#( emil: don't be scared i'm not scary

[cemetery-irises]

Ok so!! Hole dwelling is VERY "the dolls from the junji ito type perspective of everyone else" vibes to me.

Specifically a duet between Victor, who's unknowingly luring Aesop into the trap of being a doll, and Aesop who's in over his head but wants to stay with his new friend.

First two and last one Victor, third one Aesop (who Victor mimics for the last line)

We're so happy here. We get to share everything that we remember with eachother, without worrying at all. I wish everyone was like us. I don't like being looked at like I'm something scary...

You shouldn't stay with the survivors because you might be killed, and i shouldn't stay with the dolls because... I'm scared. Is there a world we can coexist?

Somewhere in Victor's smiles and letters, flashes of his past self begin to slip through obliviously. He doesn't like being in the crowds because it feels like they're going to crush him. He still remembers what it's like to be caught and trampled, even if he has no bones to break anymore.

This is also notably victor's pov of the doll congregations.

This is Aesop's pov of the dolls. Shaky, stumbling, mindless things. Aesop is so very scared, even if his friend just feels safe and comfortable to be around. God has abandoned them for this. All of this. Where did it go wrong?

Victor knows Aesop would be happy as a doll, because everyone is happy as a doll. Victor understands how scared he is, which is why he opts to let Aesop watch and be lulled in feel calmer first, but he still wants them to fall in the end.

You're my friend. I want you to be happy. I want everyone to be happy. You're just like me. I think I was scared too. Please be happy with us.

I'm so scared. I don't want to become one of them. This isn't right, but you're my only friend. I know you don't mean me harm. Maybe this is for my own good? I'm just so lonely.... Are they lonely too?

Victor is basically mocking (without any actual intent to mock) how the survivors are so paranoid and scared of everything. Why do they choose to be sad? Why don't they just come be happy with us? I don't understand...

Aesop clings to Victor, fully knowing that this is going to get him turned in the end. He knows there's no escape, that he's sliding into the hole like quicksand, and the more he thrashes and struggles the deeper he sinks. But maybe it's better to just let himself be dragged down... it's so warm and safe in there...

Victor brings Aesop to the dolls. He'll blow Aesop's cares and fears away into the foggy haze, because he knows that's what's best for his friend who he loves so dearly.

Collapsing in broken sobs, Aesop is melted down, just like everyone else. It really is just so much nicer to give into the safety of it... Why was he ever scared?

And so they fall, together.

You'll be my friend forever and ever, right? Please never leave me. I want to keep having fun with you. So much fun..... I don't want to be lonely anymore...

GOD. EMIL!!!!!

[goron-king-darunia]

Annon-Guy: Hi Darunia.

How's it going?

What did you think of my game idea for DotNW?

Do you ever get scared of getting Heart Disease (the clogged artery kind)?

1, It's going pretty well. I'm still catching up on things.

2.

And if you're talking about these posts, I think it's really nifty! I do think it would be an overwhelming amount of content to get through with all the extra side content. But I appreciate how much you want to see all your faves together.

3. I generally try not to worry myself with stuff I can't control because being afraid doesn't help anything. That doesn't mean I'm not afraid. But it means that I try to act on useful concerns and ignore anxious fear.

Think of it this way: If there's something you can do, right now, to fix/help your odds at preventing heart disease, take those steps right now. Plan a healthier diet, exercise, take care of your health, visit your doctor regularly. If you're already doing the best you can and there's nothing you can change, then it doesn't help anything at all to worry about it. I know it's easier said then done. I worry about a lot of things that I can't help. You can't just decide not to have anxiety about something. But if your worrying only stresses you out because there's nothing you can do about it, it's not healthy to dwell about it. Focus on distracting yourself because worrying about something you cannot prevent or improve your odds against just makes you suffer unnecessarily. Obviously it's not an irrational thing to be afraid of. But it's pointless to let fear paralyze you into not living your life. You just have to do your best and enjoy the time you have on this earth and make the healthiest choices you're able to make. It IS scary to think about. So I don't. I do my very best to not think of it. Instead I focus on things I can change and things that bring me joy. Cooking my own meals helps me make healthier decisions and brings me joy. So I try to cook my own foods. Playing video games and hanging out with friends helps keep my mind in a good place with less anxiety.

I find that it's harder to stop irrational anxiety when I'm overly tired. If I stay up too late, my brain spirals into anxiety when I try to go to sleep. So I try to go to bed before I get too tired.

When all else fails, I do my best to find things that make me laugh. I can't be upset if I'm laughing. Sometimes it's enough to just hear a human voice so that I don't feel alone with my thoughts.

Fear exists for a reason. It keeps us alive. But there are only 2 ways to deal with it. Either you address it, confront it, let it motivate you to change things for the better, or you ignore it because it isn't helping you.

So that's what I try to do. Hopefully that was helpful?

[fayewonglibrary]

"Chesspiece" - A clever metaphor for the dilemma of love (2015)

Composer : Yang Minghuang Lyricist: Pan Liyu Singer: Faye Wong Arranger: Tu Ying Producer: Yang Minghuang Album: Sky Published: 1994 Publishing Company: Decca Interviewees: Pan Liyu / Tu Ying / Huang Guilan Author: Wang Jingxin

"Chesspiece" from Faye Wong's 1994 album "Sky" was a popular mainstream ballad. But it was the good kind that contained new ideas and creativity.

Twenty years have passed and "Chesspiece" is still fresh and worth savoring over and over again. Pan Liyu wrote its lyrics which elaborated on the well-known old expression: "A true gentleman should keep silent while watching a game of chess. A real man doesn't redo his turn once he lets go of the chesspiece." She wrote: "You never hesitated though moves can never be redone. Yet I am still under the control of your hand..."

The song compares humans to chesspieces and uses this metaphor to cleverly describe the dilemma of love. In addition, the memorable melody by the late producer Yang Minghuang is coupled with Tu Ying's intense and gorgeous string arrangement which does not overwhelm the song. Faye Wong's restrained yet emotionally charged vocal performance can easily conquer every pair of discerning ears. It is not only one of Faye Wong's most popular ballads but also one of the most highly rated singles of all time in the Chinese music industry.

