or force on nearby air, water, or structures."
It's basically perfect, just point, and suddenly the bay gets better.

I mean, the like 60 people falling into the water were a surprise, but there were a bunch of people filming me, so the authorities knew right away, and they all got rescued.
Plus most of them were arrested, since the cops really did not like going there, it was de facto safe territory for some drug cartel or another.

I wasn't expecting a lecture from Emily, but to be honest, I could tell her heart wasn't in it.

In the end, I just told her that my power was random, but let her keep the Y-Gun as long as she promised to be the one to have it and to actually use it (most of the boat graveyard is still there) and to not hand it off to some scientist who would take it apart and leave it broken in some warehouse like all that Tinkertech the military wasted so much money on in the 70's.

…

Oh, and I wish I'd thought of it before using it, but I enchanted it and managed to get Efficiency 3, Unbreaking 1.

I guess it's down to 13 hours reload, though, if the Obelisks or Enchanter's "Tower" is having any effect on that or not, I have no idea. I have not really tested much outside the Enchanter's Tower, since that's just a waste of resources, and the Obelisks seem to be more consistent with spells than effects… I think.

…

I could really use some more video game perks like the Y-Gun!

I mean, Magic is great, but other than writing down the perks, I can't really figure out what's interacting with what, and how.
Plus the ones I'm afraid to record anywhere, like that sealing one, that could be nothing, or could work to solve Ash Beast in one go… I just don't know.
But what I do know is it is better to hold that in my back pocket than to tell a government that already seems to be bugging Emily to tighten my leash that I MIGHT be capable of even temporarily untriggering someone.

So please, power… if I have any say in this, I could really use some kind of HUD power:

Claw Shard - The Book of the New Sun
Base Cost: -200cp
Lore:
Severian, forgetful torturer, exiled through citadels and jungles, chasing mercy, fleeing night.
With Claw and Terminus Est, he heals and harms, remakes fate, bends light.
Through war and masks, he devours memory, becomes Autarch, wagers Urth on strange rite.
Time arcs, the White Fountain answers, New Sun dawns, mercy crowned in radiant might.
Details:
A thumb-sized gem, it heals one severe wound per week when pressed to flesh, and it glows faintly near mortal danger without telling you what kind.
Addons: -25cp Body Integration. Rather than an object that can be lost or a spell that can be forgotten, it's now your fingernails, granting you fingernails with the hardness of a gem, that need never be cut again.
Final Cost: -225cp
Bank: 1650cp

So, is it all RNG then?
I'd almost say yes, except that addon looks almost like my power throwing me a bone, what with the whole "Rather than an object that can be lost or a spell that can be forgotten" part…

…

In less confusing news, Firewatch now has a Protectorate Liaison, since Velocity has offered to mentor Grue, and because Armsmaster wants him working with the Protectorate Wards, so having Velocity mentor them and Grue at the same time is the loophole to allow that.

Either way, I'm cool with it, and apparently Robin was already friends with the Firewatch team, so it works.

It also gives me a new excuse to meet Ruby again, because she's cute and likes me more than Missy, which is rare.
It's been one of the downsides to this whole cape thing that I haven't been able to see people like little Ruby Swoyer or Jade, one of my few friends who seemed more like my friend than Missy's.

Even if we ran in different circles most of the time, what with her living in the middle of ABB territory and me and Missy being (implied) Empire, given our skin and Missy's "internship."
I wonder what she's been up to…

Spoiler: A/N

FYI for that bit where she's unsure if it's RNG or not:
What Perk comes up is 100% RNG. Rolling before I start writing the chapter gives me some flex in how well Saga responds to it, but the actual rolls are RNG-based. That said, "Addons" is there so I can either break up the cost of a bigger perk or make things easier for her.
In this situation, I am the "Celestial System."
Kind of like "One Above All" in Marvel, where the idea is to have a light touch, but sometimes the answer is just "because the author said so."
In Marvel Comics, the in-universe way to explain that without breaking the 4th wall is the "One Above All."
For me, it's "Celestial System" with the "Celestial Grimoire" being Saga's Power, her list of current Perks, or the list of possible Perks she can get in the future.
Most other fics go with "ROB" (Random Omnipotent Being), but I prefer "Celestial System" with the implication that the various forms (Forge, Grimoire, Holocron, Scrolls, etc.) are tools handed out by the System (aka us authors of Celestial Fanfics) to those it deems worthy/interesting/etc.

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: [B]Reminder[/B]

This is the Mental IRC that Saga got as a perk a while back.
So it's basically both kinds of Brocton Wards, with a handful of Case-53's she's talked to.
It keeps to the theme of an internet IRC because that's what people are familiar with.
But keep in mind, their not "reading" it, their hearing it in each other's voices.
Not a huge difference, but to the participants, it's more like a very private Discord Server than a text conversation.
Name / Cape ----- Usernames ----- [IRC Roll or Chapter Relevance]
Chris / Kid Win --- "KitJockey" ------- [Just Found his Specialty, and His powers unusual excitement to work with Saga.]
Saga / Phoenix --- "Birds4Brainz" ---- [IRC Queen]
Vicky / Glory Girl - "HaloEffect" ------ [IRC Mod]
Eric / Shielder ---- "GroundControl" -- [PRT-Wards Leader, Overall 2nd by Common Agreement]
Carlos / Aegis ---- "OShallNotPass" -- [Protectrate-Wards Leader, Overall Leader by Common Agreement]
Weld / Weld ------ "FerrousBueller" -- [IRC Mod + PRT-Wards Leader in Boston]

Official: Wards: National Wards Chat

HaloEffect [Mod] >> Boston Bruins doing their annual hope then pain routine
HaloEffect [Mod] >> the affective forecasting here is bleak and I say that with love

GroundControl >> Data says 52 to 48 if the goalie wakes up
GroundControl >> if the penalty kill keeps bleeding, then ETA to heartbreak is Sunday
GroundControl >> we could still steal it if the neutral zone isn't a highway

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> I can fabricate a tiny cup out of scrap so hope has a prop

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I will watch the highlights later
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> if anyone clips just the fights send the link

GroundControl >> Celtics look fine
GroundControl >> if the bench minutes hold then we coast

HaloEffect [Mod] >> coasting sounds illegal and I am here for it
HaloEffect [Mod] >> someone tell Boston to stop making me have feelings

OShallNotPass >> Please keep the feelings off the incident report
OShallNotPass >> Thank you

[SkyRider] changed their name to [KitJockey]

KitJockey >> ok quick drop before the thread leaves orbit
KitJockey>> plates for Saga boots, simple metal plates that attach under the shoes
KitJockey >> hit the latch and they pop out into ice skates
KitJockey >> Saga put Frost Walker on them so yes water is floor now

HaloEffect [Mod] >> Bay Glide
HaloEffect [Mod] >> optics are free money and the confidence placebo is real lol

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I put the enchant on them
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> Frost Walker
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> Jesus cosplay unlocked

GroundControl >> If water is floor then patrol can cross the ferry lane without the dock shuffle
GroundControl >> spacing stays three and we keep line of sight clear

KitJockey >> also I am dumb for not realizing the Lego thing when Saga told me months ago
KitJockey >> my power would not give me long fall boots
KitJockey >> would not even start
KitJockey >> but it threw together a little mod for Saga's leather boots in no time
KitJockey >> that was the hint
KitJockey >> I am a kit-basher and I should have acted like one

HaloEffect [Mod] >> confirmation bias ate you
HaloEffect [Mod] >> happens
HaloEffect [Mod] >> you get cookies for admitting it and also for inventing Bay Glide

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I have an impact softener for feet
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I can add it to a different attachment if Chris makes one

KitJockey >> yes!
KitJockey >> I can make the thing for the softener
KitJockey >> give me your measurements and I will make it click

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> Send a pair of those to Boston
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> I am tired of new craters every time I jump
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> And thanks, Saga
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> You made the first boots that could survive me
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> The sidewalks were less lucky
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> They have unionized and started filing complaints
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> 6x Durability, Unbreaking 4
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> am glad they work
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> ... and fit.
GroundControl >> Shipping to Boston is fine
GroundControl >> we log it as a test and keep notes on landing force and crack radius

HaloEffect [Mod] >> I want the before and after pictures
HaloEffect [Mod] >> people love a clean improvement graph with a happy story arc

KitJockey >> Saga are you in for more builds
KitJockey >> my power was extra happy on this one because it was a colab.
KitJockey >> I think it likes cooperating more than solo work...

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> Yes
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> if you can make an artificial diamond maker like Armsmaster and Dragon
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I can make the Wards Brute 6 for defense while we are in the city
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> Like Firewatch.

HaloEffect [Mod] >> ENE's Era of Sparkly Violence Returns!

GroundControl >> A civic-minded sparkle
GroundControl >> Armor that spikes durability while inside the city grid reshapes patrol plans
GroundControl >> lead pair can anchor the pier head and the reserve can screen
GroundControl >> response time falls and route risk drops

KitJockey >> I can try the diamond maker
KitJockey >> I know the feel I want
KitJockey >> if it clicks we can plate shins and forearms first then chest
KitJockey >> keep weight sane so nobody hates me

HaloEffect [Mod] >> chest plates that do not ruin silhouettes
HaloEffect [Mod] >> I am begging you
HaloEffect [Mod] >> ask me how I know...

GroundControl >> We can start with tiles then move to larger panels if look is clean
GroundControl >> small wins first then scale

OShallNotPass >> Break in
OShallNotPass >> As Wards Leader I am setting priority
OShallNotPass >> Chris you prioritize the diamond maker path
OShallNotPass >> Saga you prioritize this collaboration
OShallNotPass >> We will schedule a controlled test and sign off after impact survives

GroundControl >> Seconded as PRT Wards Leader
GroundControl >> Strategic value on that armor cannot be understated
GroundControl >> patrol survivability climbs and we gain control of the choke points

HaloEffect [Mod] >> Also the morale bump is not a small thing
HaloEffect [Mod] >> people move better when they believe bullets bounce

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> I will clear bench space and lay out a polite mountain of clamps
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> the first clang belongs to all of us

KitJockey >> Aye Aye, Captain!
KitJockey >> I will start sketching tonight
KitJockey >> if the feel is right I can have a first try in the morning

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> Agreed
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I can enchant a sample so we see behavior fast
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> we start small and hit it with a hammer, then Carlos, then Vicky.

GroundControl >> We log hammer hits by location and count
GroundControl >> shin
GroundControl >> forearm
GroundControl >> chest center
GroundControl >> we publish the short version so patrol understands what will break and what will not

HaloEffect [Mod] >> I will write the short version in human words
HaloEffect [Mod] >> You are harder to break here
HaloEffect [Mod] >> Think Tank, not Strongman
HaloEffect [Mod] >> Brute 6 toughness is a whole other ballgame from Brute 6 strength.

KitJockey >> Power Armor splits the sliders,
KitJockey >> It can raise strength and raise durability separately,
KitJockey >> Not like Brute capes that tend to get a go up in both at the same rate.

OShallNotPass >> Yes.
OShallNotPass >> I will make sure people keep this in mind.

GroundControl >>Seconded.

HaloEffect [Mod] >> tldr pls do not bench press the pier for likes. lol

OShallNotPass >> Good.
OShallNotPass >> We keep the humor in chat and the caution on patrol
OShallNotPass >> Call me after the first impact round and we will brag after that

KitJockey >> Boston pair for Weld gets boxed with a note
KitJockey >> do not test off the John Hancock Tower on day one
KitJockey >> I am putting that in writing so nobody gets ideas

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> I would never
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> on day one...

GroundControl >> Back to sports for the room while the builders peel off
GroundControl >> Bruins still need a goalie who wakes up and chooses competence

HaloEffect [Mod] >> rude but true
HaloEffect [Mod] >> Bay Glide debut tomorrow
HaloEffect [Mod] >> I am making the sticker tonight

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> make a small one for the boots
Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I want it to grin at people

KitJockey >> I can laser a grin into the plate if the plate behaves
KitJockey >> not a promise yet

GroundControl >> Noted
GroundControl >> we test first then we decorate

OShallNotPass >> Thank you
OShallNotPass >> I appreciate the restraint

HaloEffect [Mod] >> clip me into the first glide
HaloEffect [Mod] >> I will not eat water in public
HaloEffect [Mod] >> probably

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I will spot you

KitJockey >> I will hold the phone and pretend it is for science

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> I will sweep the pier when you are done
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> the dock union is less strict than the sidewalk union

GroundControl >> Thread returns to sports in three
GroundControl >> two
GroundControl >> one

HaloEffect [Mod] >> Bruins in six if the goalie remembers he is paid
HaloEffect [Mod] >> Celtics in five if the bench is not sleepy

Birds4Brainz [Queen] >> I still want only fights

KitJockey >> I want only wins

OShallNotPass >> I want only reports filed on time

GroundControl >> Dream big, everyone!

FerrousBueller [Mod] >> Back to work and to hope
FerrousBueller [Mod] >> both are heavy and worth carrying

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: Perspective:

This chapter shows sixty seconds of external time inside the Kingslayer's head
It's the minute after everyone arrives but before the funeral for four PRT troopers begins.
It's meant to show her non-shard thinker power by letting her notice tiny sensory cues others ignore and stitch those flashes into urgent associative narratives so the reader feels how she builds meaning from fragments.
People around her are already hunting for someone to blame as Oni Lee's violence has become random because his mind is deteriorating, and talk of a kill order ripples through the group as grief pushes people toward extreme reactions.
Crucial context is that Saga and Emily perceive the world very differently, so whenever Saga describes Emily a lot of details vanish because Saga's perspective is socially oblivious while Emily's is hyper aware, which is why Saga would reduce this to one or two lines in a day summary while Emily experiences the same minute as more than two thousand words.
Hopefully, this stays readable and helps readers understand what's really going on in those "Emily said X" lines in future chapters.

The chapel smells like wet wool and burned coffee.
The heat ticks like a tired metronome.
Four flags wait up front, and four families watch the cloth like it might answer back.
Breath moves in shallow tides that never reach the shore.
Cloth whispers when someone shifts.
A coin taps a thigh like a nervous clock.

I count the room and keep it quiet.
Hands tell more truth than faces, so I watch fingers on programs, thumbs on phone screens, knuckles whitening on purse straps.
I listen for the little sounds that leak out when people try to be stone.
Leather creaks.
Shoes scuff tile.
The organ breathes and almost loses the beat.

Mother in blue keeps smoothing the first fold like gentleness can rewind time.
If I sign, she'll say we spent another life to prove we care, then she'll fall apart in a kitchen that smells like dish soap.
If I don't, she'll call a council friend from church and ask why her son died for nothing.
She's against the order either way, because the only right answer is the one no one can give her.

Father beside her stares through the pulpit and curls the program with his grip.
If I sign, he'll tell me we traded his child for someone else's and learned nothing.
If I don't, he'll stop taking calls and learn the budget book by heart and use it like a slow knife.
He's against, and he'll make it policy.

Older sister with the neat braid keeps one hand on her mother and scans the aisle like a bodyguard.
If I sign, she'll give one clean quote about cycles we never break by shooting faster.
If I don't, she'll call me kind and then call me coward five minutes later.
She's against, softly first, sharply after.

Kid brother in the bad suit watches the rifles like a movie that might let him step inside.
If I sign, he'll try to enlist and a range officer will teach him grief doesn't make a hand steady.
If I don't, he'll build a crowd online and put my name in the first post.
He's for the order because motion feels better than ache.

Grandfather with the cane stands without shaking.
His mouth is a line that knows how to bury people.
If I sign, he'll nod once and take his family home on time.
If I don't, he'll sit back down and refuse to move until the hall is empty.
He's for it and he hates that he is.

The chaplain moves like a medic for the soul and lays clean gauze over dirty wounds.
His verbs spread pain thin enough to breathe.
If I sign, he'll say I chose blood while patience was still on the table, and he'll mean it.
If I don't, he'll say witness saves lives, and he'll mean that too.
He's against as practice, not posture.
He wants fewer flags, not better speeches.

Miss Militia holds the aisle with eyes on hands and exits, not faces.
If I sign, she'll defend the timing in public and argue the method in private, and she'll be right in both rooms.
If I don't, she'll come back with a plan that has clocks and names, and she'll be right there too.
She's for whatever saves bodies this week.
Today that leans yes.

The unit lieutenant wears hollow cheeks and a ledger behind the eyes.
He's already redrawn next week twice.
If I sign, he'll send his people to bed and come back ready to move.
If I don't, he'll triple corners and stop trusting the building.
He's strongly for the order because he counts triangles and wants to stop.

The union rep in the back rows counts everything without looking down.
If I sign, she'll open with thanks through her teeth and close with staffing numbers.
If I don't, she'll call a vote and win it.
She's for the order in the short run and for my head in the long run.
Both are true and she knows it.

The detective with gray at his temples hasn't slept and keeps mapping exits with his eyes.
If I sign, he'll clear his board and draw the retaliation map before breakfast.
If I don't, he'll wait for the next body to pick the order for him and he won't forgive me for that.
He's strongly for it and already building the second play.

The medical examiner stands by the wall with a hand on her bag.
She watches faces, not flags, because faces tell her what numbers won't.
If I sign, she'll write the next report anyway and the math won't comfort anyone.
If I don't, she'll write two more and stop coming here for a month.
She's against the order and for reality, and she'll keep the handwriting neat either way.

The city dispatcher twists a simple ring and listens without moving.
She knows which calls end in static.
If I sign, she'll sleep a little longer for three nights.
If I don't, she'll start turning the ring faster when the phones light up.
She's for the order and she hates that it helps.

The armorer studies boots like they're a ledger.
If I sign, he'll finally get the purchase orders he's filed since spring.
If I don't, he'll issue older plates with a look that says he warned us.
He's for it and thinks it's late.

The ERT medic touches the velcro at her cuff like a tic.
If I sign, she'll pack a cleaner kit and still expect screams.
If I don't, she'll double stock tourniquets and pretend it's enough.
She's against on the level where hands shake after the sirens cut out.

The rookie trooper watches the chaplain like church might set his sights.
If I sign, he'll say finally in a locker room and ride steadier for a week.
If I don't, he'll ride angrier, and angry gets sloppy, and sloppy writes names on more flags.
He's for the order because he hasn't learned how long weeks can get.

The sergeant with the ruined knuckle stands like a doorframe.
If I sign, he'll clap one shoulder and call it overdue.
If I don't, he'll take the next hit himself and tell me he chose to.
He's strongly for it and won't hide it.

The tech analyst hugs a laptop like a shield.
If I sign, she'll strip three phones and map the ripple.
If I don't, she'll bury me in heat maps until I choke on dots.
She sounds neutral and she's for the cleaner outcome.
Today that's the order.

The public defender sits near the aisle with a shut notebook.
If I sign, she'll say state violence never cured the harm it claims to fix.
If I don't, she'll say we're laundering decay through inaction.
She's strongly against and brought lines that will bite.

The community organizer squeezes a folded flyer and watches every badge like a test.
If I sign, he'll march tomorrow and his chant will use my name.
If I don't, he'll march next week and use it anyway.
He's against and he's loud and his grief is honest.

The business owner who sends coffee to stations sits stiff and sober.
If I sign, he'll donate again and say it was time.
If I don't, he'll still donate and ask for a meeting about delivery routes.
He's for the order and for the cameras that come with it.

The mayor's chief of staff hovers like weather.
If I sign, he'll script a podium line about steady hands.
If I don't, he'll sell unity and a task force that eats months.
He's for whatever polls clean.
Today that leans yes.

The state liaison reads faces like spreadsheets.
If I sign, she'll send two legal memos by dinner and a budget note by morning.
If I don't, she'll send five memos and warn me about hearings.
She's for clarity.
The order is clarity.

The federal desk officer is a black suit with careful shoes.
If I sign, he'll murmur that interagency support is available.
If I don't, he'll murmur that it remains available and copy more people.
He's for alignment and he'll call it alignment either way.

The guard at the back door taps a coin on his thigh and thinks no one hears it.
If I sign, he'll stop tapping for one day.
If I don't, the coin will skip faster when the first radio crackles.
He's for it at the level where breath wants less work.

The reporter in the careful suit aims for neutral and lands on hungry.
If I sign, he'll quote two critics for balance and sleep well.
If I don't, he'll quote three grieving parents for patience and sleep just as well.
He's for the story and against dull days.

The council aide in row three texts under the program and smiles without teeth.
If I sign, she'll park her boss at my elbow and call it shared responsibility.
If I don't, she'll book a radio hit about oversight and balloons.
She's for the order when it comes with a lens.

The retired captain stands by a pillar with posture that could hold the roof.
If I sign, he'll say we forgot how to do this fast and clean and at dawn.
If I don't, he'll say the city went soft.
He's strongly for it and stuck in a calendar that no longer exists.

The survivor from last winter holds a cane across her knees and doesn't blink.
If I sign, she'll squeeze my hand in a hallway and say thank you without a smile.
If I don't, she'll avoid my eyes and count steps to the door.
She's for it and the scar on her calf is a vote that never changes.

The teacher from the block sits near the aisle, knuckles around a pen.
If I sign, she'll tell her students grownups finally protected the morning bus.
If I don't, she'll tell them to hurry inside and keep their heads down.
She's for it and she'll pay for that with letters from parents.

The shop steward from sanitation smells like cold diesel and grief.
If I sign, he'll move crews past the hot blocks with fewer calls.
If I don't, he'll reroute trucks and lose hours and patience.
He's for, and he'll say it into a microphone if someone asks.

Saga stands a half step off the front row and decides to do it perfectly.
She doesn't speak.
She doesn't sign.
She won't judge me.
She'll ask one question either way and it'll land where it hurts.
If I sign, she'll ask who I saved and I'll need to answer with names.
If I don't, she'll ask how many more I'm willing to spend and that will need names too.
She's the only clear water in a room of waves.
She makes the currents visible.

Lung isn't here and still is.
He answers in fire or doesn't answer at all.
Boredom in a man like that lights itself.
The daughter isn't here and shapes every thought anyway.
A small hand on a big fuse.
She feeds him and tunes him and keeps him aimed.
If I sign, she won't scream.
She'll measure and pick a target that speaks a sentence.
If I don't, she'll add a part to a device that already works and wait for me to stumble in public.

Oni Lee keeps slipping.
Shorter jumps.
Stranger choices.
Louder landings.
If I sign, there'll be a gap where he stood and some of the noise will die down.
If I don't, the drift will keep eating his mind and the city will keep paying one room at a time.

The folding drill begins and the room leans toward the first triangle like a small task can hold a big day together.
The heat ticks.
The organ breathes.
Cloth whispers.
Hands move like the fabric might bruise.
How it looks matters, so the order of steps matters.
If I sign in front of families, I anchor grief to ink.
It'll look clean now and weak later.
If I move it and lock it to my name, I anchor it to the last interviews, the last calls, and what the girl can field inside forty eight hours.

My hip aches.
I stand anyway.
People notice who sits, who hides, who leaves early.
I won't give anyone an easy line.

I reach into the bag.
The folder weighs more than paper.
The pen clip bites my thumb like a small truth.
The organ lands the last chord and the room exhales like it needed permission.
Winter air slides in when the back door opens and it smells like snow.

I sign.

Strong for rises like heat.
The sergeant's jaw unclenches.
The detective starts a list.
The dispatcher lets the ring go still.
The retired captain stops shaking his head.
The shop steward squares his shoulders.
The teacher breathes.

Strong against pulls like a tide.
The chaplain closes his eyes and counts for both of us.
The public defender writes a line that'll bite.
The mother in blue flinches at the latch.
The organizer studies the door and starts to plan.
The medical examiner looks down and presses her lips thin.

Most people sit in the middle and hate it.
They'll say we chose the least bad fire.
They'll say we chose it late.
They'll say we chose it too fast.
They'll still show up tomorrow, and that's the part that saves anyone.

Saga doesn't look at me.
She will, later.
She'll ask the question she promised herself to ask.
Who did I save.
I'll answer with names and keep counting until the numbers stop moving.
The flags start their slow walk.
Cloth whispers.
Breath finds the shore.
The heat keeps ticking.
The snow smell sharpens like a clean blade.

 

[Oblation]

So… the money issue might not be "solved," but I guess I might be able to give Taylor and Laurance a paycheck now.
I got a new perk, and though it's a bit expensive, it's one of the ones that's just a minor quirk in a game but absolutely crazy in real life.

Loot Magnet - Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony
Base Cost: -150cp
Lore & Details:
This world's an alternate seventeenth century where England planted its first colony on Mars.
Red deserts stretch under brass skies while Spanish clockwork airships duel above the canals.
The native Martians watch Earth's empires bring war, faith, and greed to their world.
Sir Walter Raleigh, an exile looking for redemption, caught between crusades and alien warlords.
Jamestown stands as a flickering outpost of survival and pride, held together by lightning shields, iron guns, and people too stubborn to give up.
---
10 minutes per day, all loose and forgotten change within 10 meters slides into your pockets.
Addons:
-50cp Money teleports to your Inventory.
-100cp - 25 meters / 30 Minutes
-150cp - 50 meters / 1 Hour
-200cp - 100 meters / 2 Hours
-250cp - 150 meters / 3 Hours
-300cp - 200 meters / 4 Hours
-350cp - 250 meters / 5 Hours
-400cp - 300 meters / 6 Hours
-450cp - 350 meters / 7 Hours
-500cp - 400 meters / 8 Hours
Final Cost: -900cp
Bank: 2100cp

So, I did the obvious, and flew around at my fastest speed that I can hold for hours.
(About 60mph in bigger bird form at 1.8x speed for about 4 hours if I don't need to cast anything.)

