Steel Sponge

28. Trinity Leaf Pegasus Episode 1: First Version Considering that I'm starting over this project from scratch, it's logical that I would move this rough draft for the first episode of TLP to this thread, like with the rough draft for the first episode of OotC. Other than that, this is me making up for the lack of the premiere that I've promised since the past month and I'm now holding over for three months to date. I've published what would end up being the rough draft to TLP's first episode back in February 2015 and after falling back on this slump for six more years, it's indicative of just how TLP is my most difficult project to flesh out when I don't feel to proud of this finished product, and why Jjs has called it the Duke Nukem Forever of my spin-off/lit writing career. I still plan on getting the official premiere written out before the end of the year, and hopefully it's worth that 10 year wait. 1. In This Life... (Before Chaos) The Crystal Empire, one of the most superlative landforms in the post-modern universe of Equestria and evolved into something greater as of current. In a world, advanced into the revolution of technology, robotics, and such, the Crystal Empire has enhanced from said technology. The treasures it holds are state of the art inventions and they are through the benefit of nanobot technology. Moreover, the most well-known and named artifact of the Crystal Empire was known as the “Coalition Blade.” With the blade made with pure crystal, the sword gives off a mechanical effect. It is said that at least two or more bearers of the sword are assembled into an automated, robot alicorn body when the rapier gives off an incredibly desolate gleam. Ponies of the current times have used the weapon for defense of the kingdom, for all of Equestria. Its most notable power is to rid of chaos from anywhere and anything. The sword was specially used by Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor, two of the most notable swordponies, and the ponies to vanquish Discord’s chaos brought out by thieving individuals. Now it resides at a museum in the Crystal Empire, to showcase its history and the mysteries of its making that still exist and are still unsolved. Six ponies that represent the Elements of Harmony stood in front of the sword, displayed and encased in its podium: Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Princess Twilight Sparkle. “So, this is the sword?” Fluttershy asked quietly. “The Coalition Blade, for that matter? This is the one,” says Twilight Sparkle. “Shining Armor and Princess Cadence called for us here to conceal this display with magic to for security since the magic surrounding it got cancelled out.” Twilight edged away from her position, got close to the exhibit. She bowed her head below and started charging up her horn as she gazes upon the centerpiece, surrounding the podium with her magic; the kind of magic that would block anypony from trying to give the finely honed blade weapon the slightest touch. Her horn was glistening until the last bit of magic dissipated in front of the podium. The work was done. The alicorn princess momentarily stepped back. In other words, she used a blocking spell to protect the Coalition Blade, pardon the verbosity. “That’s it, huh?” Rainbow Dash stated. “While we’re still in the Crystal Empire, how about we come see the Wonderbolts performance that is being held real soon?” Twilight turned to one of her friends and responded, “That’s not for another 5 hours. We’ll get there. Now I have to write to Celestia and Cadence that the Coalition Blade is under protection again.” “I just can’t seem to wait though!” Rainbow Dash added. “If we’re lucky, we could watch upfront!” “Besides,” Rarity was saying, trotting around the museum before taking a look at some displayed dress designs, “why not take a marvel at these divine pieces of art? Put aside the Coalition Blade, I don’t see know that’s fascinating or artistic.” “Which reminds me, what does that sword do?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Y’all can tell us anything, sugarcube,” said Applejack. “There’s something that the silly old thing can do, and it’s a mystery I can probably solve!” Pinkie Pie uttered. “Maybe it can be used to shoot up rainbows in space! Or it’s used to rapidly dress birthday cakes! Or it can throw a party on its own! Maybe that doesn’t sound possible, but the sword must be done for something. Anyways, I think it might….” As Pinkie Pie kept on rambling, Twilight brought out a book that she had carried along with to the museum. Entitled, “The Extended Guide to the Coalition Blade and Its Relations,” she flips through pages and then begins to rephrase the very definition: “It’s a sword contained with the power of nanobots and has the ability to form a giant shield of armor in its intended image of an alicorn when in possession by a group of three. Its power is used to sweep chaos in its range.” “Um…so that means this sword is used for good?” Fluttershy asked. “And this isn’t a concern for Discord since he’s been reformed for a long while, right?” “If ponies would attempt to steal something like this for something that’s used for good, could they really try to use it for evil?” Twilight mused. “Ugh, now I got that racking my brain. Speaking of Discord, we need to keep a sharper eye on him because of reports of others confiscating most of his chaos energy. “Don’t forget we still have to make sure he doesn’t do anything tricky ah-gain,” Applejack pointed out. A couple hours have passed and the six ponies were prepared to leave the museum. “Our work here is done,” said Twilight. “My magic ought to hold the Coalition Blade from heists….from whoever would actually steal for a sword like that.” The last of the six ponies to step out was Pinkie Pie, who was still jabbering. “…Or perhaps it can give me a long flowing mane and summon a magical sea dragon! That would be a nice touch….” It was now after sundown and the doors to the Crystal Empire’s museum were locked up and shut, with no one but the guards on duty. However, a strange figure, fully garmented in black, was seen in the shadows, revealed to have sneaked inside. The pony in disguise silently sneaked across the displays of the museums until the shady fellow spotted the Coalition Blade, shielded by Twilight’s magic. The pony’s horn gleamed. With concentration, the invisible blockage around the display was being cancelled out by the intruder’s magic. Then, quietly, the intruder removed the case and confiscated the sword. The pony then placed it on saddleback and got ready to flee. The thief found some emergency rope nearby. Aiming for the open ceiling window, the pony was making the escape and lunged back onto the museum’s grounds the moment the shady pony realized that the Coalition Blade was unexpectedly out of grip of the hooves. There appeared to be another thief in amidst of the attempted heist. The other individual had the shape/form of a griffon. Said thief cautiously flew around the museum with the artifact and aimed for the same open window from the pony thief’s distance. The first thief laid a tap on the second one’s left shoulder before knocking it down. Momentarily, both thieves tackled at each other until their masks came undone, revealing a couple of familiar faces. (The two do not recognize each other however) “What in Equestria brings you here?” The unicorn whispered callously. “I’m taking the Coalition Blade for myself and you’re not beating me to it!” The griffon exclaimed. As revealed, the two intruders were Trixie Lulamoon [the unicorn] and Gilda [the griffon] respectively. “Keep it down before the guard ponies sound the alarm,” Trixie responded quietly. “What would you want with the sword anyways!?” Gilda continued, being bombastic as usual. “Don’t everypony treat you like a joke!?” Due to Gilda’s voice echoing around the museum, the guards off-screen took notice and sounded the alarms. “How would you know that?” Trixie asked back, tugging at the Coalition Blade, maintaining a grip on it from the griffon. “I suppose everypony is not familiar with Trixie, the Great and Powerful, and so I made my current living here in the Crystal Empire! But now you’ve done it…” Referring to the guards that were being lined up, one by one, they came running for the two burglars. Trixie and Gilda put their masks back on their faces and sprinted away to exit through the entrance doorway. Using her magic to quickly unlock it, she and Gilda were out of there and found a place to hide behind from the museum guards. “You ruined this. Who are you, and what do YOU think you’re trying to do with the Coalition Blade?” Trixie asked. “The name’s Gilda, you selfish hooligan!” She introduced. “Feathered loudmouth…” Trixie muttered. “In case you didn’t listen, I am the Great and Powerful Trixie, don’t wear it out. Since I’m hanging on to the Coalition Blade, I must be going with this fine treasure…” “Not a chance!” Gilda said once as she tried to snag the sword back. Gilda and Trixie were tugging at it again until they both inadvertently tossed it into the open field. The guards took immediate notice and headed back to the museum with the recovered artifact. “Forget you!” Gilda bellowed at the unicorn and started to hover before taking off. “Lucky for me, my intents for the sword are none of your business!” “I would have learned some new and amazing tricks with that thing,” said Trixie. “Hopefully, we are never destined to meet again…” And so Trixie trotted away from Gilda’s sight after generating a puff of smoke. -- -- -- Good morning, my little pony. Or so she is…. Whatever the answer, you wouldn’t know. In a coat of orange blossom, with green eyes, an auburn mane with cowlicks, before the pony styles it with a flick around her forehead and short spikes around her neck, she was known as a Pegasus. A preadolescent Pegasus named Felea. She already got herself readied and came down to the kitchen where her father was lounging. Unlike her said father, he is a crystal pony. Furthermore, he is a blacksmith. As shown, a series of crystals was assorted around his workspace. “Good morning, dad!” Felea greeted. “Good morning to you too, Felea,” her father, Copper Gears responded. “Since you probably haven’t heard the news, we better be cautious at our museum trip, since an attempted robbery happened two days ago.” “Don’t be silly, since when will that turn up during our one occasion?” Felea questioned. “I will be careful though, cross my heart and hope my wings don’t clip!” Someday, just someday, I’ll be able to have a strong set of wings. Felea thought. To go into more detail, being able to fly, or more so become a star flier, is the one thought that circles around the pony’s mind. For reasons of her anatomy, she cannot fly. Could be why she’s so focused on getting a cutie mark pertaining to that. A pony can dream. “Just go to your school as usual, it will be our treat,” said Copper Gears. “Alright, love you dad!” Felea concludes and left home for her bus stop. As soon as school was over, Felea and Copper Gears eventually appeared at the museum, free of crime. Felea gazed upon the wonders of collected arts by the Crystal Empire. She paid most attention to the Coalition Blade exhibit. However, turning around, Felea then notices that the sword was removed from the case out of the deep blue. Felea called for her father to alert him of the missing sword. After about 12 seconds, he came by to her daughter’s side. “It’s gone! Do you see it missing from that case?” Felea said. When Copper Gears came closer to take a look however, the Coalition Blade appeared be inside the case. Not absent. “You’re acting deranged, is there anything wrong?” Copper Gears asked. “I swear it was gone, the moment I looked at the exhibit….” Felea replied. Copper Gears turned Felea’s head around and then said, “See that? The Coalition Blade is safe and sound. Now, since we’ve spend enough time in this museum, let’s grab some dinner. It’s your favorite.” “Yeah, that will help me get over….what just happened.” “I’ll also tell you about the Coalition Blade on the way.” Felea and her father headed off. Little did they know that the sword in the display was a faux, authentic-looking cardboard cut-out. The two now appeared at the Crystal Empire’s finest dinner theatre, watching the current jousting tournament as Felea munches on pieces of her garlic bread. “As you can see, that’s what the Coalition Blade can do, but don’t get your hopes too high on it. You might never be able to use it,” Copper Gears was explaining. “Then why are you telling me this?” Felea asked. “I know how you much you’d want to start flying and I know how much you like watching the jousts, but I need to remind you that you should not wield such a vast weapon, or use it for flight, since it would result in harmful effects for you,” Copper Gears continued. “What is it ever going to take for me to soar?” Felea asked, shifting her eyes into look of discouragement. “Never give up that dream of yours, just remember that. You’ll have to wait until some point, but to become a surefire fighter and high flyer, mark my words that you would look into something different.” “I guess that’s true….anyways, thanks for the dinner. Nothing beats being out here with you.” As Felea’s day continues to pass, it was now dusk and the pony went over her bedroom. Her eyes immediately turn into shock when she noticed something strange, yet familiar… The Coalition Blade stood… It stood out by the windowsill. Felea would tell her father about her unusual discovery, but decided to keep the situation to herself. Things continue to stir for Felea as she notices a cloud around her shoulder forming something also quite familiar. She let out of a cough and noticed a Draconequus by her shoulder. He was like Discord, minus some attributes: his skin being red, white eyes, black pupils, and a coral snake tail. “Go ahead, do what you want to do,” the mysterious figure said. “Who are you? What are you? What is this sword doing in my room?” Felea questioned. “Consider it as a home-warming offering,” he continued. “I know what you’re thinking, consider me a ghost, a figment of your imagination, or anything else. Just call me by the name of Dinu.” “Is this really the Coalition Blade? My dad told me that the thing is too dangerous for me…” Felea replied. “What is it that you want from me?” “Nothing….” Dinu replied. “The reason why I’d pass this thing over to you is not worth an answer. What matters right now is that I am here to provide you with some help.” “….The choice is yours.” “…Felea.”

I better stop sleeping on this as well.

One of the first original [non-Japanese animated] series from Crunchyroll. It's review/dislike-bombed all across the board, which should tell you so much that there is a whole lot of visceral hatred towards HGS. Anyway, feel free to discuss this series that the internet is super upset about. One of these days, I will look at this with my own eyes, but certainly not now.

I'll just provide a quick link to both my bottom 10/top 10 hit songs lists for the past year from my own blog, since I don't feel the need to reformat everything for SBC, and it's more convenient that way: http://spongeofsteel.home.blog/2020/12/10/steels-top-10-worst-hit-songs-of-2020/ http://spongeofsteel.home.blog/2021/01/30/steels-top-10-best-hit-songs-of-2020/ I've sworn off annual YE Hot 100 reviews after 2020, but I will at least contribute to this topic with something.

Hey all, it's been a while since I made one of these:

The hype for these titles have always felt invisible to me, so I've come to terms that this may end up being a disappointment even for me. From what I've heard of the leaks, GF & ILCA seem like they're playing it very safe, so this does make Legends feel like it's compensating for the lack of a legitimate glow-up from the original source.

Funniest Member: kev, Fred Rechid, OWM, WinterArcanine, Honest Slug Spongiest Member: Prez, NegiSpongie, 4EverGreen, WhoBob, That Excited Spongekid Kindest Member: SOF, Cha, Patty Rose, mythix, dmandaman Maturest Member: Jjs, Hawk, Old Man Jenkins, JCM, Trophy Best Gamer: DarknessDG, dmandaman, Bob Carotte, Honest Slug, Ding Most Cinematic Member: WhoBob, Clappy, Katniss, Jjs Geekiest Band Geek: Wumbo, kev, Homie, Katniss, sbl Most Artistic Member: Jane, Aquatic, Patty Rose, Cha, Dreaded Patrick Honorary Creator: Cha and Renegade the Unicorn Honorary Creation: Miss Appear and One-Time SpongeBob Characters: Where Are They Now? Honorary Staff Member: teenj12 and CDCB Honorary Member: OMJ and NegiSpongie

