#HDM metas

[kirjavas]

never not thinking about iorek byrnison eating lee scoresby's dead body, so as not to let it rot but instead allow it to sustain an old friend on his journey. and how this act fulfilled lee's dying wish to help lyra by giving iorek the strength to go on and find her. thinking about consumption as a form of love, loving someone in their entirety and wanting to eat them whole but also love and grief being something you carry inside of you that guides you forward

[peetapiepita]

You know how I've been complaining about Everlark and Silverparry deniers this past year. They've been bugging me a lot.

Today I saw a tweet about people being anti-romance these days and harping on the writers whenever the main characters have a romantic relationship. It's getting ridiculous.

I'm now struggling to remember if that was a thing 10/15 years ago when both fandoms were more active. I honestly can't remember because I wasn't on as many platforms as I am now and the ones I had been on seemed very romance-friendly as far as I remember.

On tumblr, I was mainly just THG/Everlark-focused 10 years ago and I honestly don't remember any Everlark deniers coming my way at all. Was it really the case or was it just me living in a bubble?

People today saying Everlark never had romance/they should be just friends are so weird to me as well. I was convinced they were just trying to be different but their persistence is weirding me out. Why does two fictional characters having a romantic relationship disturb you so much? Why are you hell bent on denying what the writer wrote in her books?

I don't know. I'm just really confused. Would love to hear your experience and opinions on it.

[hatters-workshop]

How do you reckon theatrical plays work with daemons in Lyra's world? I know they don't have movies in the same way we do, but I would imagine they have some kind of performing arts. Like I imagine characters in stories would have set daemon shapes, do you reckon there are like... daemon costumes for actors whose daemons don't match the character's shape? Or like daemon... make up? Fur dye? For if someone has something close, but say your cat daemon is white but it's mentioned in the narative that Hamlet's is a black cat. I imagine kids whose daemons don't settle til later into puberty would be very popular in acting circles, as their daemons could change to match the characters' for longer. Maybe children performing as older characters is common in a similar way to how men used to perform on the stage in female roles in the past, so that they can match their daemons to the character's. Or maybe media that is written specifically to be a play has character's daemons left a little vague, like generally feline shaped, or canine, or bird, so that it's left a little more to artistic interpretation for casting. Maybe there's much-talked about versions of certain plays bringing new aspects to the roles by casting someone with one daemon shape vs another, like someone playing Lady Macbeth with a grass snake vs a viper etc. Casting calls put out for people who have certain shaped daemons and an interest in performance.

Or maybe there's daemon swapping (though obviously not touching, though maybe there's ways of faking it, like how we have ways of fake kissing or slapping or stabbing etc in plays in our world, or maybe it's just standard costuming for actors to be covered from the neck down so there's no skin contact) where an actor will be on stage but another person's daemon is performing the role of their character's daemon. Maybe there's a special hidden spot built into theaters, either behind or under the stage for their human to be so that the daemon can move freely around the stage but not tug at their tether, and likewise for the human actor's daemon to hide. But imagine, daemon actors, performing in their own right! Maybe there's a kind of prestige to a play having one or more actors performing with their own daemon as is? Like people celebrating how perfect they are for the role?

[bruisedconscience]

Daemon Test for SHAWN SPENCER

A dæmon (day-mun) is a type of fictional being in the Philip Pullman fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. Dæmons are the external physical manifestation of a person's "inner-self" that takes the form of an animal. ... Dæmons are usually of the opposite sex to their human, though same-sex dæmons do exist. 

Pinniped

Your daemon would take the form of a pinniped! Those who have pinniped daemons are cheerful and imaginative people who know how to work hard and play hard. They are known for their boundless creativity and often have their head in the clouds, excelling exceptionally at one area of their life.

Sea lion

Your daemon would take the form of a sea lion! You are an imaginative and talkative individual who does best when they have a creative outlet. More so than others with pinniped daemons, those with sea lions are deeply emotional and struggle when bored or isolated. They are open-hearted and enjoy work that feels like play.

