#Also a lot of the people who I assume are doing it probably aren’t following me. Which means I have to search through favorites on drawings

[tokyosgroeningverseblog]

Small rant (TW: Mentions of Fetishes)

Sometimes I feel like one of my Simpsons OCs is being fetishized (Rhonda) on DeviantArt because of her thicker body type. Ik someone’s gonna say “Tokyo, it’s DeviantArt. Ofc they are.” And yes, I agree. But it’s still disgusting to me. Especially because I’m a literal minor (yes, I make sexual jokes, but fetishes are not okay to me at all.)

Honestly, I feel like it’s being done in silence. Nobody’s said anything or put her in a special fetish favorites stash, or privately favorited any art of her. I’m just kinda paranoid tbh

Anyways, here’s Rhonda, cuz the last few artworks/posts have been Terwilliger related

[alphajocklover]

InstaJock: Going Viral

**Hey! This is my entry for @occamstfs Viral Transformation Challenge. Congrats on getting 2,000 followers, and thank you for beta reading this and helping me edit it. I hope I can get to 2,000 followers myself one day! For those who are new to my stories, this does connect to the plot established in my blog, but the concept is simple enough you should be able to follow along even if you don't usually read my stuff! I hope you all enjoy!**

When I talk about the InstaJock App Phenomenon – which I seem to do a lot. What is this, the 17th InstaJock related post? I need to diversify more – I usually talk about the transformation aspects and not the app itself. That’s partially because the transformation is the most interesting and hottest part, but it’s also because I haven’t been able to take a good look at the app. Even with all the protective spells and equipment I have, I can’t use a phone with InstaJock on it for very long without getting an urge to set up an account. 

Until now.

With some help from the devilishly handsome (and literally devilish) Nick, I’ve been able to get my hands on some better equipment and better explore the app. I was able to spend a couple hours on it before I needed to quit, and actually got some very interesting information, mainly about how the app works post-transformation. I had always assumed that once a user got transformed into a jock, they’d ignore the app from then on unless they wanted to change someone. I was very, very wrong, not just about that but about the purpose of the app itself. It’s not just for making people into jocks: it’s for finding the best ones.

The app generally works like any other social media app, with its members posting about their interests. It’s set up is a lot like Instagram, where pictures and videos are the main format used for posting, but what really makes it different from other social media apps is the content. You can probably guess what an app full of buff cocky jocks looks like, but I’ll confirm it for you: the app is a thirst trap paradise.

The entire app is stuffed with half naked –  and sometimes fully naked – photos of buff jocks, ones of all different kinds. If you can think up a jock related stereotype, they have a full hashtag dedicated to it. Just buff jocks playing sports, flexing and making out with other hot people, for as far. I know that doesn’t sound too different from normal social media apps, as most have a healthy NSFW side, but the posts have more in common then just showing jocks. Each and every post, every one that I saw, mentioned a Master. Some were talking about how they were getting pumped up at the gym for Master, some were talking about how they loved being jocks and were so glad Master had found them, and some were literally begging for Master to notice them, often wantonly describing how they’d debase themselves and be the sluttiest jock ever, all for him. Everyone on the app would post at least once a day about this mysterious Master. It doesn’t seem to matter if the jock is a dom, a sub, a top, a bottom, in a relationship, single, gay or even straight, all of them wanted this mysterious unnamed master – so much so they seemed to completely change personalities whenever he is mentioned. It seems instaJock has an additional side effect I didn’t know about till now: complete and utter devotion to their Master.

It took me a while, and some covert interviewing of a number of jocks in their DMs, but I think I figured out what's happening. The Jocks aren’t just posting for fun, they’re competing with each other. InstaJock isn’t really a social media app, it’s a sort of ranking app. Every day the jocks log on, post a picture of themselves with a caption somehow related to their Master, and leave likes on some of the other posts, usually the ones they find hot. If a jock’s post gets enough likes though, they get what every jock wants, what all of them are trying to get. They get to Go Viral.

Going Viral on IntsaJock isn’t like going viral on a regular app. It essentially means you’ve gotten enough likes, been reposted enough times, and have become popular enough on the site… that Master has noticed you. That's what the social media part of the app is really for. It’s just a way for Master’s jocks to organize themselves so only the hottest ones show up on his feed. If he really likes you, he’ll do more than just look too. Soon that Jock will disappear from his regular life, never to be seen again, whisked away to become a part of Master’s personal harem. This entire time the app has been about one thing: creating lovestruck sex slaves for the man who created InstaJock.

Like most actual social media apps, InstaJock jumps from one thing to another, and what's viral is always changing. But there are two tags that are always trending on InstaJock. The first, and most popular, is #JockMaster, which is only ever used by this mysterious Master when he makes a post. I’ve seen his account. He never shows his face on it, but from what little of his body that makes it into the photos, he’s… enchanting. As much as I hate to admit it, seeing just a bit of that creep almost made me drool. He usually only posts a couple times a week, as opposed to the jock who posts daily, but everything he posts goes viral on the app in moments. I’ll admit, there's something about his posts that is just… hypnotic. I almost set up an account after seeing one myself, and probably would have if Nick wasn’t there to stop me.

The other tag that's always trending is… more interesting, at least to me. It’s #MastersBoyfriend. It’s another tag used only by Master, and one he uses whenever he posts a picture of one particular member of his harem. 

Whenever he posts pictures… of my Uncle John.

I finally know who took my Uncle. I know who this Master is. I suspected it was him for a while, but now I’m sure. The man who made InstaJock and the man who turned my Uncle into a slutty buff himbo are one in the same. I finally have proof.

So now what?

**The identity of the person behind InstaJock AND the person behind my Uncle's transformation and kidnapping has finally been revealed! Been working up to this for a long time, and I'm glad to keep this story moving forward! Hope you liked it as much as I do! Thank you to @occamstfs once again for being absolutely awesome and inspiring!**

[cthonic-bunny]

2. Personal Synastry and Composite Experiences and Observations

Do not interact if you are a minor. (18+)

Venus in 1H synastry: This one is full of compliments. You both love staring at each other, and telling the other how attractive they are. The house person can be the perfect example of what aesthetic the Venus person’s dream person would follow. The Venus person can try to embody that aesthetic more than they did before so they can show they are a good physical match for the house person. “You would look good with me.” Bonding over shared music taste(s). I think the Venus person will want to romance the house person even if that isn’t something they normally do. Venus could love how the 1H person displays their feminine side. Venus likes to ask for pictures and selfies from the house person, and can create a dynamic where you send one another photos regularly. The house person likes to look at photos from the Venus person to gush about what they look like, because they are also supremely attracted to Venus (I think Venus just has a more natural way of expressing that desire). Also as the house person who identifies as a woman, venus’ compliments and pursuit of me has made me feel more feminine than I ever have in a romantic dynamic. Even my mannerisms are coincidentally more feminine and gentle in Venus’ presence. Venus definitely increased my self esteem.

Mars in 1H synastry: I think you two could make very good gym partners together because you love each other’s bodies. Some people say this is a “s*x on the first date placement,” and I concur. You find each other sexy! You compliment each other’s physical appearance and bodies often, and very much so during the act. The Mars person is very very direct with the house person that it’s almost overwhelming or intimidating. Being the house person, I did often feel like they had just wanted me for my body or that’s what they found to be the most interesting part about me until the interaction progressed. If there aren’t other good “soft and sweet” placements in the synastry chart or in the composite, this could be a pretty annoying placement. The Mars person did admit to me that they would bring up sex or something that would irritate me just to get a reaction because they didn’t know if they stimulate me outside of those vibes. If you’re in a relationship with someone else, or show interest in other people, the Mars person can want to fight your partner so they can be the one next to you LOL. This placement also involves a lot of staring. Being touched, even regularly, by Mars turned me on more than other people ever touching me the same way even if I liked them. Mars can love to grab the house person’s face a lot during sex. Maybe for some people who are into it, Mars can want to consensually slap the house person during sex. The Mars will like to be publicly “disrespectful” about you, because they want to mark you as theirs or will for real fight for you. They can see you as someone they want to protect, or you trigger some protective instinct. They might be a lot more physically stronger than you. Sending each other pictures of your body’s changes. You both like how the other defends themselves or bond over your argumentative or aggressive sides. As the house person with the Mars person being a man, I find his masculinity so attractive it hurts. He has slowly changed my perception on what I want a man to look like 😩

Sun in 11H synastry/composite: You guys get along almost immediately. This is a low maintenance friendship, because the vibes make up for all the times you don’t see each other. You just like how the other one approaches friendship. Very open-minded. Probably met through mutual friends, and these friends probably didn’t immediately notice certain similarities you have to one another. Once they see you guys link though, they can be surprised they never noticed it before. You guys may have automatically assumed, even if flirting was involved, that this interaction would remain generally platonic more than anything. People who are not in your friend group can also notice you two becoming friends immediately, because for some reason it stood out. As the sun person, I really liked listening to the house person’s dreams. Hearing the house person speak about how they handle their interpersonal relationships made me value my boundaries more and reminded me to focus more on myself than giving too much of my energy to other people. Essentially you can help each other dismiss certain people pleasing tendencies in one another. You don’t have to try to please one another either, your authentic self is enough to give each other pleasure. A natural sense of familiarity between you two. It’s funny hearing about each other’s quirks. You are encouraged to show your eccentricities around one another. Instant bestie vibes! You can feel like evil twins together in some cases LOL

Venus in 11H synastry: Honestly, in some cases, I feel like you may have met this person because they were previously involved with a friend or ex-friend. The friend you’re attracted to, but don’t need to pursue because you also get the same joys and benefits from your friendship. Friends with benefits. Friends to lovers. You may have started dating or flirting online for a while before meeting. I think this is another sign of shared music taste and interests. As the Venus person, I first grew some sort of interest because the house person posted a video of themselves online playing guitar and I found that super attractive. Maybe the Venus person can be an online supporter or promoter of the house person’s creative outlets. Never meeting in person but having a lot of the same mutuals you both know in real life, and then meeting in person later on by yourselves, maybe in a “date” setting.

Moon in 9H synastry: Here, the house person can introduce the moon person to different religions, or likes to talk about religion with the moon person. The house person can held guide the moon person on the importance of higher education or on the acquisition of knowledge. Long distance relationship. Wanting to be together but you somehow met once you two no longer lived in the same city. The moon person can feel like the house person is one of the smartest people they have met, and can feel somewhat intimidated by the house person because of it. You two can feel really free in one another’s presence. You can talk about anything. You two can turn casual conversation into something philosophical together. Sharing your personal philosophies with one another. Having drastically different life circumstances that have shaped you, but also having some foundational similarities. The moon person might be contradictory to the house person’s beliefs, but this can just stretch curiosity. It can also make the house person analyze different gaps in their previous opinions on certain organizations or institutions. Disagreements on certain topics doesn’t seem to escalate into arguments, but rather into informed discussions. Feeling out of reach to one another. I have seen a post referencing how the moon person can feel like the house person is out of their league, and I think this can stem from, in some cases, not being intelligent or well-rounded enough to stimulate the house person long term. This can just be a feeling and not at all be the case, because the house person learns a lot more from the moon than the moon realizes. You guys can spark the other’s adventurous side. You guys maybe only get to meet while the other is vacationing in your area. The Moon person can unconsciously inspire the house person to teach others about their speciality, such as getting you into blogging about an interest you talked to them about.

Composite Virgo Mars: Having to schedule when you two can have sex (maybe it’s long distance for a period of time). Arguments aren’t aggressive, but rather a hyper-analytical discussion that can be equally as irritating. Cleaning each other after sex. Being attracted to the other person abdominal area. When you guys start taking action towards advancing your connection, you stop eating out of nervousness. Maybe your fights stem from making one another nervous rather than a real issue itself. Bickering when you’re not with one another more so than when you’re in person. Having high expectations of one another once you become intimate partners. Wanting to come off as perfect for the other. Being extremely attentive with one another and immediately responding to any shift in energy because it can make you nervous. Really wanting to know what the other person is thinking and feeling in times of silence or during sex. Different sources have made this placement out to seem “sexually repressed,” but that is not always the case. Maybe circumstances can suppress the frequency they get to go at it, but if time permitted it could be on sight all the time. Not wanting to do anything that upsets the other or makes them uncomfortable, so lots of checking in on each other during the act to see if it’s mutually enjoyable and adapt accordingly. After sex with this person you might get extremely productive in your own personal life! Their presence in your life encourages you to get your life together and not be “messy.”