27. Trial and Error Here is my newest one-shot story, which I've submitted to the Scary Story Contest for the now-concluded 2021 Octerrorfest, which I've won. Originally, I wasn't going to have its release tied to any certain site events on SBC and it was going to be a murder-mystery story with historical fiction elements. Since I've realized that this would be a good fit as an original short story for Octerrorfest, I've added one more key element to this story that I was going to save for a separate one-shot: horror. The main task of writing this one-shot was to write a compelling murder-mystery, as well as a compelling horror, based on my perspective of how the latter form should be written. It's not that I hate horror as a genre. Every once in a while, I would add horror elements to any of my stories depending on my mood and I have been getting into the works of Junji Ito to signify my experience, even though it's minimal. What I'm trying to say is that it's just not a genre of story writing that I'm a fan of. I've witnessed a vast number of badly-written creepypastas in my time and as well as other pieces of media like the absolutely terrible Hello Neighbor that hindered some of my feelings towards horror. However, they haven't stopped me from having a grasp on how it can work. For the historical setting, I got some mileage from the Salem witch trials from the late 1600s, so I chose that because of how much it interested me. It is a fictional account on the events where the main premise revolves, so I was going for a historically accurate approach. My approach to the horror aspects of this story is not to force it, create surprise and suspense when the plot demands it, and to not be afraid to go off the rails. Compared to the other, previous one-shots I've published, this one is rather shorter in length, at less than 5k words in total. I was entering this for Octerrorfest's writing contest, so I've always made sure I wasn't putting too much weight into this. With everything about the writing process behind this one-shot explained now, let's move right on to the story proper. “Audrey Chambers, prisoner 14, you have been pardoned,” spoke the voice of a clergyman. “We have vetoed your execution on the grounds of the incidences happening within Salem Village. There have been reports of disappearances and manslaughter, and since you’ve been imprisoned during these unfortunate events, we’ve come to the agreement that you aren’t responsible.” Audrey, the woman in question sitting still in her iron cell, was hesitant to trust the clergy member. She replied in a cold tone, “Why should I believe anything you’re saying? Your people took everything away from me – my job, my home, my family…I’d rather continue rotting away in here.” “Aye, it must feel hard on you for us to remove your husband and kids from you,” the man continued. “I ensure that they’re alive and well, but you are forbidden from seeing them. Alas, a witch is a witch, so it wouldn’t be right grant you complete freedom. It is the job for us Puritans to eradicate any form of witchcraft here in Salem Village.” The prisoner grabbed the clergyman by the collar and exclaimed to him, “How do I know that this government that you associate yourself with isn’t keeping them in confinement!? They put us all on trial! Now tell me why I’m being freed, Minister Adams.” Audrey still held on the minister, waiting for his answer. Adams waited until she let him go so that he could give out a formal response. “I wouldn’t say freed…I would say that you’ve been placed under supervision by the Puritans for a special job. We turned to you based on claims of you having a sixth sense. With a strong presence of evil being spread around Salem, we could use your spiritual connection for our investigation.” “I will not accept an offer to be exploited by the likes of you.” “Just let me finish. Should you succeed in apprehending the suspect and exposing them for their acts of witchcraft, your innocence will be proven and thus, you’ll be granted permission to reunite with your family. If you commit devil worship by any means while on the job, then an execution will be made in order for you.” Audrey went silent, thinking hard on the offer being made to her. She finally said to the minister, “In behalf of the government, I’d refuse. However, if you speak the truth, then I shall assist in finding this culprit.” “I understand if you don’t see this as means of me having a change of heart. Us Puritans must abide to God’s will and properly punish the heathens that practice such sinful acts. To ensure that you will be restrained from the use of black magic…” Adams then showed in front of Audrey two pairs of shackles. He enclosed them around her wrists and ankles and linked each ends together to lock them. “…You are to be kept in restraints.” Audrey continued to hang her head down as the minister showed her out of her cell. At that point, she refused to utter another word to him. “Why don’t you step outside now?” Adams suggested. “I’m sure you begin to feel better being able to see the outside since your arrest.” Audrey obliged and left the containment area, allowing for herself to view the outside of Salem Village once again. However, she expected nothing more than the worst. From what she had observed, the weather appeared to be hazy. The atmosphere was bleak and filled with panic. More dauntingly so, there was an overriding smell of death in the air. Despite this unsettling mood, Audrey saw a fair amount of the townspeople strolling by either on foot or in wagons for their essential needs. Some of the Salem residents that took notice of Audrey’s release from her confinement exchanged disparaging looks towards her. The date is October 5th, 1692, Audrey narrates. At this time, Salem’s witch hunts are still in full-swing, as is the mass hysteria surrounding its supernatural occurrences by the Puritans, the religious reform that maintains law and order of this town. I am Audrey Chambers, a 31-year old wife, mother, and former miller who has been wrongly accused of witchcraft alongside my husband and kids by association. I am the 78th civilian to ever be put on trial for perceived witchcraft, the 9th to be declared guilty…and the first to be released. In the past several months, I would experience these peculiar dreams at night that were like visions of my own future, and they mostly involved bloodshed. I expressed these recollections as a form of fortunetelling, and the Puritans later took notice and saw it as a form of witchcraft, which was how and why I got tried. One of the female residents of the colonial village who recognized the woman in shackles uttered, “It’s that witch!” before then coming nearer to threaten her with a cross by then saying, “Burn in hell, you “An execution for this wench won’t be necessary for the time being,” Adams reassured, although still angering Audrey with his choice of words. “There’s a much more important cause that’s been happening that needs to be cleansed, if you understand.” “I saw it with my own eyes…” the resident continued. “I saw it outside the millhouse. It had to be her.” “I see...” Adams mused. “Could I still at least prove my innocence?” Audrey asked the minister before turning to face the local. “What did you see at the scene of the crime?” “A dead, impaled body in a wheat field,” the resident responded. “It hanged there like a scarecrow. I just can’t stop thinking about it. I’m going to have nightmares for a while.” “I can assure that the witch, Ms. Chambers, wouldn’t have been able to commit such a horrific crime as she was still imprisoned during the event.” said Adams. “Although, since she’s been declared as a witch, we can’t rule her out as a probable suspect. In other words, she’s guilty until she manages to prove herself innocent. Don’t worry about her now. The law is taking good care of her.” “This was not the only causality that’s been reported since this morning,” the resident added. “Someone’s wife was murdered as well.” The Puritans have been evaluating the town for any activity in witchcraft, but now we have a case in our hands epitomizing a string of murders. Before we explore the scenes where the crimes took place, we’d like for you to refer to us to this other witness.” In a passing moment, Audrey and the accompanying minister were inside the house of a man bearing two children, a son and a daughter. They were identified as the Masons. The Masons were seated on a coach while Adams and Audrey looked at them straight while seated on a pair of wooden chairs. “Minister Adams, it’s a surprise and as well as a pleasure to have you here,” said the widow. “Do you have to keep that witch company here? I don’t approve of having her in my home. She’s bad luck you know…” “It’s for temporary business, Lawrence,” Adams reassured. “Describe to us what happened when your wife, Dinah, was murdered.” “I work the millhouse fifty hours a week and when I’m not on the job, I spend the rest of my time as a devote Puritan or as a husband, so I have an alibi,” Lawrence explained. “I was in the altar when I heard a devilish scream. “No God will help” – that’s what I heard before I left the scene to see my wife dismembered and dead on the dirty ground. So I do believe witchcraft is involved in these affairs.” “I’m sorry about your loss, Lawrence,” Audrey spoke in an empathetic tone. “I guess some witches do have some sense of morality and humanity in them,” Lawrence remarked. “We’ve worked at the millhouse together,” Audrey replied. “We were in really good terms, so you should give us permission to examine the millhouse for leads on where one other crime took place.” “Yes, I’ve heard from the townsfolk about that incident. The victim was an innocent miller. Because of the trauma I’ve been dealing with, I’m better off leaving that place alone. I would give Minister Adams permission to look. For you, Audrey, I would forbid.” “No need to be so boorish,” Adams remarked. “To solve this mystery that’s rooted in supernatural activity, we need someone with connections to witchcraft to find out the true culprit.” “We miss mommy, daddy,” Lawrence’s son spoke. “Where is mommy? Is she coming back?” The daughter asked. “I have a couple of kids who are too young to understand what’s been happening and every so often they ask me about Dinah,” said Lawrence. “Giles and Nancy are also too young to handle the answer, so you must understand that I have to stay here awhile for their sake. Whoever is responsible deserves the fucking worst.” “Yes, that is understood,” Adams replied. “It was nice having this talk with you, Lawrence Mason. We will be visiting the millhouse and its field shortly with executioner Frank to inspect and remove the body. I’ll be sure to report back to you any information concerning your wife’s murder. If any more criminal activity pops up, you know who to call on.” “Thanks, I appreciate your company, Minister Adams,” Lawrence finished. Upon leaving the Masons residence, Audrey, Adams, and Frank made their way towards the area of interest. As described, they saw a corpse positioned like a cross on the wheat field. Its rotting flesh was being devoured by crows and insects. The sight of the dead body especially filled Audrey’s mind with dread. “Ms. Chambers, you’ve worked as a miller, so I suppose you recognize this victim,” said Adams. “I can’t…it just makes me feel so sick to my stomach just looking at it,” Audrey spoke in a horrified tone. “I can understand that feeling,” Frank uttered, “Men, women, children, elderly, I’ve seen corpses of all kinds and it’s all so hard for me to bear as well.” “Yet you don’t feel remorse for executing the lives of innocent people in the name of God,” Audrey chided. “Now let me explain something, you wench…” Frank provoked before the minister raised a hand to stop him due to the presence of a couple passing by, a man and a woman respectively in their typical miller attire. “Are you two here for the millhouse?” Adams inquired towards the couple. “This is a murder scene, so it’s still off-limits.” “We just came here to make sure if it’s still unsafe to work the mill,” said the male onlooker. “It’s been plagued by strange occurrences since the past week. Because of that, we’ve been out of work for a while and we’re barely getting by right now, so I hope this crisis is over soon enough.” “What is she doing here?” The woman asked, referring to Audrey. “A witch has no business being here.” “Actually, she does, Charlotte,” Adams responded. “We’ll have this place cleared of all evil activity as soon as possible, so as you can see, we got this situation under control.” “If that’s the case, then why would a Puritan such as yourself have a witch on your side?” Charlotte questioned. “She’s a part of our investigation and as well as to prove her innocence for witchcraft,” Adams replied. “As long as she’s been supervised, I guarantee there won’t be any funny business going about.” “George!” Charlotte called out to her partner. “Say something about this travesty!” “Well…” George spoke, “If the Puritans say it is necessary, it’s fine by me then that they have the premises lodged up, even if they have a convicted witch in their custody. If you’d please Minister Adams, we could use some financial assistance. Perhaps some compensation for the closure of the mill could be made in order.” “Yes…a meeting can be arranged for that,” said Adams, “I’ll inform the clergy and Judge Pascoe about the situation between you and Charlotte, and I’ll see if we can come to an agreement. If not, the both of you may have to find another area of work.” “We’ll hope for a miracle, then. Let’s go, Charlotte.” The pair returns no more words as they left Audrey, Adams, and Frank to investigate the millhouse and the wheat field. Frank started by examining the corpse. “Judging by this man’s clothes, this body appears to belong to a man named Charles Sawyer,” Hank declared. “Are you sure of that?” Adams asked as he came over to look. “I am an expert in body examination, and I’ve used that experience to learn and remember the names and backgrounds of all those who live in Salem Village.” Frank responded. “You know why I’ve been hired as executioner. I can guarantee that it’s him. If it’s not him, then it could be a foreigner who had an unlucky encounter.” “The corpse smells of rotting blood and flesh and yet these clothes don’t seem to show serious damage, dear heavens.” Adams remarked. “This could be the work of witchcraft, or this has to do with the murderer’s motives.” He turned his head towards Audrey in the distance and asked her “What do you think, witch?” “Minister Adams…” Audrey spoke in a grave tone. “Do you ever think that your society, the Puritans, have gone too far in making this town paranoid?” “That has nothing to do with the question that I’ve asked you, witch,” Adams jeered. “I am Audrey Chambers, remember that name!” She snapped. The minister crept closer to the woman in shackles and pressed his right hand on her neck to put her in a chokehold, “I am Chauncey Adams. You’ll remember that name until the day you die. You live your life as a witch and you’ll die as one, do you fucking understand?” Before Audrey could retaliate, Adams let go of his grip on her and then said, “Just so you’d know, the main objective of the Puritans is to rid Salem Village of the source of paranoia that’s going against God’s wishes. It is by the grace of God that we denounce and remove all that we view as evil to ensure safety of this town, and as you may realize now, we’re dealing with activity that is unknown to the normal human being. You are still valuable for this case, so I require for you to take a look at the corpse.” “I can’t, and I won’t!” Audrey protested. “Look at the goddamn body or I’ll resort to brutal force, right here, right now!” Adams demanded. “There’s one thing that I’ll tell you…” Audrey yielded. “That body could be a deception made by the culprit.” Adams paused for a moment. He then responded, “Why do you say that?” “You said there were also reports of people disappearance from Salem, right?” Audrey questioned. “This isn’t like any normal serial murder case that we’re dealing with.” “Oh yeah, that’s another thing that needs to be addressed,” said Frank. “Children have been disappearing from town since the past week. It started with two missing cases and then it added up to twelve as of yesterday. Some of the residents believe that they’ve been disappearing to the haunted forest.” “What does that tell us about the miller who got murdered, or the murder of Dinah Mason?” Adams asked. “We have some evidence, but now we need some leads.” It was then that Audrey walked over to the wheat field while trying her best to avert her eyes from the corpse. “So, you tell it to my face that you refuse to cooperate with us and now you’re helping,” Adams remarked. “What do you got to share with us?” “I know these wheat and grain fields like if they were part of my home,” Audrey spoke. “It should be evident that the soil here has been tampered with. Apart from the corpse, there’s something peculiar about the dirt around it. There are some scrapings laid here that came from a different source.” “And what is this source that you’re thinking that this oddity came from?” Adams asked. “If there’s a report of children disappearing into the haunted forest…”Audrey was saying, “…It must mean that there is activity coming from that area by the suspect. Perhaps we should investigate it.” Frank was quick to react to and reject the idea. “No, no, no, no, there’s not a chance we’re going there!” He objected. “You’ve heard the rumors about that place. Any unsuspecting Salem villager who sets foot there never comes back, dead or alive.” “I was about to be sentenced to death before the Puritans decided to have myself attached to this case,” Audrey responded while holding the markings on her neck caused by the minister. “I may feel sick inside by seeing death of others, I don’t fear it nor do I fear the likes of you both. If this isn’t a job you or Minister Adams can’t handle, then I suggest I go and investigate without supervision.” “How should we know that you won’t practice witchcraft behind our backs?” Frank asked. “I’ve agreed to engage in this case to prove my innocence,” Audrey replied. “I’m determined to figure out the perpetrator even if it means facing death.” “I say let her go, Frank,” Adams uttered. “Since there’s a high probability that she will end up dead in the forest even though she’s willing to take such a risk, then it’s her funeral. If she comes back alive, perhaps it means she is a witch, but that might also mean she is a born survivor.” “Say what you will,” Audrey said to the minister, “I’ll wait for the day that I get to see you burn in hell.” “I have God on my side.” Adams retorted. “I may be chained, but I have my confidence to keep me alive,” Audrey asserted. “Now show me where the supposedly haunted forest lies.” The day turned to dusk by the time that Audrey began trudging through the dreaded forest by herself. She searched for hours walking through the woodland with nothing but the tall surrounding trees that met her glance. Despite the lack of peculiar activity, she kept a close eye on herself, looking in all directions every so often. It wasn’t until she stumbled into an open area surrounded by the forest without vegetation within approximately 3,000 square feet from her distance. The area in question was in the shape of an isolated circle. What caught Audrey’s attention, however, was the sight of a stone slab in the center. Audrey inched closer to the strange object. What was even stranger was the green glow it was emitting. It wasn’t like anything she had ever witnessed in Salem. After staring at the hunk of stone for two minutes, she heard footsteps and made for a quiet retreat from the spot. Observing from behind the husk of one of the adjoining trees, her surprise grew as she witness a group of twelve children, as described by Frank the executioner, walking over to the stone tablet. Each of them also had a green-colored glow emanating from their bodies. It was indicative to Audrey that the children were enchanted as their movements didn’t appear to be humanlike. She then saw the group of children speaking a chant that she couldn’t comprehend. The gleam from the stone tablet grew stronger and released a bright discharge before the mystical energy was now reduced to its original state. Before Audrey could try and approach the mysterious children, they began to leave the forest. All alone now in the encircled area of the haunted forest, Audrey stepped closer to the stone tablet so she could touch it and see for herself what exactly this strange object is. Before she could place her hand on the stone, her eyes caught the ambush of an appearance so unfamiliar and yet so alarming. She was stalled by what appeared to be a sentient corpse with most of its skin and flesh removed from its body and revealing its skeleton layer. Most of the corpse’s remaining skin was hanging down from the face and jaws. Below, Audrey saw a noose tied around the neck. “Hang…man….” The living corpse muttered. “Hangman….hangman….” Audrey was in a complete state of shock. By instinct, she kicked her feet and made a bolt to the forest. She struggled to keep a quick pace due to the restraints tied to her arms and legs. Regardless, she kept her stamina high in order to keep herself further away from the undead entity. She breathed heavily and cursed as she ran from the danger ahead of her, which was now creeping closer and closer while looking from behind. “Hangman, hangman, hangman, hangman!” The corpse’s movements became faster and its intonation grew louder the closer it got to Audrey. Audrey continued to run for her life until she was stopped by another presence. More living corpses of different forms showed up to surround her, with the undead hunter grabbing a hold of her. Seeing herself in a dead end, Audrey couldn’t move no more. The corpse behind her removed the bundle of rope around its neck, loosened it, and prepared to tie it around Audrey’s neck, giving off a shriek, “HANGMAN!” With enough force in her, Audrey swung and kicked the corpse from behind before the snare could tighten her neck. She removed the rope and wrapped it back onto the neck of the corpse that pursued her. She tightened the noose to decapitate the sentient corpse, and disintegrated into dust as a result. With an army of living skeletons with rotting skin and flesh still having her cornered, she resorted to using her restrains in self-defense, aiming for the sweet spot that was indeed the neck of each respective body. She turned the rest of the living corpses into dust with her method. To keep herself safe from any more imminent harm, she hid behind a tree and breathed heavily to calm herself from “What…was…all that…that I just saw?” Audrey groaned. “Where did those corpses come from? What is that stone, and for what reason where those missing children coming there for? Is this…what witchcraft really is?” Her body slid down from the bark of the tree, her legs spread across on the ground. She laid there motionless, unable to process everything that had transpired in front of her. “With so many unanswered questions, this is a mystery that demands to be solved. If the forest is the source of all these inhuman occurrences, I must continue looking here.” Audrey rested behind the same tree for half an hour until she continued on her trail. She strolled around for about nine minutes until she was approached by another unknown presence, but one that was more humanlike in appearance. This startled her and she began to run once more until her path was blocked by another one of the living corpses. She turned around and saw as the other mysterious individual got closer to her and knocked her out. When she awoke, she saw as she herself resting on a tree branch, facing the mysterious individual that had reproached her. She backed away from the unknown person with panic in her eyes and in her voice. The onlooker didn’t move, letting Audrey ease her own mind. The person in question had the physical appearance of a man. He wore nothing but loincloth, draped and covered around his private area. His hair was black and unkempt. He was underweight, with his abdomen being so thin that his skin exposed the bones of his ribs and as well as the bones in his backside. “You should be safe right now,” the man spoke. “We’re in the tree tops where nothing harmful could reach us. By the way, I’m sorry about startling you.” “Do you know what’s going on over here?” Audrey asked. “I’ve been wondering the same thing and I think I have some answers to share.” The unknown man continued. “You may not believe me when I say this but…the village of Salem is in serious danger.” “I can tell,” Audrey replied with her cuffed arms and legs huddled together. “I was pardoned from my execution after being declared guilty for witchcraft when the Puritans sought me out for these visions that I’ve been having of the future, to solve a string of murders that have been happening recently.” “That’s why I’ve been trying to survive out here in this forest. In other words, I’ve escaped from Salem Village to here so I found solve this mystery on my own terms, and I did that by faking my own death.” He faked his own murder? Audrey thought. Then that means… “Tell me more, please…” “I smell a conspiracy going on between the Puritans. How else could they be spreading panic across the town and keep the truth about witchcraft to themselves?” “If black magic does exist, then that means…” Audrey was saying. “It means that there is indeed a witch somewhere in Salem hiding their true actions,” the man finished. “You’re on the hunt for the suspect, so I already know that it can’t be you. I don’t have an idea on the identity of the murderer, do you?” “No...” Audrey said in a sorrowful tone. “Although…from my encounter with those living corpses, I saw a lead. They kept repeating the word ‘Hangman.’” “From what I could gather, they are dead, but they were reanimated through means of witchcraft. All that jabber about a hangman could only mean that this was how they met their demise.” “That means they were connected to those witch trials in Salem...” “Those are my thoughts exactly. The murders may also be connected to that millhouse so we need to get a closer look at what’s going on there. It may be a risk now for us to return to Salem Village alive. Nonetheless, we can survive out here for a while and form an alliance in solving this crime once and for all. Once we do return to the town, we’ll need to have a plan set in motion. Although, the first thing I could do is replenish my strength. Unfortunately, it’s not easy finding food or drink in this forest, but we can always try.” “Well, since we trust each other, let’s say our names. I’m Audrey Chambers.” “…My name is Charles Sawyer.” As the night dawned on the two outsiders, the perspective changed to show the inside of the millhouse in Salem Village during those same late hours. There stood two figures in black robes to signify themselves as Puritans. However, their faces were obscured by the darkness. The room itself was dusk except for a bright green light, exposing the naked body of the deceased Dinah, tied to a rusted metal chair with irons concealing her hands, feet, and abdomen. “It’s a shame what we have to do with her.” The voice of a man spoke. “This body will be put to good use, however. Even if it rots away, I’ll store the energy for my own. When the time comes, all of Salem will have a new, tangible God that they’ll be forced to look up to.” Suddenly, the door to the millhouse creaked open to unveil a pair of three individuals. “Mommy, are you here?” The voice of a child spoke. “What’s going on here?” The voice of a man also spoke. “Who’s working the mill?” “Forgive me God, for I’m afraid I have to dispose of these intruders,” the cloaked man lamented in a remorseless tone. “You saw nothing.” With a wave of his arms, the man in the black Puritan robe jerked his hands around. In that instant, the three victims screeched and grunted in pain as their bones were cracking and rearranging against their will and their bloodflows connecting to their throats collapsed and obstructed their breathing. The dismemberment of the three would end with each of them being disemboweled, their skins flaying and showing part of their skeletons, their eyes gouging out, and their blood splattering all across the room. “At the very least, I have more dead life that I can use within my arsenal.” He turned away from the bloody, mangled corpses and turned to his cooperate. “Remove all traces of evidence, immediately.” “Yes, my master.” The other Puritan spoke in an obedient tone. Before the two unknown men closed the door, the glow of the moon radiating from the outside revealed the victims to be George and Lawrence’s two kids: Giles and Nancy. Later, the corpses were gone from the spot and the two crooked individuals resumed their work. “With this immense power, Salem shall perish…”

