Wheeeeeeeeeeeeew man, what a chapter! Out of the massive amount of the ones I've read so far, this one has to be my favorite, I'm liking this Batpony character, he seems really cool and I ship it! Haha!

Nice going man, nice going!

I hope you get better soon, man. I really liked these little geology buts and pieces! The K-T boundary is one of the most fascinating things about geology, I think.

She made the smallest chirp, and jabbed her hoof in my direction.

Ok, I get that Luna could have talked in Chirpese but bat ponies had to have been able to communicate with other ponies. The chirping and squeaking doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

When he’d finished, he hung his head as he held the slate up between his hooves. ‘UR pretty mare.’

Somepony thinks with their penis too much. Maybe Blackjack is in heat? I know the horse my family have got a little funny during that time of the year.

Glory is strictly mares only, but I don’t mind males like that.

I thought Glory wasn't sure what she liked.

How is it that we go from ordinary, dirty, unmagical crystals before the event to countless gemstones afterwards?

Hmmmm, so the screaming star that crashed into the ground brought magic to the world. Then later it was slammed into by another star which wiped out the zebra city. If the dream is more than just a dream. If it isn't, then why add it?

“SO! IT TAKETH HER THREE DAYS FOR TO SEEK ME.

Either this is missing a "her" or has an added "for".

She smiled slightly. “You can understand?”

Does she just not think zebra's would weaponize things? This little talk seems to hurt the idea that Fluttershy gave zebras megaspells.

activated my EFS

minor nitpick: E.F.S.

The zebra’s EFS bar

minor nitpick: E.F.S.

and though how wrong it was

thought ?

“If I can think of some way for you to help, I’ll let you know.”

A-huh, sure. Empty words? Happened in my experience.

Hmm so this is who the Stygius fellow is. Inter..est..ing. Ohhh man dunno how Glory will feel about this. That symbolism in the house though.. I have conflicted dispositions to Goldenblood but mostly hate still.

Aw hell, Steel Rangers are back and not the friendly blue-bar kind..

Steel Rain is a Harbinger... I never would've thought it.
Goldenblood's house... I never would've thought she'd find it.
Got railed by Stygius... Oh Glory won't be happy.

Damn it, I was not called upon to see this updated! Aw well might as well read this for now... I needed a break from my revisions with my Fo:E sidefic...

Step by step it… he… emerged. He was a pony like none I’d ever seen before. His hide was a dark gray and his tail a deep purple; I couldn’t see his mane under his helmet. To my shock, he had wings… but not wings like a pegasus. These wings were leathery skin--similar to a manticore’s--rather than feathered, and his large ears had prominent tufts at the ends. I’d never seen a monsterpony like this before... and I’d thought that Brass had been the last one anyway. He wore dark purple metal armor that appeared almost archaic but also quite intricate and clearly well-crafted and tended. At least that suggested he wasn’t a feral monster...

So this is the moment where the thestral/batpony Stygius comes forth eh?

Then he took off his armor and I amended one little fact: he wasn’t just a stallion… look past the freaky wings and the eyes, and there was absolutely no denying he was a damned good-looking stallion. Little apprehensive alarms began to sound along with an admiration I just been practicing earlier. I had to admit that from a purely biological standpoint, he was damned fine! Toned flanks sporting a strange heart-shaped gothic shield, strong shoulders, he was big but not too big… I shook my head hard. Okay… not the time for this!

Oh please Blackjack, there's always time for some kinky moments!

I froze as I saw him right there behind me. Neither of us blinked as he just looked at me and I stared over my shoulder at him. If he put one hoof on my flank I’d kill him. But I also really wanted him to… and I also felt horribly guilty for wanting him to… and so I just stood there as he sniffed the crazy mare. Ooookay... apparently I smelled good. I didn’t dare move, and if he touched me... oh, I really didn’t want to kill him. Except that I also really did. My brain was zigzagging all over the place; in 99 I was the one who was supposed to fill my queue, make all the moves. This was... new. He lifted his head and smiled at me with a soft nicker. He was game. Oh was he game.

Was I?