[ripplestitchskein]

@angelshizuka I didn’t want to add on to your post and derail it so just doing a screen grab.

But this really bothers me. Like WHY did Blitz think this was a good idea? And how did he plan on keeping it once he had it? He’s not like unintelligent, the whole business is a good idea and they have no competitors we’ve seen other than CHERUB trying a reverse uno.

I pointed out in another post about this topic that Blitz is aware that there are other ways to get to Earth. He dated several succubi and incubi who have crystals. He was able to get one really easily to find Barbie. He could have gotten back with Verosika or any of the others if he was willing to have sex for it. It’s the same kinda arrangement and would involve a few groveling phone calls instead of a heist and fingers crossed you aren’t arrested or killed if you get caught. For Verosika her feelings probably stopped him there but there are other succubi and incubi and obviously he has the game to convince them.

Like if the plan was sneak in, get the book and he won’t know it’s me, fine. But he was already caught and Stolas already confirmed he knew who he was. That same plan would also work a lot better with lower risk at some succubus’s apartment than a royal party. And Asmodeus has hundreds of succubi and incubi and associated crystals versus one guy’s personal spell book. Risk analysis says. “Steal some random nobodies crystal from their probably unsecured house”. And even after Stolas clocks him he’s still like “I’ll just take it” and then thought just ghosting Stolas after would be enough??

I just feel like there has to be a reason, even if it’s like a subconscious one. Why Stolas? What reminded Blitz of a royal who has a book that can go to the human realm 25 years later when he had fairly recently ended a relationship with a succubus who can also do that? And Barbie was able to find a job to get to Earth so it seems like that was also an option. He could have doubled up, run drugs or human shit and also killed people at the same time and done it legitimately. Partnered up to ride along with a succubus even, “Hey, you go do your sex demon shit and I’ll be killing people, we’ll meet back here at 3”. He’s still the boss in that scenario even if he also works with someone else to do it, he’s doing that with Stolas anyway. The consequence of running afoul of Asmodeus if he finds out and is mad because of his partnership with Fizz is only slightly higher than it is stealing from an Ars Goetia.

I don’t know if it was to fuck with royals specifically? He thought Stolas would be an easy mark, but he doesn’t really know him now from what we’ve seen so that’s a weird assumption to make. He seems to think pretty negatively of royals why would he assume this one wouldn’t be the same if he was caught?

Did he follow Stolas before hand to get a vibe? How did he know about the party? Did he just pick a random day and there happened to be a party? What was the lead up? I guess it was in the paper, maybe he saw it there and was like “Now is my chance”. I can buy that from an impulsive desperation level but like I said, there were easier ways.

I hope they get into that but I dunno if they will, it’s not like crucial to the story so maybe better to not waste time in it, it really just adds to the basic framework established but I just have questions.

[retellingthehobbit]

….I’m suddenly realizing that I posted chapter 17 of The Hobbit comic on January 13th of 2024, so it’s been almost exactly one year since I last posted a chapter XD.

Really though, Ive realized my new Webcomic Goal is to be more like my favorite YouTube video essayists — who post one excellent high-effort video a year, and then vanish to work on their next video privately for another year (only giving rough draft updates to their Patreon members.)

I think a lot about Hbomberguy’s video essay on the widespread problem of plagiarism on YouTube, where he talks about how the incentive to Post More Content All The Time leads to creators producing plagiarized poorly-researched insincere videos about topics they don’t know/care about, videos that are horribly constructed and riddled with severe mistakes— and how the rise of AI is only going to make that kind of insidious plagiarism much easier to get away with. I also think about how I’ve seen webcomics I used to like start using AI-generated imagery for backgrounds in order to keep up with their rigid update schedule, assuming their readers won’t care as long as they get New #Content.

But people actually do care about quality and sincerity, is the thing! People like having things that are created with love, that they can slow down and revisit multiple times and appreciate more each time. People like things that aren’t shallow, and that the creator put their heart into making. I know that I value that, and I think most people actually do! Social media algorithms want us to prioritize frequency and regularity, and shove that data-driven content in our faces all day, but people actually do value things that are made with love and care even if they take a long time!

I know that I would rather wait an entire year for each video from Defunctland or Folding Ideas or Lindsay Ellis, than follow a thousand YouTube channels that keep to a rigid update schedule via lazy shallow poorly constructed plagiarized content. XD

Similarly, I’m always surprised every time I update that people are still Around and check on this goofy little fanfic comic project regularly? ;_; It’s still ultimately just a small fan-project, but it’s cool that people are still following it after all these years.

And I hope people can sorta view this comic that way— something that takes a long time to update, but only because anything worth reading takes a long time to create.

Anyway, I need to prepare some stuff so I’ll probably post the next chapter in the next couple weeks— I’ve been considering February 1st?— but in the meantime the full 30-page draft of the next chapter is on my art patreon, and you can see the full archive of the entire comic on my website RetellingTheHobbit.com :3.

Thank you again for continuing to follow me even during the Long Hiatuses! I really do appreciate having a small group of readers still sticking around in this fandom!! <333

[schmergo]

My controversial opinions about the current trend of highly minimalist Shakespeare:

I like a minimalist approach to the Bard, but I think it has to be done within certain parameters.

Too many theatres seem to think that either everybody already knows the play and they don’t need to worry about the audience understanding everything OR they assume that nobody cares about Shakespeare and massively cut down everything except the celebrity leading actors’ lines. But if you play your cards right, audiences might actually enjoy other aspects of the play besides the stars!

1. A smaller cast is fine, great even. I’ve heard the estimate that Shakespeare’s plays might have been originally performed by about 15 people. A cast of 11-15 tends to work well in most spaces.

You can do an enjoyable Shakespeare play with 8-10 people (with significant cuts and doubling), but it doesn’t do anything to IMPROVE the theatergoing experience. And under 8 actors? It better be done for comedic effect or highly avant- garde, or it will be incomprehensible to most.

2. If you’re using a lot of doubling/tripling/quadrupling, you need to differentiate characters with costumes. Having everyone wear plain black minimalistic outfits or military uniforms only works if half the actors aren’t playing 5 different people.

As originally staged, Shakespeare’s plays didn’t have much in the way of sets, but costumes did a lot of storytelling. Even if yours are simple and modern, they should tell us something about the characters. The humble Friar Lawrence and the powerful Prince Escalus probably wouldn’t dress the same.

3. Similarly, if you’re doubling, tripling, etc. and significantly abridging the script, do not cut dialogue like “I have disguised myself as a monk!” or “They will never know that I’m secretly Bob!” Otherwise, they might think this is a whole new character they need to keep track of if clothes/accessories are the only signifier for that!

4. Also, try not to cut too many lines that establish a sense of place if you don’t have actual sets. Lines like, “Here we are in the forest” or “We’ve finally reached France!” are Shakespeare’s audience lifelines!

5. If you’re combining small roles to create composite characters, pay attention to those characters’ arcs. For instance, if combining all the minor lords in Macbeth into Ross and Lennox, maybe one starts more naive and the other more jaded, maybe one turns against MacB long before the other.

Don’t assign them lines that don’t make sense for their role, like if Lennox teleports between Scotland and England from scene to scene or if someone reacts with shock to news they already witnessed firsthand in an earlier scene. In general, treat your supporting characters like characters, not just vehicles to move the plot forward for the lead actor’s star turn, even if the lead is played by a celebrity!

6. Relying on voice and facial expressions only to tell the story, absent of sets, costumes, props, ensemble characters, or action scenes only works in a suitably intimate space. I don’t want to sit in the nosebleed seats in a 2,000 seat theatre and see a huge bare stage with only 9 people sitting or standing, emoting to only the first few rows.

Sitting through a play without following the story at all will make lots of people hate Shakespeare who may have otherwise fallen in love with his work after attending your play. “Stripping Shakespeare down to its bare essentials” can be raw and invigorating, just be careful not to remove binding ingredients or the whole recipe falls apart. The text can be tricky enough to comprehend, let alone with next to no visual signifiers to guide them. Work with the text, not against it! So many helpful tools are built into it!

[wylanzahn]

New-ish post, kinda posting this on different platforms and getting a general vibe check for some ideas I have. But basically this Halloween I want to actually do something for the TTRPG and Actualplay world (oh yeah I’m into those kinds of things). I want to try and get both players, GMs, and casual viewers alike something fun to look forward to this especially spooky season. I’ll probably talk a little more when we get closer to the actual season of scare-giving but just know that if you’re interested I’m still looking for people to join in!!

As my team and I’d first debut we’re going to try and do a two to four session actual play, which will probably be released in the weeks leading up to Halloween. We’ve had a couple good friend way in on the matter of “setting” but now I come to you fine folk. Mind you this is a horror campaign/arc so if…

Isn’t your thing, keep on a moving.

But without further ado here are a couple of the possible settings for our players, and myself, this coming espookee season…

1.) Somewhere off the coast of Florida, 1926 end of the first major housing boom in the state, a small island which calls back to the Spanish Empire, is Isla Boñyela, a small port made tourist location during the boom of disposable wealth in 1920s America. A small group of friends from the northeast tag along down for the perfect paradise vacation. Only to discover the island is much much older than anyone could have ever assumed. Whilst dealing with upstart gangsters, unnerving US soldiers, and the terrified locals they find something older than even undead conquistadors.

While I don’t have a working title, this is an old project in the running which I’ve had a few attempts at revamping over time. Its previous title was “perfect paradise vacation,” and runs on the Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition game. Anywho it’s a blast of fun with Caribbean lore, tone of anti-imperialism, and something dark lurking beneath the waves.

2.) 1950’s America, the nonexistent state of Mid-Atlantia (DMV coded) in a small suburban neighborhood where nothing goes wrong… it’s almost “All-Hallows-Eve” and little Johnny and Susie want nothing more than to trick or treat this year with all the big kids, Dad’s finally getting the big promotion at work, and Mom just got a new waffle iron! Sure everything is neat here in America. Heck you just got new neighbors! Newlyweds in fact from somewhere big and fancy, they sure aren’t like any of us in our simple town. But… and you can’t say exactly why but things are different. Or perhaps they’re all too the same? Everyday a repeat of ever other bland day that followed you over and over and over and over… and you could swear, while no one may listen to you there’s someone out there. Stalking you from outside your own home- or- perhaps, he’s just your friendly new neighbor welcoming you… to the end.

Ahhhhhh! I’ve also been working on this one for a sec and god writing it out does excite me. This is also a Call of Cthulhu game but modified/homebrewed to have a uniquely 1950s horror feel. This is definitely one of the more unique games I’ve written and am truly interested in seeing where it goes (even if we don’t choose it). This is for those who feel like isolation, fear of the unknown, fear from within, and liminal space horror comes best into play! So whadya say neighbor?

3.) The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend, or How I Learned to Love Strahd, okay so this one is a lot less horror-y and falls much more under the comedic spooky category, just so yall know. Deep in the middle of Barovia, the ancient kingdom of Vampires, meets a council of Count Strahd von Zarovich's greatest commanders and lieutenants to hunt down Strahd's greatest enemy Rudolph van Richten and his party of heroes known as "The Grape-Smashers." Strahd's lieutenants have been gifted powers greater than any mere mortals, but are these gifts enough to stop Van Richten, or even enough to stop the personal ambitions of each other? Come find out in "How I Learned to Love Strahd."

Okay, as much as this may seem like a joke suggestion it cracks me up and I feel like it would be ill-advised of me to not at least mention it. In an era where "The Curse of Strahd," is well-overdone at this point, it's worth a take from an all evil "revenge story." Obviously this will be in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, which, in my opinion, is really hard to use for horror, but this is a nice go-around. Come for the evil PCs, maybe a PvP battle or two, and a game of intrigue in the shadows of Barovia! All that and a buff Van Richten.