When deciding on your daemon's appearance, consider the pattern of your daemon's coat. A darker-colored sea lion may indicate someone more private and reserved, while a lighter-colored sea lion may indicate someone more open and gregarious.

This seems like an immediate great fit!!

Originally, I was hesitant about giving my muse a predominantly water-based animal, but then I read that sea lions can be outside of water for more than 20 days at a time and can run twice as fast as a man can!! So…

This girlie is now perfect!! I haven’t come up with a name for them yet, but if I do, I’ll update this post :)

[kittymattress]

not me monitoring the notes of that book poll to see who also loves HDM and scrolling through their blogs to maybe glean some fresh thoughts about the story from what they've posted about it

[brilliantfantasticgeronimo]

i'm 16 years late to complain about this but it's fucking criminal that the dw team got lucky to film in this gorgeous contemporary style building aka the senedd / welsh parliament (and they knew they were lucky to get it) and they completely butchered the exterior shots with that ridiculous neoclassical/deco front.

[lordeasriel]

Just thought I'd drop in an idea I haven't seen anywhere else about a possible connection between HDM and BoD. We know the rose oil allows the user to 'see' Dust, but it's never mentioned in HDM. We also know that Asriel somehow got hold of a "special emulsion" that allowed him to photograph Dust. This got me wondering whether the special emulsion is made with the rose oil. What do you think?

Hallo Anon!

That's actually a very neat connection and if I had to guess, I'd say this is on the "very likely" zone of the Canon spectrum.

Though the roses' property have only been scientifically proven 5 years after Asriel's presentation, I think it's a reasonable thought to suggest the special emulsion would share some of its properties with the rose oil, if not being the actual same thing! Asriel could have had some experiments that lead him to the oil itself or he mimicked the effect using something different and either way, I think it connects very seamlessly to the plot.

I like this idea a lot, anon, thanks for sharing!

[appretiartis]

The thing that hurts the most about The Secret Commonwealth is that we spent so much of The Golden Compass learning that being separated from your daemon is traumatic and horrible and how the church wants to sever kids from their daemons and how Lyra barely escapes it and then... She and Pan get estranged from each other on their own volition. The Magisterium gets what it wanted, anyway.

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

Question • Rave Saves You (IIDX Extended Version) • Vermilion (Extended Mix) • Click Again (Extended Mix) • Zapper -Shakin'41- • Voxane (Extended Mix) • Catana • Fake Time Reprise • Condor (Extended Mix) • Golden Cross (Extended Remix) • Fuze (Nhato Remix) • Southern Wind (StripE Remix) • G-Sigh (HDM Rework) • Bleep On Love • Extrema Pt. 2 (Exclusive Live Version) • Meta Dimension (Remo-con Remix) • Don't Believe Da Hype • 6th Mode (Remo-con Mix) • Hello Mr. Breakbeats (Acid Mix) • Narky Light • Cold Front (Live Mix) • Tube • Tube Type • Talkin' Talkin' • Atavism (Mac & Mac Remix) • R.A.V.E. (Remo-con Remix) • Instability • G-Sigh (Nish's DnBoot Remix Live Version) • Fuze • Paper Bag • ロンドンは夜8時 (Remo-con Remix) • Acid Shower (Remo-con Remix)

Apple Music (partially available) ♪ YouTube (partially available)

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

WIP title ask meme

Prompt: Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

-

I was poked to do this months ago, twice at least - once by @docholligay and I think the second was @jeejyboard, but I can't find the tag for the life of me. SORRY. I felt like doing something a bit more meta today re:writing and post about The Process, and this was a perfect excuse - thanks for thinking of me. So here's some actual effort! I went and dug deep, trawled through some really old stuff, which was fun. I write and scribble down way, way more than I actually polish and post (which I assume is probably normal, but who knows). 

