#AND I HAVE HEARD EVERY SONG ON TALON

[ifuckinghatebriansella]

just found out they did funny you should ask in boston. brian sella count your fucking days

[fortune-fool02]

His Rookie

Yandere Jack Krauser x female reader

Summary: After believing that part of her life was finally over with, a ghost comes back to haunt [Name]'s present.

Warning: Yandere themes. Canon character-Death. Violence. Dark themes. Stalking. Spoilers for RE4 Remake.

Word count: 963 words

I hope you all enjoy this fic! Thank you for taking the time to read it. Please reblog and comment as it really helps! Thank you.

Please enjoy.

Droplets trickled down her face, a mix of both sweat and tears blending together as they fell and dripped onto the cold ground under her knees. Soft music played from an old radio off to the side, an old, classic love song that one might hear in a movie or something like that. Once, [Name] might have loved the sound of that song playing, but at this current moment in time, it did nothing to sooth her. If anything, it only filled her with this gnawing dread in her body.

The faint soft tap of footsteps was heard behind her, a shadow swallowing her body entirely, making her appear so much more smaller than she was compared to him. A cold, large hand rested onto her shoulder, lighting up every nerve in her body with a fear. Her muscles tensing under the touch as her breathing grew sharper. Despite this, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him.

Luis' body laid on the ground in front of her, his eyes, always filled with a light and playful glimmer, now stared empty and blank, void of any sign of life. The knife buried deep in his back, but that was not what killed him. No, that was simply just a place to hold the damn knife. His shirt and jacket had been stripped, his body covered in a thick mass of bruises and cuts, a twisted concoction of blues, purples and streaks of red. Each cut was methodical. Placed to extract the most amount of pain without killing him so quickly.

"How many times have I told you before, [Name]?" The sound of Krauser's voice so close to her made her stomach churn, his hand squeezing her shoulder to the point it was almost painful. "You belong to me." The thick venom in Krauser's voice was more potent than any snake's.

This was not supposed to happen. They were supposed to get out of this wretched place. Both [Name] and Luis had wanted to escape this horror together, they had spent time planning this out carefully. Hell, they had even secured a way out with protection. But now, that dream of leaving was crushed, gone up in a burning ruin before her very eyes, and Krauser was the one holding the matches. A choked sob left her lips as [Name] tried to lean closer towards Luis, reaching her hand out to touch his. Even if she knew the warmth she longed for was gone, she still wanted to touch his hand one last time.

Krauser's boot came down hard, his heel crushing her hand into the cold stone beneath it, and ripping a pained cry from her as she tried to pull back, tried to escape him. That is all she ever did with Krauser. Always trying to get away from him. Always trying to escape him. And yet, no matter how much she fought, how hard she tried, he was always right there.

Any semblance of happiness that came into her life, he was there too, to snuff it out. This time was no different at all.

"L-Let me go!" [Name] cried out, using her other hand to try and punch his leg, trying to scratch his skin, anything at all. Frantic, desperate, afraid, like a mouse catch in the talons of an eagle. Krauser only looked down at her, his piercing eyes sharper than the knife buried in Luis' back, and he grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head to look at him.

"Don't talk back to me like that, rookie." He spat, "You don't have the fucking authority to speak to me." He moved his foot off her hand and slammed her head into the flooring. Her vision spun with a dizzying sway, pain blooming along the front of her head and yet his grip remained tight and firm. He took a deep breath before yanking her up to her feet, [Name]'s legs unsteady as she tried to regain her senses, but he held her still, pulling her tight against his chest.

The cold kiss of a blade was felt against her cheek, an icy bite of metal that she tried to pull away from but had no space to move. Krauser's hand locked around her throat, keeping her in place as he forced her head to look back at Luis' body, reminding her.

"This? This is your fault, [Name]. If you did as I told you, if you had just stayed put, I wouldn't have had to have do this." Her eyes tried to look away from him but she couldn't. Guilt gnawed away inside of her, weighing her bones down like stone. Luis was her friend, she promised she would have his back, and it was because of her that he was dead.

"Y-You...." She choked out, trying to form a sentence. Krauser's tight grip loosened ever-so slightly to allow her to speak, his piercing eyes locked on her face, waiting. "You....b-bastard." A soft, almost disappointed sigh left his lips at this. The blade of his knife gently dug into her cheek, only enough to draw a few little droplets of blood, and turned her head to face him.

His lips brushed along her cheek, letting a soft hum as he did, the tip of his tongue rolling to collect the stray droplets before he gazed into her eyes. His eyes void of any light, of any rationality. What changed? What changed from the respectful, honourable man she knew during Operation Javier to this obsessed madman before her?

"I'm going to have to teach you some discipline, rookie. But that can wait." His lips tugged into something akin to a warm smile, "Now, you're mine. And this time, I am going to make sure you never leave."

[lieslab]

Novocaine

Summary: You fell for Han Jisung.

Pairing: Han X gn reader

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 1.5K

_ _ _

Falling in love with Han Jisung was like falling in love with life. It was like living the same day over and over again. Waking up at the same time, repeating the same steps, stuck in an endless loop. Over and over and over again, day after day, the same dull melancholic cycle. 

When the two of you met, you didn’t just develop a small crush, you fell head over heels. Stumbling and free falling off the top of your stability mountain. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did. Down, down, down you fell with no net. At the bottom, your own self sabotage was waiting to catch you with open arms. 

It was only a matter of time before you broke your own heart. Grasping at straws and clinging to exchanged smiles and polite small talk. Digging your nails into the simplicity of human nature and hanging on tight because you needed a rope. You needed a way to breathe again. 

If developing a one sided crush was what got you through your day, so be it. Small smiles and nods, holding your breath and hoping casual greetings would turn into something more, you would have given up everything to be loved by him. 

You would have carved your own heart out of your chest while it was still beating and presented it to him with a soft smile while you bleed out. God, you would have done anything to be loved by Han Jisung. Murmuring quiet prayers before bed, imagining a miracle, believing that it’d happen one day. 

Maybe it was a god or maybe it was just you. Maybe it was the way your face lit up when you saw him or maybe it was the way you laughed at his bad jokes. The way you pushed your hair out of your face and the way your eyes stayed on him when he spoke. 

Somehow, by some way, some miracle; the feeling was mutual. He would have created a hundred love songs to get your attention. He’d do anything to be able to call you his. You had been the one for him ever since he had first laid his eyes upon you. 

Eventually, your small talks escalated into full blown conversations. Those spilled over into morning coffees and lunch dates. One evening, a lunch date dragged into dinner which led to a bar, and maybe one too many shots. 

Your drunken giggles filled the dark streets as the two of you walked home. You knew you were taking a big risk and Han just needed a bit of liquid courage. You kept laughing at his jokes and eventually you pronounced something wrong. 

He had made fun of you and you slurred your speech as you lectured him with a wagging finger. Your giggles ceased as you glanced up at his face. You had always been a sucker for big brown eyes. 

He had been scanning every inch of your face. Waiting for an opportunity to make his move, his eyes lingered at your lips. When you asked him if he was going to kiss you, he hadn’t heard you at first. His eyes met yours and he opened his mouth for clarification, but your lips met his. 

You were drunk and desperate and it was killing you. Were you friends or were you more? If this backfired, you could blame it on the alcohol. You could blame it on the fireball. 

Your lips moved in sync. You tasted like cinnamon and moonlight, but your body felt like home. When you finally pulled away breathless, Han wasn’t fully sure what had just happened. He was drunk, but he wasn’t that drunk. 

“D-did we just…” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“Oh, god.” 

“Did you like it?” 

“Can I do it again?” 

So you did. Right there in the middle of the empty street. Orange street lights lit the two of you up. Observed by the crescent moon, bodies pressed against one another with eager wandering hands. 

You kissed him like it was your last day on Earth. Like you’d never get to experience this ever again. You had finally landed at the bottom of that mountain you jumped off weeks ago. The sharp talons of your self sabotage didn’t catch you, but the warmth of Han Jisung did. 

He dropped you back off at your house that evening and left you alone. When you woke up the next morning with a head-splitting hangover, you weren’t quite sure if you imagined the whole thing or not. The last tendrils of alcohol were still filtering out of your system. 

When you saw Han later that day, his whole face lit up. Surely, you hadn’t been imagining the pearly white grin that caused his chipmunk cheeks to poke out. He reached you and excitedly took your hands in his. 

He was running on nerves and adrenaline. The words shot out of his mouth frantically and you could barely comprehend it. Butterflies appeared in your stomach and your soft smile grew. 

“I know it’s sudden and I know we were drunk last night. I’m aware it sounds stupid, but I like you a lot. Maybe I’m misreading everything and if I am, i’m sorry bu-” 

You cut him off with a kiss. He was so shocked, he didn’t have time to close his eyes when your lips met his. You sent sparks of electricity jolting through his body. He quickly shut his eyes and kissed you back. 

It didn’t take long before the two of you became attached at the hip. You were always attached to each other in some way, shape, or form. Holding hands, playing with each other’s hair, laying on one another, shoulder massages, back hugs, bear hugs, spooning; it was all there. 

Your love was soft and sweet. The two of you had become each other’s novocaine. Your love, your touch, your kisses, your warmth; the two of you couldn’t exist without each other. Hushed late night conversation and loud giggles. The sun and the moon. The sea and the stars. 

It was weightless, it was natural, it was exhilarating. Every day was a new adventure for the two of you. Another shared secret, a new love song, another inside joke; your life became a mosaic of colors. 

“What are you thinking about?” 

You glanced up to see Han in the doorway of your bedroom. You hadn’t even heard the bedroom door open. You were too busy thinking about everything. A soft blush appeared on your face, “just us.” 

“What about us?” Han shut the door behind him and came into the room closer towards you. He pulled himself up into your bed, so he could sit near you. His head found a home on your shoulder. “It’s not anything bad, is it?” 

“Of course not.” Your eyes glanced over at the wall across the room. “I love you so much that sometimes it hurts. I store so much love for you inside my body. It fills every nook and cranny. Every crevice of me exists with admiration, appreciation, and fascination for you.” 

“I’m not sure how to describe it,” you went on, “but sometimes it feels like I’m suffocating with all this love I have for you. Sometimes I’m so afraid that I’ll lose you or something is going to take you away from me and I…” You trailed off. 

“I’m not going anywhere. Nobody is going to take me away from you. I’m not going to break up with you, I promise.” 

“I know, but sometimes that fear makes me feel like I can’t breathe.” You blinked rapidly trying to keep the tears at bay. 

Han suddenly gasped. “You can’t breathe? Quick, we’ve gotta perform CPR!” 

Before you knew what was happening, Han pushed you back on the bed. He placed his body over yours, so he was straddling your waist. Eager to cheer you up, he folded his hands on top of each other and began to gently push his hands into your chest. 

“Han what are yo-” 

“The patient’s life is in danger!” 

It was so bizarre and unexpected that your tears disappeared and you began to laugh. It was like music to Han’s ears. Your laughter had become his favorite melody. He sped up his fake chest compressions and it only caused you to giggle harder. 

“The patient isn’t responding! Everybody stand back! I’ve gotta do mouth-to-mouth!” 

Before you could protest, Han dipped his head down. His soft lips met yours. Your giggling cut out and your lips moved with his. As he pulled away and you stared at him, you had never felt more alive. A smile pulled at the corners of your mouth. 

He beamed down at you. “Hey, I did it! I saved you! I brought you back to life!” 

“You did, but maybe don’t do CPR on a real unresponsive person.” 

“You don’t think I’m good at it?” 

“With practice, you’d be amazing at it, but I don’t think people would appreciate it if their mouth-to-mouth resuscitation involved french kissing.”

“Don’t worry, that’s only reserved for you.”    

[yelenasdiary]

Forbidden || Meet The Characters - Y/n Bishop

No Warnings | 0.7K

Forbidden Masterlist

Have you ever ridden your horse on a misty winter morning? Alongside the sun kissed lake? I have, I do it every morning before I feed the animals we own. It's beautiful, almost straight from a book! The birds sing their songs and the squirrels dance around in the flower fields soaking up the warmth of the sun, fish come closer to the surface as deer come cross the dirt road for their morning drink. If I had such skill in painting, I would paint you a picture but that isn't why you're here, is it? Well, let me introduce myself. 

I'm Y/n Bishop. You may know me because of my older sister, Kate. We live on Bishop Ranch, a short walk from the town of Blisswater. My parents Derek & Eleanor Bishop took off north for a business trip, they failed to tell us where they were going or who they'd be seeing. It's been many months since my sister and I have heard from them and with no idea where to send my written letters too, we can only assume the worst as happened…. but we hold hope that one day, soon, they will come through the gates with many stories to tell of their adventures. 

