#I mean technically Hypno did it many times too

[enpr-ss]

BdoubleO100 made the advancement [Ravagers in the Kitchen] PearlescentMoon made the advancement [Ravagers in the Kitchen] Grian made the advancement [Ravagers in the Kitchen]

[misfit-mania-the-first]

Mezmer-met well

Hypnopotamus x non-binary!OC

This is kind of a loosey-goosey OC story so I Lind of wrote it with x reader vibes

—————

Hypnopotamus surveyed the nightlife of New York, watching closely for any sign of the turtles. It was unlikely just to see them randomly waltzing about below but you never know.

He sighed. He just wanted a few minutes to relax, get his mind off being fused with his former hippo companion. It was a sad lot. No longer could he mesmerize and hypnotize. I mean, he still could.

For the subway rats.

Everyone else ran screaming, especially since he kind of, sort of, might have become a villain.

It wasn’t entirely his fault. That damn mosquito made him agitated constantly, always itching for a fight. Those first few days were full of adrenaline and despair, and even still the remnant of those emotions remain.

Mating season didn’t help either. It was technically seven months but he mellowed out a bit two months in.

“Get off!” Someone had discovered him! He jumped up, spinning to face…nothing?

“Where did-“

“Fuck! Leave me alone!” He heard a scream and a clack echo from the streets down below. Peeking over the edge, he saw someone running down the street at full tilt. Silverfish not far behind.

“Oof, that’s rough. They won’t survive long.” Hypno was curious though, and decided to stay and watch.

————

“Get off!” Peyton swung his arm down forcefully as he ran, shaking off the little gremlin. It hit the ground as two more overtook it.

Shit! There’s so many! He took off again, pumping his uneven legs. He lost one heel a few block ago and couldn’t bother to circle back.

Peyton slowed slightly to turn a corner and a silverfish knocked the wind out of him, hanging onto his back like a backpack.

“Fuck! Leave me alone!” He yanked and yanked, it’s claws tearing his dress slightly. He threw the thing down a little too hard, mentally cursing as it split.

“Okay,” he took off his other heel, “You ruined my night. It’s payback time!” He held the black heel out like a knife, stopping and taking a stance at the corner.

He braced himself as the swarm rushed him, attacking him left, right, and middle. He punched and swung his heel, careful not to hit too hard.

He took a step back. His arms swung as claws scratched his limbs. They burned and bled. He took another step.

At this point five silverfish we’re scurrying all over his body, tangled in his hair, shredding his clothes. The sound was cacophonous. Screeching like a hurricane tearing through metal.

He shouted at the feeling of teeth sinking into his flesh and bashed his arm against a nearby pole.

The insect detached and limped away into the darkness, it’s eyes glowing as it waited for a window of opportunity.

“Dammit, get off!” He searched for someone, anyone to help. The streets were empty, barely lit by the headlights of passing cars.

Knuckles bloody, he punched a persistent attacker that latched to his knee. The person stumbled, regaining stability a moment later.

Two more silverfish used his chest as a springboard. They landed a few feet away, haunches positioned for a pounce.

He noticed. He couldn’t stop it. His arms and half his mind were busy fending off the leftover swarm.

The limping bug skittered in front. It chattered in sync with its now frozen brethren.

Shit.

He took the opportunity to knock all the critters off of their, finally able to catch a breath.

But only for a second.

As soon as he caught his breath, the assumed leader pounced, whipping around his legs and latching onto his knee.

He shouted in pain and stumbled. The others soared through the air in a flurry of sound and silver and fell like a hammer onto his chest and face, knocking him over.

He fell like a sack of bricks, skidding over the curb and landing heavy on his right leg. His ankle took the brunt of it, aching and swelling before they had stopped their descent to the asphalt.

The silverfish stood on their hind legs watching, chittering quietly.

“What? Go away! I fell! You got what you wanted.” He shouted through clenched teeth. Was this a sick mutant game they played?

Something to the right of Peyton apparently caught their eyes as they snapped their heads in tandem towards their newest fixation.

A bright light appeared in Peyton’s peripheral, overtaking his vision and blinding him. He squinted to preserve his vision to no avail.

“Oh god…” A car was barreling towards him, undoubtedly honking its horn. He couldn’t hear it over the sound of his own screaming. He couldn’t even see it properly, the light so intense it took his vision.

He wouldn’t even see his own death.

Thud

A deafening crunching sound, like a thousand metal bars bending at once, made him jump and yelp.

Oh my god I’m dead. Oh my god.

Then…nothing?

The light was gone, leaving large splotches in his vision. He blinked and rubbed his eyes.

A man. A huge hulking man, stood between him and the now crushed car. The man wore a purple jacket, half shrouded in shredded bumper.

“Are you all right?” The man spoke with a New Zealand accent.

“Um! Yes…no. I’m hurt. I fell.��� His sentences came out in abrupt spurts, mind still catching up to the fact that a man stopped a car with his bare hands. His hands.

Which he proceeded to pry and yank out of the car-cass.

”Damnit, it’ll have to wait until we’re safe.” He turned around.

It’s a fucking hippo. A very sharply dressed hippo…with a mustache?

The hippo man seemed shocked as well, it’s mouth open slightly and his eyes wide. It-He cleared his throat and went to speak when a silverfish came flying, missing him by a hair. Or, rather, turban.

“No time, come on!” Hippo man pulled three rings from under his coat and flung them through the air, slicing through the critters.

“No, wait! Now there’s more of them. Look-“

“Just a distraction!” The hippo hurried over, towering over the smaller injured person as he lifted them to their feet.

“Ow, ow! My ankle’s hurt! I can’t walk.” The twisted ankle made his leg utterly useless, almost returning him to the pavement in an unceremonious landing if not for hippo man reaching out.

His hands were huge, able to lift the hurt individual easily. The chittering sidewalk bystanders became agitated and took their pouncing stance again.

“I’ll carry you.” Peyton shook his head as he was placed in the crook of an elbow, snugly tucked into hippo man’s side.

“Mesmer-roooo!!” The hippo man sent out an echoing call that froze the swarm in mid air.

By the time Peyton realized the hippo was magic, they had soared over many rooftops and buildings, and arrived in a large warehouse.

The windows and auxiliary doors were boarded up with old green wood, a strong stench of manure wafting from the one open door that they were being carried towards.

“Hang on, wait! Where are we going? Stop!” He squirmed, terrified of what might happen if left alone with this man-hippo.

“It’s where I stay, for now. My home away from home.” A home that doesn’t exist. But he didn’t say that part out loud.

“I can find my own way. Thank for saving my life, goodbye forever.” He swung his foot over the sizeable forearm below him and tried to hop down to the floor.

“Hang on, hang on. You can’t even put weight on that foot. You’ll get hit by a car properly this time if you go roaming around like that!”

“Well it’s better than the alternative! What if you’re a creep?” Peyton backed away as best he could while being supported by the man’s gloves hands.

“How do I prove that I’m not?” Hypno was getting frustrated.

The one good thing he did since being turned and he gets called a creep. Perfect.

“What’s in there? What are you? Did you use magic?” Peyton’s questions didn’t sound so much like avoid-random-creep questions but Hypno answered them all the same.

“Animals from magicians, hippo man, and yes I did. Just a little hypnosis.” Hippo man squished his fingers together to show just how little magic he used.

“Okay, uh…okay. Okay.” His voice shook. The gravity of the situation finally sunk in.

“I can’t go home…I can’t leave, can I?”

“I’m afraid not. If you want to leave once you’ve healed then you are allowed to do so! Not taking a hostage here.” The hippo smiled nervously.

“…okay. Take me in Mister Hippo Man.” Said hippo in question’s smile turned to a scowl.

“Hypno-potamus, thank you very much.” And with that, begrudgingly assisted-not carried-Peyton into the warehouse.

[kozzax]

so recently the folks over at @petrichormeraki have been working on a silent tommy au because of a few asks talking about mute!tommy. and one of the things that’s canon in that au is the fact that xisuma is the only mortal hermit. i took this as free reign to work out why each of the other hermits is immortal. some of them are gods, some of them are demigods, some of them are supernatural beings, but none of them (except xisuma) can be killed through feasible means.

because of the sheer amount of immortal hermits there just to live out immortality in peace, i like to think hermitcraft is sometimes referred to jokingly as ‘the retirement zone’ by other immortal beings. most mortals outside of hermitcraft wouldn’t know the hermits are all like... gods and shit.

hermits + their immortality under the cut because oh god this was supposed to be a fast post but i accidentally wrote... a lot. whoops!

Grian is a watcher. He was a watcher before he joined hermitcraft. That’s... just. Canon Grian Lore TM. Not much to explain with him.

Cleo and Joe are both immortal by virtue of no longer being capable of being mortal. As both of hem are undead beings (cleo a zombie and joe a ghost), killing them again isn’t... possible. In addition to this, at some point during their afterlife, they managed to gather enough power between the two of them to be labelled as the “Twin Gods of Life and Death”. Which one is life and which one is death? That depends on the day.

Cub and Scar are definitely not gods. But the deals the two made with the Vex are almost more of an insurance on their immortality. The Vex protect their ConVex as a dragon protects its hoard. Not only can the two of them hold their own in a fight, but their respawn is insured by the fact that even if they were to permadie, the Vex would bring them back anyways. 

False is the Queen of Hearts, Heads, and Body Parts. She’s also a vampire. In a similar vein, Ren is a werewolf. Both of them can only be killed through very specific means, and neither can die of old age. Throughout their many years in the worlds, they’ve gathered tons of skills and allies. Although now they’ve both stepped down, content to enjoy their peaceful lives and chill out in Hermitcraft, each of them was once a ruler of their respective factions. The ‘queen’ part of False’s title was never just a title.

Etho was granted immortality by a council of gods, after they took a liking to his interesting antics and kept an eye on his longstanding worlds.

Doc, BDubs, Beef, and Etho (again) were all brought to Hermitcraft as the last ‘mortal’ members to join. The general idea was that maybe they could give Xisuma some company and relief from the antics of his immortal and godly friends. This did not happen. Instead, the universe decided it was going to give all of them godly powers in their own right. Etho himself may have been immortal, but he and the rest of the NHO all grew infinitely more powerful after leaving the jungle of season 5.

Stress is a dryad. She can control and warp the nature around her in strange and beautiful ways. In addition to this, were her body to ever get fully destroyed in a way that would prevent her from respawning, a new body would instead form for her out of the nature wherever she died. This is how ice queen stress came about in season 6.

Impulse actually bullshitted his own way into immortality. Where most of the other hermits were either brought into it by someone else or born into it, Impulse actually discovered the secret of immortality while he was trying to figure out how totems of undying were made. He now knows how to create totems and how to become immortal, though he won’t tell anyone else if they ask. Part of the process of creating totems involved...

...Tango, who is a demon. As a demon, his powerset includes but is not limited to both pyrokinesis and an affinity for very very large and very very deadly animals. He doesn’t use those abilities on Hermitcraft often, but they’re in his skillset for sure.

As a byproduct of the immortality, Zedaph showed up in the current timeline. His immortality is... strange, because it’s not technically immortality. Zedaph, as a person, is mortal and can die. Zedaph, as a being, though, is one of billions of Zedaphs in the universe; each of whom is nearly identical to the others; and whenever one Zedaph dies, he is replaced instantly with a new Zedaph; a functionally identical Zedaph to the one who died. Nobody’s quite sure how this process works, but Zed claims it’s through “time travel”.

Jevin, as a slime, can actually inhabit any portion of his slime that he wants; no matter how small the amount. Even if he were limited to one singular molecule of slime, he could still exist around that molecule and regenerate slime until he was fully present again, though it might take a little while for him to complete that process. The only way to kill Jevin is by fundamentally altering the chemical makeup of every single molecule of slime he’s ever had anywhere. It simply won’t happen. He does use his abilities to get out of conversations, if he’s feeling particularly annoyed at the time.

TFC is potentially one of the most interesting hermits, in his prior responsibilities. It’s easy to forget that he’s not mortal, considering how frighteningly average he acts in his day to day life. One peek into any of his bunkers, though, and you’re hit right in the face with a bold reminder. TFC used to be one of the gods responsible for shaping the very worlds players would walk on; more specifically, he was in charge of cave systems and mineshafts for a long time. He’s retired from that life and is having a lovely time in Hermitcraft, just vibing.

Wels gained his immortality through a deal with the patron god of the kingdom he grew up serving. He made this deal as a young knight and watched for decades as the kingdom grew and prospered, Wels himself known far and wide as quite probably the best warrior of them all. After being dismissed honorably by the kingdom, as he’d been protecting them for many decades now and the rulers honestly felt he deserved a break, the god he’d made a deal with finalized this immortality. He joined Hermitcraft not long after, and has taken up a spot doing his part to protect the hermits.

Iskall was somewhat of an enforcer, for the gods. Were a god to be acting particularly out of line, Iskall would be called in to bring them to the council for trial. Sometimes his targets came peacefully, sometimes he’d have to use force to bring them in. No matter what he had to do, there wasn’t a single target he missed. He both can and will kill a god if he must. Technically, Iskall’s still on call, but generally councils don’t call on him unless absolutely necessary anymore.

Hypno made a deal with a god many years ago, trading his mortality for the ability to see hundreds of thousands of alternate paths for the future. He wanted to chronicle them, and he still spends one or two days a week writing out winding paths of the future. When he’s not working, he wears his bandana to cover up the third eye that allows him this insight. This helps him focus on the now, rather than the futures that may or may not be.

Xb is an eldritch being with reality warping abilities. He has them under fairly good control, most of the time. They really only become an issue when he gets too much pent-up magical energy at once; examples of this being things like season changes. His season 7 base is built around what happens when he needs to release. It’s a post apocalypse world, and the apocalypse was him.

Mumbo is definitely both magical and immortal, but the specifics of his powers are incredibly unclear. The hermits know it has something to do with redstone, maybe, and that the unpredictability of Hermit Challenges are a reflection of his strange and confusing powerset, but nobody’s really sure where his immortality stems from. Every time you ask him he gives you a different answer. The mumbonis are all different joking theories as to where his powers came from.

[c-is-for-circinate]

More Hades thoughts:

Chaos just told me, "This space grows more interesting when you occupy a small amount of it." Chaos is, without doubt or exception, my favorite family member. They are so completely different and removed from everything and they still love us. In their own primordeal strange way that does not experience love in any mortal sense and yet still experiences emotions of good and yes and approval when Zagreus is near, when they can see what we're doing, when we come by to talk. I put their aspect on my shield. They are my stepmom's parent and that makes them my grandparent, sorry, no take-backs, you used to play hide-and-go-seek with Nyx when the universe was little, and you told me about it, and now I love you forever, kthxbye.

I continue to love the family relationships in this game entirely. We have seen more and more cracks between the Olympians, where they don't entirely like or trust each other even as they put on big smiles and talk about being a Big Happy Family Up Here, Come On Zag, What's Taking You So Long, Why Would Hades Ever Want To Leave This? (The dialogue for Zeus and Aphrodite's duo boon makes me cringe, it's perfect and also perfectly awful). The game does such a good job of being subtle about highlighting some of the issues within this family. Athena is the Reasonable One, who talks about how Nyx seems sensible in the same breath that she mentions how the Olympians don't have much to do with cthonic gods, of course, and also that underworld is simply wretched, let's get you up here where you belong--and okay, the underworld is wretched for Zagreus, but also, hey, I just put down new rugs and installed an oven in the lounge kitchen, it's not that bad, and not only has Nyx been endlessly kind to me, you are currently under the impression that she's my mother, so maybe don't give me that "you won't be judged for your parentage up here on Olympus" like she's something to be ashamed of, ok?

Speaking of relationships, I've finally met Thanatos, and, welp. First of all, he is great (his accessory gives me more attack if I don't take damage in a room! He doesn't want Zagreus to get hurt!!!). He is terse and full of Emotions that he pretends not to be experiencing. He is also, based on the way he said "you didn't even say goodbye" the first time I ran into him, very clearly Zagreus's actual, current boyfriend (unlike Meg who is very clearly his ex), who we didn't actually technically break up with before we started trying to escape Hades and get up to the surface, so that's Extremely Awkward. (Achilles called him our "closest friend". Why not just call him our "dear companion", Achilles, come on, and also yes I am still keeping an eye out for your boy, he's got to be in Elysium somewhere do I need to nectar you up to get you to spill details come on.) Like, you could make a case for platonic affection with a vast unplumbed reservoir of UST, I guess, but that is not the most obvious interpretation. (Also awkward: given the timing of everything, Zagreus probably last saw Than before the Persephone-discovery, which means that if they were in fact dating, then, welp. Congrats, Zag, you are definitely a Greek god. Thanatos and Hypnos's dad is canonically Nyx's brother in the first place, it's probably fine. Do love that dialogue line they decided they had to put in about 'I should've known you couldn't be my mother, Thanatos and Hypnos couldn't possibly be my brothers', though. Got to be very delicate about admitting to such things when you're making a game about Greek mythology.) Anyway love the dynamics of Meg who loves but also feels owned by her job enough that she has to try and stop us, vs Thanatos who pretends he's not helping us while absolutely helping us, vs Nyx who knows so much more than she's telling anybody but has an agenda here that we can only be glad is probably for our benefit. (Fun fact, in the Aeneid, the three Furies were the children of Nox and Pluto, aka Roman Nyx and Hades, so like, there's that, too.)

You know, running the same gauntlet of enemies again and again should get boring, and at points it does, a little, but there's something almost meditative about the pattern of it. And I think the really rewarding thing might be that as Zagreus gets stronger, I do too. I might do a little more backstab damage and have a lot more hit points than I did when I started, but none of that matters if I can't position myself to do the backstabbing. I think I may have figured out how to take out the giant purple crystal miniboss without absolute misery and spending fifty hit points on it, and that's not just Zag's build getting better, that's me as a player. Hell yeah.

