New Year; New Me (Birthday Edition)

Est. Read Time: 12min
This Month's Font: Playpen Sans

Welp. Here we are. Over a week into August, and only NOW publishing my JULY writing update. At least I HAVE a July writing update... sorta... I'll get to that. I just couldn't NOT update two months in a row. It was hurting me.

However, as I mentioned in my July LRRC, I still haven't really done anything in the writing field. So, it's kind of understandable that I don't have much of an update.

But, my birthday has passed. So, New Year; New Me (birthday edition). We'll see if it sticks more than the New Year; New Me (calendar year edition).

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OK, so a literal new "me" with regards to my little LycoRogue emojis I use here. Bitmoji, for who-knows-what reason, decided they wanted to update their avatars to be 3D models (with still 2D... everything else...). Probably to better match (and compete?) with the likes of the Apple Memoji and Facebook Avatar. However, I just CANNOT stand the new look. I haven't found a perfect replacement for Bitmoji quite yet, but I've at least temporarily settled on Avatoon for now.

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Not the biggest fan. Avatoon is too "teen/young adult fashionista" forward. Reminds me of the digital fashion dolls of the early 00's. I can't adjust the body shape of the avatar. I can't really customize the clothing options, and none of them really fit my aesthetic. The hair options are limited. There aren't pre-made reaction/emojis that I can just look up and grab like I can for Bitmoji. I have to choose from a variety of poses (which, oddly enough, is a lot but also not many poses that I'd actually like to use). I can't adjust the poses like you could in OLD old-school Bitmoji. I have to sift through a BUNCH of stock photos (a lot, I fear, may be AI generated, but I can't be certain) in order to find ANY that could work as a background. After AAAAAALLLLL of that, I then have to meticulously build my reaction photo: see both of the above. Not great for quick emote responses in messages, unless I take the time to build up my own archive....

Still, while this version of my LycoRogue persona doesn't look like "me" the way the Bitmoji 2D model perfectly did, it still looks better than THIS nightmare fuel:

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*shudder*

So, until either (a) Bitmoji releases an update that allows users to revert back to the 2D models, (b) Bitmoji releases a separate app for the old-school 2D models, or (c) I find something that's a better replacement for Bitmoji, I guess I'm stuck with Avatoon.

On the plus side, unlike Bitmoji, you can create multiple avatars in Avatoon, and easily switch between them. So I can have my LycoRogue avatar set up for internet-facing places, such as here on my blog or on my socials. Then I can switch to the one that looks more like me irl for when I'm messaging my friends/family. I can even create avatars for my OCs now (which was fun, to be fair).

Lia Madrox
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Willow Driver
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Trish Morrison
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My X-Future/Glitches Girls
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Amara Yori
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Jolene Crisslebalm
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Aubrianne Zani
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My D&D Girlies
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As I mentioned for my LycoRogue avatar, the outfit choices on Avatoon are more fashionista than true avatar. So, obviously, there isn't MUCH by way of fantasy outfits. Meaning, for Amara, Jolene, and Aubrianne, I had to go for more of a "vibe" than what they actually would wear. Somehow, that landed poor Aubrianne in a "Farmer Mom" aesthetic, I guess....

Also, for obvious "can only make human avatars" reasons, I couldn't recreate my tabaxi Emerald Gaze or bronze dragonborn Kriv.

The X-Future/Glitches gals, on the other hand, are pretty spot-on to my mental image of them. So... yay! The only exception would be that I'd love for Trish to look more grunge and her hair more wild.

Close enough for horseshoes and government work.

And this, dear friends, is why there is no need to turn to AI (aka plagiarizing) image generators. There's tons of these other generators out there where the art is made specifically for the generators by humans knowing what their artwork is being used for, and - CRUCIALLY - agreeing to that use. Even if it isn't exactly what you're looking for, with some effort on your end, I'm sure you can get close enough until you can either (a) learn to draw to the standard you want, (b) have a friend draw for you, or (c) afford the cost of commissioning a human artist to draw for you.

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Side note: I'm so glad I still have a hefty archive of the 2D Bitmojis. I already miss the "I Can't Even" shirt on the Avatoon version of my avatar.... Wonder if I could doctor one on. Might have to snag all of the poses available in the app and turn them into a digital paper-doll sort of thing via layers upon layers in GIMP. Then make my archive of avatar reactions/emojis that way.....

Lord, that's a lot of work...

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We'll see if I feel like putting in the effort, or if I'll just resolve myself to the mediocre version of my avatar that Avatoon can produce without outside edits.

In the meantime, though... WRITING! This update is supposed to be about my writing! Not about avatar-generators (although, that does remind me that I haven't checked in with Picrew in a while).

Writing wise? Weeeeeellllllll....

Look. I mentioned in my last update, and at the top of this one, the summer has not been great for writing creativity.

Between my vacations, my co-workers' vacations, and my hubby's co-workers' vacations, both Hubby's and my work schedules have been wonky since May. Doesn't look like it's clearing up anytime soon either. That alone makes finding time to hide away and work on fictional writing (or updating this blog) a bit tricky.

It also makes finding time to get together with friends to play D&D a bit tricky. Especially when we had to switch our game day to Thursday nights to help accommodate a player's adjusted work schedule, but then Hubby gets pulled in to work the night-shift nearly every Thursday during Vacation Season. Which means I haven't even broken out Aubrianne more than once or twice ALL OF 2025!

Sooooo I haven't even stretched my writing wings via D&D like I did last year. Which suuuucks. This is how a lot of campaigns die: too much time between sessions. I don't want the campaign to die. I'm not ready to give up Aubrianne. It was rough enough when I had to give up Jolene and Kriv before I was ready.

Maybe it will inspire me to write some Aubrianne fanfic, though. The urge hasn't struck yet, and it never did with regards to writing fics about Kriv, but who knows? I'd prefer to wait a bit longer, though, before having to give up Aubrianne... save for potential fics. I'm hoping we can get back on the D&D wagon by September; before we have to stop again for the holiday season!

Tanuki
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by Yanare Ku

On the flipside, the Discord server has had some activity on it again. Which is nice. Most of it being Dragnime, who is really pushing to get his manuscript done and published in the near future. Bravo to him. Aurora Morgen has also gotten back into writing, it seems, and ne's been sending me some new possible plotline notes that ne's playing with.

Under normal circumstances, having those two talk about their writing would pump me up and get me back into writing as well. Instead....

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Yeah... double use of this Bitmoji. Life's been that grand.

Any and all free time I've had to write I've instead spent playing games. I'd just rather engage my brain in a plot that I don't have to think about. My creativity is completely fried. 