General info, for whoever is interested: I mostly use Google Docs with offline backups for fic writing, as I shift between computers a ton, and I put fandom tags at the start of my filenames for organisation. I have a ton of prompt/meme/ask/event collection files - for example, the very latest: "[BG3, STRAHD, SM] Fic Prompts 2024". In these I jot down both the prompts people send or that are listed and the ideas/outlines/notes for each, then when I really get going with a certain fic I spin it off into a separate document. 

I hate coming up with titles and usually do that last, so most of my document names are silly references for my own amusement or just a boring old brief description of the main concept. For instance, my latest posted fic Cerimonia Compedum was for most of its WIP-hood known simply as "[BG3] Tadpoled Isobel". Sometimes I keep different versions/revisions/parts of the same WIP in different files, and if that's the case I've grouped them here. Note that for simplicity's sake this post includes my "solo" fic only, no collabs or coauthored stuff, of which there is also a bunch. 

Some of these are ancient and hit me in the face with "12 years ago" timestamps. Some ficlets will never make it out of the mixed prompt plot bunny dumping grounds into their own doc. I think Sailor Moon 10-ish years ago was the one outlier fandom where I actually wrote most of my concepts out fully and posted them. The ol' brain is currently overproducing stuff for the more recent BG3 flavoured moon lesbians (and no, that ship name will never stop throwing my HaruMichi-loving ass for a loop). Note that some of the SU WIPs on the list I've already posted about here, here, here, and here.

Obviously all of these vary wildly in terms of completion level, word count, refinement, and age (and capitalisation, apparently). So yeah, here's the list, roughly sorted by fandom - ask away, if you feel like it!

[BG3] Moon-chosen, Moon-guided | Moon-chosen, Moon-guided - Part III [BG3] Cerimonia Alārum | ISOBEL TO THE RESCUE AU [BG3] Tremulous Cadence followup | The Return of the Moon Daughter [BG3] Wizard Tower AU | Aylin & Rolan stuff [BG3] Karlach/Minthara Act 2 conclusion aka why are paladins Like That [BG3] I'm having something very strong indeed

[STRAHD] The d'Avenir Treatise verse tidbits [STRAHD] Road Trippin' [STRAHD] In-character notes & ficlets

[SU] eeEEeeeeEE BISMUTH | Bismuth ficlets | Like talking to a wall | Muse. Galatea. Suffering. [SU] SU Daemons HDM AU [SU] The Adolescence of Rose Quartz | But I don't think anyone turns into a car  [SU] Freedom To And Freedom From | Pearlrose Fixit | i love suffering!!! [SU] Forge Showdown AU [SU] Pearl Playing the Field TM | All I need in this life of sin is me and my pearlfriend [SU] The Grand Aventurine Heist (Not Really Grand And Only Slightly A Heist) | oh no who let Rose read the Scarlet Pimpernel

[SM] Future Vision blatantly ripped me off THANKS REBECCA | PUU fic [SM] Outers fall of SilMil | michific | The End is the Beginning is the End

[DS9] Kira fic bits

[TLOK] Five Times Kya Healed Lin and One Time She Couldn't | Kyalin fluff [TLOK] R.C. Noire | Lin BAMFong

[WATCHMEN] Silhouette fic bits

-

That's it! I don't think I have a single person that I know writes fic left that hasn't already been tagged in this, so feel free to do it (again) if it strikes your fancy.

[kirjavas]

lyra and her death: on overcoming mental illness

tw: mental illness, depression, suicide mention

after rewatching all of his dark materials, i wanted to touch on something i noticed in the final season that i hadn't picked up on before, and that is how lyra's journey to the land of the dead reflects her mental health.

in the secret commonwealth, lyra is likely dealing with depression as well as recovering from her trauma of separating from pan, which has clearly taken a toll on their relationship. and i think there was a deliberate choice to bring this character arc forward into season three of the show, when it wasn't really there in the books. the amber spyglass highlights the theme of loss of innocence and and moving away from childhood, which was made even more explicit by lyra being an older teenager in the show. this was also depicted by a more obvious change in lyra and pan's relationship that we didn't see in the books until the secret commonwealth. the two of them argue much more than usual in the first few episodes, and they don't seem to be on the same page, particularly when it comes to the land of the dead.