While my parents are away and safe (I hope), Kate and I have had no choice but to make our own money. Kate is able to make little money for us when she goes up to Soretooth to hunt for deer, foxes, rabbits and turkeys. She has a talent for using our fathers hunting bow, she sells the meat and skin to the local butcher. If the hunt is good, he'll pay her $5.50 for that animal. 

Twice a week I work at the general store, stacking shelves and making sure the store is clean while Mr Wilson handles customers and the money. It's not a lot of money but it's something, anything helps. I have a little savings set aside for if Kate and I need it on a rainy day. 

Kate won't ever let me travel with her, I am to stay at the ranch and keep things up to keep. I tend to the animals and crops we grow as well as keeping the house clean for the chance of any visitors. We have sheep, cows and pigs! All of which have their own names even if my father thinks it's silly for me to name them all. We also have a dog, a golden retriever named Lucky. He lost an eye when he was with my father hunting and came across a badger! Sometimes Kate will take him to Redpeaks just right to our ranch where he can help catch rabbits or birds for dinner. 

I make some money by stitching up rips and tears of peoples clothing. Mostly men are passing by and want their favorite shirts patched up. I make 20 cents to $1 depending on the size or tear. It's not great money but I have been saving it if Kate and I are ever in great need of it. 

Some of my other interests include: 

Painting even though I am terrible with it and barely have any paint these days!

Horse riding, as if I didn't make that already clear.

Reading! My parents always bring me back a book of any kind when they travel. My collection is small, but I love re-reading them as if I have never read them before. 

Fern collecting, I know it's a little odd, but my mother loved doing it and so sometimes whenever I am out on a ride or a walk around town and I see some, I'll pick them for her. 

Poker! My father has taught both Kate and I how to play, although Kate is a lot better at it than me. 

Seaweed scrapbooking, it sounds weird, but you can make some really pretty pieces! 

Taking long walks along Talon's Lake when the weather is kind enough to do so.

One last fact is that my father taught me how to use a rifle and revolvers, almost every woman knows how to shoot a gun but not many know how to aim correctly. Kate opted for the bow, but I was just happy my father was teaching me something to pass the time. 

I would love to stay and tell you more, but the sun is rising, and I need to attend to the ranch! Bye now!

Taglist: @madislayyy | @riveramorylunar | @teganmiller | @kyleeservopoulos | @yelenaslyubov | @kacka84 | @lesbiarmy | @meurgen | @caporal-nino | @sl-ut | @scarletwidowblackwitch | @dogtamer415 | @mousetheorist | 

If you want to be on the taglist for this series, please see the masterlist. It's link at the top of this post.

[originemesis]

Spill it! Are you in love with Lute?

There's a furrowing of brows followed by a testy click of talons along a desk and finished with a derisive little snort. Just why everyone is so emotionally invested in his and his lieutenant's affairs is beyond his understanding- and technically his pay grade to prattle pretty about. Plus, it's not like anything he could regurgitate in regards to the matter would ever suffice as an acceptable answer to anyone whom would ask him such a question other than her that made up the subject of its inquiry. Perhaps that was why he was apt to play his word games, because at least if he could undermine the overall intelligence of a third party, he'd get something out of the exchange that wasn't the rolled eyes and rancor of someone who had already decided the answer for him as seamlessly as creation had decided his past partners with an unspoken but settling sentiment of 'suck it up'. Such engagements had always been with an end goal in mind- and he'd be dishonest if he didn't enter into most- if not all manner of relations under the premises of progress pistoned out of a need demanded of the first few to forge- that twit angels would glamorize and see as some pristine privilege they could but pine over and wonder the lot of mortals to be so miserable to shoulder it's cause.

Perhaps that was why he and his ever the sanctimonious superior seemed so at odds at times. He was so often given women that were to be of some service to his role that would have been retired by now had it not been for the whole extermination business that it seemed he was incapable of a deeper level of care that extended past provider...later teacher in the case of his lieutenant.

But what good was a right hand if it didn't align with what actions he needed take? What good was a rib that did not shelter a heart so easily dismantled were it not for his own ruthlessness aimed toward combative interception? When there was no need for the latter thanks to the curated deeds of his right hand in cutting down the obstacles that would impede his designs, then his hand was not only concerned with how it clasped the axe in it, but also the strings attached to the instrument that his weapon also served purpose, even if it was one barely understood by those that heard the sharp edge of a soul used to shatter so many in a singular strum.

Sometimes it just sounded like music- because that was really all it ever was- brought to life by a song in the garden in the same amount of days it took to create the fucking world. A right hand would know that along with every chord and trembled wrist. And she did.

"For the record, no one is ever 'in' love with anything. It's not a damned Olympic sized pool you just topple in one day because you didn't see on the horizon and it's not something you claw your way out of and leave whoever else fell in to drown. Sure, some would love to spin it that way so they can claim you're only 'in' love with a process. Maybe an idea someone becomes instead of themselves. But that's because seraphim exist in a vacuum where you 'live, laugh, love' without any semblance of why. Without the hard shit. Gravel on bare feet's a hard concept for those with wings. I might have them now, but I don't hold my approval at a jumping height because I have the wherewith-fuck-all to recognize you don't just love what you're given and stop at any sustained faults. You get those together ~ until your edges fit so finite that anything set to pry them apart can get fucked." Talons fan ever so briefly enough to intertwine and steeple as if ending the prayer of his own musings with culpable if not condescending smile.

"I am."

[idolsgf]

Six-Song Soundtrack

@shivunin tagged me and created this lovely tag game and I always love sharing music so thaaaanks ~ <33

Rules: If you're tagged, make a new post with links to music and/or lyrics describing the following: 1. An event that defines your character's past 2. How your character sees themselves 3. How others view them 4. Their closest relationship (platonic or romantic) 5. A major fight scene 6. End credits song

You know this is going to be about Mori'na, she's in my mind 24/7.

Arsonist's Lullaby by Hozier

I'm Not a Mountain by Sarah Kinsley

Ascensionism by Sleep Token

(A two parter) Some things Cosmic by Angel Olsen and Close My Eyes by Ezra Glatt

Akatsuki by BABYMETAL

Splendor by M83

tagging: @melisusthewee @greypetrel @ustalav @veilguards @ell-vellan @first-talon @lords-of-fortune @scrollofgrease @shivunin (i'm tagging you back c:) and whoever else wants to do this!! as always, no pressure.

Songs with lyrics and descriptions under cut :3

1. Arsonist's Lullaby by Hozier

" When I was a child, I heard voices / Some would sing and some would scream / You soon find you have few choices / I learned the voices died with me " -- " When I was 16, my senses fooled me / Thought gasoline was on my clothes / I knew that something would always rule me / I knew the scent was mine alone "

Fire, fire everywhere. Children, harens screaming. Human men shouting, dragging people across the damp muddied ground, a murderous anger in their eyes. They had believed themselves to have been wronged, Mori'na's clan the culprit. A young Mori'na, huddled under her mother's grip, her brother in the other arm. They tried to be quiet, hoping to not be noticed. It was a silly hope, they would be noticed. Her mother dragged away by her hair, screaming, the children crying with sound of protest. A sharp blade, to silence the screaming. A fury took Mori'na over, launching her small body from the ground, launching herself at the man, the two of them falling to the ground. She gripped the hilt of the dagger that the man's grip had lost, and without a second thought plunged the blade into the man's chest. One more time, then another, then again and again and again. The only thing that stopped her were the clan's soldiers tearing her off of him. She was 10. This was a turning point. Sometimes she can still smell the scent of burning wood and blood.

2. I'm Not A Mountain by Sarah Kinsley

" If I were a mountain, I'd stand my ground / And maybe I'd never listen / But if I were a mountain, I'd close my mouth and / Maybe I'd be forgiving " -- " I'm not a mountain / I can't hold you on my own / I'm not a mountain / I will crumble when you go / There in the square, my arms in the air / And is it so bad to be alone? "

She's not a mountain, she can't hold her ground all the time, and she knows this. The weight of having to hold everyone up all the time, it's draining. She's not this strong badass who's confident every hour of the day, she's just an elf from a small clan that wants to go home.

3. Ascensionism by Sleep Token

" Half algorithm, half deity / Glitches in the code or gaps in a strange dream / Tell me you guessed my future and it mapped onto your fantasy / Turn me into your mannequin and I'll turn you into my puppet queen " -- "And the last few drops from the Holy Grail, now / Rose gold chains, ripped lace, cut glass / Blood stains on the collar means just don't ask / Be the first to the feast / Let's choke on the past and / Take to the broken skies at last "

This is more what like the followers of the Inquisition think of her rather than those closest to her. They believe her to be a deity, Andraste reborn, and are telling her what her future is based on their beliefs. They make her in their image, even though that image doesn't match who she is as a person.

4a. Some things Cosmic by Angel Olsen

"Before we draw, my dear dear friend / I promise you my word / If we should part, my dear dear love / You know you’re in my heart -- " And though I may be getting older / Know that I'm going with you / Know that I'm hanging on to the things that you said "

Mori'na and her mother may be apart, but they are always with one another in each other's hearts. Nothing can break that bond.

4b. Close My Eyes by Ezra Glatt

" In the autumn / When the leaves came down / In a blanket / On the frozen ground / By the oak tree / On the edge of town / Heard you laughing / God I miss that sound " -- " Now the seasons / Keep a-rolling by / Think about you / Almost all the time / Like a phantom / Living in my mind / You’re the answer / That I’ll never find "

The years pass, the feelings stay. Mori'na and Solas miss one another's laughter, the sound still faintly in their minds, the only thing to do is to reminisce. "Will I still be able to see you in my dreams?"

5. Akatsuki by BABYMETAL

" Going over thousands nights / Some love shall survive / So, until my body perishes / Until my life disappears / I shall keep on cherishing this love " -- " In the silence / The two damaged blades stand face to face / Our loneliness and our uneasiness / Slash even our hearts "

I like to imagine this song playing if Solas and Mori'na ever had to face off against on another. While there is no other choice, Mori'na will still cherish their love, the love that was always there even if every strike breaks them piece by piece.

6. Splendor by M83

" What have we to show? / Barren feelings and dust for crow / We can't ever know / When it's time to go " -- " That's the way to see the end / Glowing out along the river bend / It's not goodbye my only friend / Yesterday started over again "

What does Mo have to show other than a broken soul and a broken body? Either way, there is still hope for a brighter day, there is still happiness to be found. She'll pick herself back up and start anew. (I needed something more hopeful for her, I want her to have her happy ending T~T)

[thepaintedlady00]

Burden

Chapter 10 | Chapter 12

Chapter 11: Memory

TW: Lots of emotions this chapter! Fluff, some angst, lots of descriptions and some mildly confusing text. Enjoy y'all, I love this chapter! 🥰

In the beginning, there was a tree. It was a sapling of thin branches and leafs so small that anyone that stumbled upon it would hardly know they were there. This tree, the first tree, dug its roots deep into the earth, so deep they spanned across realms, touching every one of them in some way. It grew taller and more beautiful to behold every passing day, and its roots were filled with Destiny, Death, Dreams, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delight.

The tree held the knowledge of all things within its being. It watched the world shape and twist with each phase of the moon and the new rising of each sun. The tree absorbed each word, every look of a mother to her babe or lovers sharing intimate moments beneath the privacy of its leaves. And then came the song, the first song it had ever heard. That was when everything changed.

Not long after the tree heard the melody, it was cut, but its roots had burrowed deep, welding itself to the world and the world to it. What should have been the end of its life and all the knowledge it held within instead became the beginning. One beginning, anyway. One of your beginnings.

The tree, soon known as The Great Tree, forged its own realm. A realm of mist and water and trees as far as the eye could see, all connected to its strong roots. It was different, though, lesser. Lesser because you were missing from it.

You would awaken in the dark and terrifying forest beneath a canopy of trees and a skyless realm. You would be alone, afraid, and uncertain about who and what you were. You would follow the only sounds you could hear; the dreamers burdened with great fears and daunting tasks that came with living.

The life you’d know was not the one you were meant for. It was a small, fleeting thing that always longed to return to a larger whole. You wouldn’t question it, though. None would, for what is more daunting to face than memory?

You awoke in a meadow of moss and tufts of grass. The sky above you was shrouded in thick mist and covered by a canopy of vivid green leaves. As you sat up, looking at your hands and the pale hair that ran through your fingers, you realized you should have felt afraid, but you didn’t. You knew this place… You were one with it.