For instance, typically, watching new media - btw, watch KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix if you can and haven't yet; worth the hype - or playing games or listening to my friends talk about their writing helps jumpstart the creative juices for me. This go? No dice. I just itch for more ready-made plot being spoon-fed to me instead of my brain making up some plot itself.

I'm just not getting the usual "Oooo, that's neat, but what if I tweak this???" writing itch.

Not to say I'm not trying. Whenever I find myself with some quiet time away from a screen - while driving, in the bathroom, taking just a few quiet moments at my desk at work, as I fall asleep at night, while making food, etc - I try REALLY hard to come up with SOMETHING.

Mostly, it's been building up my "author got isekai'd into her own story" idea.

My main thought lately is on the author wondering about power dynamics as one of the supporting male leads tries to woo her. Of course, she can't be bothered with romance because she's on a mission to prevent major plot points from happening; spare her poor characters from pain, turmoil, and even death. That doesn't stop one of her supporting characters from falling for her, however. In fact, her efforts and the lengths she has to go to in order to have the authority to do anything about these impending disasters are exactly what the character falls for. 

However, the author CREATED these people, didn't she? She's basically their god, despite evidence to the contrary, namely her not actually having any power to just bippity-boppity their problems away. Once inside her own story, she has no control over the plot outside of the same social dances any of the characters could have done in her stead. 

Regardless of her power (or lack thereof) within her story world, she's still trying so desperately to save her characters because she now sees them as sentient people with full and rich lives and emotions separate from the stories she wrote. They've proven that they don't just follow the script of her novels anymore.

And yet, she can't get past, "this guy likes me because that's how I wrote him." Ignore that she didn't have him falling for the character she's been transmigrated into.

Also ignore any feelings the author might have for this lovestruck character. Of course he's flawed in just the right ways to make him perfect for her. She WROTE HIM that way. It's like falling in love with a robot you programmed to be your lover. This is some Pygmalion shit. 

How do I get the author over that romance hurdle? Not a clue, but at least I came up with something that might add drama... if I ever get around to writing this story.

Eh, it's better than nothing.

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Also, since I missed last month's writing update, I wasn't able to gush about a reader of mine. Which means I get to segue into that now (and we'll ignore the irony of stating that we're going to segue as a means to segue....)

Back at the start of June, I had such a huge surprise as I went through my AO3 emails, and saw the same name over and over and over again. So, on the off chance that they are reading this, I'd like to send so much love and a major thank you to AO3 user Naty1808, who pinged my radar when they left kudos on half of my Aged Up Adrienette stories in one day: 

• Cataclysm the Doubt
• Never Take This for Granted
• Could Your Paradise Also Be Your Hell?
• I Think I Like You (Maybe More Than I Should)

(They didn't leave kudos on 3 Aged-Up Adrienette stories. Don't know if that means they missed them or if they read them and didn't like them enough to leave a kudos. Either way, pour one out for Tell Me You Want Me When You're Sober, Rolling Thunder, and I Just Wanted to Kiss You)

Naty then came back later that same week, and left kudos on 2 out of my 3 Lukanette stories:

Marinette's Song and Acting Weird

Although, to be fair, Acting Weird is more of an Adrien-centric story about him realizing his feelings for Marinette after he found out she started dating Luka. 

Also, much like the above "missed" Aged-Up Adrienette stories, I'm not sure if the 2nd main Lukanette story I wrote - I Was Thinking of You - was either overlooked by Naty, or they didn't like it enough to leave a kudos.... Either way, pour another one out for IWToY.

Naty1808 didn't leave a single review, but I still saw their name show up so many times, and it warmed my heart each time. So, as much as I beg for my readers to interact with me in some fashion, please know that I do still note you even with a simple kudos, and you are still precious to me.

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Speaking of people who are precious to me, seems like a great time to talk about my birthday week!

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For my birthday this year, my husband again gifted me an experience. 

Back for my 30th, Hubby gifted me tickets to Paramore and Fall Out Boy's Monumentour. Three years ago, he got me amazing seats for Imagine Dragons' Mercury World Tour. Even though he didn't join me, Hubby crossed off a Bucket List item for my 33rd when he got me tickets to see the Cirque du Soleil show Varekai. He crossed off another Bucket List item when he made it possible for me to see a Broadway show in NYC (so, not touring) by taking me to see Hadestown for my 40th. This year was yet ANOTHER Bucket List item (quite a few of them are seeing performances...). A little obscure artist you might not have heard of: one "Weird Al" Yankovic during his Bigger & Weirder tour.

Official Concert Art

Seeing this man in concert has been on my list since I was a teenager. I've lamented the times he's literally been less than a 10min drive from my mom's house and I wasn't able to go because I couldn't afford the tickets. Knowing that, the MOMENT Hubby discovered that Weird Al was going on tour again, he kept an eagle-eye out for his tour dates and if any of them were nearby. 

Not only was one relatively close, but it was a week from my birthday! Perfection! He snatched those babies up near-instantly. Because of that, I've actually known that I was going to this concert since this past winter (come to think of it, this may have been my Christmas gift? Joint Christmas/Birthday due to the expense? Can't recall, but I'll count it as his b'day gift to me).

The fact that this man is constantly finding ways to gift me once-in-a-lifetime experiences and builds memories with me? How can I not fall in love with him over and over again every day?

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My other July blessing (Yes! I have TWO! Maybe to make up for not finding one for June?) was also a birthday gift.

If you couldn't tell from these writing updates (and especially my missed ones), I've been in a depressive funk for ages. Which, sadly, has affected my ability to keep up with household chores. Which only stresses me out further, which makes it even harder for me to catch up, which stresses me more; rinse and repeat.

My family - Mom, sis, and brother-in-law - all gave up their weekend to come visit me for my birthday, and, specifically, to help me and Hubby tackle our home. It's still far from perfect, but at least one room has been completely scrubbed top-to-bottom, and I've been able to maintain it ever since. It's also helped motivate me to tackle more Adulting projects/chores; shaking me (at least a little) from my funk.

So, for my family, who took hours out of their life to drive out to visit me, only to spend basically an 8hr work day helping me clean, and then drive HOURS back home - all while my mom has two bum knees - I want to send you the largest thank you.

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Now, I really should be off working on my August LycoRogue's Reading Corner update. I have a LOT to talk about, and less than a week to do so! Hopefully I can hit this deadline. Send me good vibes to help motivate me. 

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Happy Leap Day (Thanks, 2024, for the Extra Day to Write This Up)

Est. Read Time: 15min

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I made it! It was a slog, and quite the trial (evidenced by this being a relatively short update published around 8pm on the last day of February), but I did manage to get a second blog post done this month (hooray for leap days). So, I'm back on track! Now to keep this up for the rest of the year....