4.) Before Annapolis was ever called such it was known as Providence, a settlement of exiled Puritans in the Province of Maryland, but these early days were no easy set-up for the far-flung protestants... in the mid 1600s the English Civil War spilled out into their holdings across the waves as brother turned on brother, clan erasing clan, and something from the shores of the Old World would arrive in the New. When around every corner could be someone you've known your whole life, what's stopping them from hunting you in the depths of winter. All matters made worse when rumors of a witch begins circulating your small home.

Think "The VVitch" (2015) meets "A Field in England" (2013) meets Atun Shei's recent film "The Sudsbury Devil" (2023). It is the unexplored wilderness of early colonial Maryland, but the hateful warmongering that slowly builds that makes the horror and tension so clear. Unsure of what system we'll be using, but maybe the new Regency Cthulhu system.

5.) The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 destroyed some 140 Acres of Baltimore proper... and in it's rubble awakened something far worse. But you and your fellow survivors are just trying to get by in the aftermath of the fire... only for something to call out, whether some strange magicks or perhaps just a sickness... but sickness doesn't even linger like this... it doesn't call to you...

Some more local history, aspiring from the actual Fire of 1904 things quickly devolve from there as rumors of a cult begin to spread along the streets of Rosland Park... a mysterious illness leaving even more dead... and the death of an eclectic professor. Definitely using the Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition for this one.

Aaaaaaaand that's it! Let me know what y'all think!

[read-write-thrive]

part 1 (both girls in their full outfits) ; part 2 (Edwina in several other outfits/sketches) ; part 3 (the companion to this piece aka Edwina getting ready :)

part 4 of my fem!payneland fanart series!!!! as I talked about with the poll, I have quite a few variations of this piece as I couldn’t make up my mind on a few of the elements, but I listened to your feedback and have included them all here !! the winner of the poll is above the cut with the rest of the variations below to hopefully make this not take up too much of your dash lol

lmk what you think - especially people who voted on the poll!! I’ve also included my thought process below the cut since I know y’all are interested :)

- first and foremost: I have absolutely no idea what order someone would get ready in with all these outfit components, so if you’re sitting here like “why is her makeup done when she has to pull a shirt over her head?” or something like that: you’re probably correct but my getting ready process is always chaos and there aren’t exactly articles on this sort of thing

- along with that: her straightening her hair is probably not accurate to how hair works but again I’ve got v little experience to pull from and trying to find a proper reference was a pain in the ass

yes her bra is fully rendered and then got covered up by her arm. I'm still mad that I did that to myself but I like the pose too much to change it so oh well

- (onto actual historical stuff!!)

- her hair is being straightened here despite straight not being in style during this era for several reasons:

1. I based her hair (and a lot of her style, as per part 1) on Rhoda Dakar of the band The Bodysnatchers, which was an all-female band that was part of the ska revival in the late 70s/early 80s. Rhoda Dakar in particular is a British artist (who’s still making music!) with an English mother and Jamaican father—so not only was she one of the only women of color I could find as part of this subgenre/in ths era/with plenty of photo references, but considering Jayden Revri is Jamaican and English (alongside Indian) himself I thought it was fitting! Her Bodysnatchers look is also much more femme leaning than the rest of the band, as well as her hair styled in a way that suggests straightening, so I carried that over to Charlotte here as well.

2. On a related note, there is a clear historical and modern difference in hairstyles worn/made popular/deemed fashionable by non-white versus white individuals and I thought it only appropriate to acknowledge that in my design of her. I even went so far as to research how her mom’s hair may have been styled since I assume that’s who would’ve been teaching her how to care for her hair in the first place. With that, I looked at popular Indian hair trends from the 60s (figuring that’s when Charlotte’s mom could’ve still been in India and following those trends) which also involved a preference for straight/wavy hair, with soft fringe made popular by Sadhana and the styles ranging from long and luscious to styled up into a very 60s beehive. Charlotte could easily also rock a beehive, especially since the 60s revival was a part of the ska revival movement and Dakar herself styled her hair as such, but I figured Charlotte is a little too much of a rebellious teenager to go for a look she’s seen her mom wear!

- her makeup is based off of the different members of The Bodysnatchers as well as other punk/ska fans at the time. The look usually required more blush that what I gave her here, but I wanted to make sure the eyes were the feature (since Charles wears eyeliner himself) and then the lips being any less just looked weird to me. Also, Dakar doesn't seem to wear the same heavy blush that the other members do, which could be a stylistic choice but could also be the potential lack of blush shades that would work well on her skin tone, so I went that route for Charlotte here

- her underwear is all based off of meticulous searching of historical advertisements, though I will admit the sources are (presumably) American since I couldn't find British equivalents (I'm hoping the styles were similar enough...) in particular:

1. Her bra is based off of: Playtex’s New Made for Me, Playtex’s Right For Me, and Playtex’s Thank Goodness It Fits (which are seriously the names of these as per the ads—how creative /s)

2. Her panties (or pants or underwear or whatever term you want to use) are based off of: Sears Best’s Nylon tricot panties, Sears Very Impressive Panties Nylon panties, and JCPenny’s eiderlon fashion panties

3. (In the below variations) Her pantyhose are theoretically based on L’eggs and Spirit by Stevens’s Slim & Slender pantyhose. But, honestly, they’re mostly based on my own experience wearing hose bc almost none of the ads showed how the gusset of the pantyhose actually looked so I needed to fill in the gaps (one of the many reasons I’m still unhappy with them—plus the wrinkles would not look right no matter what I did !!)

4. Her socks are called slouch socks! I don’t have a specific brand for them but the style was all the rage in the 80s-90s (and I want to own some so bad ngl)

- the hair straightener is just a blob based on the reference photo since trying to research historical hair tools was beyond me at the time apparently, but the style of outlet/plug is accurate to Britain in 1989 so there’s that at least (I have no idea why my brain works like this)

- since I talked about it in the poll I feel like I should address it here: technically having a bush was well out of fashion by 1989 due to the grooming boom and new types of hair removal popular throughout the 80s and 90s. However, she’s wearing multiple layers over it and is technically a teenager (in an abusive household and a catholic all-girls school, at that) so I kept going back and forth on it. It won the poll so it’s in the main post, but you’ll see in the below variations that I really went back and forth on it. that being said I do think it’s interesting given her nylon pants being semi-sheer besides at the gusset, so I’m not mad at it. plus I figured she was definitely shaving her legs/underarms, so maybe that balances it out ?

and finally here’s the other seven variations of this piece :) lmk what you think!!

[ourpickwickclub]

“I’m still waiting for the proof he wasn’t in Oklahoma for Thanksgiving.” Obviously no one here can prove a negative, but the entire family (including G’s parents, Todd and his family, but not K) went to Z’s show at OR then. He also hasn’t been at Z’s other shows, A’s games, or on G’s social media at all. There’s also been changes in his social media use with respect to G and B that people here have commented on for a long time. I think it’s a very fair assumption at this point that K’s doing his own thing, living at GR’s house, and isn’t as involved with GB. People can speculate as to why but I agree with B that people should give him a lot more grace at this time. He’s trying to figure out how to be an adult and is still in high school. He has a known narcissist as a father and it took G twenty years to finally get away from him. The judgment for him is over the top. People are praising Z for following in B’s footsteps with country music and being blatantly passive aggressive about K. They’re aren’t your characters. It’s awesome that Z has found something he’s passionate about and can share it with B. K not having the same passion isn’t a flaw or something to be upset about. I get why people could be upset at the thought of GR influencing him but G made the choice to marry and have kids with the guy. Him having influence isn’t something that can be undone or something to blame on K.

I feel for any person who has to deal with GR. King is in an especially tough spot. He is the golden child to GR. Apollo may assume that role eventually, but for now, it is King. Zuma has always been the scapegoat child to GR. That almost makes it easier for Z. He gets shame and guilt from GR (most likely - I know we don’t know for sure but we have lots of clues).

Z has a stepdad who adores him, loves him unconditionally, and just wants the best for him. Obviously, that feels better than dealing with GR to Z. And I think It is easier for Z to see that GR is lying when he disparages B & G because he isn’t getting love bombed and manipulated in the same manner as K. GR probably doesn’t think he’s even worth the effort. If Zuma takes off, I’m sure GR will switch tactics and will try hard to win him over. He wants credit for any kid’s success. 

As for King, i’m sure GR has spent a lot of time indoctrinating him into the false narratives that he lives by. I’m sure he’s making himself the fun parent and the supportive parent even if he supporting things he shouldn’t. And I bet GR looks for any small hole dig into and make massive about any differences between K and B & G. But I do believe King will see GR for his true self eventually. It just might take a very long time. It did for Gwen and Gwen and King are so similar.

- B

[moony-2001]

How I would’ve constructed the 10 year time skip

✨Brought to you by my deep loathing for Lore Olympus✨

•warnings: super long post (I’m not joking), death, kidnapping, violence•

What The Fuck Happened

There was so much potential for the punishment arc. We could’ve seen a lot of character development, fleshed out storylines, reconciliation between certain people. We could’ve seen both Hades and Persephone going to therapy instead of claiming that one therapy session has fixed all their problems and then never going again.

Instead we got horny Persephone, pretty much no clue about what happened to Demeter OR Persephone during that time, and an easy plot device (sorry Cerberus) for Persephone to be like “I’m a big girl now harrumph harrumph, time for me to go reunite with my crusty ass bf who I’ve only know for a month”.

I hate the way she reunited with Ares. Ares is just a bonafide creep throughout the whole comic (although I liked when he attacked Zeus lol). I guess what I mostly hate about Ares and Persephone’s interaction is, yet again, it’s another example of every guy in the comic going AWOOGA over Persephone. Also Athena’s design is so fugly. I guess Rachel is completely incapable of drawing masculine presenting women as actual women.

The whole Kronos plot line is stupid. I hate it so much. Imo the whole “the titans are trying to escape so they can rule Olympus again” is overdone and not particularly done well. The fight between Kronos and Persephone is lame as shit. Like what, she gets big for all of 20 minutes, burps out a bunch of bees (which aren’t even aggressive creatures), and then does her version of the Wuxi Finger Hold from Kung Fu Panda and has Tartarus spirit Kronos away, magically fixing all of their problems (except it doesn’t and nothing is actually fixed).

Also I might get a lot of flack for this, but I don’t think the addition of Morpheus’ character was necessary. I like Morpheus. I think she’s cute. But she’s a) slowly turning into another version of Hecate and b) not really vital to the narrative imo. We already have so many other characters and plot lines that take away from the central “romance” the story is SUPPOSED to be focused on. I just don’t think we need ANOTHER character whose arc is probably not going to go anywhere.

So yeah, overall very L writing, L plot, and L characters.

What I would do differently

The first thing I would change is that the whole punishment arc would be an entire season unto itself. You’ll see why it has to be a separate season.

The second thing is (and this literally pains me to say) in order for me to rewrite this portion of LO without rewriting the entire comic, I kinda sorta have to throw the entire timeline of Greece out the window. If I try to follow a timeline based on the history of Greece, the entire timeline of LO has to shift massively. I’m already getting a migraine trying to think about how I could possibly make it work.

I do know this: Instead of 10 years I’d do somewhere between 1,000-3,000 years. 10 years is a joke. When you’re a god, 10 years is a trip to the time out corner

For now, let’s just say (assuming LO takes place in the Ancient Greece era) and Ancient Greece spanned ~1500 years, Persephone’s punishment would’ve needed to have been established near the very end of the collapse of the Late Bronze Age, spanned the entirety of Ancient Greece as we know it today, and ended some time in the very early Byzantine era. So like what, 1500-2000 years? Fine. I can work with this.