It's increasingly clear how this game intends to keep going even after I reach the surface, which I am almost going to manage to do. (Yes, it's going to take me ninety runs. Whatever.) Because, look, it says right in the codex: "The darkness, having taken root within, connects the bearer to the Underworld and makes them inseparable." Unless I strip every point of Darkness out and make a full run with zero buffs--which, spoiler alert, is NEVER going to happen--Zagreus is gong to be four thousand points into the darkness by the time I get up to the surface no matter how many times I try. It's not the pomegranates, it's the dark of he underworld itself, and whether we are going to be the Persephone of this myth or simply take her place so she doesn't have to descend again and again each year, we will never get to stay on the surface for long. We can visit, maybe, if we're willing to battle our way back out past every enemy and exit each time we go. But we're not going to live on Olympus, and we're not going to move in with our mom in her little cottage by the sea. Not right away. Maybe not ever. Even though the Fates have prophesied that we'll escape--the reward for fulfilling that one is so much more Darkness. We will leave, soon. But that sure doesn't mean we're going to get to stay.

[norealnameshere]

Direction Confusion Induction

[I did a text hypno thing in a server recently that I thought was particularly fun, so I poked it and cleaned it into something more usable as a script. x3 CW: This script plays with the directions that lead to trance, temporarily making it so that most general directions lead into trance, so ends up with some confusion.]

So I have been told that I am particularly good at...directions. I mean, technically I have all the same directions that everyone else does...you know, left, right, in, out, north, south, forwards, backwards, up...

I just tend to be fairly good at giving directions for those directions.

And oooh, that's a fun little play on words isn’t it?.

Direction and giving directions. And taking directions!

Taking directions...to take direction is an interesting way of saying...following. Listening. Obeying

So I can give direction, and someone else can take direction depending on the direction I give~

But to which direction?

You know the conventional direction.

But if you think about it, really that's just...tradition.

You see, I'm a big fan of reframing~

Of....well, redirecting, you could say. ;3

Taking things and reflavoring them, repurposing them, reframing them, so that viewed one way they mean one thing.

But viewed another...

For instance~

Convention and tradition says that down is the direction to trance.

That your mind sinks

Drops.

Falls

As it gets trancier.

And that when you rise and come up

You awaken.

But~

Thoughts can also drift off.

Drift away.

Float away

Which makes them seem very light.

Very airy.

Very...up?

It would be easy to picture.

Your mind and your thoughts rising away from you

Up and up and up

Farther and farther from your body

From your self.

So far away that it's so easy for them to seem gone~

Like a cloud in the distance, easy to ignore.

And if that were the case.

Then reaching up and grabbing hold of your mind and your thoughts.

And pulling down

Would not drop you into trance.

But pull you out of it.

Right?

So down can lead to trance.

And up can lead to trance.

But also

Have you heard people talk about going into trance?

Letting your mind quietly go and disappear into a place inside you

Where you can pay no attention to the thoughts.

Going into a trance that leaves you so pleasantly quiet and still.

Well, then, if that were the case...

You would then have to come out of trance, right?

But...also...

You can let your thoughts come out of yourself.

Push all the thoughts out of your brain

And be tranced that way, too.

Hmm.

So down leads to trance, right?

And up leads to trance, right?

And in and out both lead to trance, right?

Until you're so caught up in directions, whirling here and there and everywhere, that everything just seems to lead directly to trance....right?

Oh dear, there's another direction.

Yes sets are a well known induction, where you get someone to agree with you time and time again until you can lead them into trance.

For instance: "You're following my words easily, yes?"

"You're starting to feel more relaxed, yes?"

You're beginning to remember and realize that I've been using 'right' to get you to agree with me this whole time......right?

We're beginning to run out of 'safe' directions, how many of them might be left?

In fact, as I've pointed out how many direction words can actually be used to trance you...

You might now be very aware of any and every direction word that I sprinkle in to my sentences, isn't that right?

At this point it may be a tad confusing, trying to keep track of which direction words have effects, and which ones do not.

And it's amazing how many direction words end up mingled in to everyday conversation~

So as I get right to saying words that may have left you confused about what tricks I may be up to...

Perhaps I should be kind, and simplify things~

Because right now, if you've been following me down this meandering path, you're likely in some place I call the in between

It’s a place between being fully awake and being fully tranced.

It’s further up than down and further down than up.

And while it can be nice to float

Unsure of where exactly you are.

Which direction you're going.

Or where you’re going to end up

There comes a time when things must come to an end.

And I think I'll be merciful this time. ;3

And make it simple, and make it clear.

If you've been following my words in and out, right and left, up and down.

Until all directions make you fuzzy and confused and a little bit trancey

The one thing you have definitely been doing the whole time is to follow my words

To follow my direction. ;3

As I've been giving you directions...

And in so doing, taking your direction.

Or at least your sense of it.

So now I shall give you that direction back.

And give you a direction, and a direction.

Direction of a way to go, and direction as in an order.

So following my directions...

I want you to drop down now~

Suddenly free of the in between.

Free of the uncertainty about directions.

You are very sure of one thing.

And that one thing is: that trance is down.

And so are you

Dropping.

Drifting.

Falling

The hesitation gone, the uncertainty lifted.

And the in between left behind.

As you drop

Enjoying the feeling.

The sensation.

Just for a few moments though

Because now I'm going to count you back up

And up once more means 'awake'

And as you come up, all directions return to their original meanings.

All directions will no longer pull you towards trance.

(Other than down, of course, because tradition. ;3)

Now, counting you up and awake.

1,

2,  more and more awake and alert.

3, more clear and coherent.

4, keeping only the amount of lovely fuzziness that is safe and appropriate and wanted for your current situation.

and

5!

Up and up and awake!

[danzinora-switch]

Typing the Turtles (ROTTMNT) Part 3 - Leonardo

This started out as an investigation into the turtles’ insecurities, because one thing the show does so well is demonstrate that they are still teenagers. And being a teenager is a confusing experience - there’s angst, drama, exploring one’s identity, a lot of growth, and overall figuring out who you are. That’s a messy process, too! And we see this mess in our turtles: they mess up, they’re learning, they self-doubt, they have fears and insecurities, but they’re also discovering their strengths and how to overcome their inner obstacles.

So after thinking about all this way too long, here’s my psychological breakdown of each turtle (I’ll be referencing MBTI and the Enneagram a ton, but will include links for more general information on those if you don’t know what I’m talking about). 

Parts One and Two found on the links for Raph and Don.

Leo: ESTP, 3w2

The Achiever, the Entrepreneur, the Charmer, the Explorer

I’ve wanted to say this for a long time: Leo is such a 3, he is such a 3 it hurts, oh my goodness. Read this: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-3 and tell me that isn’t Leo to a T.

It took me a little longer to figure out the MBTI for him, but he has a lot of similarities with the ESTP. This does mean we need to step away from the ‘frat bro’ stereotype of ESTPs, though. They are a lot more keen than convention would suggest.

Really, a big thing with Leo is his need to be The Best. What that means, to him, is normally something physically-related. He needs to be the best at sports or performing certain moves, which we see in episodes like The Longest Fight where he bets he can pull off the impossible skateboard move, or Shell in a Cell where he asserts he can out-perform Ghostbear. Additionally, episodes like Air Turtle really showcase the ugly side of his competitiveness. But he also desires physical perfection. He is rather image-conscious, fretting about his body in Stuck on You, and routinely referring to himself as the team’s Faceman. The biggest example of this was his idea for a disguise in Hidden City Job: the Turtle Adonis. An adonis is considered the peak physical ideal, handsome and attractive to boot. If this drive doesn’t scream Enneagram Three I don’t know what does.

Leo at his worst: Leo’s competitive side can certainly get the best of him. We see this in episodes like Air Turtle, where his ‘win at all costs’ attitude starts to alienate him from the group. Raph has also described him as a ‘poor winner’ which refers to his tendency to gloat when he does beat out the competition, or was proven right (Bug Busters, The Gumbus, You Got Served, LAIR GAMES). He’s smug, gloating, and when he does lose tries to wiggle out of it through technicalities. The one time he says something isn’t a competition is after Mikey beats him at Skateball (You Got Served). And when he ‘loses’ the Lair Games, Donnie’s win comes with a catch that Leo built in.

Threes do this for approval and validation, though, and we see that underlying his need to be the team’s Champion in Minotaur Maze and Portal Jacked! “I’m nothing without them!” he cries to Hueso. “What good is a team with just a Faceman?” Threes have a need to distinguish themselves from others, to be admired, to have attention, so that they then feel valuable and worthwhile. Other people, then, are necessary. When Leo wants to get on the Wall of Champions in Minotaur Maze, his brothers factor in to his unmet needs. “...because what good is being a Champion if you can’t rub it in your brothers’ faces?” Leo doesn’t just need to be The Best… he needs others to acknowledge it, as well.

Average Leo: He’s got a practical eye for situations and the quickness to adapt and act as needed. The ESTP is known for being bold as well as perceptive. We see this in fight scenes such as Battle Nexus: New York when he is quick to determine that physical comedy is the key to making the sprite laugh and immediately changing his approach.

He also displays a remarkable amount of common sense when making decisions. In Origami Tsunami, as the guys discuss becoming heroes, he’s the one who shoots down ideas until they reach a more achievable goal: taking on paper thieves. And he’s got a point, can you imagine the turtles taking on a spine-breaker or mangler at that point in time? When everyone else is blinded by ideals concerning fixing the Mutant Menace, he’s the only one who asks “anybody down for staying home during the anti-mutant panic?” Of course, he still goes along with their adventure, because ESTP’s live in The Moment, so why not?

Something else that I want to mention is Leo’s appreciation for the Machiavellian. He has an incredibly intuitive grasp on it, and actively appreciates twists, turns, betrayals and deceptions. His love for magic probably stems from this (The Clothes Don’t Make the Turtle) and he is the only one enjoying the series of betrayals in Warren & Hypno Sitting in a Tree. Hidden City Job also expands on the fact that Leo doesn’t have a problem with betrayal, as he revels about brotherly betrayal happening all the time. He’s cool with being betrayed… just know that he can betray you back. It’s all fair game.

This can have upsides and downsides. On the upside, his understanding of trickery can lead to brilliant plans and solutions such as what we saw in Many Unhappy Returns, where he was able to outsmart Big Mama herself. On the downside, this kind of behavior is not always the best move - his family does not appreciate being left out of the loop of his schemes, or actively being manipulated as part of them (Leo’s plan in Many Unhappy Returns worked, but he still left his brothers alone and exhausted, and did not consider the emotional effect it would have on Splinter being sent back into the arena). At that point it’s no wonder he asks “why does no one trust me?” Because you tend to have an angle, ‘Nardo. Be careful how you use that.

He is also incredibly persuasive. This is partly why I feel he is a 3 wing 2, ‘The Charmer’ because he knows how to communicate to get what he wants. When used for the right reasons, we see him settle discord such as cooling the mobs in You Got Served or apologize when he knows an apology is needed (Todd Scouts, Air Turtle, Hidden City Job). We see it used neutrally (and a bit skeptically) in Many Unhappy Returns when he declares he’ll just go to see Big Mama and “turn up the Leo”. It can also be used deceptively, however. Todd Scouts shows this when Leo is the one who convinces Todd that they’re ready to kick things up a notch by going out alone… when really they just want to get away from him. He’ll also use words to get under people’s skins: dismissing Warren Stone in Stuck on You, but also pointing out Donnie’s beach ball fear in Mind Meld. He knows which words will get the responses he wants, for better or for worse.

Leo at his Best: Leo is the team’s motivator. He’s the one giving the others the pep-talks and encouragement they need to continue (Origami Tsunami, Finale: Rise). Donnie said it best after Leo’s redemption in Air Turtle: “your confidence is giving me confidence!”

Because that’s the healthy thing about Threes: they strive to reach their own full potential, which also inspires others to reach theirs. Leo doesn’t like to fail/lose, but he won’t let anyone else succumb, either. He has the most confidence in each Mad Dog’s ability. “I knew you guys could handle it!” he says in Many Unhappy Returns, and points out with amazing accuracy just what his brothers are capable of. He not only believes in himself, he believes in those around him. And he’s able to inspire them when they’re feeling down about their own abilities or not enthused about the task (see his speech about standing up for the paper men in Origami Tsunami).

This also includes encouragement and compliments in other areas. Regarding the Shell Hogs: “Donnie, these are amazing! And I know everything I say sounds sarcastic, but I’m being completely genuine this time” (Stuck on You). When Mikey isn’t sure Hypno will like him: “What? Of course he will, you’re adorable!” (Newsworthy). To Raph, “Does this place have smoke detectors? Because you’re on fire, Big Daddy!” (The Clothes Don’t Make the Turtle).

He’s also able to step in and take charge when Raph falls because he can see what action needs to be taken (that practical and observant, yet bold ESTP side coming in). When Raph gets separated in the sewers, Leo’s the one who doesn’t treat it casually and gets the others moving to find him (Man vs Sewer). When his older brother is hypnotized by Hypno in Stuck on You, he quickly reacts and tells Mikey and Donnie what the plan is and enacts it. We see this leader potential grow bit by bit, and his awareness of each individual’s role on the team allows him to step back from areas that he knows aren’t his forte: Raph can handle the ‘teamwork’ stuff, Donnie has got the technical know-how, and Mikey takes care of positive outlook for any situation. Leo can keep things fun and inspire confidence. His puns help lighten the mood, his jokes break the ice of tense situations, and he never stops believing in their own abilities, which keeps them all going (Donnie’s Gifts, Many Unhappy Returns).

Leo Relationships:

(While Leo has a competitive episode with each of his brothers: Shell in a Cell, Lair Games, and You Got Served, there is more going on than just that).

Raph: Both Leo and Raph have strong gut feelings that can be blindsided. Leo picks up immediately that Big Mama is not trustworthy while Raph is more than happy to believe her, but Leo is blinded by his fan-love for Jupiter Jim to realize that Marcus Montcrief is a crazy and suspicious adult, which Raph becomes aware of early on (Bug Busters, Jupiter Jim Ahoy!). They both can be a little too head-first when diving into plans, such as checking out the creepy bus in One Man’s Junk or doing their best to help April in Hypno: Part Deux. But they do trust each other to have each other’s backs, and there’s (thankfully!) no Leo vs Angst in this version of their characters. It really allows them to be comfortable with each other (and egg each other on with more than just missions: see the pizza pigeon in Mind Meld).

Donnie: In some ways Leo acts like a foil for Donnie. His own natural confidence counterbalances a lot of his twin’s insecurities. They butt heads over it, sure, with Donnie perhaps taking things too seriously and Leo seemingly not taking them seriously enough, but I like I said in Donnie’s typing: one’s chill and one’s uptight. There’s a ton of back and forth between them: they are the epitome of siblings fighting one minute and getting up to no good together the next (Example from The Mystic Library: Leo grooves out with Donnie’s rap one moment and tries to get him kicked off the team in the next scene). They may antagonize each other in Lair Games, Smart Lair, the beginning of Snow Day and Hidden City Job, and so much more, but also demonstrate brotherly love (and antics) in Operation: Normal, the end of Hidden City Job and Smart Lair, and, of course, Battle Nexus: New York. “For Donnie’s honor!”

Mikey: Leo sticks up for Mikey a fair amount, especially to Raph. He supports Mikey trying to open the portal in Mystic Mayhem, and going out on his first solo mission in Hot Soup: The Game. We actually need more Leo and Mikey episodes; of the two we have one is a competition episode (You Got Served), and The Gumbus has Leo tag along intent on proving Mikey wrong. It seems they like to hang out during the down time a lot, as they play in the arcade and skateboard off-screen in episodes such as Mrs. Cuddles, You Got Served, Mind Games, and Sparring Partner. And of course, we have the gripping image of Leo protecting Mikey’s shell with his own in Battle Nexus: New York. I’d really like to see them get up to more shenanigans, though. (hint, hint @nickelodeon​, @netflix​).

Ultimately, Leo is a confident, competitive turtle striving to reach his full potential. He is normally great at encouraging his brothers to do the same, and devising grand strategies, but tends to forget the emotional effects his actions can have on them, especially if he gets carried away on his quest to be The Best. He’s still learning, and these traits will likely flesh out as he grows into a more leader-like role.

For more information on the ESTP and Enneagram 3 personality types, click here:

https://www.16personalities.com/estp-personality

https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-3

https://www.crystalknows.com/enneagram/type-3-wing-2

https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.155775924.2701/flat,800x800,070,f.u5.jpg

[crushing-on-nico-di-angelo]

Seven Nights in Cabin Thirteen

I’m inspired by another post I saw here that I didn’t wish to hijack lol, and OP deactivated or else I’d link their account here. credits to @the-ghost-king for the idea of a demigod therapy/Will being a past drug addict on this post. Yes this is a bad fic. It’s also my first fic ever. Please criticize if you see anything

Will never thought that he would ever appreciate his first monster attack. He was seven years old, and in hindsight his teacher probably only worked there to prey on young demigods (at least, that’s why he suspects the attack happened so early in his life compared to other demigods). But when Lee Fletcher sat him down 4 years later and told him that he was trans and would now be known as Lee instead of his birth name, Will knew that everything happened for a reason.

After many conversations with Lee about how he knew (gods bless that man’s patience) and with an older Athena camper who’s special interest dealt in psychology, Will realized the reason that he always felt disconnected from his mom and sisters in Austin was because he was like Lee. He was a boy.

Telling people wasn’t easy. Of course his older brother had to know; he was the one who introduced Will to this concept. Telling the rest of camp was as easy as telling Chiron, who told Dionysus, who always threatened to turn anyone into a dolphin if they talked shit about any trans kid. Telling his mom... that had to be the hardest part. How was he supposed to tell them? The only similarities they all had were that they were all musically inclined and that they were all girls.

Apparently, Will forgot that Naomi Solace was a musician. The music industry has more queers than an all girl’s school GSA. Her only questions were “Alright, what’s your name then, kiddo?” and “When do you want to set up an appointment with a therapist?” As for his siblings, well, let’s just say the oldest, Frankie, always knew. And it didn’t take long for seven-year-old Mickey to cut her doll-that-somehow-looked-exactly-like-Will’s hair and change his notes from high to low when she accompanied his singing on violin, as part of voice training.