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Before I get into it, though, I just wanted to point out that I'm back to using Mali. I still have no clue which font I want to stick with permanently, so it looks like I'm back to rotating them. Kalam may be out of the running, though. It feels like a fun, hand-written font, which is what I like for this blog. After all, I wanted it to feel like I AM just handwriting everything. But... is that still the look I want to go with??? And if so, is Kalam any better than my original font of Coming Soon??? At the very least, is it better than Mali? I'm thinking 'no' on both of those fronts, but I would still love input if anyone wanted to drop a comment below. Alternatively, Josefin Sans was a nice font. It definitely felt more "professional" and less "Geo-Cities". A way to make this blog feel a bit less like some 20-something's online diary from the early 00's and more like a (nearly) 40yo is writing it in 2024. Although... this blog clearly isn't a "professional" resource to learn ways to improve your own writing or whatever anyway. So why do I care that it looks a bit immature???? Especially since I JUST SAID I still like the aesthetic of this being "handwritten"? Gaaah! Why can't I decide on a font!? It's been a year of trying them out! And why is overall decision-making so hard for me lately?

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Yay... burn-out and stress! woooooooooooo

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Hubby and I really just need enough finances to take, like, a month-long sabbatical where we can forget the world exists and we can just fully recharge.... I need the Covid shutdowns back, but without the social isolation, and constant fear and panic that we could catch a disease that might kill us, or that we'd pass to our loved ones and indirectly kill them, or that we'd all catch and then have chronic health issues for the rest of our lives.

Hooray to the last one actually happening to us! wooooo again.....

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This past month, my husband has been prepping for D&D to start back up on Monday. Which means he's been busy plotting away the next stage of our campaign. The teasers he's given me are so good, and I love what he has planned for a repeat NPC. Aurora Morgen got the writing bug again and has been sending me more notes on nir plot for me to check out. It's been a lot of fun to interrogate the world ne built in order to help nir flesh it out a bit more. Plus, it's been cool to spaghetti-toss ideas at the wall to see which ones Aurora likes. There were some in particular that I've pitched that I truly love. If Aurora ends up not going with them I might have to swipe the ideas back for my own stories somewhere down the line...

Speaking of, since everyone else around me has been bit by the writing bug, and I've been coming up with ideas for Aurora, does that mean I have some new writing myself?

....

Yeah... no.

Hacker Girl
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by Birdman, Inc.

I dunno. I've tried changing up what I'm writing about. I thought, "Maybe I'm just burnt out on Miraculous Ladybug and need to write ANYTHING else." So I stepped away from Seduce with Caution and One and the Same and all of my ML plot bunnies.

Instead, I've worked on this blog, for more of a casual, "diary-like" writing style. I tried the Hailey's On It! fanfic idea I talked about in my December update. I tried working on a NoPixel OC. I played around with more ideas for Jolene. I tried thinking more about the OCs and world I created for my original story Blame Fate for This that I wrote for Ronoxym's 30th birthday. I tried even thinking more about my OCs and the world I came up with for The Race for Destiny, my old hodge-podge fanfic/original hybrid story I came up with while in college; my first-ever NaNoWriMo attempt. Hubby and I FINALLY started crossing things off of my massive To Watch list again. I got back into reading the webcomics and digital uploads of manga.

Oh! I don't think I mentioned that last time. Yeah. I have been reading manga on Comikey. It's like WEBTOON, but for manga. I found out about it because ChibiSunnie works as a copy editor at Comikey. I started really focusing three mangas there.

• My Housemate Sano-kun is Just My Editor!
        28yo Shinomiya Teiichiro is so engrossed in his own prolific writing that he frequently forgets self-care. During one of his multi-hour writing binges he faints from lack of sleep, food, and hydration. His dutiful editor (and biggest fan) Sano Satoru finds poor Shinomiya passed out on his floor, and nurses him as he recovers. Fearful that it may happen again, Sano suggests becoming Shinomiya's housemate. That way, Sano can do the house work, prepare the meals, and make sure Shinomiya isn't working himself to death. Plus, if he's already right there, he can always edit Shinomiya's writing on the fly, which will make their work turn-around that much faster.
        It takes some convincing, but Shinomiya agrees, and Sano starts his quest to get Shinomiya to a healtier work-life balance. It doesn't take long for the writer to realize (1) he's been neglecting his health WAY more than he imagined, (2) it's nice to have someone take care of him, and (3) it sure is lonely in the house whenever Sano is gone....
        Shinomiya's prolific writing (but not the self-care neglect that results from it) is such wish fulfilment for me. Also, Shinomiya feels VERY ADHD-coded in the limited chapters that I've read. He hyperfixates on his writing to the point that he doesn't even realize he's hungry or thirsty until his stomach loudly (and rudely... according to him) interrupts his flow, or he's about to pass out being the main bit of evidence. There's also a part that I just read where Shinomiya - who, again, isn't even 30 yet - stands up and his shoulders and knees loudly pop. He laments his aging joints and Sano asks him when was the last time he exercised. Even as little as taking a casual walk.
        ....
        Let me tell you... I felt so called out by Sano's question. I really do need to get better at that myself....
• The Lady Likes a Nerd Over Princes
        Plucky 14yo Sharina is the eldest daughter of the earl. While at her magical school, she meets the studious and quite somber Riol, third son of a baron. He stops her from touching a toxic flower, and she falls in love at first sight. She tries to win his affections by personally making him a picnicked lunch the next day. Problem being, the scent of the cookies she made Riol catches the interest of the first-prince of their country, Leonardo. An arrogant and entitled brat of a teen. Not recognizing the prince, Sharina calls him out on his rude behavior, which only intrigues Leonardo further. Even after revealing to her who he is, Sharina is unphased and calls Leonardo a thief when he takes the cookies to try. Leonardo is now fixated on Sharina and claims her as his own. "Ever the arrogant narcissist, Leonardo can’t fathom how anyone could turn him down and his persistence crosses into the realm of harassment" [from the official Comikey posting]. Riol's constant rescues of Sharina from the prince's advancements only paints a target on his back as Leonardo marks Riol his rival (and causes Sharina to fall all the harder for Riol).
        Poor Sharina and Riol now have to constantly dance around the varied harassment from the prince as he continuously tries to destroy Riol and claim Sharina as his trophy.
        The whole thing is cute and playful and the prince is gorgeous but the biggest prick in the most entertaining way. Plus, you have that good ol' romance plot going on as Sharina tries to win Riol's affections. Meanwhile, Riol won't even entertain the thought of them being romantically involved due to how much higher a societal ranking Sharina is (it wouldn't be proper). Riol is actually only at the school on scholarship. So, despite still being a noble, he's also very much a "fish-out-of-water" as most consider Riol barely a step above peasant. It's just a fun little story, and I love watching them thwart Prince Leonardo's advances.
• From General to Bride: Marrying My Strongest Rival
        First-princess Leone (age 23) gladly serves her kingdom of Alderia by being the general for their fearsome army. She even received the moniker "The Golden Lion" due to how fierce she is, and yet beautiful with her golden hair flowing like a mane. One day, while in the midst of a heated battle, her opponents - the Kingdom of Zergios - abruptly retreat. Leone soon after discovers that she has been betrothed to the marshal of Zergios as part of a peace treaty. She now has to learn how to make a new life in the land of her once most-heated enemy. Not only that, but she's tasked by her father to help their new allies to prosper.
        Leone is actually incredibly graceful and modest. She has no ill-will towards her new husband or compatriots. She instantly takes on the role of helpful citizen of Zergios. Or, at least, she tries to. The people of Zergios, especially its young prince, are understandably wary of her. She's also unsure of her dynamic with her new husband, who is too busy with war-recovery efforts to truly socialize with her. There's a connection there though, and a potential romance.
        I'm personally so invested in the budding romance between Leone and her husband, as well as how she'll win over the people of Zergios so they believe she truly is their ally now. It reminds me a little of The Dragon King's Bride with the whole warring nations and arranged marriage that might have a true romantic foundation. Plus, it's nice to see a strong female protag who is also kind, courteous, and helpful.

