#I'm a categorical creature

[skinrubberized]

incredible finds on fet|ife's kinktionary

[nexus-nebulae]

it's wild finding genuine evidence of us being plural from further and further back in our childhood

[creaturemoment]

I don't really know what the hell's going on with my gender but it kinda slaps

Cute t-shirt, pink pleated skirt, chunky leg warmers, sneakers, marbled black/white tail, white fursuit paws with black toes (fingers? whatever they're called) and see-through blue claws. Blue hour. Dragons and fairytales. The concept of Ice/Fairy pokemon. People doing a double take questioning if I'm human.

My old teal hoodie, brown pants w/ cuffs rolled up, sneakers, grim determination. Nightcore Angel with a Shotgun. Final girl vibes? Idk I haven’t watched horror movies.

Tumblr sexyman. Suit vest, slutty waist, smooth voice. Not necessarily a man or a woman, just edgy theatrics and endless confidence and cosplay Tiktoks. Just a charming bastard. I know the word "Tumblrsexygender" sounds a little ridiculous but I genuinely resonate with it lmao

[sich-sehnen]

Eternally Bound Part Two

Synopsis- König, God of the sea and its creatures, isn't known for his even-tempered personality. Swift to anger with a blood thirst to match, he had made a reputation for himself. So why does he look like a lost puppy begging for scraps of attention?

Category- Still have no idea what the fuck the category is for this. I might categorize this after it's all written.

Warnings- Kind of based on Eros and Psyche's story if you squint really fucking hard, captor/captive situation, not really any warnings for this one but I am writing as I go so whatever I have planned for this might end up differently by the time I get to it.

Notes- Hello welcome to part two! I'm low-key obsessed with Greek mythology and its overall vibe, and I love how all the stories of love are just gods whipped for their women. So this is how Eternally Bound will play out; with our big boy wrapped around our fingers. There is a specific way I imagine 'human' König (here) in this story but overall he will be a massive, thousand-foot-tall being that reigns over the ocean and its creatures. I am using DeepL Translate for a more (hopefully) authentic translation than Google Translate.

Wordcount- 2,541

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

You wake up in a strange place. The last thing you remember is the dark unforgiving cold of the ocean, pulling you down into the depths of its maw until the reaper plucks your soul from the mortal realm.

Memories flash before your eyes, your mind throbbing with a piercing pain. Brief images of glowing, white eyes. Steady, strong hands.

Curling, writhing, gripping.

Burning, pressure.

Relief.

Nothing.

The bright light of the sun sparkled above you, its shining rays only obscured by the crumbling stone overhead. Something dripped, its constant echo reverberating throughout the seemingly forgotten temple.

You were lying on something soft, your legs tangled in something silky. It took a moment for you to gain your bearings, to realize you weren't dead.

Pulling yourself into a seated position was hard, your aching bones still etched with the remnants of the frigid water. You were on a large bed, pearly white, silk sheets wrapped around your naked body. Large bedposts rose high and dark, whispy fabric draped from one corner to the next creating a sheer barrier between you and the crumbling temple around you.

It seemed odd, the contrast of the beautiful bed and fabrics so different from the mossy, cracked structure you resided in. The only thing more beautiful than the bed was the pool that lay in the middle of the large room. Its water was crystal clear, small ripples caressing the edge of the pool's confines.

You gently swing your legs over the mattress, your bare feet meeting the cold floor. You almost want to crawl back into bed, to succumb to the sleep your body was begging you for. But your curiosity had always been your downfall.

Wrapping the silk sheets around your body, you slowly walk to the water's edge. It looked deep, from what you could see, the water growing darker the further down it went.

You couldn't see a bottom.

You look around, noting the absence of a door or hallway on the four walls surrounding you. Just the expanse of intricate stonework, pillars, and arches. It was exquisite architecture, in all honestly, if it hadn't looked like it was one wayward bump from falling to pieces.

There wasn't a way out, to your dismay. Only up through the open roof, or down into the depths of the pool.

You were looking at the water once again, entranced by the glittering ripples and many little fish that swam close to the surface. Reaching a hand in, you intend to play with the guppies but the moment your finger breaches the waterline the temple rumbles.

Glowing white eyes, the ones still haunting your memory, open far below the surface. The water was pitch black, obscuring anything but those eyes. You were pinned the moment you met them.

They begin to grow closer and you scramble back, your palms scrapping against the rough stone in an attempt to scurry faster. You couldn't see the depths anymore, only the silvery line of the surface.

Your back hits a pillar and yet you're unable to take your eyes off of the pool in the center of the room.

Suddenly, something breaches the surface. It was dark and clothlike, the object rising to reveal crudely cut eyeholes, a bare chest, a soft stomach, and long powerful legs.

The man stepped out of the pool, water droplets dripping off of him as he stepped forward.

"Keine Angst, Kleines, du bist sicher." (Fear not, little one, you are safe.")

You stare blankly at him, his words foreign to your ears. Your heart was thumping against your ribcage, its erratic pace threatening to burst through your chest.

"Wha- I."

The man tilts his head, the dark fabric covering his face shifting with the action. He looked every bit as regal as he does menacing, with gold-trimmed cloth covering his modesty. It was such a stark comparison to his tattered, stained mask.

He stepped forward and your instincts finally kicked in.

Shooting up to your feet, you book it as far as possible. Which wasn't very far despite the vastness of the room. You couldn't help the pathetic cry of frustration that ripped its way out of your throat.

Yet again you managed to become a prisoner with nowhere to escape as your captor closes in on you.

"Stay away!"

You bark, trying with all your might to sound intimidating. You fail, the quiver to your voice betraying you. In your futile attempt at an escape, you trip over the silks wrapped around your body. The yards of fabric weighed you down, yet you refused to drop them, refused to expose yourself.

He stepped forward once again, his blue eyes capturing you. He looked almost worried, his form slightly crouched and his palms presented to you as if you were a wounded animal.

"Bitte, ich will dir nichts Böses." (Please, I mean you no harm.)

You clutch the silk at your chest, pulling it tighter around your body as you feel along the floor, not wanting to take your eyes off of him.

"I do not understand."

You search for something jagged, the pile of debris at your fingertips offering you only a pointy rock. You hold it up as he stalks forward.

"I-"

He clears his throat.

Then he steps closer, his long legs carrying him to you faster than you would have liked. He kneels before you and grasps your shaking hand in his. The rock is plucked from your fingers and gently placed on the ground.

He doesn't let go of your hand.

"I do not mean harm."

His voice was thick with an accent when he spoke your language, his tongue stumbling over the words as if he hadn't spoken them in such a long time.

"Stay away from me."

Your words were steady now that you had an understanding, but the debilitating panic still swarmed all around you. You watch as he stands to his full height and looks down on you, his eyes still kind and gentle.

He sighs, his chest heaving with the action, and steps back. It felt like you could breathe a little more, and think a little more with the couple feet of distance between the two of you.

There was a beat of silence where he just stared at you, those swirling pools of blue never once leaving your cowering form. He turns his back on you after a while, your trance broken as you watch him go to the water.

He steps in, walking deeper until you can't see him anymore. You wait three minutes. For what you do not know.

For him to resurface?

For bubbles to rise instead, his lifeless body sinking to the bottom?

You scramble to the water's edge, eyes scanning the depths to ensure he is truly gone. You didn't care whether he was dead or not. So why are those sad blue eyes haunting you?

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

You don't know when you crawled back into that bed, you only knew that when you woke up, you were surrounded by fluffy pillows and thick blankets.

The lingering chill of the morning had you burrowing into the nest that had been formed around you, your mind not catching up to the present as you chased a quickly fading dream of warm hands and soft eyes.

You toss and turn, the room quickly becoming too hot for the duvet on top of you. When you toss them off your body, your sleep-addled mind and body waking up, you notice three things.

There was now a table at the bedside.

A bowl of fruit, a pitcher of crisp water, and a set of clothes rest on the rich brown wood of said table.

And the room looked different.

Instead of the deterioration that you awoke to yesterday, the temple floor was free of wreckage. No longer were there large boulders and piles of jagged rock at your feet. You could see, now that it was clean, that the floor was a beautiful, shiny marble. Now that it wasn't covered in the dust the crumbling debris caused, you could fully see the glory that was the temple.

Notes of pearl swirled along with the midnight black of the marble floor. The stonework, although still falling apart at the seams, lacked the moss and algae that muddled the gorgeous pattern etched into its surface.

It looked as if it had come alive, like you should expect a Priest or Priestess to saunter in covered head to toe in deep blue robes. Yet, despite all the change, there still wasn't a door leading out. Instead of a prison, you were now trapped inside a gilded cage.

Hesitantly, you toss the sheets off of your body and grab the soft clothing off the table. The gauzy fabric was smooth against your fingertips. White, pearlescent ruffles make up the entirety of the garment with a long, opaque, muted blue slip for modesty.

It was as extravagant as the temple around you and as it slid over your body you felt as if you belonged. Like you were made to spend your days among the worshipers of whomever this temple was dedicated.

The only thing that was keeping you from truly appreciating the beauty that surrounded you was the man who plagued your dreams. Surely he was the one to bring you food and clothes? Was he the one who cleaned? How was he able to come and go when there wasn't a door or hallway?

You couldn't imagine one person, no matter how strong they looked, picking up the massive boulders and disposing of them. Where would have have disposed of them anyway?

You chalk everything up to a trick of the mind. At first, you were focused on the water, then the man, and then everything was a blur after that. Maybe you imagined the decay that tormented the beauty of the room.

A sudden, piercing growl emitted from your stomach and you were torn away from your wondering thoughts. When was the last time you ate?

How long have you been in this place?

When you reach for the bowl of fruit, you realize just how hungry you are. Even if the delicious mango, banana, strawberries, and melon stopped the churning of your stomach and quenched your thirst, you needed something more susceptible than fruit. But it was all you had. So you eat, sticky juice coating your face and hands as you devour fruit after fruit.

The pitcher of water was a welcome reprieve from the thickness that had coated your mouth during your time on the ship. The freshness of the liquid, devoid of the salt of the sea, almost made you groan with relief.

Satisfied and clothed, you lean back on the bed.

The soft light shining above warmed you, its rays bathing your skin in comfort and relaxation. Yet, no matter how comfortable you were nestled in the fine fabrics, you couldn't shake the man from your mind.