51. The tail of death (Dying for Pie) The tail of death [There is an armed man playing the piano on the island. He rings the record but the bell rings until he rings to examine. Ninaspri.] Bob: Please break up. [When the alarm sounds, the state rises. SquaredWord has stopped. "Don't ask where the sun is going." Squidward looked behind the car to prepare for tomorrow. She was on her way to the door when a working sponge followed her with a smile. Squidward alive] .../ .../ I'm glad to meet you. See you later Snyder Pure cancer.: Good morning, is the team ready? Ink Hal.: go home Pure cancer.: No, the staff exchanges gifts Ink Hal.: Mr. Krabbe, you paid me to convey this message, accept the order, and make the change. But you can't pay to be like my brother ... this man. [Soso (Japanese detected word for 'Roughly') Bob wipes the table with a towel, then wipes his face, crying and smiling.] Pure cancer.: Honey, it sounds good to you Sponge Bob.: My squid gave a gift in honor of the corpse's relatives. Ink Hal.: "I love you ..." Pure cancer.: Please try Mr. The team. He wrote to you. Sponge Bob.: I didn’t know how to make a hole in my head, so I rubbed it with watermelon. .../ To need Ink Hal.: Gray, did that happen? Sponge Bob.: goodbye Ink Hal.: Can I work for a low salary? Pure cancer.: After giving a present to my brother Ink Hal.: I want a little turtle Pure cancer.: Oh no, boy, you know the rules. Gifts must be given Ink Hal.: I'm just leaving Sponge Bob.: Good on Skyward. Worth it Pure cancer.: I know you'll come, people will fix it. Ink Hal.: Why can't I get something weird? Guests: If my piece was stolen then it's yours. Ink Hal.: Ah .. Hi, I have a beautiful glass cake Theft.: And it's made in a factory, not at home, or these forces are in a factory. Ink Hal.: And it's a shame I think they want to buy a cake. Guests: It’s hard for us to play football for just $ 25 Ink Hal.: So it's delicious. Theft.: The taste of cherry apples Ink Hal.: If the old cancer goes with me! .../ Here, mr. Cancer, they just came out of the oven and came back into my life. Pure cancer.: It's not over. I have to be sure of both solutions .../ Wait ... it goes well with milk. [He walks over to the milk, beats the book, and the cake goes into the milk.] .../ So you tried to kill me under modern law, didn't you? Ink Hal.: But Crabbe, I don't know what to explain. Sponge Bob.: Mr. Crab, how are you? Listen ... go! From Squid "Sponge Bob ... then you're here." Ink Hal.: And he died. Pure cancer.: United States 25.05 ?! Flow ?! Clamardo and Crabbs.: Bad cancer ?! Pure cancer.: You stand there Ink Hal.: It is nothing Sponge Bob.: Hello everyone, thanks for the Calamaardo La, La, Ralala cake Pure cancer.: You don't kill and you don't cry ... and you kill. What happened to you. Ink Hal.: That's right [SpongeBob says he's a good customer] Sponge Bob.: Sir, you have an order here. Customers: Kir. (Kurdish detected word for 'penis.') [SpongeBob explodes on Fragments of SpongeBob exploding everywhere; Back to reality] Ink Hal.: No, what do we have or should we call the hospital. Pure cancer.: No sense in telling you now - I don't wanna ruin the surprise. Ink Hal.: Do you miss that? Pure cancer.: Eleven times is one thing. Ink Hal.: Yes, doctor. Hospital? Eleven doesn't work. How did we get there? Pure cancer.: Don't tell her you love her. I think the man has already entered his mother. Why does he remember the last days of the country? Babies are sure to enjoy the last minute Ink Hal.: You're right, mr. Cancer. The last hour of the sponge makes it beautiful - there will be love in time ... it will drown a lot. Pure cancer.: Be sure to focus on the squid Ink Hal.: And Sponge Bob. Sponge Bob.: Yes? Ink Hal.: I forgot that this is the second part of the gift Sponge Bob.: The second part? វគ្គ (Khmer detected word for 'Course') 2 វគ្គ 2 វគ្គ 2 ... Ink Hal.: Please don't do that Sponge Bob.: What is the second part? Ink Hal.: So what do you find most interesting and exciting? Sponge Bob.: Basically, it's a list of all the fun things I call friendship. Ink Hal.: Worth a look Sponge Bob.: I wrote the most interesting and most interesting night Ink Hal.: All red. Sponge Bob.: I already know Ink Hal.: If you want to get to this list before you die, we need to start right away. Sponge Bob.: Goodbye, Mr. Crab .../ Get up SquaredWorld. How they changed Ink Hal.: Oh, let's see the details Sponge Bob.: Yes, it’s a shame for me, but it’s not good for me. [SpongeBob and Word Cut team talk to entrepreneurs] .../ He is my best friend October [SpongeBob and Squidward talk to the kids] .../ See friends. He's my best friend Harpark (Hindi detected phrase for 'every type') [The boy is attacking Squidward. We swim while waiting for the squid, we try the runway] .../ I want to show my best friend Squid. Ink Hal.: Sincerely hello .../ I'm glad it's over. Sponge Bob.: Yes, because we are taking the next step Ink Hal.: Important ...? Sponge Bob.: I wear my Salman suit and show everyone in my city where my best friends are. Ink Hal.: You're wearing a salmon suit. Sponge Bob.: This is a good lesson. [Join the group by putting salmon clothes in front of the children. All the men sent him. Cut SpongeBob Bob, who went on the list] .../ So, um ... typing spelling. No squid. Ink Hal.: Who's there Sponge Bob.: NS! Ink Hal.: Yes ... [SpongeBob changes his joke list to find reasons. SpongeBob Stroy (Russian detected word for 'Build') and Squidward are back] Sponge Bob.: You see all your friends watching you. [Remove this item from its SpongeBob list. Cut the beans with milk to increase the volume of the tongue from your mouth and turn your hands forward. SpongeBob looked at items on his list Spong. Squidwardist Bob Facesini] .../ There are grapes on the left Ink Hal.: I can not breathe. [SpongeBob is looking at his list. Spong Bob Pants for Open Heart Surgery] .../ Are you sure you want to break it? Sponge Bob.: Who's the doctor here? .../ Last list ... Ink Hal.: Does it include relaxation? Sponge Bob.: See the sunrise with October Ink Hal.: Twilight Pure cancer.: I think the force came before the guys hit. Sponge Bob.: Hi, I have cancer. It's great, Krabb, nice to meet you. Ink Hal.: Order in the morning or evening .../ Sponge Bob.: Unfortunately, the sunset of the submarine was beautiful, yes, it was crazy for me, but it didn't come for me. Ink Hal.: Yes! Sponge Bob.: Yes, and it looks like BT to me. Ink Hal.: Yes! Sponge Bob.: The sunset reminds me of fruit times, what do they think of you? Ink Hal.: An explosion ... I mean a fall Sponge Bob.: You know, it would be nice if I could die in the blink of an eye and ignore my friends. .../ Well, I think something fell out of my stomach. Hello, the smell of cherries or blueberries? .../ The sunset is here! I always like to read five ... you do a lot. Ink Hal.: Fire ... disk ... one ... and ... Sponge Bob.: I think we started a long time ago and started again. Ink Hal.: Five ... four ... three ... two ... o-o-o-on ... I figured it out in a few hours. I am a good person. [A bomb exploded behind the wall, but this time it landed on the army wall. And it creates bubbles, alive and strong.] Sponge Bob.: Hi squad, look. .../We dance like crazy Ink Hal.: Why are you still here? Sponge Bob.: All right, I'll fill out the whole list and make a new one. I have prepared this guide, we can prepare it in January Ink Hal.: You forgot the book. I talk nonsense all day, which surprises me. Sponge Bob.: To ignore me Ink Hal.: Yes, that's what I expected. Sponge Bob.: Yes, and it looks like BT to me. Make the dessert you want. Now it's your turn. Ink Hal.: I'm not stupid! Sponge Bob.: This! NS Ink Hal.: Millions of new pieces have to explode. Sponge Bob.: Why I need it Ink Hal.: Because the cake you eat is heavy. Sponge Bob.: Why? Ink Hal.: This morning I was sitting at the counter and took 25 drums from the thief, I didn't expect the bombing ... I ate your cake. Sponge Bob.: Everything ... everything ... .../ Hi friends, get this cake. We put it in a distribution bag. [Continues to fall on the rock] Unfortunately! [The bun rises slowly squidward, causing an explosion to explode under the bikini.] Ink Hal.: And three --------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES/TRIVIA: Google translate setup for "Dying for Pie:" Dialogue: Shona-Odia-Latvian-Odia-Nepali-Galician-Armenian-Norwegian-Dutch-Turkish-Hungarian-Azerbaijani-Nepali-Khmer-Serbian Scene descriptions: Finnish-Odia-Russian-Albanian-Lao-Luxembourgish-Tajik-Hausa-Estonian-Filipino-Icelandic-Scots Gaelic-Haitian Creole

Trial and Error “Audrey Chambers, prisoner 14, you have been pardoned,” spoke the voice of a clergyman. “We have vetoed your execution on the grounds of the incidences happening within Salem Village. There have been reports of disappearances and manslaughter, and since you’ve been imprisoned during these unfortunate events, we’ve come to the agreement that you aren’t responsible.” Audrey, the woman in question sitting still in her iron cell, was hesitant to trust the clergy member. She replied in a cold tone, “Why should I believe anything you’re saying? Your people took everything away from me – my job, my home, my family…I’d rather continue rotting away in here.” “Aye, it must feel hard on you for us to remove your husband and kids from you,” the man continued. “I ensure that they’re alive and well, but you are forbidden from seeing them. Alas, a witch is a witch, so it wouldn’t be right grant you complete freedom. It is the job for us Puritans to eradicate any form of witchcraft here in Salem Village.” The prisoner grabbed the clergyman by the collar and exclaimed to him, “How do I know that this government that you associate yourself with isn’t keeping them in confinement!? They put us all on trial! Now tell me why I’m being freed, Minister Adams.” Audrey still held on the minister, waiting for his answer. Adams waited until she let him go so that he could give out a formal response. “I wouldn’t say freed…I would say that you’ve been placed under supervision by the Puritans for a special job. We turned to you based on claims of you having a sixth sense. With a strong presence of evil being spread around Salem, we could use your spiritual connection for our investigation.” “I will not accept an offer to be exploited by the likes of you.” “Just let me finish. Should you succeed in apprehending the suspect and exposing them for their acts of witchcraft, your innocence will be proven and thus, you’ll be granted permission to reunite with your family. If you commit devil worship by any means while on the job, then an execution will be made in order for you.” Audrey went silent, thinking hard on the offer being made to her. She finally said to the minister, “In behalf of the government, I’d refuse. However, if you speak the truth, then I shall assist in finding this culprit.” “I understand if you don’t see this as means of me having a change of heart. Us Puritans must abide to God’s will and properly punish the heathens that practice such sinful acts. To ensure that you will be restrained from the use of black magic…” Adams then showed in front of Audrey two pairs of shackles. He enclosed them around her wrists and ankles and linked each ends together to lock them. “…You are to be kept in restraints.” Audrey continued to hang her head down as the minister showed her out of her cell. At that point, she refused to utter another word to him. “Why don’t you step outside now?” Adams suggested. “I’m sure you begin to feel better being able to see the outside since your arrest.” Audrey obliged and left the containment area, allowing for herself to view the outside of Salem Village once again. However, she expected nothing more than the worst. From what she had observed, the weather appeared to be hazy. The atmosphere was bleak and filled with panic. More dauntingly so, there was an overriding smell of death in the air. Despite this unsettling mood, Audrey saw a fair amount of the townspeople strolling by either on foot or in wagons for their essential needs. Some of the Salem residents that took notice of Audrey’s release from her confinement exchanged disparaging looks towards her. The date is October 5th, 1692, Audrey narrates. At this time, Salem’s witch hunts are still in full-swing, as is the mass hysteria surrounding its supernatural occurrences by the Puritans, the religious reform that maintains law and order of this town. I am Audrey Chambers, a 31-year old wife, mother, and former miller who has been wrongly accused of witchcraft alongside my husband and kids by association. I am the 78th civilian to ever be put on trial for perceived witchcraft, the 9th to be declared guilty…and the first to be released. In the past several months, I would experience these peculiar dreams at night that were like visions of my own future, and they mostly involved bloodshed. I expressed these recollections as a form of fortunetelling, and the Puritans later took notice and saw it as a form of witchcraft, which was how and why I got tried. One of the female residents of the colonial village who recognized the woman in shackles uttered, “It’s that witch!” before then coming nearer to threaten her with a cross by then saying, “Burn in hell, you “An execution for this wench won’t be necessary for the time being,” Adams reassured, although still angering Audrey with his choice of words. “There’s a much more important cause that’s been happening that needs to be cleansed, if you understand.” “I saw it with my own eyes…” the resident continued. “I saw it outside the millhouse. It had to be her.” “I see...” Adams mused. “Could I still at least prove my innocence?” Audrey asked the minister before turning to face the local. “What did you see at the scene of the crime?” “A dead, impaled body in a wheat field,” the resident responded. “It hanged there like a scarecrow. I just can’t stop thinking about it. I’m going to have nightmares for a while.” “I can assure that the witch, Ms. Chambers, wouldn’t have been able to commit such a horrific crime as she was still imprisoned during the event.” said Adams. “Although, since she’s been declared as a witch, we can’t rule her out as a probable suspect. In other words, she’s guilty until she manages to prove herself innocent. Don’t worry about her now. The law is taking good care of her.” “This was not the only causality that’s been reported since this morning,” the resident added. “Someone’s wife was murdered as well.” The Puritans have been evaluating the town for any activity in witchcraft, but now we have a case in our hands epitomizing a string of murders. Before we explore the scenes where the crimes took place, we’d like for you to refer to us to this other witness.” In a passing moment, Audrey and the accompanying minister were inside the house of a man bearing two children, a son and a daughter. They were identified as the Masons. The Masons were seated on a coach while Adams and Audrey looked at them straight while seated on a pair of wooden chairs. “Minister Adams, it’s a surprise and as well as a pleasure to have you here,” said the widow. “Do you have to keep that witch company here? I don’t approve of having her in my home. She’s bad luck you know…” “It’s for temporary business, Lawrence,” Adams reassured. “Describe to us what happened when your wife, Dinah, was murdered.” “I work the millhouse fifty hours a week and when I’m not on the job, I spend the rest of my time as a devote Puritan or as a husband, so I have an alibi,” Lawrence explained. “I was in the altar when I heard a devilish scream. “No God will help” – that’s what I heard before I left the scene to see my wife dismembered and dead on the dirty ground. So I do believe witchcraft is involved in these affairs.” “I’m sorry about your loss, Lawrence,” Audrey spoke in an empathetic tone. “I guess some witches do have some sense of morality and humanity in them,” Lawrence remarked. “We’ve worked at the millhouse together,” Audrey replied. “We were in really good terms, so you should give us permission to examine the millhouse for leads on where one other crime took place.” “Yes, I’ve heard from the townsfolk about that incident. The victim was an innocent miller. Because of the trauma I’ve been dealing with, I’m better off leaving that place alone. I would give Minister Adams permission to look. For you, Audrey, I would forbid.” “No need to be so boorish,” Adams remarked. “To solve this mystery that’s rooted in supernatural activity, we need someone with connections to witchcraft to find out the true culprit.” “We miss mommy, daddy,” Lawrence’s son spoke. “Where is mommy? Is she coming back?” The daughter asked. “I have a couple of kids who are too young to understand what’s been happening and every so often they ask me about Dinah,” said Lawrence. “Giles and Nancy are also too young to handle the answer, so you must understand that I have to stay here awhile for their sake. Whoever is responsible deserves the fucking worst.” “Yes, that is understood,” Adams replied. “It was nice having this talk with you, Lawrence Mason. We will be visiting the millhouse and its field shortly with executioner Frank to inspect and remove the body. I’ll be sure to report back to you any information concerning your wife’s murder. If any more criminal activity pops up, you know who to call on.” “Thanks, I appreciate your company, Minister Adams,” Lawrence finished. Upon leaving the Masons residence, Audrey, Adams, and Frank made their way towards the area of interest. As described, they saw a corpse positioned like a cross on the wheat field. Its rotting flesh was being devoured by crows and insects. The sight of the dead body especially filled Audrey’s mind with dread. “Ms. Chambers, you’ve worked as a miller, so I suppose you recognize this victim,” said Adams. “I can’t…it just makes me feel so sick to my stomach just looking at it,” Audrey spoke in a horrified tone. “I can understand that feeling,” Frank uttered, “Men, women, children, elderly, I’ve seen corpses of all kinds and it’s all so hard for me to bear as well.” “Yet you don’t feel remorse for executing the lives of innocent people in the name of God,” Audrey chided. “Now let me explain something, you wench…” Frank provoked before the minister raised a hand to stop him due to the presence of a couple passing by, a man and a woman respectively in their typical miller attire. “Are you two here for the millhouse?” Adams inquired towards the couple. “This is a murder scene, so it’s still off-limits.” “We just came here to make sure if it’s still unsafe to work the mill,” said the male onlooker. “It’s been plagued by strange occurrences since the past week. Because of that, we’ve been out of work for a while and we’re barely getting by right now, so I hope this crisis is over soon enough.” “What is she doing here?” The woman asked, referring to Audrey. “A witch has no business being here.” “Actually, she does, Charlotte,” Adams responded. “We’ll have this place cleared of all evil activity as soon as possible, so as you can see, we got this situation under control.” “If that’s the case, then why would a Puritan such as yourself have a witch on your side?” Charlotte questioned. “She’s a part of our investigation and as well as to prove her innocence for witchcraft,” Adams replied. “As long as she’s been supervised, I guarantee there won’t be any funny business going about.” “George!” Charlotte called out to her partner. “Say something about this travesty!” “Well…” George spoke, “If the Puritans say it is necessary, it’s fine by me then that they have the premises lodged up, even if they have a convicted witch in their custody. If you’d please Minister Adams, we could use some financial assistance. Perhaps some compensation for the closure of the mill could be made in order.” “Yes…a meeting can be arranged for that,” said Adams, “I’ll inform the clergy and Judge Pascoe about the situation between you and Charlotte, and I’ll see if we can come to an agreement. If not, the both of you may have to find another area of work.” “We’ll hope for a miracle, then. Let’s go, Charlotte.” The pair returns no more words as they left Audrey, Adams, and Frank to investigate the millhouse and the wheat field. Frank started by examining the corpse. “Judging by this man’s clothes, this body appears to belong to a man named Charles Sawyer,” Hank declared. “Are you sure of that?” Adams asked as he came over to look. “I am an expert in body examination, and I’ve used that experience to learn and remember the names and backgrounds of all those who live in Salem Village.” Frank responded. “You know why I’ve been hired as executioner. I can guarantee that it’s him. If it’s not him, then it could be a foreigner who had an unlucky encounter.” “The corpse smells of rotting blood and flesh and yet these clothes don’t seem to show serious damage, dear heavens.” Adams remarked. “This could be the work of witchcraft, or this has to do with the murderer’s motives.” He turned his head towards Audrey in the distance and asked her “What do you think, witch?” “Minister Adams…” Audrey spoke in a grave tone. “Do you ever think that your society, the Puritans, have gone too far in making this town paranoid?” “That has nothing to do with the question that I’ve asked you, witch,” Adams jeered. “I am Audrey Chambers, remember that name!” She snapped. The minister crept closer to the woman in shackles and pressed his right hand on her neck to put her in a chokehold, “I am Chauncey Adams. You’ll remember that name until the day you die. You live your life as a witch and you’ll die as one, do you fucking understand?” Before Audrey could retaliate, Adams let go of his grip on her and then said, “Just so you’d know, the main objective of the Puritans is to rid Salem Village of the source of paranoia that’s going against God’s wishes. It is by the grace of God that we denounce and remove all that we view as evil to ensure safety of this town, and as you may realize now, we’re dealing with activity that is unknown to the normal human being. You are still valuable for this case, so I require for you to take a look at the corpse.” “I can’t, and I won’t!” Audrey protested. “Look at the goddamn body or I’ll resort to brutal force, right here, right now!” Adams demanded. “There’s one thing that I’ll tell you…” Audrey yielded. “That body could be a deception made by the culprit.” Adams paused for a moment. He then responded, “Why do you say that?” “You said there were also reports of people disappearance from Salem, right?” Audrey questioned. “This isn’t like any normal serial murder case that we’re dealing with.” “Oh yeah, that’s another thing that needs to be addressed,” said Frank. “Children have been disappearing from town since the past week. It started with two missing cases and then it added up to twelve as of yesterday. Some of the residents believe that they’ve been disappearing to the haunted forest.” “What does that tell us about the miller who got murdered, or the murder of Dinah Mason?” Adams asked. “We have some evidence, but now we need some leads.” It was then that Audrey walked over to the wheat field while trying her best to avert her eyes from the corpse. “So, you tell it to my face that you refuse to cooperate with us and now you’re helping,” Adams remarked. “What do you got to share with us?” “I know these wheat and grain fields like if they were part of my home,” Audrey spoke. “It should be evident that the soil here has been tampered with. Apart from the corpse, there’s something peculiar about the dirt around it. There are some scrapings laid here that came from a different source.” “And what is this source that you’re thinking that this oddity came from?” Adams asked. “If there’s a report of children disappearing into the haunted forest…”Audrey was saying, “…It must mean that there is activity coming from that area by the suspect. Perhaps we should investigate it.” Frank was quick to react to and reject the idea. “No, no, no, no, there’s not a chance we’re going there!” He objected. “You’ve heard the rumors about that place. Any unsuspecting Salem villager who sets foot there never comes back, dead or alive.” “I was about to be sentenced to death before the Puritans decided to have myself attached to this case,” Audrey responded while holding the markings on her neck caused by the minister. “I may feel sick inside by seeing death of others, I don’t fear it nor do I fear the likes of you both. If this isn’t a job you or Minister Adams can’t handle, then I suggest I go and investigate without supervision.” “How should we know that you won’t practice witchcraft behind our backs?” Frank asked. “I’ve agreed to engage in this case to prove my innocence,” Audrey replied. “I’m determined to figure out the perpetrator even if it means facing death.” “I say let her go, Frank,” Adams uttered. “Since there’s a high probability that she will end up dead in the forest even though she’s willing to take such a risk, then it’s her funeral. If she comes back alive, perhaps it means she is a witch, but that might also mean she is a born survivor.” “Say what you will,” Audrey said to the minister, “I’ll wait for the day that I get to see you burn in hell.” “I have God on my side.” Adams retorted. “I may be chained, but I have my confidence to keep me alive,” Audrey asserted. “Now show me where the supposedly haunted forest lies.” The day turned to dusk by the time that Audrey began trudging through the dreaded forest by herself. She searched for hours walking through the woodland with nothing but the tall surrounding trees that met her glance. Despite the lack of peculiar activity, she kept a close eye on herself, looking in all directions every so often. It wasn’t until she stumbled into an open area surrounded by the forest without vegetation within approximately 3,000 square feet from her distance. The area in question was in the shape of an isolated circle. What caught Audrey’s attention, however, was the sight of a stone slab in the center. Audrey inched closer to the strange object. What was even stranger was the green glow it was emitting. It wasn’t like anything she had ever witnessed in Salem. After staring at the hunk of stone for two minutes, she heard footsteps and made for a quiet retreat from the spot. Observing from behind the husk of one of the adjoining trees, her surprise grew as she witness a group of twelve children, as described by Frank the executioner, walking over to the stone tablet. Each of them also had a green-colored glow emanating from their bodies. It was indicative to Audrey that the children were enchanted as their movements didn’t appear to be humanlike. She then saw the group of children speaking a chant that she couldn’t comprehend. The gleam from the stone tablet grew stronger and released a bright discharge before the mystical energy was now reduced to its original state. Before Audrey could try and approach the mysterious children, they began to leave the forest. All alone now in the encircled area of the haunted forest, Audrey stepped closer to the stone tablet so she could touch it and see for herself what exactly this strange object is. Before she could place her hand on the stone, her eyes caught the ambush of an appearance so unfamiliar and yet so alarming. She was stalled by what appeared to be a sentient corpse with most of its skin and flesh removed from its body and revealing its skeleton layer. Most of the corpse’s remaining skin was hanging down from the face and jaws. Below, Audrey saw a noose tied around the neck. “Hang…man….” The living corpse muttered. “Hangman….hangman….” Audrey was in a complete state of shock. By instinct, she kicked her feet and made a bolt to the forest. She struggled to keep a quick pace due to the restraints tied to her arms and legs. Regardless, she kept her stamina high in order to keep herself further away from the undead entity. She breathed heavily and cursed as she ran from the danger ahead of her, which was now creeping closer and closer while looking from behind. “Hangman, hangman, hangman, hangman!” The corpse’s movements became faster and its intonation grew louder the closer it got to Audrey. Audrey continued to run for her life until she was stopped by another presence. More living corpses of different forms showed up to surround her, with the undead hunter grabbing a hold of her. Seeing herself in a dead end, Audrey couldn’t move no more. The corpse behind her removed the bundle of rope around its neck, loosened it, and prepared to tie it around Audrey’s neck, giving off a shriek, “HANGMAN!” With enough force in her, Audrey swung and kicked the corpse from behind before the snare could tighten her neck. She removed the rope and wrapped it back onto the neck of the corpse that pursued her. She tightened the noose to decapitate the sentient corpse, and disintegrated into dust as a result. With an army of living skeletons with rotting skin and flesh still having her cornered, she resorted to using her restrains in self-defense, aiming for the sweet spot that was indeed the neck of each respective body. She turned the rest of the living corpses into dust with her method. To keep herself safe from any more imminent harm, she hid behind a tree and breathed heavily to calm herself from “What…was…all that…that I just saw?” Audrey groaned. “Where did those corpses come from? What is that stone, and for what reason where those missing children coming there for? Is this…what witchcraft really is?” Her body slid down from the bark of the tree, her legs spread across on the ground. She laid there motionless, unable to process everything that had transpired in front of her. “With so many unanswered questions, this is a mystery that demands to be solved. If the forest is the source of all these inhuman occurrences, I must continue looking here.” Audrey rested behind the same tree for half an hour until she continued on her trail. She strolled around for about nine minutes until she was approached by another unknown presence, but one that was more humanlike in appearance. This startled her and she began to run once more until her path was blocked by another one of the living corpses. She turned around and saw as the other mysterious individual got closer to her and knocked her out. When she awoke, she saw as she herself resting on a tree branch, facing the mysterious individual that had reproached her. She backed away from the unknown person with panic in her eyes and in her voice. The onlooker didn’t move, letting Audrey ease her own mind. The person in question had the physical appearance of a man. He wore nothing but loincloth, draped and covered around his private area. His hair was black and unkempt. He was underweight, with his abdomen being so thin that his skin exposed the bones of his ribs and as well as the bones in his backside. “You should be safe right now,” the man spoke. “We’re in the tree tops where nothing harmful could reach us.” “Do you know what’s going on over here?” Audrey asked. “I’ve been wondering the same thing and I think I have some answers to share.” The unknown man continued. “You may not believe me when I say this but…the village of Salem is in serious danger.” “I can tell,” Audrey replied with her cuffed arms and legs huddled together. “I was pardoned from my execution after being declared guilty for witchcraft when the Puritans sought me out for these visions that I’ve been having of the future, to solve a string of murders that have been happening recently.” “That’s why I’ve been trying to survive out here in this forest. In other words, I’ve escaped from Salem Village to here so I found solve this mystery on my own terms, and I did that by faking my own death.” He faked his own murder? Audrey thought. Then that means… “Tell me more, please…” “I smell a conspiracy going on between the Puritans. How else could they be spreading panic across the town and keep the truth about witchcraft to themselves?” “If black magic does exist, then that means…” Audrey was saying. “It means that there is indeed a witch somewhere in Salem hiding their true actions,” the man finished. “You’re on the hunt for the suspect, so I already know that it can’t be you. I don’t have an idea on the identity of the murderer, do you?” “No...” Audrey said in a sorrowful tone. “Although…from my encounter with those living corpses, I saw a lead. They kept repeating the word ‘Hangman.’” “From what I could gather, they are dead, but they were reanimated through means of witchcraft. All that jabber about a hangman could only mean that this was how they met their demise.” “That means they were connected to those witch trials in Salem...” “Those are my thoughts exactly. The murders may also be connected to that millhouse so we need to get a closer look at what’s going on there. It may be a risk now for us to return to Salem Village alive. Nonetheless, we can survive out here for a while and form an alliance in solving this crime once and for all. Once we do return to the town, we’ll need to have a plan set in motion. Although, the first thing I could do is replenish my strength. Unfortunately, it’s not easy finding food or drink in this forest, but we can always try.” “Well, since we trust each other, let’s say our names. I’m Audrey Chambers.” “…My name is Charles Sawyer.” As the night dawned on the two outsiders, the perspective changed to show the inside of the millhouse in Salem Village during those same late hours. There stood two figures in black robes to signify themselves as Puritans. However, their faces were obscured by the darkness. The room itself was dusk except for a bright green light, exposing the naked body of the deceased Dinah, tied to a rusted metal chair with irons concealing her hands, feet, and abdomen. “It’s a shame what we have to do with her.” The voice of a man spoke. “This body will be put to good use, however. Even if it rots away, I’ll store the energy for my own. When the time comes, all of Salem will have a new, tangible God that they’ll be forced to look up to.” Suddenly, the door to the millhouse creaked open to unveil a pair of three individuals. “Mommy, are you here?” The voice of a child spoke. “What’s going on here?” The voice of a man also spoke. “Who’s working the mill?” “Forgive me God, for I’m afraid I have to dispose of these intruders,” the cloaked man lamented in a remorseless tone. “You saw nothing.” With a wave of his arms, the man in the black Puritan robe jerked his hands around. In that instant, the three victims screeched and grunted in pain as their bones were cracking and rearranging against their will and their bloodflows connecting to their throats collapsed and obstructed their breathing. The dismemberment of the three would end with each of them being disemboweled, their skins flaying and showing part of their skeletons, their eyes gouging out, and their blood splattering all across the room. “At the very least, I have more dead life that I can use within my arsenal.” He turned away from the bloody, mangled corpses and turned to his cooperate. “Remove all traces of evidence, immediately.” “Yes, my master.” The other Puritan spoke in an obedient tone. Before the two unknown men closed the door, the glow of the moon radiating from the outside revealed the victims to be George and Lawrence’s two kids: Giles and Nancy. Later, the corpses were gone from the spot and the two crooked individuals resumed their work. “With this immense power, Salem shall perish…”