The Famine

You know how the first 400 years of Ancient Greece was deemed the “Dark Ages” and it was a time of war, famine, and loss? I want to start the punishment there. It would make sense for what we know about the characters thus far:

Demeter has had complete control over the growth of the flora and fauna on earth. She’s the goddess of the harvest after all. But we also find out that while Persephone has been in Olympus, Demeter has also been carrying out her duties as the goddess of spring. Plus Demeter has been around for forever and a day. She knows what she’s doing

Persephone doesn’t (at this point in the comic) really have control over her powers. Even in her fits of rage, she ends up doing more harm than good (i.e. her act of wrath, turning Minthe into a plant, etc.). In comparison with everyone around her, she is a literal infant. I mean shit, she’s only been alive for 20 years compared to the fact that everyone else has most likely been around for a minimum of 500 years.

If Demeter is stripped of her status as a goddess (and thus her powers) it would make sense that there would be a lot of death and famine and war over territory/food. Persephone would be left with nothing: no guidebook, no how-to. Of course a lot of people would die while she’s trying to figure her shit out. It could also be a very interesting tactic for psychological warfare on Zeus’ part. Zeus KNOWS Persephone doesn’t know what she’s doing. He knows people will die. And he knows that since life is precious to Persephone (or at least that’s what she claims), it would punish her further.

We can see episodes of Persephone struggling to provide for humanity. We could have real world examples of the affect of famine and depopulation. We would see her struggling with her powers, her mental health. We could get an episode that explains how her hands got destroyed from trying to mimic her mother’s powers. We can see what the fuck happened to Demeter in Attica.

Now obviously things will eventually go on the up and up for Persephone and her compatriots. The whole 1500-2000 years isn’t just going to be one big clusterfuck. As time progresses and chapters pass, we could see real character growth for Persephone not just mentally, but in almost every aspect. Since she will have been alive at that point for over 1000 years, the readers would be able to see her newfound maturity. We could also see her build strong female support systems and strengthen her friendships, something we NEVER saw in the OG comic (or at least they never happened without Hades somehow being involved). You get the point.

What’s Old Man Hades up to?

I have big plans for Hades and none of them involve him going into a 1000+ year coma or getting possessed by his creepy-ass dad. He is an asshole though. I kinda wanted to portray him in this the way he is in the original myths (which for those who don’t know or haven’t read it, it’s not good).

So in Greek mythology, Hades actually had a wife before he even met Persephone or Minthe. Can you take a wild guess as to who?

Bingo! It’s Leuce. Contrary to popular belief, Leuce is actually NOT a home-wrecking POC version of Persephone (don’t @ me we all know the nymphs represent the lower class and POC). In mythology, Leuce was Hades’ first wife/lover and she died sometime long ago and I believe was turned into a white poplar tree. No she is not a cousin of Thetis and Amphitrite. She is not even remotely related to them. And Thetis and Amphitrite are sisters, not cousins. Do your fucking research Rachel.

Unfortunately, Greek Mythology doesn’t really mention all that much about Leuce outside of the fact that she was a daughter of Oceanus, she was kidnapped by Hades, and when she died (for unspecified reasons) she turned into a tree. Which means I’m going to be taking a lot of creative liberties for this portion of the post. Sorry to all you diehard fans of Greek myths out there. I shall try to do her justice.

In my head-cannon Hades and Leuce had been in an arranged marriage for thousands of years. Leuce was offered by Oceanus as a peace offering after the War and Hades, not really having any other viable options for a wife, agreed to take her to the underworld (much to her dismay). Over time, they grew to have a mutually loving/caring relationship. Unlike LO Persephone, Leuce was a good queen and she worked hard to make sure the denizens of the underworld respected her and that they were well cared for. Unfortunately, they got divorced because Hades starting having an affair with Minthe. Even though she loved her kingdom and the people of the underworld, she divorced Hades because she couldn’t stand to be around him, which, y’know. Fair.

A few notes: in my head-cannon, Leuce is still around leading up the the trial and punishment. Her portrait would still be up, we would see signs that Hades and Leuce still interact (more in terms of business, not romance), etc.

Also, unlike Persephone, Leuce would not take her anger out on Minthe or turn her into a plant or destroy her apartment. She would simply wish her good luck. She would be mad at Hades for cheating and for taking advantage of Minthe while she’s at her lowest. But I’m going to be straight up: even though Leuce is meant to be the better Persephone, she still has her flaws. She’s not going to feel inclined to help Minthe in any way. Would you want to help out the person who your partner is cheating on you with? The answer is no and if you say yes, you’re lying.

Anyways, during the Punishment, Hades and Leuce reconnect and Hades finds out Leuce is dying. He tries to convince her to leave the underworld and return to her father, but she insists that she is going to stay, even if it means she dies away from everyone she loved. She won’t abandon her kingdom, her people, or her ex-husband (although that’s much better than he deserves). They move in together and Hades begins to take care of her, even as she begins to deteriorate. They also begin to rekindle their past relationship and (with the help of a therapist) work through some of their past problems together.

Note: their relationship rekindles a couple hundred years into the punishment so by the time the punishment ends, they’ve been back together for a minimum of 1200 years

The aftermath and the Rape of Persephone

Before any of you go gaga over me for the title used above, the original title used for the myth is The Rape of Persephone (or if you want to be really original, The Rape of Proserpina). In the context of the title, the term “rape” means to be taken/kidnapped rather than having sexual violence inflicted upon you. Rape stemmed from the traditional Latin word “raptus” which means “to be seized” or “carried off”. Okay? Okay.

So after the Punishment ends and Persephone feels like she has thoroughly improved herself, she goes to find Hades and talk with him about their relationship. Mainly that she feels they rushed into it, and even though she does like him she wants to take things really slow (kind of like how she wanted before getting married 3 episodes later).

Upon arriving to the underworld/Hades house, her worst fears are realized: not only has Hades (seemingly) moved on, he has found someone else. Or rather, he got back together with his ex-wife.

Persephone freaks out (“who is she?”/“I’m his wife!”)

Persephone, throughly upset for getting her hopes up, flees back to mortal realm. Hades goes to leave Leuce, but not before she tells him that if he leaves her for Persephone, she will never forgive him. Hades leaves anyways, much to the absolute despair of Leuce, who is left wailing as he runs off.

Persephone returns home and finds Demeter and they hug. Demeter is initially horrified to see what happened to her hands, but is proud of the work she did during the punishment. Persephone cries to her mother about Hades, and Demeter tries to comfort her but it inadvertently comes off more as “I told you so” rather than “I’m sorry you had to experience that” (although Demeter is sorry that Persephone’s heart is broken). Persephone, already feeling incredibly emotionally distressed, lashes out at Demeter and they start to argue. This is when Hades arrives.

Hades sees Demeter and Persephone arguing and inserts himself into the situation. Persephone becomes more upset after seeing him and Hades (assuming that Persephone is upset about the fact that Demeter is getting in the way of their “relationship” and not the fact that Persephone discovered Hades went back to his ex-wife after saying he loved her) whips out the the “one personal question, no exceptions” card and proposes to Persephone. He insists that he loves her and only her and that they should spend the rest of their immortal lives together.

Persephone says no.

Hades, not taking no for an answer and not wanting to leave the mortal realm empty handed, kidnaps Persephone, much to the dismay of Demeter, Artemis, and the nymphs. Hades returns with a traumatized Persephone to the underworld to find that Leuce has died and turned into a white poplar tree. While Persephone is sobbing on the floor, Hades weaves a mock crown from the branches and leaves of the tree, places it upon Persephone’s head, and tells her she better get used to their life together.

Thus ends the season and the punishment arc.

Afterthoughts

Thank you for sitting through my ramblings. I officially joined the anti-LO community about the time the trial happened and had been wanting to make a post like this for a reaaaaally long time. Besides the fact that the trial in of itself was completely unethical (@genericpuff made a whole post about that) the punishment arc just really pissed me off. Like go girl, give us nothing!

Anyways, I may or may not do a whole timeline reconstruction of LO depending on how much I feel like offing my sanity with the amount of research that would have to go into that. Until then, I hope you like this post and look out for other anti LO posts coming your way :)

[coco-bee]

COCO'S REVIEW: LACKADAISY INGENUE (Ft. @thesilliestofallqueers)

Welcome to Coco’s Review! Where I review and breakdown episodes, movies and etc and overthink every tiny detail  and/or give my thoughts and opinions :D

Today I'm discussing Lackadaiy Ingenue (ft.Robin)

Yes I’m a fan of Lackadaisy! I haven’t been there since the start BUT I have been following the series ever since the animated pilot- I’ve also read a handful of the comics but I wasn’t able to read everything. But I have a good idea of the characters and their lore. I’m very happy to revisit this series through Lackadaisy Ingenue! So to start things off I want to define what ‘Ingenue’ means for those who don’t know (like I did). According to google, “An Ingenue is an innocent or unsophisticated young woman, especially in a play or film.” which makes a lot of sense since this short focuses on Ivy when she was a little kitten (I’m assuming she’s around 6-9 here), and I guess this short technically counts as a film. New word to add to your vocabulary ✨ So the short opens with Ivy’s father, Reuben Peppers showing off a car to Atlas (who is confirmed to be Ivy’s godfather in the description). Btw Reuben sounds INCREDIBLY young in my opinion, I didn’t even think he was her father- I thought he was her older brother or something but nope, that’s her dad. Confirmed in the description!

We aren’t even a minute in and I’m already asking questions- mostly with how close Ivy and Reuben are. With “I like it when it’s just you and me”, it got me confused since it IS just them traveling. I’m going to assume maybe she prefers private trips with her father over using public transportation where others can hear their conversations. Which really shows how close they probably are if Ivy really enjoys one-on-one time with him. 

So as Reuben greets Mitzi, Atlas, Viktor and “Joe”. Reuben and Mitzi have an interesting conversation… “What happened to New Years?” “It’s Effie, she's uh.. We’ll talk later” The look Reuben gives Ivy might imply that “Effie” is Ivy’s mother or just a relative of the Pepper family since Reuben doesn’t want to talk about it with Ivy listening. But that's just me- So that’s totally not suspicious :D 

I also just want to mention the nice hug Atlas and Reuben have- it really does seem like they’re very close. Which is probably why Atlas is Ivy’s godfather- Atlas seems pretty comfortable around Reuben too! From what I can tell Atlas was more of a “show more, talk less” kinda guy but that’s maybe because this is my first real introduction to him before he died (lmk if he appears in a flashback in the comics). He doesn’t have any lines in this episode too so I just thought that’d be interesting to point out. And that's why I came to that conclusion.

Upnext is Ivy meeting Mordecai for the first time I’m assuming. So this seems to take place when Mordecai used to work with Lackadaisy before switching to Marigold. This also confirms that he was the bookkeeper for the daisy cafe to which if you don’t know- a bookkeeper oversees a company's financial data and compliance by maintaining accurate books on accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and daily financial entries and reconciliations. They basically take care of the finances of the cafe. This scene also highlights the gun Mordecai was trying to hide, which I guess adds more evidence for Ivy to what these people actually do for a living. In the description it seems that Ivy is not very aware of what her father does for work. At least at the time. Mordecai having a gun despite being “just” a bookkeeper gives her an idea of what they might actually do other than running a cafe.

Also the “I subtract numbers too” line is fucking hilarious I’m sorry 😭 Now we have the scene where Ivy and Viktor’s bond seems to have started! I would eat up their interactions in the comics istg I LOVE THEM<33 Victor becoming that one chill uncle 

Viktor lying about how Mordecai broke his arm is fucking hilarious too- I’m now requesting a short comic of Mordecai trying to rollerskate but failing miserably! ANYONE PLEASE- TAG ME IF YOU DO THAT (Rob ik youre an artist pls /j)

I don’t have a lot to say about this scene- I just love Ivy and Viktor’s dynamic smm! I gotta talk abt them in one of my Dynamic Duos episodes! (getting ready to go through so many comics) After their interaction Ivy notices a broken car door with bullet holes on it. It looks very similar to the door Viktor was replacing while he and Ivy were talking. That’s when Ivy pieced it together, Mordecai’s gun and the bullet holes? Yeah it became obvious to her that these guys are criminals-

You can tell that was her conclusion with her asking Viktor directly if they were robbers or gangsters while also assuring that the secret is safe with her! 

I’d just end my breakdown here BUT YOU SAW THE TITLE! I would like to welcome my first guest ROBIN!!! Aka TheSilliestofallQueers :D I wanted to bring them in because they know more about the extensive lore of Lackadaisy so I feel like this’d be a perfect time to have them featured! SO I GIVE THE FLOOR TO ROBIN!! 