Who was he?

Where did he go?

A splash drew your attention, the marble outside of the pool now wet with a puddle of water. The man was nowhere to be seen, but on the lip of the pool lay various bottles and a stack of white, fluffy towels.

Again, your curiosity compels you out of the bed, your bare feet padding against the lovely marble and echoing throughout the room. You inspect the bottles carefully, gently picking them up and turning them every which way.

There was no label or engraving to tell you what was inside. But once you pried the cork out of the opening, you were granted the pleasure of the soft scent of pomegranate, vanilla, and something musky.

They were soaps.

One bottle held a clear liquid that lathered quickly while the other held a thicker, more opaque liquid that held no lather at all. You assumed those were meant for your hair, with them being the biggest of the few.

There was a small bottle, its size no bigger than the palm of your hand. An extravagant oil resided in that one, smelling of patchouli and citrus. A bar of soap was the only thing left untouched, its surface rough with grains and lavender buds.

You look at your hands, noting the dirt that had caked under your nails and the dried blood that coated the scrapes on your palms. It didn't take a thorough once over to tell that you were in dire need of a bath, your scalp itchy and your body gritty.

You eyed the only source of water, hesitant to even step closer in case the man appeared again. Split between a nice, cleansing bath and the arrival of your captor, you stay rooted in place.

The soaps smelled so lovely though. And you despised the idea of being so unclean whilst lounging in such extravagance.

You bite the bullet and slowly peel the flimsy dress off of your body. When you gently dip your toe into the water, you brace for that same rumble that brought the man from the depths.

It didn't come. The only thing that greeted you was the unusual warmth of the water, further luring you inside.

There was a set of stairs that kept you safely away from the drop-off that darkened the further you looked down. You kept your eyes on the soap, intent on just bathing yourself instead of working yourself into a frightened tizzy.

You released an uncontrollable sigh, your body melting into the water as your bones and muscles finally relaxed for the first time in you didn't know how long.

For a few minutes, longer than you intended, you just sat there- soaking up the warmth. You thought about a lot of things at that time. How your family was taking your absence and how many days had passed since you last saw them. You missed them dearly and your heart ached at the thought of their sorrow.

To distract yourself from the tears that would inevitably flow if you continue down that path, you lather a dollop of soap into your hair. You scrub at your scalp, at your body, and face, watching the water turn milky with the dirt and suds.

You were focused on a particular spot on your shin when you spotted something moving beneath you. It was deep enough that you didn't automatically panic, your curiosity outweighing your instincts. But when it moved again you caught sight of a large, black tentacle.

You were out of the pool within an instant, your wet hair and body creating a large puddle. You grab a towel, not at all caring about cleaning your mess as you wrap up and hop into the only safe space you have.

The barrier of the flimsy fabric that canopied the bed would do nothing if the man decided to come back and harm you. But your confused and panicked brain decided that the bed was the only place you were safe, especially if you were buried in between the mountain of blankets and pillows.

You spend the rest of the day with a watchful eye trained on the pool, your anxious hands picking at the skin of your thumb.

[timesorceror]

So I started this rec list sometime in mid to late 2024 after listening to @thisweekinfandomhistory's episode on the Crack Van, where one of the hosts commented (and I'm most definitely probably paraphrasing here) about how rec lists are something of a lost art.

This, combined with my burning desire to write a primer on Dreamling (in the hopes it could perhaps one day get covered on the pod) was what pushed me to start going through my 30-something pages of bookmarks (of which those occupy slightly more than a third of my total pages of bookmarks) and start categorizing them in preparation for this list.

Sorry about all the parentheses; I've very likely got some rather loud undiagnosed ADHD and cannot for the life of me keep my brain from interjecting with every single bit of information, relevant or otherwise. But, I digress.

There are ten posts included in this monster of a fic rec masterpost, and they are divided between Oneshots, Multi-Chaptered Fics, and Series. The reason for the divide is simple: Tumblr only allows 100 inline links per post, as I also learned from listening to the lovely ladies of the This Week in Fandom History Podcast.

The rec list posts are below the cut, along with a link to my masterpost Google Doc, an explanation as to the method behind my madness, among other things.

Oneshots - Part One Contains: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crossover

Oneshots - Part Two Contains: Fluff / Happy Ending, Fishbowl Rescue, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, New Inn Is A Temple

Oneshots - Part Three (NSFW) Contains: Accidental Vouyerism, Age Difference, BDSM, College / University AU, Centaur AU, Dragon AU, Dream Sex, Fantasy AU, First Time / First Kiss / Getting Together / Friends to Lovers, Fluff / Smut

Oneshots - Part Four (NSFW) Contains: Fishbowl Rescue, Hurt/Comfort, Medieval AU, MPreg / Breeding Kink, Nursing Kink, Omegaverse, Oviposition, Pacific Rim AU, Period Sex, Retired Dream of the Endless, Selkie AU, Sex Pollen, Shapeshifting, Star Wars AU, Stuck in An Airport AU, Soulmates / Soul Bond, Temporary Amnesia, Tentacle Sex, Touch-Starved Dream of the Endless, Venom AU, Werewolf AU

Oneshots - Part Five Contains: Soulmate AU (No Smut), Touch-Starved Dream of the Endless

Multi-Chapter - Part One Contains: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Crossover, Fishbowl Rescue, Fluff, Friends / Enemies to Lovers, Getting Together

Multi-Chapter - Part Two (NSFW) Contains: Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Swap, Canon Divergence AU, College / University / Academia AU, Creatures & Monsters AU, Dragons AU, Dream Sex, Established Relationship, Fairy Tale AU, Fantasy AU, Fishbowl Rescue / Hob Gadling Saves Dream of the Endless, Friends to Lovers, Fuck Or Die, Getting Together, Historical AU, Hob Gadling is Hope of the Endless, Hob Gadling Owns the New Inn

Multi-Chapter - Part Three (NSFW) Contains: Hurt/Comfort, Medieval AU, Modern Setting / Human AU, Monsterfucking, Omegaverse, Past Relationship(s), Period Sex, Retired Dream of the Endless, Roommates, Sex Pollen, Soulmates AU, Temporary Amnesia, The New Inn is a Temple, Touch-Starved Dream of the Endless, Vampire AU, Victorian AU, Werewolf AU

Series - Part One (A–L) Features series written by: acadethicc | AceDragonType | Aetheltrythh | Anonymous | apocryphal | Ardin | Aria_Lerendeair | aWordyBody | Bacota | BeatnikFreak | behold_me (feat. The_KickIt_Domain) | BuckytheDucky | chaosheadspace | charinabook | CourfeyracFredMariusCratchit | cuubism | dancinbutterfly (feat. Moorishflower) | Darci | Delta_Pavonis | Dira Sudis (dsudis) | everythingisconnected | foxish_nonsense | frihetkanske | GalaxyDreamStories | hardly_an_escape | honeyteacakes | IcePhoenix96 | im_not_corrupted | Ismene_Jane | issylra | Konstadt | LeotheLionathefootofOrion

Series - Part Two (L–Z) Features series written by: Lightning_glass42 | LikeMmmCookies | lithenemesis | LLflorence dreamling (LLflorence) | Maelstrom22 | MDJensen | Mondaysundayssadurdays | monobuu | MonstrousRegiment | MoonlightMav | Moorishflower | Mywayornorway | NyriaMizell | often_adamanta | Purplesauris | Sam_Salami | SerenAur | starsniper | softestpunk | Stormysaslytherin | slythernim | Sylcian_SPH_Legacy | tharkuun | The_Shy_One | TheFanficMustFlow | Thesuspiciousflyingjellyfish | ThirtySixSaveFiles | Thranduilland | TimelessRiver | tinglingsensation | Torte | ObsessiveAgony | viiidispade | winterbucky (WinterLadyy) | Whoareyou0000 | zoomacroom

There will likely not be any more posts added to this, given the nature of how Tumblr posts work, but as I am still in the middle of my second run-though of the Dreamling ship tag's entire body of completed works, I will continue to update this Google Doc as I go (and whenever I comb through my Marked for Later tab and go through fics that are still there as well) that you may view at your leisure.

Note: this Google Doc is my personal fic rec list, and is not the be-all, end-all of Dreamling fics, despite how expansive it is. If there is a fic I have not added, it's very likely I did not read it because of a tag I'm not into (like Hurt No Comfort), or I read it and didn't bookmark it because I felt like I wasn't going to read it more than once. Or any other number of reasons, such as incomplete fics, which I rarely read these days unless it's a tag that I absolutely go feral for.

So don't DM me asking to add specific fics, please. Thanks. :)

I would like to explain that the Google Doc uses the tab function to separate the Oneshots, Multi-Chaptered Fics, and Series, and within each tab, they are further divided using the outline function.

The way I chose to organize the Oneshots and Multi-Chaptered fics was to start by thinking of this rec list as sort of like a menu at a restaurant by picking a main tag that I feel is the focus of the fic, and then further organize them by a sub-catagory tag (for example, I have Moorishflower's fic, Radio Silence, under the broad umbrella of 'Alternate Universe Oneshots' which is further organized under the sub-catagory, 'Post-Apocalyse AU'). Mostly I tried to follow this method by selecting two tags from the tag list of the fic, however not all fics I wanted to include HAD enough tags to use, or they had a bunch of hyper-specific, talk-commentary tags that I felt were not very compatible with the system I had worked out. So there are a few fics that I had to categorize or sub-catagorize simply based on vibes.

Hopefully, that explanation was sufficient, and I know that – given the current state of the fandom in regards to NG – some of these fics may one day become orphaned or be taken down. Unfortunately there is little I can do about that other than to encourage you to download any of the fics you enjoy so that you may continue to enjoy them if they disappear.

The purpose of this undertaking was more to challenge myself (and my patience) to see if I still had what it took to make a proper rec list and also to truly get a sense of Dreamling's major themes, tropes, and common tags so that I could list them out in the primer I still want to write for TWIFH.

That's... pretty much why this exists, though along the way, I was moved to finish this project for the sake of creating a snapshot of this particular ship's fandom at this particular moment in time. Whether or not it lasts remains to be seen, but I'm glad to have done it, and I hope that any fandom historians, as well as current and future fans of Dreamling appreciate my efforts.