I'd say yes, you are game mate... but I can tell how things will go right now

Apparently, it was stop thinking. His lips met mine, and while I was in no condition to be kissed, another part of me came roaring to the front of my mind and with primal rage stomped every last bit of guilt from my crazy. Don’t kill him… please don’t kill him… No doubt I’d be angsting like crazy for this later, but for right now I just let it go. I kissed this strange, utterly anonymous stallion back. No doubt he’d turn out to have some sort of terrible secret or dark past or traumatized soul or… something! But right now, I had to admit he was a damned good kisser. There was just one thing…

I slugged him so hard he landed in the middle of the pool with a splash. Fortunately, he wasn’t half metal and floated there in a daze as I huffed, inventing all new colors of red. With him further away and my ardor momentarily doused, I was able to sort a few things out.

I had to admit, I’d really needed that kiss. I might have radroaches in my brain, suffer from self-destructive episodes, and be half metal… but as he pulled away, a little pony in the back of my head gave a little ‘Woot! I’m cute and good enough to get kissed by a cute guy!’ cheer and dance. I quickly backed away, feeling confused and thankful and wary all at once. He blinked at me from the middle of the pool, and I was oddly glad and at the same time alarmed to see him smiling ruefully.

Bloody called it!

He stood and trotted to his armor, then pulled out a chalkboard and a piece of chalk. He popped the latter into his mouth and wrote ‘Yes’. Just like Ditzy Doo, as I recalled. Okay, so we had communication… sort of. He erased the board with the tip of his wing and then wrote ‘Stygius’ and grinned as he tapped his chest with a hoof. “Your name?” I asked, and he nodded once.

Stygius… okay. I apparently attracted all sorts. “Okay, Stygius. My name’s Blackjack. What are you doing out here?”

So we got someone else who is all silent like Ditzy... interesting...

He looked surprised. He pointed at the radhog, then crouched and pounced the rock a few feet ahead of him, all four hooves hitting the ground at once. He swept his forehooves wide, making a popping noise with his tongue. Then he pranced along the side of the pool, fanning his wings. He stopped, covering his eyes with a hoof as he looked at me. Then he gave a broad and somewhat cocky little smile as he dipped his hoof into the pool and made a little splash. Then he kissed the air and abruptly stood upright on his hind legs, and slowly fell back till he collapsed with all four legs thrust up into the air.

“So you were out hunting, made your kill, were flying back, spotted me and… decided to flirt?” The batpony sat up, rubbing his chin, and then grinned and nodded. “You didn’t think I was a raider or… bait? Something?”

He grabbed his slate, cleaned it, then wrote, ‘Too sexy.’

I wasn’t like Glory. What had happened on the Seahorse aside, I liked sex with stallions. A lot. I’d always looked forward to my turn on the queue. Even Vanity’s memory orb had been fun; had it been viewed in private, I probably would have had a new toy.

Stygius interrupted my thoughts by pointing at me and then bumping his forehooves together and giving a pointed look. I flushed, but aside from that nagging panic in the back of my mind... it wasn’t an entirely unpleasant proposition.

“Maybe,” I said, making him grin. “But not right now.” From the look on Stygius’s face, though, he’d follow me through a fire for a chance at my hind end.

Stallions...

On one hoof, he was handsome and fit. He hadn’t tried to force himself on me, but he was keenly interested. On another, I had no idea who he really was or what he really wanted. I couldn’t treat him as a Stable 99 stallion and just rut him because I wanted to. Besides, even if he had been relatively gallant since we’d met, he might still have an ulterior motive. On another, it would be nice to get a little play. It’d been so long since Tenpony, and since my last decent stallion -- U-18, five months ago -- that a pony ride sounded nice. But still, on the other other rear hoof, I really wasn’t sure if I should wait till I was with Glory or not. Though as fun and wonderful and dear as she was, she wasn’t a stallion. There just wasn’t any getting around that.

'Kay good thing I decided to read up this, going to need to edit the chapter where my OC meets Blackjack during the dinner party with Littlepip... They did not go through it, but I'd rather stick to canon and not ruin it elsewhere...

I smiled and patted his shoulder. Then I trotted for the stairs; we hadn’t checked the second floor rooms yet. I got up them and into a bathroom and was closing the door as it hit me. My legs couldn’t shake, my heart couldn’t race, and my breathing wouldn’t gasp, but I could at least sink to the floor next to the toilet and cry as something snapped inside me. It wasn’t painful. Quite the opposite. I pressed my face into a fuzzy pink floor mat as that hideous, suspicious beast inside me roared in pain from the wound inflicted by a simple kiss. My tears were of relief. I’d kissed him and not killed him. He’d liked it… liked me.

