#I'm training my shadows and black and white stuff

[weaponizedmoth]

Claudia, finally. Inprnt | Instagram | Ko-Fi | IWTV tag.

[dandelion-wings]

I was thinking about a fic I'll never write at the barn this morning, and a line of dialogue required the name of horse breed, which led me very quickly to contemplating horse breeds of Teyvat. Which I have before! But today I got a little more in depth.

Bear with me on spelling issues, I'm on mobile and my phone can't cope with having Tumblr and Firefox open at the same time.

We are starting in Liyue, home of the Karst Pony, which is almost certainly the predecessor breed of all the others listed here and very certainly the oldest extant breed. "Breed" in fact is a loose term, as a number still live wild in the mountains of Jueyun Karst, and domestic and semi-domestic herds kept by small mountain villages (including Qingce Village) tend to have a range of characteristics as the smaller populations start to diverge--but the mountain stock never goes too far from true, as new wild stock is occasionally added either through capture to supplement others or through wild stallions wandering through. The Karst Pony is small, shaggy, sturdy, agile, and smart to a sometimes frustrating extent; they can be ridden, but not by very heavy, or armored, people, and are more often used as beasts of burden. They tend to be dun in the wild, but blacks and grays occasionally pop up, and in domestication are often bred for.

Karst Ponies are the direct ancestors of the Guili Plains Horse, bred to be larger and more refined and used for agriculture and transport on the plains back when Liyue civilization was centered there. The Archon War devastated their population and the changes in Liyuean lifestyle as they moved off the plains and prioritized trade and mining over the sort of agriculture where you need larger horses. However, they are considered a valuable part of Liyue's cultural heritage, and the last two hundred-ish remaining were seized some centuries ago by the Liyue Qixing and used as the base for a government program to revitalize the breed. Today they are primarily used by Millelith officers and couriers, but private individuals have again begun to be allowed to purchase and breed them for their own use. They are known for being steady and intelligent; the breed standard includes a notable Roman nose, and they are primarily dun, buckskin, bay, or black.

The Chenyu Draught is a bit smaller than the Guili Plains Horse, but much heavier, and was likewise bred directly from the Karst Pony; while the Guili Plains breeders wanted a more multi-purpose horse, the Chenyu breeders were aiming exclusively for a workhorse, and Chenyu Draughts are not customarily trained for riding. They are slow, steady animals known for catching a nap whenever they stop long enough, even in harness; they are primarily dun, grey, or black.

Moving on to other nations: the Fontaine Water Horse is in fact a pony by all reasonable standards, but Focalors forbid you call it that to a Fontainian's face. It may arguably be its own branch off some further-distant horse ancestor rather than a descendant of the Karst Pony, though it may also be just a very ancient offshoot, and is the only other wild breed currently extant in Teyvat. It lives wild along the shores of the many islands in southern Fontaine, and is an extremely adept swimmer, with a unique fifth gait that helps it traverse sandy shores swiftly and easily. It is very light-boned, shy and quick to startle, but, in domestic populations acclimated to humans, known to be very mischievous. All Water Horses are white, by which I mean gray (as most 'white' horses without some specific genetic stuff going on are born gray and have their coats pale over time; Water Horses pale out very quickly, within the first two years of life). Their population is a shadow of what it once was, as vast swathes were wiped out by Elynas, and it was largely preserved by a breeding program mandated by the Iudex and conducted in its later stages by Melusines, who released their end result back into the wild.

(Some say say Water Horses were different before the Melusines got involved, but no one can say how. They match the old records in every characteristic. It's just... a vibe.)

While some Water Horses have been domesticated, their size and light frames mean they can only be ridden by small children and Melusines--they are in fact the only horses who will tolerate Melusine handling--the humans of Fontaine used them as base stock to breed a larger horse called the Fontainian Pacer, so called because the Water Horse's unique fifth gait was bred for ardently and exaggerated into a much showier gait that we will call the danse. As with our gaited horses, some breeders have taken this to ridiculous heights, and thus there are two breed 'types'. the Court Pacer has an extremely exaggerated danse and is further bred for looks, being taller, thinner-boned, with a much higher-set head and tail, and often a blue-eyed cremello (one of those whites-with-genetic-stuff), though pale gray and perlino (cremello-adjacent) are both acceptable colors in show; the Classic Pacer is a bit shorter, heavier (relatively speaking, it's still very light), with a less exaggerated gait, exclusively that quickly-paled-out-grey, and overall much closer to the original Water Horse. Both types are not very bright and very flighty.

Which necessitated another, more practical breed for functional use: the Oractrice Charger was originally bred from Chenyu Draughts crossed with the Fontainian Pacer and the Mondstadt Hunter, with some Water Horse in there to get a more water-comfortable animal, though it doesn't have the unique gait and is mostly used in northern Fontaine, where horses are more useful, and as a police horse. It was in fact bred for Maison use, hence the name, though the combination of Fontaine's mekanization and the growing influx of Melusines in the government mean it's slowly been phased out. It's kept alive by rich nobles and its general popularity for outcrosses. It is a reasonably large and heavy animal, though not draft-sized, noted for its good temperament and stolid calm, though it tends to be quite stubborn. They are typically grey, black, bay, or chestnut.

Mondstadt's ancient pony breed is now extinct, but the Stormcrest Pony was definitely an offshoot of the Karst Pony, larger and with much thicker, shaggier coats to survive the pre-Barbatos wilderness. That adaptation meant they were doomed when Barbatos changed the landscape and climate, but they were the base breed, with some added Guili Plains Horse blood (and, given their coloring, probably some Desheret Red), for the Mondstadt Hunter, a medium-weight animal with a good temperament and a lot of energy. They were generally bay, brown, or chestnut, with the 'prototypical' Hunter being liver chestnut, and were bred primarily for hunting, though they were considered good all-purpose riding horses. Unfortunately, they were originally bred and primarily used by the Lawrences, and a combination of that association and a cultural shift to hunting on foot (mostly because hunting on horseback was associated with the aristocracy) led largely to their demise. The main remaining population is actually in Fontaine, where a few nobles liked the imports used to breed the Oratrice Charger enough to maintain their own small breeding programs.