Walking through the thicket of trees, whose roots moved and curled out of your path, you could hear them speak. Their voices were soft, full of joy and pain and life. Every tree was different, some with darker trunks and others with lighter leaves, but all had faces. Faces that you knew… Ones you’d seen before somewhere. You could feel every living thing, all connected to you, all a part of you - an extension of yourself. But… Who were you?

This body of soft flesh and silken hair felt foreign. You knew it, and it knew you, but the details were blurry. A sound, soft and strange, echoed around you. Hoo. Your eyes lifted to one of the branches of the trees you walked beneath, and there, perched upon it, sat a strange-looking beast. A bird. An owl. Its golden feathers swirled with burning embers and winds of mist as it beat its wings down at you. Hoo. Hoo. 

As you took another step forward, it swooped down, washing heat over you as it curved in the air and flew off into the distance. You felt a pull, a voice yours but not telling you to follow after it. How? You thought. It’s flown so far now I cannot see it. Looking up at the covered canopy of trees, you sighed. How you wished you’d had wings. Then you could soar above the treetops and mist and find your way. Mist curled around your legs, and before you could do much more than look down at it, you were transformed… no longer a soft body of skin and hair but a small thing of feathers and talons.

Hopping on your shorter, thinner legs, you peered down at your reflection in a small pool of nearby water. A long thin beak glimmered in the water as the pale eyes of a white raven stared back at you. For a moment, you just stood there, admiring the agile wings and thick feathers, when eventually, your eyes were drawn to a small black tuft hiding in the white above your heart. You looked familiar. More familiar than simple memories of birds, something personal and essential lingered within the small patch of black, but you couldn’t quite place it. 

The water rippled as the misty breeze grew stronger, lifting you by the wings and telling you to fly. And fly you did. Shooting through the leaves of the trees like a star, you soared high above the woods of mist, looking down at the endless plane of trees that stretched far beyond your eyes could see. Mountains and plentiful lakes and waterfalls split up the landscape and further revealed the beauty of this world before you. The wind beneath your feathers made you feel free as you continued forward, weightless.

Hoo! The noise came again as the owl dove from above, flying directly into your path and continuing forward, wanting you to follow. As you did, the pull you felt grew tighter and tighter until the figure of a tall white trunk came into view, and the sparkling silver leaves glistened in the misty sky like stars. The Great Tree… Images flashed before your eyes, memory filling your being as you dove down and slammed against the earth, you again. You stood, eyes gazing up at the intricately carved wood of the trunk, words, and symbols you knew but had never seen with these eyes before. The pale roots groaned as they shifted beneath the earth, lifting up to curl against your cheeks and through your hair. Welcome home, the tree seemed to say. 

“My lady…” A host of voices echoed through the trees behind you, each one familiar, filled with so much love and sorrow and you.

Turning, you were met with silver wisps of faces long gone from your side. Wolves with glowing eyes, purple, green, yellow, and every color in between, filled the empty spaces between the trees, running toward you. And there, solid among them, was one shining blue eye that held every memory, every moment you needed to know the creature rushing toward you. Tears build in your eyes as you smiled, “My star… My Sirius!”

He was quick as he ran through the trees, hopping over roots and stones until his soft body slammed into you. You could hear him speaking in a flurry of wet kisses and happy whimpers. “I missed you so much!” He said. “Never leave again, promise!”

You held onto him tighter, hugging the companion you’d been forced to leave behind while you were reborn. Flashes and fragments of the life you’d lived together washed over you like an endless wave that made everything clear. “I will not leave you again.” You told him, pulling back to hold onto his face and look into his eye, gently stroking a finger down the scar on his face. “Not ever.”

*

“He’s gone, sir,” Lucienne told him as she moved to his side. “Cain and Abel have searched the forest, but there’s no sign of him.”

Dream ran his fingers over the white book, closing his eyes to hold onto the fleeting visions of her. He could hear the faint beating of her heart, could see her smile and her hair glowing in the moonlight. For one moment, it felt like Daunt was alive still, here beneath his fingertips l, laughing and smiling and living alongside him.

Opening his eyes to the dull little house that now stood empty, Dream merely said, “It is unlikely he will return. We shall continue our search elsewhere, for if he remained in The Dreaming, I would sense it.”

“You think the wolf has gone to the Waking World?”

“Perhaps,” he answered, grip tightening on the book as he turned to his librarian and held it out to her. “I believe this belongs in the library.”

With watery eyes, she smiled. “You could keep it for a while… To feel closer to her… Until she returns.”

Dreams jaw clenched. “No. Even then, she will not be the Daunt either of us knew.”

“You fear she will not remember us?” Lucienne pondered sadly.

“I fear a great deal, Lucienne…” He admitted. “Take it. It belongs among the other books.”

She bowed her head as he passed, fading from the brothers’ garden to sit upon his throne with a single chilled piece of parchment in his hands. The parchment the book had spit at his feet. The parchment that held Daunt’s ethereal white hair and dark eyes and smile and everything he missed about her more than words could ever measure. It had been no time at all, to him of all beings, and yet it had felt like eons had passed without her, without even the comforting knowledge that she was alive and happy elsewhere, safe, even if not beside him. He could recall every detail about her, yet he could remember none. He could recall kissing her, but the feeling of that memory was now replaced with a sense of deep sorrow.

Daunt, his Daunt, was gone. He knew not when her spirit would return, nor did he know what to expect once it did. But, the reality remained the same. Whoever came to replace her would not be the being he knew. His greatest fear was that Dream of The Endless had wasted what little time he’d been given with the being known as Daunt, the being he loved, with vile words and cruelty to realize too late what should have always been clear. They were meant to be together. Dream and Daunt.

*

You and Sirius sat beneath the silver leaves of The Great Tree for a long while, making up for the time lost. When the two of you finally let the other go, you stood, examining the tree trunk and the markings carved there. The largest was a woman carved in gold with delicate features and a pair of antlers growing from her head. The carving swirled and faded into the second, a woman carved in white with stoic, almost sad features. Then, finally, it mixed again, gold and white weaving together to form the third carved woman of silver with leaves of emerald in her hair and a soft smile on her face.

Pressing your hand to the tree, your fingers running over the edges of woven gold and white, you looked up at the leaves and surrounding area. This was you. Your home and your realm, but it was Sirius’ too. With that thought, more carved figures appeared on either side of the tree; black wolves with bright eyes of every color appeared, swirling around until they all met with a white wolf with one blue eye. Sirius lifted his head to the carvings. “This is your history.”

“Our history,” you corrected. “This home is yours as much as it is mine. And now it is time to make that home one both of us are proud of.”

The tree sang beneath your palm, roots quivering as it twisted and took the shape you willed. Mist swirled all around, lifting and pulling and bending the realm. Finally, when all fell silent again, you stood at the tree’s base, its roots curled up into elegant archways, accentuating a fine path of stone, moss, and flowers. The earth behind you cracked and fell away, a crevice of glowing crystals separating The Great Tree from the rest of The Forest as the roots of the surrounding trees twined together to create a bridge behind you.

A tall entryway was carved into the now hollow tree, with the engraved women of gold, white, and silver resting above it. The gold owl dove through the doorway, gliding gracefully up the small set of stairs and onto the chandelier of golden-hued crystals and vines. Hoo. You and Sirius walked into the now large room, marveling at the tall windows that now helped illuminate the space. A large pool of water filled with red flowers and fish, large and small, separated the area. All around the pool were dark statues of wolves adorned with vined plants that bore different colored flowers, purple, yellow, and green, all humming with residual life. Standing tall across the water, a towering statue of a woman caught your eyes. Her head rested on the part of the tree while she sat, holding a vase of endless white and sparkling mist that poured out over a large dome of hedges and turned to water, running off the sides and into the pool. 

The hedges were wild and grew in lumpy shapes with twisted vines holding them tightly together, creating a canopy over a seat of curved wood, twisting high into antler-like patterns, and soft moss and flowers of every shape and color. As you took another step forward, a bridge of lily pads and white flowers formed beneath your feet, allowing you across the water to stand before the seat. Your hands traced the wood, admiring the softness of it beneath your palms. 

Sounds echoed around the tree as ghostly figures began to flow through the air and into the large room. Beside you, Sirius growled, baring his teeth at the odd brings that hovered, waiting. You could hear the sounds they made, voices without words, but the golden owl now spoke.” Sit the throne, Queen of The Emerald Wood.”

“What?” You whispered.

“Become that which you were always meant to be,” The owl replied.

Looking at Sirius for a moment, you moved, gently easing yourself into the chair. The figures bowed, mist swirling from you to them and pulsing with a faint light. The owl bowed, and then your mighty companion smiled, bowing as low as he could with his blue eye filled with pride. The ground trembled below you as branches and small roots curled down from the hedgehog canopy to twine around your head, blooming into small flowers of light blue and rich leaves. Vines wound crystals into the modest circle that now crowned your head.

You were the ruler of this realm now. You were, at last, all you were meant to be. The tree groaned around you as stairs formed above the statue, and rooms, archways, stairs, and balconies stretched up the length of the tree as far as your eyes could see. A palace for all the spirits that now stood before you. Their faces felt familiar, but one stood out among them. A man of tanned skin and curly black hair with caring eyes and a soft smile. He bowed his head to you as he approached. “It’s good to see you so… not terrifying.”

“Forgive me,” you replied, tilting your head. “Have we met?”

The man laughed and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not entirely sure. All this… Supernatural stuff is kind of new to me.”

You laughed with him. “As it is to me.”

“Hector,” he said. “My name is Hector.”

The name brought back flashes of a cracking home, a woman crying out his name… Her eyes looking at you in fear. And a voice, deep and rich and endless, echoed in your mind speaking a name. “Daunt.” It sounded wrong… Loud and filled with a wave of seething anger you’d not ever know. More voices followed it, more words of cruelty, but that voice spoke loudest.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Hector.”

Looking around at the newly established palace, he smiled. “It’s quite a beautiful place you’ve got here. I hope I’ll be able to add to it.”

You smiled. “I’m certain everyone here has a purpose. We shall work together to discover it, but in the meantime, please make yourself - all of yourselves,” you addressed the group now, “at home. You may go where you wish and do what you wish.”

Hector bowed his head again. “Thank you, fair lady.”

The owl swooped down in place of the man and hooted loudly. “My lady. I am known as The Katyogel. I’ve come to offer you council should you find yourself in need of it.”

“Do you have a name?” You asked her.

“The Kayyogel is the only name I’ve known.”

“I shall call you Kat then if it pleases you.”

Her golden feathers shimmered brighter for a moment. “I shall bear it with pride, your grace.”

As the three of you walked the grounds of the newly established palace, helping guide spirits to locations they could build upon, you heard a strange noise. The sound echoed through the trees, cutting through the mist and urging your feet forward until you stood at the base of a young tree with soft bark and a young feminine face. It was crying, tears of thick amber sap. You stepped closer, and the tree’s roots curled away from the ground into an archway, revealing a set of earthy steps leading down below. Following the way down, you found yourself underground in a passageway lit by small glowing plants hanging from the tree’s roots, glowing different colors as you passed. A light lay ahead, filled with mist and blurred shapes. 

As you exited the path, climbing another set of stairs, you found a graveyard surrounding you. The sounds of birds echoed in the distance, but there, weeping over a torn bit of fabric, a young woman looked down at the gravestone in front of her. “I’m so sorry… I should have been more careful with it. You were always telling me to be careful with it.”

Kat swooped down from the mist and perched herself on the headstone as Sirius walked closely by your side. The closer you got, the more defined the haze of lights hovering over her head became. An array of laughter and tears and angry shouts. Memories. Her memories. Her head snapped up, and her tearful eyes found yours. “Who are you?”

You still didn’t have an answer to that question… so you continued forward as a name rolled off your tongue. “Kristina.”

“How do you know my name?”

“I know it because I have watched you grow. You were always a small sapling, sick more often than the others, but you grew to be strong. Your roots run deep beneath the earth, connecting to so many of those around you.” Looking down at the headstone, at the name you knew to be her mothers, you smiled. “Hers especially.”

Kristina cried even harder, holding the torn and discolored fabric to you. “Can you fix it? It was hers… her favorite scarf, and I’ve ruined it.” She sobbed loudly. “She told me to be gentle with it, and I’ve… This is all I have left of her.”

You stood before her now, looking down at the sad fabric with a sorrowful gaze. “I cannot fix it, but you are wrong. This small, real thing is not the last of her. You hold all of her within you. Every piece that you need.”

Leaning over, you pressed a kiss to her head, fingers combing through the array of memories hovering around her, pulling her mother from them and bringing the moments she’d forgotten to light. Below your lips, Kristina laughed, and her tears turned to ones of joy. The memories of her and her mother, of the deep and unbreakable love they’d shared and would continue to share, shone over the loss she felt so profoundly. “She is always with you.”