I also started up yet another new comic over on WEBTOON: I Will Live the Life of a Villainess.

      Korean woman Yuna Jeong dies when she's hit by a car that ran a red light. However, her life doesn't end there. Instead, she gets isekai'd into the land of Kartica; into the life of Duke Rosaria's only child Elena. Problem is, Katrica doesn't exist. It's a fictional country from a romance novel Yuna used to read in her previous life. The other problem? Elena Rosaria is the villainess of that novel.
      According to the novel's plot, Elena is betrothed to the crowned prince. However, he ends up falling in love with the novel's main character Rosetta. Elena then spends the novel making Rosetta's life miserable to try to keep her away from the prince, which would allow Elena to eventually become queen instead. When all other attempts fail, Elena tries to poison Rosetta. In the end, the prince and Rosetta marry, and Elena is beheaded!
      Obviously trying to avoid that outcome, Yuna tries to rewrite Elena's story. New problem: Elena is already an adult and betrothed to the prince. So her complete change in personality is a bit hard to try to hide. Plus, she has that whole struggle of trying to remove herself as far from the Elena/Prince/Rosetta love triangle as possible. On top of ALL of that? Turns out she's not the only one isekai'd into the story! The previously meek and overlooked first-prince is also acting a bit strange and a lot bolder lately. The first-prince and Elena dance around each other as they try to confirm that the other was originally from Earth, as they attempt to rework the fates of the characters they were forced to inhabit, and as a potential romance blossoms between them.

If you haven't noticed, I have a thing for fantasy romances... what can I say? A woman my age tends to read romance novels. I just do mine via pretty pictures online. Anyway, I do love how unique this story is, because the romance is actually SUUUCH a backseat plot that some of the main comments on the comic are "Oh. Right. This story is in the Romance category." The focus instead is on Elena (Yuna) empowering both herself and other female nobles that would otherwise be overlooked simply because they're women. It showcases Elena's craftiness and strategic mind. It also has a lovely little cat-and-mouse appeal to both Elena and the first-prince getting their footing in the lives they are thrust into. It's like a narrative game of chess. Quite engaging. I caught up on all of the available free chapters in a blink.

Honestly? Between those three mangas, adding in I Will Live the Life of a Villainess, and getting back into The Dragon King's Bride, FLOAT, and Rental Hero, I've managed to get a lot of reading in this month. Not nearly the 7.5hrs per month that I'm aiming for this year, but definitely better than my January record.

As mentioned, I also managed to wrestle the TV away from Hubby's obsessive watching of NoPixel content, and we crossed off a bunch of shows and movies I had on my To Watch list for a while.

I'm doing what a writer is "supposed" to. I'm consuming content. Engaging in it. Noting what I like about it, and what I would change. The Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series on Netflix, for instance. If I went into that cold - never saw the cartoon - I would have really enjoyed it. The writing is a bit clunky, but I still liked the characters and the chemistry the cast had. The wardrobe and sets were gorgeous and captured how they looked in the cartoon. The actor they cast for Zuko - Dallas Liu - was so convincing as the character that he even straight up sounded like Dante Basco (Zuko's original voice actor) for a bunch of his lines. The CG and green-screening still needed a bit of help, but it was way cleaner and prettier than anything Marvel has given us the past couple of years.... sadly....

The plot of the entire series is "There's this 100year war that has been going on as the Fire Nation tries to conquer the rest of the world." The cartoon almost makes the war secondary to the Gaang's personal growth and development. The live-action, on the other hand, leans a lot harder into the war plot, and the idea that war isn't fun. That it's messy. That it's brutal. That people are suffering. That people are doing whatever they can to survive. The live-action focuses on the world more than the characters, I think.

Sokka is brooding as he suffers imposter syndrome in his attempts to be a Warrior(TM) to protect his home and impress his father. Katara is suffering PTSD from watching her mother violently die trying to protect her. Aang is wracked with survivor's guilt as well as the guilt of abandoning the world; unintentually allowing all the pain that has happened over the past century. Zuko is still his broody, angsty self... never change, buddy. Iroh is mostly unchanged as well, but... less goofy and relaxed. The side characters are also darker and angstier.

The cartoon knew what it was: a cartoon. It dealt with the heavy concept of a war-torn world, but still had the characters - especially the Gaang - as light, fun-loving, playful, snarky, sarcastic, and embracing what limited joys they could find. The cartoon was awesome because it had that great balance of light and heavy. It made you laugh, but also made you think about the seriousness of what these kids are going through.

• Sokka got over his misogyny, and then got past his inferiority complex.
• Katara got past her anger, and no longer tried to compensate for her mom by being the Mom Friend to everyone else.
• Aang matured, embraced his responsibilities, and got past his guilt.
• Toph learned that it's okay to be vulnerable around the right people, because doing so doesn't diminish your strength.
• Zuko healed from his traumas, and grew the courage to stand up against his tormentors.
• Azula realized the emotional traumas and neglect she endured growing up. We don't get to see her overcome them, but realizing they're there and that she's broken was a character arc in-and-of-itself.