Pan Liyu said that the lyrics of "Chesspiece" were developed from a single line in her notebook: "I am not a general in your eyes, but an insignificant soldier." She said that at that time, she was working as a planner at Decca Records and had no time to write songs. She could only use her off-duty time to try and write lyrics, including trivial time such as walking and waiting for the bus. As soon as she got inspiration, she immediately wrote it down in a notebook. "When I woke up in the middle of the night, I would suddenly get an idea, and I would get up and write it in my notebook." "Chesspiece" was just a single line in her notebook when she suddenly got inspiration. "I usually have a humorous personality, but when I write songs, I become more serious." Pan Liyu said this with a smile. Such a contrast may also have caused her to rarely write happy songs. In 1994 , Faye Wong, who was still known as Wang Jingwen, came to Taiwan and released her first Mandarin album "Mystery". It mostly contained adaptions of her Cantonese songs into Mandarin, plus the original song "I'm Willing". More thought was put into the planning and production of her second Mandarin album "Sky".

Huang Shujun, Xu Changde, and Wang Zhongyan were invited to write lyrics for this album. Huang Gui-Lan wrote 'Sky' and 'Shadow', while Pan Liyu remembered the line from her notebook, "I am not a general in your eyes, but an insignificant soldier". With a line that compared people to objects, she wrote "Chesspiece" and gave it to Yang Minghuang to compose the music.

"Mr. Yang used triple meter to write the song. I didn't realize that the rational and emotional triple meter melody would bring the lyrics to life. The beautiful melody brought out the words 'field', 'battle', 'trap', 'dilemma' and other phrases, and made the words jump out from the chessboard." Pan Liyu smiled when recalling: "The demo was sung by Yang Minghuang in female keys. I was scared when I heard it for the first time and I thought it was so scary for Mr. Yang to sing in female keys. The first time I heard it, I didn’t feel it, I couldn’t get into it. The second time I heard it, I thought the melody was very beautiful and it would definitely be a hit.”

"Chesspiece" also had an episode [behind-the-scenes]. Pan Liyu's original lyrics were: "I don't have the power to decide whether to win or lose ." Yang Minghuang changed the word 'power' to 'courage' . "He felt that 'courage' was more suitable and asked if I could change it and I said of course." Emil Chau Wakin's version of "Chesspiece" in 1996 was the most "authentic" [re-sung with the original lyric]. "Mr. Yang also asked me to revise the last two lines. I changed the last two lines to: "You never hesitated though moves can never be redone. Yet I am still under the control of your hand..." only after Faye Wong was done recording." This seemed to give the song a perfect ending.

Huang Guilan added that Yang Minghuang originally composed "Chesspiece" as an allegro. "He attached great importance to the composition of the entire album. He felt that the album needed such a composition. Seeing the potential of "Chesspiece", I tried my best to persuade him to change it to a slower tempo, which is more suitable for the artistic conception of the lyrics." Huang Guilan's suggestion turned the fast song "Chesspiece", which might have been only a B-side, into a No. 1 song on the A-side. And it was given a chance to become one of the main hit songs.

Looking back on "Chesspiece", Pan Liyu emphasized, "The most important thing is to thank Huang Guilan for giving me the opportunity to write lyrics. She is a noble person in my life. She also encourages younger generations who are interested in creating lyrics to write lyrics first. When writing lyrics, you must first set the theme of the lyrics. If you have the theme first, then you can pursue the ideas and wonderful words and sentences. Only when you move yourself can you move others. The most important thing is that you must write!"

The arranger Tu Ying said that the rhythm of this song was indeed relatively rare back then. Therefore, some effort was made to make the song not so stale and heavy. They hoped for some refreshing elements, so he added string orchestration in LA, which added a light but spacious feeling to the song. He also recalls his experience working with Yang Minghuang, "Yang Minghuang was always a producer with a strong musical vision and the ability to communicate clearly, so I didn't have to worry about anything else when working with him, I just needed to focus on the music." 　　 The combination of 'Sky' and 'Chesspiece' made the album 'Sky' sell like hotcakes from the end of 1994 to 1995. The success of "Chesspiece" also led to the emergence of many triple-meter songs in the market, which enriched the auditory level of ballads.

——————————————————————

SOURCE: MUSIC COPYRIGHT SOCIETY OF CHINESE TAIPEI // TRANSLATED BY: FAYE WONG FUZAO

[ask-mir-idv]

- well that's just scary... I mean, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine, I'm always fine, but you... I don't know what to say

*Lucky guy nervously fixed his glasses and leaned closer to the portal and tried to see what on other side*

- if I'll go trough will I be able to come back? Will I see you again?

"That's.. Hard to say.. I haven't seen that Emile fellow come back, although.. Given how he acts, he may have just forgotten where the portal was.. There.. Has to be a portal on the other side, right..?"

You could hear a slight waver in his voice as he said that. He hasn't thought about the possibility that this could possibly be a one way portal, and to be honest, this actually scares hims him.

[theoracleofgiana]

Bait

(Streamer Au)

(Tw: Language?)

