Thirdly

Those two are not for everyone. Robin and I know they balance one another out and share the same stubborness and core, even though it takes them far longer to compromise than most of the others.

Not in the slightest. It's just incredibly slow going because my cowriter is a mother of 4 and also a fulltime dentist. I also refuse to work on it alone because it just wouldn't be the same. It would feel like writing fanfiction of half the cast (not to mention I love her writing style and what our styles look like together). So while there are 2-3 chapters completed and a full outline plotted out, it's not nearly enough to begin posting it. I do have other fan favorite solo stories I wrote (like My Faceless Bus Stalker Alpha and Persistent Pheromones, and Robin's Prophylaxis is amazing if you aren't afraid of the long, unknown wait for the next chapter) in the meantime. I terms of sci-fi, there is also the WRECK series, as I'm a third of the way done with writing the 3rd installment of that one (which is technically a spinoff, but oh so fun).

Thank you so much!! This one was an older and lopsided one because it was my first time trying to write backwards from a specific ending. It was a challenge for me, but it at least got to the point I felt was entertaining (?) enough to share, though a bit convoluted (a lot of my stories are convoluted 😂).

It's been a while since my last blog about my special interest Pokémon games. In my last Pokémon-related post I said I'd talk about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, so I will briefly go over that one before moving on to Pokémon Z-A. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are "ADVENTURES WITH A SANDWICH-LOVING DRAGON MOUNT/BUDDY!" This game was also meant for the release of the Switch 2, so the graphic quality had to be reduced. Players complained about the quality of the graphics, brilliant glitches reminiscent of games from much older consoles (which I thought were hilarious and part of the charm until the glitches were patched), and the fact that the red dragon buddy (Koraidon) had a set of wheels he didn't even use, choosing instead to gallop and doggie paddle into the sunset. I had the time of my life playing that game. The game was more open-world than previous Pokémon games, allowing you the freedom to tackle any mission you wanted first (though unlocking the flying ability of the dragon helped expand the freedom even more). The characters they introduced, along with the chosen story arc was decent, for once. Highly entertaining. The whole game was steeped in Spanish hues, and I will never forget to praise the person who decided to name this Pokémon LECHONK: Lechonk is, indeed, a chonky (chunky) lechon (lechon meaning "pig" in Spanish). Well, well done, team! So, the only personally negative thing I had to say about the Scarlet/Violet games was the lack of enough customizable clothing for the player character. But that's not nearly enough of a reason to not recommend this game to everyone WHOLEHEARTEDLY. That being said, I have ALSO had the time of my life playing Pokémon Z-A. EVERYONE, the FEDORAS are BACK! ...along with nigh full customization, and some incredibly stylish clothing, shoes, and accessories!! Pokémon Z-A is unique in the series. They shook everything up from combat to controls and general gameplay. In a full-circle moment Pokémon stole a couple of similar mechanics from PalWorld, a game that was heavily inspired by Pokémon Arceus to begin with. But both games are still quite different and entertaining. While there are characters I absolutely adore in Pokémon Z-A. *cough* Like my beau, Corbeau. *cough* And the absolutely precious Gwynn. = I felt that the bond of the camaraderie between the main player and key characters felt less "natural" and plot-centered in Z-A than it did in Scarlet/Violet. They made the player feel like they were really in it together emotionally in Scarlet/Violet, where-as in Z-A, it feels less like everyone is on even ground with the main player. They put the player on a pedestal, which wasn't the worst as far games go, but it made me miss how more emotionally valued the main player felt to the NPCs in Scarlet/Violet. The player is still highly valued in Z-A but not as emotionally charged. All of that aside, Pokémon Z-A exceeded my expectations, which were low due to my sheer enjoyment of Scarlet/Violet. Both games are equally entertaining and delight your inner child (or inner teen/young adult in the case of Z-A?).

Love the reference to The Santa Clause, and I love the holiday icon, @Myr

If I can ever finish them all. 😅 I've been having to give myself deadlines to try to get a couple of them done by the end of the year. You can do it, Gary! It kind of became song recommendations at some point, but thank you. 😂 Did my best to answer Cia's questions.