HELLO YES THIS IS ROBIN!! (@thesilliestofallqueers)

I’m not as obsessed with Lackadaisy as I used to be back when the animated pilot was just released (I had a friend who got me into it, thank you for that Breezy) but I still know quite a bit so I’ll be putting a few footnotes to this already extensive deep dive into the animated short

Apologies in advance but this is just going to be me analyzing / ranting about Viktor and Ivy’s interactions since Coco didn’t!! (ITS SPELLED WITH A K?? -Coco fixing her typos) (YEAH ITS VIKTOR LMFAOOAOAOAO -Rob) Now first of all, I found it so endearing that Viktor almost immediately warms up to Ivy and starts joking with her / trying to cover up what they actually do with lighthearted / white lies. 

As someone who has read the comics I always knew Viktor was fiercely protective of Ivy (He beat up her exes because he thought they were no good lol) but Ivy almost always responded to this by being annoyed with Viktor (specifically in the instance of the ex boyfriends, she got mad at Viktor for it)

So seeing her as a kid getting along with Viktor so well was refreshing and sweet (Also this short implies that these mfs are OLD AS HELL -Coco) (YEAH IT DO DUNNIT LMFAOAOAO -Robbobin)

Now they keep getting along until Viktor suddenly tells Ivy that she shouldn’t be there in the middle of her telling a joke, and you can SEE his expression shift from fond to worried as I guess he realizes that if he keeps being nice to her, she’ll want to stick around. Therefore putting her in more danger than if she was kept away

He slams the car door as he yells at her to go, and she does, but not before giving him one last angry look because dude WHAT THE FUCKK WE WERE SO CHILL LIKE 5 SECONDS AGO

And then Coco details the rest of what happened 

SORRY IF MY PORTION WAS SHORT I JUST WANTED TO EXPAND ON WHAT COCO DIDNT LMFAOOAOA (also there wasn’t much to go off of since it was short + coco covered most of it in detail already) THANK YOU ROB FOR YOUR INPUT!! Tbh I was struggling with finding words for Viktor and Ivy’s scene so thankfully Rob did the job! Please go follow Rob on their page! And that concludes our breakdown of Lackadaisy Ingenue :D  Huge respect to Tracy Butler and her team for their amazing work on this because the animation is GORGEOUS and the storytelling is super clever! I’m so excited to cover the future episodes of the series when it eventually comes out !!

This is Coco and Robin typing... thank you for reading!

[turningvioletviolet]

I assume people are pissed off about Cressida not getting a redemption arc + happy ending, but honestly I think her storyline this season was super important for what it represented.

Like, Cressida’s story going into S3 had a lot of parallel’s to Pen’s

Has caused harm to others in the ton in the past

Has a family that doesn’t provide her with respect or affection, and a mother who believes in marrying for security but not in love

Is entering her third year in the marriage mart with no prospects

Both of these characters have done things in Seasons 1&2 that weren’t great, but S3 Pen’s story is all about her redeeming herself. This is accomplished because of a few factors:

For the most part, her bad actions/mistakes in the past were well-intentioned on some level

Nonetheless, she immediately felt remorse for the damage she caused to her loved ones, and over time felt remorse for any damage she caused to strangers

She owned up to her mistakes—she would provide an explanation for her actions when confronted, but at no point this season did she try to deny them or excuse them

She resolved to never make the same mistakes again

She followed through on that resolve.

I think that the combination of these 5 elements made a really solid case for her redemption arc.

Penelope’s redemption arc actually has 2 parallels/foils this season: Cressida and Portia. And having 2 parallels instead of one really helps highlight the significance of this redemption arc:

Portia also goes through a similar redemption arc, finally being honest about her mistakes and failings, and committing to doing better. This parallel illustrates the difficulty of the journey to redemption.

Cressida, however, is the flip side: she shows passing remorse here and there, but ultimately continues to behave the same way and often deflects blame when she can. This parallel demonstrates the consequences of not going through the journey to redemption.

I think having both parallels did a great service to Penelope’s arc this season as it represented two possible paths forward for Penelope.

Cressida represents the type of fate that could have befallen Penelope if she had continued to make mistakes at the expense of other instead of truly atoning for them.

If Cressida had gone through a full redemption of her own, the stakes wouldn’t have felt as real.

Cressida’s storyline therefore had to go the way it did in order to service Penelope’s storyline. And yeah it sucks for her, but the writers aren’t obligated to provide a happy ending to each and every character simply because people think any attractive girl who’s mean but has a friendship with another girl must be a lesbian and therefore worthy of a happy ending. Their actual obligation is to tell a story, and that’s what they did here.

For what it’s worth, I will add that there’s always the possibility that Cressida will come back and get a redemption arc after all. I mean, if it’s not too late for Portia, then why should it be too late for her?

(Also, just regarding the Creloise of it all, tbh I was never a fan, so I’m sure that’s coloring my judgment. Tbh I think we can do better (and deserve better) than just the “mean girl must be a lesbian” stereotype and I’m looking forward to seeing how Fran & Michaela’s storyline turns out. Any by “looking forward to” I mean I’m so excited it’s honestly probably unhealthy)

[serial-serializednovelreader]

Do you think a Dracula MBS AU would work? If so, in what way? Hope you are doing well!!!

Sophie, I love this question!! It’s actually something I have thought of, but wasn’t sure if I wanted to make into a post on its own. And I’m doing well, hope you are too :DDDD

Yes, Dracula MBS AU could be a thing, but I would definitely need to make a few tweaks. Us Dracula book fans aren’t a huge fan of “tweaks” for…certain reasons (*side eyes adaptations*), but this one would still be faithful to the spirit of the book. :)

Note: Heavy spoilers for Dracula, and the Mysterious Benedict Society. Also, I’m basing this AU on the MBS books, not the series (Curtain is not really redeemable in this one, though he is the gremlin man you know and enjoy!). As a disclaimer, all of the MBS characters that are kids are adults in this AU — in their 20s to be precise. Everyone else retains their original ages (except for the one who is playing Dracula, of course).

Jonathan Harker -> Reynie Muldoon

You know I had to start off with my one of my favorite blorbos and honestly, this just works. These two characters are a lot alike, more than you might assume. Both are considered “average” by others, and are constantly underestimated, which they shake off in different ways (Reynie with his abilities, Jonathan through the power of Tumblr’s book club). They have a kind heart and love helping others. They are meticulous and can be bold when needed, sometimes using clever words to talk themselves out of a situation (Jonathan several times in Dracula’s castle, Reynie when Curtain catches him looking at the Executive’s list). Jonathan and Reynie are also leadership material, though you probably wouldn’t think it by looking at them.

Mina Murray -> Kate Wetherall

Yeah, so those who know I ship these Reynie and Kate may have expected this one. I can’t help it! Still, I think these two work as well. Mina is very much an extrovert and will talk to everyone she meets, just like Kate. Mina may not carry a bucket, but she does carry her journals and writing around with her! Kate and Mina are both silly at times, adding their own personal flair to situations. I would see Kate embodying Mina’s bolder side and being excited about journalism for the chance to meet people. She is fine with studying and typing (especially to help/bond with Reynie), but it’s not her favorite thing, if that makes sense. Or, alternatively, she could have more of Mina’s affinity for typing and thoroughly love it! Up to you. Those who have read Dracula all the way through also know that Mina and Kate are also alike in their need to be *in the action*, not sidelined. And they’re absolutely correct.

Dracula -> Ledroptha Curtain

Yeah, this one is pretty obvious. Both are cackling villains, both like their cat-and-mouse games: it just fits! Plus, if you compare Curtain’s weird lecture/manipulative speeches to Reynie in the first book to Dracula’s speeches to Jonathan…it’s almost uncanny how similar they are!!! Dracula and Curtain honestly use a lot of the same tactics to draw their victims in (making them feel special/isolated, puffing his own ego, etc.).

Renfield -> Crawlings

I’ll be honest, Crawlings is my favorite Ten Man and I can just see him as Renfield. He’s soooooo weird and I love him for it!!! Bro has one eyebrow and was constantly being quirky. Can I see this man eating a fly and being locked in an asylum in 1800s England? Yes, yes I can. Plus, his name is Crawlings and he follows Curtain. ‘Nuff said.

Van Helsing -> Nicholas Benedict

You probably also saw this one coming after I paired Dracula with Curtain. This Dracula AU fits a lot better than one first assumes and here is another example. Van Helsing in the novel is very much a quirky professor, befuddling his former student (Seward) with his metaphors and laughing far too much to be in the horror novel Dracula, let’s be honest. In the same way, Nicholas Benedict is a jovial, unassuming man, who one wouldn’t think to be a genius instrumental to saving the world, yet he’s in the very name of the book series! In the same way, Van Helsing has garnered a name for himself that has far outlived his first appearance in the novel: as much as Dracula lives on in the public sphere, Van Helsing is right beside him. I think this fits Nicholas to a tee. Plus, Nicholas and Van Helsing are capable of great seriousness and emotional depth when the situation calls for it.

Aaaaaaand this is where things get switched around. I’m going to list the characters first, then describe how exactly their arcs would be changed, but I want to make it clear that this Suitor Squad would not be a Suitor Squad anymore in my AU. I do not ship these characters!!!!! Just want to make that clear upfront.

Lucy Westerna -> Constance Contraire

This one is a bit of a stretch personality-wise, but it’s the clearest fit in terms of leading/supporting characters. Lucy is obviously a very sweet person and Constance is…well…the society says it best: “Constance is Constance”. However, in RoA, we do get a glimpse of a sweeter Constance and I do believe this is how Constance will be once she matures: still her feisty self, just able to let her empathetic side show more. And really, that’s who Lucy is. She has a defiant and bold streak within her: this is just held back by the confines of Victorian society (though not in the way adaptations want to portray her — I just mean she could be more sassy if she wanted to). Whether Constance adapts more of Lucy’s bubbly and sweet personality or retains her sassy and grumpy self is up to you. Either way, her and Kate (Mina) would definitely still be best friends and have a similar relationship they have in MBS, perhaps with a dash of maturity (LOL). Lucy/Constance is also the youngest, clocking in at 19, to everyone else’s mid- to late- 20s.

Quincey Morris -> Milligan

You can probably see why I emphasized the importance of not shipping these characters. So yes, Milligan now takes the role of an American cowboy and I think he would adopt this role with gusto! Of course, in this AU he’s never lost his memories so he is his cheerful self. He is a lot like Quincey in being perpetually cheerful, compassionate and a good friend to the rest of the Crew of Light (plus, earnestly cheering them up when needed and kicking Dracula/Curtain’s butt — both of these characters excel at their job). Quincey is known as the oathmaker of Dracula, always keeping the promises he makes. Readers of MBS know that Milligan also takes his promises seriously, so much so that his last promise became his very name (how his name is still Milligan when he didn’t lose his memories doesn’t make sense, but…you know…uh….*magic*). Is he Kate’s father in this AU? Perhaps. 😏 I once commented to @nobodysdaydreams that these two would be father/daughter in every universe, so I think even if they’re not biologically related, they would certainly fit that dynamic and adopt each other as such.

Jack Seward -> George “Sticky” Washington

Seward is definitely on the darker side of what Sticky is capable of, but I don’t think this is out of the realm of possibilities for Sticky. I honestly think he could’ve become something like this, had he not been exposed to Mr. Benedict and his friends at a young age. Not that Sticky is “bad” or “evil” in this AU — Jack isn’t either!!!!!! I would just say he has bad coping mechanisms and needs therapy for depression…so just hand that over to Sticky without the strongest support system and I think these two meld together well.