The woman looked up, wrapping the scarf around her neck and holding onto it lovingly. “Thank you, Munin.”

A chord struck within you. Munin… Memory… that was who you were. Sirius looked up at you as Kristina walked away. “Munin?” He asked. “What does it mean?”

“Memory,” you answered. “It means memory.”

“Memory?” Sirius questioned quietly. “Does it hold any meaning to you, my lady?”

“It is my name.” You looked down at him and smiled. “I am Munin, the Keeper of Memory.”

*

As the months passed, your kingdom grew. Nearly every spirit you found within your realm had a home, a place of their own built from the memories they knew in their past lives. Your domain filled with creatures of all shapes, colors, and sizes. Plants grew everywhere you walked, and all within your realm adored you, the fair Lady Munin. It was all more than you expected and could have hoped for, yet something was missing. You could feel an absent space within you. Dark and deep and longing… 

The longer you tried to uncover the feeling, the stronger it seemed to grow until you found yourself unable to think of anything else. You walked beneath the arched roots, admiring the carvings when suddenly, an image took shape beneath one. The markings on the root glowed a rich greyish-brown color, and before your eyes stood tall, neatly trimmed hedges and the distant rattling of a chain. You stepped forward, gently pressing your hand to the thin barrier, and felt the smooth sensation of water rippling over your fingers. You knew this palace, this maze… no, this garden. Destiny. Stepping forward, you entered the realm without resistance and began walking along the path until you emerged in the garden’s center. 

The Garden of Forking Ways was a place you could never forget. It was beautiful in a simplistic way that made you take notice of the most minor details. Perhaps that was what Destiny had in mind when he’d created it, or perhaps the Endless being was simply simple. You turned, looking up at the tall statues that depicted the other Endless, his siblings. Most of whom you knew little of… passing, fleeting sounds and sensations but nothing solid enough for you to feel anything while you examined their faces. That was until you got to Desire. 

Even the simple sight of their smile made your body curl and your bones ache. You remembered that smile standing over you. You recognized their golden eyes burning with anger as they plunged a silver dagger through your heart and the sounds of your beloved Sirius’ pain as he fought them off. Desire of The Endless was a face you could never forget; no matter how long or how many lifetimes you’d pass through, theirs would always be the face of pain.

“Munin,” a deep voice echoed through the maze as Destiny appeared behind you. “I welcome you.”

“Destiny,” you replied, turning to look at him. His height was the most imposing thing about him. Tall and blank-faced, he looked at you from beneath his brown robes. Thin pages of memories fluttered between his head and the book he was tethered to, streaming together in an endless turning of pages. “It is an honor to be allowed an audience.”

The chain linking him to his book rattled as he gestured toward a seat at his table. “The honor is mine.”

You did not sit or move as you asked, “I take it you know why I am here.”

“Of course,” he replied. “Many that feel lost have come to my garden.”

“And how many have left feeling found?” You wondered aloud.

He merely shrugged his shoulders. “I am not a being of lost or found.”

“You are a being of riddles and questions,” you said with a smile. “I suppose it was foolish of me to expect you to answer mine.”

“Perhaps,” he said.

Turning away from him, you looked back at the statues, one in particular flooding you with cruel words and insults in that loud and consuming voice. “Which of your siblings is this?”

“Dream,” he answered, sitting at the table. “You know him well. Or rather, you did in your past life.”

“Yes,” you said softly. “I recall some of it, but much it would seem, has been lost.” Then, turning back to him, you narrowed your eyes. “His realm and mine are close, are they not?”

“Yes,” Destiny said, his tone never shifting. “Where there are dreams, memory will always follow.”

You caught onto the unspoken suggestion quickly. Looking up at the statue of the Endless being again, you were once again met with the tidal wave of cruel words and insults spewed at you, or rather at her… at that name, the being you felt but no longer knew. “You would have me approach a being I have only heard speak ill of me and mine?” Then, turning, you looked back at Destiny with a sharp look. “Surely you jest.”

Destiny was not known for such things. Even you knew this. With a simple shrug and the quiet rustling of pages turning, Destiny replied, “You are the one in search of something, not I.”

“Does this brother of yours even have what I’m looking for?”

“Perhaps.”

You shook your head, looking back at his statue with a sigh. “Why did you not tell me… her… that we were more than forgotten things and intimidating memories?”

Destiny’s misty eyes met your own. “She needed to experience this life as she did for you to be as you are. Munin. Memory. The first being of remembrance and knowledge. What is written is and will be. Not even I have the power to change that.”

“I still very much dislike speaking with you, Destiny,” you said, bowing your head to the old Endless. “But I thank you for this talk of ours.”

Fading away into the mist-filled hedges, you found the rippling portal and returned to The Forest. Sirius stood waiting, his eye brightening with relief as you walked down the cobbled path and back to his side. “Where were you?”

“Speaking to an old man in hopes he would answer my question.”

“Well, did this old man know what was missing?”

“Of course he did,” you answered. “Though he did not tell me, nor did he intend to. As always.”

Sirius growled lowly. “Perhaps I could have convinced him had you waited for me to accompany you.”

Chuckling, you shook your head at the wolf. “None can intimidate Destiny, not even a fearsome creature such as yourself, my star.”

“What now?”

You looked up at the growing kingdom across the woven bridge, at the glittering palace molded into The Great Tree, rays of moonlight illuminating the silver leaves and casting every living being in a soft glow. It was more than you’d ever hoped for… more than you could have possibly imagined. The spirits continued to build their homes, joyful and unafraid of this realm they now called home. Before you were you, this was all you’d ever wanted. A home filled with laughter and warmth and light and beauty. But now that you had it… now that it stood right before you, it was missing something. That cursed thing that your mind and soul simply could not name. Perhaps the only way you’d be able to discover the meaning of this feeling was to seek it out in the land of Dreams. 

“Now, we pay a visit to The Dream King.”

“Him?” Sirius groaned, looking up at you with a look of disdain. “Why would we need to visit him and his sand?”

You sighed, walking toward the roots linking your world with his. “I do not know, but perhaps he can… inspire me to reveal what is still missing from our world. Or better yet, he has a vast library of knowledge. The answer could yet be within one of his books.”

Sirius rolled his eye. “That’s not likely to be a quick affair. The Dream King is an awry sort.”

“I remember little of him,” you admitted, thinking of how his deep, silken voice sounded as it cursed you. “Only fleeting words spoken in anger and filled with something deeper…”

“It is no secret your past with Dream of the Endless is… complicated,” Sirius offered. “I saw only glimpses of it, but as you’ve said before, they are hidden even from you. Perhaps that is what is missing?”

“I do not know why those memories have been erased from me, but whatever the reason may be, we must trust in the will of The Forest.”

You walked among the carved roots for a moment, looking over the deep runes of red, gold, and brown until you came upon the rich blue that lined his name. Dream of the Endless. Your fingers ran along the smooth carvings as they glowed beneath your fingertips, running up the tree trunk and bringing the star-filled portal into The Dreaming before you. Then, looking over at the owl atop the root, you nodded. 

“Coming, Kat?” Her golden wings shimmered as she spread them, gracefully falling into the portal and appearing in the sky on the other side. You looked down at Sirius, who huffed loudly. “You can stay here if you wish.”

“And leave you to deal with the Nightmare King by yourself? Never, my lady.” He stepped into the portal, vanishing into a mist that swirled behind The Katyogel.

You leaned into the tingling of the portal, slowly easing your way through the water-like barrier and onto the other side in the form of the white raven. You, Kat, and Sirius soared through the night sky for a moment before you dove down toward the glittering gold roofs of the Dream Lords palace, nearly crashing into a blurred figure of black wings that shrieked as you passed. You cawed loudly before swooping down through the palace doors as they opened to you and shifted back, leaving a trail of white wings floating in your wake.

*

“Boss!” Matthew hollered, swooping over the shelves and crashing into the library table.

“Matthew!” Lucienne scolded.

“Sorry! Sorry! Boss, you didn’t happen to make a like huge bird, did you?”

Dream tilted his head in confusion, closing the book he held. ��A huge bird? I’ve no idea what you mean.”

The raven cawed loudly. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

“What is going on?” Lucienne asked.

“I was flying, you know, as I do… Bird and all…” His feathers ruffled. “But then outta nowhere, this huge fucking white bird swooped down. Nearly crashed into me! Unimportant, anyway, it was headed for the palace doors. Figured that was a bad sign, so I came to find you.”

It made little sense. This creature, wherever it came from, should have left a trace that alerted him of its presence. Dream set the book down on the table and turned toward the throne room with Matthew in tow. This could very well be some kind of trick… A misunderstanding or perhaps a message from another realm. As he walked, he saw glistening white feathers glide across the marble floor. His steps quickened with a deep-rooted tense feeling filling his chest, his mouth open and ready to let lose the frustrated words fueled by it when everything stopped. Dream froze between the pillars, looking up at his throne or rather the figure standing in front of it. 

The stained glass windows cast an ethereal light over her pale visage. Long white hair twisted down her back in intricate braids and curls that reminded him of the roots and gnarled branches of the trees her realm had once been full of. Her long gown was white with glittering adornments of silver that twinkled and glowed as she moved. On her shoulder, an owl of golden wings and wide eyes shining with embers was perched, watching him for a long moment before twisting its head to look at the face of its master. 

Dream took a step forward, drawn to her being more so now than ever. Her head turned, and wide bright eyes, sparkling with hues of swirling molten silver and gold, met his. Daunt… She looked different, lighter… Unburdened.

Sirius treaded the thin space between his lady and the straight drop off the platform, his blue eye watching Dream closely, oddly absent of his usual look of disdain. “You stand in the presence of Lady Munin. Ruler of The Forgotten Ones. Princess of The Silverleaf. Keeper of Memory. And Queen of The Emerald Wood.” Pride filled him at the many titles she’d held, all of which she deserved more than any other. “You will show her the proper respect, or I shall rid you of your eyes.”

The girl, Munin, tore her eyes away from him to look down at the beast. “Sirius, we are guests.”

He was so caught up in the beautiful melody of her voice that he’d almost missed the wolf’s huff. “He’s heard far worse, I’d imagine. And I doubt that his tongue is clean of ill-spoken words.”

“Forgive my companion,” she said, looking back at him with a delicate dip of her head, the wooden crown of crystals, emerald leaves, and soft blue flowers… forget me nots, catching his eyes. “You are The King of Dreams?”

Pain exploded through his soul, shattering every hope and the misguided notion he’d clung to these few, long years she was gone. She did not remember him.

*

He stood out against the light, airy nature of the room. Clad in a long dark cloak that looked to be lined with starlight and an array of cosmos within it, the Dream Lord was not what you’d expected… not what you’d remembered in the hazy and fleeting moments you’d seen in memories. The statue in Destiny’s garden made him look so regal… so proud and snobby, but as you gazed down at him from the high platform taking in the mess of black hair and the simple clothes and the way his eyes sparkled… the way that heavy gaze made your skin burn, he did not seem the same. Instead, his lips pursed into a thin line as his hands clenched at his sides, glittering stars of memory shining like a crown around his head, drawing you in like a moth to a flame.

In a puff of mist, you teleported down to stand before him, eyes raised to the twinkling memories that only seemed to expand the longer you looked. Walking around him with a bright smile, you held your hand to them, brushing your fingers along the small things and watching each one. “Your memory is so beautiful,” you complimented, plucking one from its place in his crown and cradling it in your hands, willing the small ball of light to expand and reveal that which it held. 

The Dream Lord looked at your hands with wide eyes as the memory played for him. “How…”

Looking back up into his deep, endless eyes, you smiled. “Memory is always unique in the shapes and forms it takes, but I’ve never seen ones that look like this before. An endless crown of stars, all your memories displayed so proudly. It suits you, Dream of the Endless.”

“You can see my memories. How?” He said a bit more coldly.

“I can’t see all of them,” you admitted, lifting the star back into its place and looking deep within the host of being that lay before you. “As to how memories are my function. They are me, and I am them.”

“Memory,” he whispered voice light yet filled with depths you did not understand. 

The darker memories caught your eye, swirling around the temple of his crown in a black hole, holding inside it a seemingly endless pit of dark things. They were memories he’d wished to forget… wounds that never healed. You gently pulled one from the black and twisted it between your fingers, pulling to expand it, revealing a small glass cage, glowing the golden runes of dark magic… a thin and weak being trapped within it with nothing but his own thoughts to keep him company.