I'm content if any of my eccentric stories entertained you. 😂

Ash isn't very happy with any of them, either, at the moment. 😂

And I am the type who sometimes forgets where I am and asks things in public places. Often loudly. 🤣 That is why I try to outline, even if it's just one faint sentence saying what I think I want happening in that section of the story. But getting stuck sucks. Everyone gets stuck on something or other. They say it's best to skip over those parts and then come back to them after you've finished, but sometimes those "missing parts" are crucial to how the story will end, so you have to pick your poison: 1. Skip the spot, try to write down the rest to the best of your ability, and then come back to fill it in, adjusting every single segment that follows it so that it makes sense and is consistent. 2. SOS everyone you know for help until something sparks in your mind (usually nothing that everyone else suggested), and then quickly write that down and continue. 3. Work backwards from the ending. (I tried doing this once, and the whole thing ended up all kinds of unbalanced, but some writers can pull this off well) 4. I'm sure there are other methods I can't think of right now, but the three I mentioned are the ones I've done. I hate it when that happens. It's why I always have my phone with me almost everywhere, because I forget almost immediately otherwise.

Most of us on the site help one another out when we can, from what I've seen. Thank you! Like how I play too many video games? 😂 Thank you! @Cia's questions made me think. Butter? You mean savory, drool-worthy garlic butter sauce, surely.

I'll set a reminder!

Thanks do much for the feature! Thanksgiving time brings families to mind, and that one definitely involves a family or three. 😅 I wasn't even goaded by anyone on that prompt. I saw it and thought "ah, I think know the kind of character @Aditus is talking about." He turned out to be a fun fellow to follow around. 😂 I highly encourage anyone who hasn't tried writing from one of the Prompt Team's prompts to give it a go. The final result doesn't have to be exactly as the prompt states! Nothing is set in stone.

Witness the unfolding of an unintentional friendship. Too cute!

However, most of them shooed him away, telling him to "Skedaddle." They repeated this so often that the name stuck with him. - 🤣 The chef used such colorful language that Skee ended up with several new names that day. - 🤣 Those were his last thoughts before his vision went black. - Oh no! "Does this mean we can't die?" - Guess he won't need to worry about food anymore! This was too, too cute. I loved it! 🥰

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed this one.

JT and Rufus had one eventful summer. That's all I'm gonna say.

Saturday, July 6th, 1968 - I immediately thought of the song "the summer of '69" which is interpreted so differently these days to all the naughty folks receiving coal this Christmas, myself included. and the unmistakable aroma of bacon drifting in from down the hall. - 🤤 For a moment, he wished he could linger just a little longer between waking and dreaming - Off on a tangent, I've been trying to trick my mind into specific dreamworlds since I don't have to wake up before sunrise while I'm in recovery, but instead I get dreams that have nothing to do with anything I was trying to think about. Last night it was something about a family at the base of a mountain arguing over who would bring what food bin for a banquet/picnic/BBQ...a family of people I have never seen before in my life in a place I've never seen. I get a lot of oddities like those. After all that had gone on over the past month, the older boy he idolized, Tommy Lee, everyone’s paragon of virtue, was just as naked and horny as he was, and they were just about to have some fun. - Yeah, I don't blame him for wanting to get back to THAT dream. The echo of Tommy Lee’s presence lingered, but JT knew he couldn’t afford to let it show—not now, not with everything waiting for him outside his bedroom door. - Wouldn't want to be him at that moment. One thing was certain, down where it counted, JT was blessed. - LMAO! JT’s curiosity twisted into apprehension; he knew he was trespassing on more than just property, peering into a moment he wasn’t meant to witness. - Dude, get out of there! As slowly as practical, he eased back towards the tree line, his exit covered by the noise coming from the cabin. - At least he wasn't caught. Sunday July 7th, 1968 - Wait, shouldn't it already be the 8th or 9th at this point? Bobby Ray fell back as Rufus laid into him, sinking his teeth wherever he could. - Good boy, Rufus! The last thing Bobby Ray saw was Rufus retreating to the woods before he was blinded by the light. - Rufus is the BEST boy. Tommy Lee kept after JT to return the favor, to lie under him. It was made with some trepidation, knowing the size of JT’s attribute. - 🤣! Reading took longer than I anticipated, as I had to make dinner, but I made it to the end! I enjoyed this entry.

