#1 day down - another 364 days to go | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bratshaws · 8 months ago

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through the hourglass 391. brb x oc

/n: my week has been super bad, so i apologize for my absence and if the chapter isn't great.(comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

/316/317/318/319/320/321/322/323/324/325/326/327/328/329/330/331/332/333/334/335/336/337/338/339/340/341/342/343/344/345/346/347/348/349/350/351/352/353/354/355/356/357/358/359/360/361/362/363/364/365/366

/367/368/369/370/371/372/373/374/375/376/377/378/379/380/381/382/383/384/385/386/387/388/389

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix @lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @louisahale @leobabbyyy @booklover2sblog @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @fanboyswhore9 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu @teacupsandtopgun @insominac23 @gh0stsgoodgirl @mygyn @chavivaelisheva @kmc1989 @enchantingharmonyalpaca @callsign-magnolia @mrsbradshaw01

@lyn-js

“Ugh. Uuugghh…”

“Baby?”

He sinks in his seat, running his face with both hands “I swear,I know I fly jets but my god,” he adjusts himself, his legs were too long and he was too broad for this seat, “It’s like they get smaller every year.”

‘Roos, you are a big guy.” she smiles sweetly, seeing her husband try to get comfortable before the airplane takes off, “You’ll fill…a bit more.”

Rooster chuckled weakly, his discomfort evident as he shifted in his seat once again. "Yeah, but it feels like I'm being squished," he replied, his voice strained, "I miss the spaciousness… of places.”

Beatrice reached out to gently rub Rooster's shoulder, "I'm sorry, honey," she murmured sympathetically, "Flying commercial is never as comfortable as flying a jet, I imagine."

Rooster nodded in agreement, his expression resigned as he settled back into his seat. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted with a sigh, "But I'll endure it for your."

"You're a trooper, Roos," she said softly, "And I promise, once we land, you'll have all the space you need to stretch out and relax." she looks down at her phone, “Talked to Mav too, he said the kids and the dogs did great. Of course, there isn’t much they do,you know.”

“Hm,true.” he finally settles, “...I miss them a lot, you think they got bigger since we left?”

“...honey,we’ve been away for three days.”

"I know, I know," he admitted with a smile, "But they grow so fast. Sometimes it feels like I blink and they've grown another inch."

Beatrice smiled back at Rooster, "I'm sure they've missed us just as much as we've missed them," she replied reassuringly, "And I bet they'll be thrilled to see us when we get back."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Rooster agreed with a nod, a sense of longing evident in his voice, "I can't wait to hold them in my arms again."

Beatrice reached out to take Rooster's hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It won't be long now," she said softly, "Just a few more hours and we'll be back home with our family."

After a few minutes, the captain's voice came over the intercom, announcing that they would be taking off shortly. Rooster tightened his grip on Beatrice's hand, feeling a surge of excitement mixed with a tinge of nervousness.

"Here we go," he murmured softly, his eyes fixed on the window as the plane taxied down the runway.

Beatrice squeezed Rooster's hand reassuringly, offering him a warm smile. "This was fun,right? This trip to Virginia.”

Rooster returned Beatrice's smile,"Yeah, it was," he agreed softly, "Virginia holds a lot of memories for me, both good and bad. But being there with you... it made it all worth it."

Beatrice nodded in understanding, her heart swelling with affection for her husband. "I'm glad we went," she said sincerely, "It was important for both of us…you feeling better? Especially because of the reunion and such?”

"Yeah, I do feel better," he replied honestly, "And being able to visit my parents' graves...it was hard, but it brought me some peace. And having you by my side made it easier."

Beatrice smiled softly. "I'm glad I could be there for you," she said softly, "You mean everything to me, Roos. I just want to see you happy."

Rooster leaned over to press a gentle kiss to Beatrice's cheek, his lips lingering against her skin. "I am happy, Bea," he murmured against her cheek, "Because I have you. You make me happy,gorgeous.”

Beatrice's eyes shimmered with tears at Rooster's words, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close as they shared a moment of quiet intimacy.

"I love you, Roos," she whispered, her voice filled with love, "I don’t want to cry on the plane.”

“Sorry,gorgeous.” he chuckles, gently wiping her tear with the back of his finger, “Didn’t mean to. And don't apologize, Bea," he murmured softly, "Your tears are precious to me. They remind me of how much you care."

Beatrice smiled through her tears, feeling grateful for Rooster's understanding and support. She leaned into his touch, savoring the warmth of his hand against her skin. "Thank you, Roos," she whispered, her voice filled with emotion.

They sat together in silence for a while longer, their hands intertwined as they watched the world pass by outside the window. The hum of the plane's engines filled the cabin, lulling them into a sense of peace and contentment.

After a while, Beatrice leaned back in her seat, feeling a sense of exhaustion wash over her. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax into the familiar rhythm of the plane's movements.

Rooster watched Beatrice with a fond smile, feeling grateful for the opportunity to share this moment with her. He reached out to gently brush a strand of hair away from her face, his touch light and tender.

"You should get some rest, gorgeous," he murmured softly, "We still have a few hours until we land."

Beatrice nodded sleepily, ‘Are you going to sleep too?”

Rooster shook his head with a small smile, "I'll keep watch over you, make sure you're comfortable," he replied softly, "Then maybe I'll take a nap too."

Beatrice smiled gratefully at Rooster, feeling a wave of warmth wash over her at his words. She leaned into his touch, her exhaustion starting to catch up with her as she closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Roos," she murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper, "You're the best."

Rooster's heart swelled with love for the woman beside him, feeling grateful for the opportunity to take care of her. He pressed a tender kiss to Beatrice's forehead before settling back into his seat, keeping a watchful eye on her as she drifted off to sleep.

As the plane cruised through the night sky, Rooster sat quietly beside Beatrice, lost in his thoughts.Despite the cramped quarters and the discomfort of flying commercial, Rooster couldn't imagine being anywhere else but here, by Beatrice's side

The hours passed by, Rooster found himself reflecting on their trip to Virginia. It had been an emotional journey, one filled with both sorrow and joy. But through it all, he had felt a sense of healing, a sense of closure that he hadn't felt in years.

Visiting his parents' graves had been difficult, but it had also been cathartic. And the reunion…was bearable.

Rooster smiled to himself as he thought about the future, about the possibility of having a place in Virginia with Beatrice. It was a comforting thought, knowing that they could create new memories together in a place that held so much meaning for him.

But for now, Rooster was content to simply be here, in this moment, with Beatrice by his side. He reached out to gently brush a stray hair away from her face, his touch light and tender as he watched her sleep.

"You're my everything, Bea," he whispered softly, his voice filled with love, "And I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

She smiles in her sleep.

Eventually he fell asleep too.

The hum of the plane's engines filled area, creating a soothing background noise as Rooster and Beatrice slept peacefully.

Hours passed by, Rooster stirred from his slumber, feeling a sense of warmth and contentment wash over him as he blinked away the remnants of sleep. He glanced over at Beatrice, still sound asleep beside him, her breathing steady and even.

A smile tugged at the corners of Rooster's lips as he watched his wife,he reached out to gently stroke her cheek, his touch light and tender as he admired her peaceful expression.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured softly, his voice filled with awe, "Even in your sleep."

Beatrice stirred at the sound of Rooster's voice, her eyelids fluttering open as she slowly came back to consciousness. She blinked up at him, her gaze soft and filled with affection as she returned his smile.

"Hey there," she greeted sleepily, her voice still thick with sleep, "Did I fall asleep?"

Rooster chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair away from Beatrice's face. "Yeah, you did," he replied warmly, "But don't worry, I kept watch over you. You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you."

"Thank you, Roos," she whispered softly, her voice filled with love, "You're always looking out for me."

"I'll always look out for you, Bea," he murmured against her lips, his voice filled with sincerity, "You mean everything to me."

“Are we in San Diego yet?”

Rooster checked his watch before glancing out the window, noticing the city lights twinkling below them. "We're getting close," he replied with a smile, "Just a little longer and we'll be home."

Beatrice's face lit up with excitement at the prospect of returning home. "I can't wait," she exclaimed eagerly, "I miss our bed, and the kids and the dogs, and just...being home."

As the plane touched down at San Diego International Airport, Rooster and Beatrice woke up fully and gathered their belongings and made their way off the plane. They navigated through the terminal together, their hands intertwined as they made their way towards the exit.

Once outside, they hailed a taxi and climbed inside, relieved to be back on familiar ground. As they drove through the city streets towards their home, Rooster couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude wash over him.

"We're home, Bea," he murmured softly, his voice filled with warmth, "Back where we belong."

Beatrice smiled back at Rooster, her heart overflowing with happiness at the thought of being home. "I missed this place," she admitted softly, "But most of all, I missed being here with you."

Rooster reached out to take Beatrice's hand in his, squeezing it gently as he met her gaze with unwavering affection. "I missed it too, Bea," he replied sincerely “...we should go on a date this week.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, take the kids too, it’ll be fun.’

She smiles tiredly at him ‘...yeah…it will.’

#im happy yall are still here #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x named reader #tgm oc #tgm fic #tgm fanfiction

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talisidekick · 10 days ago

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Happy New Years!

I'd just like to say to all the bigots over the past year who told me they'd kill me, wished I would die, hoped I'd kill myself, and so much worse ...

I'm Still Here.

I'm still breathing. Still transgender. Still happy. You did your best to make my life be as shitty as possible, and I'm coming out the otherside of that stronger, better, and improved. Maybe one of you will succeed getting under my skin this next year, but I sincerely doubt it.

I stand as another beacon of hope against the dark world you seek to create. And to continue being that beacon, and to burn ever brighter, my new years resolutions are:

1. More Streams to provide a safe space for queers old and young to be themselves.

2. More YouTube Videos to keep giving people advice and hope in their darkest moments.

3. Make a Better Avatar for the streams to up the quality of what I can give back to the community that has supported me.

4. More Interactable Features for the stream so anyone who joins can keep the fun going, welcome in new viewers, and become more a part of the experience if they wish.

5. More Art to prove that even if you suck at something, you can always improve.

At the end of it all:

I resolve to become a bigger pain in the ass of every bigot.

I've got 364 days, so lets see what I and this budding community can do. Come be a Sidekick, a Henchie, or a Goon. Screw the haters, lets bring their shit world down with smiles, laughter, and love.

#trans #transgender #mtf #lgbt+#lgbtq+#lgbtqia+#2slgbtqia+#trans positivity #transgender positivity #talisidekick #talisidekick things

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cksmart-world · 1 year ago

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SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

December 26, 2023

AND THE PERSON OF THE YEAR IS... AN AIRPORT?

We've been waiting with baited breath for 364 days and finally it's here. The Salt Lake Tribune's Person of the Year is, wait for it, The Salt Lake City International Airport. We are not making this up. So, you may be asking, how does an airport become a person? Probably the same way corporations became persons and money became speech. It's complicated so try not to think about it too much. The other thing is that The Trib folks may have found themselves in a bind because there weren't a lot of real people standouts in 2023. Gov. Spencer Cox made national news for imploring everyone to disagree more nicely. That didn't cut it. Salt Lake City got tapped to host the 2034 Winter Olympics so The Trib could have made the Kimball Jct. Olympic Park ski jump the person of the year. But no. Here are some other potential would-be Utah Persons of the Year: Attorney General Sean Reyes for helping Tim Ballard find trafficked children with the aid of a psychic. Rep. Chris Stewart for quitting Congress (thank God). Ogden brothers Raland and Loy Brunson who sued to get Joe Biden thrown out of the White House. And finally, The King James Bible that made the news for containing pornography that could get it banned from Utah schools — in which case, more kids would read it.

5 WAYS TO BETTER ENJOY THE NEW YEAR

Well Wilson, we're half way through the 2023 Holiday Season, which is kinda like mile 13 in a marathon — you're thinking, I'll be glad when this is over. Gird your loins and cowboy up. We probably wouldn't have made it this far were it not for a wonderful feature in the Deseret News headlined, “5 ways early Utah pioneers enjoyed Christmas (Holidays) more than Americans today.” This, of course, was before Christmas became a celebration of capitalism and stuff. In the holiday spirit the D News spells out how they embraced the joyous season with 1. Dancing 2. Singing 3. Speaking & Performing 4. Splendid Dinners and 5. Sitting & Visiting. It got the staff here at Smart Bomb to thinking about ways to live out the remainder of the holidays in our times with an emphasis on “live,” as in to survive. 1. Don't drink a lot of eggnog, sweet stuff can give you a bad hangover. 2. To avoid hangovers after too much eggnog, drink a quart of water and take three aspirin before bed. 3. If the bedroom is spinning stick your fingers down your throat and throw up. 4. If you do have a hangover in the morning, avoid visiting your spouse's family. Use any excuse to get out of it — but don't say you're hungover. 5. Before visiting the in-laws it's advisable to have a strong drink or two. Repeat from No. 1.

ESCAPE WINTER — CHEAP JANUARY GETAWAYS

OK, Christmas is over and you're practically broke. It's dark and it's cold, the air tastes like Mag Corp and January has 62 days. What to do — blow out this puke hole! It's really a no-brainer except that you're short on Benjamins and your credit card is about to explode. When things get scary this time of year, Wilson and the Smart Bomb Band jump in the van and take a bead on Death Valley. It's in the mid-60s there and all you need is a tent, a warm bag, a Coleman stove and lots of Ramen, beer and weed (optional). Under sunny skies you can strip down to your skivvies, race desert tortoises and work on a winter tan. But you might have to fight the chuckwalla lizards and horned toads for space on the toasty rocks. If you've got a little more stamina and know someone with a Hobie Cat you can venture to Puerto Peñasco at the tip of the Sea of Cortez, 60 miles from the U.S. border. The town has a shrimp fleet and you can buy it by the kilo for a song along with a case of Mexican Beer. You'll be in heaven. If you're even more adventurous drive another 150 miles south to Guaymas where you can camp at Mish Mash Beach where the original “Catch 22” was filmed. Go easy on the tequila and don't be afraid of the hippies, they're only looking for a good time and they like to share.

Post script — Holy tamale, some dudes in California have succeeded in producing nuclear fusion, when two or more atoms smash together releasing huge amounts of energy. It's the reaction that powers the sun and fusion doesn't create waste that requires long-term storage like present-day fission nuclear reactors do. It's a breakthrough of immense import. But for some Utahns the word “fusion” is like a kick in the gut. That's because in 1989 electrochemists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons announced what they called “cold fusion” that reportedly they created in a Hellmann's Mayonnaise jar. Before you could say, we'll all be rich and famous, then-University of Utah President Chase Peterson announced the mind-blowing details to the world. But alas, no other scientists could replicate their work and it was discovered that Fleischmann and Pons didn't actually detect nuclear reaction byproducts. Oops. The pair along with the University of Utah became late-night TV joke punchlines. Now, however, the scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have produced energy from nuclear fusion on three separate occasions. The future is here — again. Chase Peterson, Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons could not be found for comment. They could be racing desert tortoises in Death Valley.

Well Wilson, talk of Guaymas must bring back some found memories for you and the guys. OK, maybe there were some that weren't all that fun but you can't have adventure unless you go on an adventure. So how about you dust off the wanderlust and give us a theme song for January:

Nibblin' on sponge cake, watchin' the sun bake All of those tourists covered with oil Strummin' my six-string on my front-porch swing Smell those shrimp, they're beginnin' to boil Wasting away again in Margaritaville Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt Some people claim there's a woman to blame But I know it's nobody's fault Don't know the reason, stayed here all season With nothing to show but this brand-new tattoo But it's a real beauty, aMexican cutie How it got here I haven't a clue Wasting away again in Margaritaville Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt Some people claim there's a woman to blame Now I think, "Hell! It could be my fault." I blew out my flip-flop, stepped on a pop top Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home But there's booze in the blender And soon it will render That frozen concoction that helps me hang on Wasting away again in Margaritaville Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt Some people claim there's a woman to blame But I know, it's my own damn fault

("Margaritaville" — Jimmy Buffett)

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anosci · 1 year ago

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(362-377 albums etc that I’ve listened to this year, copied from twitter) (now with art. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26])

names and thoughts below cut

362/ Patricia Taxxon - TECHDOG 3 (2023) jotting down thoughts as we go like t1 oh… lyrics. oh… beauty. t4 bringing hella beats t5!! glass! t6 groovin :') t7 oh cmon why are these so good t11 is an otherworldly finale. like god damn i love the grooves in here in particular!

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363/ heRobust - Vertebreaker (2017) yeah its hard but im still not used to herobust doing wob? "Heavy Meddle" scratches that beat itch a bit tho, with that back forth beat "Status Busted" would be my fav song if not for the. yknow. yeah.