I would also like to give a special shout-out to the @mr-sadman Discord, which also has a fic library of at least some of the listed fics for the occasions when AO3 goes down for whatever reason, as a good chunk of Dreamling authors and artists tend to congregate there and are all a bunch of lovely and wonderfully derranged people who have supported me in this endeavor.

So please, enjoy. Go forth and read fic.

All my love, TimeSorceror

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Gummy Worm

Debut: Real Life

Usually, on a Friday, we would have a post about something not from Mario, but from a game nonetheless. But I've been thinking about gummy worms. And I want to talk about gummy worms. And I can do whatever I want!

Gummy worms are a wonderful, wonderful creature! A bit difficult to categorize, from a creature standpoint. They are inanimate objects, but based on creatures, giving them immediate creature character. They're not fictional creatures, since they're real! They exist in our realm alongside us. Quite a puzzle, isn't it? (it isn't)

Gummy worms are thought to have originated as Trolli's Squiggles, which still exist today! It's unclear WHEN exactly they were created, but they were brought over to the United States from Europe in 1981 (worms of all kinds love to be introduced to the United States from Europe), gaining notoriety after being featured in Ghostbusters. Americans only just found out about these things, and they were already charmed to the point of putting them in a feature film. That's how delightful these things are!

Of course, I have my own ideas. How strange that we don't exactly know when gummy worms were created. Almost as if they weren't created. Almost as if they slithered through a portal out of the Candy Dimension, where everything is made of candy, of course. There, gummy worms naturally burrow through soil made of crushed cookie bits. Yes, they poop out nutrient-rich cookie crumbs that help jelly beans and other candy plants to grow extra healthily. Of course they do. What do you take me for?

I think the most ICONIC gummy worms are easily the two-toned sour ones! There we have our three iconic characters: Blue/Pink, Yellow/Red, and Green/Orange. These seem to have originated as Trolli's Sour Brite Crawlers, and by now you may have noticed that Trolli doesn't tend to actually use the term "gummy worm" in their branding! Mercifully, the term "gummy worm" remains public domain, for us to frolic around with until the end of time!

One of my favorite things about Gummy Worm is that it's a celebration of the humble Worm. Isn't it so wonderful that there's an animal that is a near-featureless tube squirming in the soil beneath us? I'm sure you've wanted to eat one before. We all have. I love you, Worm, but you win the number one most slurpable animal award. We silly humans aren't supposed to eat raw worms, though, because of disease and parasites. Skill issue, I must say. Moles eat them with aplomb! When people do eat worms, it's after cooking them, but at that point they're not wiggly and slurpable anymore... there must be a better way (it's gummy worm!)

When doing research for this post I was kind of taken aback when learning worms were chosen for the candy's shape for the "gross" factor. I genuinely forgot anyone thinks that about worms! That's just a little thingy! Barely any features to be repulsed by!

Gummy Worm is basically the perfect Thing to me. It's worm, it's sweet treat, it's whimsical, it's everything! And we don't have to be limited to the kinds that are marketed to us, because you can make your own gummy worms if you want! You can make them realistic colors! Even realistic flavors, if you know what a worm tastes like... I don't, but if you are friends with a mole, you could ask.

There are big gummy worms, which is wonderful, but it's not enough. I think these should be available as pets. A three foot long gummy worm that is sentient, loves you, and never dies. Until that happens, I am happy to live in a world where gummy worms exist, and are beloved!

[lostlavenderer]

Current TMAGP theory that I'm lowkey obsessed with: Alice used to be in Lena's managerial position

NOW HEAR ME OUT.

Starting off, we're immediately informed that Teddy and Alice have been working together at the OIAR for four years, and it's implied later that Alice has been there for longer.

In the same scene, we learn that Alice recommended Sam for the job, which Lena sounds rather delighted about. Judging by her tone, I'd say she values Alice as a worker surprisingly more than she does Gwen. Why is that, when Gwen actually really values her job and tries to do it with meticulous accuracy?

Next, while she tries to downplay it, you constantly get small hints that Alice knows really bloody well how the OIAR works including the response department they used to have. With everything she says, to me she really carries an attitude that screams 'goofing around but I know more about this place than any of you ever will'. That's the feeling I get too when she's on about the categorization when explaining it to Sam in the first episode, too:

It's all very 'I know exactly what happens with these categorized files and I know what does and doesn't matter'.

So. What I think, is that she used to be the manager before Lena, and that she was the one to hire both Colin and Teddy. I think back then, there was still a response department, whatever the fuck that means, and that the three of them were involved in it and went through some shit.

(Sidenote- I'm also convinced that the old response department is responsible for locking up whatever that creature in the Magnus Institute in ep10 is)

Anyway, they went through some shit together and Alice personally made sure the response department was shut down. Freaked the fuck out or maybe even overwhelmed with (Entity-related?) power, she steps down, instead hiring Lena, ambitious and clever Lena, as her replacement. After all, Lena claims she started at the bottom too:

Yet Alice still decides to stay at the OIAR, because knowing what she knows, she wants to stay closeby in case anything like [REDACTED PAST TRAUMATIC EVENT] ever happens again, especially because Colin and Teddy are still working there as well.

(MAYBE, but this is digging really damn deep, maybe somehow Colin and Teddy forgot said Traumatic Event for some perhaps Beholding-related reason, and Alice stays to protect them from it happening again. It's why she's almost glad that Teddy finally gets another job)

Now she's just another worker who claims she doesn't give a damn. Because she's been there; she knows what happens when you care, when you let incident files get to you. She won't go there again, and she won't let Sam either.

Anyway. Ex snarky office manager Alice is canon TO ME.

[purplesoulcollection]

Met three times and fell in love once

Let me write my story first before i do the request!

Our first meeting took place in the dungeon, where he had ventured illegally. His rank was too low for such a place, and he lacked a higher-ranked companion.

I was there to hunt monsters and collect their cores. When I spotted him amidst a heap of monster corpses, I felt a mix of alertness and fear. The sheer number of defeated creatures was overwhelming.

Even though the monsters he had taken down were of a lower level, they were known for their incredible speed and tendency to attack in groups, making them quite challenging to defeat.

He seemed to sense my presence without me needing to announce myself. I figured that hunters develop a sixth sense in dungeons, where danger can lurk around any corner.

If they fail to hone that instinct, survival becomes nearly impossible. "Who are you? Are you here to steal my spoils?" I questioned him, my sword aimed at him, my heart racing with anxiety.

Should I engage him? His presence felt threatening. What if he was stronger than me? Would I stand a chance in a fight? Could we not just pass each other peacefully? I regretted my boldness, fearing that if I provoked him, he might retaliate. I still wanted to live...

I was surprised to find that, contrary to my expectations of him being easily provoked due to his strength, he simply waved his hand, signaling that he had no intention of attacking me.

I narrowed my eyes, scanning for any hidden weapons or suspicious movements, ready for a potential strike if I let my guard down.

Despite my vigilance, I eventually decided to sheathe my sword.

My palms were sweaty, so I wiped them before finally asking him,

"Who are you? I thought I was the only one allowed in here today?"

If he was trespassing in this dungeon, I would need to report him to the guild once I left. The rest was not my concern; I didn’t want to get involved in minor issues.

"I'm Suho. I couldn't enter here with permission because my rank is too low, but I needed to get stronger, so I snuck in," he replied with a smile. Even though his mask obscured his mouth, I could see the warmth in his eyes.

The mask was stylish and covered part of his face, but even with it on, Suho had a strikingly handsome appearance, and the mask only seemed to enhance his features.

After a moment of taking in his figure, I cleared my throat to gather my thoughts.

"Rankings are meant to protect people by categorizing them, ensuring they don’t enter dungeons beyond their capabilities. If you’re truly strong, why not just retest?" I asked, puzzled.

In this world, rankings are established from birth, but I believe that with continuous training, one can surpass their initial limitations. He looked strong enough to intimidate me, so it didn’t make sense that his rank was so low.

Why doesn’t he just retest if he’s confident he can take on stronger monsters? The world and the government would surely welcome more powerful individuals teaming up to eliminate the monsters emerging from the dungeon.

Yet, he never responded to my question. He just opened his mouth like a fish, making no sound, until he finally closed it and gave a wry smile.

"I have my own reasons…"

When he said that, I could sense a hint of sadness in his voice. It seemed that this man named Suho was carrying a burden of unexpressed sorrow.

Hearing his tone and seeing his expression stirred my sympathy, but I could only look away and say, "Whatever your reasons are, Suho, I have to report you to the government for entering a dungeon that’s beyond your rank, as it’s my duty as a level A hunter."

"Are you a level A hunter?" Instead of showing fear about my report, he focused on something I hadn’t anticipated.

I rubbed my forehead in frustration. Could I just hit him once to get him to act as I expected?

"Are you asking that to insult or compliment me?" My eyes stared intently at him. My hand was ready to punch the man who dared to be rude to me.

I have had many experiences where people ridicule me that my characteristics are not suitable to be a level A hunter. Of course in the end I beat up the person who said that but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt to hear even though I'm more patient now.

"Of course, I’m complimenting you, Senior." He said that with amuse voice, looks genuine in my ear.

I found it amusing when he called me senior and was about to argue back when we both sensed an enemy approaching us.

We both got ourselves ready and switched to high alert. I drew my sword, scanning the surroundings carefully.

The silence around me felt unnaturally heavy, as if an unseen enemy was lurking, poised to strike at any moment. It was that unsettling quiet that often precedes a storm, a clear warning of impending danger.

To be honest, moments like this always make me anxious, even though I should be accustomed to them by now. With someone like Suho around, I can't quite gauge his true strength.

I've witnessed him standing over a heap of bodies, but that doesn't necessarily prove he can take on monsters.

Do I need to look out for him too, just in case he can't fend for himself while sneaking into the dungeon?

When the lurking monster finally lunged at us, both Suho and I responded swiftly to its attack.

Together, we managed to take down the foe, and I realized that Suho is quite capable after all.

He has the ability to summon shadow beasts that obey his commands. These shadow creatures resemble weak monsters that novice hunters typically defeat.

Does this imply that Suho was the one who hunted them before they became his summoned beasts?

I noticed that Suho didn’t solely depend on his summoned creatures. He also engaged in combat himself, whether wielding a sword or using his fists.

What a versatile fighting style, though not overly specialized. Perhaps he simply fights based on his instincts.