Four years has passed since then and Will can hardly believe it. He’s stealth back at Austin because it’s just easier that way, but since a quarter of the camp knew him since he was seven, he figured there was no point; it isn’t like anyone treated him as though he wasn’t a man-- er, boy-- at camp anyways. So, life went on. He got his period for the first time during the Battle of Manhattan, that was no fun, but luckily Thalia was cool about it and made sure not to tell anyone. He started binding shortly afterwards, got a couple bruises hear and there. Kayla yelled at him for a week for that one, he remembers fondly. Discovered why it’s better to take off your contacts in the shower... that day isn’t such a fond memory. That was the first and last time he ever made himself bleed. Although, he will say that’s what sparked his interest in medicine and what made him the best doctor Camp Half Blood had seen in decades at the mere age of 15 years old. Life at camp was good, if a bit dull. He got used to the routine and the constant influx of damaged campers, the siblings and friends, and the always-perfect Texas Barbecue and Coke.

That is, until the War Between the Camps happened. Lou Ellen woke Will up before sundown that day and told him their plan. They were to hide in the tall grasses and wait for Camp Jupiter to show their ugly faces. Cecil had the genius idea to paint their faces and arms black so they’d blend into the night better, and Will supposes in the hubub of everything they forgot that his hair nearly (”nearly”) glows, even at night. Until Mr. Nico “I’m so smart, I nearly killed myself shadow travelling” di Angelo pointed it out. Whatever, it made sense at the time. They won the war against Gaea, not without sacrifice, and they finally, finally got past all the wars and destruction and health issues that they were able to just hang out and get to know each other as friends.

And boy, was their friendship amazing. Nico had the best taste in music from Will’s eyes, and that’s saying something because Will is a music snob. Nico could be a little stubborn at times, but that’s alright because so was Will (”Gods damn it, Nico, if you don’t take your medication right this second I will-” “You’ll what? Hm? You’ll force it down my throat? Last I checked that was abuse.”). They fit together so perfectly and became fast friends.

It wasn’t always sunshine and lollipops, though. What is, for a demigod? Will relapsed once and passed out right in front of Nico’s cabin. He was crashing from an exciting high that he hadn’t experienced in so long, and he felt so tired and ashamed of himself. Methamphetamine was a goddamned bitch, so while he was coming out of withdrawals, he made Nico promise not to let him leave the cabin for a week were simmering down. He had to make sure something like this never happened again. They Iris Messaged  Chiron and explained the situation, and he understood. He made sure to contact the older son of Dionysus who had been Will’s therapist in the past and said what had happened and they agreed on a session for soon after Will got mostly over his cravings.

So now they had a week of downtime together. Awesome.

“Solace, do you need anything? Are you okay?” Nico asked towards the end of the first full day that withdrawals were over.

“I’m-- fuck. I’m fine. I swear.” He responded unconvincingly.

“That’s not what you said last night... no offense, but I’m not fully inclined to believe you when you look like shit.”

“It- It... it’s not something I’d like to talk about, if that’s alright. And... don’t tell Clarisse, please.”

“I’m not going to tell anyone, don’t worry. But I would like to know if this is going to be a common occ--” Before he could even finish asking, Will was already shaking his head and responding.

“One-time thing only, I promise. Gods, I’m sorry I showed up here at all.”

“Woah, buddy. That’s not what I was saying at all. You’re my best friend, I’m glad you came here.” Will almost couldn’t believe what Nico was saying. Then again, did Nico have very many friends? Nico himself certainly didn’t seem to think so. “In any case, you don’t have to explain what happened, or what led up to this, or anything like that. I don't need to know. What I do need you to do, however, is take a shower. I’m sorry to say so, but you smell like ass.”

“Yeah well, I’m…” He couldn’t finish his sentence. How do you explain to someone that he still wanted his drugs, and he didn’t want to leave the cabin because he knew he would leave to go find some before he would even think about going to his own cabin at this point.

“You don’t have to leave,” Nico said, perhaps sensing his agitation. “I have a shower in the cabin.”

“What the fuck do you mean you have a shower in the cabin?” The shock of this knowledge get him out of his stuck mind. “How did you get plumbing in here? How did Chiron allow this?”

“I helped design my cabin, and while I may not have all the experience in architecture that Annabeth does, I do know a thing or two. I did meet with Isambard Kingdom Brunel, you know.”

“I did not know. You- Who is Isambard Kingdom Brunel?” Will asked

“Oh, some civil engineer who is like a million years old.” Will scoffed at that.

“You’re one to talk,” he teased. He was never going to let go of the fact that Nico was technically like 80 years old.

“Oh hush, William.” William… never Will, like most people. William… like he was something special, something that deserved three syllables. “Anyways, like I was saying: take a shower. You look like you were up mowing all of camp with a flashlight.”

Knowing Will’s reaction to drugs, that wasn’t unlikely. He stood up. “Lead the way? I’ve never been around your cabin before.”

Nico’s cabin was unlike any others. Using some sort of Doctor Who-like technology, there was a living room, a kitchen, and one room. Surprisingly, the walls were all light or pastel, a stark contrast from Nico’s general (and unintentional) punk-rock appearance. However, the furniture was all a deep black. Nico led him to his room, a minimalistic one with a bed, a desk, and a lamp. Will wondered where all the personalization was, but made no comment.

“Here’s the shower,” Nico pointed to yet another room in this somehow huge cabin. “If you see something amiss or odd… ignore it.” Will didn’t want to think of the implications of that sentence.

He stepped in the shower and oh my gods, watching the dirt and grime wash off him after his 8 hour high-- which he did not want to think about (and not just because the author doesn’t want to taint his search history), it was too embarrassing-- was a wonderful feeling. He was still tired. He didn’t know why, it didn’t used to be this hard. However, he was pretty sure that he tried to clean the entire outside of the hypnos cabin before going over to the Hades cabin to do the same. This was the first and last time Will would ever thank the gods for Nico’s poor sleeping patterns, he had heard him outside and came to get him before he tired himself out more.

He nearly passed out in the shower again but managed to make it out. He looked around the well-stocked bathroom and realized something that he probably should have bothered to notice before: he didn’t have any clothes with him. Fuck. He wrapped a (black) towel around his chest because he didn’t think his body could take anymore binding and prayed to Dionysus that Nico didn’t notice that his chest wasn’t exactly male.

Luckily, the first thing Nico did say was “Is that a tattoo?”

Will looked down at his sun. “Yeah, it is,” he smiled. He remembered the night he did it, it was kind of hard. He ordered a tattoo gun off amazon and had Frankie do it for him shortly after the Battle of Manhattan. Some people might think it’s in honor of his dad, which is fine. It was really for Lee Fletcher, though. His mom totally freaked, for a really long time, but after his C-PTSD diagnoses she realized that whatever works for him works as long as it isn’t drugs or self harm. He knows she wants a future for him that doesn’t involve music, and that’s why she freaked. She thought it would ruin his chances. But it’s right on his shoulder, only visible in tank tops or no shirt.

"It… its to honor the man who taught me I could be myself." Will said after a small pause.

"That's a very lovely sentiment. If he made that much of an impact on you, he must be a very cool person."

"He was." Will knew that Nico heard the was by the way that Nico nodded solemnly. "I uh… I don't wish to be more of a bother, but do you mind if I go to bed now? That shower really helped."

"Yeah, of course. I can take the couch, you know where my bed is-"

"No, absolutely not." Nico sighed softly, as though he expected this. "I can sleep on the couch, in Austin I actually prefer it to my bed."

"That's-- no offense William, but that's weird."

"It feels less lonely to me," Will protested, then let out a huge yawn.

"Alright cowboy-" Will smiled at Nico's nickname for him "-get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Nighty night, Neeks. Love you." he didn't miss the small smile on Nico's face before he walked away. Will has always been very loose with his 'I love you's like that. He figured it's better to say it too much than not enough.

He had found his old stash the night before, the one that Clovis had helped him forget about. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about last nights events. At the time,he told himself that he shouldn't do anything with it, and put it out of his mind for about a week, but eventually his urge to smoke overcame his self-control. He went on a rampage of cleaning and was absolutely certain he looked like a madman. The worst part is, he didn't even know why he did it. It was as though his rehabilitation hadn't even happened, as though this was something that was as natural as getting a cup of coffee in the morning. He was so mad at himself, so embarrassed.

These thoughts occupied his mind until he fell asleep about an hour after his last words to Nico. He slept with no dreams, for the first time in about a month.  

word count: 2,245

[wordsfromthesol]

You’re a what... (2/4)

Author: @wordsfromthesol Taglist: @zalladane @ghost-brocolli Pairing: Dick Grayson x Reader Summary: Your life is turned upside down when you suddenly land in Gotham. Thankfully Dick is nearby and knows way more than he lets on. Warnings: Language, violence, all those good things Word Count:  1.7k

Part One   Part Three   Part Four

Dick shook you from your sleep, “Y/N! You’re safe! Wake up!”

You opened your eyes to see Dick leaning over you with a worried expression on his face. Your mind had still not caught up, but you blurted out anyways, “Fuck! How the hell did he even convince Hypnos to let him pull that bullshit?!” Your fists clenched with anger and electricity danced between your fingers. Dick looked over at you and you could see the gears turning in his mind.

“Hypnos…uncle…lightning…family drama…you’ve got to be kidding me. Y/N, you’re a god, aren’t you?”

“Technically…Wait, you actually believe that?”

“Well…” Dick contemplated what he should tell you, or rather how much he should tell you. “My dad knows Wonder Woman. She’s an Amazon, so that’s not that far off…”

You chuckled, “Oh, she’s no Amazon.” Before Dick could question you further, you continued, smiling with the knowledge that revealing this information would just further piss off your own father. “She’s a god, even if she doesn’t know it yet. I wonder what bullshit my father spun for that tale.”

“She said…sculpted from clay, Zeus brought her to life…”

“Yeah, sure. Even my dear old dad doesn’t have that kind of power. He ‘brought her to life’ by sleeping with Hippolyta. He takes what he wants, without regard or consequences.” Your chest went heavy as you remembered your own mother, who died giving birth to you, and left you alone with him. Hera terrorizing you every chance she got, after all you were just another one of Zeus’ bastard children. “So, any chance you know Di – Wonder Woman enough to get me an introduction?”

“Uhm…yeah, I…maybe. I’ll let you know.”

You threw your head into your hands, “Then again, the Amazons do love Hera. I wonder if Diana would even help me…I wonder if Hera knows Diana’s lineage? Maybe father actually managed to keep it from her…” You trailed off, forgetting that you were speaking aloud, and that Dick was in the room.

“I’m guessing Hera is not your mother then.”

You looked up at him, “What, oh yeah. No. Which is why I’m not technically, like a FULL on god… like Diana could probably take me in a fight. At least her mom is an Amazon, mine was just your average old human.”

“Human? You’re part human?”

“Is that such a surprise?”

“No…I guess I just didn’t realize Zeus was still coming down here to…play with humans.”

“Oh honey. I’m over a thousand years old. Hera has had him on a short leash after I showed up.”

“There’s no way you’re a thousand years old.”

You shrugged, “Time passes differently,” you pointed towards the ceiling, “up there. Who knows how this stupid human form will age.”

“Didn’t you say you were part human? Now you’re dissing us?”

You throw a pillow in his direction, “It’s not like I’ve ever actually been human!”

He picked up your failed attempt to hit him and threw it back towards you, “Well maybe give it a try first!”

“Hmph. What am I even supposed to do?”

“Get a job, make some friends, live. Like everyone else does down here.”

**

Nearly a month had passed. A month of you bumming on Dick’s couch, not knowing what to do. Not knowing any other human, besides the occasional chat with the barista at the coffee shop down the block or the avoidance of cat calls as you walked to said coffee shop. You still weren’t sure what Dick did, but he definitely wasn’t just a detective. He often came home with way too many cuts and bruises for simple police work. As you were going through the possibilities in your head, Dick walked through the door with a fresh cut through his jaw.

“Good news, Y/N/N, Wonder Woman agreed to meet you.” You moved to get up from the couch, but Dick quickly realized the miscommunication, “Tomorrow. Lunch tomorrow, she agreed to meet you. At Wayne Manor. My dad’s house.”

You settled back into the couch, “Okay.”

“That’s all I get? Okay?” Dick strolled over and sat beside you.

“I just…I don’t know if it’s even worth it anymore. She will know what to do as much as I do. I guess she may be able to get me passage to Tartarus. See Persephone…or give Hypnos a piece of my damn mind.”

“Zeus still invading your dreams?”

“Can’t you tell by my nightly scream sessions.” You rolled your eyes, trying to play off the pain you felt each time you allowed your mind to drift into sleep. In fact, that was why you hadn’t slept in nearly three days, and you had to admit this stupid human body was starting to feel it.

“Haven’t heard them in awhile…” Dick gazed into your eyes and began to notice the familiar signs of sleep deprivation. “Maybe there’s a different reason for that though.” He felt bad he hadn’t noticed sooner, but he had been to preoccupied nailing the drug ring he was after the night he met you.

You hung your head, realized you had been caught. “Yeah, it’s just easier this way.”

“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but these lovely human bodies need sleep. Come on.” He pulled you up off the couch and led you into the bedroom. He watched as fear paved over your face and your breathing grew unsteady. “Hey, it’s alright. Just a few hours. Your body is going to start shutting down if you don’t get a few hours.”

You nodded hesitantly and crawled into the bed. You looked at him with pleading eyes until he moved to lay beside you. Without warning you curled into his chest, dreading the night to come.

Dick was shaking you awake several hours later, mumbling over and over, “You’re safe, you’re safe, it’s just a dream. You’re safe.” You felt bad for putting this stranger through your nonsensical life, but you had no other choice. Once you had answers from Diana, you promised yourself you would leave Dick out of everything. You didn’t want him dying because he helped you.

**

Finally, the two of you made your way to Wayne Manor. You hadn’t actually met any of Dick’s family…though he did talk about them. You’d much prefer him talking about his family than you about yours. Walking into the dining room, you saw a statuesque figure standing before you. Of course she’s drop dead gorgeous.

“Di – Wonder Woman. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Relax, Y/N. I trust these men, you may call me Diana. So, you are the cause of all pandemonium.”

“I guess so? I didn’t mean to be. Look, can we talk…” you eyed Dick and Bruce, “somewhere else?”

“We can, though it may be easier if we have their help.”

“NO!” The word came out much sharper than you intended. Your mind just kept floating back to scenes of Dick laying dead in your arms.

Diana eyed the two men, “I think it might be best if we were all a little more honest here.” Neither of the men made any effort to reveal information. “Alright,” Diana eventually spoke up again. “Guess we are going elsewhere then.” Diana led you to out to a garden, the two of you walking in silence. You sat on a nearby bench, deciding it was time to spin your tale. By the time you were done, you looked up to Diana, hopeful for ideas.

“My sister, that is a lot. I’m afraid I do not know what to do either. Our best option is to find Persephone. I do agree that she is likely the one who placed you on this earth.”

“Got access to Tartarus?”

“On Themyscria. I will work on passage for you. It should not be a problem, as you are female…and half god.” You grasped her wrist as she turned to leave.

“Diana…you know Zeus is your father, right?”

“I had long since suspected. But I will never get over the looks on men’s faces when I tell them I was sculpted from clay.” She gave you a wink before adding. “Be ready tomorrow. We leave at dawn.”

“Well everything I own is borrowed from Dick, so I’m already ready. Unless I should get back into my toga.”

She glanced over your attire, “It would be preferable. Jeans are too restrictive, and I have a gnawing feeling there is going to be a fight ahead of us.”

“You too, huh?”

Diana nodded with affirmation before heading back inside. You did not follow, you needed time to think, you needed more time to hone your skills. Zeus had trained you in Olympus and made sure all your opponents were stronger than you…but it had always felt different. That was training and though your opponents could have easily subdued you, they feared Zeus’ wrath and didn’t dare harm you. Even Hera’s bribes couldn’t even phase them. You just were hoped that once back in Tartarus, back in a land of the gods, your body would feel like your own again. Somehow in the back of your mind, you knew that would never be true again. It would always be different now, you couldn’t put a pin in why – though your suspicions kept trailing to Dick.

**

Diana approached Bruce and Dick, who were discussing their own plans in the matter.

“You too need to tell her how involved you actually are. She’s worried about you.” Her eyes could drill holes into Dick’s. “I know it would ease her mind, if she knew that you were capable of handling yourself. I have a feeling Zeus will not give up easily, he is not used to defiance. There will be a fight.”

“We can explain on the way to Themyscira.” Bruce’s voice was low and unfaltering.

“Bruce, we’ve been over this. I can’t just bring you to Themyscira, and I especially can’t bring you to Tartarus. Mortal men do not go to Tartarus unless they don’t plan on coming back.”

“Well I’m going. You haven’t seen her. What Zeus is doing to her in these dreams.” Dick shook his head, “No, I’m not letting her do this alone.”

“My mother is not going to like this.”

[aislingeu]

hello!! i’m kq ( aka kelsey quinn! ) i’m twenty five, livin in the est, usin she / her pronouns!! much like the good buddy who turned me on to this rp, i don’t know a ton about percy jackson!! but mythology was one of the few subjects that held my attention in school, so i hoe i have a good handle on it! :D for now, i manage a comic book store from thursdays - sundays, so i’m scarce those times but i’m usually on discord!!

⟨ ABIGAIL COWEN. CIS FEMALE. SHE / HER ⟩ though the mist might prevent some from seeing it, AISLING DUNN is actually a descendant of H Y P N O S. it’s still a question of whether or not the TWENTY-THREE year old PAINTING MAJOR from DUBLIN, IRELAND has taken after their godly parent completely, but the demigod is still known to be quite CLEVER & COARSE.

this got way longer than i intended im so sorry... 