---

364/ Patricia Taxxon - TECHDOG 4 (2023) lush and melodic. drifts. feels freeing. t3 rough start but i think this would be astoundingly good zone out headphone music t4 headfog max. a fav. t6 boid :) another fav t8 bt-esque :O t10 is a MASSIVE ending holy sht

---

365/ Persian Empire - Kaya EP (2017) crispy beats. rotary organs. vibes :)

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366/ Patricia Taxxon - TECHDOG 5 (2023) this one's the secret "scary times" release and its damn good at it. wall to wall dour. some specific thoughts: t2 sentinel :O t5 man. this is a weird and cool vibe (beat) t7 is a bad dream. intense. t9 a small light in the dark. standout.

---

367/ Patricia Taxxon - TECHDOG 6 (2023) i regret to announce my opinion that i think these tracks are too long. i love these soundscapes but not for 10 minutes a piece. that said, favs: t6, t8, t10. t11 astounding. cinematic even. this couldve been the end i think.

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368/ Patricia Taxxon - TECHDOG 7 (2023) it's the "feel nothing" lp, but like. "depression state" nothing. it does a good job but i have mixed feelings about it. EXCEPT track 9 has such an insanely specific feel id describe as "child alone in a room and doesnt know why". respect.

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369/ Lila Tirando a Violeta & Sin Maldita - Accela (2023) has an insano in the braino soundscape(o) "Talking Trees" wouldve rearranged my dna if i heard it in 2012.

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370/ VA - WILDCHIP != WIN (2017) mix bag etc well…hm. wildchip doesnt really grab me as strongly i guess? idk. that said, "Throwback Days" holy shit that's smoov. love the way the FM wobs are incorporated here

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371/ Space Dimension Controller - Na Púcaí (2023) chill timbre tech no(?) good nighttime music "Multiples Of None" in particular is sticking with me

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372/ Lee Gamble - Models (2023) slowchill for chill day B) haunting more in timbre than tonality. sounds like ancient RNN generated vocals, some of this. cool effect "XIth c. Spray" prolly my fav here!

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373/ VA - Nanosweep 32 (2023) a nice lil bout of dance floor nano sweeping. "Insufficient all" has an interesting flow. not chill but not intense? "vapor trail" amalgam vibe

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374/ VA - Metal 5 (2017) eh. predisposition bias tho. enjoying the FM metal appearing in "Mechanical Wolf" "Running down the Hill" is my fav but absolutely not metal at all. "Hornet" is my fav that is also metal

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375/ Alva Noto - HYbr:ID II (2023) understood as soundtracks to sodium lights. "Elastic 1" hit good w/ those chord stabs "Elastic 2" hits harder. some sort of bubbling intensity. "Field 1" low key banger with that beat

--- November ---

376/ VA - SPC Echoes 2 (2017) mix bag etc. much love for the rez in "dazzling!" "bed bed" is funny bc i'd consider it a morning sunshine title. ig thats still bed! "aurora surrealis" funnest snes-pusher. "Alternate Timeline" amazing soundscape! overall fav

---

#media thread

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jennamoran · 2 years ago

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“The Work of Time” (pg. 364, Glitch), and Tiramisu

Someone asked about the major goals for this quest, which are:

it’s been eight chapters since you started this quest;

it’s been fifteen chapters since you started this quest;

it’s been twenty chapters since you started this quest;

it’s been twenty-five chapters since you started this quest; and

you eat tiramisu.

and to what degree the choice of tiramisu was random!

So, I don't have the records of ... like ... the detailed quest-by-quest stories for that one, like I do for some quest sets I've written. But I can talk a little bit about it anyway!

Because the thing is, "The Work of Time” is a very long quest.

It's a 55-XP quest.

And it's a 55-XP quest with 5 quest flavor, which means you can fulfill exactly four of them.

So there are two ways to approach that, as a player. One is, sure, you go eat tiramisu. You rush to do it, because, hey, 5 XP.

And maybe you find meaning for it, in which case, cool. Or you don't. We'll circle back to that in a moment.

The other way to approach it is to assume you'll probably get to it eventually. It's a long quest. And in the meantime, looking at the quest flavor ...

You feel damaged.

You listen to the world.

You try to face and accept imperfection.

You eat a meal, but it's ... tasteless. It doesn't do anything for you.

You try to be glad that something that would have broken you once, doesn't break you now.

And eight chapters pass.

... fifteen?

Twenty?

And at some point maybe you look at the quest and you realize: you can let the timer elapse, let a few more chapters go by, and it'll just ... complete on its own.

Maybe at twenty-five chapters.

Maybe twenty.

Maybe fifteen.

But if you just, you know, don't do anything, just, let time go by while other people do their things, you'll get that quest bonus, you'll get the Bindings 1, Bindings 5, Emptiness 5, or Shepherd 5 bonus, you'll probably wind up better.

... or you could go somewhere you like, and eat a soft, gentle dessert, and often---I recognize this isn't necessarily true if you're playing someone with food issues, or if the player's food issues are too strong to vibe with food enjoyment---have it not be tasteless to you, and look out the window, and finish processing there.

Circling back to the player who rushes to eat it immediately because it's 5 XP and doesn't find meaning in that and also gets nothing out of those 5 XP for a long time because like 55 XP quest ... that's not as resonant for me but it also works strongly with the themes of the quest and the tasteless food and everything else, so that's fine too.

... I guess there are also weird side cases like "OK, I eat tiramisu and then take 100 damage and that's the Work of Time complete," but whatever, that just means the tiramisu was accidentally made with backwards coffee that slows you down and ages you horribly while eating it.

(To be clear, it was specifically tiramisu presumably because I sketched out a book series for Chancery Lexiarchos Caducine in my head, even if I was moving too quickly to write it up at great length, and that was what she ate, so like the detailed reasoning was principally subconscious. That said, it was probably specifically food as a specific contrast with "you eat a tasteless meal" and ... hrm.

I feel like tiramisu is an interesting dish to view through the lens of those days when everything tastes like nothing because it's a very texture-heavy dish and the flavor itself can be subtle.

Like, vanilla ice cream through the lens of tastelessness is "I don't care about sweet or normal foods any more" and tasteless fried shrimp is like "why am I eating a ceiling" and tasteless crab foam is "modernism has gone too far" but tiramisu in particular modulates in part to how much attention to it you're paying.)

(Shinji, eating tasteless fried shrimp: “another unfamiliar ceiling”)

#glitchrpg #cmwge

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dailyaudiobible · 2 years ago

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12/30/2022 DAB Transcript

Malachi 1:1-2:17, Revelation 21:1-27, Psalms 149:1-9, Proverbs 31:10-24

Today is the 30th day of December welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I am Brian it is…it is a joy and an honor to be here with you today as we gather around the Global Campfire for the last couple of days of this year. And the Global Campfire’s not going anywhere. January 1st we just start over and go on a new adventure. But we’re down to the last couple of days of the adventure that we are currently on. So, we set sail a long time ago and now land is not only in sight. We can see where we’re gonna dock and the journey of this year is nearly complete. But we do have some territory to cover before we get there. And that leads us to the final book that we’re going to encounter this year, that being the book of Malachi.

Introduction to the book of Malachi:

Malachi is the 12th out of 12 minor prophets. The name Malachi means my messenger. And, so, there have been scholarly debates about whether the title of this book is the name of the author Malachi, or whether it's a book titled “my messenger”. We’ll assume that the author was a prophet of God, named Malachi. And don't know almost anything about Malachi. What we do know is in the book of Malachi, he was likely a contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah. And remember going through Ezra and Nehemiah, the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem. And, so, this would be the time period that we’re moving into. Malachi lived about 100 years after the Persian Empire defeated the Babylonian empire who had defeated the kingdom of Judah and carried…well…and destroyed Jerusalem and carried everyone into exile. The Persian Empire began to let Hebrew exiles go back to their homeland, and it had been more than 50 years since the temple construction got underway under the prophetic voices of Haggai and Zechariah. But all the promises in those prophecies, the promises of restoration and the future prominence for the land were not fulfilled. The people were in their homeland, their ancestral homeland, but the…the glory of who they once were had not returned to them. And, so, they just existed as a tiny province of the Persian Empire, distant and discouraged. And because of that discouragement the people’s passion for God was also discouraged, which brought on moral and spiritual decline. Like, one of the things we find in Malachi is that sacrifices that were offered to God, they were supposed to be spotless and without blemish but the priests had begun to use the blind animals and blemished animals for sacrifice and the law was becoming more and more irrelevant as a part of their culture. And, so into this comes the voice of Malachi who was probably the final prophet in the Old Testament age and he came rebuking the doubting faithlessness of the people. And like so many of the other prophets that we've heard so many times inviting them to return to the Lord. Malachi will obviously lead us to the end of the year. It is the final book in what we call the Old Testament. And after his words, it would be another four hundred years before a prophetic voice emerged again and that prophetic voice had a name, John, a person that we know of as John the Baptist who we’ll be meeting again in the new year in just a few days. But after Malachi four centuries pass before he emerges and the arrival of Jesus. And, so, with that, we have talked about all the different books of the Bible we’ve kinda flown over them as we prepared to read them. The is last time we get to do that this year. Now, let's dive into this final book that we get to encounter, Malachi. And today we’ll read chapters 1 and 2.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for 364 days consecutively together around a Global Campfire moving through the Scriptures allowing Your word to wash into our lives opening our hearts to You and allowing You to do the transformative work inside of us that we could never do for ourselves. We thank You for the ways that You have shifted our thinking, the ways that You have challenged our behavior, the ways that You have comforted us, the ways that You have been patient, which are beyond number. We thank You for Your mercy. We are grateful. We ask once again, as we have asked so many times that by the power of Your Holy Spirit, You would plant what we've read into the soil of our hearts, that in due season it will yield a crop and that that would be the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, and that it would be bountiful, that we would be giving it away everywhere. Come Holy Spirit, we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is certainly a website, and it is where you can find out what's going on around here. The Daily Audio Bible app will do that as well and you can download that free from whatever app store is connected to your device, and then it will be in the palm of your hand. So, check that out.

And while you're checking things out, check out the different sections on the website that or in the app like the Community section or the Daily Audio Bible Shop or the Initiatives. Check out what's going on.

And if you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible here in the last couple of days of the year, thank you profoundly, thank you humbly. We would not be here if we were not in this together. And, so, thank you deeply that we are. We are here around the Global Campfire taking the next step forward each and every day. And, so, if that has been meaningful to you there is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragements you can hit the Hotline button in the app or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you year tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Merry Christmas DAB family it's Lisa calling from the West Coast. Thank you so much for all your prayers. My back health journey has taken a twist. It turns out I have cancer. So, that was pretty surprising. But to be honest it's been pretty interesting. I think everything that I've learned from God over the last few years has really prepared me to be where I am. I've really just had a sense of peace from the beginning of my diagnosis, and I just really feel like God is telling me to really make sure I go out into the world and shine my light and His light. And, so, I wanna make sure that I'm using this time to bring others to God. Yesterday I had my first procedure and I just decided to wear, like a fun festive outfit and to cheer up all the doctors, nurses, and techs and everyone there. I had to be there basically around the holiday, and it was just the best experience. I just met amazing people and we had such a great time and I never would have expected that a scary procedure would be something that would be so positive not just for me but for other people. And it's also just been amazing. My friends have been already really helpful with…with my back injury, you know, driving me places and helping me get groceries and lift things. And, so, now that it's cancer it's just been incredible. My friends have just come together, and I feel like…I just feel so loved. So, I just wanted to let you know that I am praying for anyone else who's going through any kind of cancer diagnosis or any other health scares, just that God sees you and God helps you just feel a sense of peace in this time. Merry Christmas.

Hi Deb this is God's Life Speaker I'm going to read from Brian's epilogue in the daily devotional the God of Your Story. He writes, I don't believe I have a final word in mind as we end our time together but I do have some final thoughts. We can now see that the Bible has given us a beginning and an end. In the process that has touched every soft spot and every stony place in our hearts. We can look in the mirror and truly understand how profoundly and humbly the Bible has come to guide us in the last year. If you've embraced journaling we've written quite a story and God has been involved in it more than ever. It is my earnest prayer that the dance you've begun with the scriptures continues for the rest of your life. You've proven that you can do it and you are not the same person you were a year ago because of it. Imagine what another year in the scriptures will do. Consider joining me along with 10s of thousands of your brothers and sisters around the world for the journey all over again on the Daily Audio Bible. One last thought, benedictions appear throughout the Bible, and this is Brian's benediction. I'm going to skip down to it. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He lift His countenance upon you and give you peace. May the strength of God go with you. May the wisdom of God instruct you. May the hand of God protect you. May the word of God direct you. May you be sealed in Christ this day and forevermore. Amen. Lord God, You know our hearts, You know each story. You have heard the beautiful Christmas party and Lord we pray that we can begin again together on the 1st of this coming year, so Lord I pray a blessing over each of the DABbers. Thank you, Brian and your entire family, and we just pray that You would be magnified Lord in each of our lives in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Hey family this is One Penny Saved from southwest Missouri, and I was just listening to Sneezing Jesus by Brian Hardin on Audible, and it just dawned on me that I need to encourage everyone to look into that to get Audible and download Sneezing Jesus and reframe. It would be great gifts. But I want to say that I have listened to this for so long at nighttime. And, so, that's why when Brian made this Sleep album it was just such an incredible miracle to me because listening to Brian's voice for like 15 years every single day of my life reading God's word just brought such peace to me. And, so, I wanted to hear that at night, but I couldn't. You know, Daily audio Bible doesn't play through without stopping. So, I remembered the…the Audible books and I started listening to them and I just wanted you to know that you should listen to Sneezing Jesus. This time of year would be the greatest time because, as I said, this community has grown, it's so obvious that we are today's church. We are the church and Sneezing Jesus just opens your mind up to a new beautiful place and I’ve listened to it so many times and I will never stop listening. And I love you Brian for giving us the Sleep album. I gotta go. Love you guys. Merry Christmas. Happy new year.

Hey DAB family this is Gift of God calling on Christmas morning. Lord I'm calling for prayer Lord for my son Dorian. It's Christmas and I haven't been able to sleep. I got a call from Florida. He's been arrested on Christmas morning hallucinating because he'd gotten a hold of some mushrooms or something that they're doing now, some stuff. And I pray… Would you all pray with me? Pray for me rather and pray for him that he find salvation. I really do need this prayer. And I do not want my 2023 year to come in with him being locked up. And I knew you guys…you’re my family. I can call on you and I know you will pray for me and pray for him. His name is Dorian. Thank you.

Hi DAB family this is Laura in Colorado and I did not get a chance to call in a Christmas greeting but today is Christmas Day and I've been able to hear all of your wonderful voices driving home from a shift at the hospital where I'll sleep and go back and do it all again. But it's just so wonderful to hear your voices today on Christmas Day. And as we come to the end of another year, this is my third year finishing. On January 1st I’ll start my 4th year, which I can't believe and how much I've just grown to love this community and the rhythm that that Brian brings to life of walking us through days and weeks and months and eventually years. And now starting to feel the rhythm of just, you know, what part of the year we listen to that part of the book and getting used to hearing Revelations through…through December as Brian was talking about. And this is kind of a bittersweet week. It's like we're coming to an end and then we get to start a beginning and it's very exciting and I look forward to doing that with all of you. I'm also the nurse who's been trying to adopt the abandoned baby from our NICU and I just wanted to let you know that she's still with us. She's with us for Christmas and some…some biological family has surfaced and we're not really sure what will happen there. If you would just please continue to pray. We call her Anna. I realize I’ve never left a name. But we call her Anna and that God’s will just be done in her life, that if she's meant to be with us that God will make away. And we know that you are all so faithful to pray. So, Merry Christmas…

Hello, my name is Miranda, and I live in the UK. I'm currently visiting my dear mother in Australia. I've been listening to the Daily Audio Bible for a year and it has been very transformational and essential to my everyday life. Thank you so so much all involved including the people who call in with their prayer requests. I'm so encouraged, so much so that I built up the courage to reach out for myself on this occasion. The Lord has called me to do ministry work and he called me during the time where I felt so very close to Him and I wanted to be obedient. __. I'm struggling with issues with anger that I've had to…to deal with all my life. I am…it…it's an anger that I’ve inherited from my father, and it impacts my marriage greatly and all my relationships and my day-to-day life. And I feel…I…I just feel so vulnerable and unable to…unable to be loving. I know that I can, I have been in the past, but I feel so disabled by this anger that just __ up within me. And I'm so concerned for the relationships around me. The people that I love, the people that I'm closest to seem to bear the brunt of it. So, I'm reaching out for prayer because I hear so many wonderful results from your faithful prayers and I'm trusting that when you lift me up, if you will kindly do so, that the Lord will address this issue. Thank you so very much. God bless.