Ragvindr, who I will always headcanon as the reason the Knights have a cavalry company, tried to maintain the breed, but for both political and practical reasons the Ragnvinds had to shift tacks early on. They eventually imported Oratrice Chargers and crossed them with Hunter mares, producing Mondstadt's current all-around horse, the Dawntrotter, a medium-sized animal with a steady temperament that is sturdy enough to serve both as a workhorse on the nation's wineries and a cavalry mount for armored knights. There are three breed 'types,' one nearly a draft and primarily used for winery work, one much lighter and considered an ideal riding mount, and in the middle a dedicated cavalry mount bred exclusively by three stables in Mondstadt, one of them the Dawn Winery. They are primarily bay or chestnut, occasionally brown or black.

Modern Sumeru relies upon the Sumpter Beast, which is comfortable in both jungle and desert, carries many times more than a horse does, and is a much, much easier keeper. However, the historical record makes clear that the desert civilizations once bred what's now known as the Desheret Red, a light, fast, smart, highly independent horse highly endurant in heat and desert conditions. It was exclusively chestnut and presumably contributed its blood to the Mondstadt Hunter simply because those red genes had to come from somewhere. Unfortunately, when the great desert civilizations collapsed, it dwindled into extinction. If any local wild ponies preceded them, they're not on the record, but even those would go back to imported Karst Ponies in the end.

(Rumors of blood-red 'rift horses' seen around the Tunigi Hollow are just that. No one has ever verified that they exist.)

Inazuma has imported horses over the centuries, but they've never been popular there--they don't have the terrain or, more importantly, the pasture space. Largely they've served as status symbols, and fallen out of favor amid the conservative influence Ei's policies exert. In any case, no one has made a dedicated effort to create an Inazuman breed.

Depending on their locations, I like the idea of Snezhnaya and Natlan having descendant breeds of the Stormcrest Pony and Desheret Red respectively, but we'll see! XD

[heartfullofleeches]

Just a random ramble about Cholly. (Also couldn't remember the pronouns so I stuck with He/They since I think I remember those being used but I apologize if it's incorrect!)

My brain is filled with Cholly for some reason and I just imagine them wearing the goofiest halloween costumes. Like the classic ones but having a silly gag. Vampire costume would probably involve them being caught having "blood" on his mouth but he pulls out tomato juice. Frankenstein (I know thats the doctor but for simplicity sake I'm calling the monster that) costume would be normal except he shocks himself with electricity. Unlike Frankenstein however, he shows that skeleton and black border cartoons use as he is zapped. Although his body is a mystery with how they can contort themself so those bones are just for show I'm pretty sure. Ghost costumes would definitely result in him being able to float while wearing it. Like it's just a white sheet over their head but when you pull it off he stays hovering in the air for a second but looks down and falls upon realization he can't fly. I feel like a mummy costume would just be him using toilet paper to wrap up people. He may wear it and then spin it off and wrap another person with it OR instead just pull it out and wrap others. Idk my brain is rotting and I think of the stuff cartoon logic can be applied to and Cholly just fills my brain perfectly.

Sorry if I bothered you with this! Just wanted to ramble a bit about Cholly :D

Never apologize when it comes to rambling about Cholly. I wholeheartedly advocate for more. You don't understand how much I love this goofy toon and would ramble about them daily if I didn't feel I was dumping too much about them at one time. They are so bby girl and such a delight to write for. (For future reference Cholly literally does not care about what pronouns are used for them as they are simply Cholly) For the Ghost costume I could see them doing a gag of drinking "poison" (maybe paint thinner?) and actually "dying" to become a ghost. (They'll be fine so no worries). Still throws on the sheet to spook their darling when the time comes. Probably throws it over their shadow instead and stands behind Reader, transparent and floating a couple inches off the ground. Uses their new abilities to peep on them before missing being able to touch Reader and hoping back in their old skin. - "Whatcha think of my new look?" It's certainly a look. Not the most original, but still quite cute. The trace of the rabbit's pointy ears stick out like a sore thumb from the sheet they wore. You could already imagine their cheeky grin, and the twinkle in their eyes hidden behind those big black circles cut through the blanket. You couldn't wait to see it. "Looking great, Cholly- just one little thing." The Ghost tilts their head, cloth bunching up just enough for you to make a grab at it with zero issue. "What's that?" "I already miss your pretty face." Lunging for the sheet, you yank it off their head in one fell swoop. Your speed surprises even you which boils to confusion as the dust settles. They aren't there. You've seen a number tricks from the colorful character, but there was always some trace of their presence life behind. You look to your right, then your left. "Cholly?" "Still right behind ya, Doll." You spin on your heels. It takes a minute for your eyes to pull away from the blank wall behind you and instead train on the head poking through it. Cholly waves, elbow propped on thin air and hand rested beneath their chin. Watching the quickness of your chest increase, their smile grows. "Hiya, Gorgeous~" You scream. Cholly snickers, eyes shut with the violent bounce of their shoulders. They let a surprise, elated gasp as their eyes widen beneath the see through lense of their kids. "Wow! I can see you even with my eyelids closed! Ghost life just keeps getting better and better." You march over to them, reaching out only to touch solid wall. "Are... are you...?" "Dead?" Cholly scoffs. "Pfft- Course not!.. I mean I am a ghost, but it's a toon thing. I can change back whenever I want to." You let out a sigh of relief. "Good..." "By the way.... If you ever need a hand in the shower, I could lean two. Missed a couple spots while you were in there earlier." "Cholly!" "Think I hear the stove runnin'. Better go catch. Catch ya later, Gorgeous." Bringing their hands up to the sides of your face, you feel the ghostly imprint of their lips upon yours. Only downside to their new form was they couldn't kiss you with the intensity and passion brew inside them whenever in your company. They wink as your brain redirects from the sweet gesture back to the topic of their little peeping session, and fazes out through the wall before you had the chance to chew them out.