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

she was born on march 12th, 1997 to a pair of irish musicians ( conor and dierdre dunn ) and, unwittingly, one greek god ( hypnos ) in dublin, ireland. her parents met and married shortly after her conception and neither of them suspected that conor wasn’t aisling’s father, until she was claimed.

as an only child, her parents didn’t have much to compare her too in terms of overall strangeness. for years, they wrote off her abilities as kids just sayin’ the darndest things. they remained blissfully unaware of the impact of their daughter’s words, rolling their eyes fondly, when she told them about the man in the cave, who came to her in dreams. they smiled and laughed, when she strangers at the supermarket that she thought erwin was a fine name to give a teddy bear, no matter what anyone else said. how were they to know that she was unearthing the fond childhood memories that passersby had almost forgotten? 

when she enrolled in primary school, they realized that she was... strange, if not special. she was recognized as a bit of a space case, often staring at nothing in particular, while her teacher droned on. her worksheets were seldom turned in complete. instead, aisling began gifting poorly drawn family portraits on the blank sides of her papers, likenesses plucked from the memories she explored when her mind wandered, in class.

eventually, after her skill had developed and people stopped writing off the stick figures as ‘coincidentally accurate’, people began to truly take notice. they speculated that she was a medium, silently communing with the dead and painting their pictures as she did. how else could she know what her art teacher’s late father looked like? and what color tie he always liked to wear? she had to be a psychic. recipients of her art were always so focused on their perception of the little girl with the gift of sight that they hardly even realized what she had tweaked, brightening up their darkest memories, just so they wouldn’t have to hurt anymore. she hardly even realized, herself.

without a reason to believe otherwise, she told the man in her dreams that she was a psychic, but he knew differently. he told her that that wasn’t so. she was special, yes, but not in the ways that the world thought her to be. hypnos let her in on the secret he’d been keeping for the past twelve years and, just like that, aisling could make sense of herself. once she knew the truth, she chased sleep. she spent as much time as she could, communicating with the one person who understood who she was. he saw her hunger for belonging and pointed her in the direction of the camp nearest to her hometown.

after a summer away, she came home faced with a challenge in morality that she’d never considered, as a child. she came home to a world where she could no longer fit. her party tricks had lost their luster the moment she realized that true value of a memory, however sad, was worth far more than the cheap smiles that her alterations had afforded. with that realization, her art took a darker turn. unable to shift the memories she saw into the light, they haunted her. she now saw their fears and heartbreaks for what they were: unchangeable. and, now, they lived within her, too. putting them to paper was the only way to get them out. but, pieces like those weren’t the kind that could be sent home to mom and dad. pieces like those were the kind that got her meetings with guidance counselors and haunted, fleeting looks from those whose memories she’d never meant to disturb. after a year of that, aisling went back to camp, full time.

once she was a year round resident of the camp, she found herself more comfortable around people who understood; there was nothing she had to hide, among those who were like her. each one of them was fighting an uphill battle of their own. they didn’t have to hide it. even if she never allowed herself to get too close, aisling never felt all that far away, at camp.

at eonia, aisling spends most of her days painting, sleeping, or working. raised by a pair of mortal musicians, finding a job at fireside records felt like a natural progression. where her godly parent thrives in silence, she finds her comfort in noise. it’s easier to block out the things she doesn’t need to see when there’s something immediate for her to focus on. at the other end of that spectrum, aisling finds her mind most open in visual arts club, trying to keep her other creative skills sharp, while she keeps her primary focus on painting. in search of inspiration, her mind reaches out in tendrils, dipping into another’s until she finds something she can work with. she only needs to leave the room before they’ve realized what she’s borrowed. 

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

aisling is a naturally empathetic person, always wishing she could do more to help those around her. unfortunately, she knows that she can’t always honor that instinct. her abilities and self-imposed limitations have left her with a hardened exterior that isn’t easy to break through. those who pass through her walls see a softer side: a steadfast friend, always there to put a peaceful end to their sleepless nights or calm their worst nightmares, with a gentle run of her fingers through their hair. but sometimes, she’ll wall herself away from even those she’s closest to after she finds herself in the middle of a particularly harrowing memory. because of this, maintaining close bonds for long is a difficult thing. given her propensity for accidentally rifling through the fondest and most fearsome parts of peoples’ pasts, she’s been known cut them out of her life when she sees something that she has the urge to alter.

𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

MEMORY RETRIEVAL — for as long as she could remember, aisling knew things that she shouldn’t. at first, her parents just dismissed her gift as imagination and observation combining in a perfect, creepy storm. it wasn’t until she started attending school, picked up her finger paints, and started to draw out moments from the pasts of strangers that people started to truly take notice. sloppy scenes from the librarian’s wedding day graduated into well sketched portraits of her bus driver’s dalmatians. she liked to take those happy moments, immortalize them in art, and hand them off to the owners of the memories. she liked to make people smile. sometimes, she took that a step further. too young to see the value in sadness, aisling would tweak the memories that were harder to bear; even if she couldn’t bring someone happiness in the present, she hoped she could bring them comfort in the future. it wasn’t until she was claimed that aisling saw the flaws in her intervention. it wasn’t until she was taught the consequences that she knew she had to stop. although the memories came to her unbidden, they didn’t belong to her and she had no right to change them. instead of focusing on the alteration of memories, aisling opted to try to learn how to shut them out. like her other powers, though, there’s a direct correlation between her emotional state and her ability to keep a wall up. when she’s feeling something strongly or hasn’t gotten enough sleep, she sees things that she doesn’t mean to.

HYPNOKINESIS — you are getting very sleepy… what proved to be a fun tool at sleepovers had more practical applications than aisling knew possible. the skill of inducing sleep was easy enough to come by and influencing dreams was as simple as altering memories. and while ( without intending to ) she’d been known to cause visions when tensions ran high, refining those visions into ones that took the shapes she wanted them to took practice. even more difficult than that was learning to astral project, but that became a necessity, coming hand-in-hand with building her mental walls. when the uninvited memories start to weigh on her, she’s learned that it’s best to remove herself from the immediate vicinity. even if she’s only technically leaving in her head. 

OTHER ABILITIES — ( levitation ) a skill she only possesses in sleep, predominantly when her dreams are eliciting strong emotions. ( seeing the gods in dreams ) this is how she formed and maintained a relationship with her father, despite her parents being unaware of their daughter’s godly lineage. on occasion, she’ll encounter gods that she’s less familiar with and, in most of those cases, she’s been known to force herself awake.

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

there are so many cool, fun things runnin through my brain right now!! i think it would be lovely for her to have forged a friendship with an insomniac or maybe someone prone to nightmares that she could help! and those fun customer service relationships with record store regulars!! or maybe a former friend or significant other, who aisling left behind? maybe even altering their memory slightly, if the parting of ways was ugly! who knows! the possibilities are endless!! and i’m always up to hearing other peoples’ ideas because the Sweet Lord knows i am not the most imaginative person in any given room!!!

thank u for reading ilu!!! 

[robbyrobinson]

OWL HOUSE X CTHULHU MYTHOS XVII: 

“Grrr....what happened? Where are we?”  

Amity’s eyes were caressed with the sudden brightness of the sun. Something felt odd about the situation she found herself in, but she could not put her finger on it. Blaring sounds made her ears tremble. Around her were odd structures extending from the ground and nearly the sky. Her hand probed its surroundings. She had fallen on some hard, rocky material. The fall had kicked the wind out of her lungs, but she trudged forward to get on her legs.  

Even then, her legs felt peculiar. Her knees wobbled and became interlocked. She looked around to see if Luz landed somewhere close to her. “Luz?”  

Beep, beep.

Before Amity could realize it, a red car was blaring right into her direction. Amity’s legs locked up and she froze there like a deer caught in headlights. More cars were coming down on both sides of what Amity could now see was the road. Amity held her hands up to summon magic from her bile sac, but it was of no use.  

“Amity! Look out!”  

Amity was tackled and pushed off the road just in the nick of time. The driver of the red vehicle temporarily stopped and shook his fist angrily at Amity. “Watch where you’re going, ya fool!”  

Black, suffocating smoke seeped through his exhaust pipe when he slammed on the gas break. His tires left a long, continuous streak of black lines. Amity opened her eyes again seeing that she was now being carried in the arms of another girl. She had braided, black hair, golden eyes, and a green jacket. She grinned, revealing that there was a gap between her teeth. “You don’t run into traffic like that, Amity.”  

“How do you know my name?” Amity asked. She couldn’t help but feel that the voice sounded eerily similar.  

“It’s me, Luz, silly,” the woman replied.  

Amity looked down at her hands finally seeing that she was in a different body as well. She jumped out of Luz’s arms and made a dash towards one of the windows of a building. Fully expectant of seeing her own reflection, instead, her eyes were taking mental notes of a girl with short brown hair, glasses, and a yellow skirt and white top. “Who’s that supposed to be, Luz?”  

“It’s you,” Luz noted.

“How is this possible?” Amity asked.

“When we fell, our souls must have gotten into some bodies.” Luz darted her eyes in different directions. “Hypnos said that he would get the rat for us, but where is he?”  

Amity shrugged her shoulders. “I guess we’ll have to find him.”  

The two took hold of a hand and walked together. Vehicles bolted down the road accompanied by people chatting away about different, mundane topics or just about anything to keep the discussion going without hitch. Much like back in Bonesborough, there were a few stands with considerably odd products. Amity stopped in front of a food stand and stared at the strange delicacies. Blood red fruit; yellowish, pill-like serpentines. A sweet-smelling scent of hairy fruits. A nectarine aura radiated from them. Amity’s stomach growled. Just looking at the odd fruits was enough to make her hungry.

“Hungry, aren’t ya?”  

Amity covered her stomach in embarrassment. “No, I’m not.”

Luz chuckled and reached for one of the hairy fruits. “This is a real juicy one right here.”  

“What is it?” Amity inquired. Luz and the owner of the stand looked her over in bewilderment. “Anyway, I’ll take two of these.”  

The owner nodded and wrapped the two fruits in plastic before placing them in a bag. He then figured out the amount for the produce with the tax. Luz felt around in the back of the woman’s pocket and pulled out a wallet. Opening it, she retrieved the money for the two fruits and gave it to the man.  

“Thanks for doing business,” the man said, “but be sure to keep that friend of hers from getting run over.”  

Luz and Amity trudged their way a few more meters before making a stop at a bench. Luz motioned for the witch girl to sit down which she does on instinct. Luz opened the bag and reached in to produce one of the fruits. “I know you don’t have these on the Boiling Isles.”  

“What is this thing?” Amity inquired. She held the odd fruit in front of her face and sniffed it. “Smells good too.”  

“That, my dear friend, is a peach,” Luz explained, “it’s hairy, but it is a really sweet fruit.”

Amity eyeballed the fruit curiously before taking a bite from it. The nectar-like juices dripped down from her mouth. “You’re right; this is good.”  

Luz took a napkin and wiped Amity’s mouth. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”  

“T-thanks,” Amity blushed. She took her eyes off Luz and scanned the surroundings. “So, this is the human world.”  

Luz’s eyes sparkled. “I’m sure you’ll love it here. Why not after we take down Nyarlathotep and Belos we could have a sleepover with my Mami?”  

Amity with Luz? Spending a night together? In cute pajamas? Cuddling? Steam fizzled from Amity’s ears. But she couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty. “So....is the Earth safe?”  

Luz raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”  

“Just that...I was always taught that the people of Earth were savage, merciless heathens who would wage war on each other over the most trivial of plights. Humans were these disease-ridden rats who would turn on each other for profit and were never meant to learn magic as it would only further their mindless heathenism and violence.”  

Luz felt her chest tense up from the sensation of being stabbed with an invisible knife. “Wow...that’s deep.”  

Amity looked at Luz with surprise. “So that is true?”  

Luz rubbed the back of her head. “Well, on the most technical of terms..but there are also instances of human kindness and understanding.”  

“I see.” Amity turned away. “The Emperor had always told us that humans were warmongers that could not be trusted. I guess some of that did manifest when I challenged you back at the witch convention.”  

“Don’t worry, Amity,” Luz assured her, “I don’t take any personal offense towards your assumptions. Lilith pretty much had to learn that lesson as well after she had become a roommate.”  

Amity sighed in relief that Luz was not offended by the conditioned prejudices she was indoctrinated with. “I do have to say that there are so many interesting sights here; no wonder Eda collected all this stuff.”  

Luz smiled. “Y’know, I did see a shop close to the park.”  

“You did?”  

“Yeah; something tells me that Hypnos is there.” Luz shrugged. “It kind of fits his mysterious aura.”  

Amity nodded. “Yeah; the strange magic man might have already felt we forgot about him.”  

They threw the seeds of the peaches into a trash can and walk in the direction of the store. Sure enough, it was exactly how Luz described it: it was a small, square store decorated with an eerie green paint which was chipping away in flakes exposing the splintery wooden boards underneath. The shop was placed impossibly between two large buildings. Grass grew around it into long, spindling strands that wedged into the foundation of the shop. A fern tree covered the roof to form a canopy. From the tiny specks of light, they could make out a few letters.  

“Is this the right one?” Amity asked.

“Well, it said that it was located on 1300 Arkham Drive,” Luz clarified, “so it must be.”  

They cautiously walked through the large columns of grass to get to the door. Inside of the workshop, it was impressively massive and grandiose. Much like the void they had entered through astral traveling, there were doors upon doors throughout the building. Doors of various sizes aligned the walls. On top of those passages were more doors. Along the staircases and the ceiling. Doors, doors. In every hard spot was one. To where the doors led they could not tell. After their trip through the void, they would rather leave it that way.  

“About time you made it!”  

They both turned their heads in shock and stared at a small man. His eyes were the size of dinner plates. He tilted his head making it apparent that it was the only comfortable way he could handle his large organs. His forehead was deeply filled with wrinkles upon wrinkles especially around his eyes. His hair was short and unkempt with its whiteness. The whiskers of his mustache curled in an upward spiral. His beard was long enough to reach the floor. He held up his wrinkled hand and skinny, bony fingers. He held a bust in his other hand. It greatly resembled him to some degree.

“Hypnos? Is that you?” Luz asked.

“In the flesh,” he chuckled, “well, this is my actual body.”  

Amity crouched down. “But what about all that power you demonstrated?”  

“Like I said, I jumped out of my body the moment I sensed Nyarlathotep’s return. But I had to keep the old man from getting eroded. Or eaten.”  

As he said that, a small humanoid shape took form and walked on all fours from one of the doors. Its face was bereft of any describable orifices aside from the flashes of yellow, jagged teeth. For all intents and purposes, it made no sound even when its large, bat-like wings fluttered. Two horns pointed inward towards its head. Amity quickly shielded herself and Luz from the bat beast. “Step back, monster!”  

Hypnos laughed until he felt himself wheezing. “Nekron, heel.”  

Before the two girls’ confused eyes, the creature responded and sat down without issue on the ground. It wagged its barbed tail and its paws made a pitter-pattering sound on the floor. Hypnos took his hand and rubbed the side of the creature’s body. It had a slick, rubbery complexion to it. They could see now that the beast was smiling. A horrid, maniacal smile at that, but at the least it diminished a bit of the preexisting notions the girls had on it.  

“What is he?” Amity inquired.  

“A nightgaunt, my girl,” Hypnos replied, “a runt of the litter, really, but he is loyal.”  

After petting Nekron, the nightgaunt stood up on its hind legs beside its master. Hypnos opened a small door to withdraw a tentacle. It was still moving about violently despite long being separated from its owner. Suction cups clicked on each other; slime trickled down his arm when he presented it to his pet. “Take.”  

The nightgaunt obliged and grabbed the tentacle between its teeth before bolting past Hypnos and into one of the doors. Orange light emitted through the door and the nightgaunt disappeared. Hypnos directed the two girls to one of the other doors. This time, it was a large door of indescribable geometry. “Here is my actual workshop.”  

Opening the door, they saw shelves containing jars. Each jar was filled with a yellow substance to preserve its contents. Eyes of different species and sizes; claws and teeth; ancient documents even. Hypnos took one of the jars and presented it to Amity and Luz. There was a brain inside of it.  

“This contains the mind of what came to be called the Great Race of Yith. They were a race of aliens who could travel through all-time by swapping their minds with another race. They could project their consciousness through all space so they could learn about what other races did.”  

He put the brain back on the shelf and withdrew another jar. It contained a small, amoeba creature. It was amorphous in appearance, but it changed its body accordingly to match the jar it was inside. It had roiling eyes and mouths alongside its pseudopodia. The hair on the back of Luz’s neck recoiled which made sense because the creature was focusing its many eyes on her.  

“A shoggoth,” Hypnos answered, “started off as a servant-race created by another species to act as servants, but they turned against their masters.”  

“You know, on the Boiling Isles we have servants too,” Amity pointed out.  

“And what are they called?” Hypnos asked. He was mostly asking for the sake of asking without expecting an answer.  

“Abominations,” Amity replied, “but they are made to never want to go against orders.”  

Hypnos scratched his beard. “Who knows? Maybe some of those aliens discovered your world and subtly mixed their technology with your magic and those abominations you speak of could have been the descendants of this process.”  

“This is all interesting and all, but please tell me that you did get the rat,” Luz said.

Hypnos smiled. “Of course; look on my desk.”  

The human-faced rat was trapped underneath a small birdcage. The horn fracture it had stolen was on a far side of the desk. “It must have been stuck in the void for who knows how long.”  

The two girls walked to the desk and observed the rodent. It shook its tail wildly whilst trying to figure out a method of escape. Hypnos grabbed a shriveled arm and held it over the cage. Wrapping his fingers around the wrist, blood trickled down from the base of the arm. The rat got up on its hind legs and greedily licked at the red liquid. It messily licked the blood from the corners of its mouth and continued to do so until it had its fill.  

“That is gross,” Luz declared.  

“Oh, it was just hungry is all,” Hypnos noted, “it eats witch blood.”  

“W-witch blood!?” Amity screamed. She backed away from the rodent. “That thing could’ve bitten me and Luz back there.”  

“The rat used to be a familiar that belonged to a witch, but it seems that the witch is long gone. But I did manage to get that horn it stole from you two.”  

“We didn’t just come for the horn,” Amity added, “you know where that book is?”  

“Yes, the Necronomicon, of course,” Hypnos replied, “I will fetch it for you two.”  

He opened a drawer in his desk and withdrew a large book laced with a thickly-tacked on leathery material. “The original Necronomicon; the one that your ancestor, Luz, wrote all those years ago.”  