Theoretically, I was just doing another search for where the ABB capes had bunkered down, but in practice, I was collecting more than $20k!
The only downside is that I don't have any handy Inventory money converter, just 120,000 nickels and dimes, and about 25 square miles of city that'll never be this profitable again.

Man, am I glad Bet doesn't have the 1-cent coins anymore like Aleph still does!

Though I'm going to run out of city soon at this rate…
Well, I guess I just need an excuse to fly around NYC a bit and I'd be golden…

That or a perk that would turn all these nickels and dimes into money people won't cuss me out for giving them….

Chlorophyte Extractinator – Terraria
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore & Details:
This world's a patchwork of wild lands where magic and madness rule the map.
Floating islands drift over jungles and deserts while dungeons sprawl under your feet.
The ground's alive with monsters and minerals both waiting to kill or reward you.
Every cave's a gamble and every sunrise means something new to fight.
You start with a stick and end up rewriting the world, one pick swing and bad decision at a time.
---
Feed any loose fine aggregate, such as sand, silt, sawdust, or drill cuttings.
The drum converts bulk into a truly randomized ore, gem, or fossil bit.
Does not accept organic material.
Max generation 1 per day.
Addons:
-50cp - An Inventory option for waste disposal rather than a physical tool.
-50cp - Max generation 2 per day.
-100cp - Max generation 3 per day.
-150cp - Max generation 4 per day.
-200cp - Max generation 5 per day.
-250cp - Max generation 6 per day.
-300cp - Max generation 7 per day.
-350cp - Max generation 8 per day.
-400cp - Max generation 9 per day.
-450cp - Max generation 10 per day.
Final Cost: -400cp
Bank: 1200cp

The copper coins are interesting, and the Palladium ore was gonna net me a few hundred in tinker budget, but I traded it to Armsmaster through Dragon to get them to help Chris finish his Diamond Maker so I can finally start armoring up the Wards.

I haven't told anyone about the Adamantite yet.
It's cool, but I wanna save it up till I either get a smelting power, or just want something big from Dragon.

 

[Oblation]

--- = New Subject
... = A Few Hours Later


Missy had a good idea.
I took her to pet Samson the Donkey to calm down after another day of not funding the ABB capes, when she asked about the Ninja I've mentioned knowing.

It seems obvious in hindsight, especially with how it took Tenkō no Tomo a day to find at least 6 bases they seem to rotate between, and Asuka even snuck in and got pictures of them.

Asuka and Albus are the only ones sticking around for the raid we're planning, though.
But that makes sense since their all about sneaking… and assassinations.

But Emily says it's best if a Hero takes down Oni-Lee for the public's good.
Even if Tenkō no Tomo are about as trusted as that type can get, their still officially Parahuman Mercenaries, and that would just give an unneeded confidence boost to all the would be bounty hunters out there.

---

On the other side of things, The Empire's been dealing with the Hookwolf vs Kaiser thing still, so The Dockworkers have been pushing into ABB territory, instead of them.

Taylor knows if she helps, it just makes them look more gang-like and might get her marked as a Villain, so she's just been pacing back and forth in HQ, seeming worried.

But it's not all good news, since we now have proof that The Adepts and The Red Hand have opened Branches in the Bay. I guess they figured there was enough of an Opening, so they jumped in.

It's better than a Brockton bay version of the Boston Games, but still annoying that we'd been pushing the gangs back a bit, and now new ones pop into the hole.

Still, The Red Hand are basically just what the Undersiders were pretending to be, minimally offensive thieves.

While the Adepts are a bigger deal, we've probably only got a few of their mid-level members looking to get a branch of their own. Plus, they have a thing about not holding territory so much as specific locations, so it's still an improvement over last year if this is where it stops for new gangs moving in.

---

In less local news, Mr. Graham has been sweet-talking the Canadians somehow, since their now offering to pay for a building for NOVA so long as it's in Canada.

According to Vicky, that would indicate we're a more Canadian/Guild-like group than a PRT/Protectorate one. But that is already true since Parahumans and Regular Humans in the same chain of command is more of a Guild thing anyway.

Either way, we've now got an official HQ in St. Stephen, New Brunswick (Canada).

It's not huge, but it can fit all up to 1000 people in a pinch, and Mr. Graham talked Tsunade to moving there, so I guess I'll be going up there for my Science/Ninja-Magic/Medical Lessons now.

---

Oh, and I'm actually getting a dedicated workshop thanks to Dragon!

I guess she was part of why NOVA got a building, since she has a base in Saint-Andrews, New Brunswick.
A town about 30 minutes down the road that is the closest thing that area has to a port.

But she doesn't really use it for tinkering, just as a base for her Mechs to deploy to New England when needed, since it's right next to the border.
So there's a whole Tinker lab, and Dragon said it would help her a bunch if a Hero made visible appearances there every few days.
So now I have a full lab to play around with, in trade for a weekly patrol of St. Andrews.
But it's only got like 10K people, so that won't take more than 30 minutes.

…

I had history today, and asked about New Brunswick and the two towns, and the only interesting detail is that apparently, those are some of the rare places where the Bet version has more people than the Aleph one.
Despite Aleph having like 1.5x our population, their towns tend to be smaller, and cities are WAY bigger.

Makes sense, I guess, what with them only needing to rebuild two buildings, not all of NYC.
So people probably aren't thinking about Endbringers when choosing where to live there.

Either way, St. Stephen is like 5x bigger since it's where a lot of Canadians who commute into the US moved after Newfoundland sank, and even if it's lost some of that population boom, it's still got 25K.
While Saint Andrews is mostly just bigger because New Brunswick in general is bigger, and with Leviathan wrecking ships in the 80s and capes in general taking opportunities where they can, Earth-Bet shipping is way more mobile and focused on efficiency and speed than those slow-moving mega ships like Aleph has.

I mean, I live in a harbor and the only Containership I've ever seen is the one that used to be blocking the way out at Brockton Bay.
So unlike Aleph, Saint Andrews and other little towns have more sea trade, since people want to have a lot of options with shipping, and even big companies are more likely to use small and medium boats and ports than like on Aleph.

---

But that's enough history, I haven't rolled in a few days, and haven't broken my streak about making a journal entry every time I do, so here goes:

It Just Works - Meme Culture
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore & Details:
Originating with Steve Jobs, "It Just Works." has come to embody the feeling of "I'm a smart person, don't worry about how, just know that it does." Turned into a meme largely after Bethesda Softworks director Todd Howard's use of this phrase to describe a game many would love and hate due to its numerous bugs and glitches. This phrase has remained in the popular zeitgeist ever since.
---
Respond with "It Just Works." and whoever is questioning your plans, creations, and/or strategy will react as if you'd just given them a sound and reasonable explanation. (Info-dump cut-scene skip button, in perk form.)
Addons:
-50cp a stranger effect so that any observers also experience the "sound and reasonable" effect and stop questioning you. Basically, turning any recording of you saying "It Just Works." into a memetic stranger effect, preventing people from becoming suspicious or doubtful of you.
Final Cost: -100cp
Bank: 900cp

MSF Mouse Droid - Ewoks (1986)
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore & Details:
The MSF line of the Mouse Droid was designed to have increased mobility as well as to be capable of repairing each other and acting somewhat in a secretarial role, with audio and visual recording capabilities, and enough intelligence to react to conversational requests.
---
You gain 10 MSF series Mouse Droids. They will follow orders and clean any location you leave them in. Past iterations of this droid have continued operations for thousands of years if left undisturbed for that time.
Addons:
-50cp A stranger effect. While these droids would seem like obvious tinkertech to anyone seeing them, and thus become a likely target for thieves if left unattended, this effect renders them the same, mundane but vaguely cute impression they had in their original setting.
-50cp +10 MSF series Mouse Droids.
-100cp +10 MSF series Mouse Droids.
-150cp +10 MSF series Mouse Droids.
Final Cost: -150cp
Bank: 800cp

Well, ok.

Emily is strangely interested in these guys after I described them, so she gets 8, and Mr. Graham gets 6 for NOVA HQ.
And the rest of us who think they're basically just cuter little vacuum cleaners get to see who can turn these into the more effective counter-espionage force, lol.

Missy also gets 2 since she thinks their adorable and wanted one.
But your supposed to keep them in pairs so they can repair each other.

The other 4 can go to my new lab in Saint Andrews to clean it up… and watch out for thieves too, I guess.

Spoiler: A/N

Without getting into the full differences between the internet here and on this AU-Earth-Bet, I want to remind people that this is 2011, on an economically depressed Earth with significantly less global trade.
The TL;DR of it for the internet is that basically everyone can be assumed to possess at least a BlackBerry with internet access, but smartphones are clunky and VERY expensive still, and the laptop industry hasn't taken off nearly as much. (Tablets are Brand new on Earth-IRL around this time, so not even a pipe dream here.)
Devices tend towards being cheap with easily replaceable parts that are designed to last for years.
Imagine clunky but surprisingly powerful and cost-effective for 2011 desktops, and cellphones that are slightly behind in terms of tech but ahead in terms of reliability and price.

Examples: (Imagine these as cheaper and more durable, but also about as advanced as it gets outside of short-run prototypes from the people working on reverse engineering tinkertech. So a True Smartphone can be seen but only in the hands of a particularly tech-conscious Multi-Millionaire, with a few connections to get their hands on one.)
High-End Cellphone: Motorola Droid
Middle Class Cellphone: Helio Ocean
Cheap but decent Cellphone: Samsung BlackJack II
Old but functional and cheap Cellphone: HTC Excalibur

As a result, 17/20 internet users come in the form of proto-smartphones.
The kind with physical keyboards, but that could still handle something like Reddit, or in this case, PHO.
That meme above is a good example of what you can expect from 2011, Bet-Net.
A Small (37kb) oversaturated meme meant to be easily recognizable even on older and lower quality devices, which can be spread seamlessly in any number of forums, blogs, and meme sites.

 

[Oblation]

Rude.

…

I was all involved in the search for the ABB capes, then we finally find them, and I get sent over to HQ to stand guard all day!

The worst part is, they were right!
The Chosen (Hookwolf's E88) attacked, and it was only all of us under 18 Wards being in the same place that sent him and his minions off.

It's annoying, and I can't even complain because they were right to have kept a reserve.

Even though Lung and Nuwa got away (along with a huge chunk of the gang's non-powered), their still out of the city, and Oni-Lee's dead, which was the whole point.

The whole day went good.
Not perfect, but there are a bunch of ways it could have gone bad and didn't.
And I'm upset about it!

It would've been easier being upset if something had gone bad, but instead the only hitch was that a ramped-up Lung can stalemate the Protectorate for offense, even with my armor's protection.

But even there, it wasn't an issue because they kited him out of town before he got too big, and for once, I guess he grew for speed, not fire, because he got away.

Velocity chased him for a bit, but got called back once it would've taken the rest more than 30 minutes to catch up with him.

Nuwa got away with a bunch of the gang's remaining members, but most of Firewatch + Carlos, Dean, and Vicky (the 18+ wards) still got like 30 of them and one of the most violent lieutenants.
"Madugo" was the leader of the Southeast Asian parts of the ABB, and for a guy whose name literally means "Gory" in his native Filipino, I think it's clear where he got his reputation.

So, today was a success, and my whole part in it was taking pot-shots at Hookwolf and teleporting teammates out of danger with Fox.

Though it would have been nice if Missy would've been able to finish her Solar lens to melt Hookwolf.
But it was too cloudy, and he was too quick to retreat once the minion's clothes started to catch on fire, so it didn't happen, unfortunately.

---

Oh, and no injuries, thanks to Addison.

I also found out why he STILL doesn't have a costume.
Apparently, he's afraid of PR, and so long as he keeps refusing Hero names and costumes, he doesn't have to do any of it.

Missy and Chris think he's a genius for this, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna bite him when he runs out of time and gets slapped with "Boo Boo Buddy" or something stupid like that.

…

Also I rolled but it's just another PR Perk, so I called it a night on rolls.

Gold - Red Rising
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore & Details:
Humanity sprawls across the solar system in a strict color caste, engineered so each person reads as role, rank, and polished purpose.
A lowborn Red is remade into a Gold to infiltrate the ruling caste and spark revolt from within, a one-life gamble to topple centuries of rule.
The series turns that gamble into total war, asking whether overthrowing a cruel order births freedom or just another crown, and what surviving the furnace of revolution leaves behind.
---
You appear gilded and blonde, hair like braided sun, skin warmed to coin, eyes opalescent and sharp, features honed to statuesque calm.
Blood, grime, or exhaustion only adds weathered grandeur.
Onlookers will remember your silhouette as luminous authority.
Addons:
N/A
Final Cost: -50cp
Bank: 875cp

I almost didn't take this one, but I figure Blonde is already close enough to Golden that people might not notice.
So obviously Emily did immediately, which is how I got found out for hiding rolls, but all that led to was a discussion about the money power, and what I was supposed to do with hundreds of thousands of Nickels and Dimes.

Answer?
Pretty obvious given who I'm talking to, but give it to the PRT and get Tinker Budget.

When I brought up the tinker budget only being to build stuff, which I can justify in the paperwork (aka for Ward's usage, not for things like supporting NOVA).
Emily offered to trade it but said I'd need to take a loss on behalf of the caffeine budget.
So we went back and forth for a while, then I gave her the coins and accepted one of those Visa cards, which they give informants and bounty hunters with 92.5% of what I gave her in cash… or well, in digital money, but close enough.

---

I asked how long she thought that 7.5% would last, and Emily said a week??

I thought she was joking, but no.
Apparently, the Caffeine budget for the New England PRT branches comes out to like 20k Per Week.

It really puts into perspective how expensive things are.
I really thought I was going places with this fund, but in reality, I've got less of a budget than Emily does for her departments to spend on Caffeine, for the next three months!

---

Oh, and the PR team's almost finished getting pictures with everyone using the Y-Gun, so I guess there's going to be a grand reopening thing tomorrow, where they want me and Emily to cut a ribbon, then she'll make some kind of "New City" speech now that the ABB got run out of town.

Not that big a Deal, but Taylor's really pumped about it, so I'm doing my best to match her energy.
Though it's hard to get really pumped about… having like 5 ships a day, show up and unload some stuff before leaving later.

Plus, they're already doing that, since the first thing they did with the Y-Gun was clear a path to the Dockworkers.

…

Seeing it in the mirror, I'm not sure how Emily noticed?
Like, my hair just looks like I'm standing in the sun, even when I'm not.
It's not much of a change, but I guess I forgot Emily's still the Kingslayer, since she clocked it instantly, in a way that took me 10 minutes of looking in a mirror to pin down.

 

[Oblation]

We did the PR thing.
There was even a pretty big ship in the background, so it worked out for the pictures.

Emily made a speech about the city entering an era of new hope and possibility, and we all politely forgot that this city is still full of Nazi's and thanks to the new gangs, the number of villains actually went up, if anything.
Then she cut the ribbon and 'opened the bay to new possibilities!'… or something cheesy like that.

Still, Lung and Oni-Lee were a particularly scary combo before they got a tinker, so the situation certainly feels better, if nothing else.

Plus, fireworks are always nice.
Albus even taught me a firework spell, just for that PR event.

…

In other news, I found out that Albus and Tenkō no Tomo found out about the building where my new Lab is at St. Andrews and decided to move in there.
I guess Dragon owns the building and doesn't care about it beyond that her Mech's are left alone, so it works out.

Asuka says she wants the clan to have a territory of its own… but like a heroic one, I guess.

Not protection or anything, but Albus's shack was just a house, and the Building in an area already pretty well covered by the Guild.
But the lab at St. Andrews is a whole base, and in an area with minor importance to a whole region, but no real defenders aside from a mostly theoretical effort on Dragon's part.

So, I authorized them to use any of the cash they'd gotten, plus 100k, which is most of what I've gotten from the money gathering perk, to fortify the Passamaquoddy Bay on my behalf.
It all seemed kinda larp-ish, but I guess Tenkō no Tomo is theoretically a Feudal Clan in service to a Feudal-Lord… aka me.

So, I'm giving them resources in order to protect an area that will be de facto mine in Cape terms.
What with NOVA-HQ 30 minutes away, and my vassal's HQ there, and it being my lab and the storage house of one of my allies.

The whole thing feels kind of strange, but within a few days, I've gone from having never heard of Saint-Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, to being its Lady-Protector.

Still, everyone agrees that it was basically a sitting duck, being kind of important, but undefended with NOVA-HQ nearby, but still far enough to let villains get away if needed.
Plus, almost everyone agrees that something needed to be there, so it might as well be my personal base, to be looked after by the clan when I'm not around.

…

The St. Andrews thing might have been just in time, too, because a NOVA squad got pictures of Lung fighting a local gang already… in Saint John, New Brunswick.

He barely moved!
Just left the bay for a slightly smaller city nearby.
Hell, it probably would've been St Stephen where the new NOVA-HQ is if that town were a bit bigger!
He literally just found the first port city out of Emily's jurisdiction with more than 50k people in it and set down!

Well, fine, if he does end up settling there (and we don't hear about him getting in a fight somewhere else soon), then I guess it becomes NOVA's job to keep him from really becoming it's King.
What with NOVA-HQ and My Lab only being about an hour away, making us the nearest parahuman support for that poor little Guild Department.

I mean, he was stalemating the BB-Protectorate for years, and E88 at its strongest!
There's no way the locals will be able to keep up…

Spoiler: New Brunswick Map

 

[Oblation]

Welp.

Lung is here to stay, and so am I.

---

We've started to build up NOVA in this area around Maine and New Brunswick.

The dream of all of New England and The Maritimes is still a thing, with a few teams still expanding in Vermont and Nova Scotia, but mostly we're a Maine/New-Brunswick organization for now.
As part of that, I tested a bunch of people and handed out the last few non-master Powers I could from Ars magica.

But the best of them was probably Team Leader Valerez, who got Creo-Animal, and Rachel, who got Muto-Animal.
Rachel is over the moon with healing and shapeshifting her dogs, and is willing to put up with the pseudo dog projections Valerez makes now.

---

Albus has been buying up little chunks of land to put outposts in, so we can hopefully make some kind of Rapid Response over to Saint John if needed.
Plus, some of the middle-aged members of The Clan have been seeking out positions in different towns in the area, so we start to integrate and keep an eye on New Brunswick fully rather than just the surface-level stuff they'd been doing.

So far, the main areas that were focused on, other than Saint Andrews itself are that unfortunately placed Nuclear Power Plant and Eastport, Maine.

Eastport is in a similar position as Saint Andrews, except for the part where someone blew up its docks a few decades ago as part of some final showdown between a hero and villain.

Still, its been long enough since then that its a somewhat important local port for the US side of the Border now.

---

On my end, I've mostly just been making a low-key version of my good boots for the clan and a more thematic one for NOVA employees. Plus a bit of armor when I've got the Mana to spare, now that the first iteration of the Wards-armor is mostly done.

Along with using the Money perk on different towns every day to get a feel for the area, and to collect more cash for operations.
Especially since it's been pointed out that Mr. Graham's not a cape.
So there's nothing illegal about him investing in stable stocks to use the dividends like an operations fund for the stuff NOVA can get from the Perk-Generated funds each employee is paid from.

It's been really busy between the different creations, the way school has been ramping up in the hopes of getting me into Online High School this August, and the setup now that NOVA has an A-Class threat to keep an eye on.

…

The roll is great, though I really wish I'd rolled it before all the paperwork for managing NOVA we've all been doing.
Still, team leads and COs will be very nice and hopefully decrease the amount of crap that gets sent upstairs by the grunts.

Home Office - Library of Ruina
Base Cost: 500cp
Lore & Details:
The City is a sprawling corporate meat grinder where miracles, monsters, and body mods are just part of the urban budget.
You work as a Fixer, a licensed problem solver who takes contracts for anything that normal people or even syndicates are too scared, too fragile, or too politically exposed to touch.
Every Fixer belongs to an Office and lives and dies by its grade, starting as disposable grade nine fodder and clawing their way up toward the rare high-grade elites who can clash with Wings and urban legends.
Your life is paperwork, debt, and spectacular violence, and every job is a gamble where the payout might buy you better gear and status or just pay for someone else to mop what is left of you off the pavement.
---
You've come into possession of an Office, an entirely independent one. Currently, it's staffed by a modest company of extremely loyal Fixers who are equally adept at administrative work and the sanctioned violence expected of them.
You have 25 points.
A Grade 1 is 13 points
A Grade 2 is 11 points
A Grade 3 is 9 points
A Grade 4 is 7 points
A Grade 5 is 5 points
A Grade 6 is 4 points
A Grade 7 is 3 points
A Grade 8 is 2 points
And you have as many Grade 9s as you have points to spend.
Addons:
-50cp All new employees include confirmable backgrounds and a fund to pay them so long as they stay in your service.
-0cp More Staff 1: +25 points, but no Grades above 5.
-50cp More Staff 2 (Requires MS1): +25 Points, but no Grades above 6.
-100cp More Staff 3 (Requires MS1+2): +25 Points, but no Grades above 7.
-150cp More Staff 4 (Requires MS1-3): +25 Points, but no Grades above 8.
-200cp More Staff 5 (Requires MS1-4): +25 Points, but no Grades above 9.
-500cp +14 Points, no strings attached.
-500cp All Grade 1s are now Colors.
Final Cost: -850cp
Bank: 1200cp

I wish I knew what a Grade 1 meant, but the memories have got nothing here, and since that could be 13 new NOVA members, I just can't risk it…

Luckily, I've got the points for most of the "More Staff" options, so I'm sending 25 Raymond's way, since Firewatch has been taking on a bunch of roles, beyond just bodyguarding me.
I was tempted to make it 50, but I just can't help but remember how much 200 has gotten in the past, so I held back.

So, NOVA just got 100 members who can do admin and fighting!
We're really starting to feel like proper law enforcement at this point…

Spoiler: A/N

Unfortunately for Saga, this is one setting I had no knowledge of, since the smart play here was actually to double down on points and get the 3 grade 1's, then just tell them to go solo Lung and every other villain in the area.
Unfortunately, Saga has no way of knowing, but there is a silver lining, and it's that anything about Grades 1-8 involves body enhancements that would inevitably break down without being able to be repaired on Earth-Bet, save for some extremely expensive Tinker services.
So the silver lining is that by grabbing 125 Grade 9s, she still got 125 people with the base skills of a Fixer (aka paperwork and basic combat), but none of the impossible maintenance or massive egos of someone like a Color or Grade 1.
I imagine it as basically getting 125 people fresh out of something like Police Academy. (Or even something like Ranger School, if you want to be generous.)
TL;DR - Saga didn't pick the super soldiers but did get 125 of the PERFECT type of people for NOVA and Firewatch, and that's still great!

 

[Oblation]

Opening. Carl launches his balloon house. Emotional impact: curiosity about why this old man is so determined and attached to his home.

Russell arrives on the porch. Emotional impact: humor and confusion as a cheerful kid crashes into the story and contrasts sharply with Carl.

Early flight scenes. Emotional impact: light adventure and wonder, with the sense that Carl might be warming up despite himself.

First flashback. Young Ellie dragging shy Carl into her clubhouse. Emotional impact: recognition that Russell's energy mirrors someone important from Carl's past.

Arrival in the wilderness. Emotional impact: excitement and discovery as the world opens up.

Meeting the giant bird. Emotional impact: joy and chaos as the cast grows and begins to feel like a found family.

A wedding flashback triggered by the bonding moment. Emotional impact: warmth and celebration, showing the foundation of Carl's happiest years.

Meeting the talking dog. Emotional impact: humor and delight, reinforcing the growing group dynamic.

Early marriage flashback with the adopted dog. Emotional impact: domestic comfort and emotional grounding.

Exploration continues with signs of danger growing. Emotional impact: rising tension without losing the sense of adventure.

Flashback to financial strain and the smashed Adventure Fund jar. Emotional impact: quiet disappointment and the realization that dreams were delayed.

Storm or villain interference destroys the house. Emotional impact: shock and loss as the symbolic heart of Carl's life disappears.

Hospital flashback. Ellie in bed and grieving. Emotional impact: realization that the house represented more than nostalgia and that the dream was tied to her well-being.

Comic relief moment with the dog yelling "Squirrel". Emotional impact: release of tension and a brief return to laughter.

Present cheer up scene as Russell and the animals lift Carl's spirits. Emotional impact: emotional rebound and a growing sense of purpose.

Flashback of Carl cheering up Ellie with plans to travel to Paradise Falls. Emotional impact: direct narrative connection between Carl and Russell for the first time, showing Carl stepping into a supportive role.

Group shifts to actively seeking the blimp. Emotional impact: increased focus and determination, replacing aimless wandering.

Flashback of renewed travel plans. Emotional impact: hope rising again in both timelines.

The discovery that the blimp is the villain's base. Emotional impact: shock and escalation of danger.

Capture of the bird and dog. Emotional impact: heartbreak and fear of failure.

Flashback of Ellie collapsing during attempted recovery, followed by her funeral. Emotional impact: full emotional crash and clarity about Carl's grief.