It felt different, heavy as you beheld it. Something lingered inside, a familiar sense of you… of the being, you’d once been. “For so long, you sat in silence… desperate, pleading… hoping for someone to come for you. So angry and hurt and full of sorrow that they knew and yet… no one came.” With a deep furrow of your brows, you stroked a thumb along the edges of the cage, feeling it rattle beneath the pad of your finger. “I know this pain.”

Pale hands shot out and gripped your wrist tightly, drawing a surprised gasp from your lips as you looked up. You saw a field filled with shadow and darkness and two glowing eyes baring into yours as you wept. “Was it not your touch that did this?” That voice, his voice, seethed at you. For a moment, you could feel the bones shift beneath your skin… gripped so tightly you thought they’d snap in two. “Everything you touch spoils… Everything you speak to is corrupted by your words. All of this is your doing. Another burden upon my shoulders for me to remedy.”

You pulled your wrists away from his touch as tears swelled in your eyes, and the misty vision faded, revealing the soft light of the throne room and the equally soft eyes of the Dream Lord as he watched you with a tearful gaze. “Apologies,” He said in a strangled voice. “That… that is a memory I’ve no wish to relive again.” Nodding, you cautiously lifted your fingers to it, lifting it back into place with the others. His eyes fell to your wrist. “Did I harm you?”

You touched the chilled skin with still slightly shaking fingers and shook your head. “No.”

Sirius moved to your side, perching himself up to sniff the wrist you held with a low growling and a sharp look toward the being before you. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” you repeated softly, pulling yourself from the distant echoes to smooth your hands over his head, lovingly rubbing his ears. “Be still, my star. I am well.”

Pressing his head to your chest, the growls of your companion subsided. Dream bowed his head to you, reverent and almost mournful. “You are most welcome in my realm, Lady Munin.”

“Thank you, Dream of The Endless.” You bowed your head.

“Morpheus,” he replied, emotion filling his eyes in an instant. “You may call me Morpheus.”

With a curt nod, you tested the name on your tongue, “Lord Morpheus. It suits you well.”

“My lord!” A voice called from the long hallways behind the Dream Lord. “Have you found the creature? Or shall I- Sirius!” The woman with dark glowing skin and two wide eyes looking out from behind a set of round eyeglasses stopped in her tracks as her gaze fell upon Sirius, who’d moved to meet her. She smiled, stroking his fur, and shook her head. “There you are! We’ve been looking for you for ages. Where have you been?”

Your wolf nuzzled her cheek for a moment before turning to look up at you. “Home.”

The woman looked up, her eyes instantly filling with tears as she smiled. “Oh!” She stood, moving quickly to wrap her arms around you and pull you in close. 

A warm sensation filled your chest as the smell of old books and ink filled your nose. Your hands settled tentatively on her back as fond memories of you, and the librarian filled your mind and hers. You held her tighter and whispered her name, “Lucienne…”

“Lady Daunt,” she said softly. Then, pulling away, she looked at your face, slowly realizing you were different from who she had known. “It is so good to see you.” 

“Daunt…” You whispered, memories of a life yours and yet not. Voices whispering cruel things in your - her ears. Your hand lifted to your chest, to the thin scar, the mark of her left on you. “That was my name. Her name. I am her, and yet I am not.”

Lucienne tilted her head and squeezed your hand with a sad but equally hopeful look. “It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I hope you and I can be close… like we were before.”

You bowed your head to her with a smile. “You already are my friend, Lucienne. The memories I’ve seen have told me such.”

“I am honored.”

Looking around, you beheld the misty figures wrought into shape in your prolonged presence, moving to examine them with a curious mind. “There is so much memory here, swirling in the air wanting to take form.” You wove through the misty figures, waving your hand until they solidified and took their shape, moving as they had when the memory had taken place.

The throne room was filled with figures, dancing and moving throughout the ample space with whispers and faint laughter. Smiling, you danced beside them, twirling and twisting to match their movements until you turned to a familiar figure. Round glasses and a wide, Cheshire grin. Happiness and pain warred within you as you examined the face closely, lifting your hand to its cheek with a sad whisper, “I know your face.”

Kat swooped down with an angry howling noise and cut through the figure before you, flapping her wings angrily to remove it from existence entirely. You merely shook your head at her and turned back to Dream, whose eyes seemed to hold more each time you looked into them. You could see in his crown swirling things hidden behind darkness or purposefully locked beneath the fortification of his conscious mind. You retook a step toward him. “So many of them are locked away… Hidden even from you.” You tilted your head, brows furrowing. “Why?”

“Perhaps there are things I do not wish to remember.”

“You cannot run from them,” you told him. “Memories are a part of you, good and bad. I can help you if you’d like. It is part of my function to aid in confronting one’s darker memories.” You laughed again. “I suppose I’m not unlike your nightmares in that regard.”

With a soft expression, Dream shook his head. “You, Lady Munin, are no nightmare.”

“Thank you,” you replied.

“If I may inquire, what is it that brought you to my realm?” Dream asked, looking away from you and straitening his back.

“I’ve already found much here,” you answered. “But I came to inquire in your library for an answer to a question.”

Lucienne lit up as she stepped closer. “The library is full of information. Surely your answer will be within a book.”

You smiled. “This is my hope.”

“What is it you wish to know?” She asked, leading you down the hallway toward the library. 

“It seems my recollection of my past life… of Daunt is splintered. I recall some things vividly, and others I cannot find.” You shook your head at the feeling of Dream’s stare as he followed after you.

Lucienne hummed quietly. “It will take some time to find something within the vast expanse we’ve at our disposal.”

You nodded. “Yes, I was expecting a bit of searching.”

Lucienne’s eyes went to a white book that glittered atop her table. “While we wait, perhaps it would interest you to see this.”

“The book of mists,” you breathed, slowly moving closer to gaze at it. “So few have read it.”

“I’m afraid we’ve not read it,” she corrected, sparing a look at Dream. “It appears to be fragmented. There are only a few words, and they don’t make much sense.”

You shook your head fondly. “You do not read memories,” you whispered, opening the book to the first page of the tree with the simple words scrawled messily at the bottom. “You remember them.” Then, with a deep breath, you began to read, “In the beginning, there was a tree.”

Mist rose from the book, taking the shape of the words and bringing the memories they held to life. It twisted into a tree, small and frail looking, shifting as it began to grow, showing the progression of it throughout the pages until the first tree, the one your realm held a different version of, towered over you and stretched up toward the ceiling. 

“Memory,” you affirmed softly as the mist of the book, the mist that was part of you, began to take shape in the room. “That was our name long before. We were not this… We had no physical form, for memory is no tangible or mere object. It is everything and nothing all at once, unique to each being.”

Dream looked around at the misty images of the first tree and those that celebrated and lived beneath its leaves. “How did you come to be then?”

“The first tree saw all, across every realm and every plane… We saw memories. The humans, the gods… your memories,” you breathed, looking away from the book to him. “We saw so many things, but it was you… Your dreamers that created that song. The first song.” The tune began to play in the throne room. “It made us... Want... For the first time, we wanted memories of our own, something tangible to hold in our hands and feel and love.”

Flipping the page, you felt the splintering cracks of their tools against the wood. “They cut us… The tree and we were forced… split apart from The Great Tree... Split from Memory, and so I… She came out fractured. Wrong. Distress. Discourage.” Turning toward him again with tears in your eyes, you whispered, “Daunt.”

“Thank you,” he said. “For sharing this gift with us.”

Lucienne beheld the book with adoring eyes. “I’ve not seen a book like this before. It is marvelous!”

“A fine addition to your library,” you answered with a smile as you closed the book and held it out to her.

“It belongs with you,” she said with a modest look. “Back in The Forest.”

You chuckled and shook your head. “Memory has no need for books. I think the dreamers would find more use for it than I would.”

Lucienne’s hands curled around the sparkling leather, and she nodded. “I shall keep it safe and well cared for.”

“As you do with all the other books under your care,” I assured her. “It will bring me great joy knowing it is getting such attention.”

“I will search the shelves for an answer to your questions, my lady. How will we call to you once we find answers?”

“I will return in a few days,” you looked at Dream. “If that is alright with you, Lord Morpheus?”

He simply nodded with a small smile. “My realm is open for you to come and go as you please, Lady Munin.”

You could not shake the echoes of his voice, the faint memories you did know of the Dream Lord s cruelty. Was all this some ruse? What did he gain from being kind to you now? “Return to The Forest,” you instructed Sirius and Kat. “I’ll be joining you shortly.”

“We can remain with you, my lady,” Sirius insisted.

“It’s alright,” you assured him, turning to Dream. “I would like to see a location that’s been plaguing my mind. A pier, I believe.”

His face remained stoic, but his hands wound tighter around his back. “I will escort you there myself.”

“Thank you,” you said with a bow of your head. “I’ll be home soon, my star.”

Sirius and Kat listened to your command, the owl seemingly understanding your wish to speak with the King of Dreams alone. She flew out of the palace with Sirius trailing behind her in mist as you and Dream of The Endless walked side by side toward the pier. You’d been seeing visions of the blue waters and the misty sky for days alongside the sound of his voice. Indeed this place held something… some event that had made your past self cling to it.

The water lapped at the groaning wood as the two of you walked toward the very edge of the dock. Shapes and figures moved with ease beneath the sapphire waves, tiny figments of dreams playing within the depths of the water. It was familiar here, filled with the faint presence of the figure you’d seen in the throne room alongside yours and one of your past companions, Puck. Then came him, the sweeping feeling of power and mystic sense of dreaming. The two of you had stood on this dock before. You knew it.

“Though much seems to be lost within my knowledge, I still hear voices of the past. Voices mocking me… her.” Beside you, Dream grew stiff, taking a deep breath as you continued, “It is your voice I hear loudest among them. It says such cruel things, but the word that seems to repeat is burden. Why did you hate her so?”

“I did not hate her,” he answered softly. Regret filled the space between you, humming like a song that only the two of you could hear.

Looking up at him, you spoke again, “Yet you spoke words meant to harm her.”

His eyes met yours unflinchingly, the apology shining within them. “I made a great many mistakes when you… she… was concerned.”

“Yes,” you agreed with furrowing brows. “And yet… it is not anger, hatred, or pain I feel when I look at you through her eyes.”

“What do you see then?” It was more than a question; it was a desperate plea… an answer that meant more to him than your eyes could ever see.

You looked away from his gaze at the dark of his coat, at memories of how soft it felt against your skin when you’d accidentally brushed by him. You admired the silken structure of his face, handsome and ethereal and entirely other that seemed to be molded to consume you. “Hope,” you began. “And starlight and… longing…”

When you dared meet his gaze again, you found it glazed, almost tearful, as he nodded. “Longing for what?”

“I do not know,” you replied. “But, I suppose the simplest answer I can give you is this: I do not hate you, Dream of the Endless, and neither did she.”

“A new beginning,” he breathed out with a hint of a smile.

You nodded, unaware of why exactly it sounded so familiar. “One for us both, it would seem.”

“You are always welcome in my realm.”

“As you are in mine,” you replied, eyes turning to the water as it rippled and revealed the emerald trees of your forest and your companions waiting beyond for you.

“Until we meet again,” Dream said, closing his eyes with a bow. “Lady Munin.”

“Until then,” You replied, a wave of familiarity making the air around you feel thick. “Lord Morpheus.”

In a puff of mist, you transformed into the white raven, curving around Morpheus’ back and high into the misty sky, diving down toward the hazed vision in the water of The Forest.

*

Dream watched the white raven with a heavy heart as she flew into the sky, wrapping around him before shooting upward like a star returning home. She looked like Jessamy, larger obviously, but the way she moved as she flew reminded him so much of his fallen companion. Then, diving down, she slid into the water soundlessly, and in the reflection, Dream could see the image of the fair Lady Munin standing in her realm as white feathers floated up into the air and the water returned to its deep sapphire blue. 

Reaching out, he took hold of a feather, holding it in his hand and savoring its warmth. She was different in many ways, yet it seemed she clung to her past life in intimate gestures. Looking up at the mist rolling over the water, he remembered Daunt’s promise. He did see her again, just as she’d said… he saw her not just in the new form of Munin but in the mist over the water and in the pages of Lucienne’s unfinished books. 

For years he feared he’d wasted his one chance to be with her. Feared he’d doomed both of them to a life of loneliness and isolation because of his past actions, he now held a glimmer of hope in his hands in the form of a white feather. Dream held onto the words that burned in his chest… the words he’d felt the undeniable urge to speak aloud to her, in a scream that would echo across worlds and a whisper that would only know her skin, in a desperate and unbreakable vow of devotion. I love you still. He thought to himself, fingers curling gently around the feather. I love you in every body, every name, every lifetime… I love you.