I don't see any of that happening in the live action though. With the exception of maybe Zuko and Azula (and we haven't met Toph yet), the live-action versions of the Gaang just.... aren't quite the same characters.

And they killed my favorite episode: "The Cave of Two Lovers". I mean, they kind of butchered a lot of the episodes... but did really well with others, such as combining "The Storm" and "The Blue Spirit".

I'm going off on a tangent. Point being, I watched something I really wanted to; was excited for. It was "mid". Not terrible. Not the greatest. Made me want to give the cartoon a rewatch. But decent for an adaptation, and good if it's the first introduction you have to the series. Anyway, I went in with a little bit of an analytical mind. I noted changes I liked. Changes that made sense. Changes that made no sense to me. Changes that just straight up made the story kind of worse. I sorted out WHY I felt that way.

That's what I'm "supposed" to do, right? That's supposed to help me improve my own writing?

I did the same thing for the other shows and movies we watched this month. Same for the many manga/comics I've been reading. Same with helping Aurora with nir story, and even Hubby with his campaign ideas.

So, why isn't any of this translating into ME doing narrative writing!? Why, whenever I bring up a word doc or this blog post do I INSTANTLY think of a million other things I should be doing? I have this work project that isn't crucial, but I've been meaning to do for ages. I have emails to check! I have Facebook or Discord messages to answer. I really SHOULD go through my Tumblr Drafts blackhole and start tagging and reblogging them. Seems like as good a time as any to research credit card options or get lost on Zillow house hunting or work on the dozens upon dozens of popped seems along the king-sized quilt my mom got me as a wedding gift. You know what? It's been AGES since I've played my mobile games on my tablet, or touched my Switch. Let's use the time to play some games instead! That'll help!

NuaNia
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by PRANEAT

WHYYYYYYYY!? Used to be that you couldn't STOP me from telling a story. My life was writing. I felt most myself when I was writing. I was bursting with ideas and couldn't write them down fast enough.

And now?

Now I run away from the IDEA of writing. Even this blog post. I'd get a couple of paragraphs in and then magically find something more pressing to do before I forced myself to come back and sit down and just TALK TO YOU FINE FOLKS. No thoughts needed. I'm just having a conversation.

I've NEVER been this writing-adverse before! In the 30-some years since I learned how to tell stories, I have never been this disconnected from writing. This bored with a blinking cursor. The blue lines on notebook paper blending together as my eyes lose focus and gloss over.

I just want to be pre-2020 LycoRogue again.

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The first half of March is going to be a bit crazy. (Implying my life hasn't been a hectic, inconsistent schedule for YEARS now....) I'm on a 9-day work week, leading directly into me and Hubby going to visit my out-of-state family for my sister's birthday, her soon-to-be niece's birthday, and my godson's birthday. In other words: work nine days in a row, have a four-day weekend to visit family, then back to work for a 7-day week before our schedules are semi-back to normal. We also have our first D&D session since October in the middle of my 9-day work week. Then have our second session the Monday after coming home from my long weekend. Oh! And I'll have to work on sale price tags the long week I have post-family-visit.

I'm sure I'll find time to work on writing somewhere in there. Right? I can still get that quarterly story written?

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Guys, I don't think I'll be hitting that stretch goal of publishing a new story at least once per quarter.... At least, not unless I push myself to maybe work on that Hailey's On It! fanfic. I have a skeleton written up. And the back half of the first season is supposed to start in March. Maybe the new episodes will re-inspire me to actually officially pen that fanfic. It would be a fitting time to post my first fic for the fandom too... when the show is back in swing.

We'll see how that goes, I guess.

If not the HOI fanfic, then.... honestly, I have no clue. The well is dry and I am BEGGING the Muses for enough rain to refill it. Not even all the way. Just enough to end the drought. Maybe nicer weather returning will be the key. Maybe roleplaying again will be. Maybe simply getting sunshine again so my brain isn't just static snow nearly every waking moment. I'll take anything.

Wish me luck. And, until next time...

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And Thus the Tale of the Stardancer Crew Begins

Well, looks like my prediction that I would have to skip last week's post because of work proved correct. That's a bummer, because I started working on this post last Monday, in hopes that I'd get the post written before bed, edited before/during work, and published at some point last Tuesday. The fact that I missed that post update despite actually putting in the effort to get it done on time hurts a bit, especially after the weekend of the 13th. But I'll get to that in a minute.

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I said last update that I still had a large list of things I didn't get around to writing about before the post got overwhelming. I also said I had intended on continuing with that list this post.

Yeah.... I decided against that.

Most of it was centered on my writing (or... lack thereof, if I'm honest). I was going to talk about Plagg Appreciation Day on Friday the 13th, the first one since November. I was then going to talk about how - minus the plot points I'm coming up with for Scum and Villainy - I haven't written anything in 3 months. Significantly fewer months than when I was in a dry spell leading into the last Plagg Appreciation Day, but still a painfully long time. That would have lead me to talk about the last story I did write, how popular it seems to be, and how that popularity appears to be largely due to MostLovedGirl linking to my story at the end of her story (which had inspired my story in the first place).

I'm still not entirely sure how to take those stats, though. Do I see it as proof that I am a good writer, and I'm only hidden in obscurity because there's such a large flood of stories that people just don't find my work in the first place? Probably. I'm sure all of you fine folks are sitting there screaming at your respective screens that is exactly the case.

Despite that, though, of course my mind made me equally wonder if the only reason the story gets the love it does is because MLG is promoting it, and because it's mostly based on her story. So people only really like it because it's her story still... just... zoomed in for a scene she didn't get into. A little less than a quarter of readers who have left kudos on both Could Your Paradise Also Be Your Hell? and Remember That Time When... (so, the best indication I have that they are readers coming from MLG's story) also left me kudos on my other stories. The number shrinks more if you take out those usernames I recognize as already being repeat readers of mine, and further still once you remove those who only left kudos on one other story other than CYPABYH. Even among those readers that left kudos only on my story, about 32% had either went on to leave kudos on at least one other story, or they were already readers of mine that already had.

Take the group as a whole, and just over a quarter of them - 26% - left me kudos on at least one other story of mine, most of those, though, were usernames I recognized as already had left me those kudos before I published CYPABYH.

In other words, my story didn't seem to get many people to go, "ooo. I have to check out more of her work!" So, if I'm honest, larger than a small part of me still believes that CYPABYH's popularity is very much because of the tie to MLG's story, and not because of its own merit.