He handed it to Luz. Luz looked it over sensing some dark presence within it. It came to her in the form of a whispery hiss spewing malicious intent. The book was heavily drenched in only the darkest and most unholy of dark spells that was likely inaccessible to the children of the Isles. This book, with its inhuman spirit and secrets, was not just evil: it was evil in its most pure, and incorruptible of forms.  

“Does this book contain something on how we could kill Nyarlathotep or any god for that matter?” Luz asked.

“I would advise not looking into the contents of the accursed book,” Hypnos bluntly stated, “it contains information on not just the gods, but secrets of the universe itself.”  

“If Nyarlathotep gets a hold of it, what then?”  

“The Necronomicon was never meant to be read by anyone of this mortal plane; information on dark spells and how to cast them; bringing back the dead to act as your servants; sacrifices to the Old Ones and where these gods of old will once again return. The book must be destroyed at all costs.”  

“That’s a good strategy,” Amity noted, “with no book, Nyarlathotep would still be without powers, so perhaps we can take him down.”  

Hypnos nodded. “Luz, you are familiar with the old ways that magic was done on the Isles I presume?”  

Luz nodded.  

“Through those glyphs, the first witches were able to perform magic. Will you use them to destroy the book?”  

Luz scratched her chin. It was a hard gamble: while it would be easier to read the book to figure out a way to kill Nyarlathotep, with no book at all, Nyarlathotep would still be at a disadvantage. If anything, they could temporarily block Nyarlathotep from enacting the rest of his plan until they could get him weakened enough to banish him. Luz shook her head.  

“Of course.”  

“How are we going to destroy it?” Amity tapped her foot to contemplate. “Well, we could burn it; do you have glyphs for fire, Luz?”  

“That’s genius, Amity!” Luz proclaimed. “Hypnos, do you have some paper I could borrow?”  

"Yes, this is Channel 8 News, and we have a story for you,” an anchorwoman announced.  

Above the city, an insidious rip began to tear into the fabric of reality. The sky fell away in flakes as it widened further. Witnesses of the event stopped in their tracks to record what they were seeing to their social media accounts. Flaming balls descended from the rip and onto the buildings and vehicles.  

“At approximately 3 in the afternoon, a large rip appeared over the sky, and now it appears that meteorites had fallen to the Earth. From what I am hearing, some of our top researchers had speculated that these meteorites could have come here through a ‘wormhole’ if you would call it as such.”  

The balls were dispensed in highly populated areas. Smoke was bouncing off the odd balls emphasizing how intense the heat was around them. Much like any meteorite, the balls slammed into the earth’s crust and created craters around themselves. Much like before, bystanders were casually streaming live videos on the mysterious objects. A man with glasses knelt down at one of the craters.  

“If you take notice of these meticulous details, this metal is unlike any I have seen before in my life.”  

Despite protests from some of the surrounding people, the man leaned in closer for a better look. The ball glowed an ominous red and dematerialized. Before he could react, the ball became a metallic suit of armor and dragged him into the hole. The other balls followed suit and attacked the bystanders. The armor suits lumbered along, each painstaking step after painstaking step. They grabbed ahold of people and tossed them around with little thought of whether they were the targets they were after.

Vehicles were seized by the armor and smashed to miniscule, insignificant pieces. Attacks were launched at buildings with chunks of debris falling to the ground and onto people desperately trying to escape the damaged buildings. Soon legions of armored assailants made the ground quake. Small fires broke out converting the city into a wasteland. From the destruction wrought on the city, Odalia made her entrance. A large, black knight suit carried her weakened son in its arms. She looked into the staff’s gem for a message. Sure enough, the cloudy mist inside of the gem gave way to reveal Nyarlathotep in his Black Pharaoh form.  

“Very excellent work, Odalia,” Nyarlathotep said.  

Odalia felt her satisfaction bubble up her throat. “Yes, my lord; this is the place where the Necronomicon is located?”  

“Aye, it is; in this city, your insolent child is trying to assist that human girl. They have a helper as well.”  

Odalia smiled whilst clutching the staff in her hand. “I will give her a strong thrashing so that she could be of more use to you, Dweller in the Darkness.”  

“I knew that I had selected the right vict-I mean servant,” Nyarlathotep replied, “once you retrieve the book and the girls, I will provide you the means of return.”  

Nyarlathotep disappeared in the mist once the connection was cut off. She directed her attention towards the armor suits recklessly pulverizing the streets without rhyme nor reason.  

“Lord Nyarlathotep had confirmed that we are in the right place! I don’t care if you have to tear this pathetic rock apart or crush a few rats underfoot: this is the beginning of a new age.”  

[nyxshadowhawk]

Nyx’s Complete List of Goth Names

Abaddon: From Greek, means "destruction" or "demon of the pit."

Acheron: The River of Woe in the Greek underworld.

Achlys: Greek primordial goddess of poison, misery, and sadness, personification of the death-mist.

Adonis: Means "lord" (as in Adonai). In Greek mythology, the most beautiful youth in the world, loved by both Persephone and Aphrodite. Died tragically.

Adrian/Adrienne: English, from Latin; means "from Hadria" (the Adriatic Sea). I've heard sources saying it means "dark one," but I haven't been able to confirm this. It's still a really cool, kind of gothy name. (Also the real name of Alucard from Castlevania.)

Ahriman: The Zoroastrian devil/evil god.

Akeldama: Means "field of blood," a place in Jerusalem associated with Judas.

Alastor: Greek, means "avenging spirit."

Alcmene: (Female) Means "might of the moon," Heracles' mother in mythology.

Alecto: One of the Erinyes (Furies), the goddesses of vengeance. Means "unceasing."

Altair: The brightest star in the constellation Aquila (the Eagle), from Arabic, meaning "the bird."

Amaranth: (Female) Greek; a mythical purple flower that never fades, a symbol of immortality.

Amethyst: A dark purple crystal, associated with wine and preventing drunkenness.

Andromeda: Greek, means "thinks like a man," the name of a princess in mythology, a constellation, and a galaxy.

Anubis: Jackal-headed Egyptian god of death and embalming.

Arcana: From Latin "hidden, secret" (literally "to shut in a chest"), refers to secrets or mysteries. Also refers to the groups of cards in a tarot deck (the major and minor arcana).

Arianrhod: Means "silver wheel," Welsh goddess of the moon, stars, and the flow of time.

Artemis/Diana: Greco-Roman goddess of the hunt, the moon, and virginity

Asmodeus: Means "wrath-demon," a Goetic demon appearing in a number of texts, representing luxury, sensuality, and lust. (Also Asmodai)

Asphodel: A white flower planted on graves, said to grow in the Greek underworld, and therefore heavily connected with death.

Astaroth: (Unisex) A demon in the Ars Goetia (from the Lesser Key of Solomon), described as a male demon and a Duke of Hell, but the name likely comes from the Phoenician goddess Astarte (or Ashtoreth), who is a version of Ishtar (Babylonian) and Inanna (Sumerian).

Astor: A French and German name from Occitan, meaning "goshawk." A goshawk is a bird of prey. I've read on naming sites that this name was originally a derogatory term for young men with hawk-like, predatory characteristics, but I haven't found anything to confirm this. This is the name of my alter-ego and one of the main protagonists of Shadowbook.

Astra/Astrid/Asteria: From Greek, "star." In Greek mythology, Asteria was a Titaness of astrology and prophecy, the mother of Hecate. An aster is also a star-shaped flower.

Atropos: The last of the Moirai (Fates), who cuts the thread at the end of life.

Autumn: The darkening part of the year, when everything is dying, and Halloween happens.

Azrael: The name of the Angel of Death, means "whom god helps." (Also Asriel)

Azazel: A Watcher's name, means "scapegoat." Taught humanity the arts of weaponry and cosmetics. Commonly associated with demons and evil.

Baphomet: A goat-headed, winged deity associated with Satanism; obscure etymology.

Bastet: Egyptian goddess of cats.

Belial: A Hebrew name meaning "worthless," a name of the devil or a demon.

Belladonna: Also called "deadly nightshade," an extremely poisonous plant that causes hallucinations and death.

Bellona: Roman goddess of war

Bezaliel: Means "shadow of God" or "damaged," a Watcher's name.

Blodeuwedd: Pronounced "bluh-DIE-weth," means "flower-face." A Welsh goddess who was turned into an owl.

Bram/Brom: Technically short for Abraham ("father of a multitude"), the author of Dracula, Abraham "Bram" Stoker.

Bran: Welsh, "raven." The name of Bran the Blessed, a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology.

Branwen: (Female) Welsh, means "white raven" or "fair raven."

Breksta: Lithuanian goddess of night, dreams, and twilight.

Caligo: Latin word for “mist,” “gloom,” and “darkness.” (Calignes is the plural, which could also work) (feminine)

Calypso: Greek, "she who conceals." The nymph who kept Odysseus imprisoned on her island.

Carmilla: A lesbian vampire from the gothic novel of the same name, predating Dracula. The name seems to have been invented by the author.

Cassius: Roman, "empty, hollow."

Ceridwen: Welsh enchantress or goddess who stirs the cauldron of poetic inspiration.

Cernunnos: Celtic forest god depicted as having a stag's antlers.

Chiroptera: Literally means "hand wing," the order of bats in taxonomy.

Circe: Means "circle." In Greek mythology, a sorceress who turned Odysseus' men into pigs (and later helped them).

Cora: From the Greek name Kore, meaning "maiden." A name for Persephone. (Also, Coraline.)

Cornix: A princess transformed into a crow by Athena in Ovid's Metamorphosis.

Corvus/Corax: Corvus corax is the scientific name of the common raven.

Crimson: Dark, rich red, the color of wine or blood. One of the Gothiest colors that isn't black. It's very easy for this to sound banal or cringey, especially if it's a character's given name, so use with caution. Scarlet works, too, if you want something easier to use as a given name.

Damian: From Greek, means "to tame," tends to be associated with demons or vampires, a bit cliche at this point.

Dantalion: A Goetic demon, the name is particularly cool.

Desdemona: A tragic character in Othello, comes from Greek and means "ill-fated." Can be shortened to "Mona."

Desmodus: The genus of common vampire bats. (D. rotundus)

Devana: Slavic version of Artemis/Diana, goddess of the hunt.

Dorian: The corrupt, depraved, nearly immortal and astonishingly beautiful protagonist from The Picture of Dorian Gray. (Turns out Oscar Wilde invented the name; it did not exist before the book was written.)

Dracul: Romanian, "devil" or "dragon." What really needs to be said?

Ebony: A very dark wood.

Echo: In Greek mythology, a nymph who was cursed so she would only repeat the names of others; died while pining after Narcissus.

Edgar: Anglo-Saxon, "rich spear." The name of the one and only Edgar Allen Poe (also, my cat).

Eidolon: A type of spirit or ghost in Greek liteature. Also a genus of bats.

Eirlys: Welsh, "snowflake."

Elatha: An Irish god, described as the "beautiful Miltonic prince of darkness with golden hair." Not sure what the source for that is, but cool!

Elvira: Spanish, means "foreign true," a stereotypical Goth name (and the name of the Mistress of the Dark!). Actually, I first ran across the name in reference to a vengeful ghost called Elvira Blood in New England folk legend. Spooky!

Empusa: A kind of Greek female demon (similar to Lamia) that served Hecate.

Endora: Comes from the Witch of Endor, a Biblical sorceress.

Endymion: In Greek mythology, a handsome shepherd whom Selene fell in love with. Zeus granted him eternal sleep so he would never age. Means "to dive, to enter."

Erebus: Greek primordial god and personification of darkness.

Esmeralda: Spanish name meaning "emerald." (Also, the heroine in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.)

Ethelinda: Anglo-Saxon, means "little serpent."

Euryale: Greek, means "far-roming," the middle Gorgon sister.

Eurynomos: Greek chthonic spirit of corpses.

Eventide: It could work as a name.

Fenrir: A wolf demon in Norse mythology, the son of Loki.

Finvarra: Irish, King of the Fairies (and sometimes King of the Dead), a benevolent entity that ensures a good harvest and abundance.

Gabriel: The angel. Means "warrior of god." Gabrielle also works (and is the name of Lestat's mother).

Gehenna: A Hebrew name for Tartarus or Hell.

Golgotha: From Hebrew, "skull," the place where Jesus was crucified.

Grimm: The surname of two German brothers who recorded a classic collection of oral folklore and fairy tales, many of which are very... well, grim.

Habundia: A Celtic name for the queen of witches and night creatures, possibly another name for Nicnevan. Etymology uncertain.

Hades: The Lord of the Underworld in Greek mythology (also the name of the Underworld itself).

Hawthorn: A type of shrub steeped in folklore, associated with fairies and with Beltane (1st May).

Hecate: Greek goddess of witchcraft, magic, the occult, the moon, necromancy, the Underworld, and the crossroads. Means "worker from far off."

Hellebore: A type of evergreen flower, some species of which are poisonous. Believed to summon demons, also believed to cure madness.

Hemlock: A plant used to poison people.

Herne: "the Hunter," a ghost that haunts Windsor Forest (sometimes identified with The Horned God).

Hesperos/ia: The evening star.

Hypnos: The Greek god of sleep.

Iblis: Satan in Islamic lore.

Idris: Welsh, "ardent (passionate, fiery) lord."

Igor: Russian, "bow-warrior." Became famous as the name of Frankenstein's hunchbacked assistant, even though he doesn't exist in the book and his name in the original Universal film was Fritz.

Ingram: Swedish name meaning "Ing's raven."

Iolanthe: Greek, means "violet flower." (eye-oh-LAHN-thay)

Iseult/Isolde/Isolt: A tragic lover in Arthurian legend.

Jasmine: A type of flower, in this case referring to Cestrum nocturnum, or night-blooming jasmine.

Kali: Hindu goddess of destruction, name means "the black one."

Kasdaye: Means "hidden power," the name of a Watcher (another name for Tamiel). (Unisex)

Kiara/n: Gaelic, means "little black one."

Kimaris: A Goetic demon. (Male)

Kokabiel: Means "angel of the stars," a Watcher.

Lacrimae: Latin word for tears.

Lamia: A female demon in Greek folklore who devours children. The name of the witch in the film version of Stardust.

Lenore: A variant of Eleanor (also a good name), means "foreign," the lost love of the protagonist of "The Raven," also has her own poem.

Leshii: A Russian god of hunting, similar to Veles

Lethe: River of Forgetfulness in the Greek Underworld.

Leviathan: From Hebrew, "twisted in folds," a Biblical sea monster. Sometimes associated with Midgard's Serpent.

Libitina: A Roman goddess of corpses, funerals, and the dead.

Ligeia: Greek, the name of a Siren, also the subject of a Poe story of the same name.

Lilah: Comes from the Arabic Leila, meaning "night."

Lilith: Means "of the night" or "screech owl." In Hebrew mythology, Adam's first wife and the Queen of Demons. She refused to submit to Adam, so she left Eden and began screwing around with demons. Often considered a succubus or vampire, or a champion of feminism. A lilim is also a succubus or incubus.

Loki: Trickster god in Norse mythology with ambiguous morals.

Lorelei: German, means "murmuring rock," the name of a German Siren.

Lucius/Lucifer/Lucien: All mean "light" or "light-bringer," a name associated with Satan.

Lucy: From Dracula, also could be a shortening/feminization of Lucifer. (Still means "light.")

Luna: The Roman personification of the moon.

Lycoris: A Greek word that means "twilight," the name of an Asian red flower, associated with death and the underworld (much like Asphodel).

Maeve: Comes from Gaelic, means "the intoxicating one." Associated with the Fairy Queen Mab.

Makaria: Greek goddess of blessed death, a daughter of Hades and Persephone.

Mania: Etruscan/Roman goddess of the undead, ghosts, and underworld spirits, goddess of madness. Also a modern medical term referring to a specific mental illness.

Mara: A name steeped in darkness, referring to a nightmare spirit (nightmare), a (benevolent) goddess of death in Latvian mythology, a (male) demon in Buddhist mythology, and a Sanskrit word meaning "death."

Medea: In Greek mythology, the sorceress who helped Jason, but then went on a murderous rampage when he left her. Considered to be a priestess (or, rarely, daughter) of Hecate.

Megaera: One of the Erinyes (Furies), the goddesses of vengeance. Means "grudge."

Melanie: Greek, "black" or "dark."

Melantha: Greek, "dark flower."

Melinda/Mindy: English, "black serpent."

Melinoe: Greek goddess of ghosts, nightmares, and madness, a daughter of Hades and Persephone.

Mephistopheles: The name of the devil in the Faust legend, could be from Hebrew and mean "disperser of lies," or from Greek and mean "does not love the light."

Merle: (Unisex) from French, "blackbird."

Mina: From Dracula. Short for Wilhelmina, a German name meaning "will-helmet."

Morana/Marzanna: Slavic goddess of winter and death.

Morgan/Morgana: From Welsh, means "sea-circle," the name of Morgan le Fay, a sorceress in Arthurian Legend (who may be good or evil, depending on your interpretation).

Morpheus: The Greek god of dreams, the main protagonist of Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics. (Also, The Matrix.)

Morrigan: An Irish goddess of death, battle, and ravens, name means "great queen."

Morwenna: A Welsh name meaning "maiden." ("Morwanneg" is the name of the witch in Stardust.)

Nepenthe: A magical drug from the Odyssey that cures sorrow and causes forgetfulness.

Nephthys: Means "lady of the temple," the Egyptian goddess of the dead, mate of Seth and mother of Anubis.

Nergal: Mesopotamian god of death, war, and destruction.

Nicnevan: Queen of the Fairies in Scottish folklore. She is the Scottish version of Hecate.

Nightshade: A family of plants including tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants, but also the notorious deadly nightshade.

Nisha/nt: A Hindi name meaning "night."

Nocturne: Self-explanatory. Refers to a night prayer, a musical composition evoking night, or a night scene in art.

Nyctala/Nyctea: Two obsolete genera of owls. Nyctala is the genus of Boreal owls before it was changed to Aegolius, and Nyctea was the genus of Snowy owls before it was changed to Bubo. Both probably mean or are related to "night."

Nyctalus: A genus of bats.