[wonder-doughnut]

A small collection of my favorite Reds from the official comic. I erased anything that could be kinda spoilery because the comic came out today (kinda, it depends on where you live. I got the email at around 8pm, 6-24-24. It was probably during the day in Japan). They clearly had too many artists working on it and the art styles are very inconsistent. I liked the art of the last chapter the most.

Some things we learn as well as some special highlights that occur in the comic, mild spoilers:

There are doughnuts, and it's funny as hell.

Blue gets strangled in a "kinky" kinda way and it's adorable. I use "kinky" very loosely here.

Meanwhile, the doughnut scenario is incredibly kinky if you're into the same stuff I'm into (if only Red was in that scene).

Blue is rude to a dog, surprisingly and also unsurprisingly.

A dog also gets strangled. It's disgusting and disturbing.

Blue flirts with some random woman during a high speed chase.

Apparently the Wonder-Liner works on animals. It's a shame that never happened in the game.

Luka definitely has a crush on Sue. That was pretty clear in his spin-off title, too.

Red does not decorate his classroom at all. It's very sterile.

White and Yellow just hang out sometimes? They appear to enjoy training together.

Wonder-Black gives a thumbs-up, specifically to a dog, and it's adorable.

Commander Nelson's eyes are only seen in the game once, and in shadow. They appear clearly in the comic in the first panel you see him in and it kinda diminishes the weight of their exposure.

Vorkken eats a cherry, and makes a cute full-cheeks face that is absolutely precious.

The accuracy of characterization in their body language is very good in the epilogue.

[shadowphoenixrider]

All Maid Up

(Who knew that this would all result from Gambit losing a bet? Shadow discovers something new about the Cajun, the Cajun discovers something new about her, and would you believe it all involves a French maid dress?) (Look I saw a silly comic panel, it gave me an idea and it has been living in my head rent-free until I finally wrote it out. Also shout-out to @driftinglightofthewoods for inspiring me to extend this. And also just in generally for joining me in our X-Men shenanigans. Go read her stuff too, it's great.)

"Gambit," Shadow exclaimed with exasperation, "what are you doing?"

The Cajun rolled over to face her, grinning widely as he shot her an alluring look. He was clad in an infamous short, knee-length black dress with a white petticoat and half-apron and sheer black stockings that went all the way up his shapely muscled legs.

"Ah, mon amie!" He cried brightly. "Gambit is, how ya say, de sexy French maid, non?"

Laughter bubbled out of Shadow as he wiggled his eyebrows, shaking her head as she stepped over to the bed he was sprawled enticingly on.

"So I see." Shadow let her eyes wander over him, and Gambit basked under her gaze like a smug cat. "What brought this on?"

"Lost a bet." He explained, dark eyes watching her intently. She arched an eyebrow.

"Gambit? Lose a bet? Is it getting cold in Hell?"

It was his turn to chuckle richly.

"Don' mind losin' dis one." He flattened the skirts down as she approached his feet. "Shadow!"

"What?" She chuckled at his scandalised tone.

"Be rude to look up a man's skirt!" He admonished her, a playful sparkle in his eyes.

"A scoundrel like you is worried about proprietary now?" Laughed Shadow, climbing onto bed next to him. "Mister 'Let's fuck in the locker room where anyone could walk in' LeBeau?"

"Didn' hear ya complainin', Miss 'Let's finish up in de showers'." Was his quick retort.

"Neither were you when I had your cock in my mouth." She grinned triumphantly when she saw his eyes flash - their sparring was getting to him in all the right ways. She blinked slowly, deciding to change tack. "Anyway, where'd you get this stuff? Do you have some like 'disguises to go' stashed away somewhere?"

"Nothin' as elaborate as dis, chère." He replied, seemingly content to follow her train of thought. "Disguises are better subtle, in Gambit's experience." Mischief sparkled in his eyes. "As for where? Well, Gambit's gotta have his secrets, chère."

"Aw, c'mon!" She cried. "This is good quality too, where did you get them?" Shadow pouted as he shook his head at her. "Damnit."

An idea suddenly occurred to her, and she turned her head away, feigning disappointment. "Oh, well...I did have some ideas about spicing up our nights together, but I guess I'll have to give up on them without details about where to get the uniforms..." She said, sighing dramatically.

Gambit arched an eyebrow.

"Nice try, petite canaille." He purred, flashing her a wry smirk. "But Gambit not one for uniforms." He winked.

"Oh that's a lie and you know it!" She cried, prodding his chest as he barked out a laugh. "This coming from the guy who can barely keep his hands off me when I'm in my suit!"

"Now dat's different!" Gambit insisted. "Dat suit not a uniform!"

"Yes it is! It's our uniform! The X-Men uniform!"

"Shadow, none of us wear de same thin'. An' de backup suit don' count!"

She snorted, folding her arms.

"You are the worst."

"Ahh, mon ombre," the Cajun crooned, sliding his arm around her narrow waist. "You love it really. Dese little dances of ours..."

He fluttered his eyelashes at her, his mutant eyes brimming with 'innocence'. Shadow couldn't resist the smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she held his gaze, especially when he leaned in, grinning. She pushed his face away, blushing.

"Twat." She sighed, her smile broadening as he laughed. "Yeah, I do. Silver tongued devil."

"Oh, and you love dat tongue, don'tcha...?" And in a second, all pretence was dropped. Gambit had returned to his sultry manner, slowly and seductively licking his lips. Shadow rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." A brief silence settled over them. "So... now what?"

Gambit frowned.

"Gotta admit, mon amie...Didn' think any further den dis."

"So did it essentially go: 'get maid outfit, surprise Shadow, question mark, profit'?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah, kinda." He chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess you like it?" He asked. Shadow smiled, running her hand delicately over his skirt.