since lyra and pan are one being, this shows us that lyra's mind is divided and she is not at ease with herself as much as she used to be—a feeling that is very natural as she awkwardly transitions from child to teenager. but i also think it goes deeper and may reflect a level of self hatred we haven't seen from lyra before. she's always been sure of herself and this is reflected by how much she loves and cares for pan. but in season three she becomes more dismissive of him and guided by a different part of her that is leading towards roger. there are obvious parallels to be drawn between her and mrs coulter, who in contrast has gone from abusing her dæmon to becoming more allied with him. mrs coulter's treatment of the golden monkey represents her discomfort with herself/her soul, but when both their intentions match that is when their relationship is healthier.

in the land of the dead, pan and will both seem to be afraid/cautious of the idea of death, whereas lyra shows no fear in summoning her own death and making a journey she may never return from (cue an incredible shot of lyra's death standing between her and will... till death do us part anyone?? but i digress).

it's really interesting how this slightly different dynamic kind of sets up their inevitable separation, as the episode foreshadows that there will be a heavy price to pay for bargaining with death. rather than it coming as a complete shock like in the books, it feels like a punch to the gut with the realisation that lyra and pan are no longer on the same path (and haven't been for a while). lyra chooses roger, a symbol of childhood, but ironically she also chooses to grow up in leaving part of herself behind.

i might be reading too much into these scenes but i think there's a strong suggestion that a part of lyra wants to die—perhaps to join roger, perhaps because her guilt makes her feel like she deserves it. later on, lyra's hallucination of pan and the scene with the harpies only emphasises this. the harpies target the thoughts at the back of her mind, telling her that she has ruined the lives of those she loves and she is in the land of the dead only to soothe her own guilt.

i also strongly suspect that upon freeing the ghosts, some part of lyra was healed knowing that she helped roger. she seems to bring a bit more of herself back after she reunites with him, in taming the harpies and telling stories. ultimately i think this accomplishment gives lyra enough strength to make another devastating sacrifice when she is separated from will forever. i honestly don't think she could have done it if she hadn't had the closure and relief of completing her mission to make amends with roger.

like... GOD. lyra is such a tragic character and i both love and loathe the show for introducing some of these elements. bring on the book of dust adaptation.

[peetapiepita]

Peeta Mellark & Lyra Silvertongue Comparison:

Lairs, Manipulators, Silvertongues, Sunshine Personality, Reserved Deep Down, and Falling for the Carer.

I said I was going to write about their similarities and today is the day!

First of all, Peeta and Lyra are both blonde. (I'm just kidding.)

The actual first point, Peeta is described as having a silver tongue and Lyra is literally named because of her silver tongue. That's the biggest similarity they have. They're both very charming and convincing. It's like a superpower they have.

They're both very good lairs and manipulators, too. Peeta can lie to a whole nation with a straight face and they'd believe him. Lyra is again, literally named because of her good lying skills and she sometimes can't stop herself from lying.

They both started lying and manipulating people because they didn't have a loving home environment growing up. Lyra was an orphan raised by college staff and she had to lie a lot to get what she wanted. Peeta was in an abusive household and had to lie a lot to just survive.

They both have very outgoing personalities and seem to get along with everyone. But they actually only open up to a few people. Lyra couldn't really trust anyone in her life until she embarked on the journey to the north and met Iorek. Peeta couldn't trust anyone until he had Katniss and Haymitch as a found family. Even then, he reserves his "bad side" from them and only shows them his helpful and sunny side. Deep down, he's so far from the exterior of this super sociable person.

In both of their relationships, their SO is a reserved person who terrifies everyone else, but Peeta and Lyra fall for their SOs first because they're drawn to their tough and caring personalities.

[cobaltsoulsearcher]

New Pinned Post!