i can't believe i only remembered just now having made this thread

50. I'm scared. (Stuck in the Wringer) I'm scared. Beans are very good: What do you say every day? .../ I love my job .../ Thank you! The other one is me and you. .../ Everyone can see how beautiful it is! I'm here because we can't find it. .../ Finally Patrick A.: Bob Sparky rode my horse. Beans are very good: This is good Patrick A.: Erta (Uzbek detected word for 'early')! Visitors from Mecca Beans are very good: She is happy Patrick A.: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Beans are very good: I don't want to trust you, but I need your help. Patrick A.: Which night was Bob Spiegel's favorite? Beans are very good: Now I hope this is your story. Patrick A.: What is the Internet? .../ His father is gone. Beans are very good: How are you, Peter? Why are you angry? .../ Peter wanted to be set free, but he failed. How do I get a job? We hope you enjoy this extension. Patrick A.: Yes Beans are very good: Honestly, Patrick, I don’t know how I can change this. Patrick A.: Wear shoes Beans are very good: I don't need it. Patrick A.: I like some vegetables and onions when I'm not at home. Beans are very good: Beef salad with onions, garlic, sweet tomatoes and peppers. Patrick A.: Oh my God Beans are very good: Omia (Finnish detected word for 'Appropriate')! The ark was worried because Peter was in trouble. .../ .../ Put milk and butter in a dessert bowl. The problem: Clock .../ Hello Bob, Happy Birthday! Which store do you open? Beans are very good: The tube box does not open. Is the pool closed? The problem: I wrote crazy. Beans are very good: Thank you .../ If this doesn't work, try it. The problem: For example, a rope Mountains: Wait and wait an hour Beans are very good: From Mountains: Stay tuned! Empty feet! .../ If you don't make a mistake, there is no mistake. .../ Wayne mi Beans are very good: THE ENEMY .../ There is no example .../ Satch has no signature. Engine -: Graduation Day! Thanks for your feedback ... Beans are very good: Cancer is a disease that affects people. Engine -: I think it would be helpful if I could recommend this tool. Patrick A.: How do you feel about that? Beans are very good: Thank you! Patrick, this is a big mistake. I am not alone. Three ways to find three ways Patrick A.: This option is important because I haven't found the right type yet. .../ Beans are very good: I really like ice cream Patrick A.: This is the morning of Aaron! Beans are very good: .../ I hate ice cream, rape and anger. Patrick A.: I forgot to take it out of my bag. This is a beautiful place on the beach. .../ .../ Erta! I work in the garden. Information: Get up and let her go. Patrick A.: 5 MB Information: Get your money Patrick A.: I do not want to .../ Omia! See the guide .../ You made a mistake Beans are very good: I don't know if my eyes are weak or not. Patrick A.: What do I need by name? .../ Pop TV Live Support Beans are very good: Poseidon? !! Patrick A.: Thanks for the change. Thank you! This is good Beans are very good: Patrick, but I don't like cars. Patrick A.: I'm happy Beans are very good: He did not agree Patrick A.: Cover with a clean cloth. Beans are very good: Do you think the wall will be strong when you die? Information: Do you remember the Civil War? Some employees: Very good here Beans are very good: Health management Patrick A.: How many traps are there? Beans are very good: I can work with you Patrick A.: I will help you Beans are very good: While I am still alive I can help you. Patrick A.: You! Beans are very good: Good advice The result is: Men, do not worry about yourselves. You know who you are. Poor .../ Patrick A.: Don’t forget the unwanted pants. Unwanted pants .../ Your friend's name is incorrect. .../ I don't know your name, you know, but you know .../ V. Yes, drive a good car. Peter decided to eat.: This section may be omitted. Patrick A.: Don't forget to say thank you ... okay? .../ It all depends on the quantity! .../ Beauty Barbie! I want something! .../ How do you get water? .../ Sponge Bob TV is a game to make you happy. Beans are very good: I like playing .../ Agreed Patrick A.: !! NS! I am your friend, Patrick Coman. Beans are very good: Sorry, I didn't tell you Patrick A.: That's a lot. Beans are very good: Or we can. Patrick A.: In short, it's all very bad. 1 Beans are very good: .../ Omia! Add or remove? Loss of much sleep .../ Erta! Yes; Now where are you? Patrick Cocker: We are safe Beans are very good: I think this could solve a big problem. You Patrick A.: We can't explain, we have to keep. ----------------------------------------------------- NOTES/TRIVIA: Google translate setup for "Stuck in the Wringer:" Afrikaans-Albanian-Amharic-Arabic-Armenian-Azerbaijani-Basque-Belarusian-Bengali-Bosnian-Bulgarian-Catalan-Cebuano-Chichewa-Chinese-Corsican-Croatian-Czech-Danish-Dutch-Esperanto-Estonian-Filipino-Finnish-French-Frisian-Galician-Georgian-German-Greek-Gujarati-Haitian Creole-Hausa-Hawaiian-Hebrew-Hindi-Hmong-Hungarian-Icelandic-Igbo-Indonesian-Irish-Italian-Japanese-Javanese-Kannada-Kazakh-Khmer-Kinyarwanda-Korean-Kurdish-Kyrgyz-Lao-Latin-Latvian-Lithuanian-Luxembourgish-Macedonian-Malagasy-Malay-Malayalam-Maltese-Maori-Marathi-Mongolian-Myanmar-Nepali-Norwegian-Odia-Pashto-Persian-Polish-Portuguese-Punjabi-Romanian-Russian-Samoan-Scots Gaelic-Serbian-Sesotho-Shona-Sindhi-Sinhala-Slovak-Slovenian-Somali-Spanish-Sundanese-Swahili-Swedish-Tajik-Tamil-Tatar-Telugu-Thai-Turkish-Turkmen-Ukranian-Urdu-Uyghur-Uzbek-Vietnamese-Welsh-Xhosa-Yiddish-Yoruba-Zulu

10/17/2021 So, the previous quarter was also rather a flop. That doesn't mean I'm upset about it though, since I was still able to get some things done. I'm feeling good about how this quarter will turn out for my writing productivity. Without further ado, let's go over some of the updates... Q2 2021 (October-December) Announcements: -Red Flag Savior: Rebirth of a Storm: I will start with this spin-off, as the penultimate episode is now in the process of being completed and will be released later this month. Afterwards, I will only have to write one more episode, and an epilogue to tie into Oracle of the Cosmos, which will be addressed further into these announcements. Furthermore, I plan on ending this spin-off before the end of November. -Total Drama Treasure Tour: Once again, I'm going to stick to my original plan from the previous two quarters with the eight episodes cap before the end of the year. Had I committed to this Literature more, I would've planned to go up to thirteen episodes before the end of 2021, but of course, I have a lot of catching up to do before then. -Tiki Land: While RoS is nearing its end, I will have the opportunity to resume Tiki Land after it is done and I plan to write up the last half of the spin-off before the end of the year, after its near 9-year run. Like I've said before, the releases of the last five eps will be in the form of a premiere week. -SpongeBob SquarePants: Lost in Translation: Of course, this nutty side-project will also be coming to an end soon, with two segments and the grand finale remaining. While I can't say when the final episode will be released, the next two episodes will be released later this month. -Oh Yeah! Collections: Over the course of the last quarter, I have, once again, completed only one original story, with Mirrior. For the rest of this month, I intend to put my focus on catching up to my goal of finishing nine one-shot stories before the end of the year. One of those is a story to be submitted for the annual Octerrorfest story contest, with Trial and Error. One of them is the pirate-themed story Anchor that I've been teasing for a while. The third and last one I plan to have written out sooner than later is for early November, titled Permanece, on schedule with the Dia de Los Muertos observance (granted, it is a DDLM-themed one-shot). Besides those, here are the rest of the one-shots to expect at this point: The Travelling Lamp Untitled story for Snowcember Other than the hypothetical Snowcember story, I am also scrambling with forming one more idea for a one-shot, so add one more currently untitled project to that list. -Chemist Bob's Catastrophic Creations Cinema: For those who haven't seen my updated Wiki page, I have decided to silently put this series on hiatus. BUT don't expect that to last for long. For the time being, I will provide a preview for the next installment that will be up for grabs in my spin-off store later next month to make up for the radio silence. -The writing sessions & my spin-off store: Since I've failed to live up to my original promise of updating my spin-off store by August, I will move up that plan up to November. Now, as for the writing sessions, I will continue them, but for the next couple months, things will be different. While my weekly writing session wasn't an absolute success, it has given me an idea for what I can do with my writing activity. So...I'm going to expand on it. While it will be an experiment for the last two months of 2021 at the time, I will start doing a monthly report on my writing activity starting in the very first day of November. For a while, I've been meaning to get into the habit of writing up to about 3,000-4,000k words on a regular basis, but I've come to terms with that I should consider getting in the habit of writing almost everyday before getting into the habit of writing a copious amount of words for my projects on any day, regardless if the time I spend on writing is ample or minimal. My commitment in moving along with this idea will depend on the amount of 0-written word days that I end up with. Of course, there will be a couple distractions that I'm committing to as well (Pokemon BDSP and the ACNH updates), and I will try not to let that affect my writing productivity. Otherwise, we'll just have to wait and see. Alright I've saved these next two updates for last, since they are pretty major. So let's start off with... -Trinity Leaf Pegasus: I should point out first thing that the two mysterious new spin-off/lits that I intend to release for 2021 are indeed the two projects that I've been teasing for a long time. Anyways, Trinity Leaf Pegasus, or the Duke Nukem Forever of the spin-off/lit community as Jjs has understandably referred to it, will be officially be released on the 10th anniversary of its announcement on the 21st this month...with a preview spanning around 2,500k-4,000k words. Of course, I need more time to flesh out the story, the characters, the world, and so forth, so I have the planned release date for its premiere to land on November 11th this year. While I have already written up the first episode back in 2015 and published it, it will be moved to Oh Yeah! Collections as the prototypical first chapter afterwards. -Oracle of the Cosmos: The closer that I get to finish my core projects, the closer that I'll get to being able to finally start production of what will be my swan song in terms of my writing career on SBC, so I regret to inform that Oracle of the Cosmos will not be releasing this year, but that won't rule out the possibility of me starting writing production before the end of this year. At the very least, I hope to at least have a preview out for it before the end of 2021 while it's now slated for a 2022 release. That wraps up my announcements for the fourth quarter, and therefore my spin-off/lit announcements for 2021. It's clear what's to be said in behalf of my writing plans going in to this year. I wasn't able to finish it up to this point, but some progress is better than none, and at least some of my works are near completion, etc. So yeah...I'll see you folks in 2022 with another quarterly update. Hopefully these forums are still alive at that point.