For the first time in a very long time, I felt like Blackjack the mare. Maybe a little wiser, but still Blackjack. Not Blackjack the cyberpony nor Security the madmare of Hoofington. Just Blackjack. Who knew a little normalcy could feel so good?

Well, looks like Blackjack's mind is slowly recovering... let's see how well this goes from here on out

And when he entered me, it was all I could to keep myself together. My legs could remember the feeling of the nails, my nethers and throat the burning pain and humiliation. This wasn’t that. He wasn’t them. I was safe. I was in control of myself. And while every second a part of me screamed to get him out before he started hurting me, to rip and tear and kill… I suppressed it. I refused to allow it to set me off as he pressed above me and moved inside me. He huffed as he increased speed and I tensed. He slowed, and I relaxed.

Before too long he made a series of squeaks and I felt hot wetness inside me. Of course, I was nowhere near climaxing myself, but that wasn’t the point. This was about me being able to do this and put what’d been done to me behind me. And as he squirted, I had one more fierce impulse to rip the invading member off. Then his lips met my ears and neck and like that, the impulse was gone. I’d been ploughed badly, but none of them had shown the slightest affection.

I finally collapsed on the bed as he withdrew, an oddly depressing sensation. I crawled the rest of the way onto it, and he moved beside me, his brows furrowing and his eyes concerned. He reached for the chalkboard and wrote ‘Good?’, holding it between his hooves as he looked at me.

Poor stallion deserved better than me hugging him fiercely and sobbing as that murderous impulse broke apart and flowed out my eyes. “Really good, Styggie. Really… really really good…” I blubbered as I curled up against him and let him hold me and curl his wings about me. He might have looked completely confused and worried, but right now he knew exactly what I needed.

Well looks like her mind resisted the temptation and is truly slowly recovering... by intercourse... why do I find that hilarious?

When I finally pulled myself together and wiped my nose and eyes, he kissed my horn and then started to pull away. I reached out with my magic for a very specific part of him and froze him in his tracks. “Where do you think you’re going?” I asked with a tiny smile. His eyes grew wide again as I gave a careful tug and leaned forward to kiss him again. “We’ve only just started…”

I knew she was going for that...

“Then help me. Please. If the zebras get their hooves on megaspells, the war will have to stop. If the zebras and ponies both know that battles are pointless, they’ll have to negotiate. Right?” she said with a wide, hopeful, and horribly naïve smile. “I can’t just… just sit on this. I need to do something too.” She smiled slightly. “You can understand?”

As much as I love you Flutters, you are being dense here! This will not help them in the long run or help to negotiations, it will only escalate the war to new levels like what Goldenblood said!

Lying here, right now, I wasn’t laughing. I was thinking. Did I want to have a child? Here, in the Wasteland? In Hoofington? Now? Okay, maybe not here nor now. Maybe if I could scrape together a few thousand caps and set myself up in Tenpony. Have a filly or colt in nice safe medical conditions. Give them a few years and teach them how to shoot and take care of themselves.

Have a family. A real family, something more than life in 99. I did want that. Given everything that had happened to me, despite it all, I wanted a kid. Kids. Plural. When I was done with EC-1101, I could go back to Spike and do everything to get Gardens to work. Clean up Equestria. Have a kid. Or two. Or three. Hee…

Okay, I think this is a coincidence with my protagonist... I've never even read PH until now and he's goes through this as well albeit later chapters when he ponders upon intimacy... just wow with the coincidences...

I rolled onto my side and snuggled against Stygius. He was warm, firm, and didn’t mind metal legs. I knew I’d be guilting about feeling this way sooner or later but for now, nuzzling his neck, I really couldn’t help but smile. Glory would like him. Not like-like, of course. But he had a gallant idiot streak I bet she could really relate to. Kissing along his chin and cheek, I moved my hoof downward. A few seconds later, his eyes popped wide as his cheeks went red. I gave his nose a little lick as he gave a meek chirp.

Round four…

Oh my...