Carl chooses action without needing encouragement. Emotional impact: character growth as he embraces connection and purpose on his own.

Third arc rescue and airship battle. Emotional impact: triumphant adventure payoff.

Capture of the blimp and adoption of it as the new home. Emotional impact: closure and a hopeful future built on new bonds rather than clinging to the past.

 

[Oblation]

One of the Ninjas who got a job as a manager at a canning factory has been making friends with a family who live right down the road from the Nuclear power plant.
I guess it's a big enough deal that it has its own history of villain attacks.
Which is lucky since apparently the ABB has already been sniffing around.
It's all the more reason to have people in the area, if only to keep Lung's people away.
---
For myself, I've been looking into the local area and the points of interest where NOVA will likely need to focus our defence.
So far, what I've found is:
1. Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station - The big target
2. Trivium Packaging Canada - less important, but isolated and would hurt the locals a lot to lose it.
3. Charlotte County Hospital - Near NOVA HQ
4. A.F. Theriault & Son's Fish Boat Factory - A large part of why St. Andrews is a regional port, and the others aren't.
5. The Ganong Chocolate Factory & Museum - Near NOVA HQ
6. St. Croix River's Hydroelectric Milltown Dam - Important but no known villains particularly close to it.
And a few that were going to need to hope the Guild can defend.
Because even if we went straight over, our response time would still be like an hour, unless it's small enough for me to deal with on my own.
1. Irving Oil - Multiple locations, all vulnerable to villain attacks.
2. Saint John & Saint Joseph Regional Hospital - Multiple locations, all vulnerable to villain attacks.
3. Port Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada - Largest Port in The Maritimes, and it's just as vulnerable as the one in BB, but would be MUCH more devastating if it were blocked off.
4. Saint John Airport - A bit further away, but still a concern.

---
The perk this time was pretty helpful, even if it's a bit low-key.
If nothing else, I can finally show people what it's like to roll, so long as I remember to keep them away from that damned powers list and its revealing of my secrets.
Celestial Grimoire - The Celestial System
Base Cost: -25cp
Lore & Details:
The Celestial Grimoire isn't written, it is grown.
A living book that grows new pages whenever it's chosen dares to ask the universe a question.
Every page is a bargain, inked in starlight on one side and in quiet personal cost on the other.
It whispers patterns, designs, spells, and devices that have never existed before, yet each revelation pulls its wielder a little further from the life they once knew.
Those who bear it do not just learn, they are rewritten until they match the Grimoire's Glory.
---
A self-updating list of all your accepted perks.
Includes a summary of the Perk, the date it was accepted, and the CP cost. Also allows you to refer back to the exact wording of any Perk and to have a physical object to interact with for rolling and considering new perks.
Addons:
-0cp Standard Stranger and Recall-Function for the Celestial Grimoire
Final Cost: -25cp
Bank: 525cp

 

[Oblation]

Spoiler: Alternate Up Outline

Here is an outline of Saga's Earth-Bet's Version of the Movie "UP" for the curious.

Movie nights on their days together kind of grew in sideways, and Ethan never really remembered when they had officially become a thing, only that sometime in the last few months Saga stopped standing by the door the whole time and started actually sitting down while the movie played.
The apartment showed clear signs of a full evening already, with pizza boxes pushed to one end of the table, soda cans clustered like little monuments, and Missy's math notebook half open on the chair near the hallway where she had clearly abandoned it the second Ethan had said they were done.
The only light in the room came from the TV and from the dull glow of the city sliding in through the window, which made the whole space feel smaller and warmer than it usually did.

He sat in the middle of the couch like always, partly because the girls liked that and partly because it let him reach things without getting up, one hand still holding the remote loosely, the other resting along the back of the cushions.
Elene owned the right corner, tucked into it with her feet up and a blanket over her legs, hair pulled back in a way that meant she had written off the possibility of leaving the house again tonight.
Missy parked herself between Ethan and the coffee table, cross legged, popcorn bowl in front of her like a tiny fort, another blanket draped over her shoulders.
Saga had taken the old spare armchair by the window, the one that was technically just furniture but had become hers by habit, and she sat in it with her socks still on and her arms folded, close enough to be part of the shape of the group while still clearly separate.

The movie was already running, no logos or menus left, just the old man in his tiny house doing the same morning routine with the same grumpy determination, and Ethan watched him bang his cane against the floor and adjust his glasses and felt that little uncomfortable twist of recognition sit in his chest.
He thought briefly that if any of them pointed that out he might actually walk out just to make a point, then admitted to himself that he probably would not, because the couch was comfortable and the kid leaning against his side was warm and he was tired from the day.

Elene's face was calm but not blank, the way it got when she was watching people more than plot, and he could tell from the way her eyes tracked the old man's movements that she was already locked in.
Missy was doing her usual thing, staring like the TV might quiz her later, mouth moving as she silently repeated parts of the boyscout's little speech about helping seniors, probably editing it in her head into something she thought would actually work better.
She had been the favored one in her old house, showered with toys and treats every time she made a noise, so watching a kid work this hard to be helpful hit somewhere strange in her, halfway between admiration and confusion.

Saga sat back in the armchair with that not quite relaxed posture that said she was here because she had chosen to be here, not because she trusted the situation yet.
The old man yelling at workers and the kid falling off the porch did not get much of a reaction from her, maybe a little tightening at the corner of her mouth when the old man snapped, but that could just have been annoyance.
Her parents had saved their soft voices and gentle faces for Missy, and for Saga they had kept the sharp looks and the tones that cut, so old people being snappish on screen probably slid off her defenses most of the time.

When the first flashback hit, the one with the little boy stepping into that broken down clubhouse, Ethan shifted his attention away from the screen on purpose and watched his people instead.
The little girl in the movie swung in on a rope and started talking about adventure and the wilderness and all the things she would do, and Missy lit up like someone had flipped a switch, eyes wide, face softening, body leaning forward without her realizing it.
That kind of wild freedom and that kind of fearless joy had never really been encouraged for her either, because her parents had been too busy buying her things to really watch who she was, and seeing it on screen clearly scratched some itch in her.
Elene smiled, not a big grin, just this small real curve of the mouth that said the energy of the kid on screen reminded her of a younger Missy or maybe a younger version of herself that never got to run around like that.
Her thumb rubbed slowly over the back of Ethan's hand where it rested near her hip, and he realized she had tangled their fingers together somewhere in the last few minutes without him noticing exactly when it happened.
He squeezed back a little and she did not pull away, which still felt like a win even after all the years they had been doing this.
Saga watched that clubhouse scene with a different kind of focus, and Ethan saw the way her eyes went sharp when the girl showed off her scrapbook full of places and dreams and big hopes that had clearly been there for a long time.
Saga's childhood had come with rules and punishments and long stretches of being ignored until someone needed someone to yell at, not scrapbooks and words like someday and we will go there together, so that scene probably hit her less like nostalgia and more like a catalog of things she never got.
He saw one of her fingers start tapping against the arm of the chair, quick and nervous, then stop dead when she noticed it.

The balloons lifted the house into the sky, bright colors throwing moving shadows across their living room, sliding over the pizza boxes and the framed photos and the old lamp they kept meaning to replace.
Ethan watched the old man's face shift from anger to something like quiet joy as the house cleared the cityscape, and he felt his own chest loosen a hair in response, which annoyed him more than he could explain.
He checked the girls again instead of thinking about it.
Missy leaned just that bit more against his arm as the house drifted through clouds, her fingers tightening on the edge of the blanket, eyes wide with the kind of wonder he wished she got to have more often.
She had spent too much of her childhood in the back seats of cars going from one appointment to another, one activity to another, or hiding in corners when her parents' parties got too loud, so simple wonder still felt like borrowed clothing sometimes.
Elene had that look she got whenever a story teased the idea of choosing your own path, a kind of hopeful sadness that he had seen on her face in real hospital rooms and at real funerals.
Saga's shoulders dropped a little during the balloon flight, barely noticeable, but enough that Ethan could tell the constant fight or flight tension in her had eased one notch.
She had never had a house that felt like a safe place, much less one that could pick up and leave when the world got too loud, so maybe there was something in the image that worked for her, even if she refused to smile about it.

The jungle scenes came in with the weird bird and the dog, and the whole tone shifted around them in the room.
Missy actually barked out a laugh when the bird knocked the kid over and tried to eat his chocolate, then clapped a hand over her mouth out of old habit before remembering nobody was going to tell her to hush here.
Elene giggled more quietly, shoulders shaking once, and even let a soft snort escape when the talking dog introduced himself, which made Ethan grin because he always liked it when she forgot to be composed for five seconds.
Saga's mouth twitched upward at the bird, the tiniest tug, almost more of a memory of a smile than the real thing, and Ethan caught it because he had been watching.
Her eyes crinkled just slightly when the dog started talking about his collar and how he was a good dog, and for a few seconds she looked less like a kid waiting for the floor to drop out from under her and more like a teenager who just genuinely liked that the dog was stupid and kind.
She caught herself, though, and the expression smoothed away, arms folding tighter, body pulling back into the safe habits.

Then the movie swung back into one of those flashbacks again, and the wedding rolled in all at once, and the air in the apartment went softer just like before, even though nobody said a word.
The couple from the clubhouse, older now, dressed up, nervous and smiling on that little hill surrounded by people who loved them and wanted to see them happy, and the music swelling in that way that was simple and honest.
Elene's fingers tightened on his as the vows started, and Ethan let his thumb rub slow circles over the back of her hand, feeling the tiny tremor there even while her face stayed mostly calm.
She had never really had an easy clean family backdrop for their own marriage either, family who did not quite get capes, coworkers who thought marrying a colleague was asking for trouble, higher ups who saw them as a scheduling nightmare waiting to happen.
Watching a wedding where nothing went wrong and nobody scowled felt like a weird kind of fantasy even beyond the talking dogs and floating houses.

Missy watched that scene like she was trying to memorize it, eyes shining, mouth parted, blanket nearly slipping off one shoulder.
Her parents had loved to throw parties, big loud ones with too much food and not enough boundaries, but the tenderness on screen had never once shown up in her kitchen or living room growing up.
When the cartoon couple sat together on their little couch afterward, eating cake from a shared plate and looking at their new home like it was the best thing in the world, she inhaled sharply, as if the idea of affection that quiet hurt as much as it healed.

Saga's expression did something tight and strange during the wedding montage, and Ethan knew that look from the times he had pushed too hard and hit some landmine by mistake.
There was anger there, and something like grief, and also this flat kind of disbelief, because everything on screen screamed this is normal, this is how it should be, and that had never been her normal.
Her parents' idea of family had been control and punishment and turning her into a problem every time she breathed wrong, and watching a world where a kid like the bride had grown into someone loved for all her loudness and strangeness was probably getting under her skin more than any tragic plot point.

As the story moved through the years for that cartoon couple, showing them fixing up the house, working, laughing, hitting those slow and fast patches, the reactions in the living room stayed out of synch in a way that made sense.
Missy winced slightly when the couple argued and then worked it out without anyone getting screamed at or belittled, because that was not how fights usually ended in her old house.
Elene smiled softly at the little quiet moments, hands brushing, inside jokes, weather reports that meant more than the words, because she recognized those from their own life.
Saga stared hardest at the scenes where disappointment landed and nobody blamed the wrong person for it, and Ethan could see her trying to process that concept like a foreign language.

Then came the storm, and the crashing, and the moment the house really broke, and even though Ethan knew it was coming this time, his body still reacted like he was in some beat up transport again.
He felt himself lean forward, like he could take some of the hit with his own shoulders, and when the house finally fell and scraped and lay ruined, something behind his ribs punched outward in a way he did not enjoy.
His eyes burned, and he told himself he could just blink it off, but one tear slipped anyway, hot and annoying on his cheek.
He swore under his breath, not quite loud enough for anyone to call him on it, and lifted his hand to wipe it away.
Before his fingers reached his skin, the air on the rug in front of him rippled, and a large grey shape pushed through.
The wolf appeared in that quiet way they always did, one second nothing, next second big body, thick fur, long legs, claws tapping lightly against the wood under the rug.
Its eyes went to Saga first, just for a heartbeat, and Ethan saw the way Saga's gaze met it, sharp and focused, the same way she looked at incoming threats on a mission.
For a long time, these wolves had only ever walked up to Saga herself, or to Missy, when those two cried, and even then only after Saga allowed it.
This time the animal flicked its attention from her down to Ethan instead, and then moved toward him without waiting for any hand gesture or spoken word.
That tiny shift told him more than any speech would have.
The wolf sat in front of him, solid and warm and way bigger up close than on nature shows, and it pressed its broad head against his knee with a kind of stubborn patience.
Ethan stared at it for a second, feeling his heart beat a little too fast, then dropped his free hand into its fur because not doing that would have been weird at that point.
The coat was thick and surprisingly soft, and the simple weight of the animal leaning into him grounded him faster than any breathing exercise he had ever been told to try.

He lifted his eyes to Saga again and saw that she had not ordered it away.
Her shoulders were tense and her jaw tight, but she watched him and the wolf with this small wary softness that he did not see often.
She could have called the animal back with just a thought if she wanted, he had seen it happen before when strangers were around, but she did not.
For the first time, she was letting this strange comforting part of her power reach past herself and Missy and touch the adults too, and that meant something she probably would never admit.

Then the hospital scene started, and the whole tone of the room dropped right along with the movie.
The wife on screen lay in that too bright bed with too white sheets, and the old man sat beside her like the ground would fall away if he stood up.
The sounds in the apartment shrank down to the movie audio and the quiet breathing of four people trying to keep it together.
Elene made a small broken noise when the camera caught the look on the wife's face, that mix of tired and apologetic and still loving, and tears jumped to her eyes so fast it looked like someone had turned on a faucet.
She had sat through too many meetings with doctors and too many calls from hospitals over the years, for teammates and for kids and most often for him, and this scene poked straight at that.
Her eyes overflowed, and tears ran down her cheeks, and she did not hide them, but she did press her hand hard against her mouth for a second, like she did not want to scare anyone with the sound.
Ethan squeezed her fingers tighter, shifting his knee so the wolf's head bumped her ankle a little, because he wanted her to feel that weight too.
The air by her feet shimmered then, and a second grey wolf padded out into the room, just as real as the first.
This one also glanced at Saga for that tiny instant, checking the source, and the girl in the chair gave another small nod, almost grudging but still clear.
The wolf moved around the coffee table carefully, then lowered its heavy head onto Elene's lap, laying it there so that she could feel the warm pressure and fling her free hand into its fur without searching.
Elene did exactly that, fingers diving into the soft coat, clutching like she might fall over if she did not hold onto something.
Tears kept rolling down her face, not dramatic, but steady and honest, and she murmured something into the wolf's fur that Ethan did not catch, maybe just his name, maybe a thank you that she was not about to direct at Saga out loud.
The important part was that Saga sat and watched and did not pull the comfort back, letting the wolves stay where they were.

Missy's breathing had gone shallow and quick by then, and she was visibly fighting with herself, trying to decide if she was allowed to cry at a cartoon or if that made her silly.
Her own childhood had taught her that crying made adults annoyed or made them throw trinkets and treats at her as a distraction, never that it brought anyone close with no agenda.
Watching Elene cry without hiding and watching wolves appear just for that pain scrambled all her old rules.
Her mouth trembled, and her eyes finally filled all the way, and when one tear slipped and then another, the wolf between Ethan and the coffee table shifted its body sideways on its own.
It pressed against her shins too now, sharing that solid weight between them.
Missy blinked, looked down, then let out a little shuddering breath and put both hands into the fur like she had been waiting for permission to collapse.

Saga had not shed a tear yet, but by now her eyes were bright, and the line of her mouth was all wrong for indifference.
She had never seen real illness in her family handled with gentle care, only ignored pain or snapped commands to toughen up, so seeing a partner choosing to sit and hold hands and share that burden felt unreal in a way she had not prepared for.
The fact that the wolves were comforting the adults, that she had let that happen, meant she was watching the scene from somewhere closer than she would ever admit willingly.

The dog yelled about squirrels, and the tension cracked, just like it always did, and the room let out a breath in different ways.
Missy did that messy laugh sob hybrid that kids do when their emotions are way too full, and wiped at her face with the back of her hand while still clutching the wolf.
Elene snorted mid sob and then laughed because the timing was absurd and cruel and kind all at once.
Even Saga let a rough breath out that could almost be a laugh, and shook her head, which for her was a lot.
As the story climbed back into movement, with the old man deciding to keep going and try to fix things, the wolves stayed put, holding their positions like seasoned support officers.
They were not draining Saga, Ethan could tell, because her posture was still tense in a normal way and there were no signs of the faint sagging he had seen after big power uses.
This was not a physical cost for her, it was an emotional choice.
She was sitting there and letting the manifestations of her strange power born gift sit at the feet of two people who were not her and not Missy, and that was new.

When the movie twisted again later and the blimp was revealed as the villain's home and the bird and the dog were taken, the whole apartment went still.
Missy flinched hard, because losing something bright and fun that quickly pressed the same button the social worker meetings had, and her hands tightened around the wolf's fur.
Elene pressed her lips together, tears mostly done but anger now joining the mix.
Ethan felt that familiar old protective anger flare, the same one that came out whenever someone took something from kids just because they could.

Then the last big flashback arrived, and Ellie collapsed on screen, and that was what finally broke Saga's fragile hold.
She made this low sound that he almost missed, a half breath and half curse, and then tears flooded her eyes and spilled over so fast she had no chance of catching them first.
She tried anyway, dragging her palm across her face, but they kept coming, tracking down over skin that was never allowed to look like that in her parents' house.
Her shoulders hunched forward slightly, a posture he only ever saw when something cut very close to her own memories.
The floor near her blurred again, and a third wolf stepped into the room, already looking at her like it had been waiting its turn.
This one did not glance back at anyone else first, it went directly to Saga, then pressed its head against the side of her leg.
Saga froze for a heartbeat, then let out a breath that shuddered and dropped her hand onto the animal's head, fingers curling deep into the fur.
For once she did not shove the tears away, did not snap at the wolf or at anyone, she just cried quietly into the space between them while the movie walked the old man through the funeral.
It hit Missy even harder to see her sister like that and to see the wolf at her side, and she started crying again, softer now but more constant, her empathy spinning up on full speed.
The wolf in front of the couch bore it calmly, letting her clutch at its fur while still keeping its shoulder pressed hard against Ethan's shin.
Elene 's tears picked up again too, though not as violently as before, like a tide that had gone out and now came back to reach one last line on the sand.

Ethan sat there with his hand buried in wolf fur and his other hand still wrapped around Elene's, and tried to wrap his own mind around what had just happened.
For months, maybe longer, he had watched Saga's wolves come for Missy whenever she got overwhelmed, and sometimes for Saga herself, and never once for him or for Elene, even on the nights where he knew they had gone to bed with their own eyes burning.
He had figured that was a boundary she was not ready to cross, that in her head the wolves were for the kids and for herself only, because letting them comfort the adults would mean accepting that this mess of a situation was something like a family.

Tonight had blown that line wide open without any speeches or agreements.
A wolf had come for him when his throat had closed up at the house crashing down, and another had come for Elene in that hospital scene, and both had checked with Saga first before settling, and she had said yes.
Quietly, without words, she had accepted that they were part of her circle, at least for this couch, this room, this night.

When the old man on the screen finally stood up after the funeral and decided to keep going, promising the kid they were going to get their people back, Ethan felt that line land in the room like a marker being put down.
He watched Saga lift her head and wipe her face with the heel of her hand, watched Missy lean a little toward her, watched Elene straighten her spine and breathe deeper again.
The wolves stayed a while longer while the movie turned loud and silly and triumphant, then faded one by one as everyone settled.

When the credits finally rolled and the TV light softened, Saga was the first to move, which was normal because she always had a clock in her head for when she needed to be gone.
She scrubbed at her eyes once more, then pushed herself up out of the chair, joints cracking faintly in the quiet room.
Usually at this point she would grab her bag, and be halfway to the door before anyone could try emotional anything.
Tonight she paused beside the coffee table first, glancing at Elene and Ethan and Missy in turn, and the look she gave them was tired and raw but not closed.
The wolves were gone, no paws, no fur, just a bit of shed hair on the rug, but their presence still hung there in the same air.

Ethan met her eyes and did not say a thing, because anything he tried would probably turn into something too big for this moment.
"See you next week" Saga sent in the IRC, and the way she sent it made it sound less like checking and more like staking a claim on the time.
"Yeah," Ethan answered, keeping it simple because adding more would have been too much, "same time, same couch, same terrible snacks."
Missy nodded quickly, clutching the blanket, and Elene gave a small smile that said she had heard the real question in that line and was answering yes to that as well.
Saga looked at them all one more time, then grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and headed for the door, shoulders not quite as tight as when she had arrived.

Ethan listened to the soft click when the door closed behind her and sat there for a second longer, the room smelling faintly like popcorn and city air and something wild that always lingered a little after the wolves left.
He knew she was going back to a place that still did not feel like home yet, and he knew Missy would probably message her before bed anyway, and he knew that letting the wolves help the grown-ups had cost Saga something pride shaped even if it had not tired her power.
He squeezed Elene's hand once more and bumped his shoulder against Missy's, and decided that whatever exactly they were building here, it was real enough that even a girl raised on cruelty and suspicion was beginning to lean into it.
For a weekly movie night at the end of a long day, that felt like more than he had any right to ask for.

Spoiler: Question for the Audience

What do you think?
More Ethan + Elene + Missy + Saga bonding?
Or would you prefer this happens in the background and we keep mostly with the plot stuff like NOVA and whatever Lung and his Tinker have been planning?

 

[prussian-granadier]

oh neat your posting in here too!

 

[Oblation]

Chapter Text

So… something really weird is going on with the perks.
It's been in the back of my head that nobody's commented on how familiar some of the perks are. Like, taken directly from Aleph imports or sometimes directly from things that exist in media here on Bet, like Star Wars.
But nobody's brought it up and I just kinda moved on without thinking about it… until I actually showed them a roll, and watched in real time as Emily glaised over the source.
Emily is WAY too good at attention to detail to do that, much less on an important detail like this, but when the perk explains where it's from, she (and everyone else) just kinda… skim past it.
And I mean EVERYONE!
Even Angeles and Dragon couldn't figure out what I was trying to get them to see.
The only silver lining is that I guess when you look crazy enough, they don't put you in M/S, they just call it Powers BS and move on:
---
Oh, and I don't normally include the reject perks, but since it was relevant, what with having a bunch of people read it, I'll include this one:
What I see:
Visage of Terror - God of War
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore & Details:
In God of War, there is a man who once broke a pantheon and now tries to break his own rage. The woods know his name even when he will not speak it. Old gods stir. New gods whisper. The father walks. The son learns. The world breathes around them as if afraid to wake something deeper.
---
Your form hijacks the primitive fear centers in anyone who sees you so hard that dislike gets overwritten by raw panic and obedience.
Addons:
N/A
Final Cost: -50cp
Bank: 1100cp
What others see:
Visage of Terror
There is a man who once broke a pantheon and now tries to break his own rage. The woods know his name even when he will not speak it. Old gods stir. New gods whisper. The father walks. The son learns. The world breathes around them as if afraid to wake something deeper.
Your form hijacks the primitive fear centers in anyone who sees you so hard that dislike gets overwritten by raw panic and obedience.
-50cp
I also got a perk that I accepted, which inspired the rest of the day.
SCP 1425 - SCP Foundation
Base Cost: -150cp
Lore & Details:
The Foundation's basically a cosmic janitorial squad keeping the weird stuff from licking the planet. Most days, it's babysitting a smug toaster or bribing a duck that refuses to die. Sometimes the interns whisper. Sometimes the walls do. Nobody asks questions because questions bite. Everyone still clocks in since the alternative is letting the anomalies out of HR.
---
For 1 hour per day, you can create stories of impossibly fantastic quality, so long as they include some sort of subliminal message.
Addons:
-50cp 2 Hours per day.
-100cp 3 Hours per day.
-150cp 4 Hours per day.
-200cp 5 Hours per day.
-250cp 6 Hours per day.
Final Cost: -200cp
Bank: 1100cp
So… I might not have told them about the additions once I knew they couldn't see them.
At the time, this was mainly just because I didn't want to get assigned to make PR slogans super effective for 5 hours a day.
(Plus, I was right, immediately after this, they made me post something under the official accounts of a bunch of heroes with the subliminal message of "I'm trustworthy and likeable.")
But the sneaky idea that occurred to me was this power's potential for chaos.
My first idea was to reinforce that old "Assault and Battery are siblings" meme, but that's a bit mean for people who've been really decent lately.
But thinking of people whose opinion of me doesn't matter, I asked Vicky if she was dating Dean currently and after the rant was done I asked if she could give me a list of the times he had done that 4-D chess trick of his by having "Gallant," (aka someone wearing his armor) show up at a charity event run by his family.
(It's 4-D chess because it helps Dean, but also counts for Gallant's PR duties simultaneously somehow.)
So list in hand, I slammed together 5 chapters of an actually pretty tame Dean/Gallant smutfic, but made sure to line it up with the dates and times of the actual events and had it as a romance in the backstage moments at these events.
Now, I'm no stranger to Capefic, I don't think anyone who's entered an Earth-Bet middle school in the past decade is.
But usually writing even ok, stuff takes time, so slamming out 8k and 5 chapters in an hour and a half was a really wild experience for me.
Practically an out-of-body experience, what with how I just kept focusing on the subliminal message, yet the fic kept getting written at lightning speed.
That message:
"This really happened."
Good luck Dean… XD

Spoiler: Question for Readers

Any ideas for more pranks Saga can pull with her Infohazard fanfiction power?
Try to keep it more funny than mean, but I'm 100% down to set off some pranks and have them become plot points later as the Internet does its thing in the background.