Ok. I'm here. I'm ready. It's still just the afternoon in my timezone, and it takes me like a half hour or more to read 5k words (because I am not a skimmer), which means *counts on fingers* I should be done between 3-6 hours. I'm going in! ...also, as for the prologue: It's kind of ironic that this character is talking about the scent of summer and chorus of birds is what is bringing them back to reality when the scent of summer and a chorus of birds sounds like a vivid dream to someone in the start of nonstop stormy season such as myself. 😂

OMG Jack, I just saw the wordcount on @drsawzall's and that one might end up even more massive. 😂 But it's night time for me, so that one has to wait til tomorrow.

There are no words I could possibly utter that would even begin to describe the insanity and hilarity of this story... except perhaps Fizz, Fury, and Existential Frosting!!

Before reading - That glorious cover art is one of the wildest cover arts I've seen. Summary- What the hell did I just read? He had seen the turning of ages, the shifting of continents, and even the invention of the Spork. - *snort* Instead, the man, Barnaby Buttercup, had turned out to be exactly as advertised. He was a virgin. A cheerful, hopelessly earnest virgin whose primary occupation was writing hardcore pornographic literature he hadn't the faintest practical knowledge of. The disappointment was crushing. - PSSH! Barnaby, forget Percy and come over here. I'll be your friend. He’s an artisanal cheese maker. - *nod nod* That sounds interesting. And he’s fallen deeply in love with a sentient, velvet ottoman with commitment issues. - Wait, what? Which is why he found himself in the Enchanted Forest of Tra-La-La (a name, it should be noted, that had been meticulously focus-grouped by the Unseelie Fae). - At least it's not the Enchanted Forest of Ya-Ya-Ya. The Unseelie Fae, who had managed the property for the last few millennia, had discovered long ago that a name like "The Enchanted Forest of Tra-La-La " attracted a far more desirable clientele: lost lovers, whimsical poets, and the occasional catastrophically unlucky tourist. - LMAO! They were sloshing with the blood of Barnaby Buttercup, a substance dangerously over-saturated with untapped potential and unwritten narrative. - Reasons why I must try to finish more of my hundred projects. And its eyes, which were supposed to reflect the purity of the cosmos, glowed with the unmistakable, manic fire of rabid rage. - An Alpha Unicorn??? The unwritten narratives of a thousand lurid fantasies rose up to meet the unicorn’s life-affirming magic. - I'm laughing so hard because I have a series called Lust & Chastity that is filled with a thousand lurid fantasies AND unicorns. The dark, sonorous symphony of his soul was being forcibly rearranged into a new, upbeat and terrifyingly catchy tune. - You're all I can think of~ Every drop, I drink up~ You're my soda pop, my little soda pop~ ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAyPTJFgFEs ) And the horn… oh, the horn. It was a spiraling, pearly-white dagger erupting from his forehead, and upon closer inspection, he could see with eye-watering clarity that it was composed of two perfectly formed incisors. His fangs. His fangs had migrated. - LMAO!! What emerged from his hindquarters was a perfectly formed, rainbow-colored swirl of what appeared to be… ice cream. - *opens mouth to say something and closes it again*...yeah, I'd still eat it. They were not a threat to his life; they were a threat to the last, tattered remnants of his dignity, which was, in many ways, infinitely worse. - LMAO!! "Oh, thank God," Jerome said, relief washing over him. "I thought it was just me. I want to bury my tongue in his... magical ice-cream churner... and not come up for air until my face is numb and his eyes roll back." - LMAO!!!!)) It was not the serene, shuffling colony he might have expected. It was a military camp. A nation of tuxedoed fanatics in the grip of a collective sugar high. - LMAO! Looking over the vast emptiness of the great brown-lands, he couldn‘t see anything inspiring, but in that moment a fortunate bowl-movement shook him again, and he let a generous helping of ice-cream go into a puddle of Pepsi./"It floats!" Pip observed. "An Ice-cream Pepsi Float! This is acceptable proof." - LMAO! I want a rainbow ice cream pepsi float so badly now. The pact was sealed on the perfect lawn in the fading afternoon sun. A fragile, unholy alliance of fizz, fury, and existential frosting had been forged. - LMAO!! Fizz, Fury, and Existential Frosting...I'm dead! 🤣 "But what if I told you there was a way out? A final, grand gesture. An act of such sublime, theatrical self-destruction that the bards would sing of it for a thousand years?"/Antoine raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "You speak of the Sunrise Climax. A myth. A beautiful, but ultimately unattainable, sensory ecstasy. A whole life of ecstasy, comprised into one event. The ultimate kick. The meaning of a life worth calling lived." - The WHAT? They just moved, their red eyes fixed on the horizon, occasionally leaving behind those grim, black dollops of vegan ice cream like malevolent trail markers. - ...I'd eat those, too. This was the source of The Beige. - Every time I see "The Beige" I'm reminded of "The Nothing" from Neverending Story. The great battle had begun. It was not a clash of good versus evil. It was a war between unhinged, vibrant chaos and the soul-crushing tyranny of sensible postage rates. - LMAO!! "Bartholomew!" he shrieked over the din of battle. "OPERATION BROWN THUNDER! IT’S TIME FOR THE MENTOS BOMB!" - LMAO!! He was, by every conceivable metric, the Goodest Boy, and he had never been happier. - Good for Kevin? "Mourning Mocha," "Pining Pistachio," and the ever-popular "Glitter-Infused Grief Grape." "Sorrowful Strawberry" - I still want to try them! -- Reading this was like experiencing @northie's fairy wings drugs. 😂