After we finished off the monsters, I was impressed by Suho's promising skills. He has the potential to grow stronger, but if I reported him now, he would end up in prison.

"Suho!"

He turned to face me. I gave his hand a pat since I couldn't reach his shoulder.

"I won’t report you because you might end up being stronger than me. Just remember to repay me later!" I called out to him as I walked away. I didn’t catch his reaction because I was feeling a bit lazy.

---

I ran into Suho again as I stepped into the dungeon, where hunters emerged, visibly shaken. They confessed that a horrifying monster had been tormenting them before someone came to their rescue.

I had been dispatched to the dungeon as backup. While I may not be an S-level hunter, I was the only one left who had the strength to call for help.

S-level hunters were preoccupied with tracking down rare monsters, and their numbers were limited. Regardless, an A-level hunter should be capable enough to save the day.

I hurried into the dungeon, following the witnesses' descriptions of the fearsome creature, only to find Suho cornered and battling the monster.

Just as the monster was about to strike him, I sprang into action without a second thought.

Both the monster and Suho turned their attention to me as I launched my attack.

The creature leaped back, while Suho glanced at me, surprised.

"Are you okay?" I asked, quickly assessing Suho's condition. He had no visible bleeding wounds, just some bruises, which meant he was alright.

"If you're fine, get out of here right now. I’ll take care of this," I instructed him before I charged at the monster.

However, despite my insistence on it being a monster, this creature could actually speak. It seemed more like a boss monster than an ordinary foe.

"You think you can defeat me? Don't kid yourself, weak human!" it shouted just before I struck.

But when i fighting it, Suho suddenly interrupted and he already transformed into a completely different person without my knowing and urging me to retreat.

I was taken aback by Suho's new appearance. Was he really going to tap into his other abilities to the extent of changing forms?

It felt like something out of a comic book…

Realizing that i should give the chance to the someone who needs enemies to gain experience, I chose to step back and observe their fight.

Wow, their clash was intense, building up to a moment where Suho finally emerged victorious. Out of nowhere, a shadow monster appeared and devoured the defeated creature.

I widened my eyes in surprise before cautiously approaching them.

"He's coming, Young Master," the shadow monster said, eyeing me with a defensive stance.

"Wait, your shadow monster can talk?" I asked, pointing at Suho's companion who look like a catfish and look intimidate me.

"His name is Beru, and he's an old friend of mine," Suho replied, gently petting Beru while I stood there in stunned silence.

"Why did Beru eat that monster? Was it tasty?" I asked him because i know it can speak.

"Beru needs to consume monsters to regain his strength and survive in this world," Suho explained, standing protectively by Beru's side.

Seeing seeing Suho so defensive about Beru made me finally give up on interacting with Beru.

"Then what brings you here? As a porter?" I looking at him curiously, is he a good boy now.

"Yes, a friend recommended me to become porter. But we actually encountered that monster along the way," he said, gesturing toward the defeated creature.

"Looks like now you obey the rules, Suho. Keep that way!"

"Why you're here, Senior?"

"I'm here to back up someone who rescued a hunter from a wicked monster. Who would have guessed that the hero in this story is actually you, Suho?" I couldn't help but chuckle, and Suho just blushed and turned his gaze away.

"Quit teasing me, senior," he said shyly, covering his mouth where his mask didn't cover. That’s when I noticed he wasn’t wearing his usual mask.

"Then stop calling me senior. I'm not that much older than you, Suho."

Honestly, I’m not old enough to be called a senior. Young spirits are still very vibrant.

"So, what should I call you then?"

"Name."

---

Honestly, it was a really intense moment, and I know it sounds a bit cliché. It reminded me of those dramas I usually steer clear of because they feel so predictable.

That’s essentially the crux of the drama.

At that time, the guild had chosen me to lead a team of hunters into the dungeon to search for valuable items to sell. Even if we stumbled upon treasure, I wouldn’t receive any commission for it.

At least the guild paired me with a capable representative, which made our journey relatively smooth.

That is, until we encountered a boss monster. It was furious and seemed intent on wiping us out.

This boss was tougher than the one Suho faced previously and, unfortunately, even stronger than I was.

Despite our attempts to surround it, the creature toyed with us as if we were mere playthings.

In that moment, I made the decision to evacuate my team, urging them to flee while I faced the monster alone.

"Run fast, I’ll hold it off," I commanded, trying to withstand the creature's onslaught.

"But chief, you’re only a level A hunter. We need a level S hunter," one of my team members protested.

"We don’t have the time to call for a level S hunter now. Someone has to stay back to contain it, and I’m the only one who can buy us even a moment. Go now!" Those were my final words that prompted my team to leave me behind with the beast.

"You’re the only one who wishes to meet your end at my hands." After a long silence, the boss monster finally spoke.

He allowed the others to leave me, clearly skilled at instilling despair in his opponents. I let out a harsh laugh, devoid of any real humor in this dire situation.

Inside, I felt an overwhelming emptiness. The ache in my heart was both hollow and painful.

I didn’t truly want to die—not today, especially when I stood to gain so much. But if I allowed too many to fall, the grieving families would curse me for my failure as a leader, even after I was gone is unbearable.

"Even if it means my end, will you join me?"

"If you're skilled, I will be by your side."

That was the last exchange we had before I swung my sword at him.

The battle, though brief, felt like an eternity as my injuries multiplied.

From minor scratches to a deep stab wound, I felt as if something was piercing through me.

I collapsed to the ground, the wound in my stomach numbed by adrenaline, yet I didn’t want to feel any pain.

I was still alive, but the weight of despair was crushing me.

Was this how I would meet my end, in such an uncomfortable manner?

If I had to go, I wished for a moment of happiness first…

As I began to mourn my fate, I found myself wishing to escape the impending attack that would soon claim my life. I bit my lip and closed my eyes tightly as a sign of surrender.

I never experienced the sharp pain or the loud noise that preceded the eerie silence, which finally prompted me to open my eyes out of sheer curiosity about what was unfolding.

With a heavy heart, I must admit that the sight of his back shielding me from the attack felt incredibly reassuring, tightening my breath and making my heart race.

Is this the perfect moment to say that love blossoms when you feel safe?

At that instant, he turned to face me. The concern in his eyes reminded me that I was still hurt and in need of care.

Suddenly, the wound in my stomach, which I had been trying to ignore, flared up again, and I yelled, "Suho, if you want to help me, take down that monster quickly before I pass out!"

After that, I could only be described as having fainted, as the pain became unbearable.

A stab wound to the stomach is not something one can endure for long while awake.

When I came to, I found Suho sitting beside me. Unlike typical scenes, he wasn’t asleep—perhaps it was still daylight.

"Are you awake, Name?"

"If I weren't, what would you do, Suho?"

"Name, I need to talk to you about something…"

Oh, Suho must be ready to confess his feelings now. I know my thoughts are running wild, but someone who has just fallen in love tends to be a bit impulsive.

"That monster is actually part of the itarim."

Instead of revealing his feelings, Suho took a trip down memory lane.

But maybe I’m getting too caught up in this by constantly facing Suho’s adversary.

At least let me enjoy falling in love in peace!

(P.S. He actually feels the same way, but that’s a story for another time…)

The End

[levshany]

how do I put this. Even those who actually track our blogs and are interested in our Aus can get a little confused about what's going on here. but I'll try to explain anyway

we already mentioned the crossover between Anarchists and Tandem and even DRAWED them once, back when Tandem was in development (and by the way, this crossover is canonical for both AUs). Now this story has been continued >:D

Here's some context: It so happened that the Colibri wanted to see what alternative timelines looked like and ran into the king and the jester. Phil was delighted with Colibri and wanted to flirt with them. Jester Collie was categorically against it. so he immediately possessed Phill and tried to fight Tandem. he didn’t succeed because his fusion with Phil is extremely unstable. and here we are

Initially, @angstyhikka and I just drew these three pages, but then @lasymit supported the idea and made a drabble which she allowed me to add to the post :3

------------------------------------

"Let go, bitch! I'm not done with you yet!"

The savage creature desperately squirmed in Philip’s hands. It grabbed onto him, trying to either break free or, on the contrary, rush closer, glaring furiously and baring its shark teeth.

He held the clumsy, collapsing fusion at arm's length and looked at it with slight disgust. His tandem with the Collector was a strange but harmonious union. And what was writhing in front of them right now was the direct antipode of the word harmony.

“Well, I am,” he said distantly.

And with his other hand he grabbed the one sitting inside the demon’s body. Under the flesh soaked in titan blood, he felt a soft essence, like rubber or hot wax. The Collector from this universe felt completely different to the touch.

He stretched them, pulling them away from each other, disentangling them from each other. Paradoxically, bodies that should repel each other by the nature of their forces, like unipolar magnets, clung to each other very stubbornly. But Philip was still stronger with the power of the Collector in his hands, power which he clearly used better than the local... king of demons...

“Ouuuuch ouuuuch,” a boy in the robes of a jester, painted in red and black, shrank on the ground, wrapping his arms around his own chest.

He was not at all like his Collector. Philip had never seen his friend's material body before. But he knew he looked different. For some reason he knew this for sure.

"Who pulls a guy out like that!? Fuck!!", the now-green demon yelled nearby. And he clutched his head painfully.

What Idiots. They vomited three times while chasing him. Philip did them a favor by stopping this outrage.

Now these two were lying helplessly at his feet, groaning and gasping, trying to catch their breath and come to their senses. Now they are separated.

"What were you trying to achieve?" His question was almost rhetorical.

"It wasn’t me, it was all him!" like a child, pointing a sharp, protruding finger towards the Collector, the demon yelled. "I didn’t want to fight at all!"—here he gazed up at Philip with some strange look and batted his eyelashes expressively—"I wanted something else– something more interesting."

"Ohh fuck off, Maggie! You traitor!" came the shout from the red Collector. Philip silently decided to call him the Jester and the demon, by analogy, the King. Philip had already guessed his name. But he couldn’t bring himself to call this savage by that name. Not even in his mind. 

He ignored the King's vague attempts to take a tempting pose while still lying on the ground and grinding his teeth from the headache. He turned to the Jester.

"So you're in charge?"

Judging by King's behavior, it would indeed be reckless to put him in charge. But, having always been the decision-maker when paired with the Collector, by right of being the adult, Philip is accustomed to his friend almost never taking the leading role unless circumstances require it. Like a couple of years ago...