Arthur Holmwood -> SQ Pedalian

For all my SQ lovers, this one’s for you!!! SQ and Arthur are both sweet guys who really shouldn’t be in traumatic situations, but, unfortunately, are. Fun to be around and a beacon of light to those they meet, SQ and Arthur always try to make the best of a bad situation! I think SQ would fit right into Arthur’s role, though it won’t be easy for him as the book goes along…

Three Vampire Sisters -> Martina, Jillson and Jackson

I believe it makes sense for Curtain’s most trusted executives to also be in his castle as his vampires in this AU. Oh, and Jackson’s here too — for the vibes. :D yes, they do try to “seduce” Reynie. Yes, it is weird (though, as a reminder, minus the vampire thing they’re similar in age — Reynie is in his 20s and the vampire siblings got turned into vampires around the same age). No, I don’t want to dwell on it.

Mr. Hawkins - Miss. Perumal

While it wouldn’t make any sense for Jonathan/Reynie’s boss to be a woman in this time period, I am making Mr. Hawkins Miss Perumal anyway because I do not care. Jonathan basically calls Mr. Hawkins his adopted father and that is what Miss. Perumal is to Reynie. Whether you want to make Miss Perumal a guy or just make Victorian England less sexist in this AU is up to you (I’m rooting for the latter).

Captain of the Demeter -> Captain Noland

I think this one explains itself. Noble captain of The Shortcut becomes the noble (and, unfortunately, doomed) captain of the Demeter. 🫡🫡

First Mate of the Demeter -> McCracken

My choice here might seem strange — and it is — but I honestly think this first mate that gets more and more desperate is better filled by McCracken the Ten Man than anyone else. I truly believe if something supernatural happened to him, he would not believe it and would scoff at anyone who did — until it was too late. Then, he would try to fight the monster (as the First Mate does), and if he had no option left…flee. That’s my interpretation of McCracken’s true character anyways — just give him less weapons and less self-confidence. Plus, I wanted McCracken to be a part of this and had no good place for him (lol). 🤷‍♀️

Second Mate of the Demeter -> Canonball

The bravest “mate” on the crew, I chose Canonball as Second Mate instead of First Mate because he would be exactly the type of man to volunteer to keep watch and let everyone else get some sleep; unfortunately, that kind of selflessness is not rewarded by Dracula. :( RIP Canonball in this AU, you will be missed. 🫡

Mrs. Westerna -> Number Two

I’m envisioning a different kind of relationship than mother/daughter for Lucy/Constance and Mrs. Westerna/Number Two. I’ll explain it more when we get to my “changes”, but suffice it to say, Mrs. Westerna/Number Two is an aunt or mentor figure to Lucy/Constance rather than a biological mother. I picked Number Two for this role because she has Mrs. Westerna’s strict adherence to rules down and an anxious streak, though to a lesser extent of course. These qualities would be dialed up to 11 for the AU.

“Correspondent” -> Rhonda Kazembe

According to a number of posts I’ve seen on here (though I haven’t been able to find anything when I looked it up — doesn’t mean it’s not true, just means my research skills needs work!), Stoker originally envisioned a woman reporter who ended up working with the Crew of Light to take down Dracula. Whether due to time constraints or too many characters to keep track of, he dialed this character back to a “Correspondent” (gender unidentified) who reports on the Demeter’s landing, and what has become of the ship. While we don’t get much from this Correspondent, they show a lot of personality in just two entries: boasting about their running abilities and reporting about villagers wanting to be friends with a dog. I would definitely select Rhonda for this role because, while she may seem quiet and ordinary, she hides a ton of inner personality! I think I would give this Rhonda a little bit of her energy from the show because her actress just did such a good job of embodying her character and giving her an even more distinct personality that I think would go great with the Correspondent. Other than that, I do think she would work with the Crew of Light in this one, as Stoker originally intended, though how much and in what capacity, I’m not sure of.

Mr. Swales -> Risker

I was honestly thinking of picking one of the Ten Men for this one, but I think “kooky old man who you can’t tell what he’s saying half the time” fits Risker perfectly. 😂😂

Now that we have all the chess pieces into place (yes, that was an MBS reference), how do they move around the chessboard? Most Dracula fans by now will probably be shouting at me “But Nova, if there’s no Suitor Squad, how will you fulfill Lucy’s arc?” Well you see, there’s one relationship we need to consider here: that of Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict and Lucy/Constance.

So for those who may not know (on both sides of the fandom), Van Helsing considers Lucy to be his daughter in a sense. In MBS, Mr. Benedict ends up adopting Constance, though this is not an easy process, as her papers are lost to time. I intend to merge these two story arcs.

So to start, Lucy/Constance would be an orphan, not being born from a wealthy family like in the original book. She would meet Jonathan/Reynie and Mina/Kate and they would all be childhood friends, as in the original book, though perhaps Lucy/Constance understands the other two on a deeper level — as they all three know what it’s like to be orphans and to want for friendship and parents.

Somewhere along the way, Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict meets Lucy/Constance (she’s in her teens at this point) and he starts to see her as the daughter he wants to have. Unfortunately in Victorian England, there’s no legal adoption process. So basically, Lucy/Constance can only have the feeling of having a father, no papers to prove it. And just like in the MBS series, this causes her to feel frustrated and insecure (though with a bit more maturely, since she’s older lol). Another issue is that she rarely sees Van Helsing/ Mr. Benedict since he’s working on research in Germany. He doesn’t want to take her with him, since he presumes she should be out living her life and learning how to be a lady (more out of a desire for her to fit in with other girls and make friends than him sticking to the confines of society). Which is why he’s entrusted her with Mrs. Westerna/Number Two, providing her a permanent place to live. We can also work something in there about Milligan/Quincey (a family friend of his) adopting Mina/Kate along the way or them being father/daughter (you could swap Mina and Lucy’s roles here). I personally like the former option, but the latter works as well!

Living with Mrs. Westerna/Number Two is nice, but not what Lucy/Constance wants. She only wants to be with her father :(. At this point, she’s an adult and can make her own choices, so she asks her father if she can go on a trip with him. Surprisingly, he says yes!

Rather than the three iconic proposals here, I envision Lucy/Constance telling her three family friends (because Van Helsing has a LOT of those) about her impending trip instead, which they all take in different ways. Seward/Sticky does not take this well. Van Helsing is kind of a father figure to him as well and having him be away has been difficult for him to handle. Now, hearing that he’s going to “lose” someone he considers to be his sister as well is just too overwhelming for him to hear. He accepts it, but doesn’t like it. Milligan/Quincey is excited for her, but sad to see her go. He feels a “loss” as well, since he considers Lucy/Constance to be his daughter, though he’s never said it. Arthur/SQ is the only one truly excited for her, giving her travel tips, as he’s traveled himself and wants her to have only the best experience. It may not be as dramatic or exciting as proposals, but I do think this works with hitting similar emotions from the three men (grief, bittersweet, and joy).

Then we come to the sad part of our story. Lucy/Constance begins experiencing symptoms of a vampire bite and while Sticky/Seward tries to care for her himself, his last resort is to call in Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict (which he doesn’t want to do, because he doesn’t want him to see her like this and it feels too much like the end…). When Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict arrives, he understands very clearly what is going on, and it pains him to see his daughter in this condition. However, for her sake, he keeps to his jovial self (and he retains his narcolepsy, so you can play a lot with him trying not to give in to this emotional turmoil).

At first, it seems like things are working in their favor: they put up garlic and it seems to keep the evil bat away. Unfortunately, Mrs. Westerna/Number Two doesn’t get the memo and takes the garlic down, leaving poor Lucy/Constance exposed. That’s when the bad turns to the worse.

If you want maximum angst here, you can go with the canon ending…which is that Lucy/Constance dies. And if you thought Van Helsing’s reaction to Lucy’s death was bad (which is a full on mental breakdown, by the way), this is oh-so much worse. Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict is inconsolable. He won’t talk to anyone. He keeps waking up and passing out for a full day, he is SO full of emotion. He mourns that he was never able to take her on a trip or able to legally adopt her. Not to mention, Dracula/Curtain took Mrs. Westerna/Number Two from him too, so he’s mourning THAT death as well. So yeah, needless to say, he’s not in a good place. And he’s determined to avenge the people he’s lost at any price. Also, he would have to be the one to stake Lucy/Constance when she eventually turns into the Bloofer Lady (which he would be in denial about at first, though he would see all the signs). Because I need this to be more heartbreaking, apparently. By the end of this AU, him and Jonathan/Reynie are very much silently sharpening a knife, waiting for their moment to strike at Dracula/Curtain (who looks eerily similar to Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict, that’s strange…).

Since MBS is included in this, though, I don’t know if this would be what happens. I kind of believe Lucy/Constance would make it through in this AU. So either Mrs. Westerna/Number Two actually listens to Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict (which is likely, let’s be honest) or they’re able to save her in some other way. Bottom line: Lucy/Constance makes it, and she’s infinitely grateful! Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict vows to take her on a trip very soon and makes her a little adoption certificate thing. It’s not real, but to them it is! On the inside, however, Van Helsing/Mr. Benedict is very angry at Dracula/Curtain for almost killing his daughter and that’s not something he takes lightly…

So yeah, those are my ideas for a Dracula MBS AU. Hope you like it! :D

[kitsunexgari]

Chapter Seven Summary: Kitsune is a wealthy billionaire on the hunt for the Front Man of these legendary Squid Games she’s heard so much about. However, in her attempt to find this man’s true identity, the hunter will become the hunted. Relationship: Hwang In-ho/Original Female Character Tags: Kidnapping/abduction, assault, non-consensual drugging, sadism, fear play, knife play, blood play, Dom/Sub, consensual but not safe or sane, dub-con, sexual activity, torture, knives, language, humiliation, slapping, biting, stabbing, guns Note: The tags are general tags not all things happen in every chapter I just want people to be warned what they could potentially get into.

[Chapter One] [Chapter Two] [Chapter Three] [Chapter Four][Chapter five][Chapter Six]

As they were being led out of there at gunpoint, Rika noticed that her bag was sitting on a shelf. No one else seemed to notice this but that was probably because it was small and they more than likely weren’t looking for it. Though it made sense considering the fact that he was about to let her go and had already given her some of her stuff back. She could only assume the next thing would have been her purse. She tried not to make it too obvious that she noticed since she didn’t want anyone else to grab it. The only reason for that was her phone was in it. Though it was also probably dead by that point. She could only hope that it had continued to transmit the GPS coordinates until the very point that it either powered off or there wasn’t a cell signal anymore. That was if he hadn’t removed her phone from it in the first place. 

“Do any of these guys speak Japanese?” She asked In-ho softly, obviously speaking in her native language. She glanced around to see if any of the guards surrounding them had noticed that she said something. Snake was a bit ahead of them but he hadn’t seemed to overhear what she’d said. 

“Not to my knowledge.” He replied in the same language. “Why?” 

“I saw my bag, did you take anything out of it?” 

“No. You were going to be returning anyway so I didn’t think it mattered.” 

“Hey!” Snake snapped, suddenly stopping everyone to turn around and look at them, “You aren’t going to get away with that, just because we don’t understand it. No talking. Period. In any language.” They both gave him a nod before they were shoved forward and ordered to start walking again. She wasn’t sure that she should bring up with him what her phone had been doing anyway but if it had done its job correctly, considering the multiple days she’d been missing people were going to be looking for her. A lot of people. In all fairness, she had no idea if they would be found but it was some shred of hope instead of nothing at all. 

As they continued through the maze of hallways she started to wonder why so many guards were there in the first place. A few she could have understood but there seemed to be a lot more than a couple of days ago when she’d broken into this hidden area. There were a lot of questions to ask and no real way to ask them. In-ho also didn’t seem to have a problem going along with this without much of a fight. In fact, he seemed a bit smug, like he knew this wasn’t going to work out the way Snake had planned and yet, all she could think was that this guy had gotten all the guards on his side enough to get as far as he had. What could In-ho possibly be planning to get out of this and was she part of that plan? 

Eventually, they ended up in some large room with a bunch of beds, very uncomfortable looking bunk beds. She also wasn’t sure she liked the color scheme with the sea green walls but it wasn’t as if she had a say in any of this in the first place. There was a line that had been place down to divide the room into two parts. She was shoved further into the room followed by In-ho who still looked utterly unbothered by any of this. Though maybe he was annoyed internally since the same could be said about her. She wasn’t making much of a fuss or reacting because she didn’t want to give anyone the satisfaction of that.