Journey to Salvation, indeed! The title makes much more sense after reading. I loved, loved, LOVED this one.

Another quiet hour of slapping mosquitoes and such passed before the trail opened up, allowing the horses to pick up some speed. - 😑Ah, mosquitoes, my sworn enemies. He ran out past her when she did that, and I couldn’t move… couldn’t do nothing but take the pain of that boot stomping me. - 😱Poor thing! Made me read scripture to her for hours while she went on and on about dark thoughts and demons—the weakness of the flesh—and the weakness of men. - Reasons I can't live with my family anymore. Said I had the same demon in me my grandpa did, and she’d be damned if she let him have his way again. - Dag-friggin-nabbit. Grandpa should've never married that one. She always said I’d be the death of her, and turned out she was right. - No, she wasn't. She was the cause of her own death. “He’ll understand, and for sure it won’t be the same for him, but he can hire two instead of one. Ain’t willing to lose this—ain’t going to lose you, Moss—not if I can help it, so the choice be easy for me.” - Yaaaay! “So, I will be going with you to your uncle’s—he’s your only family, so he’s mine too—if’n he’ll have me on his land.” - Yaaaay? For a year, he and Link traveled the same path, but instead of what was meant to be a sure ending, they’d found themselves a new beginning. Yawning, he gripped tighter the hand what be settled on his stomach, and let this new, God-given peace settle over him. - Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!🥰 I loved this entry so much! I'm so glad Lincoln was able to get through to Moss, and they realized what they both wanted was the same thing.

This was a fun, fun take on the Creature Feature theme. Lee had me laughing the whole time.

"Keep it up, and I'll bite you on the kneecap again."/Dane chuckled. "That was my wrist, you dumb peke. You couldn't reach my knee without a ladder." - LMAO! Dane answered with an air of superiority, "I believe I implied I didn't know. Our pets have never been here with us before."/"Didn't they drive us out this way?" - LMAO! "What do I know? I understand less human than you do. Poochie, food, treat, sit, down, good dog, out, window, and the ever popular 'no' are all I ever get. My ancestors came from halfway around the world. I innately understand less than you do."/"Sorry, German is a lot closer to Engwish than Shineez."/Poochie rolled her eyes this time. "I don't think you're saying those right." - LMAO! “I told you. I like it when it licks my head. You never lick my head.”/"I lick your you know what, that should be good enough.” - LMAO! Oh man, those two dogs felt more like a married couple than that human family.