“Nuh-uh,” the Jester raised himself up on his elbow and rubbed his chest, inhaling deeply, greedily. "We're bros! Equal rights and stuff."

And he twirled his funny yellow gloved hand in the air.

Something in the Jester’s words pricked Philip. He didn't fully understand what exactly.. Until the King said, in a dramatic whisper:

"I no longer have a brother. You’re dead to me!"

And Philip stood there, trying to remember that the air was not hard, dense lumps, that it did not clog in the throat and did not press in the chest with a dull phantom pain. Meanwhile these two idiots, after a couple moments of aggressive looks, laughed out loud.

“Yes, I would strangle such a brother,” the King squeezed out, wheezing and squinting through laughter, “with my own-"

And he bent over, swallowing the end of the sentence with a cough as the toe of a boot hit him in the stomach.

"Philip! Philip... They've had enough... He doesn't know what he's talking about."

Philip's cheek twitched.

"Ouch... bro, save me!" the King squeaked hoarsely.

And this completely infuriated Philip. He swung his foot again, this time at the face. But he was met by an elastic wall. And the ground under Colibri’s feet, along with all the space, suddenly curved.

If it weren't for years with the Collector in his head, he wouldn't have realized what happened. But now he clearly saw how a couple of dimensions were distorted, folding space into a loop. He suddenly found himself not between the King and the Jester, but at a considerable distance. And these two were already close together. The boy helped his “brother” get up from the ground; King was now leaning on Jester’s shoulders, clutching his stomach. Perhaps Philip miscalculated his strength a little. This happens sometimes... Especially when it comes to emotions.

“Hey! Hitting people who are down is against the rules,” the Jester frowned. "Give us a timeout!"

Philip felt his jaw tighten. How the nodules rolled across his face. But the flaring rage, as it often happened to him, went away as easily as it filled the air in his chest, leaving reddish streaks before his eyes and pulsating power in his fingertips.

“Get out of the way,” he let his hands glow slightly.

"Ohhhh, what about a last kiss, star boy?" the King whined, clinging to the Jester and trying to straighten up next to him, as if hoping to reach Philip from a distance of ten steps and still get the coveted—

A kiss? Seriously, what the hell? Philip directed a confused, irritated look that bore all these unspoken questions at the Jester. He awkwardly shrugged his sharp shoulders, caught in the King’s grip.

"Don’t be mad... Philip, right? Don't be mad at him, Philip. His Majesty has a reason to be an idiot. And he didn’t mean it out of malice about the ‘brother’ thing.”

Philip looked at the Jester more carefully. The collector in his head was silent. But Philip sensed something from him. Philip also noticed the King’s uncomprehending expression.

“What’s wrong with ‘brother’?” The King sounded surprised.

And then Philip understood. And his face froze.

Yes... yes, what need is there to remember such things? He himself tried to forget for a long time... If he succeeded, would he be the same now as the king in front of him?

Looking at this wretched shell of a “King” who’d forgotten everything important about himself and the loyal “Jester” still standing steadily at his side, the Collector in Philip’s head began to sob. They both, it seems, had the same thought. It’s scary to look at the reflection of a future that never happened.

The jester smiled at him guiltily- at both of them. And then he confidently and widely showed about fifty teeth to his King.

"People don’t like such familiarity, you fool! You can’t just kiss someone the first time you meet."

"But it's okay to fight them when you first meet?" Philip was indignant...

Yes, it's Philip. He cannot refuse to call this man by his own name. Philip himself could one day become such a “king.”

------------------------------------

also @kenku97 helped us with translation and added this comment, I gotta show it to you ;v;

"I thought “The collector in his head sobbed” needed more context for people who aren’t as tightly wrapped up in these AUs as we all are. To understand why Collie’s crying, you need to point out how Tandem Collie sees himself in the Jester. They’re both caring for a Philip who is forgetting himself and the people closest to him. Jester is living out Tandem Collie’s worst fear: what will happen when Philip can’t remember anything anymore? What will become of their friendship? And it’s bittersweet because the King and the Jester are still friends, even though the Jester basically had to start over from the beginning. Jester Collie is quietly carrying all of those memories inside his heart of a friend who has basically disappeared while still learning about and loving the brand new person his friend has become. It’s so sweet and so sad.😭"

that's pretty much all for now It’s hard to return to drawing after the holidays. and this is not even a new art you see, but last year’s. therefore this comic cannot be considered the first work of this year sadly

[melled42]

what if there was a god for art in the COTL universe. not just visual arts, but writing, creation (artistic, not biblical lol) and maybe muses.

What do you think it would look like? like what animal/creature? their costume/design? what might their powers be? inspiration? propaganda? would they have a crown? what colors? ALL?

I was categorizing myself on the cotl reddit as an artist and it got me thinking about it, since it gave me a crown flair. I'm curious what people would come up.

[sleeplesssmol]

Reverse 1999 Connections to History: Wandering Womb & Hysteria

Isolde, Evangeline, and many other women were diagnosed with these "afflictions". This is a SFW run-down of Wandering Womb & Hysteria. I won't go into graphic details about anything, but its still one of the darker aspects of history. If this makes you uncomfortable, please skip over this post or stop reading!

For those who read on, we have a special historical figure with a last name you should all be familiar with! I'm excited to share my findings with you! All sources will be listed below.

Please feel free to add on or correct anything I got wrong. I left out A LOT for the sake of brevity and sensitivity but there is a lot to chew on in this topic.

Wandering Womb Concept:

Definition: Belief that a displaced uterus caused various medical issues in women.

Description: Aretaeus (2nd century AD) described the uterus as moving freely within the body, reacting to smells, akin to "an animal within an animal."

Scent therapy: Like an animated creature, the uterus was believed to be attracted to sweet and pleasant perfumes and repulsed by foul smells.

However, future generations would move away from blaming the womb and pin the blame on women's "weaker" minds and bodies. It's one of the "illnesses" used to demonize or claim superiority over women. The way this illness was weaponized is extremely sinister but I'll leave it to the reader to look further into that if they want to. A Victorian woman going through menopause was often considered to be emotionally unstable. During this 'climacteric period', she may well have been prescribed leeching or bloodletting from the ankle. Her doctor would have advised against reading novels, going to parties and dancing. For a 45 – 50 year old Victorian woman, an onslaught of instability and madness was considered inevitable. Interesting how the "curse" on the women in Isolde's family killed them before they passed the age of 40.

The bullshitters (There's more well-known men with opinions but I'll keep this short and relevant to Reverse 1999):

Aretaeus: Advocated the mobile uterus theory. The origin of bullshit.

Edward Jorden: Popularized the concept in the 17th century through his treatise "The Suffocation of the Mother" (1603), linking it to hysteria and witchcraft. The spreader of bullshit. The Suffocation of the Mother connected the phenomenon of hysteria with actions like singing, laughing, crying, and choking.

Hysteria:

The idea of hysteria linked to the wandering womb, evolved from ancient Greek "hysterical suffocation." It was described as exhibiting a wide array of symptoms, including anxiety, shortness of breath, fainting, nervousness, sexual desire, insomnia, fluid retention, heaviness in the abdomen, irritability, loss of appetite for food or sex, even sexually forward behavior, and a "tendency to cause trouble for others". It is no longer recognized by medical authorities as a medical disorder. Its diagnosis and treatment were routine for hundreds of years in Western Europe. Even though it was categorized as a disease, hysteria's symptoms were synonymous with normal functioning female sexuality. In the context of hysteria, every symptom and negative thought was linked to sex (also it was problem if you didn't want sex either). Essentially, you were "sick" because you were a woman. Woman disease. How dare females exist 😰

Hysteria was thought to affect only women until the early 1600s. Thomas Willis' concluded Hysteria originated in the brain, not the uterus, implying it could affect men. Despite Willis' findings, hysteria remained a common diagnosis for women, particularly in Victorian times.

Franz Anton Mesmer advanced the theory of hysteria, influencing John Elliotson and James Braid. Elliotson believed mesmerism was particularly effective for hysteria, noting it was not exclusive to women and also affected boys and men. Mesmerism is hypnotic induction held to involve animal magnetism, but we usually use the word "hypnotism". This man appeared in an old journal I was skimming and jump scared me!

Freud's Influence:

Freud shifted focus from physiological to psychological causes. He moved away from Charcot’s hereditary theories, emphasizing psychological rather than genetic or physiological triggers (mind rather than body). Repression is the basis for hysteria. Traumatic memories must be repressed to cause hysterical symptoms. Freud’s therapy aims to bring repressed memories to consciousness to alleviate symptoms. We can see Kakania using this method on Isolde.

Seduction Theory: Freud initially believed that actual childhood sexual abuse caused hysteria but later revised this to include fantasies. This shift was influenced by public resistance and scientific criticism.

Freud's Contributions to Hysteria Theory

Etiology based on nurture, not heredity.

Pubescent experiences as triggers, not causes.

Hysteria redefined as a psychological, not physiological (this one is a very big deal. He was quack, but this shift in perspective is why we've progressed so far in caring for people with PTSD, depression, and so on).

Emphasis on sexual infantile experiences and repression.

Gender distinctions in hysteria based on psychological attitudes towards abuse.

Modern Diagnoses and Connections: Symptoms previously labeled as hysteria are now diagnosed as:

Somatic Symptom Disorder: Characterized by physical symptoms that cannot be explained by medical conditions.

Dissociative Disorder: Involves a disconnection from reality, often linked to trauma.

Conversion Disorder: Involves neurological symptoms without a neurological basis, often linked to psychological factors.

However, there are many other potential diagnosis since hysteria is so broad and vague.