"Come on guys, the ghosts are not that scary," Camillia proclaims to her friends with confidence. Both Emil and Brooklynn look at her and then at each other. There was no way in hell Brooklynn was stepping into that house. She makes a point to switch through the cameras.  Emil groans, annoyed by Brooklynn claiming the van. Grabbing a spirit box and camera, he heads into the brick house. "Hey, where are you guys?" Marcie's voice startles Emil, for a moment before he sheepishly remembers the girl setting up cameras. "I'm in the downstairs bathroom," Emil tells the girl over the radio. "Cam?" The static they get back worries Emil. "Hey, I'm in the basement," Camillia's voice instantly relaxes him. "Great! For a while there, I thought you guys were leaving me," Marcie tells the other two teasingly. Camillia snorts into the radio. "Maybe Emil and Brooklynn would, but I would never leave my ghostly sister," Camillia states dramatically. "Chat, we read the guidebook. We know there are demons and banshees," Emil pauses momentarily, thinking. "Granted that might be the only thing Cam took in." Emil has to fight the urge to laugh as Camillia approaches him. He didn't know how he convinced his friends to play Phasmaphobia with him but here they were. Marcie and Camillia weren't taking it seriously, truthfully neither had Brooklynn and Emil their first play-throughs. However, the two were smarter now, waiting for Camillia and Marcie to experience the scares. "You're probably right there Em," Brooklynn's voice comes over the radio snapping the boy out of his thoughts. "I don't think you get to talk, ms 'I'll stay in the van'," Thankfully, Marcie calls out the traitor. Emil sighs and tries to refocus the group. After much debate, the group could finally do the spirit box. Unfortunately, Emil was nominated as the person to converse with the ghost. He's not happy but figures it'd be over soon enough. "What are you doing here?" He decides to start with easy questions. When he gets no response, he tries a different tactic. "Are you friendly?" He asks with a hint of curiosity. Nothing responds but the lights flicker. "Oh no,"  He mumbles and quickly tries to reach the door. He misses it and the ghost kills him. Emil wants to slam his keyboard but holds back. He groans at the laughter he hears after escaping the realm of death. "Will you two quit it!" Brooklynn seems to be the only one who cares. "I'm sorry, it's just he asked and he technically got an answer," Camillia says with laughter in between. Marcie is right next to her, doing the same. "I'm sorry," The banshee girl cackles. "It's just too funny." Emil could practically see Brooklynn shaking her head. "Whatever, just get back to the van," The redhead sighs and the other girls book it to the van. Emil follows, if only for the content. "So, what did we get?" Camillia's the one to ask as Brooklynn fills in her notebook. "A banshee," The other streamer doesn't even look up at them. "Oh no, one of my subjects must have done it," Marcie cries dramatically. "I shall punish them later." Emil groans and throws a pill container at them. Marcie screeches but giggles after. Camillia just grins while Brooklynn closes the van door. Once they're heading off, Emil makes a reminder to never play Phasmophobia with these idiots again. Which he knew was probably a lie. He loved his dumb friends and would never say no to playing any game with them. 

(A/n: More streamer au! Not the best but still fun. Sorry for the really late/early post. Hope you enjoyed!)

[creativia10]

Getting Help from a Non-Pixie

Kid Emile gets lost in the woods, which is very scary. Especially when his parents had previously warned him to be careful not to go out in the woods alone at night. Someone unexpected comes to help him find his way back home safely. While this strange new guy seemed kinda scary, Emile may just get a friend out of this scary situation.

Wordcount: 2563

Warnings: None that I can think of

Notes: Prompt 3- Lost

I don't know how many I'm writing for Tuliptober yet. I heard about this from @radiocrushstarcrash (who I have no problem tagging for this). I am a big fan of Sodorose's fanworks, so I thought this would be fun to participate in. I struggled to find a way to fit this into Laoft verse in some way, but this is what was inspired by the prompt. So this could be an au, but it's more so inspired by Laoft.

Inspired by @tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors Love and Other Fairytales series

Emile forgot what distracted him enough to lead him to wander into the woods. He should know better though. Mama and Papa warned that it was dangerous to wander by yourself, especially in the woods. The woods were definitely scary, now that it was getting dark. He leaned away from every rustle that could be something scary. In the daytime, it was more exciting, because it could be a potential animal friend. Everything felt more menacing when it was dark though.

He whimpered a little. How had he gotten so far off the path? He looked around but nothing seemed familiar anymore. They were just trees everywhere. And little sounds that could be anything. He didn’t know what Mama and Papa wanted to warn him about. He was usually too scared to hear about it. Knowing they said it was something dangerous was usually enough. Too bad he hadn’t expected to get so distracted.

Emile’s breathing started to speed up. He missed his Mama and Papa. He sat down right where he was, not caring about the ground and leaves getting onto the bottom of his skirt. He curled up and wrapped his arms around his bent knees to his chest. Then he started to cry. He knew he should be too big to cry, but he couldn’t help it. This was a really scary thing that hadn’t happened before.

Just then, he heard footsteps coming toward him. Emile started crying even harder and squeezed his eyes super tight. Scary things should just go away.

The steps stopped. Then, a slight brush of the leaves on the ground.

“Hey,” Someone said in a calm voice. “It’s ok. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Emile sniffled and looked up. He blinked his eyes through the tears to try and see who was talking to him. There was a tall man, now sitting to be at Emile’s level. He had pale skin, dark hair, purple eyes, and pointed ears. Emile furrowed his face. People weren’t supposed to have pointy ears. Why did that sound familiar?

The pointy-ear man lifted his arms up calmly. “It’s ok. I’m sorry for scaring you. You just seem a little young to be on your own, so I wanted to make sure you were ok. Are you lost?”

Emile pouted. “Not suppos’ ta talk to strangers,” Emile mumbled. The pointy-ear man smiled a little hesitantly.

“Yeah, that’s good advice. Uh, do you want me to at least help you find your way back to the forest path? Most humans don’t usually go this far into the woods on purpose.”

Humans? Emile tilted his head.

“Are you an elf? Oh! Or a Crystal Gem like in Steven Universe!?”

The point-ear man blinked at Emile in surprise.

“Uh, no. I’m not anything like that.”

“But, you’re not human?”

“Did I say that?”

“You said most humans don’t come here,” Emile said with a whine.

“Ah, right. That’s true.”

Emile hmphed.

“Let’s just help you get back, yeah?” The pointy ear man said. Emile nodded and struggled to stand back up again. He wiped his face with his hand.

“Do you remember which way you came from?” The man asked. Emile shook his head, his lip started to tremble again.

“Ok. That’s ok. I know how to get to the path from here. Let’s get you out of this section of the woods.”

Emile wasn’t sure if he should follow this guy, but he didn’t know what else to do. The man gestured him forward. So, Emile stepped up to walk beside the strange man, who waited before leading the way. Emile fidgeted with his skirt and looked around. The strange man would look around from Emile to the path ahead, to the forest around them. Emile wasn’t really sure what the man was looking out for, but he seemed sure of where they were going at least.

