1. RMS: English as a Foreign Language.
   

I wonder which came first, "giddy-up" as the command for a horse to run, or "giddy" as the word for feeling excited and energetic?

1. RK: This is canon for Yumeiro Pâtissière, and it's also true in the real world. Wood strawberries are subtly different from other strawberries. Should you want to taste-test for yourself (and I recommend you do), the French company Bonne Maman makes both strawberry jam and wood strawberry jam. RMS:  Count yourself lucky if you can find their wood strawberry jam.  It doesn't seem to be available in my area. RK: Then I'd best provide links, at least to their Canadian website: Strawberry jam and Strawberry and Wood Strawberry Spread.
   

We kind've slipped into extra innings there. Anyway, here's Wonderwall Threads of Destiny (the other OEX meat).

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/21188/...67-revelry

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Effect: Summons a waterfowl of unusual size to batter and bedevil Doug's opponents

There's doing things the quiet way, then there's doing them the Doug way... and then, sometimes, you want to really draw attention and drive enemies into a frothing rage. This song works like a video game Enrage taunt, immediately drawing the attention of any hostile beings within LoS/hearing range and provoling them to attack him. It also super-charges his chaos field effect with a bias toward action-movie set effects like onjects that should be reasonably sturdy breaking or crumpling under impact like sugar-glass and cardboard, reduced damage from falls and collisions, or random patches of fire and explosions, which somehow utterly fail to burst eardrums, throw shrapnel around, raise the local temperature to unendurable levels, or spread out of control.

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Effect: Summons a simlacrum of an elderly but relatively spry woman named Myrtle, with all the powers and abilities of an iconic Jewish Grandma (baking and cooking, gossip gathering, cheek-pinching, guilt trips, etc.) plus an effect that fills Doug's AoE with cool air for the duration. Somehow, despite only being a two minute song and seeming to move at grandma speed, she is able to complete any single kitchen task, gossip session, or a guilt trip lecture that feels like it lasts for hours within the duration, though as long as you're on her good side she's quite the sweetheart and all you have to fear is a broken diet and perhaps a few pointed questions about your romantic status.

Remember when you could see that headline on the old-fashioned hamburger tables? Not far from the adverts of Ely's Cream Balm ("A particle is inserted into each nostril and is agreeable"), as I recall.

Since my dad's passing, my mom has been trying desperately to get moved out of the apartment where he lived his final years (and spent his final weeks) and back into the townhouse where we'd dwelt since 2004 (and where I was still spending my nights). Over the last few days, with help from a handyman of her acquaintance, we've been making it happen. Tonight is the second night Mom will be sleeping over here (the first having been a test last week); last night was her last night in the apartment, if all go as planned.

We expect to have everything moved out of there by Wednesday, which is also the day the townhouse's Brightspeed connection will be turned off. Thursday morning was a hot flashback, Xfinity will be dropping by to transfer the connection from the apartment, hopefully with the expedience they promise in their adverts. If you can't contact me any time from Wednesday afternoon to about Thursday lunchtime, that's why. As always, the Mgt. apologizes for any convenience this may cause.

I just noticed that if I use Google Maps on a location in Tokyo (and maybe the rest of Japan, I haven't checked), the little yellow Streetview guy down in the corner is replaced by what appears to be a catgirl in a meido costume:


  tokyo streetview.png (Size: 9.69 KB / Downloads: 36)

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effect: Doug forms a giant floating eyeball out of fire (at minimum) at the top of his AoE dome, or at the top of the tallest structure inside it (such as a building, tree, or mountain he's standing on/beside or within) whichever is taller. This precludes using it inside any kind of enclosed space, obviously, but at least he can always see where he is and what's outside.

The eye can project a beam of fiery-orange light that cuts through any form of fog, illusion, invisibility, etc. unless backed up by more magical power than Doug can bring to bear, which, just as a reminder, can be measured with several kilograms in the m of E=mc^2 at least, and also has just plain phenomenal optical resolution rivaling many astronomical observatories. The problem of air currents and refraction also magically removed if he's using the spotlight beam at the same time.

Subjects caught in the spotlight may also be subject to having their surface thoughts read, enough for a significant combat penalty (on top of any morale penalty that may apply) and being nearly impossible to lie or pull off any form of deception, again unless backed by more raw power than Doug can put into seeing through it or enough skill to make up the difference. A god with Lies or Trickery in their portfolio might pull it off, anyone else is probably SOL.

Not actually a simulacrum of the Eye of Sauron from his world-hopping, and may predate his getting sent on the Walk depending on authorial whim and story needs. Doug has read the books, possibly seen the films, and his power seized onto it as a thematic fitting the song.