“Hold onto those words, my Dream.”

“I will hold them forever if I must,” he said to none but the fading moon and the rising sun. 

[skeeverboy]

hi i'm skeeverboy and here's my review of every tfb album (not including singles or eps but maybe i will at some point)

I Hate My Friends (2008)

despite being their first and least finished albums, it is one of my fav albums of all time. it's unique and definitely not for everyone, but the garage/basement sound and unique vocals are so charming. it has this whole immature feeling in both instrumentation and lyrics that i'm just obsessed with. i really like the background vocals and the entire shouty kind of singing this one has.

fav track: push-ups

rating: 9.5/10

My Grandma Vs. Pneumonia (2009)

very similar in sound and vibe to IHMF, with the same acoustic recorded-in-someone's-basement feeling (this is because both albums were in fact recorded in random basements and garages). it feels a little more finished than IHMF, and the songs have a bit of a different vibe that i don't know how to explain. ultimately though i put it in the same category as IHMF and frequently forget which songs are in which albums.

fav track: the bass is too loud

rating: 9/10

The Front Bottoms (2011)

absolutely amazing album. it has all the charm of the first 2, with significantly more development and more of a finished feeling. it starts off with an amazing first track and there's really not a dud on this album at all. both versions of the cover art are beautiful. the lyrics in this album are just like some of my favorite of all time and often times soul crushing. i love it. enough said.

fav track: looking like you just woke up

rating: 10/10

Talon of the Hawk (2013)

another absolute banger. it has a lot of the same vibes as self titled, though it started getting a lot higher energy. while still angsty and gut-punching, it's also a lot easier to jam out to than their self-titled, with more electric guitar featured and absolutely banger choruses. maybe a little bit overrated, but a great album nonetheless.

fav track: santa monica

rating: 9/10

Back On Top (2015)

another one of my favorites. it's nearly completely abandoned the more acoustic feeling, aside from chunks of songs like the beginning of West Virginia. pretty much every song can be either cried to or rocked out to in the car. even though there is one song on this album that i kind of hate (summer shandy) the rest of them more than make up for it. fun electric guitar parts, the epic wind section in 2YL, the hard hitting lyrics in songs like Plastic Flowers, it's all just amazing.

fav track: ginger

rating: 10/10

Going Grey (2017)

everyone hates me for my opinion on this album but ultimately it's just kind of meh for me. it's not bad, but it's my least favorite TFB album. the entire sound of the album isn't my favorite, and at times the vocals feel a little dull, which i mean the vocals are like the number one reason why i love the front bottoms. some of the lyrics leave something to be desired, especially considering past songs.

i don't hate the album though. it's high energy, really transitioned TFB into IS&IF and YAWYHOW smoothly. it has a lot of good songs while remaining pretty true to the core TFB sound.

fav track: trampoline

rating: 7.5/10 (don't crucify me please)

In Sickness & In Flames (2020)

ok on my tier list i admit i ranked this one way too low. it pushed the band into a new direction, with the autotune and the way more developed and finished sounding instrumentals. pretty much every song is high energy and catchy. it strays way more into the pop side of tfb's pop punk/emo sound, which is fine but not exactly my thing. i think they do it in a really graceful way though and most songs on here are bangers

fav track: bus beat

rating: 8/10

You Are Who You Hang Out With (2023)

this one is significant for me because it was their first full-length album they released while i was actively a huge fan. it was exciting and i heard a few of the songs before the album's release live, so i'm definitely biased in this one. the autotune is a little weird, but it works for me. the mix between brian's unique voice and the autotune and just the general sound of it are really good.

i'll admit it did take me a minute for it to grow on me, especially as an early tfb girlie, but grow on me it did. outlook and batman both feel like really nice tie-backs to the older sound, almost sounding like they're from TOTH or back on top?? and the newer, weirder songs (i'm looking at you Paris) work really well with the sound of album and such.

fav track: batman

rating: 9.5/10

[namelessknight]

Random Overwatch Writing Idea.

I love the idea of if Gerard survived the encounter with WidowMaker that Gerard would do anything to take down not just Talon but also WidowMaker without thinking of the implications that holds.

He just wants revenge at Talon & destroying their weapon WidowMaker and avenging his wife Amélie would bring him peace…or at least he thinks it would.

(Basically he separated WidowMaker from Amélie) He tries not to put too much thought into it, all he does is try focus on the mission and that anger.

If you want a comparison, he’s more akin to OW1 WidowMaker with no feeling replaced with just anger & resentment.

I also imagine that if WidowMaker (Overwatch 2 specially) ever saw Gerard again she would be floored. Flabbergasted and honestly show that side of emotion again.

Compared to OW1 she is showing more emotion…more anger at Talon and when it comes to Gerard. A lot. (Example when she’s all sassy to Solider 76 when telling him that Gérard preferred roses to lilies)

So I imagine this confused WidowMaker hiding her new found emotion to Talon so she doesn’t go through that trauma again and finding out Amélie isn’t totally dead…then encountering a angry supposed to be dead French man bashing through a window and throwing a dagger at her.

I imagine those interactions in game being damn interesting.

Here’s some ideas of how that would go-

“WidowMaker.”

“Gérard.”

“Still angry at the fact I threw that dagger at you?”

“Yes.”

“Very well.

“You’re alive…”

“What about it?”

“I killed you.”

She sounds pissed off here in both of her statements.

“Oh pff, You’re just mad that the whole reason that your the way that you are is now a lie. Don’t worry SpiderBuilder…you are still a killer.”

//Laughs at seemingly nothing when in reality it’s a certain someone making her laugh//

“Well that’s not disturbing…”

“What? You used to love my laugh~”

“That was before you murdered me in my sleep.”

//hums a soft melody//

“I remember liking your singing voice…why not sing a little song before we go into battle.”

“No can do. My voice is sore.”

A WidowMaker eye roll can be heard.

“From what exactly?”

“…Screaming.”

“Next time when you shoot, can you not shoot near me?”

“Maybe try not heading in with no plan first.”

“You have to get the job done right away. You made that very clear.”

“And I will make it very clear. Again.”

“//Laughs// Remember that time you got super happy hitting that target at the fair?”

“What? Are you gonna tell me that I was a terrible shot and you would do better?”

She stays very silent a moment. As though in thought or even hurt at that comment.

“…yes. I never miss.”

“Well you missed me, faiseur de veuves!”

“Stop standing so close to me, woman!”

“Must you start every fight when we’re near each other?”

“yOu sTarTeD iT fIrsT!”

“Ugh…”

//Gets killed by Gérard//

“I guess I’m the new WidowMaker!”

//Gets killed by WidowMaker//

“You should’ve stayed dead.”

//Gets killed by Gérard//

“I wAs aFrAiD oF sPiDERs-“

//Gets killed by WidowMaker//

“I wish…I wish things were different my love.”

//Gets killed by Gérard//

“I’m sorry…but history tends to repeat itself…”

//Gets healed by WidowMaker//

“Don’t expect a thank you!”

//Gets healed by Gérard//

“Merci, espèce de porc.”

//Gets healed by WidowMaker//

“Wow! You being nice!”

//Gets healed by Gérard//

“You still care? Pathetic.”

I want to make a separate post about my version of what Gérard would be like if he was in game and also other interaction with other characters!

But this was fun to think, write and experiment with! :DD

[panthera-dei]

Whumperless Whump Event Day 3

Prompt: "Vertigo" / "Struggling to stand"

Fandom: n/a... All OCs this time.

Story Title: "Maggie and Macaw"

Story Info:

Characters: OFC, creature OC

Rating: G

No warnings apply

Cw: dinosaur / dragon creatures

Some background information: a dear friend of mine introduced me to the Story Engine, a deck of cards that are a lovely brainstorming tool for writers. These are the prompts I used to create this one: A genius wants to unravel the mystery of a portal but they must let go of something precious they are holding onto.

Story text beneath the cut!

@whumperless-whump-event

Maggie knew she was in a dream, but it didn't feel like it. The pale yellow grass tickled her elbows and crunched beneath her feet as she pushed her way through the endless prairie. Blue and yellow flowers in colors too vivid swayed in a breeze that carried a sweet and unfamiliar scent. The sky above her was an emerald green, and while she was no expert in constellations, she didn't recognize a single star.

The dream was the same every time: she would fight her way through grass almost as tall as she was, and then she would stop when she heard the singing.

The voices were clear and harmonious, cutting through the atmosphere. They were reminiscent of bells or chimes, a song with no words, and yet the voices sounded human, or close to it. She never could see where they were coming from.

The same dream, every night for the past three weeks. One would assume that she'd be having nightmares about her upcoming first day of work, but no - instead, the 20-year-old college graduate was dreaming about a song on a distant planet.

She adjusted her faded cap - fortunately, she wasn't wearing anything weird in this dream - and stepped forward into a clearing where the grass was short. Three weeks of this dream, and tonight she was finally going to get to the bottom of it.

“Hello?” she called out, started by the way her voice echoed across the prairie.

All at once, the entire atmosphere fell silent, the song stilled. And then, everything erupted into sound again, as thousands of leathery wings beat the air in flight.

Maggie stumbled backwards in shock. Creatures in every color shot into the air out of the grass, squawking and screeching. Though they were mostly a colorful blur, they looked to Maggie almost like miniature pterodactyls, or maybe -

“Dragon!” Maggie squeaked in fear as one of the creatures landed less than two feet away from her sneakers.

It was about three feet tall and four feet wide, and it was a lot like a pterodactyl, with a skinny body that was mostly wings and leathery skin in an odd pastel yellow hue. Like a wyvern from a folklore book, it had two back legs and a long tail, and wings with talons rather than front legs. In the face, though, it looked like a fairy tale dragon.

Maggie scrambled backwards until she realized that the creature, rather than attacking, tilted its head in curiosity. It sniffed the air, and its beady eyes lit up upon seeing a blue flower that Maggie, in her attempt to escape, had crushed. It snapped up the flower in its jaws and swallowed it whole with an almost comical gulp.

“You're - you’re an herbivore? … Oh, what am I saying, there's no way you understand me.”

The dragon let out a chirp, and then it began to sing.

Following its lead, the other creatures settled themselves into the grass and joined the song.

“It's you,” Maggie whispered. “You're the ones who are singing in this dream.”

She still didn't know if the creature could understand her, but it did fall silent again and it looked at her.

Maggie woke up with a jolt, gasping for air. She bolted upright, and the entire room was spinning. She took a second to feel what was around her - she was in bed, in her pajamas, and her silver locket was still around her neck. She tried to get to her feet, fumbling for the lamp, but she was too dizzy, and she fell flat on her back, feeling her head collide with the hardwood floor.

Just before she blacked out, she thought she saw a yellow reptilian face with beady eyes looking down at her.

[cuiizhu]

Helios Rising Heroes - Rise on GoldenXXSection

Chapter 3: 

Akira: Haah~~~....I sure worked up a good sweat~

Dino: Adequate breaks are important to a good rehearsal. Make sure to stay hydrated. 

Akira: Yeah—

Asch: ……….

Dino: Hm? What’s up, Asch? Is it your turn on the bad mood ? 

Asch: Don’t group me with that kid. 

Dino: But, you look like you’re in a bad mood,.... what’s up with that?

Asch: …..It’s about that commercial. Looks like it was just released. 

Dino: Could it be that they actually used our song in that commercial? 

Asch: It’s been less than 10 minutes since release, and the number of views is insane. Social media’s also buzzing with it. 

Asch: And the song used was from “LILIAN”. 

Dino: ……!

Akira: Lillion?

Asch: LILIAN. Don’t say it like it’s million or billion.* 

Akira: Ooh, that’s MC Asch for ya. 

Asch: Aah?

Dino: As expected……

Asch: Oi, what are you saying—

Dino: This is about LILIAN. 

Asch: …..!

Dino: Catchy tunes and outstanding vocals. But more than that, songs worth listening to…….

Dino: I’m definitely convinced this is the right song for this particular commercial. 

Asch: Oi, Why are you saying that like you’re admitting defeat? 

Dino: No, but……

Akira: …..They’re good.

Akira: Who are these guys? Are they famous? 

Asch: On the other side, how don’t you know them? 

Dino: LILIAN is an idol duo that debuted around three months ago, and have gotten popular really quickly. 

Dino: However, they haven’t actually face-revealed, and are said to be pretty mysterious. 

Akira: They haven’t shown their faces? You mean they got popular from their singing alone? 

Dino: Something like that. 

Akira: ………..