“So how did you end up out there anyways?” The strange man asked.

Emile shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno. I got distracted by something.”

The man frowned. “You don’t remember?”

Emile looked down. “Sorry,”

“No, it’s ok. I’m not upset with you. But you should try to be more careful of where you are in the future. Especially when there isn’t an adult around.”

Emile nodded. “I know. The woods are scary when it’s dark.”

“Heh. I’m sure.”

“Why were you out here at night?”

The strange man looked at him for a moment as though thinking.

“I live here.”

Emile furrowed his brows in confusion.

“How?’

The man shrugged.

“But what about when it rains and stuff?”

“I have ways to find shelter.”

“But there’s other kinds of dangerous weather.”

The strange man smiled at him a little.

“I appreciate your concern. But I’m alright. I��ve been here a long time. I also have my own form of shelter.”

“Really? Like a cabin?”

“Uh no. Something a bit more magical than that.”

Emile gasped. “Magic!?”

The man smiled at him. “Yep.”

“Oo, are you a faery then?”

The strange man blinked at him. Emile wasn’t sure why that would surprise the other though. This would be so cool.

“Uh, what if I am?”

“That would be so cool! I don’t know much about faeries, but now I have to learn.”

“Your parents didn’t tell you about faeries?”

Emile shook his head. “No. I only hear about them from movies like Tinkerbell. You’re much bigger than her though.”

“Yeah, I’m not a pixie.”

“Oh right, there’s probably different kinds. Where’s your wings?”

“I don’t have any.”

Emile tilted his head.

“Why not?”

The man shrugged. “I dunno. I just don’t. Wasn’t born with them, the same way you weren’t.”

For some reason that made Emile giggle. The strange man smiled at Emile again.

“But there are faeries who do have wings?”

“What do you think?”

“Why didn’t you just say yes or no?”

The strange man just smirked at Emile. “You’ll figure that out when you learn more about faeries.”

Emile crossed his arms. “I don’t understand.”

“That’s ok.” 

They started walking towards a lighter part of the forest. Unfortunately, many of Emile's questions weren’t actually given answers.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you not answering me.”

“Well, maybe I practice stranger danger too.”

“But you’re not a kid. And I didn’t ask anything stranger dangery.”

“Pretty sure that’s not a word. And even big people should practice caution.”

“But I’m a kid, I’m not dangerous.”

“Yeah, you’re probably not. Even still.”

Emile hmphed again.

“You’re confusing.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“Really?”

The strange man nodded.

“Who do you talk to?”

“People.”

“Other lost people?”

“Less often than you’d expect.”

“What about other faeries?”

“Well, I’m not the only one here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Emile started to edge closer to the man the more they talked. He still wasn’t sure about the other, but he seemed less scary at least. Emile had a feeling the strange man wouldn’t be able to introduce him to Tinkerbell though. So that was disappointing.

“Okay, we’re almost there.” The man said, pointing up ahead. “I’ll walk you up there, and stay by you as long as you’re okay with it.”

Emile swung his hands.

“I mean, I know I got here by myself…but I don’t really want to be by myself right now.”

The man nodded. “I understand that. I’ll walk with you until I see you’re with someone safe if I can.”

Emile tilted his head again. “If you can?”

“Uh yeah…” The man scratched behind his head, “Sometimes people put up things to try and keep faeries away.”

“Like what?”

“Uh, I’ll tell you if it gets to that point.”

Emile huffed again. The strange man sighed.

“I’m sorry…I’m just very cautious.”

“But I told you, I wouldn’t want to hurt you,” Emile said, a bit hurt the other would suggest otherwise. The man carefully placed his hand on Emile’s shoulder and left it there when Emile let him.

“I know, kid. It’s not anything against you, alright? Sometimes other people aren’t nice. And sometimes, my brain just tells me that things are scary.”

“Your brain tells you that things are scary?”

“Yeah, like, do you ever worry about things?”

“Worry?”

“Like, uh, what were you thinking about when you got lost?”

“I got scared I wouldn’t be able to find my way back.”

“Ok, worry is a bit like being scared. Sometimes my brain finds danger in things that others might not understand. Like, telling me someone I don’t know has the potential to hurt me.”

“Ohh ok. That doesn’t sound very fun to have your brain be mean to you like that a lot.”

“Heh, yeah that’s true.”

Emile looked to the other.

“Can I hug you? Sometimes hugs make me feel better when I am scared.”

The strange man blinked his eyes at Emile. “Uh, yeah if you’re sure.”

Emile nodded, determined.

“Of course. Hugs are a very serious cure for yucky feelings. Everyone should get hugs who need them.”

And with that Emile turned to the man and wrapped his arms around the other where he could. Which was basically still at the man’s legs, but Emile tried. After a moment, the man bent down a bit and wrapped his arms around Emile. Emile smiled. It was a bit awkward but still felt nice. He had really missed that.

After the man stood back up, Emile held his hand out. “Can I hold your hand?”

The man blinked at him. “Uh, yeah sure.”

Emile smiled and held the man’s hand.

“My Mama and Papa don’t hold my hand as much now. Usually, it’s still for when we cross the street though.”

“Uhuh.”

“It’s nice though.”

Emile continued to chatter as they kept walking. His faery friend didn’t say much, but Emile didn’t mind. He almost didn’t notice that there was less rustling around them now.

“Ok, here’s the path.” The man let out a breath in relief.

“Can you find your way back now?”

Emile nodded. “I think so.”

Emile tugged his hand so the man would join him on the path.

“Is it far? Uh, only if you’re comfortable sharing. I don’t want to seem weird.”

“I mean, you’re already weird, so I don’t really know what you mean.”

That startled a laugh out of the man, which made Emile beam. Smiles were the best, and he wasn’t even trying to make his new friend laugh.