"I do. It's very pretty, and you fill it out really well." She chuckled. "I think you look better in a dress than I do!"

"Never seen ya in a dress." Gambit commented, propping his head up on his hand. "Not for you?"

"Nah. Been a tomboy ever since I could demand to be." She replied, pulling her knees up to hug. "Always had a bit of an issue with feminine things, honestly. Took me a while and the help of my friends to sorta...become comfortable being me." She rested her chin on her knees, Gambit watching intently. "I kinda envy you, you know."

One of his thick dark eyebrows quirked up.

"You do?"

"Yeah," she said softly, nodding. "You are so comfortable in your skin. Nothing seems to faze you." Shadow smiled. "Wish I could have your confidence."

"Ya have ya own confidence, chère." Gambit said, sitting up and shifting closer to her. "Jus' 'cos yours be quieter den Gambit's don' mean it ain't there."

"How'd you mean?" She asked. He smiled softly.

"Ya know who you are, Shadow," he said. "You're honest with yourself, never try'n be somethin' you're not. Dere be no lies with you." He brushed a lock of hair from her face. "What ya see be what ya get."

Shadow felt a blush heat her face, smiling shyly.

"Thank you. You're...very kind." She mumbled. Gambit leaned forwards, gently pressing his forehead against her's.

"Jus' tellin' it how it is, petite," he said softly, pressing a kiss to her lips.

They lingered in the casual give and take, enjoying the peaceful moment. At least, until Gambit's hands began to wander below Shadow's waist, curling around her backside.

"Bored already?" She asked, unable to resist a giggle. He smirked back, pulling her closer.

"Never bored with you, mon ombre." He purred, nuzzling into her neck, feathering kisses along her pulse line. She sank her fingers into his hair, gently rubbing her fingertips against his scalp, smiling at soft sigh it elicited.

"Gambit..."

"Jus' five minutes, chère..." He murmured. "Jus' give Gambit five minutes..."

Shadow sighed, a smile growing over her lips. I cannot resist this Cajun, can I?

"Okay. Just five minutes." She let him push her gently back onto the bed, and then Shadow didn't really think any more.

---

"So run me through this plan again, Slim." Wolverine spoke, folding his arms. Gambit listened in, one eye on the stairs, and the other on the new deck of cards he was breaking in between his fingers.

"One team is infiltrating the baron's mansion with the help of a mole pretending to be one of the maid staff. They will disable security and locate records for the trafficking operation." Cyclops explained. "The second team is on standby to help break-out any mutants trapped in the ring, and get them to safety. As well as back-up the mole in case something goes wrong."

"Who's the mole?" Wolverine asked.

"Shadow volunteered to be the mole for this mission." Said Cyclops matter-of-factly.

"Merde!" Gambit's finger slipped, the cards spilling out of his hands onto the ground.

"Of course that would get your attention, Gumbo." Wolverine leered at him as he collected them up. Gambit shot a glare back at him.

"Ya sure dis a good idea, Cyclops?" He asked, straightening back up. "Sure, this rich guy got some weird tastes an' all, but I dunno if she be able to carry dis off so easy."

"First time I ever heard a guy not chompin' at the bit 'bout his gal dressin' up pretty for him." Rogue commented with a smirk. "Ya feelin' alright, Remy?"

"I'm serious!" He retorted. "I jus' think-"

"Um, am I interrupting anything?" Shadow's voice silenced any further discussion, all eyes snapping to her.

She stood awkwardly in the middle of stairs, neatly dressed in the traditional black maid dress with the white apron and white stockings. It was certainly a pretty outfit on an equally pretty woman. And yet...

"You look...good!" Cyclops commented. The others murmured in uncertain agreement.

The picture was wrong, and even their uptight leader sensed it. The longer Gambit looked at her, the worst it got, and his skin crawled uncomfortably. He met her gaze, and whilst her lips curled up into a smile, he didn't see a single spark in her blue eyes. He might not have Shadow's power to hear someone's body crying out in pain, but he could certainly hear hers crying out in sheer terror.

"Nope, non." Gambit declared, shaking his head. "Dis ain't gonna work, mon amie. Ya look so uncomfortable." Pocketing his cards, he strode up the stairs two at a time before anyone could protest. "Go put ya suit back on, chère." A relieved smile spread across her face, and he swore she sighed.

"Wait, Gambit!" Cyclops interjected as Shadow scampered up the stairs. "What about-"

"I be your mole, mes amis!" The Cajun yelled back down to them as he turned on his heel, following in Shadow's wake. "Let Ol' Gambit show you how it's done."

---

"I can't believe that worked." Cyclops commented, casting his gaze over his team and the handful of mutants they'd rescued from the dark operation in the belly of a wealthy baron's fancy mansion house, to whom mutant lives were nothing but currency. Shadow finished the final hand-over to the paramedics and made her way over to their man (or should that be 'maid'?) of the hour.

Even now, Gambit looked...Cyclops would have put money on the Cajun mutant looking passable as a maid, but he didn't expect him to look stunning. Witnessing Gambit's normally infuriatingly flirty manner become coquettish, twirling his red-brown hair coyly around his fingers as the baron had taken particular interest in his new mutant servant had been a sight to see. Even more so when he'd invited Remy straight into the heart of his operations - just in time for him to be put down for the count by a charged card stashed in Remy's tights.

Cyclops shook his head. He hated when Gambit was right; the Cajun would never let him hear the end of this.

"Everything okay?" Shadow asked, Gambit glancing up from inspecting something under his skirt.

"It fine chère, jus' thought Gambit got a ladder in his tights afta dat brawl." He flashed her a smile, going back to his task. "Cost more den ya think for a good pair dat fits Gambit."

"'Costs'?" Shadow grinned with amusement, folding her arms. "I didn't know the great Remy LeBeau pays for things!"

He gave her a Look, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Gambit don't steal everythin', chère. An' not from dose jus' try'n earn a livin'."