The best one I've got so far is some kind of smear campaign fic against Uber and Leet that she puts a few minutes into daily, until she either tanks or skyrockets their views.
But that seems a bit too direct/obvious for the use of a power with this much potential for chaos.

 

[Oblation]

So Vicky found out about the new power and apparently made up with Dean in the meantime.

I took the fic down, but it seems I underestimated just how popular supernaturaly good fanfiction would be since it was back up in a bunch of copies within the hour.

Vicky seems to think I should be using the power for "good."
That was all fine up until she got to brainstorming, and we realised the difference in our definitions of "good".

My definition leans more towards what I would call Chaotic Good, whereas Vicky leans a bit more towards a Lawful Good.
Not Lawful as in US Law, but lawfully as in, she has a moral code and thinks those who break it, regardless of whether they have a different code, should be treated as evil.
Specifically, she wanted me to make a fic to convince people that Triumph's Cousin was a psycho and shouldn't be trusted.

This actually became a whole thing and was the first time I really used my "Queen" title on the IRC since I ended up muting everyone in the Wards Chat (including mods like Vicky) for an hour and just pinned a comment saying that, like it or not, I'm not going beyond pranks on comrades.
Even when said comrades are across the country, and maybe or maybe not got your Mom killed unnecessarily.

That said, Vicky (and Eric, who had joined in) are my friends, so I ended up putting 5 hours over the last 3 days to make a full "life of Brandish" biography Speaker For The Dead style with her "technically not a murder" at the end in plain sight with exactly zero obfuscation of who did it.
(Well, her cape name, I'm not gonna out her and go to jail, but I put her cape name in plain English, and mentioned her signing up and getting forced to her new city immediately afterward.)

I guess there's some kind of politics going on in the Protectorate and PRT about my eulogy, but all I've seen of it was a crying hug from Vicky and Emily telling me that, while disapproved of by national PR, it was an unfortunate necessity for team cohesion, so she'd made sure I wouldn't get any blowback.

---

Oh, and as a pallot clensor after all the drama and biographing I've been doing, I wrote up the first few chapters of my Archer's Bridge Merchants fanfic.

I honestly couldn't think of a way to make fun of them, so in the end I decided to do the opposite in the hopes it'll make the real thing seem even more sad.
Specifically, in this hypothetical world, the gang is actually a psy-op for a shadowy cabal/Illuminati-type group that I'll work out the details of later.

So, as a result of this, each member is actually some kind of hyper-competent black-ops agent type whose role as bottom of the bottom-of-the-barrel gangster is actually a super detailed act designed to slide them under the radar as they slowly expand the reach and strategic control of the Illuminati.

It's early days, but the idea is that the Illuminati doesn't actually want to rule the world directly.
They just want to puppet it, so they set up a series of groups that control some of every city so that they can exert wide-scale influence on entire regions at a time.

The only real question for now is if I decide to go hard or soft with it.
Going soft would be a fun SCP-style Illuminati that's just barely hanging on to its influence with the changing world of parahumans.
Going hard though…

Cauldron.
Like straight up, Dr. Mother, Contessa, and the rest, and I just mask off Culdron and see what happens.

I mean, it's REALLY risky, but if I'm trying to use this power against Evil, I can't really think of a bigger one than Culdron, save for something like Ziz.
But everyone knows she's evil, while Culdron is still basically just a meme, for all the damage they've done to people like Weld and my new teammate, Elisa.

I am REALLY tempted…

Spoiler: Question for Readers

What type of Illuminati do you think Saga should go for?
SCP or Cauldron?

 

[Oblation]

So, I guess I'm in Starfleet now, what with the whole "To boldly go where no one has gone before" thing.

But I should explain…
So I was using the fanfiction power, since I'd decided to start sprinkling references to Cauldron in, when an old woman walks up and asks me not to.
Now, this wouldn't be that strange, except for the part where I was in my lab in New Brunswick at the time, which meant this woman had snuck past the Ninja clan, plus the security already good enough for Dragon's mechs.

So I was a bit out of sorts when she apparently did all that just to ask me to stop writing a fanfiction, which is why it took an embarrassingly long time to put things together.
But yeah, Contessa.
Or, well, Fortuna apparently, since she's "dead."

It's kind of confusing, but "Contessa is dead, my name is Fortuna."
Is a pretty blunt way to say you've retired from cape life, I guess.

But it makes sense, since the memories say Scion should've shown up in 1982, not 1965, like really happened that Contessa would also be 17 years older than she would be, meaning 60ish, not 40ish.
But more to the point, she kept an eye on the late 70's Dr. Mother still, and I was about to give her a heart attack…
Also destroyed Bet's economy if I really managed to take down Cauldron, since I completely blanked on the Numberman being one of them.

So… I'm glad she managed to overcome my anti-thinker thing, I guess.

Oh, that's another thing, apparently she can't path me, just path making my fanfiction not exist and even then the path just told her to ask me and didn't give her exact steps once we were in the same room.
Cool.

But as to the Starfleet thing, I guess Fortuna actually looked me up, since she couldn't just path the ideal outcome for once and realised that I had one of those really boring but rare powers that are perfect for her division of the Government.
Translators.
As in, instantaneous translators who don't need weeks to figure things out, just to offend people, even then, with some ultra-specific grammar thing turning a normal word into an insult.

Like how A tiny grammar tweak can turn "I humbly ask" into "Do this, peasant."

It… makes a lot of sense actually, I mean it's not something I've thought about much, but in bird form I can talk to people if I touch them.
I got that from the same perk that gave me the bigger bird form.
The only interesting thing about that is that I guess I talk to people in their own native language, not mine.
They even found a guy who didn't know basically any English somehow, and we talked just fine.

So Starfleet, or whatever its "real acronym" is, are apparently the government department for handling the places where the space between worlds gets thin, and things can slip through.

It makes sense, it's been happening since before capes started showing up, and if they miss a bad one, then a bunch of monsters might slip through, so I guess it makes sense there's a government agency for it.
Plus, Cauldron, with their multi-world thing being involved, also makes sense, even if Fortuna insists she hasn't talked to the rest of Cauldron since around when I was born.

---

Now, normally, I have the common sense to avoid this kind of thing, even as my inner geek would cry with sadness for the missed opportunity, but…

"The portal fox came through. Was that you?" I asked on my tablet.
"Yes, that was one of the first I confirmed personally after leaving Cauldron." she replied

The thing is… without Fox, I'd be dead.
Both from the emotions and the damage to my neck.
Fox, he saved my life, back in December…

And without her, we'd have never met.

---

So Cont Fortuna gave me this fancy phone-like-doo-hicky, then told me that it would let me spend a week in a world, but only 7 hours would pass over here.
But after that, I would need to either move on, which would let the thin space develop on its own, find a place in both worlds for a stable portal, or block the world so they wouldn't flood into each other.

She then told me there was a world she was "pretty sure" was safe that she thought I would be uniquely suited to confirming, and made a portal for me, before hitting the random button on hers and entering into some kind of fantasy landscape with floating islands, and leaving me alone with the mysterious portal…

---

So without further ado, I went into bigger bird form and leapt in.

Spoiler: A/N

So, funny story here.
I somehow managed to completely blank on my own Worldbuilding.
This was actually planned from before chapter 1, but I completely forgot that investigating, or attempting to "out" Cauldron, was how I intended this arc to trigger.
I originally intended to do more world exploration and find some more of the "thin spots" before this, but eh, it's fine.
But I forgot and had only been working on the fun fanfiction-in-a-fanfiction style reveal of Cauldron when I found the notes and realised that I had the perfect opportunity to have chapter 100 be the start of an arc I'd planned from the start.
That said, if anyone has any suggestions for worlds to visit, I'd love to hear them, though this first one is decided since I wanted to have a fun Bird-on-Bird chapter that you'll see as the interlude for chapter 101. (Hint, Owls.)

 

[Oblation]

The forge behaved for once, which meant I did not trust the evening at all yet.

The coal burned hot and steady, the draft through the vent pulled straight instead of wheezing, and the lump on my anvil had finally stopped pretending it did not want to become a proper claw.
My helper had only singed himself twice, which counted as heroic restraint for him, and I was just starting to think I might finish a piece without anyone screaming, myself included, which usually meant trouble had already started walking toward my door.

That prediction cashed out when a youngster half stumbled into the workshop and nearly kicked over the quench tub with both feet at once.

He panted, dripped, and talked so fast the words tangled themselves, but enough sense stuck once I snapped a few questions across his ears.
There was a bird made of fire in the lower glen, huge and bright and shaped like nothing he recognized, perched on the flat rock by the stream where nobody who values their feathers ever lands, and every tongue they tried on her had fallen flat.
He added that Rhen was down there too, which he delivered like that detail outweighed everything else, and to be fair Rhen usually finds the center of any disaster without even trying.

I hung my hammer back on its hook and kept picking his story apart until it stopped wobbling.
Had she attacked anyone or even flinched toward a strike.
Had she scorched trees or wings or any feather she could have left untouched.
Had she moved from that rock at all or done anything except stare at whoever tried to shout questions.

The answers came in crooked lines, but one truth kept showing through.
The firebird had not spoken a single word anyone understood, and no matter how many languages they threw at her she only watched their beaks and eyes like she knew meaning lived there and could not quite catch it.
That kind of gap makes me more nervous than shouting ever does, because a fighter who cannot talk also cannot bargain.

I told my helper what he was allowed to touch and what would earn him a bite for pure stupidity, told the fire I would be back if it behaved, and stepped out into the night.

Silverveil never pretends everything is fine when the roots feel uneasy.
Sound slid flatter under the moss, branches that usually left polite gaps between neighbors somehow found room for three more bodies apiece, and the air between the trunks thickened in that way you feel along your primaries and the back of your neck.

By the time I reached the path that curls down into the lower glen, I could hear the crowd before I saw a single feather.
Owls packed themselves into the surrounding branches, shoulder to shoulder and pretending they were only resting, yet every eye pointed toward the clearing and that single strip of rock by the water.
Voices snapped in little bursts, too tense to settle into real conversation, and under all that noise the glen held its breath like a smith waiting for metal to change color.

The firebird sat on the flat stone where the stream bends, right in the spot anyone local avoids on instinct.

She was large enough to make the boulder look undersized, which takes effort.
Her body ran long and lean instead of rounded, wings built for speed rather than quiet drifting, with flights that looked like they could cut air into strips.
Her face came down to a sharper point than any owl's, and her whole frame read like a creature assembled for fast violence rather than tree-perching and idle gossip.

Heat rolled off her in waves, but the light claimed every thought first.
Faint golden lines threaded under her feathers, more like veins than flames, shining steady along shafts and edges whenever she shifted.
She did not blaze like a bonfire, yet she never truly darkened either, even when clouds slid across the gap overhead.
The glow lived under the surface like a patient thought, waiting for someone to give it work.

Her talons were sunk deep into the stone, claws long and hooked, proportions all wrong for any foot I had ever fitted in my life.
Fine chips and hairline cracks along the keratin told me she had spent too long driving bare claws into hard things, and that detail offended me instantly on a professional level.

She stayed silent while I watched from the edge of the crowd.
They had already thrown Greenowl at her, and Trade, and a handful of phrases stolen from travels, and none of it had landed.
She had tilted her head, frowned with sharp confusion, and apparently quit responding altogether once it became clear nothing made sense.

Rhen sat close to her left foot, practically tucked into the shadow of those talons.

That was exactly where I should have looked first, because trouble gravitates to him like filings to a magnet.
His wing still hung in that crooked shape I had been staring at for weeks, badly set and badly healed, and every time I saw it I wanted to track down whoever touched it first and have a pointed conversation with them.
He stared up at the firebird with the ferocious focus of someone who has already decided their future depends on this moment and refuses to blink in case the chance disappears.

Stories hissed through the branches, tangled and contradictory, but one thread stayed consistent whenever I listened.
Rhen insisted she knew how to mend damage no healer could touch, swore she carried a way to fix what had been left to rot, and repeated that his wing did not have to stay ruined because she had a solution.
Nobody could say why he believed that so completely, and nobody trusted his certainty, but he clung to it with both claws like it was the last branch over a drop.

Not one owl had seen her heal anything with their own eyes.
They had only seen a glowing stranger who did not speak, and apparently that was enough foundation for three miracle tales and five disaster prophecies before I arrived.

I stepped out of the trees and into the clearing, and the firebird tracked my movement immediately.
Her eyes caught the leftover light, bright and steady, and for a heartbeat it felt like staring into hot metal just before the hammer falls.

Rhen saw me and acted before I could open my beak.
He lurched a little closer to her, lifted his head, and called out that this was the bird he had told me about in every half whispered complaint, that she could straighten his wing, and that he was done being patient while everyone else argued about the risk.
His voice cracked but his words landed, and that mattered more than smooth tone.

Someone high in the branches shouted something about her getting on with it before Rhen fell over.
He flinched, his damaged wing twitched in that painful way I knew too well, and he turned that look on me, the one that begged for backup and dared me to tell him to sit back down.

I am not a healer, but I know broken work when I see it.
I know the exact moment when hope finally shoves fear sideways, and I saw it happen in his face.

I did not order him away from the rock.
I walked closer instead, because if this turned ugly someone with experience needed to understand how and why.

The heat hitting my face as I reached the base of the stone felt like standing next to a forge after a long day, thick and intense yet controlled.
She mostly watched Rhen, but she tracked every feather of my approach as if she weighed what I might do.

The light inside her feathers shifted, sliding into new paths.
Golden glow gathered along her legs and poured down toward her talons, and the branches quieted as everyone realized something real was about to happen.

Her claws brightened until they outshone everything around them.
The rest of her remained at the same gentle shimmer, but the hooked tips turned blinding, like edges held an instant before a strike.

She did not wait for ceremony.
She lifted one foot with deliberate care, telegraphing every inch of the motion so nobody could claim it was a lunge.
Then she reached down and set two talon tips against the twisted joint of Rhen's wing.

He sucked in a breath and held his ground.

Light surged from her into him in a single smooth wave, like molten metal flowing from crucible to mold.
Feathers around the contact line flared with inner glow, bones inside flashed bright in my mind's eye, and then the radiance sank inward and vanished as if the body drank it.

The wing jumped, then moved, then settled.
Scar tissue loosened and reorganized underneath, the warped bend straightened into the line it should have kept from the start, and that old hard knot I had felt with my claws seemed to melt away.
Burned feathers along the leading edge cracked and fell in a soft spill, and new quills pushed forward, damp, pale, and indecently smug.

Her talons faded back to that earlier ember glow, steady but no longer blinding.
The light across the rest of her body never wavered, and her stance stayed firm and balanced.

All of it fit inside a handful of breaths, and after that nobody in the clearing could honestly claim they had not witnessed real healing.
No blood fell, no long words rang out, no part of her body faltered or collapsed, and no loud omen announced a price.
She touched, light moved, the wing worked, and the air settled around that fact the way metal settles around a finished rivet.

Rhen stared at his own feathers, slowly spread the wing to its full reach, then tucked and flared it again, each movement smoother than the last.
The noise he made sounded like a laugh that had been sharpened on old pain, and I chose to study the stone instead of his expression, because everyone deserves a moment to breathe without an audience counting tears.

That quiet shattered when every owl in the trees remembered they also owned joints and scars.
Requests and demands spilled into the clearing, each one louder than the last, as if shouting could change the limits of whatever she had just used.

The firebird stayed exactly where she was.
She did not step toward a single speaker, did not lift her claws again, and let the voices crash and fade without moving from that rock.
She had acted for Rhen and refused the rest, which meant there was a structure under her choices that nobody understood yet.

I wanted that structure explained, and I wanted it without guessing games.

I climbed the last little rise and stopped near the base of the stone, close enough to feel her heat running up my feathers.
She leaned her head to one side, studying me very directly, eyes sharp rather than hostile.

Habit still demanded a try at spoken language, even when I knew it had already failed.
I greeted her in Greenowl, clear and simple, with all the extra flourishes flattened out.
Then I tried Trade, the version we use for strangers who might know nothing except tone.
She watched my beak move, watched my posture, listened with intense focus, and understood exactly none of it.

Her feathers rippled with frustration that looked suspiciously like mine.
She could tell we were attempting proper conversation, and the meaning still refused to cross.
The crowd kept yelling their favorite pleas around the edges, which helped nobody.

She studied my face a moment longer, then made a decision.

The firebird lifted one forelimb, moved it slowly through the air, and extended her claws toward me.
Every instinct I owned wanted to duck away and probably roll, but I forced myself to hold position, because the flock would scatter if I bolted.
She rested the tips gently against the base of my neck, just where feathers thin into skin, and the light traveling along them brushed my nerves like a warm current.

The glen dropped into muffled quiet.
Sound sank as if someone had packed moss into my ears, and my own thoughts echoed inside my head like hammer blows in a stone chamber.

A second awareness stepped alongside my own, distinct and impossible to mistake.

It felt cautious but present, waiting at the threshold instead of barging through every memory I had ever collected.
I felt curiosity, a little wariness, and a surprising amount of respect, which threw me harder than any show of power could have done.

Every habit I took from the war insisted this was exactly the wrong kind of contact to trust.
I knew too many stories about minds dragged open or tied into knots.

Nothing in that presence matched those tales.
No sharp hooks, no greedy pull, no greasy twisting at the edges of my thoughts.
If anything it waited for my answer, like someone standing with empty claws where I could see them.

I took one steady breath and let the contact hold.

I shaped what she had just done into a clear sequence and walked my thoughts through it.
Rhen's twisted joint, her claws bright with inner light, the surge into bone and tendon, the straightened wing, the new feathers, the clean steady finish.
I stacked that memory into a neat chain and laid a simple question along the top, asking what it had cost her.

Understanding clicked into place hard enough that I nearly flinched.
Meaning slid back across the link, not with words, but with a pattern so clear I could almost have hammered it into the anvil.

She showed me that the healing she had used on Rhen sat on a cycle inside her.
Each time she called it, something like a timer started turning, and until that rotation finished the spell would not answer again.
She had used it already here, and now it sat cooling and locked away until enough time passed, no matter how many wings begged.

There was no ache buried beneath that explanation, no sense of her own body paying little hidden debts.
The spell behaved like a tool that takes a long time to reset, nothing more tragic than that.

Underneath that first answer waited another image, and this one carried weight and sweetness together.

A golden apple appeared in the shared space, nestled in claws, bright enough to seem almost hot.
Teeth bit through the skin, juice ran, and light rolled through a wounded body slower than before but much broader.
Cuts sealed, burns calmed, fractures knit, not in one instant, but with a speed that still felt like cheating every healer I had ever met.

Numbers came with that picture, pressing at the edges.
She had only so many of those apples.
She had already used some in other places that did not speak my language at all.
She could hand out a few more here, if she believed the exchange would be worth cutting into her stock.

That structure I understood at once.

Power stored in objects behaves differently from what you drag up naked every time.
You can count it, weigh it, hide it, and decide who deserves it without ripping your own veins apart in the process.

Outside that mossy muffled edge, the flock yelled themselves hoarse about old breaks and stubborn scars.
Inside the contact, my thoughts turned back toward my own trade.

She carried a rare spell that refused to be spammed.
She carried a limited hoard of healing apples.
She fought with talons that already showed the history of too many bare impacts.
I owned a forge, years of craft, and a brain that cannot stand seeing good tools abused.

I focused on her claws inside the shared space, tracing their shape with mental touch.
I imagined metal wrapped around them, matched to every curve, thin enough to let her feel the ground, strong enough to keep stone from chewing through her.

She watched that thought like a smith watches a blueprint.
Interest sharpened into intent so clear I felt it in my beak.
Fragments of memory spilled across the link, moments of slamming bare talons into armor and rock, flashes of bone deep pain she had learned to ignore because nothing else existed between her and what she guarded.

Between us, the idea of a bargain began to form.

If she gave me some of her apples, and if she trusted me with whatever rare metal she had carried between worlds, I would shape armor around those claws that would let her hit like she clearly wanted without cracking herself every other fight.

Agreement settled over the link like a stamp driven into hot metal.
She liked deals that balanced and made sense, and this one did.

Then she opened her grip and showed me what that metal would be.

Images tumbled forward, ore wrapped in cloth, ugly chunks with an unnatural gleam, pale veins running through darker stone, each catching light in a way that hurt my eyes and thrilled my craft-hungry heart.

A word sat on that metal in her thoughts, heavy with meaning.
Mithril, though I had never heard the sound before, arrived wrapped in everything she knew about it.
Rare enough that you count it in handfuls, stubborn in the fire, light for its strength, valuable enough that people did very foolish things whenever they heard its name.

She had scraped together what she could carry, more through determination than convenience.
Her current plan apparently involved hitting it until something interesting happened.
I tried not to let my horror leak across the link, though I suspect she felt some of it anyway.

She proposed our terms clearly.
If I forged battle claws for her from mithril and finished them within five days, she would pay me with some of her apples, let me use the ore as base metal, and leave me twice as much mithril as I hammered onto her feet.

Behind that promise I felt one more fact, stretched tight across everything she planned.

She did not stay in worlds permanently.
Some larger power caught her up and flung her elsewhere on a cycle that counted in sevens.
She had already spent one day arriving and finding her feet.
Five days remained where she could stand in my forest, with a sliver of space at the end for breathing and farewells.

I counted nights the way I count hammer strikes, steady and unblinking.

One night to learn how mithril moved in the fire and what colors it respected.
One night to draw out rough shapes for each talon and coax them toward the right curves.
One night to fit metal around living claws, adjusting and refining until each piece felt like it belonged.
One night to harden, temper, and grind, turning blank shells into true armor.
One last night to polish edges, check every joint, and test the full set against stone.

That schedule came out tight enough to make any sensible craftmaster walk away immediately.
It felt reckless and impossible and exactly like the kind of job I have a long history of accepting anyway.

I told her I would do it and that mithril would almost certainly fight us both the entire time, but the claws would be ready before the cycle dragged her away.
She answered with quiet confidence and a picture of herself striking with full force and feeling the stone crack under metal instead of bone.

By then I could taste the shape of her name in her own thoughts.
Phoenix, bright and hot and stubborn, not as a title someone handed her, but as something she claimed and kept.

The presence pulled back slightly, and the muffled quality of the glen faded.
Sound returned in a rush, wings rustling, beaks clicking, someone loudly forgetting how whispers work.
From their point of view she had rested her talons against my neck for a moment while we stared at each other, which suited me very well.

I told the clearing that the firebird, Phoenix, was under my protection while our arrangement lasted.
Anyone who wanted favors from her could bring those requests to me first, and anyone who pushed at her without my say would learn how quickly their own claws could become experimental scrap.

Then I went back up the path toward my forge, because five nights do not stretch themselves.

She arrived after dark, once the air cooled and the embers in my hearth settled into a steady glow.

Phoenix ducked through the doorway in a larger battle form that made the walls feel closer, folded her wings as tightly as she could, and laid a wrapped bundle near the anvil without ceremony.
I unrolled the cloth and met mithril in the flesh for the first time.

The ore looked unremarkable at a careless glance, uneven chunks with jagged edges and clinging bits of host rock.
When the forge light caught it properly, pale shimmer ran under the surface like captive moonlight, and my feathers tried to stand despite the heat.

I tapped one piece with the tip of a talon and listened.
The ring came back low and clear and faintly annoyed, traveling through my bones to the base of my skull.
The weight felt dense without that dead dragging heaviness bad metal sometimes carries.

We touched minds again briefly, enough to lock our bargain down.
Five days for the work, with no room for laziness.
Claws finished and fitted before the cycle took her.
Apples afterward, once she could feel the metal settle into its proper place.
Twice-used mithril left stacked by my wall as payment and temptation both.

Then I shoved extra fuel into the forge, adjusted the vents, and set to work.

Songs will eventually turn that week into something neat and tidy if anyone ever cares enough to write them.
From my side of the anvil it turned into a snarl of heat, stubborn metal, ugly mistakes, and very little sleep.

Mithril sulked through the first attempts.
At low heat it acted like rock, refusing to acknowledge the hammer.
At high heat it tried to fracture into thick, sullen flakes that made my feathers puff with every failure.
Only when I found a narrow band of color between those states did it admit that it was, in fact, metal.

Once coaxed into movement it flowed beautifully, long smooth lines rolling under the hammer like tempered river water.
It punished lazy strikes instantly, twisting just enough that I had to rework entire sections whenever my focus wavered.

Phoenix shifted into her larger form whenever I called for fittings.
She filled the workshop nearly to the rafters, yet held still with the kind of discipline you only see in fighters who spent years relying on skilled smiths under worse conditions.

I shaped rough sheaths for each talon, strapped them in place with leather, and watched her step and turn across the floor.
We corrected every pinch, every drag, every tiny wobble before it could become a problem, and if that meant ripping pieces apart and starting again, I did it.