3. There's No 'Ice' in Team Chris summons the eighteen contestants to the dockyard, as a new day has settled in for the cast, awaiting today’s challenge. The host and his sidekick chef present the contestants with the two vessels that they’ll be using to navigate themselves to their required challenges. He goes on to say that they can’t hop on while the teams still need to be formed. He informs them that the newly assigned captains, Eva and Topher, will start the ball rolling, and the process will be similar to the team formations from the second season, before then pointing out that there will be one difference – for each contestant that gets chosen until they’re down to one, that contestant will pick the next team member and so forth. Chris further clarifies that while both Eva and Topher have the first choice, they get only one choice, and so advises them to make it wise. He adds by saying that they can take the backseat in the picking process if they needed to. Before Chris commences the team formations, he informs the contestants that each choice made will be absolute and there will be no “takesies backsies,” making Katie and Sadie exchange concerned looks. He continues by saying that they shouldn’t worry if they don’t know any other particular contestant very well and that they don’t have to worry as long as Ezekiel is not participating whatsoever. Upon mention of the feral teen that she had encountered in the previous challenge, Dawn raises her hand up to ask Chris about him, but she is easily interrupted by the host, who reassures her that he is none of his concern, and that he shouldn’t be of anyone else’s concern. Dawn goes silent while Eva thinks over who her best option should be as a teammate. She says to herself that what she needs someone who can fill in easy as her first mate; someone who can do whatever she asks no matter what. She fixates her mind on Brick. Knowing how he displays a lot of qualities in being a team player, Eva declares to Brick that he’s on her team. Brick responds back with his usual cadet salute and joins in with her without hesitation. *Confessional Cam* Brick expresses his doubts on the idea that he and Eva will get along fine, since she still reminds him a lot of Jo, but goes on to say that he has his hopes that the experience will be different and therefore better than his times with his former teammate. *End* With several options open to him, Topher sees himself having trouble making the first decision. That was until Topher thought to exploit the same idea that Eva had and pick a contestant that he feels confident would commit to any of his demands. Without hesitation, like Eva, Topher calls out for Ella to his side. Eva pokes fun at Topher for his choice, believing that he chose her because he thought she’s the prettiest of the bunch, to which Topher responds with quick denial. *Confessional Cam* Trent comments how that he doesn’t have to feel guilty about choosing teammates since he’s not the captain this time. He then talks about how Topher’s first choice reminded him of the time Lindsay was picked first for his team…not in a way of saying that it was his responsibility, he adds in a tone of denial. *End* With Team A’s turn to pick another team member, Eva reminds Brick that he has to choose the next member for their team and that it has to be a girl. Looking around to find someone who he’s familiar with and feels could be useful for challenges, Brick nominates Dawn. Dawn joins up with her teammates and gives thanks to Brick for choosing her. With Team B (not to be confused with the contestant, of course)’s turn again to choose another teammate, Ella appears to have no problem making her decision and picks Trent, being a fan of the Drama Brothers herself. At the same time as feeling flattered, Trent also feels nervous since he has to pick someone next. Being Team A’s turn again to pick another contestant for their team, Dawn didn’t have to think so much on her own choice and calls out to B to join her side. Dawn then explains to Eva that B is useful for his inventive skill. As a response, Eva tells Dawn that she didn’t need or ask for an explanation. Being his silent self, B nonchalantly joins up with Eva and the others. With Team B now having to pick another team member, Trent appears to be indecisive, even after Topher advises him not to choose someone who’s just a pretty face. Trent looks around to see Katie and Sadie both patiently waiting for him to pick either of them. Feeling uneasy about sharing a team with them, Trent passes on them as options. After trying to think it over, Trent ultimately makes his decision by pointing over to Anne Maria, saying that he feels she could be of good use. With five more slots to fill for each team, the next turn passes on to Team A, where B is having trouble making his decision, being only familiar with Staci, who is a lesser option to him. He points a finger over to Katie. She asks B if he’s sure that she’s been picked, and he gives a simple reassuring nod. As Katie joins Eva’s team, Sadie hollers to the group, reminding them to pick her next and that she and Katie need to be on the same team. Chris butts in to tell Sadie that she’ll have to wait until Eva’s team can pick another female player or until she ends up getting picked by Topher’s team. Before Sadie could quarrel with Chris about the latter, the host asks for Anne Maria to pick another team member for Topher. Anne Maria says first thing that she doesn’t know any of her options very much. She continues by saying that if she was to trust her guts, she would have to pick someone who she thinks is big and strong enough for her standards, and so she nominates Rodney. Topher inevitably tells Anne Maria that she chose someone who may be a distraction for the team. Anne Maria responds to Topher by reminding him about what Chris said that all choices are final and that there is no right or wrong choices. However, Anne Maria rethinks what she said once as she noticed Rodney falling head over heels towards her. Before Katie could choose the next team member, Amy complains to her sister Sammy, asking why they haven’t been chosen yet, to which Sammy points out that the others are afraid to choose her by mistake and jokes that Rodney will at least pick her since he can tell them apart, apparently. Katie first thought about Justin before remembering that he would prefer to be on the same team as Trent and eventually focuses her attention on Beardo, making sound effects as usual. Afterwards, she declares that she chooses Beardo to be on the team. Using his normal talking voice, Beardo expresses his thanks in an awkward fashion. *Confessional Cam* Beardo admits that while he’s trying to get to know the others more by saying more than just his sound effects, he acknowledges that it’s going to take a lot time before he could get used to it. *End* Both Amy and Sammy call out to Rodney to try and get his attention and pick either of them. However, before Rodney could say either of their names, Topher butts in to convince Rodney that he shouldn’t make an easy choice and go for a different female contestant that could be one less distraction for him. Topher also tries to obscure the twins from Rodney’s view while the latter is struggling to choose between Sadie and Staci, the only other two options. Deciding to take Topher’s advice, Rodney chooses Sadie, thus making her cry out in despair and protesting to Chris that she needs to be on the same team as her friend Katie. Instead of obliging to her demand, Chris reminds her that there won’t be any “takesies backsies,” ever. Before Sadie could continue to bicker with the host, Katie calls out to Sadie to entrust her that she’ll be able to do just fine without her as she was able to handle herself without her after she got voted off all the way back in the first season. The two best friends finish by saying they’ll root for each other while they won’t be sharing a team this season. Chris interrupts the moment by telling Beardo that it is his turn now to pick a team member for Eva. Once again, the cheerleader twins give themselves the opportunity to beg for a spot. Sammy exclaims “Trigger word” to give Beardo a sign going back to yesterday’s challenge while Amy resorts to doing the same to try and divert his attention from her sister. Unable to tell them apart, Beardo ends up saying Amy’s name, leaving the good twin disappointed while the evil twin gloats to Rodney that she won’t share a team with him. Chef reminds Sadie that it’s now her turn to pick a contestant for Topher’s team as a request from Chris to try and get to her to stop feeling upset about being separated from Katie for a moment. Sadie easily picks Justin without having to think about any of the other male contestants that weren’t still chosen. *Confessional Cam* Katie talks about she feels somewhat jealous about Justin and Trent being on the same team as Sadie, but then adds that she’s happy if that makes her happy. *End* With four more contestants to be assembled for the teams, Amy is left with a choice between Tyler and Leonard. She nominates Leonard, explaining to Eva that he could be used as fodder if they were to lose a challenge. Eva then points out to Amy that because they’re on the same team, that doesn’t mean that she should expect her to be nice with her. As Justin was about to choose between Staci and Sammy, Amy calls for the handsome teen’s attention by trying to convince him not to pick her sister, claiming that she’s so vain that she thinks she’s prettier than he is. Before Sammy could protest, Justin calls out Staci’s name. The contestant in question gloats about one of her fake ancestors as she joins alongside Topher’s group. Sammy gives out an annoyed sigh, seeing that she has no other option than to join Eva’s team while Tyler is forced to join alongside Topher. Tyler tells Sammy that she shouldn’t take it too hard as he’s been picked last in school sports several times before. Sammy responds with a nervous tone, telling him that the feeling is mutual for her. With both teams now completely formed, Chris declares Eva’s team, Team A, to be referred to as the Pity Pelicans while Topher’s team, Team B, will be known as the Gullible Gulls. The contestants, however, take offense towards the names. Chris then underlines that this is the no-stars season after all and that they’ll have to deal with it for a while. With the two teams now set up, Chris informs them about where their first challenge is going to take place, as the first part requires for them to sail their ships across to an island west from Yukon marked on their maps. Chris then tells the contestants that he’ll be giving out more information about the challenge once as they complete the first objective, ending things off by warning them not to crash into any ice floes or icebergs, reminding them that they’ll have to patch up the damages for their ships themselves. The first team shown out in sea is the Gullible Gulls. With each of them assigned as captains, Eva and Topher are assigned with navigation for the first challenge. On Topher’s ship, Tyler asks if he knows where he’s steering. Topher responds by telling him to ask around if anyone has a good sense of direction unless he himself can act as the navigator. Tyler leaves himself to examine the rest of his teammates. Trent and Ella appeared to be bonding over their love of music (and well as due to Ella being a Drama Brothers fan), prompting for Justin to join in and tease his Drama Brothers partner for seemingly having already filled in the void that Gwen left him, to which Trent denies. As soon as Tyler asked the group if they know anything about navigation, Ella chimes in by saying that she could summon one of her animal friends with her whale whistle if they’re lost. In an instant, Trent told her that it isn’t necessary and after Ella suggests singing the sea shanty song from World Tour to liven the mood, Trent reminds her that she’s already done it since the past fifteen minutes that they’ve been aboard. Tyler continues asking around to give Topher assistance. Staci is seasick and remarks that she should’ve brought a compass, which she claims her great-great-great granduncle Steven invented. Likewise, Rodney too was coming down with seasickness and wasn’t an option to Tyler. Sadie is too down in the dumps after being separated from Katie to provide help, and so Tyler was left with asking Anne Maria. Upon asking her, Anne Maria, of course, ribs on Topher for his bad sense of direction, telling him that he needs to steer towards where the ice is, and tries to take over. While the two were now fighting at the helm, Tyler warns them about the ice sheets nearing their ship. They both failed to listen to his warning, before they heard a crashing sound, and saw that the Gulls’ ship was being damaged by the ice sheets. Meanwhile, in the Pitiful Pelicans’ ship, Eva is at the helm and tells her teammates that she needs to start assembling an organized crew as soon as possible so that they could have an edge over the Gulls. Leonard chimes in to ask if he could be of any assistance. Amy butts in to tell him that no one’s interesting and suggests that Eva should make her first mate, proclaiming herself to be a strong team player. Samey politely makes the same suggestion towards Eva. Annoyed by the twins, Eva loses her temper and tells them to get off her case. Trying to lessen the tension, Beardo vocalizes sounds of the ocean to calm Eva’s nerves. For this, she compliments Beardo for keeping her anger management in check. Katie, feeling lonely without Sadie on her side, asks Eva for advice to cope with being away from her best friend. Eva rolls her eyes and tells her that if she wants to stay longer in the game, she’ll have to have make friends with her other teammates. Afterwards, she suggests bothering the cheerleader twins since she has no patience with them. Katie breaks the ice between the twins by complimenting how they’re siblings and therefore have had more time together than she and Sadie ever had. Amy bites back by saying that she would probably want abandon Sadie if she had to share a life with her. Sammy jobs in to tell Katie that she shouldn’t have to take anything that her sister says seriously. Turning away from the twins, Katie tries conversing with Beardo, and he reacts by imitating the sound of a zipper being closed by running his right fingers through his mouth. Katie then tries talking to B, who is unable to talk, turning it into an awkward situation for Katie. However, B goes over to Dawn to be given a Tarot reading, prompting for Katie to join in. Dawn expresses B’s future to him and says that he’ll “go on to invent extraordinary things,” to which B gestures with a thumbs up in response. Through her cards, Dawn then says of Katie’s future that she “will one day be reunited with the person she cares for most.” Listening in on Dawn’s future readings, Amy joins in to contend about the authenticity of her Tarot readings, calling it hogwash just to try and stir the blood. Dawn reassures Amy that the cards intend to give positive readings and the truth rests in them. Amy provokes by then requesting for her to give a reading of her future. Despite Dawn’s disdain towards the bad twin, she obliges and expresses to Amy that “her relationship with her sister will soon change in an important way.” Amy leaves and shrugs it off for its vagueness and because she believes such a thing will never turn out true. *Confessional Cam* In her cabin, Dawn expresses her annoyance towards Amy and says that she must be the first to be voted off from the Pelicans, seeing her as a serious threat to the team. She continues to say that she may have to keep up her act as the team member with supernatural powers for a while, confessing that she somehow lost her spiritual powers after her encountering with Ezekiel in Boney Island, as she doesn’t know how to break the truth to them. She ends her self-discussion by saying that it’ll at least be having a new and enlightening experience playing the game while being normal most of the time until she gets her supernatural powers back from Ezekiel. *End* As the Pelicans continue sailing across the ocean to find the specific marked island, Beardo was viewing the waters surrounding them until he began seeing the ice floes that they were warned about prior. This led for him to vocalize a warning sound, signaling for Eva to steer away from the obstacles in the way. They would then successfully approach land and stop their shop beside a plot of land filled with snow, where Chris and Chef were waiting. The Gulls would be the last team to arrive and the team’s ship stalls beside the Pelicans ship, with a visible number of scratches from the ice floes. With both teams settled, Chris instructs the contestants on today’s challenge. He discusses that he chose this particular setting for the first challenge because it serves as a fervent test for to-be pirates for endurance of cold weather and as well as for the risks to be made in treasure hunting. Chris informs the two teams that they will have to cross a river of freezing cold water, encircled by fragile, cracked ice platforms, then scale a tall a mountain, and then and only then, would they reach the final test that awaits atop, which will determine the winner of today’s treasure hunting challenge. Who performs the final challenge for the team is determined by who plants the respective team flag at the mountaintop, and the host then tosses the two pieces of fabric over to both teams. Chris concludes by telling the contestants to do their best (or their worst), prompting for the challenge to start. The Gullible Gulls team already begins the first part of the challenge, as directed by their captain. Topher is the first to cross to the mountain and notions for the rest of his team to follow suit, but he is returned with skepticism. Tyler questions him if they should have a specific strategy to bring themselves across. Impatient, Anne Maria volunteers to cross next, taking into consideration that she might as well go ahead since Topher didn’t say that they can’t. Justin comments towards Trent how she doesn’t like Anne Maria because of her arrogance. Trent jokingly responds with his bemusement by saying that he and her are alike in that regard. While Anne Maria was crossing the icy lake, Rodney, feeling lovestruck towards her, followed after. Out of panic, Anne Maria rushes the rest of her way across until she and Rodney met up with Topher by the mountain, both of them cracking the ice platforms further in the process. Meanwhile, Eva suggests forming a strategy before crossing their way towards the mountain. Leonard then asks again if he could be of any assistance. Although annoyed, Eva agrees to let Leonard share what he has to say. As a response, Leonard starts reciting a full-fledged plan for the challenge that he came up with through his game board. He advises that Dawn, who he refers to as ‘The Moonchild,’ should speak to one of the creatures of the island on how they should cross the icy lake. For the second trial, as Leonard so declares, the two cheerleader twins are to form a ‘mighty triangle tower’ for the wizard, his truly, to climb so that he can plant the team flag and take on the final test himself. After Leonard finished illustrating his plan for the challenge, he adds that he has considered titles for the other teammates, to which Eva replies that she doesn’t have time for any dorky pet names and that she doesn’t accept Leonard to try and win the challenge for the team since she’s the captain and therefore the one giving orders. Leonard defends himself by saying that he was convinced that he was destined “to take on a powerful warrior to test [his] own strength” from Dawn’s Tarot reading. Sammy would then ask if Leonard meant that they should form a pyramid and goes on to say that she’s willing to do the task as long as her sister doesn’t interfere with it. Amy, of course, heckles with her sister for thinking that Leonard has a good plan. During the discussion, B was going over his blueprints and worked on building a wooden canoe. Dawn chimes in to say that she will try and find a best possible way for crossing the icy lake before examining the area to find a leopard seal. Although the sea animal in question didn’t comprehend Dawn’s inquiries, she returned with an answer for her team that that they should take turns crossing the ice platforms gently. However, once as she and her teammates saw what B had built for the first phase of the challenge, she then says “Or, we can do this B’s way.” While the Pelicans team began attempted to cross the river with B’s canoe, along with a set of oars, the Gulls still appear to be struggling with the first part of the challenge. Tyler and Trent were hesitant due to their collective concerns of falling into the freezing cold water because of their unluckiness, Sadie is still feeling glum from being separated from her friend, and Staci is too focused on telling tall tales about her ancestors, while Justin and Ella is both skeptic due to Topher’s lack of a comprehensive plan. It was at that point Topher brought out his megaphone and pressured the rest of his teammates to cross. While from afar, Tyler called out to Topher by saying that he shouldn’t use his megaphone so that he wouldn’t cause an avalanche. Justin would then volunteer to cross the platforms and does so with little problem. Feeling confident now, Tyler tries crossing in his usual athletic manner…only to slip and fall into the cold water before he was even halfway across. Tyler would then resort to swimming the rest of the way over to Topher’s side and continued to shiver from the chilliness of the lake. Trent resorts to his old method of counting to nine to try and cross the lake without much worry and succeeds. Ella made her way through the ice platforms in a carefree manner, while singing a merry tune. All that was left was Sadie and Staci. Topher used his megaphone once again to get their attention, but this time in a quieter tone. *Confessional Cam* Justin complains the team is cramping his style, further stating that he might quit if things don’t go good in his favor. He adds that it’s not even fun being around Sadie because being together with Katie is all she cares about right now. *End* As a method of convincing Sadie and Staci to cross the icy lake, Justin grabs their attention by removing his shirt for this moment. Managing to cheer up Sadie somewhat, and as well as managing to distract Staci from her pointless rambling, they make their way through, thus letting the Gulls complete the first part of the challenge while the Pelicans have already arrived altogether, preparing for their second phase of the challenge. The Pelicans began their pyramid formation with B, Beardo, Eva, and Sammy at the bottom, Brick, Dawn, and Amy in the middle, and Leonard at the top. Noticing someone was missing, Eva ordered for Katie to get in the formation. Following her orders, Katie climbs up to where Leonard was, holding on to the team’s flag. Seeing that she would be close to the top above Leonard’s height, she climbs atop of Leonard. She jumps over to and then clutches onto the peak of the mountain before then mounting the flag from where she was holding on. Chris then announces that Katie will be partaking in the last part of the challenge for her team, which will be in a game of ice hockey against Bruno the bear, who is guarding the treasure chest reward. As Katie climbed up to the mountaintop, she realizes that she was standing in front of exactly what the host described it was. Leonard cried out in despair as he saw his opportunity was taken away from him, before losing his balance and falling off the pyramid formation. Sadie cheers her on while her team continued with their current task. After Leonard descended from the tower formation, Eva asks if Leonard has a plan for when Katie gets the treasure. *Confessional Cam* Tyler, stammering due to his hypothermia, laments how he lost his chance to partake in a challenge he feels he would be good at, but goes on to say that he’s not too upset about it regardless and he’s fine with his other teammates taking up the opportunity, although at the same time, he’s not feeling confident that his team will be able to win it due to their rotten luck. The next piece of footage shows Leonard, who laments how he not only lost his opportunity to take on the last part of the challenge, but also how his plan didn’t exactly how he would’ve wanted for it to. He adds to say that he needs to catch up with his wizard skills, commenting that Dawn and B have exceeded his usefulness for the team. *End* Leonard advises for his teammates to hold on to their pyramid formation until Katie returns with the treasure so she could drop it off for one of them to grab it and accompany it back to their team’s ship. Eva agrees to the plan before then informing Brick to make sure that all of the team members return to the ship once they get the treasure. Chris shifts his perspective over towards the Gullible Gulls and comments on how they seem to be struggling, especially with Tyler unable to commit to the rest of the challenge for the time being. Sans Tyler, Topher’s team appears to be scaling the mountain individually. Due to Ella herself being compelled to sing, she ends up causing an avalanche through of her yodeling. She formally apologizes afterwards as the pile of snow brought Staci, Trent, Rodney, and Anne Maria back to the bottom before Ella suggests to herself to sing the World Tour rendition of Eine kleine Nachtmusik to stick with the theme of having to keep quiet. Besides her, Topher, Justin, and Sadie were closed to the top. Topher, who was holding on to the team flag, lend it to Justin as they both got near the top. Chris then announces that Justin would partake in the ice hockey match alongside Katie after he had reached the peak and mounted the flag on the snow covered flat. Topher, Sadie, and Ella would catch up and reach the peak. Topher tells Justin that he’ll coach for him while Sadie and Ella will cheer him on…before adding that that he’ll make sure they’ll support him quietly. Justin, at first, wasn’t feeling confident about doing the challenge until he remembered that he was up against Katie. Justin suggests using his good looks as an advantage, but Sadie and Ella dissent against the idea of playing dirty against Katie. Topher tells Justin that he do whatever he pleases, reminding him of the importance of winning and acknowledging that Chris makes up his own rules as they go anyway and he wouldn’t seem to be against sabotage. Chris commences the ice hockey match and then informs that the game will go on until one of the teams scores five goals against Bruno. With Justin and Katie now equipped with sticks and pucks, Sadie cheers Katie on. With that boost of confidence from her friend, Katie was first to score a goal. Topher would then scold Sadie for presumably throwing the challenge for her friend, reminding her that she and her are on opposing sides. Justin struggles to score points for his team as his picks constantly get blocked by Bruno, causing for Topher to then call out to Justin to try and score when the bear’s guard is low. This would give Justin his cue to start playing one of his usual tricks, using his looks to try and swoon the bear with enough time to strike a puck through his guard, giving him his first point for Gulls. The act of trickery angered the bear to the point of beginning to hurl an excessive amount of pucks with his stick against Justin and Katie, prompting for them to finish the match as soon as possible. After hitting several more pucks across the rink, Katie would win for her team 5-3, according to the scoreboard. Bruno tired himself from exhaustion, giving both Katie and Justin the opportunity to seize in taking the treasure chest. Katie hurls a puck with her stick towards Justin’s gonads to prevent him from stealing away the victory. Katie apologizes to Jusitn afterwards as she retrieves the treasure chest. Katie saw Eva below showing open hands. However, being unable to resist the form any longer, Amy budges around and bickers with Sammy before most of the teammates lost balance and fell off. Katie then threw down the chest towards Eva, who grabs it with no difficulty. Eva then calls out to Brick to reassemble the teammates as he darted over towards B’s canoe. All members of the Pelicans would return to Eva and the canoe after Katie climbed down and Brick lifted everyone else back up. Topher, Sadie, Ella, and Justin all climbed back down to meet back with their teammates, telling them to make their way back to the Gullible Gulls ship and launch a surprise attack against the Pelicans’ ship, as there’s still a chance for them to steal away their victory. The Gulls took the same path across the ice platforms to return to their landing spot (with Rodney having to carry Tyler on his back due to his condition). Not long after the Pelicans team returned to their ship, their progress was stalled by the Gulls (sans Tyler) carrying out a raid. Beardo would issue the warning call before the Gulls would engage their surprise attack. In the midst of the raid, B would construct a cannon, which he used to fire Staci, Trent, Justin, and Ella away from the ship. Katie and Sadie stalled their own orders as they ended up facing each other, Rodney was cornered by Amy and Sammy, with his attraction towards Amy immobilizing him, Anne Maria and Brick were up against each other, and the two respective team captains saw themselves face to face. Eva would easily overwhelm the Gulls and foil their raid by throwing the rest of the opposing teammates overboard before climbing back up to their own ship in defeat. The Gulls returned to the dockyard empty-handed while the Pelicans returned with the treasure for Chris and Chef. The host officially announced the Pity Pelicans as the winning team and that the Gullible Gulls have to get rid one of their own crew members in tonight’s elimination ceremony. The winning team would then inquire to the host what the treasure chest contains. Chris opens the chest to reveal a bunch of ice crystals inside, telling the contestants that he can now make really good popsicles now that they’ve done their job to retrieve said treasure. Despite the Pelicans being disappointed in Chris for his selfishness, they would later celebrate their first victory hours later in their ship with a little jig, courtesy of Beardo and his turntable. Eva comes over to the human soundboard for congratulating him for his contributions to the team by making good use of his sound effects. Beardo says thanks with a sheepish tone. As the party was coming to a close, B saw as Katie stepped down the stairway to the team’s ship, walking over to where the Chris’s ship rested, as it was almost time for the elimination ceremony. From an observation room, Chris comments to Chef that one of the teams seems be getting along well, but continues to say that he’ll be making sure that the Pelicans will be at each other’s throats sooner than later. At the Gullible Gulls’ ship, Chris presented the contestants on the chopping block with a miniature chest with 8 chocolate doubloons inside. Before going over the usual formalities, Chris acknowledges the team’s failures by addressing Sadie’s reluctance to help her own team over supporting her best friend, Anne Maria for damaging the ship, Rodney for continually falling head over heels for the other female contestants, Tyler (who has now recovered from his hypothermia) for blowing his chance of partaking in the last part of the challenge that was in his fort, Ella for slowing progress during the second portion of the challenge because of her singing habits, Staci for continuing to do very little for her team rather than run her mouth about her ancestors, Justin for costing the team from winning, and Topher for his poor leadership. Regardless, he further says to Topher that he’s the first of the team to be considered safe since he still seems to the most reliable. Afterwards, he calls out for Trent, Tyler, Ella, Anne Maria, Rodney, and Staci to come and get their symbol of safety, leaving Sadie and Justin in the bottom two. Chris tells the two contestants that they are tied in votes so unless one of them decides to volunteer for the Plank of Shame, they may have to perform a tiebreaker challenge. After a moment of dramatic silence, Justin stood up and raised his hand, to the surprise of Sadie. Chris also expresses his surprise that someone as self-centered as Justin would choose to forfeit the game. Justin affirms to Chris that he’s been feeling out of touch participating in the season, and even though he’s taking the fall for the other teammates, he would be leaving out of grace. Left to cue Justin’s dismissal with the Plank of Shame now, he calls out for Chef to finish the job. Justin, now positioned on the said plank was thrown overboard by Chef who pointed his sword at him until he plunged into the shark infested waters, prompting for him to swim away from them as far as possible. As this marked the end of the elimination ceremony, the remaining members of the Gulls would return to their own ship. In the sidelines, Katie was revealed to have eavesdropped the whole time, and showed a feeling of relief after seeing that Sadie was spared from elimination. Before she could walk back to her team’s ship, Katie would be startled by B’s appearance. Unsure of how to commute with him, Katie asked if he noticed that she was gone and needed to make sure she was fine. B responded with a simple nod. Katie apologies for sneaking out to check on her friend and tells B that she’ll meet back with the others. Chris sends off the episode with his usual intriguing inquiries on what is yet to come for the season before telling the audience that they’ll have to wait and see next time on “Total. Drama. Treasure Tour!” ----------------------------------------------------- NOTES/TRIVIA: Forfeit: Justin Teams are officially formed in this episode: The Pity Pelicans: Eva (Captain), Amy, B, Beardo, Brick, Dawn, Katie, Leonard, Sammy The Gullible Gulls: Topher (Captain), Anne Maria, Ella, Justin, Rodney, Sadie, Staci, Trent, Tyler -Dawn reveals in this episode that she somehow lost her supernatural powers after her encounter with feral Ezekiel.