Critter, Linguist, College Student. Same user on AO3. https://soulexplores.neocities.org/

Identity stuff: USAmerican with white privilege and generational wealth. Genderqueer Lesbian. LSN Autistic/Hypermobile/Moderate OCD. I do identify as disabled and prefer identity-first language. Teenager, but more than old enough to be here. Solarpunk-oriented liberal.  English, Spanish, and Indonesian speaker. 

Main Fandoms: Critical Role, Hadestown

Hobbies: TTRPGs, CRPGs, writing/reading, rollerskating, casual cosplay

Favorite writers: Amal el-Mohtar, Sarah Gailey, NK Jemison

Optional before-you-follow: 

 I do not post donation requests because I generally like to keep this to be a space of joy for myself. 

I have a bit of an online persona going on. Call me Soul :) If you know my real name, location, age, or birthday, no you don’t.  I lie about stuff online all the time; don’t trust strangers on the internet, me included.  

I tend to start a lot of monthly challenges without finishing them. My general outlook is that I don’t think it’s doing any harm and I do produce something from it, so why not? I’m very sorry if this bothers you, just let me know and I can amend my relevant behavior/posting.

I come to my fandoms with the perspective that they are flawed and have problematic elements, but are ultimately not currently doing harm. I painfully abandoned HP because it was indefensible, but am under no illusions the things I am into now are perfect, and am in fact very aware of Critical Role/His Dark Materials/Tolkein etc’s issues. That said, while I have an obligation to be aware of these things, I do not want to center my fandom experience on discourse. 

I won’t get mad at you no matter what pronouns you use for me. 

I am too lazy to block all the spam bots etc. 

I’m firmly anti-generative AI for artistic/creative use. 

Mutuals and friends are more than welcome to ask for my discord. Besides tumblr and A03, that is what I use the most.

I also freely share my Dropout, Beacon access, Hadestown bootlegs I have access to, and so on with folks who’ve interacted with me. 

Tag system I’m going to try to implement in 2025:

General tags:

#solarpunk

#linguistics

#current events

#ttrpgs

#tumblr stuff

#to mull over

#humor

#made me laugh

#cheering you on

Identity stuff:

#transmasc

#genderqueer

#lesbian

#disability

#actually ocd

#actually autistic

#hypermobility

Personal tags:

#my writing- any original poetry/fiction

#my opinions - any meta, discourse, etc

#just my life - diary tag

#things I love

#multimedia tbr - for things I want to check out

#save - for things I want to reference in the future

#will do! - for political actions I’m going to, well, do

#oc: name - for various OCs (including ttrpg characters)

Fandom tags:

#i don’t go here but - for fun/cool things from fandoms im not familiar with

#critical role - also #bells hells #mighty nein #vox machina #tlovm #de blorbo family and/or #totally normal mortals #downfall.

#hadestown

#musicals - also #htdio or the title of the musical

#stray gods

#bg3 - Baldur’s Gate 3

#poe/#poe deadfire - pillars of eternity

#hdm - his dark materials

#magicians - the magicians tv show

#the invisible library

#broken earth

#tolkien - all Lotr/silm/etc stuff

#jatp - Julie and the Phantoms

#mismag - Misfits and Magic

#dropout - also #game changer, etc.

[bruisedconscience]

Daemon Test for JAMIE TARTT

A dæmon (day-mun) is a type of fictional being in the Philip Pullman fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. Dæmons are the external physical manifestation of a person's "inner-self" that takes the form of an animal. ... Dæmons are usually of the opposite sex to their human, though same-sex dæmons do exist. 

Cavitave

Your daemon would take the form of a cavitave! Those who have cavitave daemons are proud and talkative people who are natural showoffs. They thrive in the spotlight and are naturally charismatic and admirable people, though they aren't known for particularly particularly patient or sincere.

Toucan

Your daemon would take the form of a toucan! You are a gregarious and dominating individual who is focused on your image. More so than others with cavitave daemons, those with toucans are blunt and impulsive people, optimistic souls who don't care much what others think. They are devoted to their passions and successes, and they have a fiery temper when pushed.

