Preludes and Knick-Knacks (short story)
Preludes and Knick-Knacks was a story by Scott Sanford and began the Sophiad arc in which Sophie Everytime and Professor Awesome got together again after their first brief encounter with each other.
Contents
Plot
Some time after encountering Sophie Everytime, Professor Awesome was at home when he encountered his neighbor Jenny Everywhere with an octopus on her shoulder. Jenny explained that she was shifting over to another universe briefly because Brianna needed her for her “amazing superpowers of breathing air and walking on land.” As they shifted out they dropped something which turned out to be explosive.
As Eric lay on the ground, badly hurt, Sophie appeared beside him. She was distressed at his injuries briefly but then a second Sophie shifted in with future knowledge and magical lollipops of the kind Herbie Popnecker consumed. The other Sophie brought the first up to speed and shifted out, and the remaining Sophie unwrapped a lollipop for Eric.
When he woke up he was uninjured. They talked briefly and Sophie told him she didn’t think she should in his universe yet but would be back later. She gave him a strange plush toy and shifted away. Eric examined the plushy without knowing what it was supposed to represent, but was happy that she would return.
Worldbuilding
Jenny Everywhere
- The Jenny Everywhere who appears here is the one native to this universe and has been in many other stories.
Octobriana
- The octopus named Brianna is never explicitly described as an incarnation of Octobriana, the reader is left to infer it.
Professor Awesome
- Eric was at home, in the parking lot of his apartment building.
Sophie Everytime
- Sophie Everytime visited this universe at least once before.
Universe
- The events of this story occur in Eric's home universe.
Continuity
- Eric and Sophie had met in passing earlier. (PROSE: How Jenny First Met...)
- These plushies have been seen before in other stories.
- The “burger place next door” has never been seen but would also be mentioned in PROSE: Delusional Visions.
Behind the scenes
Read online
The story is available on the author's website.