Deep dive into the book of Revelation:

Part 11

Okay, so it's no secret that tomorrow is the last day of the year. So, obviously we have come down to the final readings in the Bible, which means we have also come down to the final readings in the book of Revelation that we've been diving into this year. And in today's reading we kind of turn the corner. What began as seven letters to seven churches turned into seven trumpets and seven bowls. And we spent a lot of time with a lot of disruption, and we've looked at many views from many angles that eventually led us to the…the great white throne of God and the final judgment and we passed through that yesterday in our reading. Now we get a picture of all things being made new and the imagery is riveting. And as we've gone through the book of Revelation we've looked figuratively, and we've looked literally in an attempt simply to get behind all of the things that have been said about the book of Revelation to try to get insight on what's being said. So, we have to look at all things being made new from the same perspective as we prepare to end the book of Revelation and the Bible. So, let’s look literally at what we read today while doing what we've been doing all along, asking ourselves is this literal, this a literal thing that's being said or is this a figurative thing that's being said that represents something bigger that can…that can be said. So, after the great white throne judgment that we read about yesterday, we are greeted with the fact that a new heaven and a new earth have appeared. So, when you stop and think about that literally, a new heaven and a new earth, which would tell us that our ultimate destination is earth. Just apparently not this one. In the new earth there is no sea. The sea was gone. So, clearly that would be a very different earth. What we don't know is if John is referring to like the Mediterranean Sea will be gone and how would that work. But if we just assume there are no oceans than a very different earth. And on this new earth John sees the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth dressed like a bride ready for her husband. And a loud voice from the throne said, “God lives with humans. God will make His home with them, and they will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God and He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there won't be anymore death and there won't be any more grief or crying or pain, because the first things have disappeared.” So, on this new earth that has no oceans God plans to actually dwell with people. And this is happening, the one sitting on the throne says, “I'm making everything new. I’m the first and the last. I’m the beginning and the end. And I'll give a drink from the fountain filled with the water of life to anyone who is thirsty. It’s not gonna cost anything. Everyone who wins the victory will inherit these things. I'll be there God. They’ll be my children.” And then he says, you know, cowardly, unfaithful, detestable…all of the people that have been judged earlier they don't…they don't get to go into this new rest. And then continuing literally, one of the seven angels that had one of the seven bowls that were poured out on the earth at the end with the seven plagues came to John and said, “come, I’m going to show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And, so, John is carried by the angels power to a high mountain where he sees this new holy city, Jerusalem, coming from God out of heaven. And it's obviously ornate with gates and jewels and angels and inscriptions. The names of the 12 tribes of Israel are on the 12 gates. There are 12 foundations and each foundation has the name of one of the 12 apostles of the Lamb written on it and it’s coming down from heaven to earth and it gets measured and it’s…it's…it's a cube, it's a big cube coming down out of heaven that is at cubed city coming down-to-earth and it's measured…and its measurements are 12,000 stadia long, wide, and high. And 12,000 stadia equates to about 1600 miles or almost 2600 km. And, so, from literal perspective somehow this will work. The atmosphere of this new earth must be different because on the earth that we currently live on, I mean, if we just get 60 miles up we’re kind of in outer space. So, 1600 miles tall would be way out there in outer space. And the Angel is telling John that this 1600-mile cube coming out of the sky down-to-earth is the bride. And there is no temple in this…this new city because God himself and the Lamb are the temple and the city doesn't need any exterior light like the sun or the moon because the glory of God illuminates it. And apparently because it has gates you can go in and out of it and…and Revelation says, “the nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. So, you can go in and out of it or at least some people can. And its gates never close. It's opened all day. They…they don't close because there isn't any more night. So, it never gets dark outside. And everyone who would pass through the…the great judgment, their names…their…their names were found in the book of life, the Lamb's book of life will be able to go into the city. So, that's kind of a literal…literal look at what we read today. If we’re looking at this figuratively then there are a plethora of nuances. But indeed, a new heaven and a new earth are established. But this doesn't necessarily mean different planets to the idea of first and second or old and new are used throughout the Bible. So, if you have an old covenant, a new covenant, a first Adam, a second Adam or language like the latter will be greater than the former. This is usually indicating the impermanence of the first and the permanence of the second. So, this second earth, this new earth certainly could be at a different planet, but from a figurative perspective, it would be a restored one, one in which evil does not exist, where pollution is gone, where corrupt political systems of governance do not exist, one in which the presence of God is immediate and tangible. Basically, an existence that is restored to shalom where nothing is broken and nothing is lost, all has been restored to perfection, there are no more goodbyes, one in which death does not exist and God wipes every tear from our eyes, one in which there is no grief or crying or pain, because those things do not exist anymore. This picture comes from the book of Isaiah, where it is said there will be a new heaven and new earth, and they will by no means remember the former. So, looking at that figuratively, the struggle to survive in a dark world while trying to remain true to Jesus unto death, that's…that's over. That will never happen again. But when we did read about this new earth, literally, we found that it has no sea. So, there are no oceans. From a figurative view scholars just simply look at how this the sea was referenced in the rest of the book. So, it was seen as the origin of cosmic evil. It was referenced as the place of the unbelieving rebellious nations who attack and try to stamp out God's people. It was referenced as the place of the dead. It was referenced as the seat of the world's idolatry and evil trade activity. So, figuratively those things aren’t…aren’t a part of this new earth. So, sticking with this figurative view of the sea, then that means that on this new earth there’s no longer a threat from Satan or darkness or evil. Those have been permanently judged. They can never be a part of the new creation. And there won’t be any threat from a political, or corrupt, rebellious nations. They've…they've suffered the same fate is the devil. There won't be any more death. So, there is no reason to have a place of the dead. And even the fear of the ocean itself as kind of a dark, murky, unpredictable place will be over. And this new city has 12 gates, each named after one of the 12 tribes of Israel with the foundation having 12 foundations, each having the names of the apostles, which would figuratively basically represent the completeness of God's redemptive plan, that all who are within this city are essentially the true Israel, which is not an ethnic thing. And it's not the structure itself, this 1600 mile cube that is going to somehow…this cube that isn’t alive is going to somehow become a bride. It's…it's everyone within that sphere, and this is thought to be true because…because God uses marriage as a metaphor for his covenant with His people all throughout the Bible, even in devastatingly heartbreaking ways. So, God is probably not interested in being in a covenant relationship with a…with a literal structure. Rather, He wants union with his people - loyalty, allegiance and perfect intimacy. And God saying that He is the Alpha and Omega, you know, isn't the Lord saying that He is two letters in an alphabet. It is to say that He is the beginning and the end, right? So, we see that very clearly as a figure of speech, so figuratively. But He's saying as a way of reassurance, that He called creation into being at the beginning and has remained sovereign so we can be assured that all things will be made new because He is the beginning and end of it all. And those who win the victory or those who overcome or are overcomers will inherit all of this. And as we’ve seen from one of the main themes of this book that we’ve talked about several times over, an overcomer is the one who endures through whatever, until the end. And what we inherit is union and communion with God and all of the essentials that we need for an abundant life in His family are available. And it's been pointed out that the look of this new Jerusalem, the way that is constructed with all of the precious stones remarkably parallels the description of the great whore of Babylon, right? So, on the one hand, John was told, I will show you the judgment of the great horror. And then he’s told, come, I will show you the bride. So, figuratively throughout this book Babylon was the dark, evil world system consolidated into a city name. So, those who look at this figuratively would say the same thing is happening here. One was an attempt to dominate and demand worship and it was full of the world's people who went along with that. The other is true and is full of those who remained true. And we talked about that a lot when…when we were talking about the judgment of Babylon. But in terms of looking at this new city, figuratively and not as a structure, the illusions go to other parts of the Scripture that are…that are used figuratively. For example, when Jesus is referred to as the cornerstone that the builders rejected. I don't think anybody thinks Jesus is a…is a piece of rock, is a stone. That would be figurative language. Or when Peter says in his first letter that we as believers are precious living stones. We can…we can take that figuratively pretty easily because no one thinks that their destiny ultimately is to become a stone. And, so, that's why these things are seen figuratively in terms of this new city. And there won't be a temple in this new city. So, if this city isn't about the structure of the city, but about the people within it, then perhaps there isn’t a third temple to be built. But that is hotly debated. But figuratively the temple always represented the presence of God. Before there was a temple there was a tabernacle that represented the presence of God. So, in this new creation there's no need for that. The presence of God is everywhere and is not hindered or impeded in any way. And what about the dimensions of this new city. I mean outside, it’s like 1600 hundred miles. It’s like 1500 or 1600 miles, I think 7 million feet tall. So, obviously an amazing structure. But in Revelation it's described as 12,000 stadia. And the number 12 is symbolic throughout the Bible. So, there's 12 tribes of Israel. There's 12 apostles. In this new city there's 12 angels at 12 gates. Earlier in Revelation there were 12,000 people from 12 tribes of Israel that made up 144,000. There were 12 precious stones in the breastplate of the priest. And we could go on and on. Many scholars affirm that the number 12 is a number signifying authority and completeness. So, when applied figuratively to the new Jerusalem it would represent the entire family of God, as opposed to a cubed city. So, there are a couple of ways of looking at what we've read today. And as with everything that we've talked about in the book of Revelation this is just the tip of the iceberg. But man, man, no matter whether this is literal or figurative or whatever this is gonna look like this is the unimpeded presence of God with no distractions in a world where evil does not exist and perfect union with God is completely normal. It's a picture of how things were always supposed to be for us and it's a promise that all things will be made new. And if there's one thing that I'm certain of in my life it is that I want to be there. I want to stay true. I want to see all this and I'm…I'm sure in the end it will be completely different than I might imagine, or that any of us might imagine, but what I want more than anything is that first moment of pure ecstasy of the full presence of God, followed by the awareness that it never ends. Don't you? And we can all be there. We can all overcome. And we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. We get there by realizing that the end of what we think we know isn't the end of anything. It is only the beginning.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for these pictures that describe what is beyond comprehension. We take the book of Revelation for what it is, a promise. And we invite her Holy Spirit to come seal us in Christ, that we might endure whatever comes our way, whatever time we are in. Come Holy Spirit we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

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takahero · 3 years ago

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some descriptions of Basta in Inkheart if you’re interested!! spoiler warning just to be on the safe side, in case u haven’t read it. and my unsolicited commentary here and there

“‘Naturally I recognised them at once. Capricorn had sent his best men. Even Basta was with them.’” — pg.99

“Rasping cat’s-tongue voice” pg.125

“(Basta’s face) was thin, sharply angular, with close-set eyes…Basta was not a tall man, and his shoulders were almost as narrow as a boy’s, but Meggie held her breath when he took a step towards her…He had an aura of fury about him, or something keen and biting—” pg.126

“Only Basta wore a snow-white shirt, just as Dustfinger had said, with a red flower in the buttonhole of his jacket, a red flower like a warning.” pg.131

“He caught her eye, and with a twisted smile kissed the blade of his knife.” — pg.173 (I JUST HAD TO ADD THIS)

“‘Oh, Basta can’t write,’ replied Capricorn calmly. ‘None of my men can either read or write. I’ve forbidden them to learn.’” — pg.176 (literacy rights for Basta 2k21)

“She could see the trepidation even on Basta’s face, although he was doing his best to hide it by assuming a particularly bored expression.” — pg.185

“‘Abduction!’ Basta savoured the word. ‘Sounds good to me. Really good.’” — pg.192 (ok but if u read it a certain way. unofficial evidence that basta would enjoy reading if he could LMAO)

“‘Where’s our luggage?’ she asked.

“Dustfinger looked at her with amusement. ‘I expect Basta’s divided it out among Capricorn’s maids. He likes to ingratiate himself with them.’” — pg.213 LMAOOOOOOO OH MY GOD

“Basta was still standing in the road. His face was sharply outlined when he lit a cigarette with a lighter.” — pg.215

“And he bent down to cut through the leather thong that Basta wore around his neck. It had a little bag tied with a red drawstring hanging from it.” — pg. 231

“‘Ah, Basta!’ Fenoglio smiled. Each of his separate wrinkles expressed self-satisfaction. ‘One of the best villains I ever thought up. A rabid dog, but not half as bad as my other dark hero, Capricorn. Basta would let his heart be torn out for Capricorn, but his master is a stranger to such loyalty.’” — pg.264

“‘You know, if you were to ask me which of those two I was prouder of, Basta or Capricorn, I couldn’t tell you! Even though some critics said they were just too nasty!’” — pg.265

“Basta emphasised the word, putting his foxy face so close to Meggie’s she could see herself reflected in his eyes.” — pg.301

“‘You’ll do no such thing!’ he spat at Flatnose, as the grey cat disappeared under the wardrobe. ‘Killing cats is unlucky. How often do I have to tell you?’” — pg.303 (friendly reminder that the last time he appeared, he kicked a dog in the ribs 😐)

“Basta was walking just behind her, and she heard him quietly cursing the rain.” — pg.304 (irrelevant but i kind of hc basta to like the rain, since it would dampen dustfinger’s showbiz LMAO)

“Basta’s eyes always narrowed when he smiled.” — pg.305

“‘You wear long sleeves,’ Fenoglio continued very slowly, as if giving Basta time to take in every single word, ‘because your master likes playing with fire. You burned both arms right up to the shoulders when you obeyed his orders and set fire to the house of a man who had dared to refuse his daughter to Capricorn. Ever since then, someone else has laid the fire, and you confine yourself to playing games with knives.’” — pg.308

“‘Oh, I know all about you, Basta,’ he said. ‘I know you’d give your life for Capricorn any day, and you’re always hungry for his praise. I know you were younger than Meggie when his men picked you up, and ever since you’ve loved him like a father. But shall I tell you something? Capricorn thinks you’re stupid, and despises you for it. He despises you all, his devoted black-clad sons, although it’s his own doing that you’re still so ignorant. And he wouldn’t hesitate to set the police on to any one of you if it was to his advantage. Are you quite clear about that?’” — pg.308 (FENOGLIO…..RUTHLESS)

“Basta winked at Meggie.” — pg.310 (wink 1)

“Every cruel deed with which he had ever credited Basta was probably going through his head. Basta relished the fear on his face for a few delicious minutes.” — pg.312

“Basta’s car had not been in the car park at all since they’d come here. It was unusual for it to be gone so long, because Basta didn’t like to be away from the village for any length of time.” — pg.318 basta is a homebody guys

“‘Save your tongue for later, scribbler!” Basta interrupted. ‘I don’t like whispering.’” — pg.324

“Almost all the women in the village kept away from Basta, but he didn’t keep away from them.” — pg.337

“‘Take him, for instance,’ he said, pointing to Basta. ‘I always knew he was a very unhappy boy before you picked him up. As it says in another very fine book, it’s terribly easy to persuade children that they are worthless. Basta was convinced of it. Not that you taught him any better, oh no! Why would you? But suddenly here was someone to whom he could devote himself, someone who told him what to do — he’d found a god, Capricorn, and if you treated him badly, well, who says that all gods are kindly? Most of them are stern and cruel, wouldn’t you agree? I didn’t write all this in the book. I knew it, that was enough.’” — pg.345 (this is really the part that made my stance toward basta change. like PHEW. that’s a lot to unpack)

“Basta was notorious for his silent tread.” — pg.363

“Basta’s breath smelled of mint, fresh and sharp. Apparently a girl he’d once wanted to kiss had told him he had bad breath. The girl had regretted it, but ever since then Basta chewed peppermint leaves from morning to night.” — pg.364

“He whistled softly through his teeth, then held the book close to Meggie’s face.”— pg.374 (i was rendered speechless)

“Basta’s lips quivered with annoyance, but he bit back his reply and, without a word, put his hand under the black cloth.” — pg.377 (ugh I loved this. like we know he worships capricorn like a dog, but earlier fenoglio flat out told him capricorn couldn’t care less about what happened to him. more than that, capricorn asked basta to bring meggie and fenoglio — prisoners — into his home. later dustfinger says that basta would’ve slept on the threshold of capricorn’s room if he could but none of the men sleep there. so with all of this fresh in his mind, you can imagine him feeling quite hurt and betrayed. UGH I wish he had a greater arc surrounding capricorn…like even if we saw a few hints that his loyalty was starting to show cracks…idk what his arc is in inkspell so maybe I’ll sit tight for that)

“He was in a hurry to get back to the light of day, away from the dead and their ghosts. His hand shook as he hung his lantern on a book and opened the grating over the first cell.” — pg.409

“Dustfinger was always surprised to find how easily you could scare the man with a few words.” — pg.409 LMAOOOOO

“‘That notion of burning us isn’t a very new idea, Basta, but then you were never fond of new ideas.’” — pg.422

“His teeth were almost as white as his shirt.” — pg.442

“Meggie saw from his face that everything in him felt revulsion, but he came closer and took the creature. He held the scaly body well away from him as it wound and twisted in the air.