Nyctimene: A princess from Ovid's Metamorphoses who was so ashamed at having been molested by her father, she refused to show her face in daylight. Out of pity, Minerva (Athena) turned her into an owl. Also a genus of bats.

Nyx: A Greek primordial goddess and personification of the Night. (also Nox)

Oberon: From French, means "elf-ruler," the name of the Fairy King in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Referred to in one scene as the "king of shadows").

Obsidian: A shiny black volcanic stone.

Onyx: A type of banded stone, most famously black. (The word comes from the Greek for "fingernail.")

Ophelia: A tragic character in Hamlet, which probably comes from Greek and means "help."

Orcus: A Latin word for Hell, and a Roman god who punished the dead (possibly an epithet of Hades/Pluto).

Orion: A hunter in Greek mythology, and the famous constellation.

Orlok: The name of the ugly-looking vampire from Nosferatu.

Orpheus: Greek name, possibly comes from the word orphe, "darkness." The name of a demigod with an impossibly beautiful singing voice who attempted to rescue his love from the underworld, failed, and then died tragically.

Pan: Greek goat-horned god of nature, herds, and lust, induces "panic."

Pandora: Name means "all-gifted." In Greek mythology, the name of the first woman, who opened a box that unleashed evil upon the world.

Pandemonium: The capital city of Hell in Paradise Lost, name literally means "all demons."

Persephone: Greek Queen of the Underworld, wife of Hades, and goddess of springtime. You probably know her story. Her name might mean "thrasher of grain" (which would make sense for an agricultural goddess), but could also mean "slayer."

Phaenon: Means "shining" in Greek, refers to the planet Saturn (which has long been associated with darkness in mythology, being the furthest planet from the sun that is observable with the naked eye).

Pluto: Hades' Roman name, also the ninth planet, or what was the ninth planet.

Ransley: An English name meaning "raven's meadow."

Raven: This is by far the most cliche Goth name there is (I originally created this list to provide alternatives to the name “Raven”), but it’s classic, it’s simple, it’s unisex, and it’s undeniably Goth. 

Ravenna: Self-explanatory, also an Italian city.

Renwick: Scottish surname meaning "raven settlement."

Sable: A word referring to the color black.

Salome: From Hebrew shalom, "peace." The daughter of Herod and Herodias, unnamed in the Bible, who requested the head of John the Baptist and danced the Dance of the Seven Veils.

Samael: Means "venom of God," a vicious angel of death, the mate of Lilith. He is not technically a fallen angel, but a servant of God who does the dirty work.

Sekhmet: Egyptian goddess of war and destruction, with the head of a lioness. Her name means "power" or "might." Her epithets included "Mistress of Dread," "Lady of Slaughter," and "She Who Mauls." Ra had to stop her from killing people by getting her drunk on beer that was dyed to look like blood.

Selene: Greek personification of the moon. (Includes "Selena" and variants.")

Senka: Basque name meaning "shadow."

Seren: (Unisex) Welsh name meaning "star."

Seth: A name of Set or Sutekh, the Egyptian god of evil, chaos, and storms. He killed his brother Osiris and cut his body into pieces, and then was defeated by Horus. His head is that of an animal that looks kind of like an aardvark but is not an actual existing creature (at least not anymore). He was associated with the color red and the desert. His name possibly means "one who dazzles."

Shadow: Self-explanatory.

Silas: From Greek, means "from the forest." In The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, it's the name of a [spoiler]vampire.

Silver: The color of the moon, and it looks nice with black.

Sinistra: Technically, it's Latin for "left," but it obviously has "sinister" connotations.

Skiá: Greek word for "shadow" or "shade."

Skotos: Ancient Greek word for "darkness," especially the darkness of death or the netherworld, or obscurity.

Skuld: The last of the Norns (Fates), representing death. Means "debt."

Sombra: The Spanish word for "shadow."

Somnus: Roman name for Hypnos, sleep.

Spyridon: Greek name referring to wicker baskets, which implies wealth. Could also be connected to the Latin spiritus, which means breath or spirit. Usually shortened to Spyro.

Stella: The Latin word for "star."

Stheno: Greek, means "forceful." The eldest of the Gorgon sisters.

Styx: The River of Hate in the Greek Underworld, the most famous of its rivers. The souls of the dead are ferried across it by Charon, and the gods (foolishly, if you ask me, seeing as they always regret it) swear on the Styx to make unbreakable oaths. The word "Stygian" means "of the River Styx" and refers to something very dark or abyssal.

Summanus: Roman god of nocturnal thunder.

Sylvia​​​​​​/Sylvana: Latin, "from the forest."

Tanith: Phoenician, "serpent lady."

Tartarus: The deepest hell-pit of the Greek Underworld, where evildoers are punished.

Tempest: A wild storm, from the Latin for "time."

Thanatos: The Greek personification of Death.

Tiamat: Babylonian primordial dragon goddess.

Tisiphone: One of the Erinyes (Furies), the goddesses of vengeance. Means "murder-retribution."

Tristan: Welsh, "riot, tumult." (Although it sounds like the Latin tristis, which means "sad.") The name of Isolt's lover in Arthurian Legend, and the name of the protagonist in Stardust.

Valerian: Roman, means "strength" or "valiant," also the name of an herb.

Vega: (Unisex) Latin from Arabic, means "falling" or "swooping," a star in the constellation Lyra. It is one of the brightest stars in the entire sky.

Veles: Slavic horned god of cattle, forests, magic, and the underworld.

Veliona: Slavic goddess of death

Velvet: A fabric that most goths love to wear.

Vervain: An herb (verbena), meaning "sacred bough," considered a magical or holy herb in multiple cultures.

Vesperus: (or just Vesper), a Roman name meaning "evening." (Vespera for a girl)

Vespertilio: A genus of bats.

Victor: The first of the trio of gothy male "V" names, means "conqueror," as in "victory." Frankenstein's first name. (Victoria also works for a girl.)

Vincent: The second of the trio of gothy male "V" names, also meaning "conquering," from Latin.

Vivian: The Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend. From French, means "lively."  (Another name for the Lady is Nimue, which is Welsh and may be related to the Greek word for "memory." She sealed Merlin in a tree.)

Vlad: The third of the trio of gothy male "V" names, the name of Vlad Tepes or "Vlad the Impaler," the real-life Romanian prince who inspired Count Dracula. It's Slavic and means "ruler."

Willow: A beautiful and mournful-looking tree.

Winter: The dark, cold season. Unisex!

Yvaine: Scottish, means "evening star," the name of the star in Stardust.

Zagreus: The name of a chthonic Greek god who was potentially a son of Hades and Persephone or Zeus and Persephone, considered in Orphic lore to be Dionysus before he was dismembered and reincarnated.

Zillah: Hebrew name meaning "shadow."

[bedlamgames]

Q&A #61

Ones where I appreciate the report and will look into it: promoted slaves being locked from levelling, unavailable slaves in limbo, disappearing slaves, repicking on Whore Makers, vanquisher/artificer, and after the break the ones that need a more specific response including technical support on running the game, the wonders of mental domination, and my favourite kind of question.

hi i'm trying to play no haven i have it downloaded and unzipped it but when i click on it to play and open up it isn't doing anything. i'm not tech smart so my question is how do it get it to open up and what do i need to do so i can play it?

If you go here on my tumblr there’s a guide on how to get it running. 

Apparently if you enslave your spiritual leader or second-in-command that position becomes broken and cannot be assigned an new individual. I think this problem has been brought up before though. Also if you recruit a mercenary they lose the option to become enslaved, or maybe it just bugged out on the one mercenary I recruited. 

Thanks for those, was able to find out where the issues were being caused, and was able to solve them and they should be sorted for the next update. 

human caravan in the ever forest seems to have the same problem as hold back the dark in regards to ignoring requirements for recommendations.

Please can you expand on this as I’m not sure what you mean in regard to ignoring requirements?

Is there going to be more mind control/ hypnosis stuff added and text showing their state of mind like a mindless doll or a puppet or a programmable automaton (not with code cause most of us want to exercise our body more than our mind) I think that if you did that, your game would become perfect, or at least very close to it, for the people who relish in mindless obedience and general control over others.

Yes absolutely. MC/Hypno is my number one thing as a trip back through the oldest content on the tumblr with my captions would attest. Next update I’m doing a large improvement to the sex text and among other things there’s going to be a lot better reflection of your slave’s mental states. 

Defending Hold Back the Dark may not be generating properly. I get the first three variations of it; meaning the amount of time it takes being 8, 9, and 10 days. After that no matter how many times I scout the Deep Mountains, they will not come back. Maybe I am just incredibly unlucky but I am fairly certain there is a bug somewhere.

Wow thank you. This was fairly obscure so I’m glad you highlighted it. Turned out to be a straightforward fix too. 

minimen456: Assignment "Most Impropa" ends up with disaster but I'm not losing a slaver. Is it by design?

Just because an assignment is a disaster doesn’t mean you lose a slaver. Most Impropa is one of the lower risk disasters, and if you fail that there’s another check based on the slaver’s traits and gear and it’s entirely possible for them to escape entirely unscathed. 

Silly question. For clothing and armor, what in your mind is the major difference between micro, and impractical? I can't really visualize a difference between the two when reading armor/clothing descriptions. Scandalously short is divergent enough that it creates its own image for me. The other two seem as if they would be interchangeable, but they aren't since there is a distinction so what is it?

Yay silly questions are always the best questions. Okay micro is where you have outfits that are recognizable bits of clothing but it’s incredibly brief so a skirt that’s more a belt than actually trying to cover anything whatsoever and/or a bikini top so teeny-weeny that it doesn’t even cover all of the nipples. Completely impractical though is the kind of clothing beloved by a certain kind of fantasy art which just doesn’t make any kind of sense whatsoever where looking good trumps any pretension of realism, and the only way it could stay on is either with copious amounts of glue or magic being involved. 

[dramaticdragon]

It’s What Makes Us Special

(Post book 12)

George and Harold have a little trouble cooping with ADHD, especially after having it “””Cured””” by Genius Mr.Meaner

“Man… I can’t believe our parents liked the other version of us more than the real us…” Harold said quietly, as he sat in the treehouse with George.

           “I know…Do you think we’d be better off with that ‘Kid-away 2000’, or whatever it was called?” George asked, unsure.

           Harold only shrugged. Of course, he wanted to say, ‘no way! We’re amazing the way we are!’, but he the other half of him wasn’t so sure.

           “Well, it’s not like we can go get some more of that gas, anyway. Mr. Meaner is in jail- again. And he’s dumb again, too.” George said, giving up on his idea.

           “Do you think our parents will be mad that we’re back to normal?” Harold asked, scared of the answer.

           George was silent for a moment.

           They both knew their parents loved them. There was no doubt of that in their minds. And they both knew their parents had no idea they were under the influence of a hypno-gas, and not changed by themselves. So the only rational thought would be that their parents simply thought they were able to control themselves better, and maybe even learning to manage their ADHD. Their parents were proud of the other versions, which meant they loved them, and wanted them to be healthy and happy.

           But, as is the problem with many mental illnesses, you didn’t always think rationally.

           “What if we-What if we try really hard to study and focus?” Harold asked, wringing his hands.

           “But remember last time we vowed that? Our future selves were mean as Mr. Krupp!” George reminded.

           Harold nodded, still not completely convinced.

           “And it’s not like we don’t ever try,” George added, “We try all the time!”

           “But trying doesn’t mean anything if I’m dumb enough to fail the fourth grade!” Harold yelled.

           “You aren’t dumb!” George shouted back.

           “Yes I am!” Harold cried, suddenly curling into a ball on his bean-bag chair, head between his knees, “You know I am!”

           “No, Harold!” George said back, scooting over to Harold, worried, “I know you’re not!”

           “But you’re just saying that because if you really tried and studied, you’d be fine! You could’a been in the third grade when you were in kindergarten! But I… I can’t even finish the fourth grade when I’m in fourth grade…”

           George took a moment. Technically, that much was true. George was ‘smart’ enough to skip a grade (or three), when he actually put his mind to it. Albeit, kindergarten wasn’t necessarily challenging. And, yes, Harold did fail the fourth grade (in the other timeline, but still).

           “But you didn’t fail! Remember! Us from a day in the future came and took those surprise test things, and we both passed, and we’re both going to fifth grade!” George said quickly.

           “I’m sure I’ll be just fine in fifth grade…” Harold mumbled, hardly loud enough for George to hear.

           “I’m not too excited, either…” He nodded. Although he had the smarts to do it, George’s brain wasn’t any more willing than Harold’s.

           They sat together, Harold slowly moving to rest his head on George’s shoulder, in complete silence. When boys like them were silent for longer than two seconds, things were truly troubling.

           “Do you think we’ll ever outgrow having ADHD?” Harold finally asked, after their long silence.

           “I don’t know,” George answered honestly, “Dad has that book on ADHD, maybe that’ll know.”

           “I hope so…” Harold sighed, “I don’t wanna be dumb forever.”

           “You aren’t.” George said, but his voice was just as dead as Harold’s. He tried to deny it, but he was just as beaten up inside as Harold was.

           Harold leaned over, reaching to give George a big hug. George could hear him sniffle, and knew Harold was crying. But then again, George was pretty sure he was crying, too.

           George hugged him back, and both tried to hug away their fears.

           “You aren’t dumb, either,” Harold mumbled, finally separating.

           “You weren’t dumb in the first place,” George reminded with a sad, quiet laugh, “Remember what Dad said? We’re just extra creative.”

           “Extra something,” Harold sighed, though with far less sorrow in his voice as ealier.

           “Without people like us, there probably wouldn’t be any good jokes in the world,” George said with a faux-pride, starting to feel a little more like himself.    

           “Hah, yeah,” Harold nodded, rubbing the last bit of tears from his eyes, “’Cause people like us daydream up all the best ones.”

           “So what, we’re not perfect little robots,” George huffed, suddenly acting like the ‘other versions’ were just annoying jerks, “But I like us-us way better than them-us. We’re a ton more fun.”

           “My little sister would probably miss the drawings I give her,” Harold said, trying to add to their little comfort speech.

           “Yeah!” George nodded, “ADHD is what makes us special, not bad!”

           “And not dumb!” Harold said, balling his fists to force himself to believe it.

           “And not dumb!” George nodded, and leaned over to give Harold another, much happier hug.

[fayvie]

Tuesday - SNOHU and The End

Tuesday arrived, and with it, the dawn of SNOHU. I almost felt skeptical as I peeked out of the window in the morning, wondering if there would even be any snow or if everyone had just overreacted. But nope, there was snow. Shocking? Not really.

We shuffled downstairs for breakfast just as it was finishing up, all five of us finding a table and beginning to discuss our rationalization on which of us we’d be eating first if the snow never stopped. @enscenic sensibly reminded us that it might make more sense to eat the other hotel guests before our friends, but sense was a forgotten concept to me by this point. Shoutout to the vore community of tumblr.

The official guest-list for SNOHU 1 consisted of the following people: @sebsteerpike, @flowerobeys, @gentleboop, @enscenic, and myself. Perhaps next year the ranks will grow, but I think we really enjoyed having a quiet intimate gathering after the business of the weekend.

As always, @sebsteerpike proved himself an excellent MC as we made it a goal to work through as many Hypno Scout badges as possible. Since this was technically a new con, badges from NEEHU did not count. Much of it was as you  might expect, instant inductions, confusion inductions, brand new trigger (whenever someone waves a hand in front of your face, you feel compelled to happily shout “YAY SNOHU!” This seemed compatible with breaking out into a fit of giggles too).

We all gave eachother hypno-massages, and I got to experience just how much of a lovely flopper @enscenic was at this point of fractionation. Also I wanted to make it a point to revisit slapping inductions, so we all had a fun spin at that. I got to be slapped more, we learned that @flowerobeys must have cheeks of iron, and @enscenic got her first slapping experience and dropped like a bag of rocks (SO FUN).

But despite all the trancing, I could no longer deny the fact that things were ending for real this time. I checked my flight details again, half hoping that there was another delay and I could just ride in the trunk of the car back to Chicago. But all good things have to end, and to be honest we may have unknowingly been on the edge of the point where we go from having a great time, to being really irritated with eachother and just wanting to be on our own.

We ended up taking a brief walk outside once the snow died down and the sun was set. I was dreading it, layering up all my clothes from the weekend, but it actually ended up being so lovely and tranquil. It was just what I needed to get into a calm headspace before bed.

@sebsteerpike was there for me the entire weekend, and tonight was no different. He asked me what I wanted to do in our last night together, and I told him I just wanted to snuggle and talk, so we did. It felt really special. We talked at length about how things went for us two years ago when we lost contact, we talked about how we handled the con and playing with other people, and what that meant to us and our relationship. Two years ago that would have really been problematic, we both would have probably gotten jealous and hurt, but this time it was something we talked about like adults and it really enhanced our con experience overall.

We talked about what cons might mean in the future for us, how hard it would be to go back to the distance (it always is), and how much we’d miss the constant backrubs from one to the other. Seb listened to me talk about my life, my hopes and dreams, and offered advice where I wanted it.

Maybe it’s a bit tacky to post these sorts of things in tumblr, but I warned outright that these blogs would essentially be my self-indulgent diary, and I meant it!

NEEHU (and SNOHU) was an absolute pleasure. Without a doubt it was the best convention I’ve attended so far, and I had a phenomenal time getting to make new friends, meet new ones, and learn more things about myself. And now is the hardest part, where we’ve all gone back to our lives and are pretending that it’s not too far away until the next convention. We’ll all make due, and make plans for how the next convention will be even better. I genuinely have a feeling that Entranced will be at least as good as NEEHU (and hey, it’s only 3 and a half months away!).

---

Thank you very much for reading my blogs for the event. It probably wasn’t as juicy or sexy as some other people were posting, but this was my experience. It really helped me to process the experiences through writing about it. I hope to follow up with one more relevant post to talk more specifically about the people in future, but for now, this should wrap things up. If you have any questions or comments, please send them my way and I’ll do my best to respond!