We used the mind link for the small precise details only she could feel.
If an edge bit into flesh when she shifted weight, she sent a flicker of discomfort with a clear sense of direction, and I corrected the curve until the feeling vanished.
If a tip slid instead of biting the way she preferred, she showed me how she liked to strike, and I ground the shape until it matched that path.

My helper hauled water, coal, tongs, and whatever else I barked for, and somehow avoided setting himself on fire again, which counted as progress.

By the fifth night the claws sat in my grip with that particular rightness finished work always carries.
Weight balanced, lines clean, no piece jangling against another, every joint moving freely under pressure.

We carried the set back down into the lower glen for the final test, because I trusted that rock more than my workshop floor for impact trials.

Phoenix stepped onto the same stone where she had healed Rhen, this time with mithril hugging each talon.
Her inner light chased along the metal in thin wandering lines, sinking and resurfacing around edges.
She pressed her full weight down and the claws bit deep, the resulting sound ringing through the clearing like a quiet bell.

She launched into the air with a single powerful beat, turned, and stooped onto a boulder that had been loitering near the bank since before I hatched.
She hit with intent and full speed, focusing the force through those new armored tips.
Stone split under her, sharp cracks radiating out, chunks tumbling to the ground, and when she lifted her feet I saw no fractures along the mithril at all.

She landed, shifted from heel to tip, turned in a tight half circle, and flexed each joint one by one as she tested.
The metal moved with her like gathered shadow, catching light in quick flashes and then dimming again.
Her stance read comfortable and ready, with no stiff hesitation anywhere my eyes could find.

We opened our minds to each other a final time.

I told her the claws would serve as long as she respected their limits, and that if she ever returned dragging a bag of mithril shards, I would complain, then forge a better version while cursing every minute.
She answered with satisfaction that hummed like cooling metal and a fierce pulse of gratitude that I felt in my ribs more than my head.
There was also the faint flavor of a promise, not to avoid danger, but to keep moving forward long enough to make good use of what I had built.

True to her word, she paid promptly and without haggling.

She left me a small stack of golden apples that felt faintly warm even through my claws, each one humming with that slower, broader healing power.
She left the spare mithril where the forge light could find it, neatly piled against the wall, a quiet challenge I knew I would eventually accept.

On the seventh day, the cycle caught up to her.

She stood once more on the stone in the lower glen, claws armored, wings folded, every feather bright.
Light rose around her in a vertical rush that smelled like high air and storm edges, then narrowed to nothing.
When my vision cleared, the rock was empty except for four fresh grooves, a faint scorch along the surface, and a smell like hot stone cooling after a hard strike.

The flock talked for days about the ball of light and what it might mean; I let them.

I tucked the apples under a particular stone shelf, the one I reserve for solutions too good to waste on minor problems.
The mithril stayed by my hearth, waiting patiently for the day boredom and curiosity win another argument inside my head.

Wherever Phoenix finds herself now, in whatever sky or forest she has been flung toward, she is not fighting with bare claws anymore, and for a smith that truth feels like reason enough for every burned feather from that week.

Any thoughts on the next world to explore?

 

[Oblation]

Silverveil was nice, just flying free for a few days.

But as much as I loved my time in Silverveil, I like the idea of bringing that civil war Thora mentioned over here a lot less.
Especially since they haven't seemed to get around to guns yet, and adding them into a war that already involves magic and what sounds like powers seems like a bad idea.

So, no permanent portal due, but I doubt the civil war is so dangerous that letting thin-spots develop with time would be a bad idea.
It'll be years before people can get through them intentionally, after all.

---

Also, while I was in Silverveil, I rolled and ended up getting a thematic perk.

Silent Wing - Guardians of Ga'Hoole
Base Cost: -50cp
Lore & Details:
Across the kingdoms, the civil war splits roost from roost, with Pure Ones tightening their grip and every patrol turning the night into a checkpoint.
Silverveil is the damp green in between, a fog-wrapped tangle of fern and cedar where sound gets lost on purpose, and somewhere in that hush the mysterious Rogue Smith is said to be hammering secrets into steel.
---
While not touching the ground, you become undetectable to all but visual detection.
No sound, no scent, no vibration, you can only be perceived visually.
Addons:
-25cp applies the stranger rating to automatic detection. Aka, only people seeing you count while you're in the air. (Not cameras, wards, or other unmanned detection methods.)
Final Cost: -75cp
Bank: 1675cp

…

But for the last few days, I've mostly just been continuing as normal, except for a new fic.
I'm still chipping away at the Ultra-Competent-Merchants fanfic, but I also started one for Missy that craps on the Youth Guard, and it's been a lot of fun watching as its thread develops.
I mean, people like the Merchants fic, but this new one exploded right off the bat and never really stopped.

---

Spoiler: Note for PHO

For this upcoming PHO section, you'll be seeing outlines instead of full chapters.
That is because Saga has superhumanly good fanfiction writing skills, and I do not.
In universe, people are reacting to a fully written, beautifully executed fic authored by Saga.
Out of universe, I'm sharing the story beats so you know what that fic contains and can follow the thread discussion.

Spoiler: Simplified For Phone Readers

I have been told this can be hard to read for phone users not using TTS.
So for those who prefer there is: Chapter 102 - Simplified For Phone Readers

---

Account	Post	Meta
OpenDoorWriter Stranger -1 Joined: July 15, 2011 Messages: 7 Likes received: 1,454	Threadmarks Chapter 1: The Good House Scene: 1 INT. KITCHEN. MORNING. MARK flips pancakes with stubborn concentration, refusing to glance away twice. ERIN holds the calendar steady with one hand, thumb flattening a dog eared corner. ERIN says she wants a son, steady voice, practiced smile, too calm to be casual. MARK laughs because laughter keeps the room soft, then he promises anyway, and he can't unsay it. Scene: 2 EXT. DRIVEWAY. MORNING. MARK collects the mail, waves at a neighbor, and keeps his shoulders relaxed on purpose. EVAN drags the trash can to the curb, careful about every scrape and bump. EVAN'S DAD stands close, saying nothing, still controlling the space by presence alone. EVAN answers MARK politely, checks EVAN'S DAD mid sentence, then finishes clean. Scene: 3 INT. YOUTH GUARD OFFICE. MORNING. Fluorescents buzz over beige walls all morning, and the posters keep praising unity and restraint. A SUPERVISOR delivers the standard briefing in calm phrases that sound reassuring. MARK nods along because the message matches his home, and that feels like proof. Scene: 4 INT. MARK'S OFFICE. MIDDAY. A counselor mentions a case where removal helped, choosing careful words and careful pauses. MARK pushes back with gentle language that still refuses specifics and closes the topic. MARK ends the call feeling responsible, even while something uneasy sticks in his chest. Scene: 5 EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AFTERNOON. MARK meets LILY and JUNE at pickup, absorbing the bright noise and crowded sidewalks. EVAN waits alone near the wall, hands still, shoulders tight, eyes forward. A car door slams nearby, and EVAN flinches, then resets his face immediately. MARK notices the reset, then forces attention back to backpacks and chatter. Scene: 6 INT. DINING ROOM. NIGHT. Dinner stays warm and ordinary, with clinking plates and the girls talking over each other. ERIN tells a story about discipline "working," smile steady, tone patient, eyes never leaving MARK. MARK nods because he's tired, and because disagreement would change the whole night. Scene: 7 INT. MARK'S STUDY. NIGHT. MARK opens a private note and stares at the cursor longer than he wants. He types, "Evan, just keep an eye out, alright, nothing weird, just pay attention today." He hovers over delete, then leaves it there, and the hesitation makes him angry.	Post #1 July 18, 2011 8:00 AM +812 likes Signature: Two Doors (threadmark fic), WIP
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,417 Likes received: 910,276	Clean opener, nasty little tells, and the pacing doesn't sprint like it's scared of silence. Evan checking his dad mid sentence is the kind of detail that makes a room go quiet, because everybody's seen it once and pretended they didn't. I'm betting the "nice guy" is the real hazard, and I hate that I'm confident.	Post #9 July 18, 2011 8:11 AM +24 likes Signature: "Lift safe, think safer."
BrickHugger Brute 11 Joined: May 20, 1999 Messages: 31,205 Likes received: 312,450	Mark's picking comfort over curiosity and calling it balance, and that's a type of harm people clap for. That reset after the flinch is training, not maturity, and I hate that I can spot it instantly. Also, pancakes are now a threat in my house.	Post #12 July 18, 2011 8:16 AM +31 likes Signature: My fics: Wrench & Wonder (Tinker slice), hiatus
SpannerSplicer Tinker 6 Joined: November 09, 1999 Messages: 22,612 Likes received: 190,058	The office scene feels real because it's boring in the correct way. People underestimate how much damage gets done by calm voices and tidy forms, because it doesn't look dramatic from outside. Subbed, and I'm already mad about being invested.	Post #17 July 18, 2011 8:21 AM +19 likes Signature: My fics: Knifework (Striker pov), dead but beloved
PancakeMurderer Striker 0 Joined: May 11, 2011 Messages: 84 Likes received: 48,014	Mark is gonna annoy me, and I'm saying that with love, because he's written too accurately to be comfy. Pancakes are cursed, and it's not a joke, it's my entire personality now. Evan's dad gives me the creeps and he hasn't even talked yet.	Post #24 July 18, 2011 8:32 AM +18 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
FamilyValues4Life Master 0 Joined: October 21, 2009 Messages: 1,284 Likes received: 32,091	I'm reading, but I'm cautious, because I've seen too many stories that treat "parents bad" as a shortcut to "state good." That said, the Evan bits are uncomfortable in a way that feels real, and I'm not gonna pretend they aren't. If this stays honest, I'll stay.	Post #24 July 18, 2011 8:32 AM +18 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
ByteMePls Thinker -1 Joined: July 02, 2011 Messages: 12 Likes received: 233	not me reading this at work and getting jumpy when a door closed behind me. the mask switch is the worst part, because it's learned and everybody acts polite about it. pls no courtroom thread, pls.	Post #29 July 18, 2011 8:41 AM +12 likes Signature: "i don't post much."
TinFoilTattletale [Banned] Thinker 1 Joined: December 30, 2010 Messages: 4,981 Likes received: 63,049	This is good, but it's also pointed, and I'm watching what it's trying to steer people into believing. The office scene is doing a lot of trust shaping before we have receipts, and I'm side eyeing that choice. I'm not naming anyone, I'm saying the vibe is working overtime.	Post #31 July 18, 2011 8:46 AM +14 likes Signature: My fics: Tinfoil Tactics (Thinker humor), ongoing
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,884 Likes received: 280,382	Mod note, because page 1 already smells like people winding up to fight each other instead of reading. Talk about the fic, talk about themes, talk about policy in the abstract, keep it civil. No real minor capes, no identity guessing, and no "this is secretly about X" posting.	Post #33 July 18, 2011 8:50 AM +86 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
Sunlance Blaster 4 Joined: July 22, 2006 Messages: 5,811 Likes received: 132,524	The pancakes promise is so small, and it still feels heavy, because it's a promise you can't keep without doing something selfish later. Also, Evan's dad controlling the scene by silence is a nightmare I've met before. I'm in, and I'm irritated about it.	Post #40 July 18, 2011 9:03 AM +27 likes Signature: "If it glows, don't touch it."
QuietScars Stranger 0 Joined: May 29, 2005 Messages: 4,108 Likes received: 46,219	Mark's note is the kind of decent person move that still comes late, and late still counts as late. Also, Evan's flinch and reset made my stomach drop, because it's the body doing math before the brain does. Anyway, I'm here, unfortunately.	Post #48 July 18, 2011 9:31 AM +21 likes Signature: "Say less, notice more."
Wavetruck Mover -1 Joined: July 01, 2011 Messages: 19 Likes received: 211	i don't know half the jargon in here but that kid part is enough. pls don't turn this into a 60 page argument about labels, i just wanna read and vibe. subbed and annoyed about it.	Post #55 July 18, 2011 9:48 AM +11 likes Signature: "New here, be gentle."
RuleBender Trump 3 Joined: February 19, 2003 Messages: 7,004 Likes received: 120,027	Mark is the type who thinks rules equal morality, which is a cute belief until you watch it hurt someone quietly. I can already see the comments section trying to turn this into "bad parents vs good system," and it's gonna be exhausting. Anyway, solid first drop, author.	Post #66 July 18, 2011 10:37 AM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Rule of Three (Trump antics), complete
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,901 Likes received: 79,218	I can feel the missing fight brewing already, and we are still on chapter one, which is impressive in the worst way. The fic is doing institutional comfort, and readers are about to do reader comfort, and those always feed each other. Ferrous, pre emptive thanks for the cleanup.	Post #73 July 18, 2011 11:02 AM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete
GlassDoor Breaker 2 Joined: January 14, 2001 Messages: 9,338 Likes received: 85,019	Erin wanting a son is a small want that can turn into a big cruelty, and that's what freaks me out about it. Also, "calm home" being treated as proof of virtue is the oldest lie people tell themselves. Yeah, I'm staying for more.	Post #81 July 18, 2011 11:19 AM +22 likes Signature: My fics: Phase Shift Diaries (Breaker drama), complete
PuppetStringer Master 5 Joined: April 14, 2004 Messages: 8,119 Likes received: 151,037	The Youth Guard room reads like a place where everyone smiles while quietly deciding what counts as inconvenient truth. That's not a villain room, that's a machine room, and machines don't feel guilty. I'm gonna regret how much I like this.	Post #92 July 18, 2011 11:30 AM +31 likes Signature: My fics: Strings Attached (Master dramedy), ongoing
Skinshift Changer 1 Joined: September 10, 2007 Messages: 2,407 Likes received: 55,582	Evan answering while watching his dad is a whole survival routine compressed into one breath. Mark noticing and filing it away is also a routine, and it's the routine that scares me more. People keep file folders instead of action.	Post #104 July 18, 2011 11:43 PM +22 likes Signature: "Don't touch my face."
RiverQuake Shaker 1 Joined: June 06, 2008 Messages: 3,119 Likes received: 52,033	The way the chapter stays mundane is what makes it gross, because real harm starts as "it's probably nothing." Also, I'm begging people not to do a "guess the cape" game, because I saw that happen last week and it sucked. Anyway, good writing, bad feelings.	Post #114 July 18, 2011 11:49 PM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Faultline Kids (Shaker OC), ongoing
UnfunnyTrollGuy Stranger -1 Joined: June 18, 2011 Messages: 67 Likes received: 2,409	mark should mind his business and make pancakes, skill issue, end of story. also kids lie, adults rule, cope, etc. i'm here for the replies, don't disappoint me.	Post #125 July 18, 2011 11:58 PM +2 likes Signature: "mad online, happy offline."
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,885 Likes received: 280,468	Reminder, because the same bad take keeps returning with different wording. Victim blaming gets removed, baiting gets removed, and "kids lie" spam is not a personality. Argue themes, and stop poking strangers for sport.	Post #131 July 18, 2011 12:09 PM +79 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,418 Likes received: 910,369	Ferrous is doing the correct thing by tapping the sign early, because this site always tries to turn fic threads into courtroom cosplay. Also, if you're reading this and your first instinct is "the kid should behave," you are telling on yourself loudly. Back to the fic, the quiet dread is the point.	Post #144 July 18, 2011 12:26 PM +74 likes Signature: My fics: Archive Weather (old PHO classic), comple
SpannerSplicer Tinker 6 Joined: November 09, 1999 Messages: 22,613 Likes received: 190,089	Mark's note reads as a tiny system hack, because it bypasses policy by being personal. That's also fragile, because personal effort collapses when paperwork pushes back, and paperwork always pushes back. Okay, I'm stressed now, thanks.	Post #159 July 18, 2011 12:39 PM +24 likes Signature: My fics: Wrench & Wonder (Tinker slice), hiatus
FamilyValues4Life Master 0 Joined: October 21, 2009 Messages: 1,285 Likes received: 32,109	Trolls don't count as arguments, and replying to trolls isn't bravery, it's fuel. Anyway, the chapter is doing something I respect, because it's showing caution without calling it virtue. I'm still cautious, and I'm still here.	Post #171 July 18, 2011 12:48 PM +12 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
PancakeMurderer Striker 0 Joined: May 11, 2011 Messages: 85 Likes received: 48,033	ferrous deleting "kids lie" spam is my favorite genre of moderation, sorry. also i just realized the calendar detail means erin has been thinking about this for a while, and now i'm mad again. anyway, chapter 2 when.	Post #183 July 18, 2011 12:55 PM +16 likes Signature: My fics: Knifework (Striker pov), dead but beloved
CedarKid Mover 0 Joined: June 02, 2010 Messages: 1,091 Likes received: 27,611	I keep thinking about Mark noticing the flinch and then choosing comfort anyway, because it's the choice people make a thousand times. It's not dramatic, it's not cinematic, it's just a door closing and everyone pretending it's fine. That's why it hits.	Post #197 July 18, 2011 12:58 PM +13 likes Signature: "Run fast, read slower."

Account	Post	Meta
OpenDoorWriter Stranger -1 Joined: July 15, 2011 Messages: 8 Likes received: 2,266	Threadmarks Chapter 2: The Perfect Family Scene: 1 INT. MARA'S HOUSE. MORNING. MARA moves through the kitchen with careful steps, measuring every sound she makes. Her PARENTS speak politely and smile easily, voices smooth and practiced for company. MARA edits her tone before each sentence, because tone becomes a problem here. Scene: 2 EXT. SCHOOL OFFICE. DAY. One PARENT chats warmly with staff, delivering concern in neat, confident lines. A donation gets mentioned softly, framed as generosity, then tucked away as routine. MARA stands beside them, smiling on cue, shoulders tucked and eyes lowered. Adults read stability and safety, and they relax because relaxing costs nothing. Scene: 3 INT. MARA'S HOUSE. AFTERNOON. The front door closes, the lock clicks, and the air turns colder without volume. A PARENT studies MARA with contained contempt and says, "You always do this, you always make it weird, and then you stare at me like I'm the problem." MARA keeps her face flat, because reacting gets used against her later. The other PARENT adds, "Don't play dumb, you know exactly what you're doing, and you like the mess." Scene: 4 INT. KITCHEN. CONTINUOUS. MARA reaches for a glass, then stops when a hand closes over her wrist. The grip isn't hard enough to bruise, but it's hard enough to teach a lesson. A PARENT releases her and says, "If you go to school and start talking, if you start telling stories, you're gonna learn how small your world can get." The tone stays gentle, which makes the threat harder to fight out loud. Scene: 5 INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE STUDY. NIGHT. MARA hears her parents discussing reputation, speaking carefully about public perception. One says, "If she runs her mouth, we handle it fast, and she remembers what happens when she gets brave." The other answers, "Nobody trusts her anyway, and if anyone hesitates, we'll give them reasons." Scene: 6 INT. MARA'S BEDROOM. NIGHT. A PARENT sits on the bed edge and smiles with rehearsed softness. A PARENT asks, "Do you want people thinking you're that kind of girl, the kind they whisper about, the kind nobody believes when you're upset." A PARENT continues, "We've got paperwork, we've got notes, we've got people who'll sign things, and you don't want to see how that plays out." A PARENT finishes, "We're the only ones who put up with you, so don't get brave with strangers." Scene: 7 INT. MARA'S CLOSET. NIGHT. MARA packs a bag with practiced speed, choosing essentials and leaving everything else. She hides it behind folded clothes, because hiding is safer than hoping tonight. Scene: 8 INT. MARA'S ROOM DOORWAY. LATER. A PARENT delivers the public version of love, discipline, and family values for the day. Then the same PARENT leans close and says, "Try to shame us, try to make us look wrong, and you're gonna regret it, you hear me." MARA nods because nodding costs less than explaining, and explaining gets punished.	Post #301 July 18, 2011 2:00 PM +764 likes Signature: Two Doors (threadmark fic), WIP
RiverQuake Shaker 1 Joined: June 06, 2008 Messages: 3,120 Likes received: 52,060	Quiet contempt hits harder than yelling, because outsiders don't clock it and the kid learns to vanish. The paperwork threat is the part that froze me, because it's strategy, not temper. Also, whoever says this "isn't abuse" can log off.	Post #303 July 18, 2011 2:06 PM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Faultline Kids (Shaker OC), ongoing
Skinshift Changer 1 Joined: September 10, 2007 Messages: 2,408 Likes received: 55,604	That donation line is a dagger wrapped in a handshake, and I hate it. People buy the "nice parent" mask so fast, because it lets them stop thinking early. Mara staying flat is survival, not attitude.	Post #318 July 18, 2011 2:28 PM +22 likes Signature: "Don't touch my face."
PuppetStringer Master 5 Joined: April 14, 2004 Messages: 8,120 Likes received: 151,068	The wrist grab being "not enough to bruise" is the nastiest detail, because it's a whole philosophy of plausible denial. That's what abusers do when they care about reputation more than anything else. Hate it, respect the craft.	Post #326 July 18, 2011 2:39 PM +31 likes Signature: My fics: Strings Attached (Master dramedy), ongoing
FamilyValues4Life Master 0 Joined: October 21, 2009 Messages: 1,286 Likes received: 32,127	I'm not defending these parents, because there's nothing to defend here, and that's obvious. The part that scares me is how easily outsiders will accept them, because "polite" reads as "safe." So yeah, I'm still here, and I feel gross.	Post #334 July 18, 2011 2:51 PM +18 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
BrickHugger Brute 11 Joined: May 20, 1999 Messages: 31,206 Likes received: 312,474	Mara packing the bag like it's routine is the worst beat, because routine means practice. Also, page 8 already had a "no bruises no problem" guy, and I'm glad the mod broom exists. This is real, and it's ugly.	Post #351 July 18, 2011 3:41 PM +23 likes Signature: "Lift safe, think safer."
SpannerSplicer Tinker 6 Joined: November 09, 1999 Messages: 22,614 Likes received: 190,113	The parents never raise their voices, because they don't need to, and that's the point. Everyone outside will call them "stable," because stability is a costume that fits them perfectly. Author, this is mean, in a talented way.	Post #367 July 18, 2011 4:22 PM +29 likes Signature: My fics: Wrench & Wonder (Tinker slice), hiatus
Sunlance Blaster 4 Joined: July 22, 2006 Messages: 5,812 Likes received: 132,551	"You're gonna learn how small your world can get" is such a calm sentence for such a violent intent. Also, the whisper campaign threat is real, and it works, because adults love believing the kid is "dramatic." Yeah, I hate this.	Post #381 July 18, 2011 4:58 PM +26 likes Signature: "If it glows, don't touch it."
TinFoilTattletale [Banned] Thinker 1 Joined: December 30, 2010 Messages: 4,982 Likes received: 63,063	This chapter is good, and it's also doing something very specific with the audience, and I'm noticing it. It's pushing a "systems fail kids" lens hard, and that's fine, but I'm watching who benefits from that lens spreading. No, I'm not naming anyone, I'm asking a question.	Post #392 July 18, 2011 5:24 PM +14 likes Signature: My fics: Tinfoil Tactics (Thinker humor), ongoing
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,886 Likes received: 280,547	Quick reminder, because the report button is getting hammered and the thread is still readable, so please keep it that way. Don't victim blame, don't do "well actually" abuse definitions, and don't try to put other posters on trial. Stay on the text, not on each other.	Post #399 July 18, 2011 5:40 PM +83 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
UnfunnyTrollGuy Stranger -1 Joined: June 18, 2011 Messages: 68 Likes received: 2,411	ok but what if mara just listened, big brain solution, solved. y'all are so sensitive, it's literally fiction. anyway, keep yelling, it's funny.	Post #407 July 18, 2011 5:58 PM +1 likes Signature: "mad online, happy offline."
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,902 Likes received: 79,246	The troll is doing the same bit again, and if you quote him, you're co authoring his bit. Back to Mara, the "we've got people who'll sign things" line is the whole horror, because it's soft power. Soft power ruins kids fast.	Post #416 July 18, 2011 6:17 PM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete
Wavetruck Mover -1 Joined: July 01, 2011 Messages: 20 Likes received: 222	the way they talk is creeping me out more than yelling would, which is a sentence i didn't expect to type today. also pls stop feeding the troll, i can't scroll past 40 replies to find real comments. anyway, great, now i'm stressed.	Post #429 July 18, 2011 6:49 PM +11 likes Signature: "New here, be gentle."
PancakeMurderer Striker 0 Joined: May 11, 2011 Messages: 86 Likes received: 48,052	"paperwork, notes, people who'll sign" is such a gross little combo, because it's a whole machine in one sentence. also i hate that i can hear the exact tone in my head, calm and smug and sweet. anyway, i'm gonna go punch a pillow.	Post #442 July 18, 2011 7:11 PM +18 likes Signature: My fics: Knifework (Striker pov), dead but beloved
GlassDoor Breaker 2 Joined: January 14, 2001 Messages: 9,339 Likes received: 85,041	Mara being threatened with a reputation story is the most realistic part, because it's a threat that keeps paying rent for years. I've seen people call that "just consequences," and I want those people to shut up forever. Anyway, yes, this is abuse.	Post #451 July 18, 2011 7:26 PM +22 likes Signature: My fics: Phase Shift Diaries (Breaker drama), complete
CedarKid Mover 0 Joined: June 02, 2010 Messages: 1,092 Likes received: 27,624	The part where the adults relax in the office is doing so much work, because it shows how eager people are to be done. Adults love being done, even if "done" means leaving the kid behind a locked door again. That's the whole nightmare.	Post #467 July 18, 2011 7:44 PM +13 likes Signature: "Run fast, read slower."
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,419 Likes received: 910,443	The thread is already trying to litigate whether quiet threats "count," which is the most PHO behavior imaginable. Counting is a dodge, because counting lets you avoid noticing the kid is afraid in every scene. Read fear as data, and stop acting brand new.	Post #481 July 18, 2011 7:52 PM +84 likes Signature: My fics: Archive Weather (old PHO classic), complete
RuleBender Trump 3 Joined: February 19, 2003 Messages: 7,005 Likes received: 120,054	I can already see the debate that's gonna happen, where people argue "family values" like it's a spell that makes harm vanish. Meanwhile the fic is just showing harm being polite, and the polite part is the trap. Also, stop quoting the troll, please.	Post #506 July 18, 2011 7:56 PM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Rule of Three (Trump antics), complete
LibraryLurker Thinker 0 Joined: November 17, 2010 Messages: 612 Likes received: 33,478	I don't post much, but this chapter made me post, because it's the kind of thing people miss on purpose. No yelling means everyone outside will call it "fine," and the kid will learn nobody hears her anyway. That's a whole childhood in one lesson.	Post #519 July 18, 2011 7:57 PM +15 likes Signature: "Mostly lurking."
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,887 Likes received: 280,630	UnfunnyTrollGuy, last reminder, because you keep toeing the line and acting surprised when people don't laugh. Cut the bait posts, or you'll be taking a timeout from this thread. Everyone else, stop quote dunking, it clogs the thread.	Post #533 July 18, 2011 7:58 PM +78 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
CarefulPaper Stranger -1 Joined: July 14, 2011 Messages: 9 Likes received: 91	i've met these parents, and they all have the same smile, and it always makes you doubt your own brain. mara packing the bag and hiding it felt way too practiced, and now i'm mad at a fictional house. subbed, sorry.	Post #544 July 18, 2011 7:59 PM +12 likes Signature: "new, don't bite."
ThreadmarkSnacker Blaster 0 Joined: January 12, 2009 Messages: 2,208 Likes received: 49,281	The "we've got people who'll sign things" line is evil, and it's evil because it's normal, and that's the worst kind. I'm also clocking that Mark's home life is gonna matter later, because he's got a reference point for safe chaos. Anyway, I'm not sleeping tonight.	Post #567 July 18, 2011 7:59 PM +19 likes Signature: My fics: Firebreak (Blaster action), complete