“‘As you see, Basta doesn’t care for my snakes!’ said the Magpie, with a smile. ‘He never did, not that that means much. As far as I know Basta doesn’t like anything but his knife. He also believed that snakes bring bad luck, which of course is pure nonsense.’ Mortola handed Basta the second snake. Meggie saw the viper’s tiny poison fangs when it opened its mouth. For a moment, she almost felt sorry for Basta.” — pg.446

“‘Basta likes to use snakes to scare women who reject his advances. It didn’t work with Resa. How did it go exactly — didn’t she finally put the snake outside your door, Basta?’” — pg.446 (10/10 resa & snake well-deserved)

“Basta did not want neighbours. Indeed, he wanted no other company but Capricorn’s. Dustfinger knew Basta would have slept on the threshold of Capricorn’s room if he had been allowed to, but none of the men lived in the main house.” — pg.478

“Basta was probably the only man in Capricorn’s village who locked his front door.” — pg.480

“They said in the village that whenever Capricorn had a house set on fire Basta took away a brick or stone, even though he feared fire at other times, and clearly that story was true.” — pg.480

“(Everything in Basta’s house was scrubbed clean, as spotless as his snow-white shirt.)” — pg.481

“Once or twice, footsteps approached, but each time they passed by the house. What a good thing Basta had no friends.” — pg.482

“Basta was not in a good way. Whenever they looked at him they saw his hands clinging to the bars, knuckles white under his sun-tanned skin.” — pg.503 (BASTA’S SUNTANNED?!?!)

“Basta in particular was the object of enough scorn and derision for ten men, and from his failure to react at all one could only guess at the depths of his despair.” — pg.503

“For the fraction of a second life came back into Basta as his former lord and master stopped by the bars; he raised his head, his eyes pleading silently, like a dog begging for forgiveness…Basta only bowed his head and stared at the floor. Elinor thought he looked like an oyster with the flesh and life sucked out of it.” — pg.504 (i honestly still can’t wrap my head around his behaviour in this chap. i mean yes, the gladiator-style death sentence looming over his head can’t be understated. but i think for me it was how rapidly his spirits deteriorated from screaming for help in the cell to becoming a husk of a man before he even saw capricorn again? how?? was it all because of dustfinger spooking him so bad in the crypt?? 🤔🤔)

#the list nobody asked for #im gonna keep adding and editing for personal reasons #it’ll be interesting to see if any of my thoughts change after inkspell tho I’m kinda scared #basta #i could’ve sworn there was another wink!!!!!!!!! I SWEAR #basta: don’t swear oaths u can’t keep #inkheart

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haleigh-sloth · 2 years ago

Note

First fandom you joined?

Your opinion on bnha chapters 299,300,301,302 and 303?

Your opinion on bnha chapter 364?

1. Back in the deviant art days I think I can consider myself a part of the fma fandom back then. But as far as really deeply discussing things and caring enough to pay close attention to details and make predictions and theories etc., BNHA is the first one.

2. 299: Hawks’s backstory explains a lot about his actions we saw from his introduction up to that point. I would say it’s a good chapter in the big picture, but unfortunately there is 0 follow up on his one-sided attachment to Endeavor, so far. I’m still waiting. 300-302: mm, my initial opinion was bad, but that’s because the fandom reaction worried me into feeling bad about them. Looking back, I’m pretty happy with Touya’s backstory and how everything panned out. I like that it wasn’t just another Shouto situation, I like how complicated and messy it is, because it makes Touya as a character a lot more interesting to follow until the end. The negative feelings I have are more so just me waiting for something to finally happen with Endeavor. He keeps dodging responsibility, which is in character for him, but I’m waiting for the story to make him stop dodging. I can feel that we’re getting there. There is literally no other next step that can be taken with the Todoroki arc, with Endeavor and Touya and Shouto. The hospital chapters don’t bother me. What bothers me is the follow up after, which (much like with Hawks) I’m just waiting to see finally happen. 303: I really didn’t like this chapter. Not when it came out, and not now. Mostly because if Hawks was going to insert himself into the Todoroki situation, it’d be nice for it to actually have some sort of impact. At the time, the framing around him wanting to continue supporting Endeavor seemed like it would imply that Hawks would make sure Touya specifically never got another chance to make his dad face him. At any costs. Unfortunately I was let down and the ominous framing and Hawks’s fucked decision to back Endeavor of all people all amounted to….nothing. Nothing consequential. Again, still waiting to see how this plays out because the manga isn’t over and Hori’s writing style sometimes delivers on things, just at fucking awful pacing—same with him and Twice—but currently it’s just ಠ_ಠ ugh

3. I don’t have much of an opinion on it like, quality wise. I like the chapter, seeing AFO’s face finally was exciting. Being right about him making a comeback with a face reveal was REALLY exciting. It’s too early to tell how good of a chapter it is in the big picture, and there isn’t any follow up on it yet. But I think there will be. What I think is gonna happen as a result of it though is that with Kurogiri AFO is gonna somehow be put in Shigaraki’s vicinity, Spinner will be put in Shigaraki’s vicinity, Aizawa and Midoriya will end up with him there too, and things will get worse. And I think Aizawa will put a stop to AFO’s rewind, landing him permanently as the final challenge for everyone.

#anonymous #bnha asks #boku no hero academia #bnha

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holycow99 · 3 years ago

Text

石田お寿司 12/9/21 stream translation Part 1

This is not the full translation of the stream. I only translated the parts I could understand & interpret or parts I found interesting/important. I’m still a beginner in Japanese, so the translations may not be accurate. If you want to repost, please repost at your own risk.

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I: Hello. Can you hear me? Good night. (t/n: He’s replying to a comment.) You can hear me? Hello. Welcome.

I: My tone sounds great today, ***-kun? (t/n: OP commented that his tone sounds great.) Of course I’ll be excited in the beginning of the stream. But only in the beginning.

C: Your voice somehow sounds young.

I: It’s because I just slept.

*Typing on twitter

I: I finally did it. This is a simultaneous worldwide stream. Do you understand it? Ah, I’m so tired. I’m tired of sleeping.

I: I’ll be drinking my coffee. Itadakimasu.

I: It was a long vacation, wasn’t it? When was the last time you guys heard from me? On September…Well, it doesn’t matter.

I: I don’t have anything particular to do for this stream. I just felt like it.

C: I’ve been listening to your streams repeatedly during holiday.

I: Thank you.

C: We last heard from you at the end of August.

I: I see. Thanks.

C: Thank you for your hard work on the manuscript!

I: I did the rough sketches first. I was brainstorming.

*Someone commented on Animal Rap.

I: Animal rap? I actually wanna try this. Actually, I’ve done recording for one video, but won’t it be scary if suddenly in the middle of the stream, animal rap video is uploaded. Without saying anything, suddenly there’s a new animal rap video being uploaded. Won’t it be scary stream?

(t/n: I’m not sure if the translations for this part is correct. He said something more but I haven’t reached this level of Japanese understanding skill. Forgive me.)

C: Animal rap itself is scary, so it’s okay.

I: What a hilarious thing to say. Are you actually afraid of animal then?

C: Have you got vaccinated?

I: Nope, since I’ve been locked up in my house. I want to though. I want to get injected a lot. Around 10 times.

C: Sensei, did you read Berserk chapter 364?

I: Is it the final chapter?

Y****: Let’s inject the head.

I: Nice one, Y****. Well, since Y**** is an introvert at school, he must be a non-popular kid. Because he doesn’t have any friends, he can’t wait to meet me. Is it like that? Hahahaha.

I: I’m not even aware of the things happening around me. I don’t even know when the exhibition in Osaka will open. I want you guys to tell me about me.

C: I’m aiming to be a mangaka, but having someone that can be a mentor for me to learn from is better, as expected?

I: I don’t think so. It depends. In some degree, it’s better to do it by yourself. If you really wanna write a manga and you wanna create an environment that allows you to do so, if there’s a chance to be an assistant, I think it’s better for you to grab it. Because you’re still not familiar with how these things work. I think it’s better to be an assistant first. You don’t have to be one for a long time though.

C: I want to diet. Where should I start?

I: Record your weight. Measure your weight and record it in calendar. Doing that makes you feel conscious about your weight. You’ll probably can lose weight that way.

C: Are you still eating oatmeal?

I: I’ve been eating Onigiri only.

C: I wanna change job, but I’m anxious to because of the economic situation. Please encourage me!

I: It’s better for you to change job, since you said you wanted to. I think everyone is anxious. There’s no one who isn’t.

C: I’m happy that the JJ illustration that you posted on twitter will be made into goods!

I: Yeah, without my permission. Hahaha. When the illustration was made into goods without my permission, I was like “Eh? This is…”. I’ll stop talking about this. Hahaha. I won’t talk about this.

*Someone commented about Kingdom exhibition.

I: I wanna go to the Kingdom exhibition.

I: What I said just now (about JJ illustration) was a lie. Please forget about it. Are there companies like that? Of course not. I was just joking. If that’s the case, then anybody can freely turn my illustrations into goods. Though there’s a person who sent me the PugMax t-shirt.

C: I wanted to be a mangaka when I was small. As I got older, I only immersed myself in the real world. I’ll be a civil servant starting from next year. I don’t have the courage to challenge myself, so I want to give my unconditional support to those who are.

I: I don’t know how old you are, but you can still draw even if you become a civil servant. Just draw one if you really want to.

C: You have to collect royalty.

I: I do get royalty. I get 5 yen in total.

C: How old will you be this year?

I: 250,000 years old.

C: How are you?

I: Like usual. But I made progress on the manuscript, so I’m relieved. I kinda forgot how to draw it.

C: I thought you were in your 30s.

I: Nope, I’m far older.

C: You haven’t started game streaming?

I: I’m haven’t decided yet for today.

*People were discussing about his age.

I: Doesn’t matter how old I am.

C: Do you prefer women with long hair or short hair?

I: Short hair.

*People commented about Heavy Rain.

I: Oh, you want to see me playing Heavy Rain? I’m okay with that. I’m okay with playing games or anything. I’ll be a yes-man for today. Everyone’s yes-man & toy, Ishida Osushi.

*Someone commented about Animal Rap again.

I: I wanted to say something about this. I’ve done the animal rap video. I only upload videos I’ve received from the animal themselves, not me. But I was afraid to upload it, so I refrained from doing so. I wanna try uploading the video while streaming. That’s what I wanted to say. Well, it doesn’t really matter. I just upload it after I finish streaming. I don’t understand the need to upload the video and streaming at the same time.

(t/n: He said something more, but again, info on Animal rap is hard for me to decipher. I’m really sorry.)

C: What did you watch recently?

I: Movies.

C: There were people who got scared by the fact that Ishida Sui raps.

I: No, you’re wrong. Ishida Sui doesn’t rap. Ishida Sui doesn’t do streaming as well.

C: Do mangakas have the chance to meet women?

I: It depends on the person. The ones who’re locked up in the house won’t. But…That’s right. You might if the workplace has mixed genders. You also have the chance to meet people during party or some sort. I’ll always be at the corner every time I go to parties. It’d be nice if the party was fun and the staffs could enjoy themselves. I also said that I went to parties to take a break, but I hated it.

C: You’re not going to parties?

I: Nope, I won’t. The company doesn’t hold them as well because of the current situation. Even if I did, I wouldn’t know what to do. I don’t really eat the food, and introducing myself to people is tiresome.

I: S****** is here.

S******: Ishida Osushi can become a pro mangaka.

I: I’m aiming for it.

C: Fukuoka suits you, sensei.

I: Somehow, I feel grateful. It’s like you’re telling me that it’s okay for me to live in Kyushu.

(t/n: Kyushu is an island where Fukuoka is located.)

C: Sir Osushi, what do you think of Sir Sui?

I: I have a murderous intent towards him.

C: Does the thumbnail hold any meaning?

I: It does. Look forward to it.

C: Being a streamer suits you (Osushi) better than being a mangaka.

I: Hahaha.

C: The drawings of Neji (JJ character) by Ms. Towada were wonderful!

I: That’s right. Neji drawn by Ms. Towada. I want you guys to tell me something like this. I want you guys to tell me about my current situation. Things like, “would you retweet this?”, “This is JJ’s…”, “The CD’s also…”. Let me change my twitter account. First is Ms. Towada, right? Let’s retweet Ms. Towada’s tweets. I thought of drawing something like this. She drew quite a lot. She drew him more than me. I feel bad having her to draw it. I feel grateful rather than feeling bad. She drew a lot of them. Yonaga’s illustration looks nice. I see… There’s like an incomplete rough drawing. I thought of copying and drawing that illustration. I’ll just retweet this. Tell me what should I retweet next.

C: Is Ms.Towada doing well as well?

I: I talked to her a few days ago.

I: Do read Fool Night.

C: Do you like Aespa? (t/n: Aespa is a kpop girl group. Ishida had drawn one of the members.)

I: The girl caught my attention. I thought she was beautiful.

*Someone commented about his illustration of Ano-chan. (t/n: Ano-chan is a Japanese singer. Ishida had come to her radio programme once, and he did the album cover for her latest album.)

I: Ano-chan! What happened to that? Have you seen the album cover? It’s already out?

*Someone commented about Fool Night.

I: The world in Fool Night is super amazing. It was quite a while ago, the person in charge of the Superior magazine watched one of my streams and asked me if I could write some comments. I was like “Don’t tell me that!” (referring to watching his stream). I hate being seen. But then, I was like “whatever.” I usually turned it down, but I just wrote for this one.

*Someone commented about Wooma (t/n: an illustrator.)

I: Who’s Wooma? Let me check it.

C: Sensei, I’m a good child. So, is it okay for me to sleep?

I: Yes, of course.

C: Sensei, do you smoke?

I: No.

I: Ah, Wooma is the illustrator for the song ‘Usseewa’. Sorry for the lack of knowledge.

C: Do you watch Christopher Nolan’s works?

I: I’m not that familiar with movies, but I may or may not watch it. I’ve been getting into movies lately. I searched for the movies Takahashi Kunimitsu told me about. You tend to watch anything when you’re obsessed with movies, right? I was also obsessed with history for a while after I learned how fun it was from Takahashi Kunimitsu. I’ve been reading 2-3 books on history a day lately.

C: Until what time are you gonna stream?

I: Today is infinite as well. We have another 12 minutes left. Haha. I’ll keep on streaming today. I won’t end the stream today. It may end tomorrow. (t/n: He definitely kept his words.)

C: Sensei, do you like itzy? (t/n: Itzy is another kpop girl group, and Ishida had also drawn one of the members.)

I: Yes.

I: Tomorrow is a holiday? There are people who are not working tomorrow.

C: What are you drinking?

I: Coffee.

C: You only need another 800 people to reach 30,000 subscribers.

I: Yeah. It’s gonna reach 30,000. I have to make an appreciation stream or video for 30,000 subscribers. A lot of youtubers are doing this, so I have to do it too. I wanna do it. Feels like a youtuber. Isn’t it fun? I wonder what should I do for it? What would be fun? Let’s go with this concern first. I get lost if I don’t go one-by-one. It’s one of my bad habits.

*They’re planning on what Ishida should do when he reaches 30,000 subscribers.

C: Show your nails.

I: I don’t do manicure.

C: Heavy Rain.

I: Wanna play Heavy Rain as well.

C: Please let us hear your sneeze.

I: There is such person sometimes. Creepy.

C: Why don’t you play Ghosts n Goblins for now?

I: After the stream, I felt like playing the game. They had something like magical clock, though I forgot the name. The one that double the speed of the game. I really wanted to play that, honestly. Though, it wasn’t suitable for streaming. I thought of playing it in my own time. I really like that kind of games.

C: Will you sing when you reach 30,000?

I: During the previous silent stream, Queen Bee’s song was playing. Those who watched may know. I thought of appearing for a moment and sing and then end the stream. I wouldn’t do it, but I just thought about it. At that time, I wanted to try having just an illustration stream.

C: I’m waiting for an autograph session after the Corona ends.

I: The pandemic probably won’t end for at least 2-3 years.

*Someone wanted him to sing Gaston’s song.

I: Gaston. Singing, huh? Hahaha, why am I having second thoughts? I thought I’m okay with anything.

C: how about a karaoke battle?

I: Karaoke battle, huh?

C: Do you have any piercings?

I: I’m not wearing one right now, but I do have it. (t/n: I didn’t expect him to have a piercing. He’s really different than what I imagined a mangaka to be. XD)

C: I’m hoping for JJ’s song covers!

I: JJ? JJ’s songs are difficult. It was super hard during the time I did the covers. Seriously, when I heard it back…The cover for the opening theme was scary. I thought my singing ability had increased since I recorded this one the last. A few months ago, I listened to it after a long time, it was…what should I call it? A sutra, no, a curse. Me and JJ’s opening theme. I forgot the title of the song. Jack and something. There were parts in the songs where the female and male characters had to harmonise. To convey that part, I had to cover the song multiple times. I multiplied into 7 people, since I had to record as Kisa as well. When I was recording Kisa’s part, the other version of me at the back, probably Kai, was harmonising with me. I was told to deepen my voice by Mr.Kasama. So embarrassing. The voice was really low. I was drawn by Mr. Kasama’s voice. His voice was really good when he said ‘Broccoli’ for the cm.

*Ishida imitating Mr. Kasama.

I: It’s cooler than this.