[matthewwilliamcharles]

TOP 15 POP PUNK BANDS

So a few days ago I was scrolling through my instagram feed and I saw a post linking to an article of the “Top 25 Pop Punk Bands of All Time”.  Since I consider myself a connoisseur of the genre I couldn’t help but to take a glance at it, and afterwards I couldn’t help but to be completely disgusted by some of the entries, and the lack of others.  This prompted me to do my own list, which I guarantee is much more accurate to the genre. The link to the other list is below.

https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/the_25_best_pop_punk_bands_of_all_time/s1__30075848#slide_19

To their credit they did include some lesser known, newer bands like Tacocat and Cayetana, the ladder Philly band I admittedly had never heard of before I read the list.  They also included bands like Modern Baseball, which was nice they included another Philly band, but I would really categorize them more as an indie rock/emo band. 

When I think of pop punk I’m thinking about Ramones influenced, Lookout Records sounding, catchy, energetic bubblegum pop.  I’m not even going to start drifting into the more guitar technical, emo-ish sounding bands like Saves The Day, Brand New or Taking Back Sunday.  This is a totally different brand of pop punk, much more pop than punk.  Anyways here is my list, enjoy!

15) GROOVIE GHOOLIES - Definitely not horror punk, but Groovie Ghoolies played lots of songs about vampires and other creepy things, but sung in a very fun and energetic way.  Super simple songs on the surface but Kepi Ghoolie has some sort of charm that makes you keep listening.  Kepi is still playing and releasing music as a solo artist.

14)  PANSY DIVISION - Pansy Division is another Lookout Records gem.  “Wish I’d Taken Pictures” was my first and favorite album from these guys. They were notably the first openly gay punk band, at least so openly and brazingly.  Their songs are super fun and at times hilarious!  

13)  TILT - Tilt is an amazing band with amazing lyrics.  They got their start on Lookout Records, but their quintessential release, “Viewers Like You” was put out on Fat Wreck Chords.  I never got to see Tilt live and I’m envious of all you folks on the west coast that were able to see their reunion shows.  Crossing my fingers for another chance.

12)  FACE TO FACE - I’ve heard differing opinions on Face to Face and how to categorize them, but for me they hit everything on the pop punk checklist.  Their self titled album released in 1996 produced many unforgettable punk rock sing-alongs. I think the self titled album was their greatest work and later stuff would never really reach the same heights.

11)  THE VINDICTIVES - A very obnoxiously satisfying pop punk band from Chicago, in the same  vein as Screeching Weasel and The Pink Lincolns.  “Hypno Punko” is one of my favorite punk albums of all time, try and listen to the whole album from start to finish, you’ll know what I mean once you start!

10)  MXPX - When I first heard MXPX years ago I thought they sucked.  I had the first “Punk Uprisings” compilation put out by Lookout Records in 1996. “Punk Rawk Show” was featured on the compilation.  I thought it was lame, way too poppy for me, and they spelled rock with an “a” and a “w”, “rawk”, what a bunch of dorks!  But every time I played that comp I started to get a serious crush on that song until I finally admitted I liked it.  Then I bought “Life in General” and I was completely hooked.  Next thing you know my teenage punk band was covering “Chick Magnet”.

9)  THE QUEERS - The Queers were an early to mid-nineties must in your pop punk catalog.   For me and for many other pop punk fans, Screeching Weasel and The Queers were introduced at the same time.  The Queers wrote such pop punk classics as “Punk Rock Girls”, “Fuck This World”, “Can’t Stop Farting”, and “Noodlebrain”.

8) THE MUFFS - I did a little research before I made my list to see if I had forgotten anybody.  The Muffs were that band, I had listened to them a little bit back in the day, and I knew they got a lot of praise from my other favorite bands from the mid to late nineties.  After I went back and listened to them I forgot how awesome they were, and was surprised that they didn’t become a bigger band over time.  I definitely recommend giving them a listen.

7)  DILLINGER 4 - I was a little bit late to the party when I started listening to this midwest punk band.  Once I got into them I realized how many bands were influenced by them.  Dillinger 4 definitely makes it on my pop punk mixes, super energetic, melodic and abrasive all at the same time.

6) THE LILLINGTONS - “Death by Television” is one of the greatest pop punk albums of all time.  I saw the Lillingtons with Moral Crux back in Johnson City, NY circa 99′.  I used to help SubCulture, the local punk record shop, sell records during shows at the Johnson City skate park.  I actually didn’t help sell records, I just tagged along and got to go to shows for free.  “I Need Some Brain Damage” was stuck in my head for weeks.

5)  GREEN DAY - Early Green Day was the best!  Green Day released three incredible albums in a row, starting with “1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours”, “Kerplunk” (first two on Lookout Records) and followed by their major label debut, all time classic “Dookie”. 

4)  SCREECHING WEASEL - Whether you love Ben Weasel or hate him (if you have an opinion, you probably hate him) Screeching Weasel is one of the most influential and prolific pop punk bands.  They were heavily influenced by The Ramones but were able to create their own defined sound.  Screeching Weasel would spawn many copycat bands, singing cheesy boy meets girl, teenage crush three chord punk rock songs.  In actuality Screeching Weasel’s lyrics at times were a bit more astute and would at times go off into political and social commentary and existential topics.  Albums “Wiggle”, and “Anthem For A New Tomorrow” are considered some of their best works.

3) CRIMPSHRINE - If you are familiar with Crimprshrine then you will probably not have any argument with the fact that they are on this list.  If you have never heard of them before and you listen to them for the first time, it may not sound that groundbreaking or special to you.  That’s because the sound is so familiar, and the recordings are really raw and unrefined.  The fact is that Crimpshrine was one of the first bands to encapsulate that early East Bay pop punk sound that many bands emulate.  The band included members of soon to be East Bay greats Operation Ivy and Fifteen.  Also Ben Weasel specifically gives Crimpshrine tons of praise so it was an easy decision to put them on top of Screeching Weasel.

2) THE DESCENDENTS - Without a doubt one of the most influential punk bands ever.  The Descendents combined quick aggressive, sometimes technical riffs with melodic and catchy vocal hooks.  “Milo Goes to College” was a life game changing album for me, every song off the album was an instant classic from the first time I heard it.  As I had dipped further into the catalog some of their songs, at first were hard to listen to because they were so poppy, but I came to love those too in time.  Songs like “Good Good Things”, “Cheer”, “Get The Time” and “Silly Girl” definitely paved the way for future pop punk.

1) THE RAMONES - Duh, I mean don’t even argue with me.  What band more clearly defined the current pop punk sound?  What pop punk band didn’t take a page from the KINGS OF POP PUNK!?? Think about a punk band you like, yeah they were influenced by the Ramones. Whether you love them, hate them or don’t care about them they established the blueprint of pop punk, everything from the whoa’s to the leather jackets.

OK, so I may be missing some bands.  Many of my friends will be like, “Where the fuck is BLINK!”  I just never listened to Blink 182, until I heard them on the radio.  Later some of my friends would play their earlier albums to show me how punk they were before they got big.  I’ll admit those albums were good,  I just didn’t listen to them at all and can’t really speak to it. Then there are bands like Mr. T Experience, Squirtgun, The Pink Lincolns, The Wynona Riders, The Weakerthans and so many more bands from that era that I didn’t include, it was hard to decide and I just went with personal favorites when it came down to it.  I had The Lunachicks on this list, but realized after I typed the top 15 I had accidentally erased my write-up on them.  At that point I had a nice and tidy 15 bands so I’ll just mention them here, just listen to their album “Jerk Of All Trades”.  I didn’t include Fifteen who is also one of my personal favorites, but I did include Crimpshrine which I think is the more influential band.  There is the Buzzcocks, which people remark was an influential band for pop punk, and deserves mentioning.  Yes there is The Erg’s, who I’ve seen a bunch and they are incredible, but I was focusing more on an era, and then if I include The Ergs (formed in 2000), then I have to think about Lemuria, and then you have The Dopamines, House Boat, the list goes on.  There are a slew of new pop punk bands like Teenage Bottlerocket, The Bombpops, Direct Hit and Mean Jeans.  It’s just really too many and I didn’t want to crack into the new era.  Also, I went with more popular bands as well, I have many pop punk gems in my collection of lesser known bands from different corners of the world, but that would be another list for another day.

Thanks for reading!

[jolteonjordansh]

Thoughts on D-Reaper Arc

It took so, so long for me to get to this point because so much happens in Digimon Tamers that it even took me by surprise. But in a way I’m glad that a show like this could have so many complexities regarding it that I could write on and on about it and still not say everything there is to say. But I need to lay this to rest, and finish talking about the last of the third Digimon series--Digimon Tamers.

As a note, there’s going to be a lot of points I spend talking in this post about my full thoughts on certain characters and elements of the whole show than the overall plot of this specific arc, but I will address everything I can. I’ll try to keep it as linear as possible, but when certain characters come up, I will be discussing them in bulk. So let me get this post rolling under the break.

Honestly, the best way I can think to describe this arc based on past Digimon series is if you took the elements of danger from The Eighth Child/Myotismon arc from Digimon Adventure and the battle with Apocalymon and made it a ten episode arc. It has the kind of stakes you want in the finale of a Digimon series, but it has the sort of abstractness of Apocalymon and raises said abstractness up to 11. There is a lot of depth, and I probably can't dig deep enough into it in a single post, but that's part of what made it so good to watch.

I can't believe it took this long, but it finally takes until the freaking D-Reaper enters the real world that the people of this world realize how dangerous it might be to stick around and begin a mass evacuation of Shinjuku, even if it's a bit gradual. Seriously, were giant boars and equines not convincing enough for you people? Regardless, the Tamers want to do whatever they can to fight the D-Reaper, but their families are naturally against it. These conflicts do allow for some subtle developments, like Rika further reconciling with her mother before leaving to fight the D-Reaper as she's given a new shirt, now with a full heart as opposed to the broken heart one she always wears. And she actually changes into it. It's subtle, but little moments like this can help me really appreciate how Rika has developed in the series to become more open and establish more relationships with the people (and Digimon) around her, even if she won't always admit it. Henry also has to deal with the struggle of worrying his family--especially his mother--about taking such big risks to save others, but it really helps make the family dynamic complex while still not out of the ordinary either (other than Henry and Suzie being Tamers). The kind of conflict Henry's mother especially feels is very genuine and I really appreciate it. Takato doesn't get much here in that he already left his parents to guide Jeri home, but he kind of had his moment where he had to convince them to allow him to escort her anyway. 

Later the parents do get to support the Tamers later on, similar to how the DigiDestined's parents in Digimon Adventure did, but we can really see them go out of their way to do so. The Tamers and their Digimon get invited to Rika's house, making them suspicious, but they arrive to a big meal prepared for them. It's basically the parents accepting that they have to let the kids do what they feel is best and try to stop the D-Reaper, and it is pretty touching. Again, it's a small thing, but it really shows just how much the parents really care for their kids in this series and even when it's so difficult for them, they are willing to support them. Plus, they do start to help out at Hypnos along with the Wild Bunch later. Also, Guilmon gets more Guilmon bread! Hurray!

Even Ryo gets like... a single moment with who we can assume is his dad, but it's not really enough for him. Unfortunately, the best that comes out of this is seeing his partner in Rookie form as Monodramon. But honestly? Monodramon is pretty quirky and adorable, now actually having a hint of personality over being Cyberdramon in a constantly grouchy mood. Still, when the Digimon partner is more interesting and deep than the Tamer... that's kind of a problem. 

Jeri has also started acting... really weird after coming home. And I mean really weird. Not only is she a mindless zombie, but when she isn't she's pinning little kids to the ground and speaking nonsense, she eventually outright disappears. This is where Digimon Tamers starts to get into Nightmare Fuel territory and now I can start to see why the word "dark" is used for this series so often. Don't get me wrong, it was dark from the start, but it just gets downright creepy and surreal here, almost to kind of Silent Hill levels.

But with all of the danger now in the real world, we finally get some focus back on Impmon which we really haven't had since the Gallantmon fight. He finally decides to reconcile with his implied Tamers, Ai and Mako, but they're missing from their apartment due to the mass evacuation. However, they do leave a note specifically for Impmon letting him know they're at their grandmother's house. He decides to give another chance at reuniting with them, and to his surprise the two apologize to him and have learned to share with one another. I have to admit, despite being such minor characters with subtle development, it's really nice to see how they've changed. I maybe would have liked to actually seen this change happen, but that's a nitpick at best--it's still clear that Impmon’s leave triggered said development and I can appreciate that. When they all see the main three Digimon and their Tamers fighting the D-Reaper on TV however, Impmon decides he has to help and promises his two friends he will be back. This leads to Mako giving Impmon a toy gun to "beat the bad guys"--a nice gesture of child innocence. Impmon takes it anyway, but this reconnection with his Tamers not only leads to him Warp Digivolving to Beelzemon, but also allowing a Mode Change to Beelzemon Blast Mode.

This is where Impmon really started to grow on me as probably one of my favorite redemption characters ever. I'm a sucker for the trope, and the way it's executed with Impmon is just really well written and it's given a lot of time and attention to really make this change feel realistic and convincing for the audience. I want to root for him now, whether the protagonists believe in him or not. I want him to follow his newfound convictions and win his battles. I can't believe I've gone from saying "This character is a little shit," to "This character is one of my favorite redemption characters I've ever experienced in any medium." It really goes to show just how powerful and well-executed the whole transition is. From the moment you see his wings sprout and Mako's gun transform with the Mode Change to Beelzemon Blast Mode along with probably the best use of the song EVO, it's hard to deny that Impmon is probably one of the most if not the most developed character in Tamers.

Cutting to the fight on TV, the Tamers find themselves unable to take on the D-Reaper with their Digimon at Ultimate level, so they need to achieve Mega level. However... they can no longer Matrix Digivolve since they're back in the real world and are no longer data. Thankfully Beelzemon does come in to help to defeat one of the D-Reaper Agents, but this isn't the solution to the whole problem. This leads to them being confronted by a strange girl named Alice and her Doberman... Sorry, no, Dobermon (Digimon sure loves making puns with the -mon prefix, don't they?). Fun fact that Dobermon is actually a fan-made Digimon that won a V-Jump contest for original Digimon designs and earned an appearance in the anime. He appears as a messenger from the Four Sovereigns to give the Tamers a special power to allow them to Matrix Digivolve with their partners. But this... requires him to sacrifice himself to give them this power. Come on, a second Digimon dog death!? God, I chose the wrong time to watch this series... Aim straight for the heart, why don't you. I hope the person who designed Dobermon wasn’t too torn to watch the writers kill off their own creation. Anyway, Alice also disappears by the end of the episode, apparently having been dead and was also a granddaughter of one of the members of the Wild Bunch, "Dolphin". Huh, random connections.

So the Tamers and their Digimon are finally able to Matrix Digivolve again and stand a chance against the D-Reaper, but now we see more of the D-Reaper's true colors, and this would probably be a good time for me to talk about how I feel about this antagonist. And as an antagonist, I think it works well. Since it's basically an old security program gone rogue, it's a sort of an AI takeover plot--thinking it's doing the right thing entirely based on logic that all beings are inferior creatures. And that is, technically, the case. The Digimon are capable of easily being erased by merely making contact with the D-Reaper, while humans in general are just flawed creatures. 

Things like our emotions and feelings do cause problems, and it makes things way more complicated than for a machine to make a simple deduction. Just as an example, imagine a person having to make the choice of either killing one person or 1,000 people, but the one person was an important individual like a family member or significant other. By emotional attachment, this decision would be much harder to make if even possible. For a machine or program like the D-Reaper, it could easily decide without hesitation that killing a single person over 1,000 is the best decision that would cause the least amount of damage. And for a series like Digimon Tamers which has focused so much on things like the development and the flaws of people and even Digimon, it does work well. 

Although I do have to admit, I kind of wish we had an antagonist with a little more... sentience? Personally, an antagonist like Apocalymon fits that kind of role perfectly for me, but I wouldn't have wanted them to do the same thing again either so I do appreciate the variance. Still, I can't help but feel like the D-Reaper's threat level somehow goes down in the real world. Remember how I mentioned it could literally delete Digimon by mere physical contact? Well, the Digimon come in contact with the D-Reaper several times in the real world, with Gallantmon even being dragged inside it, but nothing like that happens to them. No deleting, not even so much as disintegration. I guess being in the real world changes things, but it kind of bothered me and made it feel less threatening than before.

Though, when Gallantmon does get pulled into the D-Reaper, it does separate him back to Takato and Guilmon, but they land in an untouched park area since apparently the D-Reaper hates organic life, as told by Jeri who suddenly shows up. Except... the real Jeri has been gone the whole time, and zombie Jeri was simply an Agent of the D-Reaper, while the D-Reaper has been carrying and using Jeri the whole time since her sorrowful emotions have apparently helped power it. The Nightmare Fuel kicks off even further from here, as fake Jeri goes from being a creepy zombie Jeri to this freaking monster. It's scary just looking at it, but the transformation itself is even more horrifying, and it eventually starts wreaking havoc on Takato's mind and manipulating him with thoughts of Jeri. Thankfully, they're saved by the cutest hero ever MarineAngemon, with what else? KISSES! KISSES OF DEATH! He also heals Sakuyamon with these kisses. Gosh, have I ever told you guys how wonderful and adorable MarineAngemon is? Saving the day with kisses since 2002.

Before Takato and Guilmon are able to return to the battle, things seem hopeless for the rest of the Tamers outside as D-Reaper Agents continue fighting them. That is until a mysterious new Digimon conveniently shows up to save the day for everyone--Justimon! ... Yeah, you guys can already tell who this is supposed to be, right? Who else but freaking Ryo? Yep, Ryo has managed to achieve Matrix Digivolution with Cyberdramon. And thus... I have to talk about the worst of the Mega forms in this series, Justimon. Justimon is just really lame as a Mega form and as a Matrix Digivolution. His design is really boring and uninspired, basically just a really bland Super Sentai-like character with no redeeming qualities. I mean, if they had made him a more dragon-like sort of Kamen Rider character that would have been neat (considering even Cyberdramon was more of a dragon than any of Guilmon's Digivolutions), but he's about as much of a blank slate as could be. There's also no hint of Cyberdramon's presence or personality whatsoever. I mean, I get that Cyberdramon basically had no personality, but Monodramon at least had something that could be worked with. All of the other Mega forms typically focus on the personalities of the Digimon with some occasional input from the Tamers. With Justimon, it's all Ryo, who we all know is as bland as cardboard. 