I guess I'm stuck in this mindset because, with the rare exception (like, one or two people), no one seems to like my stories enough to suggest them to anyone else in the fandom. (Sorry, that sounds salty to my amazing readers. I promise I'm not hating on any of you or trying to guilt trip you into promoting my work for me. This is a "me" problem. I promise.) See, there are other stories that grab readers more intensely than mine seem to, and so whenever there's those "suggested reads" lists, there's a variety of other stories that pop up, but never mine. My stories - or even just me as an author - never seem to come to mind when someone is creating their "OMG you HAVE to read this story/author's works! It's/they're amazing!" list.

Similarly, I've had friends comment about reviews they've received, or I've seen these types of reviews myself on fanfics I enjoy, in which reviewers remark on how much the story personally affected them. The story saved them when they were in a terrible depression, or it helped them through a rough time in their life, or it's one of the most authentic historical stories they've read, or the story depicts mental health the most realistic, or the concept is the most unique plot, or an update was the greatest unintentional birthday gift they could receive. My stories don't get reviews like those.

People seem to enjoy my work well enough, and I do get the loveliest comments on them. Again, I don't mean to shade any of my readers or the love they HAVE showered on me. It means the world to me, and I routinely reread them to remind myself that my work is indeed enjoyed. I just don't know if any of my stories STICK with my readers. If my stories differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack enough. If I have readers who will reread my stories over and over and over again. If my stories have any sort of staying power.

I've tried backtracking this meme, but I can't find the original post.
If anyone knows where this originated, please let me know.

Yes, I know, I know. I need to remember this meme, keep working hard, and have faith. Don't compare myself to others. Maybe my time to pop just hasn't happened yet. I just need to keep waiting. The hot oil might feel rough, and I may wonder if I'll always stay a shelled kernel, but I have to trust.

It's hard though. Despite reminding myself that perhaps I just haven't "popped" yet, I still wonder if I ever will. Am I destined to be one of those unpopped kernels left at the bottom of the bowl/bag? Will I EVER be able to hold my own - no promotions from an author of a well-loved fanfic - like so many other fanfic writers? Let alone if/when I eventually publish professionally? If I can't build a platform with free stories, how can I be sure that I'll get it once people have to pay for them?

I'm going on a bit of a spiral here - one that missing a blog post update, even when I prepared to have it done ahead of time, doesn't help - which is actually one of the main reasons I decided to scrap the rest of that bulleted list from two weeks ago.

Especially since I "failed" on Friday 13, so talking about my writing right now probably isn't the best idea.

Yes, I know that I'm the only one to look at not posting a new story on the 13th as a failure since there was no true obligation, and readers will appreciate any writing I post, once I do. However, I couldn't help but fall into a funk as the weekend came and went, and there was no new Plagg-centric story for Plagg Appreciation Day.

I started this little fandom tradition 2 years ago, and, until this month, I've hit all 4 Friday 13's since 2019. It's not like people follow me enough for this to ever be an actual fandom event like MariChat May or Love Square Fluff Week or Lukanette June, etc. Still, it would be fun if people did start joining in. And yet the creator of the event can't hit her own deadline of getting a Plagg-themed story done by Friday the 13th? Especially when she had 9 months to plan?

It hurt, to be honest. It still hurts. I know that no one else is mad or disappointed with me missing this deadline, but I'm just super angry with myself and my clogged up inspiration. Especially when I DID think of something, but I just couldn't figure out how to execute it.

Four false starts. FOUR. Within the span of about 72hrs. I started the story four different times; each time getting about a page or page-and-a-half in before realizing it either won't go anywhere or won't involve Plagg nearly as much as I was aiming for. (Yes, they are all saved in case I wanted to use them as jumping off points for other stories later.)

I just couldn't figure it out, and I still can't. I tried scrapping the whole idea I had come up with, since I clearly couldn't figure out how to execute it, but I couldn't think of anything else, even after spending hours looking up writing prompts.

Which is why I tend to not ask for writing prompts, or participate in many fan events like ship weeks. Prompts rarely work at actually inspiring me for a story. I can look at the prompt and go, "huh, that's a neat idea", but it's so painfully rare that they ever actually inspire a story.

So... uh... yeah. That was my week: try to come up with a Plagg-centric story for Friday 13, fail, spend a day flipping through prompts to try to come up with an alternate idea, fail again, spend the weekend depressed because of my "failure." Followed by this past week: try to recover from the weekend by working on this post so it can still go up on Tuesday, fail, figure I can work on it throughout the day Tuesday and just post it late, fail, become mentally exhausted from working every day for 9 days straight, slowly chip away at this post, ACTUALLY publish on my first day off since the 14th, feel a sigh of relief.

Oh, and also Hubby bought me a gift the weekend of the 13th to try to help cheer me up during my funk. Bless this glorious man and his huge heart.

My "cheer [LycoRogue] up" gift from Hubby. ❤
OK ORCHESTRA by AJR

Which brings us to right now, and why I'm switching gears again. I'm trying to put the Plagg Appreciation Day debacle behind me (although, not seeing a new story published in 2020 for that collection will always haunt me), and instead talk about the story I HAVE been able to build. Or, rather, the one I've built a foundation for as others co-wrote the main body of it.

We're moving into fun and happy territory, because it's Scum and Villainy story time!

Last Monday Hubby had to work a closing shift. Normally, we would be able to run a session without a player present, and come up with an excuse as to why their character wasn't involved in that job. That's one of the great things about the Forged in the Dark games. That way you don't have to worry about always having everyone available. Problem is, due to timing, the crew is technically still in the middle of a job, so it would be weird to have Hubby's character Quinton randomly vanish. Also, Hubby got off of work at 9:30pm (21:30), and that is normally smack dab in the middle of our session. It would be disrupting to pause the game so I could pick him up, and then for Quinton to randomly pop in for the remainder of the job (or Hubby to continue to miss out on the session despite now being home).

It just made sense to skip game again, but that also means... *drum roll* I still only have two sessions to tell you beautiful peeps about instead of three! Sadly, even THAT is a lot to tell in an already lengthy post (we did a LOT more than I gave our group credit). So this is going to have to be a multi-parter series. I have a head start already for part 2, plus I'm FINALLY getting back to my usual work schedule. I'm hoping both will help me hit my deadline next week. In the meantime though, we've got that first session to catch you up on.

Buckle up, peeps, because shenanigans ensued almost right out of the gate.