*Imitating him once again.

I: I was like “So cool!”

C: Invite the animals that appeared in Animal rap as guests.

I: That’s a good idea. But what would the guests be doing? It’s absolutely hard to do that. It’s hard to invite the animals because of corona.

C: The title is “Jack & Jeanne of Quartz”.

I: Right. Thank you.

C: Won’t you invite Hanae?

I: I won’t. That’s impossible. (t/n: I want to see him playing horror games with Hanae Natsuki.)

Part 2

#ishida sui #tokyo ghoul #jack jeanne #choujin x #chojin x #ishida sushi channel

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jaybug-jabbers · 4 years ago

Text

Pokemon Gold/Silver Beta Pokemon: The April 2020 Leak

Look, 2020 was a rough year. So maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised that the April 2020 Gold/Silver source code leak flew almost entirely under my radar. If you Google about it, you’re find it’s very rare for news outlets to cover it. This is probably because many folks are hesitant to cover leaks. Also, the US was warming up to a truly awful pandemic around that point, not to mention other civil unrest, so it’s no surprise some people were a tad distracted.

But the fact is, another leak turned up in April of last year, following a recent trend of huge Nintendo leaks. And this one was a doozy. I’ve only truly realized its full extent in the past few days. As such, I’d like to do a post that covers some of the new information. In particular, I’m focusing on beta pokemon that were cut or heavily reworked.

Now, back in 2018, the Spaceworld ‘97 Pokemon Gold/Silver Demo was leaked online. I made a post about some of my favorites. So, from this leak, we already knew of a while slew of beta pokemon. However, as it turns out, there were still more new faces to find-- and a lot of them! I list 45 new beta pokemon here, in fact!

In the April 2020 leak, several sprite sets were found as internal files, each at different phases of game production. The sprite sets were dated May 6, 1998, June 13, 1999, June 21, 1999, and September 17, 1999. The August 17, 1999 Spaceworld ‘99 Demo build was also found, so we have information on that as well.

Essentially, if you want to see this information at The Cutting Room Floor, then head to this page for the sprites discovered as internal backups/sprite banks. Head to this page for the Spaceworld ‘99 demo information page. And, if you need a refresher for the older leak, you can go to this page for the Spaceworld ‘97 demo build.

For this post, we will focus on the May 6, ‘98 set of sprites, which contain the vast majority of new faces. So, without further ado, onward to the pokemon!

(#300) Kokopelli Pokemon/Celebi

(May 6, ‘98) (Spaceworld ‘99 Demo)

This first pair of sprites looks very much like Kokopelli, a fertility deity of some Native American cultures. This deity can be seen in ancient Native American petroglyphs, as a humpbacked flute player with feathers on the head. Surprisingly, we find that Celebi in the Spaceworld ‘99 Demo seems to be an updated version of this design, making Celebi’s design origins much different than expected. However, its fertility diety inspiration is still somewhat apparant in the modern Celebi, as a creature that causes plant life to flourish.

(#301) Eel Pokemon

While the sprite files did not reveal a name or other data, this eel’s sprites were numbered right beside the Gurotesu (Grotess) and Ikari (Anchorage) sprites, suggesting it once was the start of their evolution chain.

(#304) Fire Fox Pokemon

This little fellow is a fox that seems to have a fiery tail. It’s possible this fire fox was inspired by kitsune (just as Vulpix/Ninetails were) and that it was later redesigned as Fennekin.

(#305 - 308) Snow Bunny Evolution Line

These four pokemon seem to belong to the same evolutionary line. The second one seems to based on the Yuki Usagi, a ‘Snow Bunny.’ In Japan, these cute little critters are made in the snow (using leaves for the ears). They also sometimes make these Yuki Usagi as little marshmallow or mochi treats. So this pokemon line could be inspired by either of these. Considering the leaves and the snow, I would guess these would have been Grass/Ice.

(#309) Elephant Pokemon

You might wonder if this chonky boy-- looking tough with horns on his head and back-- was an early version of Donphan, but Donphan and Phanpy were present in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo. Indeed, this elephant and Phanpy/Donphan both exist in the same set of sprites from May ‘98, so it was simply a case of two types of elephants. This pokemon also calls to mind a glimpse of a cut beta pokemon we saw from Generation 1 (from ‘Satoshi Tajiri: The Man Who Made Pokémon’):

Same fierce eyes, at any rate! Alas, these both never saw the light of day. However, it’s possible this elephant was reworked into Piloswine, which is not in the May ‘98 collection but does appear in the June 13 ‘99 collection (although Swinub is absent). While Piloswine and Swinub are more akin to wild boars, there is also some relation to mammoths (an inspiration more heavily leaned on with Mammoswine in later games). Then again, there’s another pokemon you’ll see a little further down this list that might have inspired Piloswine instead.

(#311) Natu/Xatu Mid-Evolution

What is clearly a mid-evolution (its file number sits between the two). Has a peacock-like tail. Honestly, I think this works really good as a mid-evolution, and I don’t know why it was cut. I want to name it “Watu.”

(#313) Drunk Kiwi Pokemon

This one is just hilarious to look at. It appears to probably be a kiwi-bird? A very crazy-eyed, loopy one. I can see why this one was cut. The goofy, simple design kind of looks like a knockoff cartoon character for children.

(#314) Scorpion Pokemon

A pretty badass-looking scorpion, although a rather basic design. I dig the funky head, though. It seems like it has a single, beady eye and is rather menacing. This pokemon may have been later reworked into Gligar, a pokemon that first appears after this sprite set, in the June 13 ‘99 group:

Admittedly this is rather different from the Gligar we know, but it is an early design.

Or, who knows-- maybe this little fellah was later reworked into Skorupi. (If so, it’s a shame, as I don’t dig the weird accordian-like design of its limbs and its evolution.)

(#315) Quail Pokemon

A pudgey little quail pokemon. Doesn’t seem related to the kiwi pokemon. It’s a very cute little thing, and has lots of potential to evolve into something interesting, but it seems they scrapped it pretty quickly.

(#316) Music Note Bird Pokemon

Although these sprites are numbered right after the quail, and they are both birds, the designs are very different, so they seem unrelated. It seems the beta pokemon were simply blessed with a lot of birds. This little bird is in the shape of a clef, giving this bird a musical theme. It seems very likely it was later reworked into Chatot, a bird with a music-note shaped head and metronome tail.

(#319) Boar Pokemon

A cute, grumpy little boar with antlers. Probably what eventually led to Piloswine found in the June 13 ‘99 group. A bit of a shame, in my mind, as I kind of prefer this design.

(#325) Spikey Dog Pokemon

The curious thing is that this dog looks very similar to “Pudi,” a pokemon we saw in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo, which was intended to be a pre-evolution of Growlithe. But Pudi is also in this same collection of sprites!

Perhaps they were toying with the idea of re-designing Pudi (and had already scrapped a bunch of baby pokemon) and just hadn’t bothered to remove the old Pudi yet. It’s hard to say. Ultimately, these both were scrapped, but at least we still have Subbull/Granbull.

(#331) Yūrei Ghost Pokemon

This little ghost has two things that are common in Japanese folklore: the hitaikakushi (the white cloth headband it wears) and the two little balls of fire called hitodama. It is unknown why this ghost pokemon was scrapped, but perhaps they thought the little fellow wouldn’t translate well overseas?

(#344) Viking Ship Pokemon

Look at this beauty! A pokemon based off some sort of Viking ship. I absolutely adore this one. It’s creative and charming. I hope to see it in the future.

(#349) Wooly Dog Pokemon

This canine-like creature is fluffy as all out. Honestly I think it’s a tad odd, with how tangled and disheveled its fur looks. I can’t help but compare it to the early desings of the three Legendary Beasts, since they also are very canine-like:

These three designs are present in this same May 6, 98′ sprite collection as the representations of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. Were they possibly playing with a different design idea for the Legendary Beasts? Perhaps Suicune. The Wooly Dog is just such an imposing sprite, that I can’t help but wonder. All pure speculation, of course.

(#350) Rabbit Pokemon

This rabbit has a rather intense look about him, and it makes me curious what the ideas were behind it. TCRF suggests it’s a possible pikachu clone.

(#351) Snake Pokemon

This cute little worm or snake seems to be wearing a feather headdress, suggesting its design may also be Native American inspired, like the Natu line. On the other hand, this could be inspired by Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent deity in Aztec culture. I would have loved to see this little guy’s evolutions.

(#352) Scarecrow Bird

A bird with a hat that kind of looks like a scarecrow. Honestly, it’s a super-cute idea.

(#353) Gargoyle Pokemon

This crouching beastie sort of looks like a gargoyle with a long, sharp tail. I can’t quite tell if those bits on the side are little wings or just a part of its legs. It would be interesting to see this creature standing in a different position-- I feel like that would give us a better understanding of what it looks like. Interestingly, there are striking similarities with Aerodactyl:

I wonder why they are so similar?

(#354 - 356) Manbō Evolution Family

The first of these three fishies was someone we already met in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo-- it was named ‘Manbō 1.′ In the demo, it evolved into Ikari (Anchorage) and then Gurotesu (Grotess). It seems it’s now been split off from those and given a new evolution family here. While I find that neat, and I quite like the expressions on these fish, they are admittedly a little bland.

(#360) Flying Squirrel(?) Pokemon

TCRF guesses this is a flying squirrel, and it seems to be wearing a sheathed sword. Not sure about the headgear it’s sporting. Is that a ninja star?

(#364) Early Cyndaquil

So, this May 6, ‘98 collection is really exciting. The original Gold/Silver fire starter line we saw in Spaceworld ‘97 (Honooguma’s line) is still present in this collection (as is the water-type ‘Cruz’ line and Chikorita’s line). So, what we have here seems to be an early Cyndaquil before they decided to turn it into a fire type and make it the fire starter! In fact, those spikes might even be icicles (like Alolan Sandslash), for all we know. If so, Cyndaquil’s typing pulled a 180.

(#377) Early Furret?

Possibly an early Furret. Looks pretty awkward, not gonna lie; I’m glad it was probably refined into modern Furret, with more body definition between the head and tail.

(#378) Stork Pokemon

It’s a stork, based on the myth of where babies come from. A cute idea, although its curly ‘hair’ looks a little funny to me.

(#380) Squid Pokemon

A squid with drills for its mantle and arms. Since that’s kinda Beedrill’s thing, I’m glad they scrapped the idea. The backsprite lacks drills so it’s probably from a different design stage.

(#382 - 383) Early Burmy/Pineco

Burmy/Wormadam/Mothim is based off the bagworm. Bagworms are grubs that use silk and lots of bits of leaves, bark and other objects to create a camouflaged cocoon. When they turn into adults, some species of female bagworms just look like their larval stage, while the males turn into winged moths. That is why Burmy/Wormadam/Mothim have their unique evolution situation. Clearly, these two beta pokemon are playing around with the bagworm idea. They probably went on to inspire both Pineco (another pokemon based on bagworms!) and the Burmy line in gen 4.

(#386) Koala Pokemon

It’s so cool to see they were thinking about a koala pokemon this early. We would not finally get one until gen 7′s Komala.

(#387) Tanuki Pokemon

A Tanuki that is carrying campfire kindling on his back, but the kindling has caught fire. Apparently based on the Kachi-Kachi Yama folktale, which is a surprisingly violent story, but I suppose folktales often are. Who knows why it was cut, but Sentret is the closest thing we have to a tanuki pokemon for now.

(#392) Megaphone(?) Bird Pokemon

Yet another bird pokemon! There sure were a lot of beta birds. This one appears to have a megaphone-shaped beak. Or, possibly, its head is shaped like a gas mask (the strange eyes seem to support this idea). Honestly I really dig the look of this one.

(#397) Frog Pokemon

It’s tough to tell but it has a small horn on its head. It has a long tongue and is probably shouting “ribbithhhhhh!” It’s cute, but a little plain.

(#400) Tiny Hippo Pokemon

Look at this little weirdo. I think it’s a tiny hippo? With a mohawk and a big grin and wild eyes. It doesn’t really seem to have a head, its mouth/eyes/ears are just stuck directly to a body. Looks pretty awkward, probably needed some polish. No idea what they were going for with it, but it’s interesting.

(#401) Skeleton Pokemon

A very spooky, bipedal, living skeleton beast. It has a long snout and sharp teeth, almost like a crocodile or a dinosaur-like creature. Its head and shoulders have bony spikes and the front of its snout has markings that seem to be a nasal cavity. Very detailed. It also reminds me of Missingno, as some Missingno used the fossil skeletons as their front sprites. I would have loved to have this pokemon, and it’s a real shame they didn’t use it.

(#402) Rodent Pokemon

A mouse or bunny with gigantic, spotted ears and no arms. Those are some serious ears; it almost looks like it could fly with them.

(#403) Fly Pokemon

A bug-type!! It has a huge, creepy face, curly antenna and wings strangely really close to its head. I love it?? But it’s a bug, so of course I do.

(#404) Plant Pokemon

The Snow Bunny was likely part grass-type, but other than that, this is our first grass beta! It has one eye, a spikey head, and almost foot-like roots. I love how grumpy it looks. There’s a possibility it was a pre-evolution for Sunflora, before they had created the idea of Sunkern (which is not present in this collection).

(#405) Ant Pokemon

Another bug!! This one looks a lot like a winged ant. (Those do exist-- usually a temporary thing for mating flights) It’s possibly related to the fly pokemon above, sporting very similar wings. However, it doesn’t really seem like an evolution.

(#406) Dinosaur Pokemon

A little dinosaur-like pokemon, looking up at you. It’s unclear if that’s a tough, bony skull, or if it’s maybe a hat. The clubbed tail makes me wonder if it’s related to #415 below, but it’s probably unlikely. However, it is pretty likely that this later became Cranidos.

(#407) Early Cherrim

This clearly was a design that was picked up later, in gen 4, to create Cherubi/Cherrim’s sunshine form. I am glad the design was improved, because the lips on this one scare me.

(#412) Early Dunsparce

Dunsparce looking quite different. No wings, no drill tail, with a much more typical snake-like face.

(#415) Dinosaur Pokemon

It looks like an aquatic version of an Ankylosaurus or something similar. It’s possible it’s related to the Viking Ship pokemon (as a pre-evo), but there’s no way to know. I quite like it, though.

(#416) Flying Fish Pokemon

This magnificent beast, this miracle of creation, is surely my favorite beta pokemon of all time. Revel in its glory. You may not like it, but this is the ideal pokemon body. What a perfect way to round off our collection of betas.

#pokemon #pokemon gold/silver #beta pokemon #april 2020 leak #pokemon betas #pokemon beta content #mycontent #pokemon discussion

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the-fourth-knower · 3 years ago

Text

Diary of a lost doe, part 1

A short fic where my character Annabelle writes in diaries

Fresh off losing her parents, Annabelle Flaches must contend with trying to fend for herself and her baby sister Angelica. And with Angelica talking to a mysterious green orb when she thinks Annabelle isn’t watching, things are only at the tip of the iceberg.

This is for me and Aquillis’s “half and half” AU, our ‘main’ AU. not to be confused with Aqui’s pack universe which is her underground re-write.

Due to the length I'm splitting this into two parts. This is part 1, part 2 is here!

Diary Enry 1, Day I dunno.

Okay here it is. First diary entry I guess. Gotta keep it brief, writing instruements are hard.

Been a few months since that day. We’re doing fine. Angie started another garden. Moved to a new spot.

Got some new things for the house. Old car door and a tire. Not sure what I’ll do with the tire gonna use the door as part of wall.

Finished roof this morning. Good thing 2, might rain.

Angie still sleps bad if not next to me. Writing while she’s curled up. Wasn’t for scars on ear and having to sleep in same clothes she’d look like we’re still home.

Gotta sleep now.

Diary Entry 2

Maybe got a job. Illegal probs but $ is $

Angelica talked more today. Good sign? Maybe she relapses back into not talking but progress.

I never thought i’d miss her annoying stupid “hey lets go explore a cave and not tell anyone bout what we’ll do” self. Never thought about losing mum and pa ei

Shit crying. Bye.

Diary entry 3

Diary didn’t get too wet yesterday.Don’t think bout mom and pa it ends badly.

I can’t afford to break down even if Angie’s sleeping

If I break down then Angie will get upset

I won’t put her through it

I won’t

…

Diary entry 54

Had to leave town but am 600 $ richer

Angie’s quiet again. But she didn’t complain bout us leavin

gonna go for a city maybe. more risk but more money and places to live.

Jadetown’s the city. Dunno too much bout it but mum liked it.

Should get there in maybe a cuple weeks or so

Angie’s sound asleep. No kicking or anything so that’s good

Hope the city’s okay. Angie hates crowds.

Need somewhere with not a lot of crowds to live at

…

Diary Entry 63

Been a hot second. Settling in Jadetown’s pretty hard.