Sources

[parabare-the-scholar]

References in Penny Dreadful

Characters from:

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Literature within the show:

THEATER:

The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare (Proteus is named after one of the characters of the play)

The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare (Brand quotes it)

The Tempest by William Shakespeare (The Creature gets the name Caliban from here. Young Vanessa names a bird after Ariel)

Macbeth by William Shakespeare (this one is actually funny, because a witch quotes a line of one of the witches, and I enjoyed the parallelism)

Henry VI, Part 1 by William Shakespeare (Vanessa says she first met Joan of Arc in Shakespeare, this is the play where she appears)

The Maid of Orleans by Friedrich Schiller (Vanessa says she read this play about Joan of Arc, calling it just "the Schiller")

Sweeney Todd by Thomas Prest (?) (represented at the theater)

POETRY:

Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Frankenstein has the book)

Adonais by Percy B. Shelley (The Creature mentions it)

Wordsworth's Poetical Works (Young Frankenstein has the book)

Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats

The Poetical Works of Milton (The Creature gifts this book to Maude)

Paradise Lost by John Milton (Maud then says that The Creature's gift was this book, which has me confused but ok)

NOVEL:

Up North in a Whaler by Edward A. Rand (Frankenstein has the book)

Varney The Vampire (a Penny Dreadful that Professor Van Helsing gives to Victor)

One Thousand and One Nights (Mister Lyle mentions Aladdin, so let's say he got the reference from here)

The Bible (though it is odd to categorize it as a novel, but please allow me to do it for the sake of order)

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (Mister Lyle says to feel like a Lilliputian next to Ethan)

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne (Dracula is a fan)

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (The Creature's kid is reading this book)

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson (The Creature read this to Vanessa in his past life :( )

Also mentioned:

John Keats (poet)

William Wordsworth (poet. He's a fav of the doctor's. Also the Creature's)

John Clare (poet. He's a fav of the Creature's)

Alfred Tennyson (poet. He dies. That's the only thing he does)

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (poet)

William Makepeace Thackeray (writer)

Charles Dickens (writer. Most of these are mentioned by Mister Lyle)

Ibsen (playwright)

Henry Irving (actor)

Wagner (musician)

Audubon (painter)

I've also posted the specific poems that are quoted throughout the series.

I'd have liked to post the art that is shown (Dorian Gray has a marvelous collection), but alas, I'm quite ignorant of art, and I find it far more difficult to find than the rest of the references that I include here.

If I've missed any, please do let me know. I want this list to be as thorough as possible.

I've really enjoyed this show...

[frankingsteinery]

i mentioned victor's delusions in brief previously (here), but because of the inherent complexity (and almost contradictory aspect) of their nature i decided it warranted its own post!

victor, alongside other psychotic symptoms, experiences delusions of guilt and persecution. a delusion is an involuntary belief that isn't rooted in logic or evidence; a person experiencing a delusion is fixed in their belief, and they can't stop believing it even if they know it isn't true and/or despite contrary evidence.

while victor's delusions–specifically regarding those that revolve around the creature–by in large turn out to actually be true, i.e. the creature actually harmed his family and victor by extension, during the point in the novel when he was experiencing them, he has no evidence to suggest that this was the case, and within the context of the rest of his symptoms, they'd still be considered delusional ideas.

for a variety of reasons, i'm still on the fence on whether i'd categorize victor's mania and grandiosity during the creation process as constituting delusions of grandeur. and to what extent is this sense of grandiosity justified, because he DID discover the secret of life itself… does that not almost warrant the feeling of being superiorly intelligent, this sense of infallibly, and the belief that they should be lauded for their achievements, in almost anyone who could have made the same discovery? it's tricky because i’m not sure if i just have an aversion to the "victor had grandiose delusions during the creation process" take simply because the vast, vast majority of those who make that argument also make the argument that delusion of grandeur = arrogance = evil = victor sucks (and that line of thinking is a whole separate can of worms in of itself…), or if i actually don’t wholly agree with it; for this reason i won’t touch on this here yet

with that out of the way–

like i’ve stated before, victor’s psychotic breaks are either triggered by the stress of the creation process or the death of one of his loved ones. this results in delusions of persecution, which is defined as when the affected person believes that harm is going to occur to oneself or those close to them by a persecutor, in this case the creature, despite a clear lack of evidence. initially, this starts with paranoia:

“Every night I was oppressed by a slow fever, and I became nervous to a most painful degree; the fall of a leaf startled me, and I shunned my fellow creatures as if I had been guilty of a crime. Sometimes I grew alarmed at the wreck I perceived that I had become…”

“With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet”

this paranoia develops into a delusion as victor’s belief that the creature means him harm, despite having nothing to support this idea, becomes fixed. this comes to a head after the creature’s animation: 

“I beheld the wretch…He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs…where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life”

“I issued into the streets, pacing them with quick steps, as if I sought to avoid the wretch whom I feared every turning of the street would present to my view. I did not dare return to the apartment which I inhabited, but felt impelled to hurry on”

delusions can often feel like a sudden truth (the false belief) has been revealed to you. victor himself notes this sudden, extreme shift in perspective within himself:

“...dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now become a hell to me; and the change was so rapid, the overthrow so complete!”

as victor recovers physically, this delusion becomes less present as the acute phase ends, and victor’s fears regarding the creature fade into the background as he enters the recovery phase. he stays in this manner until psychosis is again triggered by the stressor of william’s murder–then, victor’s delusion of persecution returns. however, this time, he believes the creature is not only going to harm himself, but was the murderer of william. once more, this starts with paranoia:

“Fear overcame me; I dared no advance, dreading a thousand nameless evils that made me tremble, although I was unable to define them…The picture appeared a vast and dim scene of evil, and I foresaw obscurely that I was destined to become the most wretched of human beings.”

and then develops into a fixed belief:

“I perceived in the gloom a figure which stole from behind a clump of trees near me; I stood fixed, gazing intently: I could not be mistaken. A flash of lightning illuminated the object, and discovered its shape plainly to me; its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect more hideous than belongs to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch…Could he be (I shuddered at the conception) the murderer of my brother? No sooner did that idea cross my imagination, than I became convinced of its truth… He was the murderer! I could not doubt it. The mere presence of the idea was an irresistible proof of the fact.”

while it turned out that he was actually correct in this assumption, what’s important to emphasize here is that victor has absolutely ZERO proof that the creature was involved with the murder of william, apart from seeing a shady-looking outline outside of geneva after walking in the rain all night. victor is not thinking clearly here, which he himself acknowledges in a phenomenon known as double book-keeping. double book-keeping refers to a mental process where an individual maintains two conflicting beliefs or realities simultaneously--where a person might experience delusions or hallucinations while still having moments of awareness that these perceptions are not grounded in reality. here, victor holds two realities (believing in a delusion while being aware that this belief would not be shared by others):

” My first thought was to discover what I knew of the murderer, and cause instant pursuit to be made. But I paused when I reflected on the story that I had to tell. A being whom I myself had formed, and endued with life, had met me at midnight among the precipices of an inaccessible mountain. I remembered also the nervous fever with which I had been seized just at the time that I dated my creation, and which would give an air of delirium to a tale otherwise so utterly improbable. I well knew that if any other had communicated such a relation to me, I should have looked upon it as the ravings of insanity…”

and, in fact, the only evidence he has is (seemingly) proof to the contrary i.e. the locket found in justine’s pocket. yet victor holds this belief with the intense conviction characteristic of delusions, as well as the incorrigibility of a delusion, as he’s continually resistant to his family’s logical counterarguments, as ernest recounts the events to victor upon his return home:

“This was a strange tale, but it did not shake my faith; and I replied earnestly, “You are all mistaken; I know the murderer. Justine, poor, good Justine, is innocent.”

he goes on to make the same assertion to his father and elizabeth, without once questioning the validity of his previous belief. 

victor develops delusions of guilt surrounding the trial of justine, the delusional belief of one's personal guilt for an event, real or imagined–it is an extreme and unwarranted feeling of remorse or guilt that someone has done something terrible. people with delusions of guilt may also believe they are "evil" or have committed an "unpardonable" sin and deserve to be punished forever. despite having no hand in the results of the trial, and again, no proof that the creature was even involved, victor is convinced of his guilt to the point of agony. for example:

”My own agitation and anguish was extreme during the whole trial. I believed in her innocence; I knew it. Could the dæmon who had (I did not for a minute doubt) murdered my brother also in his hellish sport have betrayed the innocent to death and ignominy? … The tortures of the accused did not equal mine; she was sustained by innocence, but the fangs of remorse tore my bosom and would not forgo their hold.”

”During this conversation I had retired to a corner of the prison room, where I could conceal the horrid anguish that possessed me. Despair! Who dared talk of that? The poor victim, who on the morrow was to pass the awful boundary between life and death, felt not, as I did, such deep and bitter agony…But I, the true murderer, felt the never-dying worm alive in my bosom, which allowed of no hope or consolation.”

  The blood flowed freely in my veins, but a weight of despair and remorse pressed on my heart which nothing could remove. Sleep fled from my eyes; I wandered like an evil spirit, for I had committed deeds of mischief beyond description horrible, and more, much more (I persuaded myself) was yet behind… I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt, which hurried me away to a hell of intense tortures such as no language can describe.

delusions of guilt are often accompanied by low self-esteem, depression, and sometimes suicide (attempts); victor experiences all of these following the trial. this delusion is maintained throughout the rest of the novel.

lastly, during the chase at the arctic and on walton’s ship, victor experiences delusions surrounding his family. in his final attempt to hold onto those he lost, victor becomse unable to distinguish between reality and the delusions that sustain him:

"During the day I was sustained and inspirited by the hope of night, for in sleep I saw my friends, my wife, and my beloved country… I persuaded myself that I was dreaming until night should come and that I should then enjoy reality in the arms of my dearest friends. What agonising fondness did I feel for them! How did I cling to their dear forms, as sometimes they haunted even my waking hours, and persuade myself that they still lived!...I pursued my path towards the destruction of the dæmon more as a task enjoined by heaven, as the mechanical impulse of some power of which I was unconscious, than as the ardent desire of my soul."

Yet he enjoys one comfort, the offspring of solitude and delirium; he believes that when in dreams he holds converse with his friends and derives from that communion consolation for his miseries or excitements to his vengeance, that they are not the creations of his fancy, but the beings themselves who visit him from the regions of a remote world."

ultimately victor's delusions evolve throughout the novel; what starts as paranoia becomes a fixed belief that the creature means to harm him and his family, which eventually develops into a certainty that he's responsible for the deaths of his loved ones. by the time he reaches the arctic, he clings to delusions of his family still being alive and that they're talking to him.

i'll probably make yet another post dissecting what this all means in context, i.e. like avo said; the implications of the treatment of victor as a character due to these symptoms of a "weird" "scary" illness... buuuut. again. another time!