49. The waiter's birthday (Whale of a Birthday) The waiter's birthday Radio: Good morning bikinis! Today is a very special day because we got a new single from people who shouted, "Everything is you." Crying babies: This is your boyfriend Sixteenth Birthday! Protect your loved one, People should do what you say. You've been noticed tonight, Because everything is inside of you! Yes, for all nci (Turkish detected word for 'pearl')! You were born a girl Seed: Are not! I have everything. On the first birthday I like music, clothes and beautiful things. So let it be for now Everything in the world. They have to pay attention to me. I, I... and who do you think? Are not! .../ Ah! Crab: Practice Poseidon! Seed: Good morning dad! Crab: Are you sure you don't like the room on the ground floor? Seed: Dad, I'm looking forward to a special day tomorrow. Crab: I'm special too! Really really really! Seed: Don't know what tomorrow means? Crab: Not really. Seed: This is my 1 year old birthday! Crab: I know! I don't know what you think What are you 12? Seed: 1 I turned 16 years old! It was the most important birthday in my life. If I'm not satisfied, my popularity in college will drop. I have to stop them, I don't go to college, I don't leave home! You must help me for the rest of my life! Crab: We don't want that to happen. Seed: Then I promise you will surpass me this year. And don't give up! .../ .../ Hey girls! One of them #: Hey Pearl. Seed: Guys, will you have your coral-filled birthday tomorrow? One of them #: I don't know, Pearl. Could it be like last year's "Coral Filled" because your dad wanted to have fun? Judy: Remember when we all had to share a ball? Please! Tool 2: Do you remember driving? One of them #: I can't wait to see how it plays out. Seed: Dad! Crab: Ah. Everyone is preparing for victory! Seed: Let me tell you - it was a reef for my birthday. Crab: Do not interrupt your mission. Everything will be fine. I was at the party, let's collect foam! This is going to be a blast this year! Seed: Dad! You're ruining my birthday, but you're no good. Now I promise you are not ready! Crab: I swear Seed: Because I made a good list. .../ Now my friends want everything on the list. Congratulations! I was at a restaurant with my friends. Crab: SpongeBob Shorts! SpongeBob Spa: Yes, Mr. Cua (Vietnamese detected word for 'Crab')? Crab: If I have a party, I want to buy a gift of beads. Well, boy. SpongeBob Spa: What is it, Mr. Krabs? Crab: This is a credit card for me. You use it instead of money. SpongeBob Spa: Can I buy something out of this plastic? Do I need money? Crab: Alone SpongeBob Spa: Aupa Crab: Now remember, there's nothing better for me than a little gem. I want to give it my all, but that's fine. Go ahead and see what he wants. You know, scout. SpongeBob Spa: I'm hiding my scar. .../ Seed: Marcy later told me that Julie had told me she was bad with Angela Brad. One of them #: . SpongeBob Spa: Angela Brad likes this. Seed: Oh my, this is the weirdest thing I've ever seen! SpongeBob Spa: I want to buy plastic with this plastic. Accountant: Cancer, right? Quick, how do you type "crab"? SpongeBob Spa: Hmm... sure there's a "B"? Accountant: My son is very friendly. SpongeBob Spa: What? Sorry, I don't understand long term corporate finance. Seed: Aupa! This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen in the whole world! Shine bright! SpongeBob Spa: Who knows! My gift is wrong! Judy: Pearl, you must see! Seed: Bad, Judy! Mine: Oh... hmm... SpongeBob Spa: Obviously, this is the biggest gift ever. Seed: This is the most special thing in the world! .../ Squid: Raise the flag, Mr. Cancer. Crab: I've had it since I was born. I found it for sale. Squid: Sure you like it, Bay Krabs. .../ Seed: This sea horse is the best. Do you want to go home and be my horse? .../ Aupa! Judy: Pearl, stay here. It is very choral. Seed: My God, it's Billy Fiskins (Icelandic detected phrase for 'the fish')! Total: Hey Billy! Known: Hilk. SpongeBob Spa: Can't he dream? Accountant: See value 4. Known: Silent; .../ Squid: I finished the picture of the pearls, Cancer. This is a real masterpiece. Crab: Hi... maybe I should find this ice sculptor. Squid: An ice sculptor? Any fool can make a picture out of ice. It takes practical experience working on stage to create a 400-pound raw meatball. Crab: Yes no we have leather trim. What about sports? Look, Pearl wants a band called "Boys Who Cree". Squid: CRI (French detected word for 'SHOUT') tree; My favorite band! They only paid a million dollars for the show. And if you want to sync your words, you might want to get real money. Crab: You're a real fan, aren't you? Squid: Yes, I know all your songs. Crab: Hmm, all their songs? .../ Seed: .../ Wouldn't it be great if my dad gave it to me when I was born? One of them #: It sure is sweet, no. Seed: Yes, this is absurd to me, this is absurd to me. .../ Crab: It's almost time to start the fun! SpongeBob Spa: I'm back, Mr. Cua! Crab: Bob Sfougarakis, how long will it take? Then where are the pearls? SpongeBob Spa: The delivery vehicle will arrive soon. Squid: Here's yours, Mr. Cancer! Crab: Ah, everyone in their own place! Total: Light pat on the back Judy: "He's a man!" Seed: Dad! One of them #: Popcorn. .../ It's like water in a boiler! Squid: Rinse with water Seed: Do you think it's me? Made from a bottle of Krabbi (Icelandic detected word for 'Crab') meat! Take it! Crab: Do you need a cake? Seed: Yes, the cake looks good. .../ Made of cardboard! Crab: And it turned cold. One of them #: Yes, Pearl, sixteen knees is one long knee in a row. He needs a new record. We will find out here. Seed: Wait, go! My father played with his son's creations. You're the crying babies, aren't you? Crab: Oh, he's fine, honey. Stop! Squid: This was found. If the hook has no hook, I don't wear a scarf I need 4 mattresses, 4 mattresses, 4 mattresses if she cries... and! Tool 2: Hey, don't cry for these people! Judy: Are not! Tool 2: Aupa! One of them #: What a theme! Judy: It's already running! Seed: How are you? I will give you a list...! Crab: Pearl, come back! Seed: .../ You ruined it! You can't stop my salvation for me! Crab: I will protect you no matter what, Pearl. SpongeBob Spa: He supports it. Right there You are here Seed: Did you buy me a pair? Crab: I did; Mao Na... Ako Ba?! (Cebuano detected phrase for 'So ... am I !?') You: World War II Seed: Dad! I don't know how it could be better than this. SpongeBob Spa: Look inside the boys! Crying babies: You have a boyfriend Sixteenth Birthday! Protect your loved one, People should do what you say. You've been noticed tonight, Because everything is inside of you! Yes, for all nci! You are a girl born and Crab: Son, how much does it cost me? SpongeBob Spa: This is a confession. Crab: ... Seed: Dad, you have everything I want. Crab: Well, nothing good for my daughter. -. SpongeBob Spa: You're a good father, Mr. Krabs. Crab: Don't worry about yourself, boy. --------------------------------------------------------- NOTES/TRIVIA: Google translate setup for "Whale of a Birthday:" Irish-Serbian-Greek-Scots Gaelic-Turkish-Cebuano-Nepali-Basque-Finnish-Vietnamese

Alright, here's what I plan to write for the following days: Sunday: Total Drama Treasure Tour Episode 3 *COMPLETED* Total word count for the day: 3,446 words Monday: N/A Total word count for the day: 0 words Tuesday: Red Flag Savior: Rebirth of a Storm Episode 6 Total word count for the day: 939 words Wednesday: Red Flag Savior: Rebirth of a Storm Episode 6 Total word count for the day: 629 words Thursday: Red Flag Savior: Rebirth of a Storm Episode 6 Total word count for the day: 920 words Friday: N/A Total word count for the day: 0 words Saturday: Red Flag Savior: Rebirth of a Storm Episode 6 Total word count for the day: 458 words Total word count for the week: 6,392 words I'll update this post each day with a report on my progress. It won't be easy for me to stay committed to writing for one full week, but we'll wait and see.

As we all know, SBC was down for a while. However, it took a few days longer to return to this place because of my antivirus. So, I've decided that I would make up for all that lost time by devoting a full week towards writing my projects. What I'll make different for this period, however, is that I won't have a planned specific amount of time for each day. This weeks' worth of sessions will start and end depending on my motivation for each particular day, and I'll drop in each day with a report on how much I've written to show my devotion to this. What I will at least provide, however, is a list of what projects I'll be focused on writing for each day, which I will post later tomorrow.

The reviews are in (or at least some of them): https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/nickelodeon-all-star-brawl I didn't set my expectations high for this one, but it's at least decent to see that it's doing fine with critics and fans alike compared to say...CN's myriad of disappointing fighting games.

Call me Black Arachnid Meowth.

So long to one of the most overhated things on the internet in recent years. After that one-two punch with 2018 and 2019, it was only necessary that they'd stop. Even if YT were to try and push more effort into them, there would still be no pleasing the masses anyway, and I could make the argument that YT's year-end retrospectives were never all that great to begin with.