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OpenDoorWriter Stranger -1 Joined: July 15, 2011 Messages: 9 Likes received: 3,030	Threadmarks Chapter 3: The Report and the Refusal Scene: 1 INT. YOUTH GUARD CONFERENCE ROOM. DAY. An emergency meeting starts with stiff posture and careful, watchful silence. DIRECTOR HARLOW runs the room with calm authority and a measured cadence. MARK sits ready to be useful, ready to keep the situation clean on paper. Scene: 2 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM. CONTINUOUS. BULWARK arrives in power armor, helmet under his arm, face tired and steady. BULWARK reports the facts with no drama, listing actions taken and outcomes observed. Runaway located, child removed, immediate safety response executed without delay. Scene: 3 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM. CONTINUOUS. MARK reacts to BULWARK's delivery first, and decides it sounds too cold for comfort. MARK focuses on tone because tone feels safer to challenge than the details. Scene: 4 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM. CONTINUOUS. BULWARK starts describing what drove the runaway, choosing words that protect the kid. MARK cuts in with warm hands and a calm smile that reads cooperative to the room. MARK says, "We're not turning this into a headline circus today, alright, we're not doing that, we're keeping it contained." BULWARK stops mid thought, jaw tight, then keeps the rest behind his teeth. Scene: 5 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM. CONTINUOUS. HARLOW praises MARK for "keeping focus," then assigns him as liaison immediately. SONIA gets placements, and reunification language becomes the default direction again. Scene: 6 INT. MARK'S OFFICE. LATER. MARK signs forms that assume family is the safest baseline and removal is harm. MARK signs because it feels principled, and he doesn't call it comfort aloud. Scene: 7 EXT. MARK'S STREET. EVENING. MARK comes home and tries harmless neighbor talk, voice easy and posture open. EVAN answers perfectly, then disappears inside quickly, eyes down, shoulders tight. MARK watches the door shut, then forces himself to stop watching on purpose.	Post #601 July 18, 2011 8:00 PM +701 likes Signature: Two Doors (threadmark fic), WIP
RuleBender Trump 3 Joined: February 19, 2003 Messages: 7,006 Likes received: 120,081	Mark's "headline circus" line is the exact kind of sentence that sounds wise while it blocks the only useful information. He's not wrong that headlines get messy, but he's using that truth to shut down the hard part while looking responsible. The room rewarding him is the whole point.	Post #604 July 18, 2011 8:08 PM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Rule of Three (Trump antics), complete
Sunlance Blaster 4 Joined: July 22, 2006 Messages: 5,813 Likes received: 132,577	Bulwark reads like somebody who's done the hard part already and now he's stuck presenting it to the safe part. Mark is arguing aesthetics, not outcomes, and that's how systems keep their conscience clean. Also, I can feel the "who is Bulwark" spam coming.	Post #611 July 18, 2011 8:22 PM +26 likes Signature: "If it glows, don't touch it."
SpannerSplicer Tinker 6 Joined: November 09, 1999 Messages: 22,615 Likes received: 190,142	Tone policing is such a slick tool, because it lets you interrupt truth while sounding professional. Mark's doing it with a smile, which makes the room accept it as "leadership." Harlow praising it made me grind my teeth.	Post #619 July 18, 2011 8:39 PM +29 likes Signature: My fics: Wrench & Wonder (Tinker slice), hiatus
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,903 Likes received: 79,274	I watched a now deleted chain try to turn "power armor" into a guessing game, and it was embarrassing for everyone involved. Read the scene, not the gear, because the gear isn't the point and never was. Also, yes, Mark interrupted right on the cliff edge, and that's the point.	Post #631 July 18, 2011 9:06 PM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,888 Likes received: 280,708	Reminder, because the "power armor means X person" posts are returning again. No identity guessing, no cape trivia hunts, and no posting real minors as "theory fuel." Keep it about the fic, not about your detective hobby.	Post #637 July 18, 2011 9:14 PM +82 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
PowerArmorEnjoyer Tinker 0 Joined: April 11, 2011 Messages: 92 Likes received: 30,482	ok i'll admit it, i was one of the idiots in the removed chain trying to guess who bulwark "really" is. ferrous deleted it, i deserved it, and now i'm embarrassed, which is character growth i guess. mark cutting him off mid detail is still making my eye twitch.	Post #655 July 18, 2011 9:56 PM +9 likes Signature: My fics: Suit Up (Tinker comfort fic), new
BrickHugger Brute 11 Joined: May 20, 1999 Messages: 31,207 Likes received: 312,497	The interruption is what people do when they can't argue facts, so they argue vibe. Mark wanted Bulwark to sound nicer, because nicer would let Mark stay comfortable. Also, anyone quoting removed posts can stop.	Post #662 July 18, 2011 10:11 PM +23 likes Signature: "Lift safe, think safer."
FamilyValues4Life Master 0 Joined: October 21, 2009 Messages: 1,287 Likes received: 32,145	Mark being wrong while still thinking he's protecting a kid is the part that scares me, because it's relatable. I'm not defending it, I'm saying it's the kind of mistake people make while feeling righteous. Harlow praising it made me uncomfortable.	Post #673 July 18, 2011 10:27 PM +18 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
TinFoilTattletale [Banned] Thinker 1 Joined: December 30, 2010 Messages: 4,983 Likes received: 63,077	I'm not naming anyone, I'm not cape guessing, and I'm staying inside the lines, I promise. I'm saying the story is making Mark's shutdown feel "responsible," and that's a framing choice that's gonna shape the thread after. Also, people vague quoting me from removed posts can stop.	Post #686 July 18, 2011 10:51 PM +14 likes Signature: My fics: Tinfoil Tactics (Thinker humor), ongoing
QuietScars Stranger 0 Joined: May 29, 2005 Messages: 4,109 Likes received: 46,240	Mark's "contained" line is what people say when they care more about panic than about truth. Panic matters, sure, but he used it as a lid, not as a warning label. That's how you trap kids in silence.	Post #701 July 18, 2011 11:23 PM +21 likes Signature: "Say less, notice more."
RiverQuake Shaker 1 Joined: June 06, 2008 Messages: 3,121 Likes received: 52,087	The way Bulwark stops mid sentence is such a nasty beat, because you can feel the room rewarding the interruption. Also, yes, I saw the cape guessing chain, and it was cringe, and I'm glad it got nuked. Read the words, not the armor.	Post #719 July 18, 2011 11:51 PM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Faultline Kids (Shaker OC), ongoing
GlassDoor Breaker 2 Joined: January 14, 2001 Messages: 9,340 Likes received: 85,063	"We're keeping it contained" is a sentence that sounds kind until you see what it contains, which is the kid's story. Also, Mark signing the forms is the real action, not the meeting. Forms are where harm becomes permanent.	Post #734 July 19, 2011 12:19 AM +22 likes Signature: My fics: Phase Shift Diaries (Breaker drama), complete
PancakeMurderer Striker 0 Joined: May 11, 2011 Messages: 87 Likes received: 48,070	i'm mad at mark and i'm mad at harlow and i'm mad at the fluorescent lights, congrats author. also "we're not doing that" as a way to stop the kid's story is so nasty it's almost elegant. anyway, i need a new hobby.	Post #751 July 19, 2011 12:46 AM +18 likes Signature: My fics: Knifework (Striker pov), dead but beloved
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,889 Likes received: 280,790	Final reminder on this, because people keep trying to repost removed content with "paraphrase" as a loophole. Don't repost removed content, don't paraphrase removed content, don't try to be clever about it. Keep the thread readable, thanks.	Post #767 July 19, 2011 1:06 AM +76 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,420 Likes received: 910,527	The "guess who this is" impulse is why people don't trust this site, and that's the truth nobody wants to say out loud. Ferrous is correct to clamp down, because this is how you end up with real kids getting bothered by adults with too much free time. Back to the fic, Mark's home life is about to collide with his job life.	Post #792 July 19, 2011 1:29 AM +92 likes Signature: My fics: Archive Weather (old PHO classic), complete
Wavetruck Mover -1 Joined: July 01, 2011 Messages: 21 Likes received: 233	i'm new here and even i can tell the "who is bulwark" stuff is weird. like, y'all, it's a story, stop trying to turn it into a scavenger hunt for real people. anyway, i'm still reading, unfortunately.	Post #809 July 19, 2011 1:43 AM +11 likes Signature: "New here, be gentle."
PuppetStringer Master 5 Joined: April 14, 2004 Messages: 8,121 Likes received: 151,099	Harlow praising Mark for "focus" is the kind of compliment that keeps a machine running while it grinds people down. Harlow didn't say "ignore the kid," Harlow just rewarded the behavior that does it. That's how it stays polite.	Post #833 July 19, 2011 1:52 AM +31 likes Signature: My fics: Strings Attached (Master dramedy), ongoing
CarefulPaper Stranger -1 Joined: July 14, 2011 Messages: 10 Likes received: 103	the fact bulwark stops talking is making me feel sick, because i've watched adults do that, where they shut up because it's not safe to tell the truth. also mark watching evan's door and forcing himself to stop is a whole little tragedy. i hate this, i'm still here.	Post #851 July 19, 2011 1:54 AM +12 likes Signature: "new, don't bite."
ModMailEnjoyer Trump 0 Joined: January 03, 2010 Messages: 611 Likes received: 32,842	It's genuinely funny how fast a thread can go from "great chapter" to "let me doxx a fictional power armor guy with maps." Ferrous doing the gentle voice is honestly mercy, because the alternative is the hammer, and we all know it. Anyway, chapter 4 is gonna hurt.	Post #873 July 19, 2011 1:55 AM +21 likes Signature: "If you got warned, you earned it."
UnfunnyTrollGuy Stranger -1 Joined: June 18, 2011 Messages: 69 Likes received: 2,412	mods are censoring my truth, free speech, etc, y'all are sheep. also mark is based, kid is cringe, cope harder. what a fun thread, keep crying.	Post #887 July 19, 2011 1:55 AM +1 likes Signature: "mad online, happy offline."
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,890 Likes received: 280,866	UnfunnyTrollGuy, short timeout from this thread, because you were warned and you kept pushing anyway. Everyone else, don't quote bait posts and don't start a victory lap about moderation. Back to the fic, please.	Post #893 July 19, 2011 1:56 AM +74 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice

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OpenDoorWriter Stranger -1 Joined: July 15, 2011 Messages: 10 Likes received: 3,731	Threadmarks Chapter 4: Translation Violence Scene: 1 INT. PLACEMENT INTAKE OFFICE. DAY. SONIA offers tea and a neutral chair, keeping everything soft and nonthreatening. MARA sits stiff, eyes tracking exits, then says, "I'm not safe there, not with them, and I'm not saying that for attention." The words land cleanly, and the adults pause because clarity demands response now. Scene: 2 INT. SONIA'S DESK. LATER. SONIA writes notes with professional neatness, trying to keep the record tidy. "I'm not safe" becomes "feels unsafe," then becomes "heightened distress" on paper. MARA watches the sentence shrink, and she learns what the system rewards quietly. Scene: 3 INT. INTERVIEW ROOM. DAY. MARK meets MARA and keeps his voice soft, trying to sound kind and reasonable. MARA repeats herself without pleading, staying steady and refusing to perform desperation. MARK pivots to "families are complicated" and "separation can be traumatic," staying polished. MARA goes still, because she recognizes the pivot and refuses to chase it again. Scene: 4 INT. CASE CONFERENCE ROOM. DAY. Adults say "stabilization," "pathway," and "avoid escalation," then nod at each other. MARA realizes her preference isn't being treated as information worth keeping in the record. MARA stops spending breath on people who translate her into harmless language for comfort. Scene: 5 EXT. FACILITY PARKING LOT. DAY. BULWARK checks in at a respectful distance, stance neutral, voice even, eyes tired. BULWARK asks one question without a trap, and MARA answers without being reframed. That directness feels rare, and it costs her less than meetings do today. Scene: 6 INT. MARA'S TEMP ROOM. NIGHT. MARA stops volunteering details, because details become tools used against her later. MARA becomes neat, polite, and unreadable, and the adults praise "maturity" again.	Post #901 July 19, 2011 2:00 AM +690 likes Signature: Two Doors (threadmark fic), WIP
GlassDoor Breaker 2 Joined: January 14, 2001 Messages: 9,341 Likes received: 85,085	"Feels unsafe" is such a small shift, and that's why it's terrifying, because it looks professional while it deletes urgency. People are gonna argue the phrase instead of arguing the behavior, because that's easier. Anyway, this chapter punched me.	Post #905 July 19, 2011 2:07 AM +22 likes Signature: My fics: Phase Shift Diaries (Breaker drama), complete
PuppetStringer Master 5 Joined: April 14, 2004 Messages: 8,122 Likes received: 151,130	Watching a kid get translated into softer words is a special kind of violence, because it looks like care while it acts like erasure. Sonia isn't a monster, and that's what makes it sting, because she's doing the habit, not the plot. Yeah, this is excellent and awful.	Post #912 July 19, 2011 2:19 AM +31 likes Signature: My fics: Strings Attached (Master dramedy), ongoing
FamilyValues4Life Master 0 Joined: October 21, 2009 Messages: 1,288 Likes received: 32,163	I don't like the phrase "translation violence," and I still can't deny what the scene is showing. She said she wasn't safe, clearly, and the system turned it into something polite and ignorable, which is terrifying. I'm still here, and I'm thinking.	Post #927 July 19, 2011 2:41 AM +18 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
RiverQuake Shaker 1 Joined: June 06, 2008 Messages: 3,122 Likes received: 52,114	Mara realizing her words don't count as data is the part that hurt, because it's a kid learning the rules of the adult game. Also, yes, I saw the "phrase discourse" start on page 40, and it's already dumb. Talk about the action, not the label.	Post #938 July 19, 2011 2:59 AM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Faultline Kids (Shaker OC), ongoing
SpannerSplicer Tinker 6 Joined: November 09, 1999 Messages: 22,616 Likes received: 190,171	The rewrite from "I'm not safe" to "heightened distress" is bureaucracy doing self defense. It turns a claim into a feeling, then turns a feeling into a mood, then calls itself careful. That's why systems win arguments, even when they lose kids.	Post #956 July 19, 2011 3:22 AM +29 likes Signature: My fics: Wrench & Wonder (Tinker slice), hiatus
Sunlance Blaster 4 Joined: July 22, 2006 Messages: 5,814 Likes received: 132,603	Bulwark asking one clean question is such a relief that it made me angry, because it should not be rare. Also, "maturity" being used as a compliment for silence is brutal, because it rewards shutting up. Anyway, I'm gonna stare at the ceiling.	Post #971 July 19, 2011 3:57 AM +26 likes Signature: "If it glows, don't touch it."
TinFoilTattletale [Banned] Thinker 1 Joined: December 30, 2010 Messages: 4,984 Likes received: 63,091	The phrase is gonna spread, because it's sticky, and everyone knows it's sticky. I'm also saying, again, I'm not naming anyone, but this is doing the exact thing that makes audiences distrust a whole category of org. I'm worried about how people weaponize this, not about the fic being "bad."	Post #989 July 19, 2011 4:31 AM +14 likes Signature: My fics: Tinfoil Tactics (Thinker humor), ongoing
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,891 Likes received: 280,940	TinFoilTattletale, friendly reminder, because you keep trying to steer the thread into target shaped speculation. Talk about the scenes, not about who "benefits," and don't try to put other posters on trial. This is your warning, please take it seriously.	Post #992 July 19, 2011 4:36 AM +78 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,904 Likes received: 79,302	The phrase fight is already happening off screen, and it's the same fight every time, where people pretend the word is the whole issue. The issue is adults shrinking a kid until she fits their paperwork, and that's the horror. Anyway, good chapter, bad stomach.	Post #1017 July 19, 2011 5:11 AM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete
QuietScars Stranger 0 Joined: May 29, 2005 Messages: 4,110 Likes received: 46,261	Mara stopping the details is a realistic move, because details become weapons in a system that wants to be calm. Adults will call it "withholding," and then punish her for not trusting them, which is wild logic. I hate how predictable this is.	Post #1033 July 19, 2011 5:33 AM +21 likes Signature: "Say less, notice more."
PancakeMurderer Striker 0 Joined: May 11, 2011 Messages: 88 Likes received: 48,088	"mature" as a compliment for being quiet is so gross i can't even joke right now. also the tea offering in scene 1 is so real, because adults love tea, they think tea fixes everything. anyway, i'm mad again, as usual.	Post #1056 July 19, 2011 6:07 AM +18 likes Signature: My fics: Knifework (Striker pov), dead but beloved
Wavetruck Mover -1 Joined: July 01, 2011 Messages: 22 Likes received: 244	i didn't think paperwork could be scary, but here we are. the rewriting thing is what got me, because it's so quiet, and nobody screams, and it still hurts. i'm learning new fears, thanks author.	Post #1074 July 19, 2011 6:41 AM +11 likes Signature: "New here, be gentle."
BrickHugger Brute 11 Joined: May 20, 1999 Messages: 31,208 Likes received: 312,520	People always argue words when they can't argue behavior, because words feel controllable. Behavior is the kid saying "I'm not safe" and the adult hearing "feelings," then calling that careful. That's the rot, not the phrase.	Post #1092 July 19, 2011 7:05 AM +23 likes Signature: "Lift safe, think safer."
LibraryLurker Thinker 0 Joined: November 17, 2010 Messages: 613 Likes received: 33,493	Sonia isn't malicious, and the system still turns her into a blade, which is why this is hard to talk about without lying to yourself. I keep thinking about Mara watching her own sentence shrink on paper, because that's the moment she learns the rules. Horrible, good.	Post #1108 July 19, 2011 7:23 AM +15 likes Signature: "Mostly lurking."
RuleBender Trump 3 Joined: February 19, 2003 Messages: 7,007 Likes received: 120,108	The system isn't screaming, it's smiling, and smiling is how it keeps friends in the crowd. Mara refusing to perform desperation is such a quiet flex, because she's not begging the adults for their comfort. Anyway, this fic is mean, in a sharp way.	Post #1129 July 19, 2011 7:46 AM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Rule of Three (Trump antics), complete
QuoteMiner Thinker 2 Joined: September 08, 2002 Messages: 2,441 Likes received: 79,382	Page 44 is already doing the "words matter more than harm" fight, and it's exhausting to watch in real time. People love debates they can win, and they hate realities they have to carry. Anyway, Mara's silence at the end isn't peace, it's armor.	Post #1146 July 19, 2011 7:54 AM +17 likes Signature: My fics: Dead Links Society (Thinker meta), complete
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,892 Likes received: 281,018	Another mod reminder, because this keeps sliding sideways. Stop quote mining deleted posts, stop trying to "interpret motives" of other posters, and stop dragging real kids into it. Keep it to the fic, thanks.	Post #1160 July 19, 2011 7:55 AM +73 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
CarefulPaper Stranger -1 Joined: July 14, 2011 Messages: 11 Likes received: 15	mara watching her own words get softened is so real it made me nauseous. i've watched adults do that, where they use nicer words so they don't have to feel the sharp ones. anyway, i'm still reading, for reasons i don't understand.	Post #1173 July 19, 2011 7:55 AM +12 likes Signature: "new, don't bite."
ModMailEnjoyer Trump 0 Joined: January 03, 2010 Messages: 612 Likes received: 32,863	Ferrous is doing the patience voice again, which means the thread is exactly as messy as we all know it is. Also, seeing people try to win "phrase discourse" points while the kid is literally saying "I'm not safe" is peak internet brain rot. Anyway, I'm bracing for chapter 5.	Post #1188 July 19, 2011 7:56 AM +21 likes Signature: "If you got warned, you earned it."
CedarKid Mover 0 Joined: June 02, 2010 Messages: 1,093 Likes received: 27,637	Mara becoming unreadable feels like a kid learning how to disappear in front of adults, and that's not maturity, that's a shield. People praising it is the whole tragedy, because praise is how you reward compliance without saying it. Anyway, good chapter, awful lesson.	Post #1207 July 19, 2011 7:57 AM +13 likes Signature: "Run fast, read slower."
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,421 Likes received: 910,619	When adults can't handle a sentence, they soften it, then they congratulate themselves for being calm. That calm is a lie, because it's calm built on ignoring the sharp truth the kid gave them. Anyway, Ferrous is correct to warn early, because this thread is trying to turn into a hunt again.	Post #1226 July 19, 2011 7:58 AM +91 likes Signature: My fics: Archive Weather (old PHO classic), complete
ThreadmarkSnacker Blaster 0 Joined: January 12, 2009 Messages: 2,209 Likes received: 49,300	I love that the chapter doesn't make Sonia evil, because the scary part is Sonia doing her job while still causing damage. That's the whole institutional thing, nobody has to be a monster for the kid to lose. Anyway, this is gonna live in my head.	Post #1247 July 19, 2011 7:59 AM +19 likes Signature: My fics: Firebreak (Blaster action), complete