It's obvious that he was just thrown in because the executives wanted an excuse for the writers to use and advertise him more, and that's exactly why Justimon is present. Hell, I only recently realized a huge problem with his existence: How the hell were Ryo and Cyberdramon able to Matrix Digivolve in the real world? Keep in mind, they never even Matrix Digivolved in the Digital World, meaning they just now learned how to do this. The Four Sovereigns solely sent out Dobermon to give the three main Tamers the power to Matrix Digivolve. Ryo got nothing. Not only that, there was no development towards it whatsoever like with the other Tamers. So the short answer? He's Ryo, he can do what he wants. The long answer? The executives demanded it, and the writers either didn't have time to establish a reason or didn't want to bother with one, so they just made it so. But considering how forced Ryo is in this show, I still can't really blame them for just not giving a damn. I mean, considering Ryo never got a Card Slash animation, but Suzie of all characters gets one, you know the showrunners just did not like having this character. Justimon never even gets a Matrix Digovolution animation. He just... shows up, and rarely does anything that meaningful. He's basically always in the backseat and never does anything important--kind of like how he's been the entire show I guess, which really explains everything in the end. For as little as characters like Kazu, Kenta and Suzie do, they still feel more impactful than Ryo ever does.

Okay, so Ryo's not exactly a great character, I think literally the only other thing that actually bores me around the same level on this show would maybe be the Agents of the D-Reaper? Their designs aren't quite as interesting as Digimon designs, and I still kind of wish the Tamers were fighting Digimon. They just feel like a mesh of abstract ideas with not much thought put into them. Maybe that's either the point, or I'm not looking into it deep enough, but most of them have such little screentime that I wouldn't get the chance to really analyze them unless I looked at still frames or official art.

I know I'm ranting here, but I swear there's still a lot of good to Digimon Tamers here. Impmon finds himself working with Calumon a lot in this arc, which is a great irony when you consider how much he picked on him in the beginning and, again, really shows how far his character has come. They work together as Calumon claims to be able to sense Jeri within the D-Reaper, who Impmon does want to try to make up to. Their teamwork is really part of what helps save Jeri, with Calumon able to sense Jeri's presence, Beelzemon being able to break through an invisible barrier containing Jeri, while Calumon is able to get through but Beelzemon ends up captured for a while. Meanwhile, Calumon finds another zombie Jeri, though this is actual Jeri stuck in a trance of sorrow. Seeing Calumon trying to be as supportive of Jeri as possible throughout this arc and basically be like a lending ear and source of encouragement for her shows just how pure and sweet Calumon is.

So now, I can finally talk about Jeri, who I think is probably the most "controversial" character in this series. But honestly? I like her, and I really like and respect her character and the maturity of it. I'm not calling her character herself mature, but rather just how deeply she's written. She could have gone wrong in so, so many ways and she had so much going against her to easily be a bad character in similar ways I feel about early season Kari and Meiko. She could have easily fallen into the Damsel in Distress, the Living MacGuffin and Purity Personified tropes that would have made her an extremely unlikeable character that could have potentially made her even worse than the other two Digimon characters I mentioned earlier. But the execution of her character avoids these easy pitfalls so well and writes her to be an incredibly realistic character that someone in the audience can relate to. Leomon's death triggers serious PTSD of her mother's death, all of which led her to live the philosophy that everything in life is destined and written and it cannot be fought. On top of this, she feels like she's part of this problem, and as humans, it's easy for our despair to lead us to believe that something we have no control over is our fault. It gets to the point that she honestly thinks she's better off dead and even makes a suicide attempt, which really shows just how much she doesn't want to hurt anyone but feels trapped.

This isn't helped by her not-so-good relationship with her father, who does seem like an uncaring asshole from the end of the Digital World arc. But as Digimon Tamers loves teaching its audience, not everything is as it seems. Jeri's father is more of an awkward dad who doesn't really understand how to be a proper dad, likely due to the death of Jeri's mother early on. It doesn't necessarily mean he hates Jeri, because after Takato tells everyone that Jeri is inside the D-Reaper, the man goes out of his way to take action by stealing a vehicle and trying to ram through the D-Reaper with it. It's not that he ever disliked Jeri, but he simply doesn't understand how to express how much he cares about and loves her. And after really understanding what Tamers was trying to do with this situation, it hit close to home since I've had a lot of trouble communicating with and understanding my dad, and he's always been a kind of awkward dad in general. It never made him a terrible father or meant he didn't love me or I didn't love him.

The D-Reaper's indifference and logical mindset really works here, and I can appreciate it's more machine-like nature in how it simply uses whatever it can to throw Jeri further into despair for its own benefit. It utilizes flashbacks of the moment her mother's death, and then turns it up to 11 with some seriously horrifying imagery. It's no wonder she becomes so broken and horrified--How was this show for kids again? Not to mention it tries to use her father's images against her, but now that he's actually standing up to act like a father, the whole plan backfires. Jeri herself isn’t entirely powerless on her own either, as throughout much of her self-reflection she has Calumon trying to cheer her up. And ultimately in the end, she does begin to fight back against the D-Reaper, and she ultimately couldn't have been freed from it nor could have the Tamers and their Digimon been able to bring themselves to defeat the D-Reaper without her trying to break through.

Although... For dub watchers, I can understand why they may not like Jeri because some of the script writing really destroys some of these complexities. What triggers this entire episode with Jeri is Leomon's last words to her, which originally were along the lines of "So this is my fate." This triggered her memories of her mother's death, so not only was she in despair over Leomon, but her own mother, so past memories and pain resurfaced for her. But in the dub... They changed Leomon's last words to "Remember, you have a lion's heart." This isn't just unnecessarily cheesy (coming from someone who likes cheesy things), but it completely ruins the original meaning and can make Jeri's mourning come off as more selfish when Leomon's new words are ones of encouragement to her. In which case, I can understand why more people might find her whiny and be annoyed by her. But for me? I honestly really like her. She doesn't necessarily develop at the same level as some of the other characters like Takato, Henry or Rika, but she's a flawed human being like many of us, and she's a young girl who's still growing up and recovering from some unfortunate events in her life, and I think that makes her a great character. Also, there's some speculation in the fandom that she might be autistic, but there's no official confirmation of this and I am not touching that subject on this website with a ten foot pole despite my own experiences.

Part of this recovery is reconciling with Beelzemon, which is something Beelzemon has to work for himself. And my God, it's so good. This is part of why I love Beelzemon as a redemption character, because he truly has to work for his redemption to Jeri and still works for it knowing she may not even forgive him. After Beelzemon awakens in the D-Reaper and breaks free, he deals with a psychological battle between the D-Reaper and himself as it utilizes the fact that he killed Leomon to upset not only Jeri, but also upsetting Beelzemon for reminding him of his sins. But the fact that he still keeps fighting to save Jeri, knowing he doesn't deserve forgiveness, even when his gun Mako had given him shatters and forces him to fight down to his fists to break Jeri free really shows his desire to help her. Gallantmon even fights alongside him, and eventually Beelzemon breaks the barrier holding Jeri and Calumon by utilizing Leomon's Beast-King Fist, which makes Jeri remember Leomon. But because of this, Jeri is paralyzed with such shock that she doesn't reach out to Beelzemon. This is both an incredibly awesome and badass moment of redemption as well as a tragic one. Beelzemon's determination to save Jeri despite everything against him is honestly inspiring as I've gone on before. But his ability of using Leomon's signature move to save her is, while undeniably a Crowning Moment of Awesome, is a moment of irony as it prevents him from saving her due to his previous actions.

It hurts even more because when the barrier shuts again, he still tries to punch his way through until he's fatally wounded by one of the D-Reaper's Agents, slowly falling as his data disintegrates. This moment actually really got me and is probably one of the most effective fake-out deaths I've seen. Usually, I get extremely mad at these, but the way his redemption was built up only for his attempt to save Jeri to fail does give the impression that maybe he wouldn't be able to earn said redemption and let karma take its course by killing him off. Considering how Tamers really wasn't afraid to kill off characters (except Shibumi I guess), I wasn't entirely sure if the show was going to be willing to spare Beelzemon. Not to mention, for how slow they show his "death", even pushing it to the next episode as a cliffhanger, I was gradually, internally, repeatedly screaming "NO" inside and could feel my heart sinking lower and lower with every second he continued to disappear. Thankfully, Beelzemon is spared and reverts to Impmon, but I honestly do not remember the last time I was so convinced a character could die. Many times I find myself rolling my eyes, questioning what cop-out a show will find to prevent a death or bring a character back to life. None of that happens here, and even though Impmon lives, it's hard to see him reduced so low despite his true efforts. It's such a well-executed set of scenes that it's part of what makes me adore Beelzemon so much as a character. And with how hard he tries to save Jeri, it's no wonder she feels so terrible for being unable to bring herself to reach out to him.

Impmon's savior is one of the more minor but one of my favorite characters in this arc and series. With all that Hypnos and the Wild Bunch have been working on in the background, they've worked on upgrading the Ark that brought the Tamers home from the Digital World. Its communication with Takato and Guilmon wasn't a simple one-off thing, as the Wild Bunch develop and work on him further to make him a steed for Gallantmon--Grani, who's a sort of flying... dragon-horse vehicle whose named after Sigurd's horse from Norse mythology (because HELL YES NORSE MYTHOLOGY IS AWESOME). But Grani helps in multiple battles by giving Gallantmon aerial mobility (something you'd swear he already had from how high he can jump in some shots), making some fights go much smoother as Takato and Guilmon bond with him throughout the few episodes he has, with them even talking to him and thanking him. His sentience is hinted at further throughout the arc, but I'll get to that reveal for the last of the arc.

But after Beelzemon fails to save Jeri, the D-Reaper spreads to the Wild Bunch's HQ and becomes too dangerous for the Tamers and their Digimon to deal with and even they are forced to evacuate. This really makes the whole fight against the D-Reaper feel genuinely hopeless considering the protagonists have to make a full-on retreat--something I can't think of happening in many shows to this degree. It does lead to an interesting bit of continuity with the Battle of Adventurers movie, with Takato's family retreating to Okinawa to see his cousin Kai. Not something the dub watchers of 2002 would have understood, but it's a nice little touch. All hope is lost until the Wild Bunch develops a plan to defeat the D-Reaper while still saving Jeri. It's... too complicated for me to paraphrase, but if you've watched Digimon Tamers then you know how ridiculously in-depth the plan is. Once it's set however, the Tamers say farewell to their families for a final battle against the D-Reaper and go on their mission to save Jeri. With a Red Card developed by the Wild Bunch, the Tamers Card Slash it and can now maintain Matrix Digivolution even when inside the D-Reaper.

This is probably where I should mention one of my other personal problems with the D-Reaper. The last fight... doesn't particularly click with me. It's not really bad, but I was kind of left wanting a little more. This still has to do with me wanting Digimon to fight, the D-Reaper Agents being rather unmemorable to me, and the D-Reaper not having much of its own sentience. The battle is more of a mission than it is a duel of hand-to-hand combat with a specific target, and said mission is to eradicate the D-Reaper and also save Jeri, so I understand why it is the way it is. Still, this doesn't mean the fights with the Agents aren't easy, as Gallantmon eventually falls to the ground only to hear a voice asking "Do you want wings?".

Once again, our savior is Grani! Grani proves his true sentience here, with the ability to talk and make his own thoughts and decisions. This all sadly leads to Grani sacrificing himself, fusing with Gallantmon to allow him to Mode Change into Gallantmon Crimson Mode, giving him more robust, red armor, a new lance and a sword to wield, and of course, has now been given five pairs of radiant white wings. This tears me up knowing Grani ends up being sacrificed after finally talking to Takato and Guilmon, but I don't exaggerate when I say this: Gallantmon Crimson Mode is one of my absolute favorite and one of the best things to come out of Digimon Tamers.

I already talked on and on about why Gallantmon is my favorite Mega form, including because of how well he works for Takato and Guilmon. All of this still applies for both Gallantmon and Gallantmon Crimson Mode. But I do remember one thing I thought of when I saw Gallantmon was "Man, the only thing that could make him even better was if he had wings!” So they gave him wings. And let me tell you, the moment I heard Grani ask Gallantmon "Do you want wings?" I literally was ready to jump off the couch, screaming "YES! YES! YES! YES!". If Gallantmon is perfect, Gallantmon Crimson Mode is absolutely perfect. I literally have nothing to complain about with this Digimon. Its design, its concept, its abilities and its debut... literally the only thing I would complain about is the sacrifice of Grani, but I am glad Grani's sacrifice went to probably one of my favorite things in Digimon, period.

With the entrance of Gallantmon Crimson Mode, he destroys one of the Agents that frees Jeri out of her depression. The rest of the Tamers and their Digimon destroy the D-Reaper, and Guilmon and Takato separate as Takato is thrown into the air to catch Jeri and Calumon (in what I admit is a really sweet shot). And thus, finally the world is at peace. The Tamers can rest with their Digimon from all of the fighting and are able to all reconcile with each other. ... Oh wait, this is Digimon Tamers, where we hate happy endings.

In short, the plan to defeat the D-Reaper known as "Operation: Doodlebug" utilized part of Yamaki's Shaggai program, meaning the Digimon will be forced back into the Digital World, or else they'll disappear just like the D-Reaper. Henry's father is forced to approach all of the Tamers, including Impmon with Ai and Mako, and explain the situation to them as all of the Digimon are regressed to their In-Training forms in order to be small enough to return to the Digital World (except for Calumon and MarineAngemon). Seeing each of the Tamers having to give a tearful goodbye to their Digimon--especially when they're all in heart-crushingly adorable forms--is extremely heartbreaking and did bring me to tears. So yes, the one time I get to see my precious and wonderful Gigimon is at the very end to break my heart. It hurts especially hearing Gigimon ask Takato to promise that they'll see each other again, which Takato agrees to. But honestly? It really shows just how much these two in particular have grown--the boy who once protected the juvenile Guilmon to an unhealthy degree is willing to make a promise with his friend he has grown with to meet again. The use of 3 Primary Colors here is much more effective, while sort of random and out of place earlier in the series, it's so much more meaningful here and listening to it again gets me teary-eyed even now.

This scene is especially hurtful when Henry's father apologizes over and over, knowing there's nothing he could do to make up for this separation between the Tamers and their Digimon. Henry, however, just shakes his head--indicating he has already forgiven his father. It's honestly a really strong and mature message, one about forgiveness and acceptance that's pretty deep for kids but one that should definitely be told. However, this is another thing the dub decided to tweak the script with that hurts the original message. In the dub, Henry's father apologizes but insists that things will get better over time, with Henry shaking his head in response. This completely changes the context of the original message, and it just comes across as cruel. Not only does it feel like Henry’s father is basically dismissing the pain of the Tamers, but Henry shaking his head in response is basically like him saying he can't forgive him for what's happened. It may seem like a nitpick here, but it really is an important part of the original story that gets changed for no good reason.

After a timeskip however, everyone's lives are seemingly back to normal with Digimon no longer in the picture. That is until Takato one day goes by Guilmon's hideout, checking inside to find a portal to the Digital World--giving hope that he may be able to see his Digimon once more. And this is where Digimon Tamers ends.

I would by lying if I didn’t say that when I first watched this ending, I felt a bit of Mood Whiplash. It's great to see the Tamers finally find some peace after the events of the D-Reaper, though I guess to be expecting a happy ending from Digimon Tamers might seem naïve of me. At the same time though, the whole reveal of the Digimon having to return to the Digital World is a little sudden. I'm not saying it doesn't work, as it is an effective sucker punch that hits hard. But at the same time, it comes and goes a little too fast for me. Personally, I would have preferred a little more development with the goodbyes like in Digimon Adventure, but I wouldn't have wanted them to have carbon copy endings either. So I guess a sucker punch bittersweet ending makes more sense for the kind of tone Digimon Tamers has in comparison. At the same time, suddenly resolving the issue with this goodbye by showing a Digital World portal right at the end kind of hurts the impact of such a bittersweet ending.

However, I heard there was a bit of executive meddling in this regard. From what I understand, the network--presumably Fuji Television--was against the producers ending the show with a downer ending, so they asked for it to be lightened up. Hence, the flashforward with the Digital World portal. I can understand the thought behind this, and it would be pretty hard on some kids, but from a story-telling standpoint I do think it hurts some of the impact. Not enough to ruin the ending, but enough to notice how softened up it is. I also heard that the producers decided, in response, to make a drama CD that would have reflected their original ending with the Tamers sending a message to their Digimon in the Digital World. I have not listened to it, so I don't know what exactly happens, but I do know it's pretty sad.

So to make some final closure, I absolutely adore Digimon Tamers. I know a lot of Digimon fans agree it's the best anime series of the bunch, but for me? I'm... not really sure. While I will admit that compared to Digimon Adventure, it's generally more coherently written with a lot more complexities in mind, and overall has better technique. But at the same time, there are some elements of Digimon Adventure that I like more than I do about Digimon Tamers--a certain charm that can't be replicated. This does not make Digimon Adventure better, but it doesn't make Digimon Tamers better either. Personally, I think I love both on an equal level. They both have their own merits and reasons to enjoy them, and a few of their own issues as well. They have a different cast with their own appeal, different Digimon that are loveable in their own ways, and different universes that just work differently. Some people either love or criticize Digimon Tamers for being darker, and while I could feel it is darker in tone I never felt that it was forced. It felt natural enough for me to enjoy it without it feeling jarring, disturbing, or have me rolling my eyes thinking this was Digimon's attempt to be "cool". Digimon was already pretty cool from the start, so having a different tone like Tamers that was noticeably darker but still had enough heartwarming moments made it feel just right. It's fun, it's charming, it's thoughtful, it has depth, it's even scary at times, but it's also just awesome... even if it's filled to the brim with tearjerkers.

But... I'm not done with Digimon Tamers yet, because apparently the showrunners wanted to do more--with another movie.