26. Mirrior My name is Phoebe Ashfield, and I come from a world that is brimming with magical activity. Of course, it is also populated by magic specialists of any discernible name: mages, wizards, witches, sorcerers, sorceresses, and spell casters. Oh yeah, and then there are some without magical abilities, but they are treated as fairly regardless. Anyways, this is the world I live in, a world that goes by the name of Mirrim. I am a rookie mage at Livingstone Magic Academy. Being a teenager, I am nearing the point in my life where I can become a professional spell-caster like the adults in my family, while I am old enough to look after a business on my own. My true passion is being a baker, and I work at my family business, Sweets Serendipity. My family has been able to make it the hot spot within our home in Looking Glass Lane, so much so that the monarch, Queen Arora herself, would visit it every once in a while for our famous desserts. There’s just one thing about Mirrim that makes it unique, our reflections aren’t the same as how we appear in shadows and glass. It’s not that we can’t see our own faces at all. We can’t see them through normal means, as we usually see a different image right in front of us. That’s not all there is to. Everyone’s reflection is different, and even if some are identical in appearance, they can be made distinct from their traits. Not everyone has a reflection though, and I’ve always seen these kinds of people being referred to as vampires. My own reflection, Tarok, consistently warns me about them and tells me that I shouldn’t dwell over them too. These reflections, as Tarok tells me, are from a world parallel to Mirrim known as Riooir. I’ve also been told that the reflections are born the moment that we are, that they are immortal, their appearances do not change whatsoever through natural circumstances like age, and they either die once we do, or they just pass themselves onto a new human life. I can’t help but feel curious just knowing that there is a world parallel to the one that I live in, and I’ve also been warned that accessing Riooir, as an outsider, is forbidden, as people have become vampires by ‘going off the grid,’ losing their reflections and their connections to them in the process. Being aware of the dangers of traversing outside my own world, I try not to let my thoughts get the better of me…that is until I gave in to temptation. As I should’ve pointed out, this story is not just about me, it is Tarok’s story as well, and this is the story of how we’ve got ourselves trapped and exploring our opposite worlds, and of how we began working towards restoring our connection and returning to our original homes safe and sound. In view was the outside of Looking Glass Lane during the late afternoon. In the foreground stood the Sweets Serendipity bakery front and center from the perspective of Phoebe Ashfield, the eponymous fifteen year-old dark-skinned girl. She wears a frilled dress donned in a pattern of pink and white with a red ribbon-like bow tied to the back and around her waist, all while being covered by her bright yellow bakery apron. The rest of her apparel includes crimson red leggings, white knee-socks, pink sneakers with white laces and soles, and a couple small red ribbon bows tied to the sides of her ash brown-colored hair in the form of buns. On her person was a coral-colored wand, shaped like a baton, and a backpack with a white and light blue pattern. She rode her pink cruiser bike across to the Sweets Serendipity bakery while her shadow, the image of a feline, sprinted alongside Phoebe at the speed of her cycling. The streets appeared to be active with human pedestrians and their respective, unique reflections cast by the near-dissolving sunlight. “Ey, I’m walkin’ here, I’m walkin’ here!” A reflective shadow of a crab spoke. “Hey, where are you? I told you to meet me at dusk,” A rhinoceros-shaped shadow spoke to an adjacent giraffe-shaped shadow where its head was concealed by the shadow of a building. “My head’s caught in the clouds. I can hardly see anything,” the giraffe shadow responded. “I should’ve gotten a down payment on those mosquitos,” a voice uttered from a phantom-shaped shadow. Phoebe and her reflection, Tarok, heard the collective voices of the civilians and their shadowed reflections alike across the boulevard as they strode on their path to the sweet scent emitting the girl’s family-owned bakery. “Hey, you know that I’m very used to this method of travel when I have to catch up to you like this,” Tarok’s sunlit silhouette spoke in a near-breathless tone. “Don’t worry about it,” Phoebe responded. “My family’s place will close up in half an hour, so you’ll get yourself break after we head back from my errand…right on schedule.” At that moment, Phoebe stopped her bicycle, pressing her foot on the brake as she and Tarok reached the walkway where the bakery stood in place. “Okay, so we got the eggs, milk, baking soda, baking powder, wheat germ, and apples that you were asked to get,” Tarok said, referring to the items that Phoebe was carrying on her pack. “There isn’t anything else and you don’t have to go through the trouble of going back before my shadow disappears with the sun, right?” “Why would I forget?” Phoebe questioned. “I’ve made it my goal to become a baker here, so I am taking my work at Sweets Serendipity seriously.” Before walking inside, Phoebe peered through the window to see if any particular customers stood there and sensed trouble when she spotted a pair of three that were familiar to her, standing by the counter in front of her two parents who manage the business, Flint and Auburn Ashfield. “Oh look, your business rival and her parents are trying to stir things up again,” Tarok remarked. “This can’t end well for me when the least I can do is sit and watch.” “It’s like Valerie planned this as soon as she knew that I’ve gone out to pick up ingredients for my parents,” Phoebe added. Just to explain something for a moment, when you’re running a thriving baked goods business, it’s expected to deal with some competitors; fierce competition in the case of the Connellys who run another desserts business named Cream Of The Crop from a few blocks away. Obviously, Valerie is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Connelly, and she is the same age as I am. Keep in mind that I partake in my family’s business out of passion for baking and I don’t do it to compete, and yet Valerie makes it hard for me to help run the shop. Valerie has an intimidating reflection, as it takes on the form of a Doberman. It seems to run in her family too. Her mom’s reflection resembles a king cobra while her dad’s is a condor, two life forms that tower over the reflections of my parents. On my mom’s side is a reflection that resembles a bishop while my dad has a spidermonkey. Mine is a kitty cat, and he’s a wussy to boot, no matter how much he tries to deny it. “As you are the managers of this establishment, I’d like to speak to you have a problem that we’ve had with your service,” Mrs. Connelly argued. “What do you want to tell us this time, Annette?” Mr. Ashfield asked. “My husband, Claude, and I have been dissatisfied with how you treat your fellow senior citizens when your employees couldn’t provide us with a senior discount,” Mrs. Connelly continued. “We provide a discount for customers ages 55 and over,” Mrs. Ashfield spoke with a stern tone. “You’re both 48, so you’re not fooling us.” “Why should we have to follow your rules?” Mrs. Connelly chided. “We’re getting old like our own daughters, so we should be permitted to have a senior discount! Refusing service to your customers is a bad look for your business, and when we demand something, you do us a favor and satisfy every customer’s need! The customer is always right you know!” “That doesn’t mean that you’re right to attack our bakery for how we provide our service with your falsehoods,” Mr. Ashfield argued. “We are not getting involved in your affairs. Please leave our establishment and keep your business to yourselves like we are. Leave our employees, my wife, and I all alone while you’re at it.” “Besides, the last time you came here to complain, you threatened to have our business go under because you wanted a different design for the wrappers of the one-dozen cupcakes that you’ve ordered, when you never specifically asked for us “If you’re just going to show up here to make excuses to damage our family business, then we may have to make you all prohibited from our shop.” “You dare question our authority, Flint?” Mr. Connelly snarled. “Just you wait, Cream Of The Crop will take down Sweets Serendipity in cold-“ Everyone in the room stopped as they saw the door open up to show Phoebe entering inside as the two parents continued to bicker, causing for Mr. Connelly to stall his words for a moment. “Oh, look who just came back, it’s our favorite employee!” Mr. Connelly continued with a rushed change in tone. “Hey mom, hey dad,” Phoebe spoke in a tone that suggested that she knew what was transpiring. “I brought back the ingredients you needed for our shop. Hey Valerie,” she glared at her rival with a look of discontentment for one instance before her eyes are focused on her parents. Meanwhile, Valerie glared at Phoebe back with malevolence through her smug grin. She was donned in her formal family workplace uniform, in contrast to Phoebe’s combination of casual and formal wear. It consists of a gray and black pinafore dress with a white apron tied over it. The sleeves of her gray dress were puffed while the black sleeves underneath were close to her wrists at length. She wore gray stockings alongside her black dress shoes and the top of her long, golden brown hair was covered by her mauve-colored beret. The hair of the Connelly parents was a lighter shade of brown due to their age. In place of a pinafore dress, Valerie’s father wears black dress pants, a white button-on shirt with a dark-gray short-sleeved wool shirt underneath, and the usual Cream Of The Crop branded apron over it, while he wore nothing over his short hair. The way that Valerie’s mother dressed was classier compared to her daughter, as she wore heelless dark red pumps in place of dress shoes, black stockings, and in place of Valerie’s dress was a taupe-colored cardigan and gray blouse combo, with a long black skirt underneath. Her hair was styled in form of a bob. Being managers of their own bakery, Phoebe’s parents were dressed as formally. Her father donned a burgundy sweater vest with a short-sleeved white button-up worn underneath and the Sweets Serendipity brand yellow apron worn over. He also wears brown dress pants and black dress shoes alongside his brown wool socks. Phoebe’s mother wears a puffed sleeve dress over her apron, red at the top, and white at the bottom. She wore crimson red slacks, white crew length cotton socks, and dress shoes that were yellow like her apron, although in a darker shade. The shadow silhouette of the Doberman reflected from Valerie snarled straight at Tarok’s shadow, who returned with a few hisses. “Now should be a good time for you all to leave our shop,” Mr. Ashfield spoke. “We’ve had enough of your charades and you showed up at an inconvenient time to complain.” “No, this just isn’t fair!” Valerie uttered. “You can’t just kick us out of here! I like coming here at Sweets Serendipity, I do! Phoebe’s baking is just marvelous, isn’t that right?” “Come on, I know you’re lying through your teeth,” Phoebe responded. Without warning, the door opens up again to reveal a boy around the same age as Phoebe and Valerie entering inside. He wore a diamond blue parka, white cargo pants, black socks, and electric blue sneakers with white laces. His skin was tanner than the Connellys as his hair was a deep brown. His shadow reflecting behind him resembles a woman with streaks of hair flowing around, giving Phoebe the impression that he seems to be a charmer. “Wilhelm, I didn’t see you coming by,” said Phoebe. “You’d be surprised to know how fast you can go places with the use of magic,” Wilhelm pointed out. “So what brings the family running Cream Of The Crop here?” “We’re about to close shop for the day, so if you’re here to order our baked goods, then you’re too late,” Mrs. Ashfield informed. “Oh, that’s too bad,” said Wilhelm. “I was just wandering downtown and I thought I could treat myself to something from this bakery.” “That’s okay,” Valerie uttered. “My family’s shop has closed for the day, but if you’d like, we can give you an apple pie later today, no charge.” “What’s all the commotion for?” Wilhelm asked. “I think both Sweets Serendipity and The Cream Of The Crop have equally good food, so why can’t you come to that agreement and make peace with each other?” “The one thing that matters more is whose desserts you like better, my family’s or hers,” Valerie argued, referring to Phoebe and herself, “and it matters a lot to my mom, my dad, and to me to be proven that our bakery is the best in this town!” “So it’s a bet, then?” Phoebe questioned. “We determine which of our family’s bakeries is better by letting some boy be the judge of whose baking he likes the most?” “Exactly,” Valerie answered. “Of course you know this means war, Phoebe.” “Well I never asked if our bakeries could go to war,” Phoebe replied, “but since you’ve challenged me, then we’ll be competing against each other for our shops afterschool at Livingstone Magic Academy, tomorrow. Do we have a deal?” “How could I say no? I can’t wait.” “If our daughters agree, then we have no choice but to let them arrange this,” Mrs. Ashfield remarked. “So it’s a deal then,” said Mrs. Connelly. “It’s been nice doing business with you, Flint, Auburn. It’s about time we’ve headed off.” “Thank you,” Mr. Ashfield responded. “After this is all over, then perhaps we can begin to sort out our differences maturely.” “If you want mature, we’ll give you mature,” Mr. Connelly asserted. “I’d like to see us settle in court. You shall all suffer while enjoy our continued success.” “Good for you, Claude, sir,” Mr. Ashfield finished in a sardonic tone. “I’ll be sure to let my lawyer know that you won’t be able to get anywhere by using blackmail against us.” Like so, the Connellys exited the vicinity. Claude slammed the door closed on the way out, as Wilhelm left himself inside. “I feel sorry that you had to deal with this drama,” Wilhelm said towards the Ashfields. “Lately, we’ve been dealing with them threatening to take down our business at least three times a week,” Mrs. Ashfield point out. “Alright, so I’d best be leaving now. I’ll be waiting to taste what Valerie and Phoebe will be making for me tomorrow.” Wilhelm finished. After Wilhelm left, Phoebe brought herself upstairs to her bedroom to relieve from her stress. She came over to her bathroom mirror to face her reflection in the glass, showing himself in front of Phoebe as the gray-furred tomcat that she so is familiar with. Phoebe saw of her reflection to have a ball of blue yarn in paw. “Why do I have to get myself caught in one of her squabbles?” Phoebe questioned, referring to Valerie. “I think it’s because she’s such a brat, just like her parents,” Tarok remarked. “Buzz off, kitty,” Phoebe muttered. “Keep making jokes, Phoebe, but you know that I can’t just disappear,” Tarok replied. “When we do though, we are kept out of view by Riooir for when our counterparts are some places where a shadow can’t be cast, when they’re getting dressed, or undressed…you know, moments like that.” He fidgeted with his blue yarn as he rambled on. “One of these days, I’d like to be able to see what your world outside of mine looks like.” “I’ve lectured you about this before. It is forbidden for people to intermingle with their reflections by crossing paths in the opposite world. I know we can only see the worlds surrounding us, and not the worlds parallel to ours through mirrors, but that’s how things are mandated. Besides, we already understand each other very well. You’re a friendly and polite girl, if also stubborn at times and a little too soft, and you’re a thriving pastry chef at a young chef who still needs to work on her magic. Then you have me, I’m a literal cat burglar who’s prone to getting into mischief, smuggling yarns and tuna fish because I can’t always afford them. I’m pretty certain that our experiences wouldn’t be so different if we lived on different sides. Even though you’d still have to deal with unpleasant folks like Valerie, you can get along with anyone while I can’t.” “So why don’t you try to keep yourself out of trouble?” “I worry about my own life choices, and you worry about your own. Besides, while it’s one thing to deal with Namrebod, who is just as intimidating as Valerie, your parents’ reflections had to just happen being the bounty hunters that I get chased by. Like I’ve been reminding you, when I’m not busy having to be your reflection, I’m spending my days causing trouble or getting in trouble and paying the costs for my habits.” “And I’ve been trying to remind you, because my parents’ reflections know that you are my reflection, you shouldn’t continue worrying about getting apprehended by them. You won’t be as long as I’m still around.” “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t keep going over this talk while you should be focusing on the cooking contest that you’ve arranged with your rival. As your reflection, it should be my job to help motivate you. If I could make some suggestions on what you should bake for that Wilhelm fellow, you should take the easy route and make him one of your specialty bakery treats.” “I appreciate your ideas, but I do already have a good idea after thinking about his cultural background. Of course, I’m going to have to run by the supermarket tomorrow before the event so that I would have all the things that I need to bake my dish.” “Then I’ll wish you the best of luck. You better win it, so that I could have something to brag about, let alone being able to rub it in Namrebod’s face.” “We’ll talk again tomorrow in the morning, okay? I know you could use some rest.” Phoebe yawned as she stepped out of her bathroom and back into her bedroom to start capping off her day. “You’re so generous. I like that about you,” Tarok finished before Phoebe walked past her bathroom mirror and Tarok’s form returned as a shadow. It was now the morning of the contest arranged by the Ashfields and the Connellys. Sweets Serendipity’s morning shift, which usually starts at eight, had just started for Phoebe (two hours before she would have to drop by her usual baking goods and supplies outlet and attend her Magic Academy) and her parents. It was at this time that Mirrim’s elusive sovereign, Queen Arora, showed herself inside as the first customer for the morning. The Queen’s reflection took on the form of a large and menacing dragon that made Tarok yowl in fear once he takes notice of it. “Good day to you Mr. and Mrs. Ashfield,” The Queen spoke, “and to you too, Miss Ashfield. How are you spending your morning here?” “I’m just here to open up shop with my parents for a while,” Phoebe pointed out. “What for, may I ask?” The Queen questioned. “I got persuaded into a competitive baking contest by our business rivals. I’m sure you know what the Connellys place is called,” Phoebe replied. “Oh yes, Cream Of The Crop?” The Queen replied. “Before you go on ahead with your own important business, I’d like for you to bake me one of your finest banana caramel crepes and then I’ll be the judge on whether or not your family’s baking business is the best in this province.” “Yeah, yeah, I actually know it’s because we’re required by your law to serve you first whenever you visit. Besides, I’m not doing this because I care about being the best.” Afterwards, Phoebe went underway with the Queen’s request and finished her order in less than ten minutes, serving the dish on a plate right in front of her seat. The Queen returned her usual content look after having her bite. “I say, your food is still delightful as ever,” the Queen complimented. “You provide quality service at your young age. So, where and when will this baking contest take place anyway? I’ll be sure to watch.” “It’ll be at the Livingstone Magic Academy after-school,” Phoebe informed. “Perfect. I’ll be inclined to watch what you’ll do against the other young, skilled baker,” the Queen finished before walking out of the door. Phoebe gave herself one good moment to muse about her strange encounter with the Queen until she was startled by the sudden arrival of a pale white man donned in a black cassock. It was a man she had recognized, a man in question who had no reflection casted behind him. “Uh…what can I do for you today…Reverend Peterson?” Phoebe said in a concerning tone. “Forgive my insolence, for I have strayed away from the path of God in the past,” Rev. Peterson spoke in the most unnerving tone, so much so that Phoebe herself couldn’t make eye contact at the clergyman as her attention is focused on his reflection, or rather a lack of one. “It would be a shame if you ended up the same way. You see, I stopped by your family bakery because I would like for you to make an offering for my precious Retceps, if you would be so kind.” “By Retceps, you mean you want buy one of our baked goods for yourself, right?” Phoebe asked. “We’ve gone over this before.” “Oh no, Retceps is certainly real. He is as real as I am, and as real as you are too, darling Phoebe.” “So, are you here to buy something or not?” “I apologize. I’ve changed my mind since it appears that I have disturbed you so. I would talk with you longer, but I should be elsewhere to help spread the word of God. Would you at least be willing to show at my local church this Sunday? I’m sure the other members of my clergy would like to meet you.” “I can’t…I have big plans that day,” Phoebe responded, articulating a convincing enough lie. “I understand. We’ll meet again another time,” Rev. Peterson finished before walking out of the establishment and closing the door behind him. After Phoebe wrapped up her early morning shift, she retreated to her room to converse with Tarok again from her bathroom mirror. Tarok appeared in front of the mirror with a ball of red yarn. “I can already tell how your time went,” said Tarok. “Her majesty the Queen visited your family bakery just to have the mandatory first bite, which had little with any royal priorities such as checking for food poisoning, and then that creepy Reverend showed up to talk with you about his faith and about his former reflection.” “Yeah,” Phoebe affirmed, “and what’s creepier about him is that whenever the Queen is my first customer, he’s always the second person for me to serve. It’s like the two are connected somehow.” “What the Queen’s connections are with him is beyond me,” Tarok replied. “I’m more intimated by that monarch’s reflection, Enilpicsid. Her reflection is a dragon, Phoebe!” “Well, I’ve been getting used to her visits by now. I’m still freaked out by the Reverend…” “You’re right, I shouldn’t neglect him. He is a vampire after all. So, are you going to tell me how you’re going to handle this whole cooking contest?” Phoebe gave no response. “Oh, is it a surprise?” Tarok inquired. “Don’t tell me that you do not already have something planned. How do you expect to win against Valerie if you don’t have a plan?” “Come on, Tarok,” Phoebe said in a reassuring tone. “It’s like not my family’s business is at stake. I’ll leave the contest with my hands held high if Wilhelm ends up liking Valerie’s dish more.” “Whatever it is that you’ll make for Wilhelm, I’m sure he’ll be impressed, and I’m saying this as your reflection who’s always on your side. I’m concerned about Valerie though, since she’s more magically skilled.” “I’ll be fine. I don’t need magic to impress Wilhelm, but I do need it to get a glimpse of the world outside.” Phoebe’s last sentence made Tarok stand up from bewilderment, to which he then said, “Phoebe, what if I told you that Reverend became a vampire because he abused the law of magic between both worlds? You weren’t there when he lost his reflection, and so neither was I. Do you know the old saying curiosity killed the cat? Don’t take my word for it just because I’m a cat, though.” “Was Reverend Peterson’s reflection a cat?” “Well, I never said that. Now go and focus on that contest already. Don’t worry about him, okay? As long as you stay on the right path, you won’t be like him. I have more important matters to attend to.” “You’re the one who shouldn’t be worrying. I have important matters too anyway, so thanks for keeping my mind focused on school and my rival competition. I don’t have any more time to waste talking to you, so I’ll see you later.” Phoebe’s reflection then disappeared from the glass and returned from behind her as she rushed past her bathroom mirror to grab her backpack. She stumbled downstairs and back inside the kitchen. She ran out the door of her bakery along with her bike, not before telling her parents that she’s heading off for her school. My day of magic school went by like normal, but the rumors of Valerie and I duking it out to see whose family bakery was the best became widespread. I wasn’t able to find Wilhelm at all during school and I’ve wanted to talk with him before the contest. I came to the conclusion that he must go to a different magic school. I had an hour after school before the competition between my family business and Valerie’s would start. I used that time to hurry over to my usual baking supplies store and then come back to my campus with fifteen minutes to spare and with the utensil I needed to make the dish that I’ve had in mind, and of course, the ingredients I needed to make it. Valerie and I had both set up our own booths for Wilhelm and once the challenge started, the campus was crowded with students and their respective reflections, just like as if there was a brawl going on. Wilhelm showed up as he promised he would. I got the chance to look at him and he exchanged a reassuring smile. Even when my eyes were focused on baking my dish for him, his expression was unchanged. As Tarok has already suggested, I’m still a mere beginner when it comes to crafting and conjuring magic spells. I’m under-leveled in comparison to Valerie. While she’s added flair to her baking, I’ve been focusing on the sole aspect of the contest. It didn’t matter to me that she attracted the largest crowd by putting on a show. Wilhelm is the only one who’s to judge on who makes the better sweets in this challenge. Besides, despite magic being a high priority in Mirrim, most jobs require people to learn a certain skill that they wish to attain by natural means, because the best kind of service is the authentic kind, and making good food is one of those skills that can’t be augmented by magic. My main goal in life is to be a professional pastry chef, and my natural baking skills are the bulk of my talents. The Connellys, of course, combine their baking skills with their level of magic proficiency, a key factor in which makes our respective family businesses dissimilar. One of the benefits of magic is finishing a task in lesser time than without it. This was how Valerie, of course, was first to complete her dish. She had a plate of colorful macarons laid out for Wilhelm, waiting for him to taste. He’s a rather patient guy, as he was waiting until I was done with my dish to judge our food, and so I eventually got mine done without much worry or pressure. I made him a staple dessert from his culture – Bibingkang Malagkit. “Are you feeling nervous, Phoebe?” Valerie taunted. “I don’t know what it is that you’ve just made, but I have a feeling Wilhelm is going to be most pleased with my dish.” Being more intrigued by Valerie’s dish, her booth was the first that Wilhelm had stepped up to. The moment of truth came as Wilhelm took a bite of one of the macarons. “I’m impressed, Valerie,” Wilhelm remarked. “These are full of flavor. Seeing your magical display, I don’t have to ask about the secret to your baking.” “Thank you very much for the compliment,” Valerie responded. “I suppose you won’t find Phoebe’s creation better.” “I haven’t seen what she’s made yet,” Wilhelm replied, “but she must feeling just as confident that I’ll enjoy it.” Wilhelm turned around to walk over to Phoebe’s booth and that was when he looked at her dish with curiosity. “Oh, and what’s this that you’ve made?” Wilhelm asked. “It’s Bibingkang Malagkit, a sweet caramel coated rice cake baked with banana leaves,” Phoebe responded. “…I thought you’d already know what it was.” “Actually I do,” Wilhelm replied. “I just didn’t recognize it at first. I can’t recall the last time I’ve eaten one of these. It must’ve been a long time. Anyways, I’ll just see how it tastes now…” Phoebe watched as Wilhelm took a bite of her dish. For a brief moment, she saw single tears running down his eyes after he finished chewing. That sad expression quickly turned to a look of amazement. “This is going to hard decision for me to make. This tastes absolutely remarkable, Phoebe,” Wilhelm commented. “Is there a secret to your baking that you could share with me?” “I don’t think so,” Phoebe responded. “I’ve stuck with a recipe that I’ve learned.” “Well, I have to come to a decision, and I think I’ve settled on a winner,” “So, does this mean…?” Phoebe was asking. “Phoebe…between you and Valerie, I think your baking is the best, so I declare you the winner.” “I do not concede!” Valerie uttered from her booth, drawing attention from the crowd that migrated to Phoebe’s side. “How should I know that you’re not just being nice and that the dessert she made truly is better?” “Because I tasted it, and you might agree with me too if you tasted it yourself,” Wilhelm responded. “He liked your macarons too, so why should you act like such a sore loser, Valerie?” Phoebe asked. “There’s more to being a professional