1-2. school daze
3. the maud couple
4. fake it 'til you make it
5. grannies gone wild
6. surf and/or turf
7. horse play
8. the parent map
9. non-compete clause
10. the break up breakdown
11. molt down
12. marks for effort
13.
the mean 614. a matter of principals
15. the hearth's warming club
16. friendship university
17. the end in friend
18. yakity-sax
19. on the road to friendship
20. the washouts (episode)
21. a rockhoof and a hard place
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Cool. Weâre aligned about a lot of the direction and progression, broad strokes, and general content. And Iâll go ahead and start fleshing out (hah!) some ideas now that weâve got a baseline of expectations.
Iâll keep the other character TFs minimal if at all. It was just spitballing and brainstorming at this point.
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Thanks! Iâm getting a kick out of the images and the evolving storyline. So thanks again for posting these, and I say keep âem coming! Great news about the extended pacing!
Alexness back, even temporarily or on a split basis, could be just the ticket.Also: Already got ideas for side stories, too, some with your already posted images. So if you think thereâs enough material for the relatively consistent evolution of another character let me know please! I could develop Selene pretty easily, for example.
Aside: Got any stocked up images that plausibly fit with the design of the girl in Part 5.5, specifically a non-unicorn with a similar-enough color scheme? I kind of wrote myself into a corner with that one re: Lexiâs mom dream so donât know if I can pursue that possibility in another episode. Had to trim an extended scene between her and Creepy Boss for length, so if I try to write it back in Iâd like to know how flexible to be with it.
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Spoilered for: mind stuff, corruption, suggestive content, vulgar.
âIs your boss taking advantage of you as a woman?â her mother finally asked. Lexi recoiled as if actually struck in the stomach, repulsed by any suggestion that her Creepy Boss existed in this or other worlds as a sexual being. She told her mother as much. Maybe she didnât sound convincing.
âI think Iâm going to have a talk with him today,â she said in a firm tone after a moment. Fear filled Lexi up from the guts to the tips of her ears, and tried to impress upon her mother that under no circumstances should the two of them be alone. That probably just made her denials sound worse, but she didnât even want her mother staying in the store for any length of time, knowing first-hand what it could do. But the older woman had made up her mind, and Lexi resigned herself to at least stay close by her side.
âOh, take mine!â Lexiâs mom volunteered. âShe never lets me take pictures of her anymore!â Before her daughter could speak up, she handed her phone over to the coarse humanoid. He made a show of trying to line up the shot while Lexi was restrained in a hug by her mom, and then a simulated SNAP sounded out with a brilliant, cornea-stinging flash of light against the dismal ambient glow of the retro toy store. Lexi broke free and rubbed her eyes furiously, until she blinked through the pain and saw her mother taking back her phone from the calloused ape.
âMom-â she started to protest, before being cut off.
âLexi, dear, I can handle myself.â Turning to Creepy Boss, she sternly demanded to know what was going on in this store yesterday.
âOh, yer hard-werkin dotter was doinâ inventory all day and into tha night, MissusâŠ?â
âMs. Alverson,â she informed him. âAnd where were you while that was going on?â
âI was attendinâ ta other business,â he offered in that sickly, cloying performance. âTell ya what, why donât you anâ I go back to tha sercurity room and review tha tapes? Iffinâ there be something ya want ta know, Iâm sure itâll be on camera. And you, my dear Lexi-â he said, turning to his legally-bound employee with a threatening glint from his beady eyes, âYah need ta man the register, I told ya how terrible bizzy Fridays always be.â
Lexi turned and gestured to the empty store, whose shutters hadnât even been raised yet. âYouâre joking! Thereâs nobody here!â she pointed out.
âLexi, thatâs incredibly unprofessional,â her mother chided. âDo as MisterâŠ?â
âSimonson,â Creepy Boss informed her.