Shadow's lips twitched, resisting the urge to blurt something out. Instead, her eyes roved over him.

"Didn't ever think I'd see that dress again, especially like this," she said, before she smiled. "Thank you, by the way."

He looked up.

"What for?"

"For taking my place." She folded her arms tighter around herself, staring at her boots. "You were right. It wouldn't've worked with me. I was so nervous and uncomfortable."

"Thought so." Gambit said kindly, straightening up to look at her properly. "Didn' like seeing ya like dat. Ya very brave to volunteer, but..." He shook his head, face falling. "Better dat you were wit Cyclop's team."

"Yeah." Shadow nodded. "I wanted to help more, though, be more than just 'the medic'. And..." She hesitated, glancing away for a moment and wetting her lips. "I thought you'd like it."

Gambit blinked at her.

"You...you thought dat Gambit..." He trailed off, brows furrowing in thought as he looked her over. "Non. Mighta been de first time I got t' see ya in a dress, but..." He shook his head. "I get why ya don't wear 'em. Dey ain't you." He reached out, placing a hand on hers. "N-Not dat you don't look pretty in it, o' course."

A smile tugged at the corner of Shadow's mouth.

"It's fine, Gambit. You don't have to reassure me or anything." She opened her mouth to say more, then thought better of it, curling her hand around his. "You look really good in this."

"Thank you, chère." Gambit smiled warmly, a sparkle in his eyes. "Pretty gorgeous yaself."

"Alright you two lovebirds, it's time to head back!" Wolverine's gruff voice startled them apart.

"Twat." Shadow cursed, causing Gambit bark out a laugh. "But he's right. Best we get back so you can change into something more comfortable."

"Oh contraire mon amie, Gambit had some...other ideas." The Cajun flashed her a dark, devious grin as his voice sunk into an enticing low purr.

Shadow shook her head, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

"Of course you do..."

[monstrifex-art]

During your art challenge stuff like Vivid Shadows, how do you typically keep up motivation to continue doing it every single day? Because it’s been a struggle to keep writing stuff every single day. Granted this is my first time doing this, but I was wondering if you had any way you prevent creative burnout from doing these.

I have thoughts on this lol. There's a few ways. First a disclaimer, I started working on these Vivid Shadows pieces about a month ago. I have up through day 19 done right now (cough see them early on patreon cough). So I've been spacing these out a bit more than one every other day. I have done the challenge day by day before, and it's doable. But I'm a busy adult that needs to pay bills, and I like to give myself some cushion. But with that established, here are some thoughts I have. 1. Collaborators and Witnesses I doubt I could find the motivation to do these kinds of big projects if I didn't have friends and collaborators doing them with me. This is different for everyone, but I find I'm much more productive when I have someone else to bounce ideas off of, send WIPs to, and honestly to judge me when I don't meet my goals. This can be a friend you're working with, or a discord server where you share updates, or any other online community that you're a part of. 2. Effort Budgeting For big series like Vivid Shadows or longer comics with a lot of panels, I do not put all my effort into every piece. There's just no way. I consciously choose to half ass some things, and tell myself "eh, good enough" even if I know I can spend more time polishing. It is infinitely better to finish a piece at 60% of your full power than to pour all your heart into a project that never sees the light of day. If you feel up to it, you can spend more effort on some select parts that really make you happy. But those should be the exception, not the rule. And the more projects you finish, the better your half-assed work will become. 3. Creative Limitations You have to define some bounding rules for your project, or you'll get stuck with decision paralysis and scope creep. For Vivid Shadows, the rules I use are pretty simple. Each day has a prompt, one color to use, set dimensions and a hard deadline. I mostly use a limited palette (3 colors + black or white) because I know I can spend hours and hours shading and coloring otherwise. Limitations foster creativity. If you have a tight frame around what you can do, your brain comes up with way more ideas. 4. Keep an eye on the clock Part of what I like about projects like Vivid Shadows is that they have built in deadlines. I know I have to wrap things up by a certain day and time, and if it isn't perfect then so be it. I've done enough creative work to know roughly how much I can get done in a certain amount of time, which is very helpful for planning. The program I use for drawing has a built-in clock that tracks time spent on each document, which is a godsend. 5. Find your own methods This is all just stuff that helps me, but everyone's brain works in different ways. It absolutely takes practice to enter creative mode at will, rather than when the stars align and you feel inspired. Start with small projects, and as you train yourself you can eventually finish larger ones. Remember, something small and finished is always better than something grand that never gets done. Also worth mentioning, find the things that light up your brain. Personally, I've found that making my art horny is a powerful motivator for my creativity. In addition to the obvious neuron activation, I find it very satisfying to explore the boundaries of what I find attractive, like a mad scientist or detective. 6. Keep it fun! None of this will work if you don't enjoy the project. There may be parts you don't enjoy, but overall the project should bring you joy. If the project isn't fun, change it or drop it and start one that is. You don't owe your past self anything. Even if you abandon a project, the work you put into it is good practice for your next thing. Make work you like, and move on. Hope this helps! Good luck on your project 🙌

[rottingraisins]

ur colors r so good and so vivid and beautiful all your art really stands out to me, it’s so bright and vibrant and brimming with character. howd u get so good w color?

thank you! and hm good question. I think like anything its ultimately just practice but thinking on it there's a few things that helped 4 me that I don't see mentioned a lot:

the single most important thing that made my art improve almost immediately once I realized it is that you can legitimately do fucking whatever. I think a lot of younger artists that look at like social media art tutorials a lot get it in their heads that there's a single perfect "system" that art functions in, like using a particular brush for lineart, a particular color and overlay filter to shade and highlight, a particular way to draw noses or hair or hands and while I think this certainly works for some people and even kinda happens automatically as you get better at art bc you create shortcuts for yourself you shouldn't really try to force it! I think the mark of a good artist is being able to vary these things, sometimes even within the same piece, and this goes doubly for color bc when you know how to use it well it can shift the mood of a painting a lot! Unless you're going for realism you can always say fuck it; red skin, purple shadows, green highlights. Whatever gets across the feeling you're going for y'know!