“This is what’s going to happen.” Snake said as everyone filed into the room around them. All of the guards were armed so trying to make a run for it wasn’t even close to an option even though the door was open behind them. She had to wonder if they would care much about her doing anything since it was pretty obvious what they wanted was In-ho and this was some type of coup for Snake to take over. “Anyone who wants you to continue running things as The Front Man will cross to that side of the line and anyone who thinks I’d do it better will stay over here.” 

“I don’t know what you think you’re going to accomplish with this.” In-ho said then shrugged and went to sit on one of the beds. She watched him but continued to stand where she was, which happened to not be on his side of the line. “Have your mutiny though, I guess we’ll see how well it goes for you.” He laid back on the bed where he’d gotten himself comfortable. 

“Alright, pick a side.” He announced to the guards, “Who’s interested in keeping In-ho in charge? Huh?” He waved his gun quite ominously as he spoke and she had to admit he was rather intimidating. Which was probably how he’d gotten everyone to go along with this in the first place. Well, part of it. He must have been doing other things as well, sowing the seeds of discontent long enough that people had decided they’d had enough. She didn’t know what even went into running this game or entertaining clients, or whatever else had to be done to get everything started but she could imagine that any underground operation like this could go to shit if everyone suddenly decided they didn’t like who was in charge in the first place. 

As she could have predicted everyone shifted over to his side leaving In-ho alone in the bed where he wasn’t making any sort of fuss about this whatsoever. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do or why she was even involved in any of this in the first place. She had no stake in the Squid Game or this company, corporation, she wasn’t sure what to call it. Though she also didn’t want anything to happen to In-ho. Maybe she’d only known him for a few days and it had been some of the most torturous moments of her life, she was now interested in him and for better or worse she knew there wasn’t any way she’d let go that easily. The only problem was if she left this island there would be very little chance of ever finding him again. Or he could be killed. Who knew? 

“And you?” Snaked asked, snapping her out of her train of thought. 

“What does my opinion in this matter? I don’t know any of you people, least of all him. Why do I care how you run these games?” She asked, which wasn’t entirely true, but if she started gushing over In-ho and how much she didn’t want him hurt that would only give them leverage. The best she could do was keep as calm as he was and hope to eventually get into a position to figure out a plan. 

“True…” He approached her, placing his gun against her cheek to stroke it softly, “But he likes you.” 

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” She chuckled, “I think if anything he doesn’t like me, because I beat him. Still, it doesn’t matter, this is none of my business and he was going to let me go before you barged in with your little tantrum so I think that’s where it should continue.” 

“You think you’ll just leave? Hmmm? Like that? And we trust you not to do or tell anyone anything about us?” 

“Who would believe me?” She sighed, “I don’t know your name and I only know his first name, also, I’m Japanese which is only to my detriment in Korea so I’m actually the best person to let go.” 

“You hear that? She wants to leave. What do you think?” He turned to point his gun at In-ho.

“It’s only fair. I already told her this would be the case, like she said.” He replied and he didn’t sound too bent out of shape about it either. This irked her to some level because she wanted him to want her to stay or something but she also had to consider the fact that he wanted her to get out of there because it would ensure her survival. If she stayed during whatever was going to happen here then it would only put her in more danger. Even if she didn’t know who he was other than a first name and the most gorgeous face she’d ever seen in her life, he did know who she was. He could come find her. If he wanted to. She was very torn between staying there and attempting to help him fight all of this and leaving so she could survive long enough to hopefully see him again. 

“Having you here would be a liability, considering your position.” Snake sneered and then grabbed her arm. “Keep an eye on him, I have to take care of this problem.” 

“I’m only the problem you created.” 

“I would advise you to keep your mouth shut.” He hissed, shoving the gun in her face as a threat. She didn’t feel very threatened by it as she knew that should she vanish suddenly there would be an entire manhunt for her which would make it unsafe for them to return to the mainland and may even risk getting their little Squid Game uncovered and shut down. She took one last look at In-ho before she was out of the room. Snake shoved her ahead of him and pressed the gun to her back to get her to keep walking. “Funny, I thought you’d side with him and beg to stay.” 

“Then you don’t know me very well.” 

“You do know you won’t be leaving this island awake, right?” 

“I figured as much.” 

“You will go back, you will not try to find us, and you will not be contacting anyone here again. If I’m feeling generous sometime in the future I may extend an invitation for you to become one of our benefactors.” She rolled her eyes, that had never been the reason why she wanted to find the games in the first place but she supposed that if everything else failed it would at least give her a chance to come back and find In-ho again. 

“Why not these games? Why not now?” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“I would have to assume that the amount of guards that I saw in that room are only here because the game is about to start. Why else would they be needed?” 

“No more questions.” 

Before she could attempt to ask anything else he had struck her hard enough in the back of the head that all she felt was a sharp agonizing pain before everything else around her went black. 

When she woke up again, other than having what she was sure was a concussion, she was on the mainland. If someone had put a gun to her head and asked her what direction that island was in she’d have had no clue. Though she did have the money and resources to waste attempting to find it again she thought it was probably pointless. At least she had been returned with her purse which had her phone. It just wasn’t charged. She sighed, sitting up from the park bench where she was left, getting more than a few stares by people passing, and then reached into her purse to get out her mask and sunglasses. Her first trip would be to a hospital to make sure all these knocks to the head hadn’t done any long term damage. After that she’d be getting a hotel room, eating a bunch of food, and arranging flight plans to get out of there as soon as possible. She had access to a private jet since she was the CEO of a huge company so it would be much better than flying commercial. 

By some miracle there were no major complications to her head and she was discharged from the hospital a few hours later. It was only when she got to the hotel that she was able to sit down and charge her phone. It was so dead that it didn’t want to let her do anything until it had gotten more battery power so she went to take a nice hot bath and get cleaned up. The hotel room she had been staying at previously had been very unhappy with her vanishing and leaving all of her stuff there. In her defense she hadn’t intended to do any of that so she apologized profusely, paid a fine, and then an extra fee to have the rest of her stuff delivered to her room at the new hotel. Having more money than most people knew what to do with had its perks. Those people at that hotel may have been pissed at her but not so pissed that they wouldn’t ever welcome back an important billionaire customer. 

Through all of this she couldn’t take her mind off of In-ho. Were they going to outright kill him? Torture him? Or something else entirely. She had come to the conclusion that everything she had seen before leaving meant the game was starting and part of her wondered if he would be thrown into the game himself, as some sort of punishment or revenge. Perhaps they didn’t expect him to survive so in that way they didn’t have to directly kill him.Then again, that Snake guy seemed like he’d get way more pleasure in doing it himself, so she wasn’t sure. What she did know was that she wanted to see In-ho again and there was no reasonable way to possibly do it, only knowing his first name and what he looked like. This was not going to be easy, especially if he didn’t share the same sentiment about her. 

When she came back to the bed after her shower she saw that her phone was finally powered enough that she was able to use it. She also saw the last GPS notification recording. It was kind of in the middle of the ocean but close enough to a set of three different islands. She had most likely been heading to one of those before her phone lost signal and was unable to transmit anything anymore. Of course, there were hundreds of texts from her friend Leila asking what was going on and if she was okay so the next step was to reply and say that she was fine. It was a long story and she’d explain it sometime in the future. After that she ordered a huge meal and relaxed in bed, doing her best to try not to think about In-ho and everything she had experienced on that island. 

Two months passed by at a snail’s pace. Though she loved her job and everything that came with it, she was also heavily pining for some kind of contact from In-ho. She did check the obituaries in Seoul daily to see if he was mentioned but she had also considered that his name may not have really been In-ho and if there wasn’t a picture included with the obituaries it would be damn hard to tell which one was him. There was also the possibility that there wouldn’t be one at all if they just threw his body off a cliff into the ocean. She was lucky she did a very good job hiding her distractions from everyone at work. Things from the outside looking in definitely appeared normal to everyone, as they should. The last thing she needed was to lower moral and make the company a miserable place to work. 

Though she had a penthouse in Tokyo, a very nice one, part of her office where she worked included a small but nice living space. That way she could set a good example for the employees by always being there early and always working late. Work almost never stopped for her anyway since she had so many clients and investors in other countries and was currently trying to establish different hubs for the company to keep growing and become international. Her next big meeting was going to be in England with some investors there who were interested in opening a branch of DTI. There was already a branch in Australia, she had been working on one in South Korea even before she heard of the Squid Game, but that one was touch and go. It wasn’t surprising considering the nature of the relationship the Japanese had with the Koreans. She did hope to get a hub in either New York or California, possibly both. If she could break ground in the states the worth of her company would be enormous and she could possibly even consider retiring. 

After normal work hours had concluded that day she said goodbye to her assistant and headed into the part of her office that was her living quarters. It was more like a one bedroom apartment but it wasn’t as if she needed a ton of space. A small kitchen area, a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. That was about it. She wasn’t the best cook in the universe so she had been debating whether or not to order food or just have something basic like ramen. She decided she was in the mood for an actual meal so she sat down and started to look at all of the food delivery apps on her phone. When she was done ordering and had written out instructions on how to get into the building she laid down on the couch and grabbed the remote to watch some TV. Something she hadn’t taken time to do in quite a while. It relaxed her enough that she started to doze off. 

She didn’t know how long she was asleep but she did know what woke her up was the sound of the door to her office shutting. She could easily hear it from her little apartment area because it was always good to know when someone may have entered, even if it was after hours. She quickly got up and fixed her hair and suit since she absolutely had to look presentable in her position even if it was for the delivery guy. As she stepped out into her office she froze in place. Her food was there alright but she hadn’t been expecting the man who was holding it. 

“In-ho…” She said softly then laughed, “I can’t say I ever expected this to happen.” He 

looked exactly how she remembered except for a scar across his left eye. Maybe she had been silly to think that whatever was going to happen on that island was going to be something he couldn’t survive or manage on his own. 

“I still owe you that one request. You beat me fair and square and I am a man of my word.” He held out the bag of food towards her and she took it from him. 

“I’m surprised security didn’t badger you into leaving.” 

“Who says that’s how I got in?” 

“Fair point.” She chuckled deciding not to press for too much information on that end, mostly because she didn’t care. Yes it was kind of concerning that someone found a way past building security to get to her but he wasn’t any ordinary guy and he also wasn’t a danger to her. She made a mental note to have her assistant check into that later though. She motioned for him to follow her into the private area of her office. “I hope you weren’t hungry I only ordered enough for me.” 

“That bag is pretty heavy if it’s only food for one.” 

“I eat a lot. I know it doesn’t look like it.” She walked into the kitchen and opened the bag to get out her food. She’d ordered a bowl of ramen and okonomiyaki as well as a strawberry boba tea. It was from a higher end place so the ingredients were much fresher and the actual delivery guy had gotten it all there nice and hot. “You really came all the way here just to grant that request that you allegedly owe me? Even after I completely abandoned you there, alone?” 

“I didn’t expect you to stay, you know. You were right about not having any stake in what was going on and it was better that you did leave.” He said and took a seat on her couch after removing his shoes by the door. “You look stunning in the suit.” 

“I could say the same about you.” She picked up her food and walked over to the couch and sat next to him before putting the TV on mute. “I’m not very sure I have any request though, the one thing I wanted was to see your face and I got my wish on that end.” 

“And there is nothing else you want?” 

“No.” She shook her head and started to eat her food, “That had been the last thing on my mind, the request, I just wanted you to be okay.” 

“After all that had happened?” 

“Mmhmm.” She nodded not wanting to answer him with a mouthful of noodles. Had she known that he would have intended to return to grant her a request she may have been thinking of that for the past two months. Or maybe not. She wondered if him saying that was just an excuse to come and see her again. She would imagine it was hard for him to trust many people or even establish long term relationships given what his job was, or one of them, did he even do anything else other than that? She didn’t know, but she had to assume he got paid handsomely enough that even when he wasn’t on that island for the games he was living comfortably somewhere else. “You want me to come up with another request then?” 

“It would be preferable.” 