âRight, do as Mr. Simonson says. You know whatâll happen if you get fired.â
âNow now, Ms. Alverson. Lexiâs a hard-werkinâ sort after all. She did a Her-Kyoo-Lay-Un task of inventory yestarday. Come watch the footage, see fer yerself.â
âMom!â Lexi tried desperately. She both did and did NOT want her mother to see what happened with that Giggle Jiggle Ball.
âLexi, yer motherâs right âbout that insubordination,â Creepy Boss said with a subtle hardness seemingly directed straight into Lexiâs big, pointy ears through the otherwise folksy charm he slathered onto his speech.
Lexi clenched her teeth and her fists, powerlessly watching this primordial menace lead her mother into the shadowy depths that shrouded the back of the store.
Creepy Boss? No, didnât fit. Must have been a customer. Lexi turned the gears of her mind a moment and suddenly remembered that an angry customer had accused her of holding back the most valuable figurines to sell herself on the black market. That would have been shortly before she called her mom and had asked to come home⊠for some reason⊠solid memories seemed to turn into sand the more she sifted through them. Something something, daughter or livestock? That seemed familiar.
Lexi looked down and realized that sheâd been robotically unpacking and sorting the toys into a display around her counter while jogging her memory. She grimaced; running on auto-pilot meant she wasnât paying enough attention to know if her mom was in trouble back there with Creepy Boss.
âI know, I know! Academics, I plead a poverty of free time!â chuckled the dark-skinned young man with close-cropped curly hair as he rubbed the spot where Lexiâd hit him. He was built wiry and tall, but in her platform heels Lexi stood at about the same height. âSurprise! Howâve you been, bro?â
âMy life is a torment nexus,â she said without a hint of irony. âMomâs back there right now with my Creepy Boss, and Iâm sure heâs going to try something.â
âUh⊠so I came at a bad time then?â Darius asked.
âNever been worse,â Lexi said. âWhat are you doing here, anyway?â
âOh yeah, I finished my undergrad AND got accepted to MFU for the PhD track!â he said, beaming brightly with arms wide open. âBut wait, thereâs more! You know that chick I hooked up with freshman year?â
âUh, Selene?â Lexi guessed, thrown off by Dariusâs infectious exuberance. Since his college was out of state, Lexi had only met one girlfriend and that only twice. Nice girl, short and fun, with dark taste in clothing and loud taste in hair color to make up for it.
âThatâs her. Well, weâve been going steady since, you know? And they say college is all about experimenting, right? Well, get this: sheâs got the same taste in women that I do.â
âHeh, you lucky bastard!â Lexi chuckled. âRemember how we always said-â
âThe best girlfriend is the one who chases the same skirts you do!â they both recited in unison, prompting a high five. Lexi was already forgetting her troubles in this unusual, happy reunion. It had been far too long since she and Darius had just hung out.
âSo whatâs that got to do with this town?â she asked. âMFU is way up east.â
âWell, to celebrate my outstanding academic performance,â Darius began, imitating his fatherâs deliberate enunciation, âDad called me here and gave me a blank check. Said I could get whatever I wanted today.â
âLike, a literal blank check?â Lexi asked. Dariusâs family was extremely rich and connected. In fact, it was them who paid for Lexiâs lawyer. Old money. This sounded like some kind of absurd tradition theyâd have in his family.
âRead it and weep,â he said, producing the slip of paper from his letter jacket pocket. As he held it up, Lexi could see that it was, indeed, a check made out in all the particulars other than the amount. Even had Devon Kingstonâs stately, handwritten signature.
âNice! So you and the âalleged ladyâ gonna spend it all on hookers and blow?â Lexi teased.
âActually, this place looks as good as any,â he said. Lexi frowned. âThis is a toy store, right?â he asked, putting his check down on the counter.
âYeah, but-â
âGot any Robomorph figures?â he asked. His favorite toy line, and wealth meant he had almost all of them (even the ones released way before he was born).
âSorry, I just did inventory last night. We definitely donât carry any Robomorphs,â she said.
âYou sure? I want to buy the entire latest wave.â The store lights failed, plunging the shop into darkness for a split second, then returned to their usual offensively flickering mish-mash of 80s-themed neon. âWhoa, that happen often?â he asked.