Dino: They’re really good at online promotion, and even if they don’t appear on music shows or even magazines, they’ve become something of a household name. 

Asch: This isn’t the kind of era where quantity of exposure equates to popularity. 

Asch: But these guys don’t show their faces, even at live performances, right? They just use images and silhouettes. 

Dino: It seems so. It’s become a conspiracy at this point as to whether they truly exist or not, but I think it’s also that kind of mysterious feeling that’s made them so popular. 

Dino: Many of the songs lean into that, and their overall brand image is very solid. How should I say this….it seems like they have a skilled producer. 

Asch: They’re managed by the TALON agency. It certainly seems like they’d have capable people over there. 

Akira: ………..

Dino: From Akira’s perspective, LILIAN’s probably pretty incredible, huh. 

Akira: ……Yeah. 

Akira: But, it feels weird to call these guys idols. 

Dino&Asch: …………

Akira: It feels wrong to call people idols when you don’t even know if they exist.**

Akira: And on that end, we definitely got that part right. 

Dino: Now that you say it….sharing your personal side via TV and magazines is important, alongside meeting fans face-to-face in live performances and events. 

Akira: Yeah, yeah!

Asch: They can’t predict if it will stay mainstream. 

Asch: In the end, it’s all determined by the fans. If more fans are drawn to them, then their method is right, simple as that. 

Asch: Well, even if someone tried to imitate them, it probably wouldn’t have quite the same flavor. 

Akira&Dino: ………….

Asch: W-what the hell….don’t give me those faces. You look like kicked puppies. 

Akira: Let’s get back to rehearsal woof…….***

Akira: Woof…..I can’t lose woof…..

Asch: Sigh……

Prev || Masterlist || Next

TL Note:

1. *Asch is actually saying here not to compare it to bean paste, because the romaji [ririan] when mispronounced by Akira sounds like [tsubuan] and [koshian] which are two ways to prepare red bean paste. But the general gist is that Akira mispronounces it and Asch corrects him, so I adapted it for English.  2. **boy have you heard of hatsune miku 3. ***YEAH HES FUCKING BARKING WHILE GIVING A PUPPY FACE. THATS MY PUPPY DOG. coughs. Anyways, yeah he’s saying “wan” after every phrase here, “wan” being the barking onomatopoeia in Japanese.  

[sanguine-salvation]

::Verse: They of the Bay (VARIANT: the light in the fog) :: an ache in the song for @gin-n-chthonic... (x)

Again. Again, again, again! Another night, another groan in their stomach, another song raw in their throat.

Oh, they knew the reason. There was a very specific scowl on their face, a starved glint of their fangs, and they knew exactly what to glare at. That stupid, wicked light. It burned their eyes in the night, and cut through the fog, letting every chance at a meal they had escape the rocks. Oh, they could simply hunt the boats, but their song yearned to be heard, it was a hunger all on its own, and one that had been only have sated for months.

All those poor little ship-bound corpses hearing a song they could not answer, stolen away from satisfaction to their chase, and away from the the mercy of a watery grave!

Oh, they could move roosts, but the light stretched too far. They'd have to leave their shore entirely, perhaps cross the sea. And they could be petty this once, couldn't they?

They landed on the rocky outcropping, just at the edge where they could peek up at the base of the lighthouse, their talons clicking against the dirt and stone as the perched on a large bounder, and their tail looped about a jutting rock for support. The water splashed at the base. They were far enough that the water would overtake anyone...

Whatever was irritating them had to be in there.

Well, easy enough. If the hands at the lighthouse would starve them, they could be the meal themself. Fair was fair, they would give the sweetest kind of freedom. Their tail flickered as their wings folded around them like a cloak, their figure all pretty and pale. And so with a soft voice, they began lilting a soft tune into the air.

"As I walked out one morn in May The birds did sing and the lambs did play, The birds did sing and the lambs did play; I met an angel by the way..."

[capsensislagamoprh]

"You mean the Choir Boy," Mila said with a smirk as she chewed on a danish, savoring every bite.

"What do you mean?" Yuri's eyes narrowed as he sucked down his frothy spiced coffee. He'd stolen a drink like it once from Otabek on an outing and had enjoyed them for several reasons ever since.

"I was talking to JJ - "

"You were what?!" Yuri growled, eyes narrowed dangerously. Mila smiled. She knew she was rilling the young skater up, but it was just too much fun to worry about consequences. Not when it was clear she knew something he didn't know about his 'best friend'.

"Oh, he's not so bad you know."

"The hell he's not!"

"Otabek likes him."

"Otabek's a fucking saint to put up with JJ's dumb ass," Yuri muttered darkly.

"Umhum. Saint Otabek. All dark, and broding, and leather clad," she grinned. Seeing Yuri clearly debating which of the many nearby objects would be best to throw at her, Mila eased up a little. "Anyway, JJ let it slip that Otabek is actually pretty good at it."

"So? I can't see him actually doing it."

"I can. Get him drunk enough, and it could happen."

Yuri grinned. Now he knew something she didn't and that irked Mila. "What? You don't think I can do it? Don't think I can get him drunk enough?"

"No. I don't. In fact, I guarantee it."

"Why?" she asked, suspiciously. Yuri was brash and he talked a lot of trash, but didn't tend to make guarantees he didn't intend to back up. Threats, yes. Guarantees, no. Mila leaned forward, eyes sparking with curiosity. "What do you know?"

Yuri stood up, fully intending to leave. Mila grabbed at him, her painted nails gripping onto the oversized hoodie, tugging him back. "Tell me," she breathed, eyes intense.

"No. Not mine to tell. Anyway, you're gonna put holes in my hoodie with your talons, baba. Let go."

Pressing her lips into a tight frown, Mila let Yuri go, watching him race off to the back of the onsen. She was intrigued. Rising, she slipped towards the hall, listening. For too long nothing happened, and the lure of her half finished danish was waiting. Giving into the siren's call of sugar and carbs, Mila sat back down. She was three decadent bites in when she heard Yuri again.

"Yeah, and then go to the marketplace, see what we can find that's cool. You need to add color, you know?" Otabek made a non committal sound as he slipped his leather jacket on with a snap of his wrists. "Umhum me! Anyway, there's this new - "

"Hey, Otabek," Mila cut in, smiling bright. "I have a question for you." The man's dark attention turned fully to her. It made her shiver in interesting ways. Flicking a glance at Yuri, drinking in his obvious distress, she smiled. Poor boy was so nervous she could taste it. "How do you feel about singing?"

"In what capacity?"

"Mila..." Yuri warned.

"As in singing. As in words in a song come from your mouth."

"Expain."

Mila flicked another glance at Yuri. He was livid, but silent. Wait. Was he actually afraid? She didn't intend to scare him off, just tease him a little. No backing out now. She eased into it. "I was talking to JJ -" The look on the Kazakh's face went from politely attentive to something foreboding in a second. He remained silent. "... and he was saying that you... You know what, never mind."

Otabek's expression cleared as much as someone with no expressions could. He dismissed her with a nod, turning his attention back to Yuri. They left to go do whatever they had planned for the day, neither saying a word until they were out of earshot. Mila sat there, contemplating what just happened.

"What's with the long face," Victor smiled as he dropped down next to his fellow skater. "You look like someone gave you the blues. Is it the danish? So good," he touched his stomach. "So bad," his hand on his thigh, blue eyes intently piercing into Mila's.

"Umhum, Mr. Never-goes-off-diet. The big bad danish did it to me."

"Never go off diet? Victor?" Yuuri smiled as he sat down, placing cups of steaming tea in front of himself and the silver haired man.

"You have deets! Gimme!" Mila beamed, her fingers curling in and out rapidly.

"I'm allowed to treat myself," Victor cut in. "I am going to be a married man. I will need my energy." This bold statement caused Yuuri to blush a lovely shade of decadent thoughts.

"Oh sure. You're gonna 'work it off'," she teased. Yuuri tried to hide himself in his sweater. It was adorable. Then it hit her. That hoodie was much too big for Yuri. She'd seen it somewhere before. "Oh. My. Gawd!" Her head snapped around, mouth agape, as she stared at the door.

"What?" Yuuri said, peeking out from his sweater.

"That was Otabek's hoodie! Yurio just straight up said it was his."

Victor grinned. "Yes. I noticed."

Mila snapped her head back around to the two men at the table with her. With her, and with secrets. She must know! "Tell me everything!"

Yuuri, sensing Victor about to drone on speculatively, spoke quickly. "It's a hoodie, Mila. Is it really such a big deal?"

"Not a big deal?!" Victor squealed.

"YES!" Mila barked, hands slapping on the table.

Yuuri ducked into his sweater a little more. "I mean..." Clearing his throat, he bit his lower lip.

"Ah-ah-ah-ah! None of that, my delectable little piggy. You'll chap your lips again." There was something suggestive in the way Victor said those words. Mila rose a brow, eyes sparkling.

"You guys get your dance number figured out?" she asked. As much as she enjoyed the blatant flamboyance of Victor's love life, she didn't need to see it played out to the farthest end before she'd even finished her forbidden pastry.

"Oh, yes!" Yuuri chirped, coming out of his shirt now that the subject was safe. "I wanted to go with the classical but you know Victor - "

"I must be true to my muse!" Victor beamed. "I must add an element to shock and excite, or I might die!"

"You won't die if you don't axle lift me," Yuuri huffed.

"I might. You never know. I may languish from shattered dreams. To lift my Yuuri and spin him about like a decadent, lushious -"

"Anyway!" Mila cut in, unsuccessfully hiding her smile. "Finally agree on your song?"

"Umhum," Yuuri said around a mouthful of tea.

"It was such a choice! Classical, yet exciting! Something meaningful. I wanted to have something new recorded, but my Yuuri said we wouldn't have time," Victor pouted.

"Bummer." Mila took the opportunity to trace her finger in a lazy circle, a small sigh escaping her.

"Mila?" Victor asked. She didn't answer. "Mila?" He cried more urgently. "Mila! Miliska! My Mila! You must tell me what makes you sigh so!"

Mila flicked her eyes over Victor, a brief stop at Yuuri to see if he too was interested. With that confirmed, she sat up, hands in her lap like she wasn't about to stir the pot. "It's just... I don't know why you can't have an original song. You'd only need someone to write it, some studio time, and a singer. I'm sure you could get the guy from last time, right?"

"No," Yuuri shook his head. "He's very popular. Something so incredibly last minute? I don't think that's gonna go well."

Victor frowned. "I told you," he said to Mila, his pout a mask of tragedy.

"Well, you could always use someone else."

"Mila," Yuuri warned. "We picked a song, and it's -"

"It's not unique! Just for us! A love song for the ages! Think of it, my Yuuri! What a joy! What a surprise!"

"I feel like you already have the song written, Victor," Mila prodded.

"Yes. He did. Several," Yuuri huffed.

"What can I say? My Yuuri is so inspiring." Yuuri ducked his head, pink from ear to ear.

"Well, maybe you can't have it recorded and processed in time. It's not like you know someone who can actually do that. Remixes, sound boarding. All that takes time." Mila knew she wasn't subtle. But sometimes, with Victor, you just couldn't be.

Yuuri looked at Mila with a blank expression. Victor seemed to be processing. Then he began to glow. "But We Do!" he said, jumping up with vigor.

"We don't have a singer, so it's back to the original choice," Yuuri tried.

"Oh. Yes. This is important," Victor seemed to deflate. Mila knew she could leave it there, see what shenanigans would come from it, but she still owed Yuri for the time he tied her laces in so many knots she had to cut them out of her skates. And all because she'd asked him one too many questions about when his 'best friend' was coming to visit, and if he'd met Yuri's cat yet.

Okay, she might have pressed her luck a little too far by asking if he needed to have the 'talk' in the light of his growing interest in other people's existence as more than potential murder victims - right after being honest about a certain skater's very tight, very lush ass in those jeans, but she'd just bought those laces, and it had taken hours to get them out without ruining her skates!

This was about keeping tally, and by her count, she was behind by one. A big one. "Have you asked Otabek?" Yuuri rose a brow. Victor looked at her with blank curiosity. "Apparently he's rather good at it."

"Yes, Yurio keeps saying he's got talent with the mix boards," Victor said dismissively.

"No, I mean," Mila kept her face carefully neutral, "he can sing."

Yuuri blanched. He suddenly knew what Mila was up to. Victor lit up like fairy lights. "Really? How do you know?"