learning some basic color theory is obviously super important. I'm not gonna break it down here bc there's like hundreds of youtube videos on it but smth I recommend looking into is the distinction between local and non-local color! It'll help you start looking at art with more of an analytical eye so you can figure out what exactly artists you like are doing so you can try to imitate it in your own work. I personally learned a lot of what I know abt color from post-impressionist painters like Les Nabis, Toulouse-Lautrec, etc but you could just as well look at more contemporary art or even other people on social media

smth that helped me a lot is learning how to mix my own paint! I really think you only really need a handful of base colors (red, blue, yellow, green, pink, sienna, black and white) and should mix everything else from there. Those huge gouache or watercolor paint sets look very pretty but ultimately are mostly just a lot more expensive than they need to be, and mixing the paint yourself helps you figure out a lot about what base colors actually make up a certain hue. This knowledge even carries over into digital art bc the color wheel you have in most art programs is based off of traditional paint mixing so by familiarizing yourself with that you're simultaneously getting better at colorpicking! I used to be a digital-only artist and I saw a huge improvement in my digital art once I started working traditionally

I hope these helped somewhat! I should reiterate I'm not really classically trained in art at all and these are just what helped me figure stuff out! I've found a lot of it is just trying at it until you find something that works for you but maybe this'll speed it along :]

[starlightshadowsworld]

Poppy Playtime chapter 3's 2nd teaser is out and holyshit this thing is dark.

Like we know from the last one it's dark but this is dark.

These are my initial thoughts while talking bout it.

We see our beloved train, tipped over and on fire.

Great start.

And a sign that we are very clearly in Play care.

Which is where, way back in Chapter 2 the train we were aboard crashed into.

And shout out to Huggy, poor guy is going through it.

His head is on a pike and his body is just on the floor splayed with blood.

And from the claw marks he was dragged.

Preseumbly by the beast in the thumbnail?

There's black and white pictures of what I assume are children.

Children's drawings saying unnerving and sad stuff.

Mostly about being afraid, being abandoned etc.

Oh yeah and there's words on the wall, what I zoomed in on were the phrases:

"the original saved us"

"I live to serve our angel of salvation"

👀

Which sounds like we're in for a good ol fashioned cult.

Insert the obligatory if I had a £1 for everytime an indie horror game based on children's entertainment.

Ended up with writing on the wall, talk of an angel and a being of salvation.

I'd have £2.

And I'm here for it.

Also I'm assuming by "original" they mean the prototype.

And I may be reaching but it even looks like candles on the floor....

Which is sus.

What also stood out to me on the wall was the phrase:

"Never forget the hour of Joy"

Because we've seen a similiar phrase to this before.

Its actually in the tunnels in the RESTRICTED_location_08-08-1995.mp4 video on Mob Entertainment's YouTube channel.

Which is the one where Kissy is strapped to the train.

Where the words "The Hour Of Joy Is At Hand" is on the wall.

We get a shadow of some kind of amalgamation of different toy parts.

Can see what looks like a wuggy head, arms that look like their from mommy long legs.

Which could be the prototypes full form.

Given how mommy says "What have you done! He'll make me part of him"

Before being dragged away by the Protypes claw in Chapter 2.

And we get a good ol jumpscare at the end.

Complete with glowing white eyes.

Not that I can figure out what it is, it's too dark.

... Might be the Fnaf fan in me but I was like... Is that a bunny?

It's preseumbly the monster in the thumbnail.

Before red gas appears.

We know this chapter will feature a gas mask, since that was the focus of the first trailer.

They're are ongoing theories that this gas could be how the kids were fused with the toys.

Given the first experiment we see, 814 dealt with poppy flowers.

And you know... Poppy Playtime. With Poppy the doll named after how her hair is supposed to smell like poppy flowers.

And that Poppy flowers don't have a scent unless your talking about Opium Poppies.

And how they were used in this era as soothers and things used to put kids to sleep.

To over simplify.

Speaking of sleep, we get a red Poppy playtime chapter 3 title screen.

Now with the subtitle, Deep Sleep.

👀 So we might be on the right track.

And a release for Winter 2023.

I am pumped man, like Ruin came out and now this it's a good year for indie horror games.

Can't wait to see what happens.

[totaleclipse573]

Okay but so can you make (or link me to) a post going over your OCs cause i am in constant confusion whenever i see them 😭

Well, if you want more info on the more lore-heavy oc's (Terios and Doleon) to get somewhat of an idea, they each have tags! They're :

#terios lore

#doleon lore? (with the question mark lmao)

Has a bunch of stuff there on them. I'd link you to the Terios lore post from some time ago but some of the stuff on there is really incomplete/some parts are inaccurate due to that now. I'd be happy to tell you about my silly little oc's though! (And maybe a refresher in case anyone needs it)

I'm warning you. This WILL be long 😅 Mainly because of Terios. It's all part of an alt canon of mine (Oc Universe au) and I have a lot of oc's. GRAB SNACKS.

DOLEON

Starting with him, because he plays a HUGE part in Terios' lore and story

Essentially, he's the Black Doom of this au. (Fun fact : he was created because I had no idea how to draw actual Black Doom, nor had the energy to learn, so I made him a hedgehog/alien thing. Then I got to thinking and now he has his own separate lore jhsdbfbkjdb. It's a bit complicated.)