âUgh, the lights are bad but not like THAT. Let me see if thereâs a fuse box under here. One sec,â she said, kneeling down behind the register. Lexi found herself face to face with dozens of blister packs. Robomorph figures, one of each, including the re-decos.âWhat the⊠these must have got here this morning,â she said, standing up with two of the toys in her hands. âI think we have the complete set.â
âAwesome, buddy!â Darius said. âLay âem on me. Oh, I want my girl to meet up with us and get to know you better, let me take a pic of us together!â The store lights disappeared for a perceptible instant before returning to their typical dismalness.
âSure! Let me get on the counter,â Lexi said as she lifted her legs one at a time onto the register counter and sat proudly. Darius sidled in and put his arm around her shoulder. They both smiled up into his selfie cam.
âAnd⊠sent,â he announced after a few taps on the screen. âI know sheâs gonna want to meet up with us, sheâs been browsing the other shops here.â
âI mean, itâs kinda gone too far with the whole synthwave stuff if you ask me, mang,â Darius replied while looking around.
âListen, Iâm being serious about this. I need someone I can talk to about whatâs been going on,â she said. âOn the level, no BS.â
âWell Iâm afraid youâre looking at a newly minted BS,â Darius joked. âAlso a future MFer at MFU!â But he dropped the levity when he saw the expression on Lexiâs face. âLook, weâve been best bros since boarding school. You already know you can come to me about anything. Selene and I are going to be in town until the autumn semester starts at MFU, so you can count on both of us to hear you out if anything thatâs bothering you, okay?â
âThanks, man,â Lexi said, genuine relief in her voice. For too long she felt like all this had to be bottled up, since her mother wasnât listening to her.
âAnd hey, thereâs something serious I wanted to talk to you about,â he said, clapping a hand on her shoulder as the store momentarily darkened again. âYou know how I did that whole âyou look cuteâ thing just now? Well, I want you to know that I actually feel that way for real. I, uh, I started getting a major crush on you back in high.â Another dropout of the lights for a split second. âAnd I want to try something before Selene gets here, okay?â Flicker.
âWhoa, okay,â Lexi said, suddenly certain of two things: her best bro just admitted he had a serious crush on her, and that they were about to try something before his girlfriend showed up. Her heart started pounding.
âI want a kiss, okay?â Flicker. âNothing big, just a peck on the cheek if youâre cool with it, I want you to feel comfortable about the whole thing, yâknow?â Flicker. âJust so I can see if these feelings need to be put to bed.â
Without hesitation, Lexi leaned closer and gave him a gentle smooch. His stubble tickled her face. It was kind of exciting, but at the same time⊠back in boarding school, telling another bro you had a crush on them was a sure-fire way to get bullied until you dropped out. And suddenly here they were, getting smoochy? Lexi tried to square that history with her complete lack of discomfort in this moment.
âHey, not bad on my end, bruh,â he said, lowering his eyes.
âYeahâŠâ Lexi admitted. She probably should have felt more weird about this. Best bros donât just ask each other for a kiss, yet she didnât even feel awkward. Just ⊠okay with it. Maybe she was just going along with it because Darius was celebrating and he deserved a few concessions. She was just doing him a favor. No biggie.
âSoâŠâ her friend said, looked off to the side and scratching the back of his head nervously. âI kinda want more if youâve got some in stock-â Flicker. Suddenly Lexi was pulling him in by the jacket and planting her lips directly onto his. No tongues, but⊠not much less. âDamn, mang!â he laughed. He wasnât the only one pleasantly surprised in that exchange, as Lexiâs heart fluttered.
âOh. My. God. Lexi?â came a voice from the toy store entrance. Lexiâs heart seized and she wondered why the door chime apparently hadnât worked at all this morning. âI⊠LOVE that top!â cried Selene as she rapidly closed the distance and pulled the busty unicorn girl into a hug. âAhhh! Youâve gotten so BIG!â the pint-sized pixie goth girl said approvingly. âOh, Darius must LOVE these things! Weâve got the same tastes!â Without an invitation, she gave Lexi a playful feel-up. âNo wonder you two couldnât keep your lips off each other!â she squealed. All the while, Lexi just blushed like a lit match. At least Selene wasnât the jealous type?