Emile wondered if Mama and Papa were waiting in front of their house, or if they were going around looking for him. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been gone. Emile should be able to tell at least a friendly neighbor that he was back though. That should get to his parents that he was okay. He hated that he worried his parents. Emile was gonna make promises to be more careful and find a way to make it up to them. Maybe with lots of cuddles.

Luckily the dark as they got closer to the houses wasn’t as scary now. There weren’t trees blocking their surroundings anymore. The nighttime sounds seemed less like scary creatures now because of that. Emile’s new friend was kinda scary seeming at first. Emile wondered if there were others even scarier than him. Thank goodness for Mr. Faery friend then.

“If you live in an area humans don’t usually go to, I don’t know when I’d see you again. Cause I’m smart enough not to go back even if you did help me. Do you not go anywhere else? Cause I haven’t ever seen you before.”

“Uh, I don’t know if you will honestly.”

Emile frowned. “But you’re my new friend. And you’re a faery, so you’re cool. I will be sad if I don’t get to see you again after you helped me.”

The faery seemed to hesitate. “I mean, I won’t avoid you or anything.”

“Don’t you want to see me again?”

“I do, it’s not that. You seem like a very neat kid. And, you’ve been very nice to me. I never expected a human child to offer me a hug.”

“Well, I don’t know why someone wouldn’t. You deserved a hug.”

The faery smiled a little at him. “That’s sweet of you to say. But yeah, for one I live in the forest.”

“I don’t but I was there.”

“It’s a bit different for faeries.”

“It is? Do you not like human places?”

“It’s not that. Sometimes humans are wary of us?”

“What’s wary?”

“Like they’re also nervous around us.”

“Why?”

“Why were you nervous around me at first?”

“Because you were a stranger, and I was lost, and the forest is scary when it’s dark.”

“Ok, well it would be like that. Strangers are scary. The whole species of faeries are like strangers to some humans. Especially since many don’t believe we exist.”

Emile gasped as a thought occurred to him. He clapped rapidly. “Do many faeries die from people saying they don’t believe?”

Emile didn’t understand the look the faery had on their face then. “No, don’t worry. This isn’t like in Peter Pan.”

“Oh good, cause I don’t think I could clap for as many people say that. I can’t count that hi.”

The faery let out a little laugh again before he ruffled Emile’s hair. Emile scrunched his nose at that before giggling.

“Anyways, people saying they don’t believe won’t hurt us. But sometimes people can be mean when they are scared of people.”

“Really? I just scream and run to my parents, or hide behind them.”

“I get that. Some people react differently. Especially humans who want to protect people.”

“Protect? Oh, because they think you’re bad?”

“Yeah, in a way.”

“Well, don’t worry. I’ll be sure to share how super nice you are and to never hurt you or it will make me very sad.”

“I appreciate that kid. I won’t stop you from trying. I should warn you though, sometimes adults are less likely to believe kids when it comes to this kind of thing.”

Emile pouted again. “Well, that’s just not fair. I’ll have to introduce my Mama to you so she knows how awesome you are.”

“We’ll see.”

They got close to the end of the path.

“Came I at least learn your name? So I know who to call for.”

“No! Uh, still not something you should ask a stranger yeah?”

“But we’re not strangers anymore. I’ve been talking like a lot to you.”

“I see your point. Just call me V for now though. And I only want a nickname from you. It’s safer to share that way.”

Emile didn’t really understand why V was being weird about this.

“Ok…I guess my Mama and Papa call me Em or Emmie.”

V nodded. “Okay, Emmie. I see two adults in the distance there. Think that’s your parents?”

Emile squinted and then jumped when he recognized them.

“Yep! Thank you so much Mr. V!” Emile quickly gave V a squeeze before running home to hug his own parents.

“Mama! Papa! I’m so sorry for wandering off. I’m so glad to be back. I made a new friend who helped me get back though!”

He turned behind him to see that V was already gone. Emile frowned. He really hoped he’d be able to see his new friend again. V had to meet Mama and Papa after all.

[sacrificim]

[ x - accepting / @asterites​ ]  ❝ you’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you? ❞

     “ A terrible - oh, yes! I have! “ Quick was the weapon to nod, doe-eyed agreement in voice alone. Swaying to and fro where skeletal toes hovered above the pavement, as if a child teetering in place - positively brimming with nervous exhilaration. “ Oh dear, Kaine must be a wreck with me gone. I can only imagine all the fights she’s started without me there to calm her down. Not that I, um, was good at that anyways... And Weiss is no better, always lecturing everyone on why he’s right... or egging Kaine on... Oh dear. “ Oh dear indeed. “ This wasn’t supposed to happen. I hope they’re doing alr - oh! “

     Oh.

     If only the stone visage he wore could shift from its petrified grin, could change from perpetual glee to the surprise a humans would now show. If only it could show the hesitation - the uncertain pause - that had the weapon stammering.

     If only, if only.

     “ You mean… “ My face? His body, skeletal and cold. Disconcerting, monstrous, terrifying. A scream-inducing spectacle to most whose eyes laid upon the smiling beast. ( But not her. ) She who did not flee - or worse yet, draw a weapon against one whose existence was one. A creature of destruction - of chaos… but one who would have fled instead, if it had come to it.

     It had not occurred to him, at first. The obvious a forgotten thought when it came to what he, in truth, considered terrible. A truth she could not possibly know of, of course. Of course… How could she know that, how could the mean that, when a terrible sight was what stood before her instead. ( A sheep, wrapped in the guise of a wolf. Innocent, pure, but with bared fangs in a grinning snarl. )

     Fretful were the fingers that came to rest upon tattered cloth, the bones that formed them joining with a soft click before his abdomen. Entwining together, rubbing at hands that no longer felt sensation, not really. Not fully. Yet the action was one of comfort all the same. A bygone of endless nights, of blinded eyes that would never gaze upon the world - could never, lest monotonous greys consume the color he’d oh so wished to see. A remnant of a worrisome heart; one still so, only now touched by courage as well. ( Courage that flickered like a wavering flame as the child’s wayward gaze found said hands. Hands stripped bare of flesh... Fingers stripped to the bone, of all that once was… )

     A terrible fate, huh?