[coffeegnomee]

have you seen the conversation between kab & zam from yesterday yet :? i'd be so curious to hear your take on the whole thing. i like that kab is someone who will have a conversation like that in the first place, and i'm really interested in the potential of her interacting with zam in ways that might force her to confront the assumptions she's made about lifesteal (both in a roleplay-style way and an understanding the people on the server way, but admittedly i mostly want meta-conflict...) so i was kinda delighted by it. and her revealing so much about said assumptions, her own thought processes, her blind spots, in an attempt to reveal very little actual information. bacon's "training" as a little microcosm of how she reacts to problems she can't predict or control. all in all she frustrates me but in a fun way here, i like being frustrated.

I got so invested and stayed up so late taking notes. I'm writing this before watching the rest of Zam's stream and Kab's stream from yesterday, basically just looking at the conversation itself. Because oh boy that was fascinating. What a creature. 

Overall, what I’ve gathered from Kab, is a massive tendency to radically prioritize her own personal experiences with a person (one on one, face to face) over observing them through other people’s eyes and seeing how they act to other people (like through watching streams s4 and 5 or just through yt videos) and especially over what other people’s opinions are of other people. 

So it was super fascinating for her to get so excited about Zam being a wealth of information, because she observed with her own eyes that he understands people. So she now can categorize Zam in this way.  

But idk how much of what Zam said about like Mapicc and Spoke will matter in her future interactions with them, given how she accepted it, but then minutes later would not take correction when she had her own opinions on Bacon that differed from Zam’s observations. 

So like, she only, practically, gained insight on Zam. That is the only flask she is filling rn. 

I saw a bunch of people wonder what Kab exactly learned from that conversation and idk how much any of yall have been keeping up with her streams, but Kab learned A LOT from that conversation. (I might pull everything she learned in a different post. It’s not super relevant here)

Like you don't understand how little she knows about Lifestealers. I know, it’s shocking given we all saw her in chat all of s4 and most of s5.

She went on Bacon’s stream (and her’s ig) a bit ago the day they turned the field purple and said she only followed Eclipse, it was the only arc she actually followed as it came out, and then she kind of stopped paying attention. Which is why she would not realize how wild it was to say “princezam! You could create world peace on lifesteal!” as if she didn’t understand the Joker arc was PrinceZam objecting to pb&j trying to bring world peace to lifesteal. No Clowpierce needed.

And like if she ONLY saw Zam in the Eclipse arc, lowkey she could conclude that he is spineless. She just never saw the shift we’ve been watching since Eclipse.

Now I have another theory, but I might be totally wrong in this, but in a potentially 2% chance universe Kab is playing around with the concept of player knowledge vs character knowledge. Like everything she knew from before Lifesteal is off limits and she can only use knowledge she gains since being in the discord and on the server itself. 

And in this case she would be embracing the purity of rp content to the max. 

In which case she would need Zam to spell out how the Joker arc influenced his pacifism arc or she can’t use that info. 

It is a completely overly charitable concept I think, but nonetheless interesting. I could go into a full on Kenadian joking that Omziscool has dementia arc. But instead of dementia she is secretly incredible at acting. Or I could conclude that it is what it looks like, and Kab simply doesn’t remember anything she learned before Lifesteal/never bothered to pay attention bc she was never going to get on this server anyway.

And anyway, she clearly is using previous knowledge about Clown, Ash, and Squiddo, and she uses OOC knowledge all the time, getting in discord vcs and asking questions about server plans and using that knowledge for herself (mane in her video, red and woogie being teamed in this convo, etc). So I don’t think it can be concluded to be character knowledge vs player. But I find the thought interesting. 

But that brings me back to my point about prioritizing the knowledge she gains through person to person interactions: she only can analyze Clown, Ash and Squiddo so well because she knows them in person so well. 

And she doesn’t have that with literally anyone else on the server. Not even Zam or Red. I can’t remember if she talked to anyone else for any meaningful period of time other than them before joining. But clearly, CAS are only the three she knows well enough to have a good take on their personalities. 

And it is a good take, she does analyze CAS in ways I would approve of. She does genuinely have a good understanding of their motivations and personalities. So she is capable of having good takes.

But as we saw in the convo, it doesn’t yet extend past them. 

So what this means is (rn imo) I think more conversations with Zam will prove extremely interesting, but unfortunately only realistically in terms of her understanding of him and not in her learning and growing in understanding of how lifesteal works and how other members work.

Like I would love to see a Spoke and Kab conversation. I have soo many theories on how Spoke would react. But she would not learn (and therefore agree with Zam's take) that he is the master manipulator until the arc was well past and done. He does nawt spill his secrets at all. Zam spills that. So (imo rn) even if she did have a convo with Spoke, that would give her one-on-one info but she would conclude that he is a bumbling moron who has no motivations and doesn't think past the present moment. Because that’s who he pretends to be. And she takes people for their literal words until they say otherwise.

BUT! Interestingly enough she does learn well. Something I noticed through her pov of the Bacon jumpings is that she was super caught up in how unfair it was and getting pissed off at Bacon because he didn't explain why he was jumping her randomly. Because she needs someone to say word for word why they are doing something in order for her to understand.

And I think we saw this in this convo, the more Zam told her word-for-word his mentality, the more she noted it and she asked follow up questions and clarifying questions and I think noted them down rightly (maybe not tho I haven’t watched yesterday’s stream) 

And earlier, if you watched her/bacon streams that day, that was the first time Bacon said word for word the difference between practicing on pvp legacy and why it differs from fights on lifesteal and why that matters. And so therefore why him jumping her is helpful, not pointless, as she kept saying over and over. And she acquiesced to his analysis. And could only reiterate that she asks he doesn't do it when she’s lagging. 

She didn’t sound like that to Zam in the convo, but that’s bc she was trying to hide that for manipulation purposes. Even if... Whatever. It doesn't matter that it was silly and didn’t do anything meaningful, that was her using manipulation and secrecy. 

Anyway, her main sticking point the first day Bacon jumped her was (9/21 ~1:00:00)  “This feels like the most inefficient way of training though. Cause he didn't tell me what to do he just started attacking me” She wants to be told what to do first so she can internalize it. She doesn't logic out a reason based on input, she needs to be told. 

This is why I think she will ultimately be okay, she just needs a shit load of conversations like this one with Zam. Though we will need to wait and see what she actually learns (like after the season is over), but in the meantime interesting conversations for sure. 

What she will hopefully learn is that Zam freely gives out general server information all the damn time, and is always willing to talk about people’s past seasons mentalities. He loves yapping analysis.

So if she ever tries to go into a conversation withOUT obvious sus and pointed questions like she keeps doing with Zam, maybe she'll lean that she doesn't need them for him. It’s like she’s trying so hard to sound so casual about asking questions but that is just NOT necessary with Zam. He will just tell you shit, that's who he is. 

But, she did pick up on that if she asks too much about Zam’s inner mentality about current arcs he clams right up. (even though, again, if she watched his streams in the past she should understand him.) But that doesn't stop her from pushing to learn

But he is sooo uncomfortable about talking about why he does stuff in the moment. Like Planet had to work so hard s4 to get Zam’s trust and he almost got to know Zam’s wormhole day motivations about making everyone hate him, and in hating him the server members would bond together which was a good thing. But Spoke interrupted and Planet never got to know. It is a workout to get Zam to actually leak his mentality, and his mentality is the only thing he really truly cares about. Everything else is just whatever. 

But she incorrectly thinks that flattery and apology will be the way to get him to open up.

But either way it is great bc Zam, and Bacon too tbh, freely give out advice about other server members and how lifesteal works. Because they understand that it is in everyone’s best interests if they learn how this server does work and how the players think because that can only help smooth things over and get good interactions. She just doesn’t realize how /genuine they are being in that moment and takes it more as them leaking super secret information. When they’re just like, 'please learn, i beg.'

In terms of confronting role-play style and how the server lives and exists. Kab made HUGE progress.

If you didn't watch until the end of her stream, Kab had initially planned to murder Zam at the end of that convo but changed her mind bc of what happened. 

Like she said in the flower field that she wanted to “do lore” with Zam to do before session and make him not trust her anymore. And in the end she reveals that "lore" was just murdering him.

She tends, like she did with the consequences arc, to plan shit out and then execute that plan. Bc she’s a scripted lore server girl. 

But in this conversation she, in real time, adjusted her plan based on the unscripted conversation that flowed from it. Which is huge news for lifesteal enjoyers. If she can learn to embrace this we will be eating well. And that can only come through practice.

From a PrinceZam analysis, we got to see him go to work and try to get information from Kab. She leaked a lot, but he really does need the practice on extracting info, he's been talking about it a lot, and she’s a great subject to practice on. 

So I am very excited for him to get that practice in future conversations. 

And Zam does try several different approaches, feigned indifference, just asking, comforting lie that he wont tell anyone the secret is safe with him, pretending to only be interested in one thing instead of everything, asking direct questions that she must confirm or deny which should give him info either way, asking for the favor out of friendship, asking for the favor out of the continued exchange of information, asking for the favor out of her not having given as much as he had given, playing for the ego that if it’s so bad you can’t tell me it must be really bad so you want to tell me, asking over and over.

She for her part only knows flattery, apology, and the placation of emotions to make you think you don’t want to know the information anyway or because you react too strongly and it wouldn't be healthy for you to know. 

The most interesting analysis is how at the very very end of her stream she said “I’ve giving him a warning that I’m going to fuck with some stuff so he shouldn’t.. He shouldn’t label that as me betraying him” 

Whichhhhhhh is hilarious because we all know ends only in one way. But that is shocking bc this was his fundamental reason for betraying Eclipse was bc they thought this way?? Like Vi and Subz thought if they were subtle and slow and give him warning about the wormhole, that he wouldn’t take that as a betrayal. But he did. So he betrayed outright. To like, oversimplify it. But basically, warning Zam does absolutely nothing to protect yourself from him ending the relationship when you do something new that is not aligned with his morals/thoughts/desires. 

So so so interesting how she has that viewpoint if she did watch Eclipse.

Oh! Final thought that might go more into the meta-conflict side of things. I think we don’t get that much meta-conflict in a similar way to how it was with Vi or Minute and Jumper and Pentar last season. Idk hot to describe it exactly.

It might not be quite what meta-conflict means, but like how Kab stops all lore to cause conflict based on what conflict was presented to her.

Kab has a massive tendency to use embarrassment and shame as an attack when she feels unsafe or embarrassed. Like she will instantaneously go for causing you embarrassment and making you feel bad for your choices whenever she feels threatened in order to make you back off. 