"You know Isabella? JJ's fiancee? She's actually not so bad, once you get to know her. Helped me try to find Yurio when he went missing that one time. So we got to talking. And of course JJ is there, and he's Otabek's friend. One thing leads to another, and he calls him a 'choir boy'." She could see Victor hanging on every word. Even Yuuri looked invested. "So, you know me, I have to get to the bottom of that. What business does our resident stoic bad boy have being called something like that, right?" Victor nodded emphatically. "Turns out, while he was training in Canada with JJ, his parents - JJ's not Otabek's - took them to some Christmas events, and one of them was a choir for some charity thing. They talked him into singing with them, and the man can sing. Sing - sing. Like, really well. JJ said he tried to get him to play in a band with him, but Otabek refused to do anything more than mix a few tracks for him."

"If he wouldn't do it for JJ, he wouldn't do it for us," Yuuri said, trying to stop the giant stars in Victor's eyes before they caused his retinas to blow out. He didn't need to deal with that before the wedding.

"Ah!" Mila smiled, vengeance for her laces at hand. "But that's JJ. You guys are practically Yurio's ice parents. If you asked Yurio, and he asked Otabek..."

Yuuri didn't know if he quite agreed with that. However once Victor caught on, his whole face was practically swallowed by his heart shaped smile. "Yes! Otabek will do as Yurio asks! He hasn't failed yet!"

Yuuri frowned. "He has said no to him, you know that right?"

"Name one time."

"He didn't take Yurio to that club?"

"That was a legal issue. Doesn't count. Name another."

Yuuri tried hard to come up with even one, but he couldn't. Victor's hands clasped as he jumped up and did a twirl. Mila smiled. Yuuri knew he was doomed.

part 1, part 2

[cljordan-imperium]

WIP SONG SATURDAY

@moon-and-seraph host the event HERE

This week's optional theme is "First & Last", so I'm making it my interpretation of what song started as a theme for my First WIP (oldest) @theimperiumchronicles and hits everyone to the newest @sehnsuchtrising (even if I haven't posted yet).

Since I heard it @ 2017 ESL Masters

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m1BO50H3-eQrb8isbbEJtTBaHUI4MhHJI&si=tlLgVSSzChbxFgQI

With every breath and every stride

I still need you here by my side

And take me by the hand when once again

I'm blinded by the light

We won't back down from a fight

No, we won't back down from a fight

There's nothing that I wouldn't do

After everything that we've been through

We won't back down from a fight

If we would stay alive

Why below cut

@theimperiumchronicles - Back in 2017, we are talking the CORE group here, and they were not Horesemen. Brie, Cruz, Dez, Talon, Talia, Raquel, Arioch, and Arch. There were a LOT more fight scenes, which will be coming back soon, too. They were fighting each other, fighting themselves, and fighting demons/evil. Lots of battles of all kinds. This was the perfect song.

@behindthesemasks - During the RP phase of Melania's existence, she was paired up separately with a Bucky Barnes and a Brock Rumlow. You can see how those pairings helped shape her current team some. 🤣 While my friend and I wrote some complex and twisted storylines, when she left RP, I chose not to pair Mel up again with anyone and so began her solo adventure in a story. Since bombs, guns, and mercenaries have always been part of her past, along with her cursed relics...it morphed easily. From RP to current posting and writing, the song fits with the theme of the storylines and staying alive as they battle adversaries.

@bendingthelaws - You have a whole law enforcement entourage at all levels, taking on (at least one) organized crime family. Pretty self explanatory. I'd say this fits the LEO community more than the mobile.

@the-andromeda-effect - I see this is more from Caliban’s crew regarding taking care of Adira and getting revenge on the Kalavati’s. Also, ferreting out those who helped Kondrat try to kidnap Adira, and a few things that happen in the future.

@devil-in-the-details-ay - After their honeymoon, Astaroth and Yara are going hunting for her parents. They will find then...and a few extra relatives. Her parents and relatives thought she was dead and are NOT happy with old Luc. Lucifer is also plotting against them. So, Royal Rumble anyone?

@magical-mistakes-vm - If you're following along, you're soon going to meet Balor. He's going to reveal something that the others should have realized, who Mahala’s dad is. Hint - it's not a good thing. From there, the news gets worse, and it is going to culminate eventually in a major conflict where Vollrath’s death is asked for in exchange for Mahala’s life. First, though, there are going to be a lot of smaller confrontations, as well as Mahala being trained how to use her magic to be deadly. You know, stay alive.

@princess-of-thieves-id - Right now is groundwork and worldvuilding. Soon comes the actual pirating. Then my little trio are going to depend on one another to stay alive.

@sehnsuchtrising The idiots are going to need each other because they all seem to have a death wish. It's not that they consciously try to get themselves killed. They just all are inept. But they don't back down from a fight and do want to stay alive.

@tapperhet-em - If they are found, they will have to fight to survive. Meeri has a price on her head , and now the other four do for helping her. None of them will back down, all are ready to die for one another, and all want to stay alive to take down her uncle, pay back her father, and figure out who put the idea in her father's head she betrayed him.

Soft tagging - @aohendo @winterandwords @flowerprose @kaiusvnoir @ceph-the-ghost-writer

My peeps - @blind-the-winds @saltysupercomputer @aziz-reads @outpost51 @pheita @writingmaidenwarrior @late-to-the-fandom @thebejeweledwatercat @dreaminggoblin

[riverioli]

Storm Cloud

Sailing through a cloud is a bitter experience. You’re plunged into a misty realm of suspended water droplets that sting your skin with ice. You can barely see a hand’s length ahead of you. It is so cold and miserable you wonder if you’ll ever be able to move again. Sailing through a storm cloud is simply suicide.

It had been pretty much smooth sailing up until that point. I remember I had been wandering the deck waiting for someone to tell me what to do. I was wrapped up, of course, being at such a high altitude. I stamped my feet to keep warm. Our whale was singing into the evening, keeping us and our boat afloat in the endless sky. I was whistling some tune I’d heard on a dock a few weeks gone when it suddenly seemed as though we were plunged into nothingness. Complete darkness. The cloud had crept up on us like a wild cat stalking prey, and now we were clutched in its talons, taken as its plaything. Let me tell you it tossed us around for all we were worth. The air seemed to crackle with electricity; lightning waiting to strike. A split second and there was chaos on deck, the captain barking orders, men running everywhere. I found myself running to the side and looking over at the whale. It was bellowing with fear and writhing. The wind tossed it this way and that. The wild cat continued to toy with us. Ice as large as boulders rained down upon us, heaven’s wrath upon our souls. One crushed into the main mast, flinging netting and sails and people out into the crackling beast. Another struck the fin of our whale, who let out an otherworldly wail that deafened us and brought me to my knees.

It seemed like time froze. And then I heard my name drifting over the wind, sharp and urgent. “You’ve gotta go down there! You’ve gotta calm her down!” I cursed every god in existence. I had been hoping and praying to be forgotten in the chaos. That no one would remember the whale’s strange obsession with me. And I with it, of course, though I never admitted it then. In calmer weather, when we floated low and skimmed the surface of the ocean, I would clamber overboard and climb down her back. There I would sit and sing her new songs I’d heard, or tell her tales, or even just talk. She would half close her eyes and croak and hum, such a vibration that warmed the entire ship. I was finally useful. Of course they wouldn’t forget. “Pit! You’ve gotta get down there!” The captain roared over the storm. Other members of the crew ran towards me, and I found myself stuffed into a makeshift harness thrown overboard into the eye of the storm.

There was a moment where I felt like I was flying and then I crashed into her fin. It was slick with blood. The ice had pierced the tough skin and buried itself there, like some morbid jewel. They had ordered me to first pull it out, clean and treat the wound. Something about steering her away from the storm; balance. I knew it was futile, and any time wasted was more time in this blasted storm. Thunder and lightning lit up the sky, rattling my bones. I kept low to the ground, desperate to find any sense of gravity. I was trembling, sweating, freezing. I could have died of exhaustion right then and there. I crawled hand and foot to her side and began to scale the great mountain of flesh. There was no grip, my hands were coated in blood and her skin was soaking wet, but I planted by feet and pulled myself up by the rope connected to the ship. All else faded, it was just me and her, and the storm.

I reached the top, ready to burst with exhaustion. My vision was blurring, my muscles aching. I stumbled down to her head. Her eyes were wide, frightened, glazed over with pain. She did not see me, I doubt she even felt me place a reassuring hand on her. “What do I do now, old girl?” I sat between her eyes, gods know how I wasn’t swept away by the wind. “What can I do?” Tears were streaming down my cheeks, mixed with rain, and I began to hum her song. The song of my whale. It wasn’t loud, I could only feel it in my throat as the wind ripped it from my lips. But there, in the heart of the storm, I heard her begin to sing.

Later, the captain swore our song killed the storm. The wind died down and we soon found ourselves in a beautiful empty sky. We sank below the clouds and floated down to the sea. They found me, half-dead at the base of her head, in between her eyes. We vowed to never sail through a storm cloud again.

[throughanotherworldmsm]

Through Another World- Chapter 1

(please read the prologue for proper context on the characters and events so far! It can be found earlier on my blog)

Anyways here is another part of my msm story! This one focuses on Gwen the Dandidoo’s POV.

This is not an AU! It is set in the canon monster world with my headcanons.

——————————

Gwen paced around their room in circles.

There wasn't anything to do today, was there?

She pulled one curtain aside and looked out of the window across the snow-scattered landscape. The blizzard had ended, and now far more monsters were outside. Faint cheers of happiness could be heard from a group of excited children, sliding clumsily down a hill.

Her sigh was interrupted by a gentle tapping on the door. Taking a deep breath, they grabbed the key in their beak and tossed it onto the ground, peering down at the guest.

It was her sister.

"Good evening, Gwen!"

"Hmf. Whatcha here for?"

"Well, the song is in a few minutes, and I wanted to ask you if you're coming this time,"

The Dandidoo sighed again and tapped the ground with her talons. 

"No, thanks,"

Singing hasn't felt the same for her since their time in the Collosingum. Gwen couldn't sing a single note without vines and flowers rising suddenly from her ground, that was how hard she'd trained there.

What did others think? Were they scared? Did they think she was an outcast?

Maybe I shouldn't have said yes to Firecracker's offer. Then things could be different.

"Could we at least go for a walk?" Pandora asked calmly.

Gwen nodded, adjusting the spiked collar around her neck as she left the room and followed Pandora down to the castle floor.

Pandora never really walked, though. She'd jump into the air every few seconds to do some flips and somersaults, then gently glide back down again, smiling as she bounced on and off the ground.

Outside, Gwen could already hear the distant music, the lyrics of the eagerly visiting Werdos. 

The snow crunched beneath her talons as she walked away from the town, down a small trail going through the forest outside.

After a few minutes of walking, each step quieter as the two moved away from the singing crowd, Pandora perched on a tree branch right above Gwen's head, making a waterfall of snow tumble down.

"Hey!" Gwen shouted as it hit her head-feathers. "Watch it!"

"Sorry. I just... saw something,"

"What?"

"Some light. In the forest. You know, like the Seam portals we talked about yesterday,"

"Those? Don't be ridiculous. Cold Island is nowhere near the Seam,"

"The chances are low," Pandora explained, gracefully leaping off the branch again. "But never zero,"

Gwen huffed, scraping at the snow with her claws. "There's no way that..."

She paused.

There was a blinding light in front of them, pure white and simply floating in mid air.

It had its own pull. It tugged at her feathers, trying to drag her in.

Pandora gripped tightly onto a nearby tree, fighting against the strengthening pull.

Gwen noticed how much it was pulling her, too. It relentlessly slid her across the snowy ground, and she tried to get hold of a bush, but failed. 

Pandora slipped off the branch, the portal's pull now stronger than her talons.

"PANDORA!" Gwen shouted. She began to desperately hum a tune, summoning gigantic dandelions to spring from the ground and wrap around the squealing Tweedle. 

She was swept of her feet by the sparking anomaly, and dragged into it suddenly. When it hit her skin, it was sizzling and hot, causing her pain as a tingle shot through their neck, body, and down through to her legs.

As she was fully inside the portal, everything blacked out for a moment. Then, she was shot out into a different place- a clearing in a forest, that looked a lot like Plant Island, but somehow off.

She felt feathers wrapped around them. "Pandora, get off me!"

She rolled the dizzy Tweedle off her back, groaning in pain. 

What was that? It was so weird. Am I dreaming?

"Gwen...." Pandora whispered as she shakily rose to her feet.

"What?"

"Where are we?"

Gwen raised her long neck and gazed across the landscape. She was in a soft patch of grass with forest behind her, and in front of her, a cliff with what looked like a town at the bottom.

"I don't know..." Gwen responded, looking around the strange town. In front of them, the sun was beginning to set, highlighting its unusual features. "But I don't think it's the Monster World,"