Credit to the Scum and Villainy art team:
Brett Barkley, Tomasso Renieri, Juan Ocha, Michaela DeSacco, and Tazio Bettin

So, quick refresher:

The crew consists of Demarcus (I forgot to have Quarthix spell his last name out for me so I could read his handwriting), who was a mob doctor for the Borniko Syndicate. The players decided that Demarcus already had ownership of the Stardancer when he met up with his crewmates (by way of the Syndicate strongly suggesting he go with them). Despite Demarcus owning the ship, the de facto leader of the crew is Quinton Shrike, a member of a minor noble house. Quinton has the expensive habit of racing in the RIP races: high-octane hovercraft races at the speed of sound. Quinton was invited into the official RIP League, but could only do so with a team. Quinton met up with fellow RIP racer tI'kæl, a Memish princess and high priestess who is pretending she's on a religious pilgrimage so she could experience the rest of the galactic sector. During that meet-up, Quinton asked tI'kæl if she wanted to form a RIP team with him. She gladly agreed, but neither of them had the funds to do so. That's where Demarcus and the Borniko Syndicate come in. Demarcus is charged to show Quinton and tI'kæl the criminal ropes, as it were. The trio now use their services as smugglers to fund their RIP League team.

As the official game starts, the crew has picked up a few jobs offered by their reclusive info broker Magnilda "Maggie" Sanaas. One such job is to meet up with her contact Mino "Quirk" Zer on the crystal planet of Vos (nicknamed "Glimmer," similar to how we've nicknamed Mars "The Red Planet"). The crew are to smuggle some of the crystals off of Vos and deliver them to the Turner Society, who use these valuable crystals as a key component for their drugs (called Haze). Problem is, these crystals are highly valued by the Hegemony, and so Vos is heavily guarded and monitored to prevent any crystal theft.

The other job Maggie had for them was an escort mission. Her friend Ishi is a Xeno (re: non-human; alien) weapons dealer and designer who is in hiding on the night side of the tidal-locked planet of Sonhandra. Ishi has allies within the Maelstrom Pirates, who have a secret haven called The Cove, which is hidden within the in-system nebula the Ashtari Cloud. The Cloud causes standard navigation equipment to act up, making it nigh impossible to navigate within the Cloud without specific equipment the Maelstrom Pirates invented. Hoping this is the safest place to hide while on the lam, Ishi needs an escort to The Cove.

Since Vos and Sonhandra are in the same star system - Holt - and this is the system the crew wanted to start in, they figured it would be fairly easy to do both jobs at the same time. One of the Turner Society's three main headquarters happens to be in the Sonhandra capital of Ugar, and Maggie told the crew that Ishi was hidden just over a kilometer outside of Ugar. Easy peasy. They would pick up the crystals from Quirk on Vos, then head over to Sonhandra to drop them off with the Turner Society before picking up Ishi and heading to the neighboring Rin star system to drop Ishi off in The Cove.

The crew was able to make their way easily enough through Customs on the space station orbiting Vos and took a shuttle down to the crystal planet. Once there, they followed Maggie's instructions in order to meet up with Quirk. After proving they were the crew sent by Maggie for the Turner Society, Quirk handed over the crystals in a container roughly the same size and shape of an Igloo-brand 4qt mini cooler.

The actual case would look more futuristic,
but you get the basic size and function idea here.

Now the crew needed to figure out how to smuggle this container through Customs. They decided to try to find a "fellow tourist" to turn into their patsy. They figured they could stash some illicit drugs on the patsy, and while the 51st Legion was busy detaining the patsy, the crew could sneak through Customs with the box. Quinton also thought to line the top of the crystals with one of his fancy scarves and pile cheap but "suuuper pretty" souvenir crystals on top of the scarf. He hoped that if Customs still tried checking the box while the patsy was being arrested that they'd see the souvenir crystals, get distracted by the commotion (hoping the patsy would put up a big stink about how the drugs didn't belong to them), and hurry Quinton along. The other two would then make sure they didn't have anything illegal on them so they could quickly pass through Customs, and then off they would go.

Quinton purposefully picked the flashiest but cheap crystals he could find. "The more I look like the store keepers swindled me, the better. I want Customs to think I'm some rich idiot." Meanwhile, Demarcus and tI'kæl scouted for their fall guy. Soon enough, they found a man decked out in an overpriced get-up stylized to look like authentic Vosian garb while still horribly missing the mark.

Basically, he looked like a tourist walking through Texas while dressed like Lil Nas X from his "Old Town Road" music video.

Hint: Texans (typically) don't dress like this

This guy was clearly an oblivious elitist, and he was loudly gloating about all the pretty crystals he just bought. While Quinton wanted to LOOK like a guy who would spend 3 Cred (about $30,000) on souvenir crystals, this guy clearly was gullible enough to ACTUALLY spend 3 Cred on this pile of crystals. The elitist was flanked by two hulking bodyguards, but they clearly cared the bare minimum required to be paid: is their boss alive and unharmed physically? Good enough. They didn't care if he was taken advantage of, as long as he had enough money left to keep paying them.

It kept a little schmoozing, but tI'kæl used her status as a Memish princess to get close to the guy and strike up a conversation with him. She talked to him about the beauty of Yuura, the frozen moon of Mem, and convinced him that he just HAD to go check it out. A bit more bullshitting, and tI'kæl convinced the patsy - Mevakor Nagan - that he HAD to see Yuura while it is at its peak in just two days (Mem is also in the Holt star system). Since she's Memish, she could escort him there to show it off.

While tI'kæl was schmoozing Mevakor (whom she nicknamed "Mev"), and convincing him that he desperately wants to leave his original travel plans on Vos and go to Mem within two days, Demarcus and Quinton managed to bump both bodyguards and spill Mev's two duffel bags' worth of crystals. The bodyguards manhandled Demarcus a bit to make sure the two guys weren't threats before Demarcus convinced the guards that the crew was harmless. As Demarcus talked his way out of the bumping, Quinton helped the other guard pick up his master's crystals, and slipped the hidden drugs in to the bags.

Everything in place, they headed to Customs. Quinton lined up to be the first through Customs, that way if things go awry, tI'kæl and Demarcus could drop their drugs in front of Mevakor's guards to draw attention to them and the drugs hidden within their bags. Luckily, Quinton was oozing charisma (and fake naiveté). He annoyed the Customs agent right out the gate by flashing his Starsmiths Guild badge, because that simple move kinda-sorta warned the agent that, as a Guild member, he's fairly untouchable. Quinton then went extremely over-the-top with his excitement over the crystals he just bought from the tourist market, even offering to pick some of the crystals out of the box to show off how pretty they were. The agent did note that the scarf was hiding something below it, but was already exasperated enough by Quinton that he just waved him through, assuming it was more worthless crystals and the scarf was just woven through multiple layers to (needlessly) protect them.