Find a quiet spot in the slums. Pretty shitty now, but the two of us can make it work

Angie still isn’t talking, but she kept close to me while we made our way through the crowds. She seemed fine as long as she held my hand

Lost her a couple times, but not for long. She seemed upset bout it.

Sorry Angie.

I’ll do better. I promise.

...

Diary Entry 169 (it’s the morning but fuck it)

The nightmare happened again.

Angelica having her ear scared by those monsters. mum and pa being taken away in exchange for us being set loose

Only it loops around and around before it’s just cries and blood and knives and screams and crying and they’re all surrounding me judging me for just failing everyone because you’re a fucking failure

Haven’t had it a while. Don’t upset yourself, Angie needs you.

Diary entry 169? Night

Angelica almost killed some street thugs.

we caught some dumbass looking punks bullying some sort of chao. I think it’s a chao

I ran up to one like an idiot and gout in their face to know what they’re doin, and the things went dark. I got knocked out on my ass, apparenlty the big brute that led them butted me in the head. Asshole didn’t even let me get ready

I came to to Angie trying to shake me awake. When I looked around the punks were gone, there were plant vines all over, and the other kids that had gathered were a mix of crapped their pants and mouths on the floor

I asked angie bout it and she just said she took care of them and that the punks had run off

What the hell did she do? Usually I’m the one saving her? But she was having none of it today.

Oh the chao’s fine, weirdass chao though. Never seen chao that just cause flowers to grow around them or in their footsteps.

Made 30 $

Rib’s hurting and headache, Angie fast asleep. Time for bed.

Diary Entry 170

Chao’s bak.

Visited Angie’s garden for a while watchin me watchin it. It waved and left right around Angie gettin up.

Showed up again when we got back home. Angie hasn’t seen it yet. Good thing, she wanted to bring it with us. We can’t afford three mouths.

I don’t like it. We save its ass and now its stalking us.

Made nothin.

Ribs hurt less. Still a bitch.

Diary entry 171

Angie’s found the “chao”

She talked to it all morning when she thought i was napping. Couldn’t sleep, too afraid of bad dreams.

It doesn’t make chao sounds. Or it does but really weird ones.

Then it turned a green light ball for a bit and back into a chao

Angie liked that.

I don’t trust it. Even less.

Need to watch it.

Angie’s relaxed.

Made 5$.

Diary Entry 172 morn

Nightmare again

Diary Entry 172 night

Angie got excited, claimed that she “found Trevor”

he lived near us back in our old home

Had to tell her no, every red mouse we see is not Trevor.

She says that Trevor and his family were gonna move here, pretty inistent too.

Man she gets caught up on the smallest things

Made 20$

Diary Entry 173

Chao returned while i was working. Left Angie on her own

Shes seemed like she was having a fun time being able to talk with someone

She’s not made friends much. Maybe i’m being too hard on the ‘chao’

Still gotta watch it. It could be manipulating her

Haven’t told her I know bout the chao yet.

Should i?

Not now. Angelica is sleeping.

Made 5$

Diary Entry 174

‘Trevor’ spotting 2. Angie wanted to go bug the person. So we went and sure enough as we got closer Angie changed her mind. It was a rat, not a mouse she said.

How can she tell the difference?

No Angie and chao visit. Unless it was while i slept in. but why would she be secretive bout it?

Saw the punk bitch again today. Looked like he crapped his pants when he saw Angie and she glared at him. That’s my sister.

Made 60$

…

Diary Entry 364

Got a new diary. Last entry for this one. Things going well. Got a good thing going for myself.

Angie found a new plant today, and now she’s got it in her garden.

Loved the look on her face when I got it for her.

Made 50$

Angelica’s chatted with the Chao again. Sort of like, is her guardian I think. Or is that its name

Guess good bye diary 1. Really weird to do but it feels right.

Angie’s sleeping well enough on her own. She mumbles but that seems it.

Do I do a good job keeping her safe

Diary 2 Entry 1

Managed to find a new diary. Keeping the old one just cause, and because I have the storage. For a couple of street bum does, we’ve got a decent enough house going. Been able to put it together from bits and bobs lying around, Angie even threw in her hat and added her own touches.

Looks ugly as hell with the plants holding things together and it’s all a mish mash of junk and crap I found, but it’s our mishmash of junk and crap.

Also saved up enough and am making enough to afford more than one pen and even some pencils. So I can write more often. Just felt like writing

Angie’s started to get more vocal again. I think she’s catching onto the fact the way I’ve been making money is less than honest a lot of the time.

I’m not going to sell myself for it though. I’m not degrading myself with that and nayone who fucking tries is going to a hospital.

And if any of those freaks dare go near Angie there won’t be enough left for a morgue to pick up.

Oh, and the chao’s still around. I can feel it. Angelica loves it, I think. I don’t trust it entirely, yet. But, it hasn't been a danger for the past months. So I think it’s actually a good thing.. Angie calls it Guardian. Maybe it's our own Guardian Angel.

Made 65$ today.

Good journal entry me. You got talkative. Writative? Whatever.

...

Diary 2 Entry 23

Got into a fight today, that was fun. The punks from when I helped save Guardian decided to jump me when Angelica was at the house. Guess they figured they could jump me without little sis to back me up. Too bad for them, when I don’t get suckered I’m damn good at defending myself. Sent them packing. Got a bit bruised. Why is it always the ribs with those guys.

Admittedly. I didn’t have to beat the crap out of them. But talk shit get hit, I say. They shouldn’t have been trash talking me when I was walking by.

Angelica was upset when I got back. Should’ve expected that, really. Don’t know why I didn’t think she would notice me being hurt, she’s got a sixth sense for that sort of thing. Always has. Kinda weird.

But, she did try and heal me a bit. Somehow, she’s gotten better at it -Ever since she's met Guardian, she’s gotten more control over that healing ability she has. I just need to make sure she doesn’t overdo herself again.

I don’t know anything much bout healing magic or whatever it is, but I don’t think what Angie has is normal. I think she uses herself for it. Whatever healing she tries to do just eats away at her. And whatever it was was enough to frighten Pa to move us in the first place

I think part of me might blame ANgie for it. For getting us out of the safety of where we lived near Agateton and moving.

But if we didn’t move would we really have been safe still. And it wasn’t Angie’s fault she did what she did, it was Pa who pushed for it and Mum who went with it.

So do I blame them? I don’t want to. The monsters that took them and hurt Angie are the ones to blame.

But they wouldn’t have found us if we didn’t move near that forest. But Mum and Pa couldn’t have seen it coming.

Ugh. brain hurts. Fuck this mind screw bullshite

Spent 123.54$ today. Groceries and supplies. Tampons are stupid expensive but I want to have a decent supply for when we need them. Also some food.

Made 13$. Gonna need to work more to recoup.

No idea if Angie talked with Guardian. She still thinks I don’t know anythin bout it.

At least, I think she doesn’t. She gets defensive and acts like she doesn’t know what I’m talking about.

I wonder why she does that. Wonder if it’s tied with how I react to her saying she’s found Trevor for the umpteenth time.

Maybe I should press her bout it. But I don’t want to get her worked up over nothin.

Okay that’s enough, my mind’s getting wandering now and I stay up if I do that.

...

Diary 2 Entry 54

Someone showed up with a bunch of robots earlier. Cause quite the commotion, sent people running, the usual.

Apparently he set up shop in the rich quarter and is causing all sorts of troubles. People have been coming to and fro a lot the past few days.

Angie got worried over explosions. Had to calm her down, explain that whatever it was probably wasn’t coming here. She asked me bout the people there and if they needed help - told her that someone would take care of the rich fops. That’s what they do after all. Who gives a shit about two practically orphaned kids.

Not sure if she bought it. Gotta keep an eye on her. Might need to pull an all nighter.

And we don’t have any energy drinks or coffee. I could go grab one, no one is gonna give a shit if I do, not in this current environment.

Gotta stop for now. Gotta focus on Angie not some stupid book.

Entry 55

Angie’s missin

#Knower writes #Sonic #Sonic Fic #Sonic the Hedgehog #Annabelle Flaches #Angelica Flaches #didn't realize it'd be so long #guess that's what happens if I just let myself write something #but I had fun writing this #hope everyone enjoys this first part

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bratshaws · 9 months ago

Text

through the hourglass 386. brb x oc

a/n: my day was awful uwu (comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

/367/368/369/370/371/372/373/374/375/376/377/378/379/380/381/382/383/384/385

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix @lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @louisahale @leobabbyyy @booklover2sblog @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@lyn-js

How was it going so far???

Alright.

He was nursing himself to some punch,non-alcoholic, they still had to go back to the hotel after all. He was sitting on the corner as Beatrice busied herself in getting some water instead of punch, his smile widening as she looks back at him, “I got some lemon water.” she announces, holding the glass “It’s nice, you want some?”

Rooster's smile softened at Beatrice's thoughtful gesture, "Sure, honey," he replied, accepting the glass with a grateful nod, "Thanks."

Beatrice returned his smile, her eyes shining with affection as she watched him take a sip of the refreshing lemon water. As they stood together, sipping their drinks and chatting quietly, Rooster's mind wandered back to their earlier conversation with Jason. "You know," Rooster said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence between them, "It's funny how life works sometimes. Meeting old friends like Jason...it's like stepping back in time."

Beatrice nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it really is," she murmured softly, "It's strange how certain moments can transport you back to a different time and place."

Rooster took another sip of his punch, feeling a sense of nostalgia wash over him as he reminisced about their past. "Do you ever miss it?" he asked quietly, his gaze drifting to the dance floor where couples swayed to the music, "The way things used to be?"

Beatrice sighed softly, her heart heavy with longing for the carefree days of their youth. "Sometimes," she admitted with a wistful smile, "But then I remember how far I’ve come since then. And I wouldn't trade where we are now for anything."

"Me neither," he replied softly, reaching out to take her hand in his, "I'm grateful for every moment we've shared, even the difficult ones."

Beatrice squeezed his hand gently, her eyes shining with love and gratitude. "Me too," she murmured, leaning in to press a tender kiss to his lips, "I love you, Rooster. Always."

Rooster's heart skipped a beat at Beatrice's words, overwhelmed by the depth of emotion in her voice. "I love you too, Beatrice," he whispered, his voice filled with sincerity, "Forever and always." he leans down to kiss her forehead.

Weird to have a romantic moment when Get Low by Lil Jon started playing.

Beatrice smiles up at him, “Are you having fun?”

He hums,hugging her close to press his lips to her forehead “...you know…I am,a little. It's definitely...an experience," he replied, his eyes scanning the room as the pulsating beat of the music filled the air.

The music continued to pulse around them, the energy of the crowd infectious as they danced together in the dimly lit room. Rooster held Beatrice close, his hands tracing gentle circles on her back as they watched the crowd.

It was…something, but at least those people were having fun.

"Hey, you know what?" Rooster said suddenly, his voice low and intimate as he looked into Beatrice's eyes, "I'm really glad we came here tonight. It's been...nice."

Beatrice smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling with affection. "Me too," she murmured softly, "It's been a wonderful night, I’m glad you are having fun.”

Rooster's smile widened at Beatrice's words,he held her a little tighter, kissing her forehead, thanks gorgeous. At some point, the DJ switched up the music, transitioning from upbeat dance tracks to slower, more romantic tunes. Rooster pulled Beatrice closer, "Remember this song?" Rooster murmured softly, his voice barely above a whisper as he recognized the familiar melody.

Beatrice nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she leaned into him. "Of course I do," she replied, her voice soft and tender, "It was one of the first songs you played on the piano for me.”

“Yeah…’ he smirks, holding out his hand “Shall we?”

Beatrice's heart fluttered at Rooster's invitation, a warm glow spreading through her chest as she took his hand. She let him lead her to the center of the dance floor, their movements fluid and graceful as they swayed to the music.

As they danced, Beatrice couldn't help but lose herself in the moment, the world around them fading away as she focused solely on Rooster. His touch was electrifying, sending shivers down her spine as they moved together in perfect harmony.

Rooster held Beatrice close, his arms wrapped protectively around her as they moved to the rhythm of the music. He pressed his forehead against hers, his breath mingling with hers as they shared a tender moment together.

Beatrice gazed up at Rooster, her eyes shining with love and adoration as she lost herself in his gaze. In that moment, surrounded by the soft glow of the dance floor lights, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

The song came to an end, but Rooster didn't let go of Beatrice. Instead, he pulled her closer, his lips brushing against hers in a gentle kiss. Beatrice melted into his embrace, her heart overflowing with love for the man who held her in his arms.

"I love you," Rooster murmured against her lips, his voice filled with sincerity.

Beatrice smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "I love you too," she whispered back, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Thanks for…being here,by the way.”

“You don’t have to thank me,”

“I know but…” he frowns “You know I was very hesitant in coming here.”

Beatrice gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from Rooster's forehead, her touch tender as she looked into his eyes. "I understand," she said softly, "But I'm glad you decided to come."

Rooster's expression softened at Beatrice's words, a sense of warmth spreading through him. He leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering against her skin as he savored the moment. "I just needed a little push,gorgeous," he murmured, "You know that."

Beatrice smiled up at him, her heart swelling with love. "I do," she replied softly, "And I appreciate it more than you know. And I–”

“BRADSHAW!”

He grimaces. John.

Rooster's smile faltered as he heard John's voice cutting through the tender moment. He reluctantly pulled away from Beatrice, turning to face his old friend with a forced grin.

"Hey, John," Rooster greeted, his tone strained, "What's up?"

John swaggered over, his usual cocky grin plastered across his face. "Man, you gotta come check out this new bar I found," he exclaimed excitedly, clapping Rooster on the shoulder, "It's got the best drinks in town."

Rooster glanced back at Beatrice, a silent apology in his eyes as he tried to navigate the sudden interruption. "Actually, John, we were just about to head out," he replied, his tone firm, "Maybe next time."

John's grin faltered slightly at Rooster's rejection, but he quickly recovered, slinging an arm around Rooster's shoulder. "Aw, come on, man," he wheedled, "One drink won't hurt. Besides, I haven't seen you in ages."

Rooster exchanged a helpless look with Beatrice, silently pleading for her understanding. Beatrice nodded in response, a small smile playing at her lips as she squeezed Rooster's hand in reassurance.

"Fine, one drink," Rooster relented with a sigh, knowing that John wouldn't take no for an answer, "But my wife has to come with.”

John blinks “Wait…what? But this is a macho retreat man!”

Rooster's eyebrows shot up in surprise at John's response, his irritation growing at his friend's insistence on excluding Beatrice. He exchanged a quick glance with Beatrice, his expression tight with frustration.

"Sorry, John, but Beatrice is my wife," Rooster replied firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument, "And wherever I go, she goes."

Beatrice's heart swelled with pride at Rooster's words, her admiration for him growing with each passing moment. She squeezed his hand, silently thanking him for standing up for her.

John's expression darkened at Rooster's refusal, his annoyance evident as he glanced between them. "Fine," he muttered grudgingly, "But don't expect me to treat you any differently just because you're married now."

Rooster shrugged off John's attitude, his focus solely on Beatrice as he led her out of the room. "I wouldn't expect anything less," he replied coolly, "Let's just go and get this over with."

The bar was dimly lit and crowded, the sound of laughter and music filling the air as they entered. John led them to a corner booth, where their old friends were already gathered, beers in hand and smiles on their faces.

"Hey, look who finally decided to join us," one of them exclaimed, clapping Rooster on the back as they slid into the booth, "Thought you were too good for us now that you're married."

Rooster forced a smile, his discomfort growing as the conversation turned to their past exploits. He glanced at Beatrice, silently apologizing for dragging her into this mess.

But Beatrice just smiled at him.

He waits until she’s comfortable to sit down next to her, kissing her forehead ‘You okay with this?”

Beatrice nodded, her smile unwavering as she leaned into Rooster's touch. "I'm fine," she reassured him softly, "As long as I'm with you."

He pressed a tender kiss to her temple, silently thanking her for her support.

"Hey, Bradshaw, remember that time we crashed that party in college?" one of their friends exclaimed, his voice loud with excitement as he regaled them with tales of their wild youth.

Rooster forced a smile, nodding along with the story as memories of their reckless antics flooded his mind. “Sure…” he did not remember “It was…crazy,huh?”

Beatrice leaned in close to Rooster, her voice barely above a whisper as she spoke. "Do you really remember crashing that party?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Rooster shook his head slightly, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Not really," he admitted quietly, "But I'm not about to let them know that."

Beatrice chuckled softly, her hand reaching out to squeeze Rooster's thigh under the table. "Well, at least they seem to be having fun, and stopped…being weird i guess." she murmured, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Hey, Bradshaw, remember that time we went skydiving?" John then said and Bradley just furrowed his brows.

Rooster's confusion deepened at John's words, his brow furrowing as he tried to recall any memory of going skydiving with their friends. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't conjure up any recollection of such an event.

"I...don't remember that," Rooster replied slowly, his voice tinged with skepticism, "Are you sure we did that?"