When deciding on your daemon's appearance, consider your toucan's coloring and species. Typically the more bright a daemon's plumage, the more flamboyant and intense the individual. Most toucans have bright coloring, indicative of their person's stereotype of being talkative and confident, but duller-colored species like toucanets may be more subdued and thoughtful.

OH she is PERFECT for Jamie, full stop! Her name is Prinscilla or ‘Princess’ as a nickname.

[rose-of-pollux]

AU Roulette, Entry 1/3

My chosen fandom for the AU Roulette challenge was Scooby-Doo.

My first prompt was: Daemon AU. I know nothing about HDM, so this AU was more of a "witches and their familiars" AU. Also, Vincent is Daphne's (and Flim-Flam's) official adopted father in this AU because I'm not missing a chance to use that idea.

Posting this just to tumblr for now; if I ever expand on this, I'll crosspost it to AO3.

Title: Bonds Beyond Time and Space (1/1) Fandom: Scooby-Doo (13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo) Rating: K Summary: [AU] Shaggy introduces Fred and Velma to the Van Ghoul family. And things get Meta.

Fred hesitated, the coyote by his side pausing, as well, as Shaggy and Scooby continued to lead them up the mountain path.

“Like, what’s wrong?” Shaggy asked.

Scooby tilted his head in surprise, barking to the coyote.  The coyote whined in response—a sound that was echoed by the golden jackal following Velma, who had been right behind Fred.

“I just…  I don’t know if this is such a good idea, I mean…  I’m new to this whole sorcery thing, I…” Fred trailed off.

“I agree, I’m pretty new to this, too,” Velma said.  “Why do we have to meet with the Great Mage?”

“Look, Bogel and Weerd have got their eyes on you—there must be something connecting you to the Chest of Demons,” Shaggy said.  “Anything to do with the Chest of Demons falls under Vincent Van Ghoul’s jurisdiction.”

“Rhere they are!” Scooby pointed, glaring at the two troublesome spirits.

Weird snarled and made himself invisible; Bogel stuck his thumbs in his ears and waggled his fingers at them until Weerd briefly rematerialized and smacked him, prompting them both to disappear.

“Like, I know it sounds intimidating, meeting Vincent Van Ghoul,” Shaggy said.  “But my family is pretty close to his!  And his son’s familiar is Scoob’s nephew!”

“Rheah!” Scooby agreed.

“I didn’t think the Great Mage had any family, on account of his ancestor being the Demon King,” Velma recalled.

“Nah, he’s got a daughter and a son—they’re adopted,” Shaggy said.  “I’m pretty good friends with his daughter—her name’s Daphne.  You’ll like her, trust me!”

Fred exchanged a glance with Velma, who shrugged.

“Trust me,” Shaggy said again, sincerely.

Fred let out a nervous exhale, but nodded.

“We’ve got to get to the bottom of this,” he agreed.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Velma sighed.

Scooby turned to the coyote, and then to the jackal.

“Come on, Rube rhand Sally!”

The coyote and jackal both let out quiet barks and followed Scooby as they followed their humans up the path, stopping at the red, wooden doors of the castle.

Shaggy cheerily knocked on the door, and soon, a young redhead in a purple dress and matching purple cape—with an equally red-furred fox at her side—opened the door.  Upon seeing Shaggy there, she grinned and hugged him as the fox gently licked Scooby’s face in greeting.

“Rhi, Scarlet!” Scooby barked, licking her back.  He looked up at Daphne.  “Rhi, Rhaphne!  Is Rhappy around?”

“Scrappy’s with Flim-Flam; I think they’re playing mortal video games again,” Daphne sighed.  She looked surprised as she finally noticed Fred and Velma.  “Oh, hello!  You must be Shaggy’s friends!  Fred and Velma, right?”

They both nodded, slightly thrown off as she eagerly held her hand out for them to shake.

“It’s so nice to meet you both!” she gushed.  She paused, slightly confused at their hesitation.  “What’s wrong?”

“I, uh, think the whole status thing might be a little intimidating for them,” Shaggy said, in an undertone.