No longer needing a patsy, the crew gladly brought Mevakor and his bodyguards along to use as potential future fall guys, should someone stop their ship prior to delivering the crystals to the Turner Society. TI'kæl even offered to show off her carving ritual to Mev while on their way to Mem - with a quick pitstop to refuel on Sonhandra, of course. Problem was, tI'kæl got so attached to Mevakor, that she became a touch loose-lipped, and let it slip that they were professional smugglers. She didn't let Mev know WHAT they were currently smuggling, but didn't even consider secrecy at the time, especially because nearly everything she told Mev seemed so new and exciting for him. Giddy about being on a real life smugglers' ship (no one in his Bridge Club would ever believe he actually rode with criminals!!!!), he began wandering the ship. He didn't find the crystals, but he did find the trio's tank-sized RIP Machines (the vehicles they race) in the hangar.

Upon arriving in Ugar on Sonhandra, Mev and his two bodyguards broke off to hit up the city's famous auction house while the crew did whatever "maintenance" they needed. That was when the trio headed towards Wildside, a society house on Sonhandra that the Turner Society runs as a secret drug den. Upon arriving, they were quickly blocked by the bouncers there. The crew didn't resemble their typical clientele (although Demarcus always dresses to the nines; Quinton is a minor noble, dressed "fancy"; and tI'kæl is a literal princess). Quinton demanded they speak to a higher-up, and one of the bouncers went to fetch someone. Meanwhile, the crew briefly discussed the possibility of selling the crystals to jeweler Yola Sprekk. She would easily match the Turner Society's price for the crystals. Demarcus quickly shut the idea down though. The Turner Society was one of the largest drug cartels in the sector, and, as a drug connoisseur himself, Demarcus didn't want to piss off the Society by selling their crystals to someone else (he didn't want to be cut off when instead he could maybe win favor and possibly some discounted/free drugs).

While the crew was waiting to be let in, a couple of waifs were wandering the street and pickpocketing others in the crowd. The crew spotted this fairly easily, and Demarcus tried to deter the kids by pulling out his gun. While intimidated enough to avoid the trio, the waifs still picked up a couple of small stones and pelted them at the back of Demarcus' head to try to still act tough. Pissed off now, Demarcus fired off a warning shot to scare the kids. It worked. Sorta. He was too mad, and fired off the warning shot too quickly. He didn't really aim ahead of time, plus he didn't properly prepare his arm to handle the kickback like he normally would. The shot went stray, and ended up going through a storefront window, killing the shopkeeper inside with a clean headshot.

Sonhandra is fairly use to violent and/or criminal behavior, and most things are fair game. However, the local authorities still rushed in to see if this was going to explode into a turf war. Demarcus quickly sidestepped his crewmates and casually started walking away (to try to not draw attention to him). Problem is, he started walking before his coat fully had the gun hidden again (he needed a minute for the gun barrel to cool without burning his coat), and a local spotted it. He was excited by the model and started calling out to Demarcus, wondering where he got the gun and shouting the make and model across the street. Nervous that the authorities were going to find him due to this loud mouth, Demarcus ended up selling the guy the gun (since he seemed to like it so much). It was a decent price, but still massively below market value. Demarcus then proceeded to casually wander Ugar to try to not draw any further attention. In the end, he ended up getting horribly lost.

Back in front of Wildside, the one bouncer that went to fetch a higher-up returned and whispered something to the other guard. With the "trouble maker" Demarus no longer with the other two, they're finally allowed inside and escorted to a sort of waiting lounge; not quite in the society house proper, but off the street at least. There, they are greeted by a minor noble named Vallis. She's long, lanky, and skeletally skinny with drawn skin, but there's also an elegance about her that comes exclusively from the way she does her hair and the clothing and jewelry she wears; much like the stereotypical skeletal supermodel.

Not to call this model out or anything, but think Anja Rubik back during 2012's Fall/Winter Paris Fashion Week.

The Lanvin Ready-To-Wear runway during Paris Fashion Week
at Halle Freyssinet on March 2, 2012 in Paris, France.
(March 1, 2012 - Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe)

Quinton does know of Vallis, and knows that she's worked with his noble friend and pseudo-lord Lang. The two have never personally met, though. Quinton still took point as he let her know that they had a package from Quirk, and showed her the box Quirk gave them (Quinton had left the worthless crystals on the Stardancer). Vallis has a single, exceptionally long and acrylic-like reinforced index nail. She picked up one of the crystals, and ran her nail along the full length. As she did, the crystal hummed and glowed, and tI'kæl sensed the mystical force of The Way resonating around them. Finding her proof that these are genuine - and high quality - Vosian crystals, Vallis became giddy, quickly paid Quinton and tI'kæl, and gleefully whisked the crystals away to a back room somewhere in the society house. As she headed out of the waiting room, Vallis told the duo that they would still have to pay like normal customers, but they were welcome to partake in the society house while there.

They opted to instead find their captain, who was still wandering Ugar somewhere. Actually, somehow, someway, Demarcus wandered OUTSIDE of the city of Ugar and into the desert-like sun side of Sonhandra. Quinton and tI'kæl made it back to the Stardancer, grabbed their land transports, and headed out to try to collect Demarcus from the sun side.

Breaking out of narration, this is the part of the gameplay (e.g. the part of closing out a job) where we sort out XP and complications to lead into the next job. One such complication was that the crew has a job with the Borniko Syndicate that they HAVE to do. The crew also built up 3 Heat in the Holt system, and earned 5 Cred (~$50,000) for the job. Quinton also purchased 2 Volts during some of his downtime while the other 2 spent their downtime training (leveling up character stats).

Before moving on to pick up Ishi, the crew heard of a RIP League race right there on Sonhandra scheduled for later that day, so they signed up. Meanwhile, Mevakor also heard about the RIP race. He knew he saw RIP Machines in the hull of the Stardancer, and was excited to see which team the crew "smuggled" them for, so he had his bodyguards escort him to the track on the day side of the planet.

That is where we're going to stop this week. Next post I'll talk about the RIP race, and maybe talk about the Ishi escort mission that started in our second session (the one where we were also socializing/watching Odin the kitten). We'll see how long describing the race runs me.

Thank you so much for sitting through my whining at the top of the post, and I hope getting to read the Scum and Villainy storyline was a nice palate cleanser. A much more pleasant way to send you back to the rest of your day.

One of these days I'll get back to putting this info on my World Anvil story "wiki" so it won't "clog up" my blog (because someday I'll actually talk about my fiction writing again here.... right?). In the meantime, though, I'll keep letting you fine folks in on the storyline here.

So, catch everyone next week!

Scum and Villainy rule book cover designed by art team:
Brett Barkley, Tomasso Renieri, Juan Ocha,
Michaela DeSacco, and Tazio Bettin
(Cheesy Batman-series-joke edits by LycoRogue)