John shrugged nonchalantly, taking a swig of his beer before replying. "Yeah, man, it was epic," he insisted, "We jumped out of a plane together, remember?"

Rooster exchanged a glance with Beatrice, his confusion mirrored in her eyes. "I'm pretty sure I would remember something like that," he said with a small frown, "Are you sure you're not thinking of someone else?"

"Of course I'm not thinking of someone else," he snapped, "You were there, Bradley. Don't you remember anything from our past?"

Rooster's frustration grew at John's insistence, his patience wearing thin as he tried to make sense of the situation.

Beatrice reached out to take Rooster's hand in hers, squeezing it gently as she met his gaze with a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Roos," she murmured softly, "We don't have to engage with this if it makes you uncomfortable."

Rooster nodded in agreement, a sense of relief washing over him as he leaned into Beatrice's touch. "Yeah, you're right," he replied gratefully, "Let's just enjoy the evening and forget about whatever weird alternate reality John is living in."

“I mean,is marriage life really taking that outta your brain?”

Rooster’s glare shifted to John who really should just shut the hell up “What?’

"Marriage life has nothing to do with it," Rooster replied evenly, his tone firm, "I just have a good memory for things that actually happened."

John's smirk faltered slightly at Rooster's pointed response, a hint of defensiveness creeping into his expression. "Hey, man, I was just joking," he said quickly, trying to diffuse the tension, "No need to get all worked up."

Rooster resisted the urge to roll his eyes, his patience wearing thin as he struggled to keep his temper in check. "Well, maybe next time you should think before you make jokes about someone's memory," he retorted, his voice tinged with annoyance.

John's attempt at a joke fell flat, the awkward silence that followed stretching on uncomfortably. Beatrice squeezed Rooster's hand reassuringly, shooting him a sympathetic glance as she tried to ease the tension.

"Anyway," John said finally, breaking the silence, "Let's not dwell on the past. We're here to have a good time, right?"

Rooster nodded in agreement, grateful for the change of subject. "Yeah, you're right," he replied with a forced smile, "Let's just enjoy the evening."

“But anyway,Brad,” John begins “Your ma,is she still around? And if so…is she single?”

Beatrice could barely stop her gasp or the blur that was her husband when he launched himself towards John “Roos!!”

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yugyummygot7reactions · 4 years ago

Text

Into the Night - 7 - END

Prelude | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

FIANLE!!!!!

Pairing: Mark x You

Genre: Smut

Word Count: 1819

Warnings: none?

“Mark Tuan,” He said like this man was the most famous human on earth. “There is always a price to pay for his help, but if you need to catch all of them by tomorrow night without any hiccups or brushes with death, you go to Mark.”

“Who is he?” You ask, curious about how Youngjae might know of someone in the land of the living.

“The seventh monster…and your only hope.”

The day with Youngjae was the last mellow day you would have for quite some time. It was spent watching movies, listening to music, and occasionally being possessed to play the piano or taste a food Youngjae hadn’t tried in years. While you were happy for the change of pace, you knew that you should have been working instead. Your family had believed that everything was going smoothly here, but you knew it was far from smooth. You had allowed a breakout from the portal, let 5 monsters get away, and you were enjoying a day of relaxation with the 6th. You had to get this taken care of by tomorrow or the monsters would be left on earth for a year to bring whatever havoc they wanted. Right before midnight, when Youngjae would go back to 364 days of solitude, he explained how you had to contact Mark. He helped you set up the summoning circle in the living room and made sure you knew the incantation by heart. He reminded you that he could only be summoned between 10pm and midnight on Halloween. At midnight, Youngjae disappeared, but you knew he was lingering around for a while to watch the big event unfold. You spend the day preparing. You raided the armory in the basement, made sure to put all security measures into place so that Mark couldn’t escape, and you made sure to have your request carefully worded so that no loopholes could be found. That was the only thing about Mark that Youngjae warned you about. He was the king of loopholes and deception. It was his job as a demon after all. Right as the clock struck 10:00 you took a deep breath, lit the black candles, and repeated the incantation 3 times. Suddenly there was a trembling in the room and Mark is standing in front of you now and the first thing you notice is that his smell is overpowering. The cologne invades your senses, but underneath it you can just make out other scents. Fire and blood. You don’t realize what you’re doing until you feel fabric under your fingertips. You’re tugging him forward by his suit jacket before you can stop yourself. His arms slide around your waist, nose brushing yours as he leans in. “How can I help such an eager young hunter?” He asked deeply, his smile making you question everything. “I want to make a deal” You said, still intoxicated by his presence. “And what is it that you want?” He asked, his lips brushing your ear. You understood why Youngjae warned you he was dangerous. “Two things.” You took a deep breath and stepped back from Mark, making sure to clear your head. “I need you to give Youngjae his human life back. He needs to be given the chance to live the human life that was taken from him in his fully restored body. He also needs to be given this restoration in this house, in front of me, so I can make sure there is no funny business. He needs to return to his human form before he was given vampire venom.” Mark nodded and looked over at the other side of the room, you assumed he sensed Youngjae’s presence there. “Two, I need the other monsters that escaped, ALL of them, to be sent back to through the portal before 11:59pm tonight and anything they destroyed in this town needs to be fully restored to how it was before the breach of the portal.” Mark nodded and paced around, thinking about the terms of the agreement. “I can do that, but it will cost you two things.” He stopped in front of you and leaned closely to your face. “One, you will entertain me tonight in a way of my choosing, no questions asked, and you will give me from 10pm to midnight every Halloween for the rest of your life for me to do what I want with you.” “I’ll do it.” You said firmly, forgetting in the moment there was a second thing he would need from you. “Do whatever you want with me tonight.” Mark doesn't need to be told twice. With one hand tangling into your hair, he yanks you forward, his mouth covering yours hungrily. The warmth spreads to consume all of you. You react instinctively and push Mark hard across the room until he hits the wall. He looks positively pleased with the turn of events. "Like it rough, do you?" he enquires, "It's been a long time since I've been with someone so willing to be rough." Mark's grin widens and his eyes turn completely black, sending a thrill of excitement through you. He seizes your upper arms and spins, slamming you into the wall instead. It knocks some wind out of you, Mark taking the rest when he swoops in for another kiss. Almost instantly, your shirt is torn off, your breasts spilling out for him to admire. The tingling sensation travels down to settle between your legs. You gasp at the feeling, your chest heaving as your breath comes out on short pants. Your eyes were raking over Mark's perfectly cut suit that he had yet to remove. You reach for him and the red-haired demon begins to protest. "No, wait, this is Gucci-" You don't stop, tearing his suit jacket off as easily as he ripped your shirt. You pull his white button-up off next, exposing his toned chest and abs. With a growl he yanks you forward into another kiss, this one is all teeth. He bites your bottom lip, sliding one hand into your hair while the other claws at your chest. Mark grabs your wrists and pins them to the wall above your head. His pelvis presses to yours and you can feel the hard outline of his erection through his tailored pants. "How are you feeling now?" he asks, his breath mingling with yours as he draws his face back slightly. "Hot, tight, eager," you list, arching into him. "I need more." He was having such a strong effect on you, it was terrifying. Mark cocks an eyebrow before dropping to his knees, nimble fingers undoing your pants quickly. He yanks them down, chuckling when he sees you aren't wearing underwear. "Forget something, darling?" he teases, helping you slide your pants off one leg. "Don't see the point when I might have to fight," you scoff. Mark chuckles, hands spreading your legs. As you watch with curiosity, he leans in and runs his tongue along your slit, immediately making your knees buckle. Both your hands tangle into Mark's hair and you grip him tightly to keep him in place. Mark sucks your small nub between his lips and you cry out, hips jerking along with his mouth. He draws back, blowing softly on the hot flesh, making you shiver under his touch. He hoists your free leg over his shoulder. "Keep going," you urge. Mark runs his thumb through your folds, spreading the wetness that has gathered there. “Oh babygirl, I’m in charge here. You don’t tell me what to do.” Suddenly he bites deeply into your thigh and he slides a finger inside of you. You clamp down the intrusion, jerking and twitching from both acts. Mark groans as he tastes you, dark eyes opening to glint up at you mischievously. You can feel something building inside, forcing you to move with Mark urgently. You chase the feeling, grinding on Mark's face until... It's like something snaps inside of you. Your senses are overwhelmed as shocks of pure pleasure shoot through every nerve until you're left panting and limp. Mark hums and withdraws, face glistening as he stands once more. The orgasm ripped through you like nothing before. You thought some of the monsters had brought you to your limit of pleasure, but this was a whole new level. "That, babygirl, is only the beginning," he assures you, sliding off his ruined suit jacket and shirt. You step out of your pants completely. "You're not leaving until you show me the rest…are you?” You ask him as he backs away for a moment. “Of course not.” Mark says, unbuckling his belt. A second later he stands before you, naked and smiling. His body is utter perfection, not that you would expect anything else. His cock is thick, jutting out from a carefully groomed patch of dark hair. He drags you into your bedroom and barely crosses the threshold before he throws you across the room and onto the bed. He joined you on the bed in the blink of an eye and he pulls you onto him, straddling his waist and trapping him underneath you. His cock slides along your wetness, setting your body on fire. Your carefully manicured nails were digging into his pale chest, you drag them down, making him arch his back and moan as you leave a trail of deep, red scratches. Mark clutches your thighs and then rolls, flipping you onto your back so that he’s over you. You lift yourself to kiss him, trying to wrestle him onto his back once more. He resists, wanting the upper hand. “I’m in charge baby girl, or do you want the deal to fall through?” His arm slides around your waist, bringing your hips up to meet his. He thrusts his cock through your folds and you moan loudly. Mark grins and slowly presses his cock further into you, filling you inch-by-inch. Your body accepts him hungrily, stretching to accommodate his girth. The stretch only turns you on more. You tense at the sensation, waiting for more. “Bloody hell,” he swears, falling forward and bracing his hand on the bed. “You need to relax a bit or this is going to end much sooner than either of us desire.” Mark slowly withdraws and thrusts back in, stretching you more and rocking your body. You gasp, practically melting into the mattress. You can feel him slide further in, until his entire length is buried in you. This time when he withdraws, you whimper, fingers digging into his arms. He kisses you, beginning a steady pace as he thrusts deeply. Your tongue plunges into his mouth. He tastes like all of your favorite things in one and it is overwhelming in the best way. The bed creaks as you and Mark rock together, heat and electricity shooting through your body each time he thrusts. His skin feels twice as hot as any humans and when he moves harder, your nerves practically explode with pleasure. Mark growls and fucks you hard, forcing your legs around his waist. You're as close as you can possibly be and yet you want to be closer. It’s still not fast enough for your liking, so you flip him onto his back without warning. Mark doesn’t seem to mind this time, smirking up at you as you start to bounce on his lap. There’s a cracking sound and the bed shudders at it hits the floor, the legs breaking under the strength of the movements. Mark grips your hips and thrusts into you roughly. Your hands fall to his chest for leverage, riding him as hard as you can. The demon swears, jerking and convulsing beneath you. “Is this all you’ve got?” you growl. “Since when does a demon play nice?” Mark narrows his eyes and his face switches, and for a brief moment you’re staring at the demon he truly was. You had to admit you liked his human form a bit more than the demon form, but both were breathtaking in their own way. He was terrifyingly beautiful, and that flash of his other side was the first time you had felt scared you might not make it out of this alive. The air is knocked out of you when he springs to his feet suddenly, crossing the room and slamming you into the wall. It cracks, but you barely notice as Mark takes you, hands digging into your thighs. You cling to him tightly, crying out as his cock hits this spot inside of you that makes you see stars. “You question me?” Mark snarls. The wall cracks further and you feel yourself sink into the plaster, body drenched in sweat, scratches, and blood. You start to shake, the burning in your core returning but way more intense. Mark sinks his teeth into your neck just below your ear and that’s all it takes. The waves of pleasure consume you and you scream out his name. His cock pulses within you and something abnormally warm coats your insides, soaking out to cover your thighs. Then everything goes black once again. You drag your eyes open to find you’ve been moved to the broken bed. Mark hovers over you, smiling. “Maybe now you'll think twice before questioning me,” he says, a sharpness to his voice that makes you shudder. “I'll fix the bed and the wall before I go,” he says. “I’ll get you a bed that is sturdier for next year.” He snapped his fingers and everything was almost as it was before. “Now, that is payment for sending everyone back, what was your other request again?” He tapped his chin as he began to mend his suit you tore earlier. “You only have 3 minutes to remind me.” “Youngjae, being human.” You firmly said, knowing damn well Mark knew what you wanted. “Ahh yes…The ghost boy hiding in the corner. Quite a fun spectator that one. That can be arranged,” Mark says. “For a second price. I will restore his life here and leave you and him in peace, but you’ll owe me a favor since there is nothing else I need at this time.” “Deal,” you say. Before your eyes, Youngjae appears in the flesh and runs into your arms. “I CAN TOUCH YOU!!” He was so excited, and much louder in person than he was as a ghost. Something about Youngjae was different from the others and he pulled you in in a softer way than Mark had. You knew you couldn’t leave him like that for all of eternity. Youngjae jumped up and hugged Mark as well, excited for his new freedom. You stand up gently and approach Mark. “The monsters?” “Gone, back into the other world, I also fixed this shitty town and brought everyone they killed back to life. It’s like this never happened.” “You ruin either deal,” your had went to his now flaccid dick, “Next year, I rip this off.” Mark smirks. “Oooh, how naughty,” he purrs, lips brushing yours. “Deal.” His voice echoed in the air as he disappeared and it was just you and Youngjae left in the room to figure out what to do now.

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totallynormalfanficauthor · 4 years ago

Text

Scarecrow

Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally

Summary: Sally’s first Halloween. She gets scared and runs to the graveyard to be alone, only to realize... she’s not so alone like she thought.

---

This was it.

It was finally here.

Her first Halloween.

Sally was very excited for this, to say the least. She knew how important Halloween was here, how it was the one thing everyone spent 364 days a year preparing for. She knew how much Halloween meant to everyone, and she admired the way they all tried their very best and put forth all their effort in making the holiday as terrifying- but fun- as possible.

And she was thrilled that she was finally going to get to witness it.

Sally looked up from the book she was reading and glanced across the room to the clock. It was almost 6:30, and she could see from the orange light shining through her window that the sun was beginning to set. It was almost time.

She shut her book and stood up off her bed, careful to not look out her window as she walked across the room to place the novel back on its shelf. As excited for tonight as she was, she had no idea what to expect, and wanted all of it to remain a surprise. So she avoided looking outside today.

The ragdoll left her room, walking straight down the large curved ramp and turning the corner to head into the laboratory. Doctor Finkelstein was already in there, sitting in his wheelchair off to the side at a large metal table. He seemed to be tinkering with something, but Sally couldn’t quite make out what it was.

“Horrible evening, Doctor”, she greeted as she approached, smiling. He turned to her momentarily, caught slightly off guard by her cheerful tone. Normally she wasn’t this happy to see him.

Turning back to his work, he replied, “Evening, Sally. Do you need something?”

She tilted her head. “Oh, no. I was just wondering if you wanted me to make you something to eat before I leave.” The doctor nodded.

“Yes, I suppose you should-...wait..” He turned towards her again. “-leave?”

Sally hesitated at the change in his tone, suddenly feeling nervous. “....Well, yes. It’s Halloween tonight, remember? The celebration? I was just-”

“You’re not going.” He cut her off. “And that’s final.”

The smile fell off her face. “w-what?”

“You’re not going, Sally. You know the rules. You are not to leave this tower for any reason, especially not alone. I know you’re not ready for Halloween. You are to stay here tonight.”

“But...I thought..”

“No buts, Sally!” He snapped. “Don’t even try and argue. You’re staying here, understand?”

Sally closed her eyes, furrowing her brows and looking away. She had hoped that maybe he would let her go out tonight, seeing how big of a deal Halloween is. Then again, she should’ve known better.

“...Alright...I-I understand..”

“Good. Now, how about you run along and make some soup for me, then? I’m starving.”

She nodded obediently, opening her eyes but not making eye contact. She felt bitter, disappointed and sad.

“Of course…right away…”

The ragdoll turned around, leaving the lab and heading straight to the kitchen, not looking back.

---

Sally shut the door to the kitchen behind her as she entered, leaning on it for a moment as she went over in her head what exactly just happened. She really hadn’t expected him to react like that. And it hurt.

She shook her head. She had been waiting far too long for this night to let Finkelstein ruin it! No no, she was going out there- one way or another.

Sally stood up straight and walked across the room to where her cauldron was, reaching into the cabinet as she passed to pull out the necessary ingredients. But on her way, she grabbed an extra ingredient. Deadly Nightshade.

If the Doctor wasn’t willing to let her go on his own, she had no choice. She had to poison him. There was no other way.

It wasn’t the worst thing to do… after all, it only knocked him out for a few hours, plus, this definitely wasn’t the first time she’s done this. It should make just enough time for Sally to slip away and possibly even make it back before he woke up. Maybe...if she got lucky...he’d never even know she was gone.