“Okay…” She took another bite of her food as she mulled it over for a bit in her mind. He didn’t have anything of monetary value he could give her that she couldn’t easily get on her own. Whatever she was going to request would have to be of some other type of value. Possibly sentimental. “I want to get to know you.” 

“Me?” He laughed, “I think you will find that I’m not that interesting.” 

“You really think you aren’t that interesting?” She snorted and took a sip of her drink, “You’ll probably think the same of me but maybe you won’t.” 

“And if I don’t?”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to see what happens from there. Much like you had a week to do with me what you wished I want a week with you.” 

“A week?”

“Yes, you’re here now so we could start immediately or plan something for the future.” She got another bite of food and shoved it into her mouth before giving him a look. He seemed kind of amused by her suggestion, no doubt he was wondering why she would want this after what she’d been through. The intent on his part had to have been to make it such a terrible experience that whoever he did it with would want to avoid him for the rest of their life, even if they did find some enjoyment in it. She had to assume that much like her, he wasn’t interested in making connections or finding romance as much as he was about keeping people at a distance and having fun. Truth be told, that was what she would have thought before she met him, before she saw how absolutely gorgeous he was. Now, everything had changed, and she knew that her only option was to pursue this until the end, whether that be a week or an entire lifetime. 

“No, I can be here for a week. I have quite a bit of free time, but you do only get a week to impress me.” 

“I won’t need a whole week for that.” She grinned. He had to have already been some level of impressed with her to go out of his way to come to Tokyo, steal her delivery food from some guy, and then sneak into the building to bring it to her. Enough to honor her request to get him to stay around for a week so they could get to know each other better. All she could do was be herself and see what happened with that. Perhaps he was right, that she wouldn’t be interested by the end and he may not be either but there was no real way to know that other than to try and she was very much looking forward to it. 

[roserefrain]

“A Cage Full Of Oxygen” - Linnet Playlist

spotify - youtube

canary in a coal mine - the crane wives / the world is smiling on me - ferry / lose your head - vane / magical girl and chocolate - pinocchio-p / pathological facade - ghost / mrs. bluebeard - they might be giants / philippians 3:20-21 - the mountain goats / heel turn 2 - the mountain goats / heat abnormal (cover) - luvp / rookie - deco27 / getting into knives - the mountain goats / 100 epitaphs - ferry

welcome to under the cut where my very long notes on why I chose these songs live. there’s also links to lyrics for all of these songs down here, since some aren’t in english!

initial things! the order does matter to me (it turns from a delwyn playlist to a linnet playlist), which is why I’ve included a youtube link as well! since spotify without premium always does shuffle. also. the spotify playlist adds 4 songs that are not part of the playlist. plz ignore those ones. we should all explode spotify with our minds :)

the title and image come from the device known as a canary resuscitator. this was a cage that could be filled with oxygen, saving a coal mine canary once it had started to die. (delwyn/linnet is the canary, becoming a songbird was being resuscitated. you get it)

oh btw these notes do assume some amount of familiarity with linnet's general lore and might be a bit hard to follow without that! here is his about page if u need that, u can probably just skim the backstory bit and be good.

canary in a coal mine - this is a delwyn song to me. a song about how he feels his only use to the people around him is his blessing, going into the dungeons and getting hurt. fun fact! for a while I considered making the linnet/kestrel tag “friends of empty graves” which is a bit from this song! I ended up not going with it, but in my head that’s still a good line for delwyn/blaidd what with the whole. coming back from the dead thing.

the world is smiling on me - another delwyn song ! the idea of the world, sky, and god smiling on someone, but still having basically nothing good to say felt fitting. also “I cursed the love I’ll never get back” leading into the chorus of the world smiling on them very much makes me think of blaidd and delwyn’s fight leading delwyn back into the dungeons to prove his blessing. this is one of those ones that is just mostly vibe based. please note the line “I pick the scab under my hair”. it is a surprise tool that will help us later.

lose your head - the delwyn song of all time, though this is the first of them that is both a delwyn song And a linnet song! it switches between the two, since it’s a song reflecting on memories. this. whole thing fits so well for him but I wanna highlight two specific lyrics.

“bleeding through the rubble, scared of causing trouble, knowing that the house of god was built upon the martyr’s claws”

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m pissed that god made me this way in a morbid exchange of theatrics and heavenly fate.”

magical girl and chocolate - another delwyn song !! this one is about not wanting to be a magical girl anymore and wishing you could just use that magic to protect the people you care about. I do not need to elaborate.

pathological facade - for the lyrics being (as described by the person who made the song) “a stream of thoughtless rambling” they sure do fit for delwyn and linnet! I’ll highlight a few here !

“a couple years ago I was told that I would be a miracle, something theoretical I guess.” (delwyn’s blessing)

“you’re crying as you call out, halt, and move on without someone that you think a lot about.” (delwyn and blaidd’s big fight)

“sunday was jarringly redone, a faulty illusion. the ending left misunderstood amnesia for a diorama love. who will I become?” (delwyn becoming linnet)

mrs. bluebeard - this song in my brain leads from delwyn and blaidd’s big fight, to delwyn and blaidd dying, to coming back as linnet! a very bitter song about feeling betrayed and dying even though you thought you did everything right. he’s directing it at blaidd, at the townspeople who claimed he was blessed, and at himself.

philippians 3:20-21 - delwyn death song ! mainly from the perspective of people he knew in the town. specifically the first but feels relevant.

“the path to the awful room that no one will sleep in again was lit for one man only, gone where none can follow him.” (I feel like the townspeople would stop sending anyone to the dungeons after delwyn’s death, and kind of. disregard blaidd’s death.)

heel turn 2 - WE’RE FINALLY OUT OF DELWYN TOWN. sort of ! this song is delwyn becoming linnet in both a literal sense and an emotional sense. throwing away his perfect blessed hero persona so that he can figure out who he is and so that he doesn’t stay dead. finally allowing himself to be mean and wrong and imperfect, with the repeating line of “I don’t wanna die in here”. yea. (also the instrumental goes like. 3 minutes after the lyrics stop? mountain goats why did you do that)

heat abnormal - LINNET TOWNNN. I really like this song just for the setting of songbirds in general, and specifically this english cover. a lot of the imagery lines up with things talked about in songbirds 3e! but specifically for linnet, I think this represents well the like. panic and trauma of suddenly coming back to life with no memories and weird ass powers, trying to piece together what your life was based on the feelings that remain.

I especially like this bit for him, “a blinding light was seared into my eyes, the bells of departure toll in the sky. the history built by a godly hand shoved an answer in my mouth that broke apart and turned to sand”

rookie - this song to me is sort of touching on linnet’s internal feelings of the facade he uses to interact with people vs his true self. he realizes that his facade can be useful, but he feels completely stuck in it, and wants to just say fuck it and act however he wants. (“gotta act all cutesy again, man, what a funny joke, not!”)

basically him learning to be more comfortable with dropping his mask and telling people off if he needs to. (“giving the cold shoulder to everything, how totally rock is that?”)

also I think linnet would maybe get tattoos as he has his character development ! not 100% sure about it, but I like the idea of him trying to look more punk for a while to get people to take him more seriously, and then realizing that’s just. putting on a different mask.

getting into knives - I think a quiet, calm sort of revenge song is fitting for linnet. he does feel a lot of anger for how his past went, (even as he can’t remember it), but as he figures himself out it turns to a sort of quiet rage. he knows somewhere deep down that he was failed by pretty much every adult in his life at every turn, and he refuses to forgive them for that. he’s getting into knives, and he’s not going to let himself be hurt again, even if he doesn’t have a direct target to point that anger towards.

100 epitaphs - we’re finally at. the last song. the culmination of all the different facets of linnet ! this song to me is linnet reflecting on everything, and realizing that he ultimately, is both a completely different person than delwyn, and is still the same person. and sort of accepting that and allowing himself to move on from it, no longer wanting to focus on the past (or read an epitaph)

also. do you remember that surprise tool that would help us later. the line from the world is smiling on me “I picked the scab beneath my hair”. 100 epitaphs has the line “what’s the point of picking at your wounds, your scratches and your scars?”

yes I did do that one on purpose ! it’s a lot of the reason why I included both these songs together here, instead of putting 100 epitaphs on the linnet/kestrel playlist. it shows the difference between linnet and delwyn, how linnet is ready to move past his old pain, and how the picked scab has become a scar with time.

have some other lines I wanted to highlight cuz they’re really good for linnet.

“overindulgence in grief is only immature, forgetfulness if both the sickness and the cure. lay your emotion with them like a mourning wreath. I chose to shut my eyes, you chose to bear your teeth.”

“a helpless child the same as before, I grip its neck and reach my hand for the door.”

“don’t make me laugh, I will not read your lousy epitaph, who do you take me for?”

JEEZ. if you read all this. thank u. I love talking about how songs fit for characters. grabs ur hands and spins around joyfully. I might update this playlist in the future if I find a song that Really fits for it, and if I do I’ll probably add some notes down here for it. that is all for now ! expect the linnet/kestrel ship playlist to be soon.

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #66 – A History of What Comes Next by Sylvain Neuvel

This was a book I bought entirely off the author being at a con I attended and being endearingly awkward in several panels including a long, rambling description of the weird bit of science that inspired it. So I went into this with no real expectations other than the hope it would be entertainingly off-kilter or different from the buzzy and award-nominated stuff I’ve been reading a lot of this year. Which it was! Something of a mess otherwise, sadly, but hardly the worst thing I’ve read recently.

The story follows the Kibsu, a lineage of human-appearing (probably) aliens notable for a) giving birth exclusively to identical clones of themselves, b) being lightly superhuman in both mental acuity and competence with violence, c) a hundred-generation-old family ethos to guide humanity to the stars before some mostly-forgotten doom consumes them all, and also to never have more than two of them (a mother-daughter pair) alive for long and d) the fact that there’s something hunting them across history, cutting a bloody swathe through the lives they leave behind.

The book is, specifically, about the point in history where that mission has suddenly become actually plausible – starting with WW2 and continuing into the early space race. With many significant digressions, the story follows a particular mother-daughter pair as they assist with Operation Paperclip and do everything can to start a Space Race, all while the Tracker hunting them closes in, and as they look around the world of the 1940s and ‘50s and wonder if the species is truly worth spending their and their descendents’ lives trying to save.

While, that’s the plot, anyway. This is one of those novels that gives the overwhelming impression of mostly being the vehicle for all the random trivia and anecdotes the author discovered researching for it and thought were cool (and the book was researched – there’s a ‘further reading’ chapter at the back). Hence the constant shifting in focus from the logistics of Operation Paperclip and the postwar anticommunist witch hunts in the USA to the biology of the Amazon Molly to the story of Olga of Kiev to the early study of atmospheric carbon levels to- you get the idea. Now personally I found this all quite charming, but I can’t say it does much for the pacing or coherence of the book as a novel. Narrativally the whole book is a little bit of a mess, and the digressions into exposition on the wild goose chases of the early soviet space program aren’t helping.

Formally and stylistically the whole book is refreshingly different than anything I’ve read recently. Incredibly close first person POV – essentially just running internal monologues, or I suppose real time diary entries? Different grammer for dialogue and punctuation than I’m really used to, too. There are a few cases where it’s played for tension or horror as you’re left guessing at whose head you’re in or waiting for enough clues to piece together what they’re actually doing. It works far less well for action scenes, though – unfortunate, since that’s what the book’s climax is.

There’s a current – incredibly over-represented among the sort of people who write science fiction novels but present to a lesser degree elsewhere as well – that considers space travel and extra-planetary colonization the ultimate goal of human civilization, the telos which all of history has been driving towards. (Nowadays they mostly seem to be one more subgroup of people nostalgic for the ‘60s, but they’re certainly still around). That current, more than anything else, is what the book seems to be in conversation with – the contrast between the beautiful sounding dream of ‘escaping to the stars’ and the mess of great power politics and intercontinental missiles and recruiting nazis that made up ost of the actual business of developing space travel. There’s several sequels, and I assume the theme’s developed in some more depth through them.

I’m not sure I’m actually going to get around to reading them anytime soon, though. This was refreshingly different and perfectly readable, but nothing about it really left me craving more. .