     “ That’s one way to put it, heh… “ Insecurity ensnared itself deep within his bones, masked to perfection behind a still face… except for his hands. His tone, and the smile that was pushed into it. The friendliness, the concern, the hope that he was right and there was no fear to be found within this unexpected encounter. For onward, did he march. Onward, did he continue without missing a beat. “ It's a… long story. I wouldn't want to bother you with the details, but I'd do it all again, you know? It's not all bad. This new body has let me save people. I'm proud, and I mean it, too! I just hope I didn't startle you too much. I'm not as scary as I look, I promise! “

[sebs-anxiety-and-insanity]

Markers/Anxeit

(The ship strikes again)

To say Virgil was a mess when he first arrived was an understatment. He was scared, anxious, and always on the edge of an attack. Although at first he had coward away when Deceit and the others approached him he eventaully allow- no forced himself to stay still, even if it was just Deciet. Deciet slowly sat down next to the anxoius gay mess that is Virgil, talking away about random stupid squabbles, which made him laugh, which was a score for Deciet getting to see his smile. He returned the next day, sitting down like usual. "You don't really go to your room do you?" Virgil shook his head. It was dark and scary in there and there was no way in hell that young Virgil would enter it willingly. Deceit seeming to read his thoughts got up to get a night light when he felt a tug on his sleeve. "Dee Dee, s-stay?" Deceit blushed returning back to his spot beside Virgil; Virgil seemed curl into himself a bit more, to hide a blush and slight smile probablly. Deceit smiled as he held out a marker, a yellow one. Virgil takes the marker shakily, smiling fondly. After a moment Virgil leaned on Deceit's shoulder clutching the marker.

"REMUS!" Virgil looked up from where he was sitting in the living room for the dark sides; Remus looked somewhat apologetic but deceit was still pissed. "Remus..... That was my favorite snake statue!" Deceit sighed after no response and went to his room to where they assumed he was cleaning up the snake after hearing a loud 'BANG' of the door.

Virgil felt bad and got him a new snake statue although it wasn't the same as the snake that broke as this one had a little note scribbled in yellow on the underbelly.

'Hey, dee dee, sorry to hear about your fake snake....'

The next day as Virgil went to leave his room he noticed a small purple marker on the floor. He picked it up blushing as he put it away.

Little incidents like that happened alot more after that, sometimes after a panic attack and others for seemingly no reason at all. Marker after marker after marker. Virgil blushed everytime he received a marker.

Today was his birthday. Deceit barely noticed as he got up and head down the stairs, noticing how the lights were off. He took a few more steps before...

"SURPRISE!"

Apparently Virgil, Remy, and Emile, put it together and the other sides just showed. Like they were asked to.

Virgil's gift to Deciet was last, and as he opened it to reveal what it was his breath hitched. It was a drawing of him and Virgil. Virgil at the base of the tree smiling as he looked up, which is where deceit was on his back on the limb above him talking about one thing or another. It was right before they had found Remus in bushes nearby. The best part was that it was made with all the markers that he had gave Virgil over the years. "H-hope you l-like it d-dee." Virgil was trying to hide his blush when Deceit looked at him with wonder in his eyes. Deceit very carefully put down the gift before pulling Virgil up by his shoulders and captured his lips with his own.

Virgil kissed back of course, when Deceit pulled away. "Ssssorry I should've asked befor-" he was cut off by Virgil smashing his lips against his.

Yes I know I'm supposed to get up at 8 am, and yes I know I am posting at 5:24 am-

[dukereviewsxtra]

Duke's Monsterween: Scooby Doo The Movie

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Xtra Where We Are Continuing Duke's Monsterween...

Where Yesterday On Duke Reviews, I Reviewed The Original Dracula, Starring Bela Lugosi But On Duke Reviews Xtra We're Going A Little Kid Friendly This Year By Reviewing Some Halloween Movies Done By Disney In An Effort To Somewhat Continue Our Look At Disney...

But...

We're Not Looking At Disney This Week, But Instead We're Going To Look At 3 Scooby Doo Movies This Week, Starting With Scooby Doo The Movie...

This Movie Sees Mystery Inc. Breaking Up After An Argument Between Fred (Played By Kanan Jarrus) Velma (Played By Hawkeye's Wife) And Daphne (Played By Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Leaving Scooby And Shaggy (Played By The Best Shaggy In The World) To Go Off On Their Own...

But Years Later When The Gang Is Invited By Theme Park Owner Emile Mondavarious (Played By Mr. Bean) To Investigate His Theme Park When People Start Acting Weird When They Leave The Park...

Will Mystery Inc Be Able To Put Aside Their Differences And Work Together For This Mystery?

Let's Find Out As We Watch Scooby Doo The Movie...

The Film Starts At The Wow-O Toy Factory Where The Gang Is Working On The Case Of The Luna Ghost...

(End At 2:51)

Once The Ghost Is Captured, We Get A...Pamela Anderson Cameo?...

No Offense, But Of All The Celebs I Would Rather See Have A Cameo In This Movie, Pamela Anderson Was Not One Of Them...

With The Ghost Revealed And Everyone Except Shaggy And Scooby Start Arguing As Fred As He Always Takes Credit For Velma's Plans While Daphne Is Just Tired Of Being Captured During Every Mystery...

This Leads Fred, Velma And Daphne To Quit Mystery Inc. Leaving Shaggy And Scooby To Go Off On Their Own...

Two Years Later, Shaggy And Scooby Are Asked By A Representative For Emile Mondavarious To Solve A Mystery At His Theme Park, Spooky Island, But Not Interested In Going To Anyplace With The Word "Spooky" In It, They Initially Refuse...

But When The Guy Says That There's An All You Can Eat Clause In Their Deal, Scooby And Shaggy Change Their Minds And Are On Board...

Going To The Airport, Shaggy Finds Out That Fred (Who Has A New Book Out) Velma (Who Works At NASA) And Daphne (Who Has Become A Black Belt)

Because It's Sarah Michelle Gellar And We Have To Make Use Of Her Skills On Buffy In Someway...