She began mixing her soup together, throwing in all her necessary ingredients and even adding an extra spice here or there. After making sure it was ready to be mixed, Sally opened the Deadly Nightshade bottle and plopped a large helping right on top. Grabbing her spoon, she mixed inside the cauldron, but she knew she wasn’t quite done. The scent of poison was very strong, and would be recognized right away.

To cover it up, she quickly added some frogs breath to her deadly concoction. The nightshade smell might be strong, but this was definitely stronger, and overpowered it immediately.

Feeling satisfied with the meal she had prepared, Sally took a large spoon and filled a bowl with it. Lastly, she added a seasoning of tiny spider eyes on top for good measure.

“Doctor? Your soup is ready” She called as she re-entered the lab. He looked up from what he was doing, pushing the experiment away to make room.

“Finally! Bring it right over here, my dear.” He instructed. Sally did as she was told and brought the bowl over, placing it down in front of him. The Doctor picked up his spoon. “Thank you. That will be all, for now. You’re excused.” She nodded to him, turning around as he brought the spoon up to his lips and took a sip. He didn’t suspect anything.

And, 3….2…..1…

Thud!

Sally smiled deviously at the sound. She whipped back around and sure enough, Finkelstein’s head had hit the table. He was knocked out cold.

She ran over and grabbed a blanket that was folded on a nearby stand, and brought it over to drape around him, so that he wouldn’t be cold, and more comfortable. After all, he could be asleep for a while.

At last, that was over with. She glanced at the clock- 7:05. The sun had set by now, and it was finally time to go.

Confidently, the ragdoll strolled over to the door. But she found herself hesitating before opening it.

“Remember, Sally,” she whispered to outloud, “this is the night you’ve been waiting for. Everyone’s favorite night of the year. You’ve already poisoned the Doctor….there’s no backing out now”

Finishing her thought and taking a breath, she finally pulled the door open, flinching as the breeze hit her. She felt excited, yet, strangely on edge. Almost like..something here didn’t….feel quite right. But she tried her best to push that away and ignore it, as she moved forward, beginning her walk towards town.

---

The wind was awfully chilly tonight. The sky was unusually dark, too. Sally looked around. Everything in town felt… different.

Except for a creaky gate or distant scream cutting through the air every so often, it was completely quiet. Too quiet. The moon above her was round and full, and she couldn’t help but momentarily stare as shadows danced around it’s bright surface.

She wandered the streets, glancing nervously around her as she went. The more she walked, the more uneasy she felt.

‘Where is everyone?’ , she wondered. From what she could barely make out squinting in the shadows surrounding her, there didn’t seem to be anyone else around. ‘And, more importantly, where exactly am I?’.

When Sally left the tower, her plan was to head straight into town square. So, that was where she had tried to go- but unfortunately, her only light source was the moon, which didn’t provide too much on it’s own. And now it seemed she couldn’t tell where she was.

‘Oh, dear… perhaps I took a wrong turn....’

A sudden movement behind her caught the corner of her eye. She whipped around quickly for a better view, but saw nothing.

“Hello? Is someone there?” She called. No response. Only darkness. Sally shivered, fear crawling up her back. It felt like someone was watching her. But from which direction? Was something staring right at her? Or...was it… behind her..? She turned around again, making a circle, but she still didn’t see anything. Or anyone. Confused and afraid, she continued walking.

But she had hardly been walking very far, when she heard another noise. But this time, she could tell- it was behind her. Sally stopped, frozen. She was too frightened to turn around. But.. maybe whatever it was, she didn’t need to be afraid of it? Perhaps it was just another citizen or… a cat or something. She gathered up all of her courage, and was about to turn around, when something grabbed her arm.

Sally shrieked loudly and ripped her arm away from it as fast as she could. The thing let go of her immediately, to her surprise, causing her to stumble forward as she tried to get away. As soon as she got proper footing on the ground again, Sally raced out of there at full speed, running into the darkness and not looking back.

She wasn’t quite sure where she was going, or where she was. But eventually, she became exhausted and had to stop. She crouched over with her hands on her knees, gasping for breath. Once she could breathe again, the ragdoll stood up straight and finally looked around. Wherever she was, it was much clearer. The sky seemed brighter here, and finally she could see better. When she looked closer at what was ahead, she finally recognized it and knew why it looked familiar: it was the gate to the graveyard. Sally had been to the graveyard a few times in the past. She found it to be a rather comforting spot, where she knew she could be alone. People didn’t seem to visit there often. And if there was one thing she needed right now, it was to be alone.

She shivered again as another breeze passed through her long hair. Without hesitating, she walked straight up the small hill and through the gate.

Even if it was darker than normal, everything else seemed the same here. The tombstones where all the same as she remembered and the spiral hill stood tall and proud where it always was. The moon was shining brightly above it.

Sally strolled over to a gravestone and sat down on top of it. She sighed, playing with her hair. Tonight was supposed to be fun! So why was she just.... afraid?

‘Maybe there's something wrong with me..’ she wondered, ‘maybe I just..don't belong here…’ Tears started forming in her eyes. ‘I’ll never find my place here… but what am I to do? This is the only home I have...it’s all I’ve got. Surely, I can’t just.. Go away? Leave?’ She began to sob, getting off the tombstone and sliding down it so that she was now sitting on the ground, crying. ‘It’s not like anyone would miss me if I did… I don't.. have… a single...friend..’

Sally covered her face with her hands, making her cloth-like skin damp. She was very upset. Tonight was supposed to be the greatest thing and yet, she never felt so out of place.

A few minutes passed before she looked up again, still weeping. At first glance everything seemed the same, and she thought for a second about maybe getting up soon to try and make her way back to town. But then she noticed something. Something that almost made her cry harder. Movement. Sally wasn’t alone like she thought she was, and once again her fear returned. Someone was walking towards her. She could tell now, it was a figure. A very… tall and skinny figure. She almost thought they looked… familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. She squished herself back against the tombstone, shaking.

As the figure came nearer, she was able to get a better look at him, and could see him more clearly now. This definitely wasn’t someone she recognized- in fact, Sally had never seen this guy at all. He was a tall, scarecrow looking man. His body, arms and legs were all made out of straw, and he had a pumpkin head that appeared to have features carved out of it, in a sort of jack-’o-lantern style. He wore a purple shirt, closed in the middle held together by stitches. The ends of his long sleeves were ragged and ripped, as were the tails that draped down from the back of his shirt.

He approached her, holding his hands behind his back. Sally pushed further against the stone, trembling in fear.

“Please…” she cried, “Don’t...hurt me..”

The strange scarecrow man didn’t reply. He just blinked, slowly. Sally sat there, unsure what to do. Was he going to try and scare her? Well, he was already doing that. Should she just make a run for it, maybe? Or just stay put?

Before she had time to figure out what to do, the scarecrow man removed one of his hands from behind his back and held it out to her. He was offering to help her up.

Sally looked back and forth between his outstretched hand and his face. Her mouth went agape, as the gesture took her off guard. But.. maybe this was a good thing? It was certainly a more friendly thing to do… maybe this mysterious scarecrow man wasn’t out to get her after all. But then again, did she really trust him enough to take his hand?

She sniffed, wiping a tear off her cheek. It felt rude to just sit there and ignore him. Besides, had he really done anything wrong yet? What reason did she really have to be afraid right now? People in Halloween Town were typically very sweet anyway.

After hesitating one more moment, Sally shakily reached out and took his hand. It was exceptionally larger than hers. He squeezed her hand gently and pulled up right away, helping the ragdoll to her feet. Being unbalanced on her leaf filled legs, she stumbled for a moment, knocking into his chest before she pushed herself away and stood up straight.

Now that she was on her feet, Sally could get a better look at his face. She must admit, for someone who looked like a scarecrow, he was strangely… attractive. Her eyes widened a bit as she stared at him, unsure what to do now. She tried to swallow the knot in her throat.

“Who...wh-who are you…?” she squeaked out. But again, the man didn’t reply. Instead, he let go of one of her hands and brought his up to her face, using his thumb to gently wipe the tears out from under her eyes. Sally blinked. She could feel her face heating up at his touch, her cheeks going pink but her expression remained shocked. Who is this guy? The way he ran his thumb down her cheek was awfully.. soothing. Strangely enough, he was starting to make her feel better- and yet he hadn’t even spoken two words.

He moved away from her face and reached down to take her hands again. Sally just gawked at him, still not knowing what to do. Seriously, who is this guy? Can’t he at least give her his name?

She was about to open her mouth to speak again, but she was interrupted by another noise, coming from the direction of town. Music. Both her and the scarecrow man looked up. He turned his head to glance at the graveyard exit momentarily, before he once again flipped his attention back to Sally. ‘That must be the band playing…’ she figured, ‘I knew there had to be others around..! Somewhere..’

The music itself was slow, and eerie sounding, but also very peaceful and quite pretty. She turned back to the man in front of her. Maybe she could use this as an excuse to leave? That the music... meant she needed to go back to town now? She opened her mouth to say something, but found no words wanted to come out. Part of her almost felt like, despite how afraid she had been, she didn’t want to leave this man. Just from the way he was acting and how he treated her- helping her up and such- made Sally almost feel safe.

Suddenly, he stood up straight, catching her attention. He took one of her hands and brought it up around his neck, holding the other in his own, then placed his free hand around her waist. Sally straightened her back, her face flushing a bit more. She knew what this was- a dancing pose. He wanted to dance with her. To the music that was drifting in from town. And that’s exactly what he did.

He took a few swift steps backward. Sally, in too much awe to do anything else, followed his lead. They moved backward, then came forward again. He turned to the side, spinning the two of them in a circle before going backwards again. He repeated the same movements, all to the tune of the music, and Sally followed them, staring at him with wide eyes the whole time. Her mouth was open in shock. One minute, he had been simply helping her off the ground, and now, they were dancing. Together. It gave Sally butterflies. She couldn’t help but note that he seemed to be a rather good dancer, oddly enough. Meanwhile she was struggling with simply trying not to step on his feet as they moved, but he didn’t seem to mind.

He spun them around again one last time, dipping her down as the music died. She tightened her grip around his collar so as to not fall, though it probably didn’t matter anyway, since he had a good hold on her himself. He brought her back up after a few seconds and Sally blushed as she stood up straight, smoothing out her dress and flicking some hair back over her shoulder. Then she turned to look back at him. The scarecrow man was just standing there now, watching her.

He moved closer, tilting his head. Sally stared back at him. He moved his hand toward her, and she noticed, reaching out to grab it. She was about to, when suddenly, a loud voice exploded over a megaphone into the air, startling the both of them.

“Places, Everyone!”

The scarecrow man blinked suddenly. He quickly glanced from Sally, towards town then back at Sally. He nodded to her once, then turned around and began walking away. Sally watched him leave, gasping as she reached out. She didn’t want him to leave, not yet!

“W-wait!” she called, “don’t go..!”

But he was already gone.

---

Sally crouched behind a tree, watching all the other citizens do their thing. After the scarecrow man left her in the graveyard , she had found no other reason to stay there, so she had headed back into town. Upon arriving, she discovered everyone was in town square, taking part in some sort of ‘celebration’. They were singing some sort of song. Now this was more like it. Not knowing any of the lyrics or what to do, Sally had taken a seat off to the side behind a tree to watch. This was all so interesting, everyone looked very happy.

“This is Halloween, everybody scream!” “Won’t you please make way for a very special guy?”

Sally watched in amazement as a man tugged on a rope connected to a straw horse, bringing it inside town as he marched toward the fountain. There seemed to be something ontop the horse, but she didn’t quite have a good enough view to see what it was. She stood up, peering further around the tree. When she saw what it was on the back of the horse, she brought her hand up and covered her mouth instantly in surprise. It was him. The scarecrow man.

He picked up a torch and lit himself on fire, dancing and spinning on top the horse and everyone continued singing around him. Sally was completely frozen. If this man was important enough to be the center of the Halloween celebration, why had she never seen him before?! Who IS this guy?!?

Sally continued watching in complete awe. The scarecrow man did a flip, diving straight into the fountain.

“In this town, we call home, everyone hail to the pumpkin’s song”

She leaned forward, waiting to see the orange of the pumpkin head rising out of the fountain. Maybe if she paid close attention, she could figure out who he was and maybe even get the chance to speak with him.

The water rippled, and a figure rose out of it. But.

It wasn’t the scarecrow man.

Sally felt her heart stop. It was Jack. Jack Skellington.

He rose out of the fountain and everyone cheered around him. Sally slunk back behind the tree and covered her face. Jack, Jack SKELLINGTON, their KING… the man Sally knew she really admired, and the one she had COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN about because she was so focused on the mysterious scarecrow… he.. WAS the scarecrow!

She almost couldn’t believe it. Yet there he was… plain as day.

As Jack stepped down from the fountain, people crowded around him, showering him in praise. Sally just watched from a distance, not knowing what to do at all. Should she go up to him? Ask him about it? But what if it wasn’t her place to approach him..?

“-Everyone, everyone!” the Mayor shouted, “head to the town hall! We shall go over the awards and prizes there!”

She watched as everyone turned and followed him towards the large building, chatting it up and laughing as they went. Sally almost wished she could be apart of it.

As everyone went along and passed her, she noticed… someone wasn’t among them. Jack. She turned around just in time to see him slinking away in the opposite direction. She was confused. Where was he going? and.. . why?

She wasn’t sure but, she decided then and there that she needed to talk to him. She needed some answers. Taking a deep breath, she got up, and sneakily followed him.

They were almost back toward the pumpkin patch before she decided to speak up. Sally was planning on silently following him, but, unsure with where he was going or when he’d stop, she made her move.

“.....Jack!” the ragdoll called his name. He stopped walking, giving Sally a chance to catch up. She walked up behind him, hands behind her back. The skeleton turned around. At first, his facial expression looked a bit surprised, maybe even annoyed. But as soon as he saw who it was that called to him, he smiled.

“Oh, horrible evening, Sally. It’s nice to-” “-It was you, wasn’t it? In the graveyard.” she felt a little bad interrupting him, but, right now she just...needed answers. Jack’s smile fell, but came back only a second later.

“Yes. It was. I was just on my way to my post for the beginning of our song, that’s all. The graveyard is a bit of a shortcut.”

Sally’s face went pink again as she spoke to him. “I thought for sure you where coming to...to scare me..”

“Well, I’ll admit, when I saw another person there, that was my original intention. I was going to sneak up on you. But then I came closer, and I noticed..” his smile fell a little. “...you were crying.”

She turned her head away from him, embarrassed. “Oh.. yeah. I-I just...wasn’t having a very good night.”

“I’m sorry… would you like to talk about it?”

She shook her head. “No, thank you..it’s alright…”

The two fell silent. Sally was still looking away from him. She knew what she wanted to ask next, she just hesitated first.

“....Jack?”

“Yes?”

“Why did you dance with me?”

She found the courage to look him in the face again. She found his smile returning as he gazed at her, answering her question with no problem.

“Dancing always makes me feel better.” He tapped her shoulder. “Tell me, did it work?”

Sally stared up at him, once more taken aback. He really did care, didn’t he? She found herself smiling too.

“Yeah, actually.. It really did...thank you..”

“Of course… though, I do apologize, I hope I wasn’t too forward. I’d never wan’t to make you uncomfortable”

“Oh, no!” she shook her head. “Not at all! I was just confused. Why didn’t you tell me who you were? Maybe I wouldn’t have been so afraid if you had..” “Ah, yeah… sorry about that..” he rubbed the back of his neck. “I tend to not...talk very much in my Pumpkin King form. Just a habbit, I suppose..”

“It’s alright. Like I said I… was just confused. Thank you for telling me.”

He nodded once to her, then turned and glanced at the moon, noticing how late it was getting.

“Hm… I should get going…” “To where?”

Jack smiled at her again, finding it cute how curious she was.

“I like to hang out in the graveyard after a busy Halloween sometimes. It’s very peaceful to sit ontop the hill there.” “Oh…”

He paused for a moment, like he was thinking about something, and then he turned back towards her with another smile. “Would you like to join me?”

Sally blushed. “Oh..! Are you sure…? I don’t want to bother-” “Of course I’m sure. Some company would be a pleasure right now. What do you say?”

The ragdoll looked at him and smiled. Her heart began to swell, her face continuing to tint pink.

“...Sure. Thank you.”

“Of course. Let’s be off then.”

The continued down the trail together now. Sally couldn’t help but stare up at him. As they reached the gate, there was just one more thing she knew she needed to say to him.

“Happy Halloween, Jack.”

“Happy Halloween, Sally.”

#the nightmare before christmas #Jack x Sally #fanfiction #fanfic #jack skellington #pumpkin king #scarecrow #sally #dr finkelstein #the mayor #graveyard #this was meant to be posted yesterday but yea #thx for reading!#happy halloween

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