“Ah, yeah…” Fred admitted.  “Like I told your friend—our friend, of course—Velma and I are new at this whole thing, and you’re the daughter of the Great Mage—”

Daphne took Fred’s hand first, shaking it warmly.

“You don’t have to be nervous, Freddie—I’m just like anyone else,” she promised.  She glanced at the coyote.  “Is he your familiar?”

“Yeah, that’s Rube!” he said, managing a smile as Scarlet now licked Rube’s snout in greeting, as well.  Rube hesitated, but returned the gesture.

“And that’s Sally,” Velma added, as Scarlet exchanged greetings with Sally now.  “And I’m—”

“Velma,” Daphne finished, taking her hand, too.  “Shaggy’s told me so much about the both of you, it feels as though I know you already!  …But you’re here about something serious, right?  About those two ghosts that have been after my father’s Chest of Demons?”

“Yeah, they’ve been after us—they’ve even slipped through my ghost-catching traps!” Fred exclaimed.

“But we don’t understand why,” Velma said.

“Well, if there’s anyone who can figure it out, it’s my father,” Daphne promised.  “Come on, I’ll introduce you!”

Still somewhat nervous, they followed her to the castle study; inside, a boy and a Great Dane puppy were playing on a handheld video game system, but paused to greet Scooby and Shaggy, who also greeted the elder warlock sitting at a table with a crystal ball—and the old, gray wolf beside him.

“Dad, these are Shaggy’s friends—our friends—Fred and Velma,” she said.  “Guys, this is Vincent Van Ghoul—”

“The most powerful warlock in the world…” Fred said, awed.

“I see my reputation precedes me,” Vincent mused.  “But the two of you—and your familiars—are just as welcome here as Shaggy and Scooby are.  And friends of my daughter are friends of mine.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Velma said, looking much less nervous now.  “But we’re still confused as to why those two ghosts are after us when, up until now, all we had in common were mutual friends in Shaggy and Scooby.

“Yes, I’ve been looking into that since Shaggy first brought it to my attention,” Vincent replied, turning to the crystal.  “The answer is an intriguing one—one that I don’t think even those two ghosts are aware of!”

“What is it?” Flim-Flam called from the couch, he and Scrappy paying attention now.

“Time and space are both infinite, and where they converge and diverge, we enter realms where so many things as we know them are both infinitely same and infinitely different,” the warlock revealed.  “I can’t explain how, but one constant in all of these infinite possibilities is the fact that we are all inseparably connected to each other.”

The crystal glowed, and a network of thin, green lights emerged from it, connecting Vincent, Daphne, Shaggy, Fred, Velma, Flim-Flam, Scooby, and Scrappy.

“But, not all of us,” Scrappy noted, seeing that Rube, Sally, Scarlet, and Vincent’s wolf were not connected.  “…And they’re the only dogs here that can’t talk like humans can.  I wonder if that has something to do with it.”

“Perhaps it does.  Perhaps it doesn’t,” Vincent said.  “We must still find out the answers—but now, we will find those answers together.”

“Together,” Fred echoed, with a nod.

It was still nerve-wracking, not knowing what was going on.  But it was a great comfort to know that he wouldn’t have to be adrift and confused alone.

[that-expat-girl]

Hello, hello, hellooo...

Hi, I'm Amy (she/her)! I'm a bi-ace writer of fantasy and memoir, obsessed with world building, strange stories, and little wonders. I've spent most of my adult life slipping between countries and livelihoods, but at this point, I'm writing fantasy novels and short stories from my tower room somewhere on the coast of the Mediterranean.

Anyway, I've been looking for a place to share bits of inspiration, scraps of prose and poetry, and my unhinged shower epiphanies, and turns out that Meta ain't it. So here I am. Expect all of the above plus reblogs on my favourite series and the occasional update on the writing life.

If you're a writer or artist, love fantasy games and books, or are obsessed with Fallen Gods, Six of Crows, Good Omens, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, HDM, Dragon Age, ATLA/LOK, Nimona, Doctor Who or similar, I can't wait to meet you!