baker than just making delicious food,” Valerie objected as she now stepped out of her own booth to come over to Phoebe’s. “You can’t have your cake and eat it too, not without Mirrim’s greatest resource.” She then grabbed the leftovers of the Bibingkang Malagkit and crushed it under her palm. “I’ll give your buddy-buddy a taste of what I feel about your baking, since he loves it so very much…” She then proceeds to throw the rice cake, aimed directly at Wilhelm’s face. He catches it with his right hand without alarm. “Now, now, I don’t want to have to be the one who has to break things up between you two,” said Wilhelm. “Phoebe does have a point. I like both of your sweets. I had to make a choice between the two and I declared that I personally enjoyed Phoebe’s dessert more, fair and square. So why don’t you put aside your differences with Phoebe and accept your loss, Valerie?” “We’ve been rivals for a while,” Valerie snarled. “Our families’ business is not your business, so you wouldn’t understand.” “Look, Valerie,” said Phoebe, “if we could, we can forget that we made this bet and we can continue our paths without having to be at each other’s throats. I may not be as good as you are with magic, I did put in as much hard work as you have.” “Fine then…I’ll accept my loss,” Valerie declared. “You just remember that there still can be only of us at the very top.” The crowd of onlookers each viewed the uproar between Wilhelm and the two bakers with awkwardness. The situation was similar within the other side of the world known as Riooir, where the gathering of reflections viewed the competition as an inverted shadow display. “Way to go, Phoebe!” Tarok cheered. “You sure outmatched that spoiled brat and her lousy Doberman!” Namrebod gave a single, menacing growl in response to Phoebe’s victory and towards her respective reflection. Tarok watched as Wilhelm’s reflection, Neris, walked past the crowd and left his sight. Looking around his surroundings, Tarok saw a black she-chat ledged above a building, gesturing for him to meet with her. As Tarok could tell, the reflection was free-roaming with her other being outside her interface range. It’s her. Tarok thought. What does she want and why does she want me to be alone with her? Back in Mirrim, the sun was close to setting and the crowd had gone as Phoebe and Valerie both meet up with Wilhelm again. “Hey Wilhelm,” Phoebe called out. “Before I could say thanks, there was something I wanted to ask you…” “Ooh…” Valerie teased, “It looks like Phoebe wants her little boyfriend to walk back to the bakery with him.” “Is that true, Phoebe?” Wilhelm asked. “It’s not in a way that Valerie thinks…” Phoebe spoke in a shy tone of voice. “It’s that I can tend to get flustered when talking to boys my age. Um…you know, we don’t have to walk since I just remembered that I have a ride and-” “Well, I don’t have a ride home,” Valerie interrupted, “which is why I’d like for Wilhelm to walk me back to my family’s bakery. What do you say to that, Wilhelm?” “Your bakery is only a thirty minute walk away, Valerie,” Phoebe pointed out with a stern tone, “and you can always use your magic to take you there faster…” “If I can make a compromise,” Wilhelm chimed in, “I can walk Valerie back to her place while I’ll be visiting Phoebe’s afterwards.” “Yes! I was going to ask if you could come to my bakery later,” Phoebe, still feeling flustered. “After choosing my family’s baking over Valerie’s, I’m sure my parents would like to get to know you.” “I have some errands to run after I take Valerie, so I’ll see you in about three hours from now,” Wilhelm finished. “Okay, then I’ll be seeing you at eight o’clock.” Phoebe got on her bike and rode out of the school campus, leaving Wilhelm and Valerie alone, with their reflections standing tall against the modest glow of the setting sun. “Alright Wilhelm, tell me the truth,” Valerie spoke. “Did you like my food better or not?” “Why are you still upset about losing earlier?” Wilhelm asked. “It’s not about the contest this time,” Valerie replied. “I know there’s a reason why you preferred Phoebe’s dish more, and I just needed to know.” “Well…I don’t feel comfortable saying this, but Phoebe won me over because her dish reminded me of something…something that I used to have,” Wilhelm explained. “She gave me this feeling that I never thought I knew she saw in me…” “So, you made her win because she toyed with your emotions somehow- no wait, it is because you were being too nice to her, wasn’t that it?” “Listen!” Wilhelm snarled. “I never asked to be caught in the crossfire between you and Phoebe like this. This contest thing was part of a setup that I was requested to initiate.” “Requested by whom…and why?” “You know what, forget what I said. Let’s shake on it and I won’t bring up Phoebe or the contest in front of you again, then I’ll continue walking you home.” As Wilhelm continued to talk with Valerie, he inched closer to her, along with his reflection edging closer to Namrebod. As Valerie saw Wilhelm’s body stooping towards her, she saw a piece of paper hanging from his backpack and snatched it. “Well, if you think it’s fair to disregard the hard work I’ve had to create for you, only for you tell me that the whole bet I’ve made with the Ashfields never mattered, then I suppose it’s fair if I take something from you without asking,” Valerie said, wavering the piece of paper in front of Wilhelm’s face. “Hey, you’re not supposed to see that!” Wilhelm exclaimed. “Then what was it doing hanging loose inside your backpack?” Valerie inquired. “Forget about it-“ “If you have an excuse, then tell me what is,” Valerie interrupted. “I know you’re keeping something from me.” “I could tell you, but…you see, I have a meeting to attend to after I took you back to your family-owned bakery,” Wilhelm was saying. “It turns out that I’m running late already!” As he finished, he faced the opposite direction and made a run for it from the pathway, leaving Valerie behind with her reflection, who was shuddering before responding to his reflection with a series of growls and barks. “Calm down, Namrebod,” Valerie muttered. “We both know now that he doesn’t seem to be trustworthy. I don’t know what he’s hiding, but now I’ve gotten a clue from him…” Valerie took a good look at the piece of paper she took from the boy and it read “Universal Warp Spell” in large text, with instructions underneath. “Before we solve this mystery though, how about we pay a surprise visit to Phoebe?” She asked towards her reflection before using her wand to cast a teleportation spell. The perspective then changes to show a kingdom somewhere within Mirrim, its exterior revealing a clear, reflective, and glossy texture, before then showing part of the interior. Inside is a room that was covered in glass, much like the kingdom itself. The center of the room is where the Queen stood along with her reflection, Enilpicsid The one object in the room not made of glass was a silver steel door on the right-adjacent side from the Queen and it was opened up to reveal someone familiar to her. “Did you return with one of the girls that I asked you to bring?” The Queen asked. “Forgive me, I was about to, but one of them saw through my ruse somehow,” a male voice spoke. “You saw me amongst the crowd, didn’t you?” The Queen continued. “I’ve done that as a reminder for the task I’ve assigned you with, Wilhelm.” “That isn’t all the news that I bring, your Highness, I’ve scheduled another meeting with Phoebe later tonight,” Wilhelm informed, “so spare me if you please, because I have another shot at this.” “I see. As soon as her back is turned, Miss Ashfield must be taken here,” the Queen ordered. “Here’s the thing, your Highness, that girl isn’t too good with magic, so I can’t convince her to bring herself over to you-“ “You can use magic. Therefore you shouldn’t have any excuses for your incompetence. You’ll be the one who brings that Sweets Serendipity girl to my arms, and you’ll have to bring yourself back here with her.” “Why would you even want her for your experiments? Like I said, she’s a novice in using magic spells.” “I can just teach her how to use them. Do you have the paper containing the universal warp spell? That is the main spell that I require for her to learn.” “Forgive me for this too. The other girl, Valerie, stole it from me while I was trying to let Neris take control of her reflection.” “It got stolen!?” The Queen fumed, cracking part of the glass in front of her with her right fist out of anger. “I took you in under my wing ever since you were small, raised you to master complex spells and obey even the simplest of my demands, and now you’re telling me that you’ve let the most forbidden magic spell of the world, which is supposed to bring me closer to achieving my life’s goal, fell into the wrong hands?” “And I take full responsibility. Don’t forget that I’m part of your grand design too and I can take over if I could.” “Yes, I need Neris to separate my targets from their reflections. In case your brain has been too far removed from your head, let me remind you that I am your monarch, so don’t ever think about trying use your reflection to cross me. Since you have time to spare, you go back and find that Connelly girl and take back what she stole from us!” “I understand. I’ll send myself off and I’ll come back once I’ve retrieved the spell.” The perspective changes to that of Phoebe’s after Wilhelm makes his exit from the Queen’s kingdom. Phoebe stops her bike as she touches down on the sidewalk of her family bakery. “I don’t know if I told you this already, I just wanted to say that I’m proud of you,” said Tarok. “I’d be fine celebrating with your parents as long as their reflections aren’t involved.” “My parents texted me after they closed up shop that they’ll be gone for a bit,” said Phoebe as she took out her shop key and inserted one of them into the keyhole to unlock the door. “So I’ll have to wait until I can lay the good news on them…” Phoebe stopped as she saw the inside of the Sweets Serendipity bakery, now trashed. Chairs and tables were knocked down, food scraps and liquid were spilled across the floor, the glass on the windows were shattered and cracked with some open spaces along with the sweets display glass, the light sources above were damaged, and standing right beside the countertop was none other than her rival, Valerie. As the sun rested down emitting an afterglow, Phoebe’s reflection subsided from behind before she confronting Valerie. “I know what you may be thinking,” Valerie spoke. “Trashing your family’s shop is so petty of me and I didn’t have to do it just to get your attention.” “Well, now that you’ve just admitted that, what did you need to talk to me about?” Phoebe asked. “Are you still goading about losing that contest?” “That bet we made was pointless, Wilhelm told me,” Valerie replied before then pulling her right arm behind her back, showing the piece of paper she’s holding. “You know what else? I retrieve this piece of paper containing a spell from him for something called a universal warp spell, hmmm…?” “What would Wilhelm be doing with a spell like that, let alone with one of Mirrim’s forbidden spells, and what are you doing holding on to it?” Phoebe asked. “I wanted to take this golden opportunity to make an offer with you, Phoebe. It’s dusk out and hence neither of our reflections is being casted, so it’s just you and me. No one else is around to hear this little dark secret that I found out from that boy. If what I am holding right now is a forbidden spell, then I’d like for you carry this burden in exchange for restoring this bakery back to its original state, if you agree to this offer. Besides, since you’re not skilled enough with magic to clean this all up, I’m the only person here who can help.” “Whatever you say, just fix this mess that you’ve made so my parents don’t end up pinning it all on me. The spell belongs to Wilhelm, so I can just give it back to him anyway, even if it’s shifty of him to be carrying around something that’s forbidden.” “Why don’t you take a look at the spell yourself? Certainly, there won’t be any harm in just taking a look.” “I’ve had enough of your blackmailing. Just turn my family’s bakery back to the way it was before you showed up to trash it moments ago.” On cue, Valerie took out her wand and said to Phoebe, “With pleasure.” With a calm mind and with a wave of her magic-conjuring instrument, the mess was now undone in ten seconds flat. Over the course of Tarok’s time away from Phoebe as her reflection, he roamed around Riooir to find the black she-cat. He would find her sitting patiently beside a third-story windowsill. Tarok jumped up towards where she was to join in. “Hello again, Yovne,” Tarok greeted, “feel free to tell me what you summoned me for.” “Have you’ve been getting close with a reflection that goes by the name of Neris?” Yovne asked. “I don’t think we’ve talked to each other,” Tarok replied, “but I’ve been recognizing her as Wilhelm’s reflection, since Phoebe has been recently becoming good friends with him.” “You won’t like hearing what I have to say then,” Yovne replied. “You and your other, Phoebe, may be in grave danger because of Neris and Wilhelm. I’ve been hearing rumors spread all across the outskirts of this town, and it seems that Neris is a reflection that kills other reflections, her power source coming from her main influence in the outside world.” “So let me get this straight, what you’re trying to say is that Wilhelm’s reflection…” “Due to her power, the humans in the Mirrim become vampires automatically,” Yovne finished. Yovne’s share of information had now left Tarok feeling speechless and concerned. He then asked “Is all of that true?” “I told that I’ve made an agreement with Samuel that I would be spending most of my life as a free-roaming entity of this world as a messenger. There’s a reason why you don’t find me attached to my other so often. I’ve been observing Neris’s actions based on those rumors, and I can confirm that she is a danger that should be avoided no matter what.” “Okay, so I just try to convince Phoebe that she needs to stay away or distance herself from Wilhelm because his reflection kills other reflection. I should be on the same page, but it’s going to be hard for me to break this to Phoebe.” “I don’t blame you. She’s your other after all.” After the two stopped conversing for a brief moment, a yellow glow then started surrounding and emitting from Tarok’s body. “Oh, looks like I have to return to being Phoebe’s reflection in a bit. We’ll talk more some other time, okay?” He finished. Back in Mirrim, through Valerie’s spell, the once-dead-lights on the ceiling were now illuminating as Tarok and Namrebod have returned at Phoebe and Valerie’s side respectively. “So, Phoebe…do you care to tell me what happened while I was away for the past several minutes?” Tarok asked. “What happened, Valerie?” Namrebod inquired. “It’s nothing much, I just had a little heart to heart with Phoebe,” said Valerie. “I should be on my way back to my own family bakery, yes?” Without saying another word, Valerie walked over to the door with Namrebod trailing behind her and they both exited out of Sweets Serendipity. “She’s lying,” Phoebe said towards Tarok. “She tried to tell me that Wilhelm is some shady character who never cared about our competition. Do you believe that?” “Speaking of which, while you and Valerie were alone, I’ve acquired some upsetting information about his reflection, Neris, from a friend in Riooir.” Tarok replied. “By the way, what’s that piece of paper you’re holding?” “Tell me about Wilhelm’s reflection first.” Phoebe demanded. Before Tarok could answer, Phoebe could hear the door open up, signaling the return of her parents. “We’re back, Phoebe,” said Mr. Ashfield. “I see you’ve been looking after the store while we were out.” “How did that contest with Valerie go?” Mrs. Ashfield asked. “I guess I could say that it didn’t turn out to be so eventful,” Phoebe said, although lying. “Wilhelm liked what Valerie and I baked for him and he had trouble deciding which was better, so he made us both winners.” “Seems like you both patched things up a bit,” Mr. Ashfield assumed. “I don’t think so. She’s still feeling bitter…” Without warning, the spell that Valerie had cast was reversed, returning the bakery to its state from when it was vandalized. Phoebe’s parents would then give themselves a good long moment to examine the damage. I should’ve known that Valerie wouldn’t tell me if the spell was permanent. Phoebe thought. “What happened while we were out?” Mr. Ashfield asked. “Since you were here before we came back, you owe us an explanation.” “Would you believe me if I said Valerie did this?” Phoebe asked. “I know we’ve had our strives with the Connellys,” Mrs. Ashfield was saying, “but we don’t see any sign of them wrecking our bakery as sabotage, and therefore we can’t blame all of misfortunes on them. Magic can at least fix damage like this, so we won’t punish you.” Afterwards, Mrs. Ashfield brought out her wand to reverse the damage caused by Valerie, returning the bakery to its undiminished state once more. “I’m sorry that this happened,” said Phoebe. “I’ve had a lot to deal with for one day.” “Why don’t we take ourselves upstairs and fix your hair for you?” Mrs. Ashfield suggested, referring to her unkempt-looking buns, in addition to the stray hairs that were showing. “Your father and I can tell by the look of it that you’ve just been under a lot of stress.” Phoebe and her parents were now in her room, behind the bathroom mirror. The two parents tended to Phoebe’s hair while seeing her reflection, Tarok, bare an angry pout as Mrs. Ashfield’s reflection, Reesrevo, held a firm grip on him while Mr. Ashfield’s reflection, Ffirehs, picked at the top of the cat’s head for dirt and fleas. “For times like these, it’s important that you keep up with your magic studies,” Mrs. Ashfield informed. “We’re not saying that you should already be a professional spellcaster,” Mr. Ashfield adds. “You are fifteen, but you’re going to be an adult soon.” “I know,” Phoebe whined. “It’s just…that I care more about being a professional pastry chef more than being an accomplished mage. I also want to be able to take over this bakery someday and then I don’t have to deal with the Conellys and them trying to tarnish our family business again.” “Well, we could all use a break from them for a while,” Mr. Ashfield replied, “which is why we managed to arrange a week’s vacation from Sweets Serendipity. It should also prevent any other calamities for the time being since that’ll mean that the shop will be closed until then.” “So what are you both going to do while the bakery is closed for the week?” Phoebe asked. “We’re going on a business trip,” Mr. Ashfield answered, “sharing our delicacies abroad.” “For now, we trust you to be responsible and keep watch of this bakery,” said Mrs. Ashfield. “Make sure you don’t let anyone inside unless they’re important.” Phoebe, upon realizing that her chances of Wilhelm visiting would be shot down, stopped herself when she was about to say something in response. “We also entrust your reflection not to influence you to cause any trouble while we’re out travelling.” She continued. “Hey!” Tarok chimed in. “What makes you think that I won’t be a good kitty for Phoebe?” “Don’t worry ‘bout a thing, you can count on me,” Phoebe affirmed. “Okay, sweetheart,” said Mrs. Ashfield. “Just in case someone enters the shop with magic uninvited, we’ll be turning on security before we leave.” “We’ll be in a week. We love you,” Mr. Ashfield finished as he and his wife gave their daughter a hug and a kiss on the forehead before exiting her room. An hour passes as it was almost time for Wilhelm to visit Sweets Serendipity. Once again, Phoebe was in front of the mirror with Tarok. “You know, you don’t have to feel upset about breaking your plans with Wilhelm.” Tarok said. “But we made a promise that we would hang out later tonight,” Phoebe whined, “and I have to return something to him.” “Even if he does show, I wouldn’t bring him in if I were you.” Tarok replied. “Perhaps we can do this another day…while keeping our distance, just to be safe.” “Since when did you turn into my parents?” Phoebe jested. Before the two could continue their conversation, Phoebe heard a noise from outside, further revealing Wilhelm’s arrival once as she leaned out her bedroom window. “Well, I planned for today to spend time with Wilhelm, so I’m going to do it today,” Phoebe said towards her reflection, now converted to being her shadow. “Hold on, Wihelm!” She called out. “Don’t transport yourself inside the bakery. I’ll help you climb into my room! I’ll explain afterwards!” Phoebe then brings out her wand to conjure a rope spell. Connected to her wand now was a long, coral-colored wraith-like string. She dropped the rope in front of her window and Wilhelm, prompting for him to climb up. Once as Wilhelm entered the bedroom with his reflection, Tarok stood back and yowled angrily at him. “My parents enabled security inside the bakery,” Phoebe said to Wilhelm. “They’re out on a business trip, so I’m looking after this place by myself and I wasn’t allowed to let anyone in that they don’t consider trustworthy.” “You trust me, don’t you?” Wilhelm questioned. “Of course I do,” Phoebe replied and held out a piece of paper in front of him. “By the way, Valerie caused trouble with my family’s bakery again and gave me this. She told me it belonged to you and it contained a…forbidden spell…” Wilhelm snatched the piece of paper and replied, “Oh, that’s right. This doesn’t seem forbidden to me, though…” “What do you mean?” Phoebe asked. This is just what I needed! Wilhelm thought. Now I have to bring Phoebe over to the Queen and see what she’ll have to say on whether or not she can keep her reflection. He then said aloud to Phoebe, “What I mean is that I believe all those things that people have been saying about this being a forbidden spell could be nothing more than a rumor.” “Yeah, and you may be right. You see, I took on the opportunity to have you meet me here because…you know…since I trust you, I’d like for you to teach me intermediate-level spells. I’m only fluent with the basics so far.” “I’d be happy to. It shouldn’t be too hard to do these spells once you get used to the instructions, so it should be easier than you think. Perhaps we could start with a teleportation spell? I was thinking that you could conjure it to-“ “How about we try this universal warp spell that you’ve been holding on to?” Phoebe interrupted. “I’ve always wanted to see the universe outside my own.” Wilhelm reacted with stunned silence for a moment until saying to her, I’m sorry, but I’ve changed my mind. Just give the paper back to me and we can continue on go over certain other spells…” “Why, is it because you’re hiding something?” Phoebe inquired. “Or is it that this spell is hiding something from me and from everyone else?” “Phoebe, if I could stop you right now, you must not activate that spell!” Tarok warned. Phoebe ignored the words of her own reflection as he walked back over to her bathroom mirror, locking the door from behind, and preventing Wilhelm from trying to enter. She held the paper in her containing the spell and a few simple-looking instructions. She held out her wand on her left hand and pressed her right hand on the glass of the mirror, preparing to recite the spell. “Phoebe! Phoebe!” Both Tarok and Wilhelm exclaimed. “Mirror, mirror,” Phoebe recited, “I summon my body, my mind, my heart, and my soul…to Riooir…” After reciting the spell, Phoebe’s body glowed an immensely bright yellow. She would then see her own right band move through the glass along with the rest of her body. As she the saw herself falling through the glass from her surroundings, Tarok was out of her sight, and her vision blurred for an instance until it cleared up to reveal that she was now floating about in a black void. She saw Tarok again, but also an entity that was completely unfamiliar to her. The entity, in question, appeared to have an all-around symmetric physique. It had an hourglass-shaped build, the bottom part of its body was mostly black with a circle in the center of its abdomen of varying colors with each layer: white, then black, then blue, then red, then yellow, and then transparent (the smallest layer). Its arms were X and looked to be crossed, showing no hands. Lastly, its face had a similar appearance to that of a scarecrow, its eyes pitch-black and its expression painted with a rather menacing grin. In comparison to Tarok and Phoebe, its body was massive in size. Tarok saw as the entity was about to unfold its arms and use its power to split its body and as well as the universe that is representing his connection with Phoebe in half, prompting for Tarok to act in his plea to spare Phoebe’s life and his own. Struggling, Tarok drifted himself closer to Phoebe, moving like he was underwater, and grabbed a hold of Phoebe’s left hand before using most of his force as he could to push Phoebe to where he positioned. Phoebe could tell by the look on Tarok’s face that he was mad at her, while also concerned and distressed. With little time to process what was going on, the universe that Phoebe and Tarok appeared in had vanished, along with the powerful and intimidating being. When the two regained vision, they noticed something different from their surroundings in an instant. Phoebe now saw herself in the world that was obscured from her own while Tarok awoke behind Phoebe’s bathroom mirror. “Tarok…” Phoebe spoke. “Where are you, where am I, and what just happened?” “You see what happens when you let your curiosity get the better of you?” Tarok responded. “You just got your wish. You’re now in Riooir, which means that I’m now in Mirrim.” “Okay, so now that I realize how big of a mistake this was and that it’s my fault for not listening to you, how do we warp back to our own worlds?” Phoebe asked. “We can’t,” Tarok replied in a blunt tone. “What you’ve just witnessed was the connection between your world and my mine, and that devilish creature is none other than the omnipotent enforcer of those connections between the people of Mirrim and their reflections, Imagami. I couldn’t afford for you to become a vampire for enacting that forbidden spell, so I made an internal deal with the Imagami that we could change our places.” “Alright then, so I can just reenact the spell again and-“ “Yeah, except that you’ve forgotten it now. That’s part of the deal that I had to make.” “So does that mean we’re going to be stuck in the opposite worlds forever!?” Phoebe exclaimed in a panicked tone. “My parents are going to be worried sick about me!” “Calm down,” Tarok continued. “I never said that there may never be a possible solution to our problem. With your parents being away for a week, I should have the time to stakeout Wilhelm. Since he has the spell, he should have some of the answers.” “Speaking of him, I should ask why you’ve been acting weird around him recently. Besides, I last had the paper containing the spell, so it should be around where you are somewhere.” “I wasn’t sure how I was going to break this to you, Phoebe, but that boy can’t be trusted and now that you’re in the reflections realm, you may be in more danger.” “What do you know about him?” “I’ve heard from a friend of mine back in Riooir that his reflection, Neris, has been known for killing other reflections, and making the folks of Mirrim into vampires in the process. I don’t know why he has that power or what he intends to do with it. All I know is that we need to distance ourselves from him. However, since we’re stuck in this situation, now we have to investigate him.” “I’ll believe you since you seem to be telling the truth. Can you find that paper with the spell now, please?” “Alright, I’ll check.” Tarok dropped down from the bathroom counter to look around. He saw that the bathroom door had been flung open despite being locked from the impact of the spell. He jumped back up to lay the bad news to Phoebe. “It’s gone. It seems as though Wilhelm snatched it back and escaped with it.” “Okay, so now that we understand this whole situation that we’re in, what do we have to do now?” “Your parents can’t know that you’ve conjured a forbidden spell and transported yourself to the world outside. We’ll be passing off as a couple different folk so as to not raise suspicions. Of course, I can’t let anyone in Mirrim now that I’m a cat with a human for a reflection, so I’ll use the magic spells I’ve memorized from your studies to go incognito, and you’ll have to change up your look since I’ll need you to do the same.” “The best you could do in concealing your true identity is with a shapeshifting spell.” Seeing that Phoebe’s wand was left behind on the counter, Tarok picked it up with his mouth and then said, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” With a wave of the wand, and with a few recitations, Tarok now took on the appearance of a clothed, adult human male with gray hair. “See, not too shabby.” “Yeah…there’s just one problem, though…” Phoebe said, referring to the visible gray cat tail behind the human Tarok’s back. “What? I thought this was only a predicament with kitsunes, from the stories of I’ve heard of them. …Anyways, let’s go over our current plan in fixing our state of affairs. Since you’re now a civilian of Riooir, you now must go by Ebeohp while I go by Korat…or Kodiak to blend in. With Wilhelm being our one and only lead into our investigation so far in figuring out a solution for the spell, we’ll have to start by investigating him.” Phoebe’s concerned frown then turned to a confident smile and she said to her reflection, “That sounds like the plan.” “I’ll get us back to our own worlds. As long as I can be able to keep our secret, you can count on me.”