Okay. Okay. Enough. There was getting over a bad ploughing, then there was having fun, and then there was just wallowing in it. I wasn’t over Seahorse, but Stygius had helped me get past it. I could do things and be around a stallion without my brain screaming that they were going to rape me. When I saw Glory next, I was going to make her hooves curl! As I finally slipped off the bed, I was sore and tingly in all the right places. Stygius… he’d need a little more time to recover, but from the grin on his face I was pretty sure he’d be fine.

Stallions… are… awesome!

She has gone off the sugar rush on the sex category isn't she?

I stared at him sitting there. Then he muttered to himself in a voice so low that I nearly missed it. His words, however, made my blood turn to ice. “Damn it... Don’t make me kill you, Celestia.”

...........................What?

I stood with a groan and gave myself a good shake, trying to wrap my head around what I’d seen. Kill Celestia? Could anypony do that? I mean, the zebras had, but they’d had their entire war effort to use, and even then they were only able to do it as part of the apocalypse. Goldenblood might have been a sneaky bastard, but he couldn’t do that!

Could he?

The discovery of the camera in the library spurred me to search for others, and we spent nearly an hour looking. There turned out to be at least one in every room, and Stygius was kind enough to, flapping as hard as he could, lift me up to the point where I could see more recordings. None of them were as grave as the one I’d seen in the library, though. Threatening Princess Celestia… that was just… how could he – could anypony – think that?

I have to agree with Blackjack here and again... What?

In the nursery, though, I found a recording I’d never imagined. Goldenblood was slumped against the empty crib, weeping as if it were the first time he would and the last time he could. He clenched his teeth along with his eyes, hissing as if he were being tortured as he sobbed and choked.

“Here you are,” a strange stallion said in a reverent tone. It was a blue unicorn wearing a pince-nez. His mane was a luxurious silver-white, and on his flank was a model of an atom like the drawings I’d seen in textbooks. “It’s been three days.”

Goldenblood turned and looked at him over his shoulder with a blood shot eye. “Am I not permitted to grieve the loss of my daughter, Trottenheimer?” he hissed.

“That requires you to acknowledge that you ever had one,” the blue stallion replied. “Four Leaf put two and two together. Don’t worry, it won’t spread. The M.o.P. is rallying around Fluttershy to protect her. She wants you to come to dinner. No arguments.” He watched as Goldenblood pressed his brow to the crib again. “Sometimes I think you’re trying to commit suicide by overdosing on secrets. It wasn’t your fault.”

He made another horrible choking sound. At first I thought it was more tears, but then he threw back his head and I saw his sick grin. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he laughed. Trottenheimer’s eyes widened in shock as the scarred stallion rasped, “That’s just it. It is all my fault...”

“What?”

“Fluttershy and I were together intimately,” he said as he sat, gazing into the empty crib. “In the heat of the moment... I... called out the name of another mare.”

The blue unicorn screwed back his lips in distaste as he scowled, and then he sighed in disappointment. “Goldenblood, really?”

“I know. I know!” he hissed in a rush. “There isn’t one part of that stupid thing I haven’t analyzed in detail! I don’t know why I said it. But I did, and... it was at the worst possible time. She’s so terribly sensitive... She’d already had complications... the stress... the pressure... all of it was too much to bear. She left me... then six hours later I got the call...” He started to laugh, but three laughs into it they transformed into ragged sobs. “Ministry Mare Fluttershy admitted to Fluttershy Medical Center for a miscarriage...” And he buried his face in the crib. “I didn’t just lose the mare I loved, Trottenheimer. I killed my daughter with a name!”

Had he known that his and Flutters' daughter was still alive, I can see him acting differently but still, poor Goldie

You never forgot guns like those.

Steel Rain was here.

Well we are fucked!

Okay with this one out of the way, I can get to the other chapter... goodness though this is something else...

He erased it and then wrote, ‘She mad.’

Never leave Stygius never leave us.

“Maybe,” I said, making him grin. “But not right now.” From the look on Stygius’s face, though, he’d follow me through a fire for a chance at my hind end.
Stallions...

Damn right!

I supposed I should have been grateful he wasn’t a cyber-ghoul-batpony with a mysterious agenda.

*Deep gravely voice* He is batpony!

Dammit, Somber, you told me this was a turning point for most readers and got me all scared for nothing. D: Granted, I would have been perfectly happy reading a million-plus words without any goddamn batponies, but this was, if not as amazing as 43 or even 42, definitely in the same league as them. That said...