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OpenDoorWriter Stranger -1 Joined: July 15, 2011 Messages: 11 Likes received: 4,432	Threadmarks Chapter 5: The Agent Wobbles Scene: 1 INT. MARK'S OFFICE. DAY. MARK rereads SONIA's softened notes in silence, scanning for a reason to relax. Relief hits first, suspicion follows, and shame arrives last and stays longest. MARK doesn't say any of it aloud, because saying it aloud makes it real today. Scene: 2 INT. INTERVIEW ROOM. DAY. MARK sits with MARA longer than required, letting the silence stretch past convenience. MARA speaks plainly and steadily, refusing to hand him chaos as an excuse. MARK can't dismiss her with "teen dramatics," and he hates that he tried earlier. Scene: 3 INT. MARK'S OFFICE. LATER. MARK drafts a memo supporting long term placement, choosing conservative, careful language. MARK writes for internal review, because a memo that survives review can still help. Scene: 4 INT. DIRECTOR HARLOW'S OFFICE. DAY. HARLOW praises MARK's compassion, then kills the memo with tidy professionalism. HARLOW cites precedent, optics, and public trust, then says adoption talk looks hostile. MARK hears the message under the phrasing, and he doesn't pretend otherwise anymore. Scene: 5 INT. MARK'S KITCHEN. NIGHT. ERIN brings up wanting a son again, keeping her tone gentle and her smile steady. MARK tries joking, but he can't keep the smile stable this time at all. MARK promises again, and the promise sounds administrative instead of romantic tonight. Scene: 6 EXT. SIDEWALK. EVENING. MARK sees EVAN with a fresh scrape, and EVAN'S DAD explains it too quickly. The explanation sounds complete, and the completeness makes MARK feel sick inside. MARK stays awake afterward, and he doesn't call it paranoia anymore.	Post #1101 July 19, 2011 8:00 AM +701 likes Signature: Two Doors (threadmark fic), WIP
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,422 Likes received: 910,710	Harlow shutting down the memo with "optics" is the polite version of slamming a door in a kid's face. Also, Erin's son thing getting colder over time is such a good slow burn, because it shows how "nice" wants can turn sharp. This chapter is doing work.	Post #1106 July 19, 2011 8:09 AM +94 likes Signature: My fics: Archive Weather (old PHO classic), complete
RuleBender Trump 3 Joined: February 19, 2003 Messages: 7,008 Likes received: 120,135	Mark trying to write a memo that survives review is the saddest kind of courage, because it's courage shaped by fear. Harlow praising compassion while killing action is such a clean move, because it keeps Mark feeling good while staying powerless. Anyway, yes, I'm mad.	Post #1117 July 19, 2011 8:24 AM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Rule of Three (Trump antics), complete
SpannerSplicer Tinker 6 Joined: November 09, 1999 Messages: 22,617 Likes received: 190,200	I love that Mark's first instinct is paperwork, because paperwork is the only weapon he's allowed to hold without getting fired. Harlow treating adoption talk as "hostile" is branding logic, not child safety logic. That mismatch is the horror.	Post #1129 July 19, 2011 8:41 AM +29 likes Signature: My fics: Wrench & Wonder (Tinker slice), hiatus
FamilyValues4Life Master 0 Joined: October 21, 2009 Messages: 1,289 Likes received: 32,181	I'm gonna say something that makes me uncomfortable to admit, because I see myself in Mark's first instinct here. He wants to do right, and he's still choosing the safest version of right, because consequences scare people into compliance. I don't like that, and I'm thinking about it.	Post #1146 July 19, 2011 9:05 AM +18 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
TinFoilTattletale [Banned] Thinker 1 Joined: December 30, 2010 Messages: 4,985 Likes received: 63,105	I'm watching how the fic keeps rewarding certain attitudes, and I'm not gonna pretend that's neutral. Mark gets praised for "focus," Harlow gets to be calm and right, and the kid keeps getting translated, and I'm side eyeing the pattern. I'm not naming anyone, I'm noticing patterns.	Post #1162 July 19, 2011 9:22 AM +14 likes Signature: My fics: Tinfoil Tactics (Thinker humor), ongoing
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,893 Likes received: 281,091	TinFoilTattletale, you were warned earlier, and you are still doing the same "target shaped" posting with different words. Take a 12 hour threadban, cool off, then come back and talk about the scenes directly. Everyone else, do not dogpile, and do not quote removed content.	Post #1164 July 19, 2011 9:25 AM +86 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
Sunlance Blaster 4 Joined: July 22, 2006 Messages: 5,815 Likes received: 132,629	That was a clean threadban, and it was overdue, because the thread keeps trying to become a motive hunt instead of a reading thread. Back to the chapter, Mark's shame arriving last is so real, because shame always shows up late. Also, Evan's dad explaining too quickly is chilling.	Post #1179 July 19, 2011 9:47 AM +26 likes Signature: "If it glows, don't touch it."
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,905 Likes received: 79,330	Ferrous did the patient thing, and people should stop acting like a threadban is a tragedy, because it's a timeout, not exile. The chapter itself is basically saying, "systems love calm optics," and the thread keeps trying to prove it true. Anyway, good drop.	Post #1197 July 19, 2011 10:13 AM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete
BrickHugger Brute 11 Joined: May 20, 1999 Messages: 31,209 Likes received: 312,543	Mark's promise turning administrative is a quiet gut punch, because it shows how his job is eating his home language. Also, that's how "family values" gets weaponized, not with yelling, with soft pressure and expectations. Good chapter, bad feelings.	Post #1211 July 19, 2011 10:29 AM +23 likes Signature: "Lift safe, think safer."
QuietScars Stranger 0 Joined: May 29, 2005 Messages: 4,111 Likes received: 46,282	Harlow didn't threaten Mark, Harlow just made consequences obvious, and that's how control works when it wants to look clean. Mark trying to be brave in memo form is heartbreaking, because it's brave and it's still small. Anyway, I'm still here.	Post #1230 July 19, 2011 10:54 AM +21 likes Signature: "Say less, notice more."
GlassDoor Breaker 2 Joined: January 14, 2001 Messages: 9,342 Likes received: 85,107	Erin's son request shifting from cute to cold is such a good background thread, because it's showing how desire can become entitlement quietly. Also, Mark finally not calling it paranoia is huge, because it's him admitting he's been minimizing reality. Good, mean writing.	Post #1248 July 19, 2011 11:19 AM +22 likes Signature: My fics: Phase Shift Diaries (Breaker drama), complete
PancakeMurderer Striker 0 Joined: May 11, 2011 Messages: 89 Likes received: 48,106	mark trying to joke and failing is so relatable i hate it. also the memo getting killed with "optics" made me want to scream, quietly, into a pillow, like a mature person. anyway, yes, i'm still mad.	Post #1265 July 19, 2011 11:41 AM +18 likes Signature: My fics: Knifework (Striker pov), dead but beloved
CedarKid Mover 0 Joined: June 02, 2010 Messages: 1,094 Likes received: 27,650	Mark watching the scrape and getting sick is the moment where "nice guy" becomes "awake guy," and awake guys don't get to sleep anymore. I'm also noticing how often people in this story choose comfort first, then morality later, if ever. That's the theme, yeah.	Post #1281 July 19, 2011 12:03 PM +13 likes Signature: "Run fast, read slower."
RiverQuake Shaker 1 Joined: June 06, 2008 Messages: 3,123 Likes received: 52,141	The threadban is fair, and also, it's funny in a sad way how the thread keeps reenacting the story, where people chase vibes instead of facts. Also, Evan's dad explaining too quickly is a classic move, because the explanation is for the adult, not the truth. Anyway, I'm bracing for the next chapter.	Post #1294 July 19, 2011 12:21 PM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Faultline Kids (Shaker OC), ongoing
PaperTrailPriest Thinker 6 Joined: August 03, 2004 Messages: 6,812 Likes received: 168,392	Mark trying to make his moral act survive review is what it looks like when a person learns the system's language and tries to use it against itself. That's not cowardice, that's adaptation, and it still might fail, which is the tragedy. Also, "optics" is a curse word in this fic.	Post #1319 July 19, 2011 12:56 PM +57 likes Signature: My fics: Red Tape Saints (Thinker legal drama), complete
CarefulPaper Stranger -1 Joined: July 14, 2011 Messages: 12 Likes received: 57	the memo scene hurt, because it's like watching someone try to save a kid with a spoon while the building burns. and the building is calm about it, which is worse. anyway, sorry, i'm emotional.	Post #1342 July 19, 2011 1:19 PM +12 likes Signature: "new, don't bite."
ModMailEnjoyer Trump 0 Joined: January 03, 2010 Messages: 613 Likes received: 32,884	People acting like a threadban is censorship are always the same people who would absolutely weaponize "I'm just asking questions" forever. Anyway, the chapter's real villain is the phrase "public trust," because it's always used as a shield for inaction. Yes, I said it.	Post #1360 July 19, 2011 1:38 PM +21 likes Signature: "If you got warned, you earned it."
Wavetruck Mover -1 Joined: July 01, 2011 Messages: 23 Likes received: 255	ok so threadbans are real and not just a myth, good to know. also i can't stop thinking about how mark keeps doing "nice" things that still end up protecting the wrong person. anyway, i'm staying, because i hate myself.	Post #1377 July 19, 2011 1:52 PM +11 likes Signature: "New here, be gentle."
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,894 Likes received: 281,177	Last note before the next chapter, because I can see people winding up again. Do not repost threadban drama, do not bait it, do not "explain what she meant." Talk about the fic, thanks.	Post #1389 July 19, 2011 1:55 PM +71 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,906 Likes received: 79,358	The funniest part is how many people were about to write essays about moderation, and Ferrous just preemptively told them "no." The saddest part is how necessary that is, because PHO can't resist making everything about itself. Anyway, back to Mara, who is still stuck in the machine.	Post #1398 July 19, 2011 1:56 PM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete
StaticHalo Blaster 1 Joined: October 02, 2008 Messages: 3,409 Likes received: 60,318	I'm late to the thread, and I'm already exhausted by how many people want to be the smartest reader instead of the kindest one. Chapter five was great, because it showed Mark's home life getting cold in tiny ways, which is how real rot works. Subbed, sorry.	Post #1407 July 19, 2011 1:57 PM +23 likes Signature: My fics: Halo Static (Blaster romance), complete
QuietScars Stranger 0 Joined: May 29, 2005 Messages: 4,112 Likes received: 46,303	Also, for the people in my DMs, no, I'm not "celebrating" a threadban, I'm celebrating the thread staying readable. That's it, that's the whole thought, please stop being weird at me. Anyway, chapter six is gonna be the calm before the worse storm.	Post #1416 July 19, 2011 1:58 PM +21 likes Signature: "Say less, notice more."

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OpenDoorWriter Stranger -1 Joined: July 15, 2011 Messages: 12 Likes received: 5,090	Threadmarks Chapter 6: Safety Looks Like Maturity Scene: 1 INT. MARA'S PLACEMENT HOME. MORNING. MARA wakes up and realizes she slept through the night without listening for footsteps. No door handle dread, no rehearsed excuses waiting in her mouth, no counting seconds. MARA sits up slowly, tests the quiet, then keeps testing it anyway, because habit lingers. Scene: 2 EXT. SCHOOL. DAY. A TEACHER calls MARA "mature," and the compliment lands with a dull sting in her chest. MARA keeps her face neutral, because reacting invites questions she can't afford today. Scene: 3 INT. YOUTH GUARD EMAIL THREAD. DAY. HARLOW circulates guidance about kids being "coached," framed as caution and concern. The message prepares suspicion in advance, and it spreads cleanly through the office. Scene: 4 INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE OFFICE. DAY. MARK corners BULWARK for a careful conversation, tone measured and polite, eyes tired. BULWARK gives facts and refuses ideology bait, then describes MARA's fear as consistent. MARK leaves more awake, and he hates that the awake feeling arrives this late again. Scene: 5 INT. MARK'S LIVING ROOM. NIGHT. Board game night gets messy, loud, and normal, and nobody punishes the noise. MARK watches LILY and JUNE laugh freely, and he recalculates what safety means tonight. Scene: 6 EXT. MARK'S DRIVEWAY. NIGHT. EVAN asks to stay outside longer, pretending it's about a game he forgot on purpose. MARK agrees without making it a scene, and EVAN's shoulders loosen immediately. MARK understands the ask, and he doesn't pretend he missed it.	Post #1301 July 19, 2011 2:00 PM +658 likes Signature: Two Doors (threadmark fic), WIP
GlassDoor Breaker 2 Joined: January 14, 2001 Messages: 9,343 Likes received: 85,129	Mara sleeping through the night is the first real miracle in this whole story, and it's sad that it counts as a miracle. Also, "coached" is such a nasty word, because it lets adults dismiss a kid without saying "I don't believe her." Anyway, I'm furious.	Post #1306 July 19, 2011 2:07 PM +22 likes Signature: My fics: Phase Shift Diaries (Breaker drama), complete
PaperTrailPriest Thinker 6 Joined: August 03, 2004 Messages: 6,813 Likes received: 168,449	"Coached" is a system's favorite word, because it turns testimony into manipulation without proving anything. Harlow sending it as guidance is telling, because it primes staff to distrust before they listen. That is policy as emotion control.	Post #1317 July 19, 2011 2:22 PM +57 likes Signature: My fics: Red Tape Saints (Thinker legal drama), complete
SpannerSplicer Tinker 6 Joined: November 09, 1999 Messages: 22,618 Likes received: 190,229	Mara testing the quiet over and over is such a real detail, because safety feels fake at first when you've never had it. Also, Harlow's email is basically a prewritten excuse for ignoring kids, and it's dressed as "caution." This is mean, in a smart way.	Post #1330 July 19, 2011 2:41 PM +29 likes Signature: My fics: Wrench & Wonder (Tinker slice), hiatus
FamilyValues4Life Master 0 Joined: October 21, 2009 Messages: 1,290 Likes received: 32,199	I hate that "mature" gets used as praise for silence, because it rewards shutting down instead of healing. I also hate that I've probably said that word to someone and meant it as a compliment, and now I feel gross. So yeah, this chapter hit.	Post #1347 July 19, 2011 3:07 PM +18 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
BrickHugger Brute 11 Joined: May 20, 1999 Messages: 31,210 Likes received: 312,566	The board game scene is doing so much work, because it shows a safe home isn't quiet, it's forgiving. Kids being loud without punishment is the baseline, and it shouldn't feel shocking, but it does. Also, Harlow is awful, politely.	Post #1362 July 19, 2011 3:29 PM +23 likes Signature: "Lift safe, think safer."
Sunlance Blaster 4 Joined: July 22, 2006 Messages: 5,816 Likes received: 132,655	Evan asking to stay outside longer is the saddest kind of request, because it's a request for time, not for comfort. Kids ask for time when they don't think adults can give them safety, and that wrecks me. Anyway, I'm staring into space again.	Post #1376 July 19, 2011 3:48 PM +26 likes Signature: "If it glows, don't touch it."
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,907 Likes received: 79,386	I can already see the future argument where people say "coached" is reasonable caution, and then use it forever to ignore kids. That's how slogans work, they start as "reasonable" and end as a club. Anyway, good chapter, terrible email.	Post #1399 July 19, 2011 4:16 PM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete
QuietScars Stranger 0 Joined: May 29, 2005 Messages: 4,113 Likes received: 46,324	Mara sleeping without listening is a grief moment too, because it shows how much of her life was spent on alert. Also, Mark leaving "more awake" is the understatement of the year, because awake means guilt starts talking louder. Anyway, I'm tired.	Post #1412 July 19, 2011 4:37 PM +21 likes Signature: "Say less, notice more."
PancakeMurderer Striker 0 Joined: May 11, 2011 Messages: 90 Likes received: 48,124	the board game scene is so sweet it made me angry, because it shouldn't be rare, it should be normal. also "coached" is such a gross word, because it turns kids into puppets in one syllable. anyway, i'm gonna go touch grass, maybe.	Post #1429 July 19, 2011 4:59 PM +18 likes Signature: My fics: Knifework (Striker pov), dead but beloved
RiverQuake Shaker 1 Joined: June 06, 2008 Messages: 3,124 Likes received: 52,168	Mark talking to Bulwark is the first time it feels like an adult is actually trying to gather truth instead of gather comfort. Also, I'm still mad about the "coached" framing, because it's an excuse generator, full stop. Anyway, good chapter.	Post #1446 July 19, 2011 5:22 PM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Faultline Kids (Shaker OC), ongoing
Wavetruck Mover -1 Joined: July 01, 2011 Messages: 24 Likes received: 266	"coached" is giving me bad vibes, because it's basically "kid is lying but i'm polite about it." also, the "stay outside longer" line made me sad in a way i didn't expect. i'm still reading, yes.	Post #1463 July 19, 2011 5:48 PM +11 likes Signature: "New here, be gentle."
LibraryLurker Thinker 0 Joined: November 17, 2010 Messages: 614 Likes received: 33,508	The teacher calling Mara mature is the kind of compliment that hides a demand, because it says "keep being easy for us." Mara being easy is how she survives, and adults keep mistaking survival for virtue. This fic is ruthless.	Post #1484 July 19, 2011 6:16 PM +15 likes Signature: "Mostly lurking."
ModMailEnjoyer Trump 0 Joined: January 03, 2010 Messages: 614 Likes received: 32,905	The threadban earlier was the calmest possible intervention, and people still acted like the world ended, which is so funny and so sad. Anyway, Harlow's email is exactly what people mean when they say "org culture," because it's teaching staff how to think. That's the whole danger.	Post #1502 July 19, 2011 6:37 PM +21 likes Signature: "If you got warned, you earned it."
StaticHalo Blaster 1 Joined: October 02, 2008 Messages: 3,410 Likes received: 60,341	I keep rereading the "tests the quiet" line, because it's such a clean picture of trauma as habit. Also, the way Mark recalculates safety after seeing his own kids being loud is a good mirror, because it shows what he's been ignoring. This is good.	Post #1518 July 19, 2011 6:54 PM +23 likes Signature: My fics: Halo Static (Blaster romance), complete
CarefulPaper Stranger -1 Joined: July 14, 2011 Messages: 13 Likes received: 139	the "no counting seconds" thing hit me, because i used to count seconds, and i thought that was normal, and it wasn't. also people praising "mature" kids makes me mad now, thanks for that, author. anyway, i'm still here.	Post #1532 July 19, 2011 7:13 PM +12 likes Signature: "new, don't bite."
QuoteMiner Thinker 2 Joined: September 08, 2002 Messages: 2,442 Likes received: 79,399	The fic is doing a neat thing where it shows how the words "mature" and "coached" are both adult comfort tools. One praises the kid for being easy, the other dismisses the kid for being inconvenient, and both keep the system safe. That's clean writing.	Post #1549 July 19, 2011 7:31 PM +17 likes Signature: My fics: Dead Links Society (Thinker meta), complete
CedarKid Mover 0 Joined: June 02, 2010 Messages: 1,095 Likes received: 27,663	Mark understanding the ask and not pretending he missed it is the first real adult move he's made in a while. Adults love pretending they missed it, because missing it means no responsibility. So yeah, this chapter mattered.	Post #1564 July 19, 2011 7:44 PM +13 likes Signature: "Run fast, read slower."
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,423 Likes received: 910,804	The "coached" memo is the system preparing excuses before anyone even speaks, and that's not caution, that's preemptive dismissal. Also, Mara sleeping through the night is the most hopeful thing in the whole story, and it still reads as fragile, because hope is fragile here. Anyway, good work, author.	Post #1579 July 19, 2011 7:52 PM +94 likes Signature: My fics: Archive Weather (old PHO classic), complete
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,895 Likes received: 281,248	Mod reminder before the next drop, because I can see people getting tempted again. Don't speculate about real minors, don't do identity guessing, and don't try to "connect dots" between fiction and real kids. Keep it abstract, keep it calm.	Post #1591 July 19, 2011 7:55 PM +71 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
ThreadmarkSnacker Blaster 0 Joined: January 12, 2009 Messages: 2,210 Likes received: 49,319	I know the story is gonna get worse, but I'm grateful it gave Mara one night of sleep, because it shows what "safe" can actually feel like. Also, Mark noticing his own kids' laughter as a safety signal is a good beat, because safety is noisy sometimes. Anyway, I'm braced.	Post #1607 July 19, 2011 7:56 PM +19 likes Signature: My fics: Firebreak (Blaster action), complete

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OpenDoorWriter Stranger -1 Joined: July 15, 2011 Messages: 13 Likes received: 5,712	Threadmarks Chapter 7: The Parents Go Public Scene: 1 INT. COMMUNITY CENTER. DAY. MARA'S PARENTS speak about unity and overreach, polished smiles locked in place for the crowd. B.G., volunteers clap, cameras flash, and the parents hold their posture like a shield. Backstage, one PARENT adjusts MARA's collar too hard and says, "Fix your face, quit looking upset, people notice everything, and you don't want that." The other smiles at a volunteer, then murmurs, "Don't you dare ruin this for us, because you won't like what happens after, and you know that." Nobody nearby reacts, because the words stay quiet and the faces stay pleasant for show. Scene: 2 INT. YOUTH GUARD CONFERENCE ROOM. DAY. HARLOW calls an optics meeting, and language consistency becomes today's priority again. MARK watches the mission tilt toward brand safety, and nobody names the tilt out loud. Scene: 3 INT. HARLOW'S OFFICE. DAY. HARLOW shuts MARK down with "mission drift," tone calm, hands folded neatly on the desk. No shouted threat appears, only consequences that don't need clear words in the room. MARK leaves feeling boxed in, and he doesn't mistake it for coincidence anymore. Scene: 4 INT. SONIA'S OFFICE. DAY. SONIA gets told to adjust documentation wording to support reunification framing again. SONIA does it with a tight jaw, because refusal has a price and she knows it. Scene: 5 INT. MARK'S KITCHEN. NIGHT. ERIN tells MARK he can be wrong and still choose the next right action tomorrow. MARK nods, and the nod looks more honest than any memo he's written.	Post #1501 July 19, 2011 8:00 PM +622 likes Signature: Two Doors (threadmark fic), WIP
BrickHugger Brute 11 Joined: May 20, 1999 Messages: 31,211 Likes received: 312,589	The parents staying sweet in public while threatening backstage is exactly the point, because it shows how reputation is armor and a weapon. Also, Harlow saying "mission drift" is such a clean way to say "stop caring so loudly." This chapter is vile, nicely done.	Post #1506 July 19, 2011 8:07 PM +23 likes Signature: "Lift safe, think safer."
FamilyValues4Life Master 0 Joined: October 21, 2009 Messages: 1,291 Likes received: 32,217	The community center scene is the one that finally made me feel sick, because it shows how easy it is for abusers to look like the heroes. I keep thinking about how many adults will clap, then go home feeling righteous, while Mara goes home feeling trapped. This is hard to read.	Post #1518 July 19, 2011 8:23 PM +18 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
SpannerSplicer Tinker 6 Joined: November 09, 1999 Messages: 22,619 Likes received: 190,258	The phrase "language consistency" makes me want to throw a stapler, because it's branding logic disguised as care. Also, Sonia changing words with a tight jaw is such a good detail, because it shows complicity as pressure, not as evil. Anyway, great drop.	Post #1531 July 19, 2011 8:41 PM +29 likes Signature: My fics: Wrench & Wonder (Tinker slice), hiatus
Sunlance Blaster 4 Joined: July 22, 2006 Messages: 5,817 Likes received: 132,681	"Fix your face" is such a small sentence and it's still a punch, because it's control in a whisper. Also, Erin telling Mark he can choose the next right action is the first genuinely hopeful adult line in this whole fic. I needed that.	Post #1542 July 19, 2011 8:58 PM +26 likes Signature: "If it glows, don't touch it."
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,908 Likes received: 79,414	The parents are doing the "public charity" performance while privately threatening, and that's why removal gets treated as heresy, because it breaks the story the adults want. Also, Harlow is basically running a PR shop with legal authority, which is a fun combo. Anyway, yep, still mad.	Post #1557 July 19, 2011 9:19 PM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete
TinFoilTattletale [Banned] Thinker 1 Joined: December 30, 2010 Messages: 4,985 Likes received: 63,105		Post #1569 July 19, 2011 9:32 PM +0 likes Signature: My fics: Tinfoil Tactics (Thinker humor), ongoing
ModMailEnjoyer Trump 0 Joined: January 03, 2010 Messages: 615 Likes received: 32,926	Seeing the threadban in the archive later is funny, because you can literally see the thread breathe easier afterward. Anyway, the community center scene is basically "abuse with good lighting," and that's why it works, because people love good lighting. Yes, I'm mad too.	Post #1587 July 19, 2011 9:54 PM +21 likes Signature: "If you got warned, you earned it."
Wavetruck Mover -1 Joined: July 01, 2011 Messages: 25 Likes received: 277	the backstage threat being quiet is what makes it scary, because nobody can hear it unless they're right there. also the "language consistency" thing is such a red flag, because it sounds like "don't make us look bad." anyway, i'm stressed again.	Post #1603 July 19, 2011 10:12 PM +11 likes Signature: "New here, be gentle."
PaperTrailPriest Thinker 6 Joined: August 03, 2004 Messages: 6,814 Likes received: 168,506	Harlow treating adoption talk as "mission drift" is an organization defending its identity instead of serving its purpose. When brand becomes mission, the kid becomes a threat, because the kid is evidence the slogan fails sometimes. That's the whole engine.	Post #1628 July 19, 2011 10:39 PM +57 likes Signature: My fics: Red Tape Saints (Thinker legal drama), complete
QuietScars Stranger 0 Joined: May 29, 2005 Messages: 4,114 Likes received: 46,345	The backstage scene is why outsiders never believe kids, because the adults never let the ugly voice slip in public. It's all smiles and charity, then the door closes, then the kid gets the knife voice quietly. That contrast is the trap.	Post #1641 July 19, 2011 10:57 PM +21 likes Signature: "Say less, notice more."
PancakeMurderer Striker 0 Joined: May 11, 2011 Messages: 91 Likes received: 48,142	"fix your face" is the kind of line that lives in your head forever, and i hate that. also erin's line made me tear up a bit, don't look at me, i'm fragile, ok. anyway, i'm still mad at harlow.	Post #1659 July 19, 2011 11:19 PM +18 likes Signature: My fics: Knifework (Striker pov), dead but beloved
RiverQuake Shaker 1 Joined: June 06, 2008 Messages: 3,125 Likes received: 52,195	The story keeps showing how "for the children" rhetoric becomes a shield for adult pride, and the community center is the loudest example so far. People clap for a slogan, and the kid goes home with a threat, and nobody connects it, because they don't want to. That's the horror.	Post #1674 July 19, 2011 11:37 PM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Faultline Kids (Shaker OC), ongoing
LibraryLurker Thinker 0 Joined: November 17, 2010 Messages: 615 Likes received: 33,523	Mark being boxed in without anyone raising their voice is the most realistic part, because power doesn't need volume when it has policy. I also keep thinking about Sonia, because she's being pressed into serving optics, and she knows it, and she still types. This is bleak.	Post #1691 July 19, 2011 11:53 PM +15 likes Signature: "Mostly lurking."
CedarKid Mover 0 Joined: June 02, 2010 Messages: 1,096 Likes received: 27,676	Erin telling Mark he can still do the next right action is such a good spouse move, because it refuses shame spirals and still demands action. Shame spirals keep people stuck, and this fic is very aware of that. Anyway, yes, solid chapter.	Post #1708 July 20, 2011 12:11 AM +13 likes Signature: "Run fast, read slower."
StaticHalo Blaster 1 Joined: October 02, 2008 Messages: 3,411 Likes received: 60,364	The parents doing the charity posture while privately threatening is so real it made my jaw hurt, because I've seen adults do that in normal life too. Also, Mark nodding at Erin's line is the first time I've trusted him, even a little. Anyway, I'm still here.	Post #1724 July 20, 2011 12:29 AM +23 likes Signature: My fics: Halo Static (Blaster romance), complete
QuoteMiner Thinker 2 Joined: September 08, 2002 Messages: 2,443 Likes received: 79,416	The fic is doing a clean theme where "image management" becomes a substitute for morality, and Harlow is basically the personification of that. Also, the parents are image management at home too, which is why they threaten in whispers, because whispers leave fewer witnesses. Good structure.	Post #1738 July 20, 2011 12:44 AM +17 likes Signature: My fics: Dead Links Society (Thinker meta), complete
CarefulPaper Stranger -1 Joined: July 14, 2011 Messages: 14 Likes received: 251	i hate the way nobody reacts to the backstage threats, because they're quiet and socially invisible. it makes me think about how many kids are trapped behind "nice family" masks and nobody checks twice. anyway, sorry, i'm sad again.	Post #1751 July 20, 2011 12:58 AM +12 likes Signature: "new, don't bite."
GlassDoor Breaker 2 Joined: January 14, 2001 Messages: 9,344 Likes received: 85,151	I keep thinking about how many readers will call the parents "well meaning" after watching them threaten Mara backstage, because readers love giving adults benefit of doubt. Kids never get that benefit, they get "dramatic." This fic is dragging that hypocrisy into light.	Post #1767 July 20, 2011 1:21 AM +22 likes Signature: My fics: Phase Shift Diaries (Breaker drama), complete
WrenchWitch Tinker 2 Joined: April 27, 2005 Messages: 4,221 Likes received: 95,237	Late comment, but the community center scene is a masterclass in "public virtue, private cruelty," and it's scary because it reads as normal civic life. I've been in those rooms, I've heard those speeches, and I've watched kids smile on cue in the corner. This chapter nailed that.	Post #1779 July 20, 2011 1:36 AM +58 likes Signature: My fics: Solder & Spell (Tinker fantasy AU), complete
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,424 Likes received: 910,898	The threadban being empty in the archive is genuinely funny, because it's a blank space that tells you exactly what kind of posting was happening there. Anyway, the community center scene is the story showing how adults build a shield out of applause, and shields become weapons fast. Good work, author.	Post #1788 July 20, 2011 1:49 AM +94 likes Signature: My fics: Archive Weather (old PHO classic), complete
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,896 Likes received: 281,319	Last mod reminder before the next chapter hits, because this thread keeps flirting with real kid speculation. Don't do it, don't hint it, and don't pretend hints are harmless. Keep it on fiction, thanks.	Post #1792 July 20, 2011 1:55 AM +71 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice

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OpenDoorWriter Stranger -1 Joined: July 15, 2011 Messages: 14 Likes received: 6,556	Threadmarks Chapter 8: Evan Says The Line Scene: 1 EXT. MARK'S FRONT PORCH. NIGHT. EVAN shows up with an excuse that collapses mid sentence, and he knows it instantly. EVAN recites, "It's fine, it's all fine, nothing's happening, nothing's wrong, I'm just here for a minute." EVAN asks to sit a minute, and the ask comes out careful and small in his throat. Scene: 2 INT. MARK'S KITCHEN. NIGHT. MARK lets him in and offers water, keeping his tone calm and ordinary on purpose. ERIN reads the situation immediately, then sends LILY and JUNE upstairs quietly. ERIN doesn't explain, because explaining makes kids feel responsible for adult fear tonight. Scene: 3 INT. KITCHEN. CONTINUOUS. EVAN says, "I don't wanna go home tonight, not after earlier, not with him watching me like that." MARK doesn't argue wording, and that restraint matters more than comfort right now. Scene: 4 INT. MARK'S STUDY. NIGHT. MARK documents dates, quotes, observed injuries, and exact wording, keeping everything plain. MARK writes boringly on purpose, because boring writing survives internal review and denial later. Scene: 5 INT. HARLOW'S OFFICE. DAY. HARLOW reassigns MARK off youth cases, tone professional, face regretful, hands clean. MARK keeps his job, and he loses impact, and the trade is the point.	Post #1651 July 20, 2011 2:00 AM +844 likes Signature: Two Doors (threadmark fic), WIP
Sunlance Blaster 4 Joined: July 22, 2006 Messages: 5,818 Likes received: 132,707	Evan repeating the "it's fine" script is the worst kind of realism, because it's a kid preloading the safest words first. Mark not arguing wording is the first time he's acted like an adult instead of a policy pamphlet. Also, Harlow reassigning him is pure retaliation with clean hands.	Post #1656 July 20, 2011 2:07 AM +26 likes Signature: "If it glows, don't touch it."
FamilyValues4Life Master 0 Joined: October 21, 2009 Messages: 1,292 Likes received: 32,235	I had to pause after Evan said he didn't want to go home, because it's the kind of sentence that makes everything else stop mattering. Also, Mark writing "boringly" on purpose is a smart detail, because boring is how you survive systems that prefer calm stories. This chapter hurt.	Post #1669 July 20, 2011 2:24 AM +18 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
BrickHugger Brute 11 Joined: May 20, 1999 Messages: 31,212 Likes received: 312,612	Harlow reassigning Mark is the system saying "you got too awake," and that's the whole machine defending itself. Also, Erin sending the kids upstairs without explaining is such a good parenting beat, because it protects them from adult fear. Anyway, I'm furious.	Post #1684 July 20, 2011 2:46 AM +23 likes Signature: "Lift safe, think safer."
SpannerSplicer Tinker 6 Joined: November 09, 1999 Messages: 22,620 Likes received: 190,287	The "boring writing survives" detail is so real, because the system loves boring, boring feels safe, boring feels manageable. It's also disgusting, because a kid's fear should not have to be formatted into boring to be believed. Great chapter.	Post #1699 July 20, 2011 3:07 AM +29 likes Signature: My fics: Wrench & Wonder (Tinker slice), hiatus
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,909 Likes received: 79,442	Evan's "it's fine" script is the kind of line that makes people argue about "tone" again, and I'm begging everyone to not do that. The kid is asking for safety, not for debate points. Also, Harlow's reassignment is revenge in a suit.	Post #1715 July 20, 2011 3:29 AM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete
Wavetruck Mover -1 Joined: July 01, 2011 Messages: 26 Likes received: 288	"i don't wanna go home" is such a simple line and it still feels huge, because it's the line adults pretend not to hear. also harlow moving mark off youth cases is insane, because it's basically punishment for caring. anyway, i'm mad now.	Post #1731 July 20, 2011 3:53 AM +11 likes Signature: "New here, be gentle."
PaperTrailPriest Thinker 6 Joined: August 03, 2004 Messages: 6,815 Likes received: 168,563	Mark documenting dates and exact wording is how you build a case that survives hostile review, and hostile review is the norm in systems that fear mistakes. Harlow reassigning him is also a case, it's a case of organizational self protection. That's the language of control.	Post #1748 July 20, 2011 4:17 AM +57 likes Signature: My fics: Red Tape Saints (Thinker legal drama), complete
QuietScars Stranger 0 Joined: May 29, 2005 Messages: 4,115 Likes received: 46,366	Evan asking to sit a minute is a kid trying to buy time, because time is the only thing he thinks he can ask for safely. That broke me, honestly, because it's such a small request and it says everything. Also, Harlow is petty and polished.	Post #1764 July 20, 2011 4:39 AM +21 likes Signature: "Say less, notice more."
PancakeMurderer Striker 0 Joined: May 11, 2011 Messages: 92 Likes received: 48,160	ok i cried, don't perceive me. erin being the adult who quietly handles logistics is such a good contrast to all the org adults who only handle optics. also harlow can step on twenty legos, respectfully.	Post #1781 July 20, 2011 5:01 AM +18 likes Signature: My fics: Knifework (Striker pov), dead but beloved
RiverQuake Shaker 1 Joined: June 06, 2008 Messages: 3,126 Likes received: 52,222	Evan repeating "it's fine" reads like a kid trying to keep the adult calm, because calm adults are safer than emotional adults. That is such a bleak kid skill to learn, and it's learned, not innate. Anyway, yes, I'm wrecked.	Post #1796 July 20, 2011 5:24 AM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Faultline Kids (Shaker OC), ongoing
TinFoilTattletale [Banned] Thinker 1 Joined: December 30, 2010 Messages: 4,985 Likes received: 63,105		Post #1809 July 20, 2011 5:41 AM +0 likes Signature: My fics: Tinfoil Tactics (Thinker humor), ongoing
ModMailEnjoyer Trump 0 Joined: January 03, 2010 Messages: 616 Likes received: 32,947	Seeing the blank posts in the archive is hilarious, because it's a silent reminder that yes, moderation happened, and yes, someone deserved it. Back to the chapter, Mark losing impact while keeping the job is such a realistic consequence, because systems punish without firing you. This fic is cruelly accurate.	Post #1821 July 20, 2011 6:02 AM +21 likes Signature: "If you got warned, you earned it."
LibraryLurker Thinker 0 Joined: November 17, 2010 Messages: 616 Likes received: 33,538	Mark writing boringly is such a good choice, because it shows him learning what the system demands from truth, which is always "present it nicely." Also, Evan finally saying the line is the moment adults have no excuse to pretend they missed it. Now we see what they do.	Post #1835 July 20, 2011 6:21 AM +15 likes Signature: "Mostly lurking."
CedarKid Mover 0 Joined: June 02, 2010 Messages: 1,097 Likes received: 27,689	Mark not arguing wording is huge, because it's him choosing care over control in a moment where he could have defaulted to policy voice. Also, Harlow punishing him after is basically saying "care is expensive," which is bleak. Anyway, great chapter.	Post #1850 July 20, 2011 6:38 AM +13 likes Signature: "Run fast, read slower."
StaticHalo Blaster 1 Joined: October 02, 2008 Messages: 3,412 Likes received: 60,387	Evan's line is gonna echo in my head all day, because it's so plain, and plain is what adults claim to want, until the plain truth is inconvenient. Also, Erin is quietly becoming my favorite adult in this story, because she acts instead of branding. Anyway, I'm wrecked.	Post #1866 July 20, 2011 6:59 AM +23 likes Signature: My fics: Halo Static (Blaster romance), complete
QuoteMiner Thinker 2 Joined: September 08, 2002 Messages: 2,444 Likes received: 79,433	This chapter is basically the thesis for the whole story, because it shows the moment where "family values" meets the kid's direct request for safety. Also, Harlow's reassignment is the org moving the problem out of sight, which is the theme again and again. Clean structure.	Post #1878 July 20, 2011 7:15 AM +17 likes Signature: My fics: Dead Links Society (Thinker meta), complete
WrenchWitch Tinker 2 Joined: April 27, 2005 Messages: 4,222 Likes received: 95,295	I love the detail where Erin sends the girls upstairs without turning it into a scary explanation, because it shows competence as quiet action. Mark writing the record as boring is competence too, which is grim, because competence should not be required for a kid to be believed. Anyway, solid chapter.	Post #1892 July 20, 2011 7:33 AM +58 likes Signature: My fics: Solder & Spell (Tinker fantasy AU), complete
CarefulPaper Stranger -1 Joined: July 14, 2011 Messages: 15 Likes received: 263	"i don't wanna go home" is the line i wish adults listened to the first time, every time. also harlow moving mark off youth cases made me feel cold, because it's punishment that pretends it's "professional." anyway, i'm not okay.	Post #1907 July 20, 2011 7:47 AM +12 likes Signature: "new, don't bite."
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,425 Likes received: 910,992	The kid saying "I don't wanna go home" is what forces adults to choose, because you cannot claim ignorance after that line lands. Then the system immediately punishes the adult who listened, which tells you everything you need to know about the system's priorities. Anyway, yes, this is excellent.	Post #1921 July 20, 2011 7:53 AM +94 likes Signature: My fics: Archive Weather (old PHO classic), complete
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,897 Likes received: 281,390	Mod reminder before the last drop, because this is the point where people love to start "connecting dots." Do not connect dots to real minors, do not hint it, and do not say "you know who I mean." Keep it fictional, keep it calm.	Post #1933 July 20, 2011 7:55 AM +71 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
ThreadmarkSnacker Blaster 0 Joined: January 12, 2009 Messages: 2,211 Likes received: 49,338	Mark losing impact while keeping the job is the most adult tragedy in the whole story, because it's consequences without closure. Also, this thread is gonna get messy after the ending, because the ending is gonna be a magnet for "real life" talk. Ferrous, good luck.	Post #1947 July 20, 2011 7:56 AM +19 likes Signature: My fics: Firebreak (Blaster action), complete

Account	Post	Meta
OpenDoorWriter Stranger -1 Joined: July 15, 2011 Messages: 15 Likes received: 7,467	Threadmarks Chapter 9: Two Families Scene: 1 INT. COURTHOUSE HALLWAY. DAY. No grand hearing happens, only signatures, waiting, and quiet instructions from clerks. MARA stands beside her new guardian, breathing shallow, eyes fixed on the floor. MARA looks ready to bolt, then stays anyway, and nobody demands gratitude from her. Scene: 2 EXT. COURTHOUSE STEPS. DAY. MARK gives a restrained endorsement to reporters, choosing words that won't trigger retaliation. MARK avoids direct attack, and the restraint makes the support harder to dismiss later. Scene: 3 INT. HARLOW'S SIDE CONVERSATION. DAY. HARLOW says, "Stop treating exceptions as something to celebrate, because you're making our job harder." HARLOW adds, "Stop creating precedents people will wave around later, because we're not doing that here." MARK listens without agreeing, and the quiet refusal finally shows on his face. Scene: 4 INT. MARK'S CAR. EVENING. A call confirms EVAN's case is moving forward, not solved, but moving, and that matters. MARK grips the wheel, exhales slowly, then decides he won't celebrate yet tonight. Scene: 5 INT. MARK'S LIVING ROOM. NIGHT. MARK and ERIN talk about bringing EVAN in, keeping it practical and honest, no speeches. ERIN admits she wanted a son, but she wants a real kid now, not a wish. MARK says they can choose EVAN anyway, and the word choose changes the air instantly. Scene: 6 INT. GIRLS' BEDROOM HALLWAY. NIGHT. MARK explains that a boy might need safety here, and he doesn't sell it with sugar. LILY and JUNE listen quietly, then nod, and the nod isn't forced, not even a little. MARK turns to ERIN and says, "I think I found the son I promised, and I think he's been next door this whole time." Scene: 7 INT. FRONT ENTRYWAY. NIGHT. EVAN steps inside, tense, scanning for rules, waiting for the first correction to land. ERIN opens her arms without pushing, letting the invitation exist without pressure. MARK keeps the door open behind EVAN, and nobody uses the door as leverage.	Post #1799 July 20, 2011 8:00 AM +911 likes Signature: Two Doors (threadmark fic), WIP
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,426 Likes received: 911,086	That landing is clean, because it's not a fairy tale fix, it's a choice, and choices have paperwork and waiting and fear. Mark finding the promised son next door is a brutal irony, because the answer was always close, and he still almost missed it. Also, Ferrous, you're gonna need coffee.	Post #1802 July 20, 2011 8:05 AM +96 likes Signature: My fics: Archive Weather (old PHO classic), complete
FamilyValues4Life Master 0 Joined: October 21, 2009 Messages: 1,293 Likes received: 32,253	I'm gonna say it plainly, because I don't want to hide behind slogans anymore. Sometimes the best family is not the original one, and pretending otherwise is adult pride dressed as morality. This fic made me sit with that, and I don't like it, but I needed it.	Post #1812 July 20, 2011 8:18 AM +58 likes Signature: "Family first, paperwork last."
BrickHugger Brute 11 Joined: May 20, 1999 Messages: 31,213 Likes received: 312,635	Harlow saying "don't create precedents" is the mask slipping, because it admits the org cares more about future arguments than about current kids. Also, the door being kept open is such a good physical detail, because it shows welcome without trapping. Great ending.	Post #1824 July 20, 2011 8:31 AM +23 likes Signature: "Lift safe, think safer."
SpannerSplicer Tinker 6 Joined: November 09, 1999 Messages: 22,621 Likes received: 190,316	The courthouse being boring is the best choice, because it shows how life changing things happen without drama or speeches. Also, "don't create precedents" is organizational self defense, not child defense, and I'm glad the fic said it out loud. Solid ending.	Post #1837 July 20, 2011 8:47 AM +29 likes Signature: My fics: Wrench & Wonder (Tinker slice), hiatus
Sunlance Blaster 4 Joined: July 22, 2006 Messages: 5,819 Likes received: 132,733	Erin opening her arms without pushing is such a good beat, because it gives Evan agency without demanding gratitude. Also, Mark not celebrating early is the most adult choice he's made, because he finally respects how fragile "moving forward" can be. I loved this.	Post #1849 July 20, 2011 9:02 AM +26 likes Signature: "If it glows, don't touch it."
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,910 Likes received: 79,470	The org literally saying "don't create precedents" is the part that's gonna stick, because it tells you the priority is never being wrong publicly. That's how "for the children" becomes "for the brand," and the kid becomes collateral. Anyway, great fic, doomed comment section.	Post #1861 July 20, 2011 9:17 AM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete
TinFoilTattletale [Banned] Thinker 1 Joined: December 30, 2010 Messages: 4,986 Likes received: 63,105	Fine, I'm done playing nice about it, because everybody in here is thinking the same thing and pretending they aren't. This wasn't about me, it wasn't about some random kid, it was about Vista, and it was about the Youth Guard making her life worse while preaching "family." If you're mad I said it, ask yourself why it fit so cleanly the second I typed it.	Post #1869 July 20, 2011 9:26 AM +87 likes Signature: My fics: Tinfoil Tactics (Thinker humor), ongoing
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,898 Likes received: 281,461	TinFoilTattletale, you were warned, you were threadbanned, and you came back to break a sitewide rule anyway. You named a real minor cape in a speculative context, and you escalated into real world adjacent allegations in a fic thread. Account banned sitewide, no appeals in thread, and anyone reposting the name gets a vacation too.	Post #1870 July 20, 2011 9:27 AM +99 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
ModMailEnjoyer Trump 0 Joined: January 03, 2010 Messages: 617 Likes received: 32,968	And there it is, the "I'm just saying what everyone thinks" moment that always turns into real kids getting dragged into adult drama. Ferrous did warnings, did a threadban, and the poster still chose chaos, so the ban is deserved. Now please stop quote reposting it.	Post #1876 July 20, 2011 9:34 AM +21 likes Signature: "If you got warned, you earned it."
QuietScars Stranger 0 Joined: May 29, 2005 Messages: 4,116 Likes received: 46,387	The ending is a family choosing a kid, not a slogan choosing a kid, and that's why it feels like relief. Also, yeah, that last comment was the obvious rule break, and I'm glad it got shut down fast, because this site gets weird about kids. Back to fiction, please.	Post #1889 July 20, 2011 9:52 AM +21 likes Signature: "Say less, notice more."
PaperTrailPriest Thinker 6 Joined: August 03, 2004 Messages: 6,816 Likes received: 168,620	The "don't create precedents" line is the org admitting it values controlling future narratives over solving present harm. That's an institutional tell, and you don't need to name any real kid to discuss it, because it's about incentives, not about targets. Keep it abstract, people.	Post #1903 July 20, 2011 10:11 AM +57 likes Signature: My fics: Red Tape Saints (Thinker legal drama), complete
PancakeMurderer Striker 0 Joined: May 11, 2011 Messages: 93 Likes received: 48,178	ok so the ending got me, the door open behind evan got me, and now i'm crying again, stop judging me. also, yeah, that last comment was a rules grenade, and i'm glad ferrous defused it fast. anyway, good fic, messy thread, classic.	Post #1918 July 20, 2011 10:29 AM +18 likes Signature: My fics: Knifework (Striker pov), dead but beloved
RiverQuake Shaker 1 Joined: June 06, 2008 Messages: 3,127 Likes received: 52,249	The ending works because it doesn't pretend paperwork is romantic, it just shows people choosing a kid and doing the boring hard part. Also, once you see an org treat "exceptions" as a threat, you can't unsee it, because it reveals the whole priority stack. Keep it general, stop naming kids.	Post #1932 July 20, 2011 10:46 AM +27 likes Signature: My fics: Faultline Kids (Shaker OC), ongoing
Wavetruck Mover -1 Joined: July 01, 2011 Messages: 27 Likes received: 299	i'm not touching the name thing, because that's weird, and i don't want to be weird. but the whole "don't create precedents" line is so telling, because it sounds like "we'd rather be right than be helpful." anyway, ending hit hard.	Post #1946 July 20, 2011 11:03 AM +11 likes Signature: "New here, be gentle."
LibraryLurker Thinker 0 Joined: November 17, 2010 Messages: 617 Likes received: 33,553	I keep thinking about Mara not being asked for gratitude, because that's the first time an adult in the story didn't demand an emotional performance from a kid. That is what care looks like, it's not speeches, it's not slogans, it's space. Anyway, this fic was good, and the thread tried to eat itself, as usual.	Post #1961 July 20, 2011 11:21 AM +15 likes Signature: "Mostly lurking."
CedarKid Mover 0 Joined: June 02, 2010 Messages: 1,098 Likes received: 27,702	The "found the son I promised" line lands because it's not triumph, it's remorse and commitment rolled together, and you can feel Mark accepting the cost. Also, the org treating "precedent" as danger is the most honest villain line in the whole story, because it's not dramatic, it's policy. Good ending.	Post #1978 July 20, 2011 11:44 AM +13 likes Signature: "Run fast, read slower."
StaticHalo Blaster 1 Joined: October 02, 2008 Messages: 3,413 Likes received: 60,410	People are gonna try to turn this into "it's about X real kid," and they should not, because the story already works as a critique of how slogans get used to protect adult pride. Also, Erin is the MVP, because she chose a kid over a wish and did it without making it a performance. I loved this.	Post #1994 July 20, 2011 12:03 PM +23 likes Signature: My fics: Halo Static (Blaster romance), complete
QuoteMiner Thinker 2 Joined: September 08, 2002 Messages: 2,445 Likes received: 79,450	The thread is already trying to pivot into forbidden speculation, which proves the point of why the rule exists, because people can't resist turning pain into a trivia game. Anyway, taken abstractly, the Youth Guard structure in the fic incentivizes reputation preservation over child specific outcomes, and that's the critique. You don't need names to discuss incentives.	Post #2008 July 20, 2011 12:19 PM +17 likes Signature: My fics: Dead Links Society (Thinker meta), complete
WrenchWitch Tinker 2 Joined: April 27, 2005 Messages: 4,223 Likes received: 95,353	I want to highlight how the ending shows consent and choice, because it's the opposite of every "family first" slogan in the story, and that contrast is the point. Also, the mod action is correct, because the second you name a real kid, the thread stops being about fiction and becomes a danger zone. Keep it clean.	Post #2022 July 20, 2011 12:36 PM +58 likes Signature: My fics: Solder & Spell (Tinker fantasy AU), complete
CarefulPaper Stranger -1 Joined: July 14, 2011 Messages: 16 Likes received: 375	i'm glad the ending didn't make mara do a big grateful speech, because kids shouldn't have to perform thankfulness to earn safety. also the ban is deserved, because dragging real kids into this is gross, full stop. anyway, i loved the fic.	Post #2039 July 20, 2011 12:58 PM +12 likes Signature: "new, don't bite."
a998 Thinker 35 Joined: March 02, 1998 Messages: 88,427 Likes received: 911,182	The ban is correct, and it's also why moderation has to exist, because people cannot be trusted to keep real kids out of their entertainment discourse. Now, abstractly, the org in the fic is terrified of exceptions because exceptions are evidence, and evidence threatens a brand built on purity. That is the critique, and it lands.	Post #2051 July 20, 2011 1:13 PM +99 likes Signature: My fics: Archive Weather (old PHO classic), complete
FerrousBueller [Mod] Thinker 10 Joined: August 18, 2003 Messages: 19,899 Likes received: 281,560	Final reminder for the thread, because people are still trying to dance around the rule with "you know who." No real minor capes, no hinting, no coded naming, and no reposting deleted content by screenshot or memory. Talk incentives, talk themes, keep it abstract, thanks.	Post #2063 July 20, 2011 1:28 PM +83 likes Signature: Mod note, not legal advice
ArchiveChaser Trump 2 Joined: February 06, 2006 Messages: 2,911 Likes received: 79,498	The funniest part of the ending is that it's quiet, and people still tried to turn it into a loud spectacle, because internet brain needs spectacle to feel alive. Anyway, the fic's critique works without naming anyone, because it's about how "family values" becomes a weapon against kids who don't fit the script. That's it, that's the whole point.	Post #2078 July 20, 2011 1:47 PM +28 likes Signature: My fics: Receipts (Trump satire), complete