Centuries ago, he had six other brothers (who also each have their own tag, just their names) https://www.tumblr.com/totaleclipse573/739530015615664128/can-i-dump-some-lore-on-yall-real-quick-actually?source=share

This explains everything pretty well I think. Still check out the tag itself if you'd like more info! (You should probably know for later, this guy right here is the definition of "I ALWAYS COME BACK >:D")

Personality wise, he's very egotistical, has a burning hatred for humans and humanity, and is always seeking power. He tends to see himself as much more intelligent and overall better than others (even though some *cough cough Starline cough* perceive him as dumb due to not knowing much about Earth or how things work on this planet.) While sometimes impulsive, he also really knows how to put up a good battle strategy wise. As of now, he (along with Shadow, Eclipse and Terios,) are the only remaining Black Arms left. (ALSO AS OF NOW : he met Starline, WHO IS TOTALLY ALIVE AFTER ISSUE 50, and they decided to form a partnership for each others own secret benefits, planning to stab one another in the back afterwards. They never do 😭 They're just really gay 😭)

TERIOS

(Cw for child abuse)

2000+ years after the Doleon shards incident, Terios is the accidental twin to Shadow, the initial project being rather mysteriously cloned. The only real explanation found had something to do with energy. This "clone" looked a bit off, with features that pointed to the idea that it seemed to hold more Black Arms DNA (ex. long pointed tail, all sharp teeth, green blooded, clawed fingers.)

But Doleon takes notice to that little mistake in the process. He can use that to his advantage. A pact is rather forcibly made, once the now two projects are finished, Doleon is entitled to one of them to use for his own purposes. He's part of the reason they even exist. He can make things happen if he doesn't get his way. (Geraldoom divorce arc /j)

He takes the black and white-striped one (who doesn't seem to want to be away from its twin it only JUST met, annoyingly.) It seems to be the exact opposite of it's twin, who is loud and confident. It (he can't keep calling this thing an it, for Supreme's sake...his name is Terios now) should be easier for what he has planned.

So while Shadow grew on the ARK, Terios grew on the Black Comet. And uh..............it was rough. He's essentially a victim of child abuse and a hell of a lot of manipulation. Brainwashed for years.

Doleon has Terios for his future plans now, but the downside on his end is that he now actually has to "care" for this small child until he’s old enough to begin his training.

But uh. Well...

Here's something from his lore tag regarding...a certain huge part of his lore

And some art of bitty him

Terios (and Shadow) grew rather quickly (in terms of appearance.) Doleon took that as a sign of "he's old enough" and the brutal and quite frankly traumatizing training began. He would be the BEST, and this was the way to make sure of that. He could never mess up, never make a mistake, he had to be perfect. And he made sure Terios knew that too. Every mistake he made would get him clawed at. The more severe the mistake, more likely the deeper the gash. (Learn how to heal yourself with that energy...or don't, and suffer. Sometimes, if his mistake was so bad, he wouldn't even be allowed to heal with the energy.) It was always on one of his arms or on his face. More often would he get shouted at, grabbed and tossed to the ground like some kind of rag doll. The lesson he eventually had to learn?

Don't ever mess up. On anything. Expect pain and suffering otherwise.

There's also this one other little habit he was eased into...

He doesn't hate his father for these things though. He still cares deeply for him and doesn't ever wish to disappoint him, as he's been doing. Father's doing this for a good reason...! Terios would soon be passed the honor of the power the Shards of Chaos hold, he needed a lot of training and discipline to be able to handle that...!

And that's what he told himself. Every. Time.

This goes on for a few years, and he's gotten much better with his training (he pretty much had to, the injuries weren't healing fast enough.) He rarely speaks unless told to, he's terribly obedient, he's tired, he's hurting, but it doesn't matter. He's what he's supposed to be! He's finally near perfection! (Except for these weird sparks and bursts of shard energy he gets whenever he feels sad...or angry...maybe he could just drown that out?)

Then things get crazy bc Tikal is here now. LET ME EXPLAIN PLEASE-(I first made Terios' story when I was like, ten years old? XD He's a revived oc)

Short summary : In this AU, Tikal is more like a free-ranging spirit. Tikal knew Doleon and his brothers, way back then. She was a ghost and could somehow get through the strange barrier of this little area the brothers were confined to, so they became friends! Tikal, Kieran and Doleon specifically. She wasn't around for when the others were killed, but the last person she saw was Kieran once the barrier was no longer there. That wasn't the only thing that was broken.

Since she already knew Doleon and what he had done in the past, she knew he had no good intentions. While he was away from Terios, she appeared before the Darkhog, alerting and telling him of what the shards really were, and what they could do to a person. And Terios, of course, started to panic. Was he being corrupted right now? Was he ALREADY corrupted? He needed to escape. But how? There was no escape. 

Luckily for Terios, Tikal’s spirit was able to transport him back to where he was created, the ARK (not without Doleon putting up a fight of course.) Unluckily, however, at the time he was transported there, the whole ARK fiasco was going on, and Maria had already sent Shadow down to Earth and stuff. Now there were only G.U.N. soldiers, and they spotted him, calling him “Project Shard," for some reason (He had a separate file. There can't be TWO Project Shadow's) So he tries to run from them, but can’t, and they catch up to him. Soon enough, they lock him up in a facility, putting him into cryostasis. 

Skip about...54 (???) years (4 years after SA2) and Terios is about to be released for nothing good. And guess what.

There's a one shot for one of the parts I randomly felt like writing out one day :D

This leads up to months of subtle brainwashing (aGAIN) and being brought back to his old mentalities until Terios just HATES that one hedgehog he's never met (gee doesn't that sound a bit like another irrelevant plotline of mine-) He's fully loyal to the Black Arms and to his kind only! Finding the Shards...for Doleon...that's his destiny. That's why he exists!

And so when they finally arrive to conquer earth (and find the remaining shards,) Terios is sent out to do his job. Except he meets people. Whoops.

The first person he ever met was Rouge, out on the streets of Westopolis. She just kind of...appeared? Upside down? Flying? Apparently, she'd seen him around. The things he could do...and she'd like his assistance in a little something. She was getting in his way, he could NOT be sidetracked by some bat.