âHold up, ladies, I want to get a picture of that. Once more, with cop-a-feeling!â Darius said, pulling out his phone. Another brief absence of light preceded Selene groping Lexi and smiling deviously for his snapshot. Click. âOkay, I think I want another one with you two swapping spit!â he chuckled, turning his phone for a better angle. The store stuttered through darkness once more. Lexi and Selene both turned to each other and plunged their tongues together while Darius logged another snap. They broke apart only reluctantly, Selene smirking and Lexiâs lips pulling into a little smile of her own. âMarvelous, ladies! Just the way I pictured it!â Darius praised. âThe passion, the chemistry! I knew youâd get along swimmingly!â he declared.
Lexi was overwhelmed. Months of striking out on even a first date and suddenly here she was, nearly making out with her old friends a moment after seeing them. On camera! She felt dizzy. Excited. She felt⊠she felt good about it. Sure, it was all happening so fast. But none of it felt wrong. Didnât her best bro deserve nice things today?
As Darius and Selene paired up with a close snuggle, he voiced another surprise. âHey, Lexi? Since weâre all getting along so great, Selene and I want to extend you an invitation to an intimate evening with us next week.â Flicker. âDadâs going on a cruise and weâll have the house to ourselves, I really wanted us three to hook up together if this meeting went well.â The lights stuttered again.
âOkay,â Lexi found herself saying. Then the implications of what she just agreed to landed, and her eyes went wide for a moment. But⊠actually, she felt really good about it.
âAwesome!â Selene and Darius cheered.
âHell yeah!â Lexi joined in, lost in these suddenly powerful convictions that whatever Darius wanted to do was the best thing ever. Hey, heâd been right on the money so far. Apparently even this wasnât out of her comfort zone today.
âAnd donât forget the Robomorphs,â he chuckled. âHow much do I owe you?â
âOh! Crap, let me scan those,â Lexi said, jerked out of her impassioned reverie. Pulling up all the blister packs, she ran them over the scanner. 24 robot toys showed up, along with a few line items she didnât understand; services rendered appeared a couple of times, and services pending. The total was- âOh God,â she said, pointing to the display on the register and rolling her eyes.
Selene and Darius read it together and he threw his head back in laughter. âNow thatâs fitting! Sixty-nine sixty-nine!â
âA price so nice, they paid it twice!â chirped Selene.
âIâm fine, thanks!â the middle-aged woman said quickly but not angrily as she started wandering aimlessly.
Lexiâs eyes fell to the slip of paper on the checkout counter. Dariusâs check. Total of sixty-nine sixty-nine, a price so nice⊠She smirked. Maybe it would be, she thought as she processed the check and slid it into the lockbox drawer. Maybe it would be.
Suddenly realizing she was staring at a shrinking, fading dot of phosphorescent afterglow, Lexiâs mom blinked. She had been watchingâŠ. something. Whatever it was, she felt a lot better about her daughter working here. âWell Mr. Simonson, I guess I was totally wrong about you! Iâm so sorry I ever accused-â
âThink nothinâ âbout it, lass,â replied the vague shadow that loomed behind her chair, so closely that its stiff whiskers tickle the back of her ears. Two meaty mitts lifted off her shoulders as he stepped back and reached for something on a nearby table. âIn fact, I think yeâr a great mum who was jusâ very consernt fer her dotter. But as ya can see, there ainât nothinâ ta be afeared of witâ Lexi. A bit oâ workinâ steadyâs whatâll build her up ta be somethinâ spectacular, I jusâ know it. Here,â the shop keeper said in his puzzling dialect. A large, rough hand slid into Ms. Alversonâs view, holding a pink box. âWe jusâ got these in taâday, an this âunâs fer you in perticâlar. As a token oâ me appreciation fer yer havinâ an⊠open mind.â