Have Also Been Asked To Go To Spooky Island As Well By Mondavarious...

But Only Seeing Shaggy, Velma Wonders "Where's Scooby?" Which Leads To Scooby Entering Disguised As A Woman As They Don't Let Big Dogs On The Plane...

But As Velma Starts Arguing With Fred And Daphne Again, Shaggy Tries To Play Mediator And Try To Make Them Realize How Great It Would Be If They Teamed Up Again...

Daphne's On Board But Only If Fred And Velma Are In, Which They're Not...

Once On Board The Plane, Shaggy Falls Head Over Heals For A Girl Who Likes Scooby Snacks Also Named Mary Jane (Played By Isla Fisher, Or As She's Called Nowadays Mrs. Borat)

And Yes, I Know Mary Jane Is Another Word For Marijuana, But To Me, It Is Just A Name, Let It Go!

But Unfortunately She's Allergic To Dogs So Shaggy Has Scooby Go Spend Time With Fred And Velma While Shaggy Gets To Know Mary Jane A Little More, But When Scooby Sees A Cat, He Starts Barking And Chasing It All Over The Plane...

With The Gang Arriving On Spooky Island, They Meet Emile Mondavarious, Who Notices A Slight Change In The Teens That Leave Spooky Island, Believing That It's A Magic Spell And They Definitely Notice A Change...

The Type That Causes Your Pants To Poop...

With Mondavarious Very Terrified And Scared For The People That Come To The Island, They Decide To Help Only Fred, Velma And Daphne Go Off On Their Own...

Later That Night, Velma Catches A Stage Show Hosted By A Man Named N'Goo Tauna And His Partner Zarkos, Who Tell A Story Saying That The Island Was Once Home To Creatures, Who Lived Undisturbed On The Island..

But When Mondavarious Built Spooky Island, He Antagonized The Creatures And Have Since Been Plotting Their Revenge...

Meanwhile, Shaggy Is Out On His First Date With Mary Jane, While Scooby Gets A Phone Call Saying That Someone Has Hamburgers For Him All He Has To Do Is Go Into The Dark Shadowy Part Of The Forest Where No One Can See Him...

Seriously? Did You Honestly Think Scooby Was Going To Give Up Hamburgers Even If It Was A Scary Voice On The Phone Who Told Him To Go To A Scary Place To Get Them?

Hell, No!...

But Unfortunately When Scooby Gets There, He Discovers That The Hamburgers Are Fakes And That There Was A Monster Waiting For Him...

He Tells Shaggy And Mary Jane About The Monster, But All They See Is A Guy In A Costume...

But As That Happens, Daphne Take With A Resident On The Island, A Voodoo Man, Who Warns Daphne To Get Off The Island And Stay Away From The Castle On The Top Of The Hill...

Despite Coming Up With Various Stupid Theories On What Might Be Up There, Daphne Gets Shaggy And Scooby To Help Her, Despite Refusing At First Because It's A Spooky Castle...

Joined By Fred (Who Followed Weird Footprints Up To The Castle) And Velma (Who Thought It Was The Most Obvious Place To Hatch An Evil Plan) They All Decide To Split Up And Search For Clues With Daphne Staying Where She Is, Scooby And Shaggy Going In Search Of Food...

And Fred And Velma Searching Other Parts Of The Castle...

But Someone Activates The Ride And Causes All Hell To Break Loose!...

(Start At 0:11, End At 2:15)

With The Ride Shut Down, Velma Finds The Secret Access Panel That Opens The Secret Room, Leading Her And Fred To Discover What Looks To Be A School For A Secret Cult...

Which Means It Could Only Be One Person...Granny Goodness!

Ok, It's Not Granny But It Could Have Been...

Meanwhile, Daphne Comes Across A Golden Pyramid That Was Left Alone In The Middle Of A Room, So, She Decides To Grab It, But Turns Out That...

Luckily Though Daphne Manage To Escape Before The Trap Fully Activates...

But As That Happens, Shaggy And Scooby Discover A TV Studio Where...Well...See For Yourself...

(End At 1:11)

With Alarms Going Off, The Gang Reunites And Quickly Fills Each Other In On What They Found Before Having To Hide From Henchmen Headed Their Way, One Of Them Being Zarkos, N'Goo Tauna's Right Hand Man..

Eventually Managing To Escape, They Head Back To The Spooky Island Hotel So They Can Fill Mondavarious In On The Clues And Their 3 Suspects Which Include N'Goo Tauna, The Voodoo Man And Mondavarious Himself (But Only Because He Freaks Fred Out)

While Daphne Researches Cults On The Net, Velma Looks At The Mysterious Pyramid She Discovers That There Is More To It Than Meets The Eye.,,

Talking With A Boy She Met Earlier, Velma Tells Him That She Believes That It's Called The Daemon Ritus (After Hearing A Guard Mention That Name While The Gang Was Hiding)...

And That It Describes An Old Race Of Creatures Through It's Inscriptions That Are Reminiscent Of Ancient Pandaemonous Texts Which Explain A Sort Of Ritual...

Eventually Velma Starts Reminiscing About The Past Which Leads To A Flashback About The Old Days Where We See Everyone And I Do Mean...Everyone...

Ok, I've Dreaded Coming To This Moment, But Obviously I Have No Choice Especially Since Since Some People Tend To Complain About This Character, Let's Talk About Scrappy Doo...

First Off, I Would Like To State That I Love The Character Of Scrappy Doo, I Think He Is Very Cute, Is One Of The More Memorable Hanna-Barbera Characters And Sidekicks And Is Not As Annoying As Everyone I've Heard Talk About This Character Believes Him To Be...

The Sad Thing However Is That This Movie Does Not Play To Those Good Traits...

They Make Scrappy An Asshole And A Complete Egomaniac

And I'm Sorry But I'm On The Side Of Mystery Inc, That Brat Needs To Be Taught A Lesson! Maybe Not As Extreme As Leaving Him On The Side Of The Road But Still..