GODDAMMIT, BLACKJACK, DON'T FUCK THE BATPONY DX

She fucked the batpony. >:B And this really bothered me because the whole time, I was thinking, "What would Glory think?" It wasn't until after her final inner monologue about life at her Stable that I realized, BJ really doesn't know better. This is not the first time she's cheated on Glory, but quite frankly, it's because thanks to her upbringing, she has no inclination to think that anyone's feelings would be hurt, let alone know that she needs to talk to Glory about stuff like this first. I sincerely hope this comes back to bite her in the ass later, but also that it doesn't cause her too much grief. I would point to this sequence as a good example of how not to do polyamory (a topic I have precisely zero understanding of), but at least it's in character for her.

Meanwhile, the combination of "I need to not let the rape control me", "I want to feel like not a robot" and "am I actually bisexual?" is a good way to justify having even non-explicit sex in a story like this, so well done.

Other thoughts. "Goldenblood the pony" was interesting. Not entirely sympathetic, but at least the look into his past was enlightening. (Also I note he used to be an artist, just like Hitler. :V) The high school AU was the best thing, especially the filly Rampage. :D Your version of Littlehorn is considerably better than the one story I read on the topic not too long ago. I'm having a hard time understanding the importance of the Cake twins. We know Psychoshy's "real" name! (I hope Blackjack teases her about finding her diapers.) And for all that I really wanted to argue with Goldenblood in that final scene of his (because I'm a die-hard sunlover), he's absolutely right about Celestia, and we know where that blame lies. :V

So, I'm excited for chapter 45. It is, I believe, where this story had published to when I started reading it. But more importantly, I voice the villain! :D And I just cannot wait to see what VisualPony did with what I sent him.

girl brains are hard...

Amen to that! I actually quite liked this chapter and Stygius. Poor dude's way out of his depth. But yeah, this is going to have some ramifications later on...

Hmm, haven't commented in a few chapters...

I feel oddly vindicated that Goldenblood's Gary Stu-ness continues unabated, confirming my initial, scathing opinion... slowly but surely the entire cast comes to love, fear, or respect him in some combination. Fear not, Blackjack... I'll always deride him for being what he is; it's okay if you pity him. I know you can't help it; you're too close to the problem to see it properly. Seriously.... planning to kill Celestia... that got a good eye roll out of me. What was worse was the utter scorn he showed her in that exchange. Sorry, but how many centuries of peace did she give your world? That counts for something, but I guess those Blueblood genes are really showing through.
Hey, I'm fine with the afterlife being a happy, harmonious place of singing stars. There's nothing you can do in a finite lifespan to justify infinite torment, really. But for even thinking about killing Celestia... yep, I'm fine and dandy with his daughter being a psychotic bitch that he never got to meet, Fluttershy's scorn, and anything else bad that happens to him. I don't think he's going to live long enough to suffer properly, but ya can't have everything.

On to better topics (i.e. pretty much anything else). I actually really like Horse as a character. My kinda villain... unapologetically crass, fearlessly corrupt, and most importantly entertaining. That Sweetie Bot is a bit disturbing... but it's exactly the kind of thing that characterizes his sort of sleaziness. He doesn't seem to have that 'oh, shit, start the car!' cowardice that Flim and Flam display. Maybe I just like him because he doesn't seem as wowed by the Golden Boy. ...Nah, it's the lingerie Sweetie Bot... I got issues.
Stygius is... well how do you not like the goof, really? I can see this being drama fuel later but it won't be any real fault of his. I could do with his grammar being a bit better. Sometimes it's cute, but it also puts me in the mind of reading kids writing on the internet... poorly. Ah well.
Let's see... lot of ground in these last few chapters.... thanks ever so much for dragging us through the rape scene again, though I suppose it was inevitable. That whole chapter was an interesting trip, but I wonder how long it'll hold before she breaks down again. It's such a pattern with her that even she recognizes it. Hopefully getting back to the others will continue to help her come to terms with things... before she has more things to come to terms with. It'd certainly help me... I miss those crazy kids!

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Where Stygius is concerned, hoo boy. The reaction there was basically Flash Sentry, only Flash didn't exist yet. Felt like the same thing, based on the same or similar perceived issues (if I remember right, I'd judge the reaction as being higher Stu but lower lack-of-characterization than Flash), but in just this one little corner of Pony rather than front and center, and during a hiatus at that. Never had that much of an issue with him myself, despite not liking Flash or his introduction.