Like when she said: “and zam, this is the person you’re friends with?”

But she goes for the throat like this a ton, like with Bacon this stream going towards a consent argument to make him feel incredibly awkward and that he will back off from jumping her instead of risking saying 'no does not mean no'.  

There were other times in earlier streams that idk if I can remember them, but it’s happened a lot with Woogie and Bacon whenever they imply that they have doubts that her plan will work, she takes it almost as them saying they think she’s stupid. And she reacts very aggressively and makes it about meta stuff instead of on the server stuff.

What I do find fascinating is how Bacon, in three streams or so, has already learned how to give her critiques on her plans so that she doesn’t get offended and that she instead learns his thought process and is the one to back down. He is learning quickly.

Also I just realized JUST how much analyzing lifestealers feels like completing those logic puzzels where you have to figure out who has what item and what location or whatever and you get like five clues. No wonder I love this shit so much.

[zeroseuniverse]

Can I pique your interest for a moment? Hear me out before you scroll

after doing my twisted fairytales series I missed the ones that weren't in the focus so ofc I thought of a new series!!

Monster High AU with a twist or like 10 lol

|Fair warning: The story is gonna be chaotic, based around a curse, It's gonna be dark. I've been working on World building for this idea all day its gonna be in depth and meticulous. I personally went through researching every type of monster and their characteristics so I could better categorize each of the idols selected. Each idol will have their own X reader fic based off of the prologue of their ways of beating the curse! there will be mentions of cursing (with words and spells lol) and blood as well as maybe violence, the romance for some can be classed as dark romance but remember i never write pass a few kisses so don't expect smut.|

The Ones I'm gonna focus in on this one are gonna be as followed:

|Taeyong| Yuta| Ten| Haechan| Yoongi| Namjoon| Taehyun| Jungwon| Soul| V| Jongseob| Keeho| Theo| Jeongin| Changbin| Jungkook| Jimin| Jin| Beomgyu| Yeonjun| Kai| Doyoung| Jay| Heeseung| Jiung| Yujin| Sunghoon| Soobin| Yeosang| Sunoo| Seungmin| Hyunjin|Wooyoung| Hongjoong|NI-ki| seonghwa| Yeonjun| Felix|

Prologue

They never planned to fall in love. They only wanted to survive.

He was hunted. Not just because of what he was, but because he had outlived the world that made space for monsters. Once regal, once terrifying, now reduced to a fugitive with silver burns on his chest and nothing but time left to lose.

When she found him, collapsed in a forgotten shrine, he didn’t ask for help. He just stared at her like she was a hallucination—too soft, too human, too late.

But she knelt anyway, touched his face with trembling fingers, and said, “You’re not the first monster I’ve saved.”

She was meant to be a healer. Taught to bind wounds, not rebuild legacies. But she had read too many burned books and buried too many good creatures to keep pretending the world was fair.

When she saved him, she thought it would end there. It never did.

They built the school together with blistered hands and stubborn magic. Stone after stone, they carved a safe place out of a hostile world.

For every shadow dweller, scale bearer, spirit walker, and blood drinker, there was a room, a dorm, a class designed not to punish their difference—but to help them live with it.

For a time, they called it sanctuary.

And then it started again.

Monsters vanished. Magic cracked. Normies pressed too close.

So they searched. Desperate. Devoted. They found a spell, older than language.

The Pact.

One soul a year. Given freely. In exchange, the veil would hold. The world would forget.

It was a cruel kind of salvation. But so was the world.

She offered herself before he could. He screamed at her not to.

“This magic doesn’t care who’s braver.” “Then we should fight it.” “We don’t have time.”

That night, they didn’t sleep. They argued. They kissed. They promised things that the spell would never let them keep.

By morning, she was gone.

Not dead. Not buried. Just... gone.

And so was her name.

He remained—alone, quietly breaking. No one remembered her. Not even him. Only the ache stayed. That empty, echoing grief with no shape and no source.

The castle sealed its doors. The spell began. Each year, the cost is paid again.

One soul. One sacrifice. One love, devoured before it can take root.

The students call it rumor. The teachers call it tradition.

But the castle remembers.

In a sealed-off garden behind rusted gates, two statues sit crumbling. A hand reaches toward another, never quite touching. The nameplate is blank. Moss swallows what’s left.

Sometimes, late at night, a dream drifts down the hallway like smoke. A pair of voices.

“If I had loved you less…” “You never could have.”

And the whisper that follows?

“This is not the end.”

Taglist: @zaycie @sh0dor1 @tinyelfperson @lezleeferguson-120

[tansyuduri]

Merlin Loregasm Rewatch S1E11

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my rewatch of Merlin focusing on the lore. I am a giant nerd so pretty excited about this. We’re on THE LABYRINTH OF GEDREF

Showing off hunting Trophies was a major thing in the Medieval ages. They were often used to decorate. Unicorn horns were especially valued. Especially considering the various ways they could combat poison. (An antidote if ground up, or making liquid bubble if dipped in it) What's that? Why of course there were unicorn horns all over in the middle ages. There was just one catch... These unicorn horns? They were actually Narwhal tusks

I find the categorization of magic creatures in Merlin interesting. Because there are some that need magic to be killed. (Griffin) Some that are rare and magical and DO NOT need magic to kill (Unicorn). Some who are tied to the spirit world (Manticore) and some that are created.(Afanc) And some that are not real world animals but do not seem to be magic at all (Serkets and wilddeoren)

There are also some that seem to be human-level or higher In inteligence. But it's not all of them. (Trolls, Sidhe, Dragons) COME TO THINK OF IT WHY ARE THERE ONLY DRAGON LORDS and not like lords of other creatures. This and the ability to give spells and bunish swords seem to imply dragons are the most magical of them all. HOW DID THE DRAGON LORD THING START. Were dragons bound to a bloodline or a few bloodlines? Did they accept it because before hand there were some kinda dragon civil wars? Was some human born with the soul of a dragon? Did a dragon turn human and have a child with another human and magic made that child the first dragon lord? I kinda like that one best. I should problubly have adressed this in the Balinor episode. I will again then.

Okay so from this I think we can conclude that killing a unicorn does not always curse an entire kingdom. It likely did this time because Arthur was a prince. My guess is that if a comoner were to kill it it would destroy their home, Perhaps in extreme cases their village (perhaps depending on what they identfy as) What would it do to someone who was a migrant I wonder? Just destory anything they use to travel? I'm assuming this because "very few" means there were a decent amount once. And unless Unicorns have a breeding problum SOMEONE had to kill them. And I don't think there are enough kingdoms for kingdoms always being destroyed

OKAY lets talk Medieval famine! While the Wealthy did indeed store some grain away, it was almost never enough to provide for the populace. Thus Medeval famines resulted in many horrible things. Besides rising crime and lawlessnes, Often children where abandoned and elderly people voluntarily starvedthemselves. While in the Merlin world welfare help seems to be on the royals, in the medival ages it was on the Church. The great famine of the 1300s actually underminded the church on the contenent because it could not keep up and everyone thought the famine came because god was angry. Interestingly in England People thought god was angry but decided it was with the king at the time and less the church, In Camlot it might lead to people thinking the same thing about the Pendragon Dynesty. (Especially since religon is not as big a deal) Ironicly in this case the people would be RIGHT thinking that. But Uther might be worried because the camalot people could very well ask themselves why the pendragons are being punished and go OH they were the ones who got rid of the old religion and banned magic. WHAT IF THAT IS WHAT THEY DID WRONG!

Yeah so at this point if Arthur and Merlin had not been able to cure the issue It was the end of Pendragon rule as people knew it. All your water turning to sand DOES NOT HAPPEN. even if they get water from other sources somehow. (Despite Arthur saying its the same thoughout the kingdom) God/Gods were VERY angry, or Sorcery caused this and is needed to fight it. (Merlin could not turn the sand back to water but might have been able to summon water like he does later)

First time we hear of a keeper or guardian of a magical thing. This will be a reocuring theme and I totally do not talk about it at all in any of my fanfics. ALSO Funfact "Anhorn" and "Anhorna" are old english words for unicorn. It seems likly his name is based on these.

Anhora: If you fail any of these tests camalot will be damned for all eternity. Okay does he mean just Camalot as a kingdom and if another kingdom took over the same spot it would be fine, or is this entire area of land doomed forever? Because it sounds like the later and if so ONCE AGAIN I MUST REPEAT MY EALIER THRORY ABOUT IT JUST BEING A KINGDOM DUE TO ARTHUR.

Historicly Tea is first mentioned in the third centery in China. It became Popular in the tang dynasty and spread to other east asian lands (618 to 907) This is after the time Merlin is set. So even if trade routes were much bigger (Like we explained might be the case in previous posts) It would not be a big thing yet. SOOO What Arhur and Gaius refer to as tea is likely an herbal infusion. (This is often ALSO refered to as Tea but doesnt have the actual Tea herb)

Arthur: They've come from the outlying villages in search of food. There is not enough rations to feed the people whoa re already here. Like I've said only the wealthy stored grain and not much of it. These outlying villages are likley the ones directly under Camalot's control and not under the control of a Camalot Lord.

Rats are actually consitered a delicacy of many cultures, some say they taste like wild game, others like Chicken, other say it has a taste all its own, In Asia especially you can find many rat dishes. Rat Pie was even a dish for both rich and poor in Victorain britain

Arthur: Ask the Neiboring kingdoms for help. They may be able to spare some food

Uther: Out of the Question. As soon as they realize how weak we are our enemies will strike against us

Arthur: You don't know that for certain

Uther: Besides I would rather starve then beg my enemies for help! What of our kingdoms reputation have you no pride?

Arthur: I cannot think of my pride while our people go hungry

I would like to point out that they can just rade valuables for food. Previous episodes have shown Camalot has a thriving trade network. They also have allies they can ask and not enemies but I expect Uther is too prideful to do that. And too afraid it would reveal things if there was a massive uptic in imported food.

No special info on this name.

Poppy was most likley used for this, Perhaps even Opium! Its also a respratory supressant and can explain why Merlin did not realize Arthur was still breathing. Another Possability is Dwale. (Lots of posionus herbs and bile used to not someone out if a limb needed to be removed) However it would have tasted so horrible that Arthur would have made a face. So I'm going with a mixture including poppy or Opium