Anyway, As Velma And Her Possible Love Interest With No Name Laugh At Scrappy's Expense...

Scooby Sees One Of The Monsters And Starts Panicking, This Leads Fred To Berate Him Before Telling Everyone That There's No Such Things As Ghosts Before Being Proven Wrong, 2 Seconds After Saying That..

Monsters Scour The Entire Hotel Kidnapping Nearly Half Of The People There, Including Fred, Velma, Her Unnamed Love Interest And Mr. Mondavarious, With Shaggy, Scooby,Daphne And Mary Jane Escaping Before The Monsters Got Them...

They Follow Them To The Area Where N'Goo Tauna Had His Show But Their Path Ends Up Blocked By A Stone Slab, This Leads Mary Jane To Call The Coast Guard But They're No Help As 2 Of Them Are Monsters...

This Movie Is Quickly Becoming Body Snatchers 2...

The Next Morning Everything Seems Back To Normal With The Hotel Repaired And Nearly Everyone Completely Back (Though Not As They Once Were)

Deciding To Split Up, Mary Jane Goes To Find Her Friends While Daphne, Shaggy And Scooby Look Around...

As Daphne Has An Encounter With Sugar Ray...

Not The Boxer, The Band!

Shaggy And Scooby Find Fred Only To Discover That Everyone On The Island Has Been Possessed By The Monsters As Daphne Gets Kidnapped By Zarkos...

(Start At 0:46, End At 2:12)

But As They're Driving, Scooby Discovers That Mary Jane Is A Monster As Well...

He Tries To Explain This To Shaggy, But He's Too Blinded To Even See It Leading The 2 Friends To Fight, But When Scooby Is Captured, Shaggy... Doesn't Figure Out That Mary Jane's A Monster But Decides To Put His Friendship First Before His Relationship...

Dropping Into The Same Hole That Scooby Fell Into, Shaggy Finds A Vat Filled With The Spirits Of Everyone Who Arrives On Spooky Island...

Hearing Velma's Voice, Shaggy Saves Her So She Can Go Back To Her Body So She Can Discover That The Creatures Are Weakened By Sunlight...

Shaggy Also Manages To Save Fred And Daphne Too (Whether Daphne Likes It Or Not) But There's A Little Mix-Up...

(Start At 0:46, End At 1:33)

Ok 1st, If I Were In Sarah Michele Gellar's Body, I'd Do The Exact Same Thing And 2nd, You're Married To Her, Freddie, See Her Naked On Your Own Time...

When The Gang Reunites, Daphne Gets Mad Over Fred Touching Her Body, But The Problem Is Soon Remedied By The Daemon Ritus Which Switches The Team's Bodies Until They're Back To Normal...

Seeing An Explosion Afterwards, It Leads Them To The Voodoo Man Who Was Doing A Sacrifice In An Effort To Protect Himself From The Creatures Darkopolips Ritual, Which Will Allow Them To Rule Earth For 10,000 Years...

Or In Other Words...

However, In Order To Pull It Off, The Leader Must Absorb A Pure Soul In Order To Do So, Thus...Scooby...

But The Question Lies Who Is Behind All This? And Unfortunately, It's The One That Brought Scooby There....Mondavarious, Who Convinces Scooby To Be His Sacrifice...

With Fred Still Wondering If Mondavarious Wanted Scooby Why Did He Bring All Of Them, Shaggy Tells Fred That It Doesn't Matter And That They Have To Save Scooby...

This Leads To Fred, Daphne And Velma Finally Reconciling So They Can Come Up With A Plan To Save Scooby...

With The Plan Set, Everyone Arrives For The Ritual Including Mondavarious And N'Goo Tauna, But As They Prepare To Start, Fred And Velma Are Discovered As Shaggy Joins A Bunch Of Henchmen In Bringing Out Scooby Which Leads The 2 Buddies To Reconcile...

But They Don't Run Off In Time And The Ritual Begins As Scooby's Spirit Is Taken From Him. Luckily, Shaggy Frees Scooby From The Spirit Pincher And Back To His Body While Hitting Mondavarious With The Pincer In The Process...

Going To Check On Mondavarious, Fred And Velma Discover A Possible Mask But Actually Mondavarious Is A Robot Who Is Piloted By...(Sighs) Scrappy...

First, Let Me Say That While This Is Defiantly A Disservice To The Character, This Was A Good Twist Despite Some People Thinking That It Was Too Obvious...

With Some Souls In Him, Scrappy Transforms Into Scrappysaurus Rex As He Reveals That He Brought The Team There To Witness His Moment Of Triumph...

Meanwhile On The Roof, Daphne Tries To Open The Vent So Light Can Enter The Cave As They Release A Skull Disco Ball Which Will Destroy The Creatures But Unfortunately, She's Confronted By Zarkos Which Leads The 2 To Fight...

(End At 2:46)

With The Souls Released From The Vat, The Creatures Are Ejected By Their Host Bodies As Scrappy Reverts Back To Normal And The Disco Skull Is Released Causing The Creatures To Go Boom...

Afterward Velma And Shaggy Reunite With Their Potential Love Interests, They Rescue The Real Mondavarious And Fred And Daphne Consider Starting A Relationship In Both The Movie And Real Life...

News Crews Arrive On The Scene, So Velma Can Tell Them All What Happened And Who Did It As The Gang Announces Mystery Inc Is Back Together...

We Get A Pre Credits Scene Where Spooky Island Delivers On Their All You Can Eat Deal And Shaggy And Scooby Gorge Until They Drop...

And That's Scooby Doo The Movie And How Is This A Bad Movie?

The Story Is Interesting, The Characters Are Funny, And The CG On Scooby (Despite Some People Saying That Gollum Was Better Done Than Scooby) Was Pretty Good And Lifelike...

Yeah, It May Not Have Been A Great Mystery But This Is Scooby Doo, Not Sherlock Holmes, You Want A Great Mystery, Then Go Solve The Mystery Of Your Huge Ego, But If You Want A Funny Mystery With Funny Antics, This Movie Is Definitely For You...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off..,