I sense more emotional fallout for Blackjack in the coming chapters

Well i am proud of her to overcome that many problems in such a short time and not kill the poor stallion.. but i sense more immanent doom in the near future :(

This was a super fun chapter. Awkward batpony shenanigans and self-doubt and tons of other crazy stuff... then the banging. Nice to see that BJ could get passed that experience to continue experiencing good things. Stygius is a seriously lucky and devoted bat. Following a mare for who knows how long into who knows what, all for the chance of getting some of that ass. Devotion. Hell, I think I'd do it too.

~SolidFire

congrats to Stygius for getting banged and to Blackjack for being able to control herself the whole time.

I feel like, with the exception of Book 1 and a bit of Book 2, this story makes all its important characters immediately likeable, even before there is anything to know about them. I liked Stygius a lot right from the getgo, as did I like Fluttershy, Crunchy Carrots, Boo, etc.

7186362 Someone stole the words out of my mouth, 35-ish weeks before I had them. :'(

Oh well... :\ VisualPony? Would that be something on YouTube? If not, where would I find it? >.<

7844571
Yeah, just search for VisualPony on Youtube, you'll find his channel. :)

Ha, finally a batpony! A good bat at that. Please don't kill him too horribly, don't kill him at all in fact, let him be happy plz plz plzplzplzplz...

I have a feeling goldenblood's magic power is never really fully expanded on....makes me wonder just how strong he is when The thing in the darkness place happens and The golden pony is released by the executioner thing and becomes a good pony again (sorta)

Maybe he really could kill ol' sunbutt

Its stunning just how much power and influence Goldenblood actually had.
Terrifying, even.
The power to make virtually anything happen, to achieve any outcome...
...and the will to use it.

That's what really makes him dangerous, is hai will to use his power separate from his feelings.

Now what I what to know: how could he see Blackjack when he's in the past?

And did Twilight ever make 32 hour days?
Dear Faust. 24 hours is already too much!

Ok so I'm only a little bit into the chapter but I just wanted to say something, I do not like cheating, the fact that she's even considering cheating on Glory is pretty upsetting to me

8231705
Wait till you see how Glory feels about it.

I like Stygius. I DON'T like his one track mind, but he is endearing all the same.
-
Goldenblood... what am I supposed to think of you? Honest, caring, intelligent. After the attack, mysterious, mercyless, driven. Does everything he can to give Fluttershy the world, but is not above contemplating the murder of his once beloved ruler. Do I despise you, or respect you? Pity or disdain? Hmmm...

Blackjack's going to be pregnant...ain't she?
That'll bring a whole new level of complication, and mindbuckery.

Other story… Nightmare Moon and Luna made us into Batponies with magic. Turn pegasus pony into batpony. Not know what she did with unicorns and earth ponies. Maybe only need batponies? Dunno. Now we live in caves and fly out at night. Hard to meet pretty mare who isnt family in castle. Very hard. Soooooooooooo hard. Sister think I am dumb for following you cause your pretty but you are with your shiny legs and tight flank and striped mane and your eyes glow and your…

i've read several fan-stories about where Batponies came from...i think the silliest one was one where they were created by accident because of a defective magic potion that was simply supposed to help ponies see in the dark!
i think that was called "Bat and Bug". that story involves a batpony and a Changeling becoming friends.

He grabbed his slate, cleaned it, then wrote, ‘Too sexy.’

Oh. My. God. I almost fell off my bed laughing at this that's a first for a stallion to flirt with blackjack and think shes sexy, even with cyber legs lol

8231705
With how 99 worked I'm pretty sure you can't assume that Blackjack would think the default for a relationship is a closed one and I don't recall her and Glory having a talk about it yet.

As someone who has been cheated on, I find Blackjack's actions in this chapter a bit difficult to forgive.

9610952
Stable 99 life is simply different. They didn't comprehend monogamy. Everything was shared - even males.
The sex slavery is a little harder to forgive really.

9873419
Going further, the cases Blackjack knew that were closer to/looking for monogamy (the Overmare and Duct Tape with P-21, in different ways of course) were fairly messed up in ways distinct from the general reality of 99.