He got sidetracked by some bat. The power of Rouge everybody. (But its okay because he didn't realize it. No panic attack here.) He still found one of the Shards afterwards! She led him to it, almost...surely a coincidence. Unless she was looking for them too? For some reason? WHY WAS SHE BEING NICE TO HIM ANYWAY??? WHAT TRICKERY WAS THIS??

...Not bad, though. If his tail would stop MOVING LIKE THAT FOR AT LEAST FIVE SECONDS, THOUGH, IT WOULD BE NICER.

Going back to Doleon with the shard, he should've expected somewhat of a lecture for socializing with allies of the enemy. AND OF COURSE, he got that. He's lucky he came back with the shard...he won't be punished.

After that, Ter, being sent out to the same place as a current horde of Black Arms soldiers, runs into Tails after going astray. Lecture down the drain, somewhat. What’s his name? Why is his tail so long? Can he use it in battle? Does he have any powers? He could ask questions all day if it weren’t for Terios starting to look overwhelmed by them (which gets an apology)

All the sudden, that horde of Black Arms start raiding the area Tails and Terios are in, so Tails, knowing this as current danger, grabs Terios by the hand and tells him he knows a safe, inside place.

A more simplified summary of events that come after all this because this is getting too long already sdbjbjkacvhjj

Terios says he has to go and this happens :

(that last part will become relevant in just a bit....)

More shard hunting

Doleon is harder on Terios now that Shadow is out of the picture. He isn't STUPID, Terios, he KNOWS what you've been doing. You keep derailing. Making mistakes. You know exactly where that leads.

Terios is quite literally beaten some sense into and this is the result :

Terios soon realizes Doleon PROBABLY isn't actually trying to help him at all, and instead joines the heroes in an attempt to stop him. He's with them for a while, starts to get somewhat comfortable around them...enough so that his real self starts showing.

And it confuses most. So you mean to say, this weird looking alien hybrid thing that only first showed himself in an attempt to brutally murder Shadow, had an alliance with Doom and the Black Arms from the start, and showed nothing but pure loyalty to them, even to go so far as to declare his actions in their name for the better? He's actually just this...guy. That was really, really badly manipulated.

Look at the way he came in. Even if he wouldn't specify where all those injuries came from, he was obviously treated like garbage. Just something to be used and then thrown aside. But oddly enough, he felt safe around these people. They were supposed to be the enemy!! Just another lie. He could change!! He could be better. Not the kind of better Doleon expected him to be, the kind of better that really just felt like the right thing now.

But hoooooooooooo when Doleon finds out about this.

Terios goes back into the comet after a while of being gone, its noticeable and he's mentally beating himself up about being so stupid. It's part of the plan, though. He'll go in first, so that the others remain unnoticed. Doleon has known about everything. And, if this kid won't LISTEN, he'll just have to MAKE HIM. His mental barriers were always weak anyway...he was the one to really mold the Darkhog into that for convenience.

Um.................angst...............it naturally follows :

When the others see him walking back out again they're confused. What is he DOING?? This isn't part of what they planned at all!

Until Doleon makes himself known as well and says something like "I only took back what belongs to me! It was rightfully mine from the start..." or some other CLEARLY rage-inducing thing. It gets on Shadow's nerves specifically sooooooooo bad, the way Doleon is speaking of Terios. Doesn't matter what they do, though. Terios won't listen. He won't speak. Everything else is blocked out. He belongs here. It's where he's always belonged. He's safe now. This is all he needs. He's home again.

And if it's what the Master told him, wanted of him, he would do anything to prove his loyalty. Anything.

He's forced to fight them, and they're forced to find some kind of way to snap him out of it before he can hurt anyone. He seems to be specifically going after Shadow for the kill, though.

Once he DOES get snapped out of it, he feels IMMENSE guilt. He can see how he hurt some of them, even if it was only a little. And that hurts him

APPARENTLY DOLEON OVER HERE WAS JUST HAVING SOME FUN, BECAUSE ONLY AFTER THIS DOES HE BRING OUT THE SHARDS AND GAIN A NEW FORM ENTIRELY TO FINALLY ENACT HIS END GOAL. Luckily Shadow has the Chaos Emeralds >:D Terios, though? Still terrified, and even more so now. WHAT IS A SUPER FORM?!?!?! He might need some help...

So they have to defeat Doleon in their super forms but Terios is still very new to the concept of chaos energy and super forms and such (he's far more shard energy than chaos energy,) and there may or may not be a scene somewhat reminiscent of that one SA2 scene in my head except no one dies. HOORAY!

And after all that, Terios can finally learn to be himself with his new allies, which leads to his redemption arc!

This part of his story moreso revolves around Terios learning to break free from what had happened before, and learn to better himself with the help of others. He also needs to learn some decent self care (whether it be simple things like taking better care of his fur, or more complex things like learning to accept help with his current mental state.)

At first, he’s still a bit paranoid about everything that happened. He’s worried Doleon could somehow come back at any moment, that the Black Arms could return along with him, that he would be forcibly dragged back in again, even after his life had only just started getting better (oH the nightmare scenes.) Luckily for him, though, now he has people that can actually help with these fears, and he eventually does feel ready to try and move on. Then he feels comfortable enough to start meeting people, and interacts with more of the cast!

This is also the time where he meets Eclipse and the Dark Arms! Short summary : Terios wants to do a Steven Universe and help Eclipse the way all the others helped him. Terios just kinda randomly stumbled into him while he was out one day and got VERY much lost. Eclipse doesn't like him and his sappy “I can help you bc power of friendship!” attitude at first, but then he's able to sense Terios' connection to the hivemind. It feels a bit different than Shadow. So now he's pretty curious as to why and starts asking Terios questions. Eventually Eclipse kinda grows to like Terios, this hybrid is actually nice to him, for some reason. But then Shadow finds them. You can probably tell where that goes (It’s bad for a long while, but it eventually ends with Shadow, Eclipse and Terios all living together bc they're brothers, it’s my own little canon and I can do as I wish XD)

Some redemption arc stuff I've talked about :

Aaaaand a little something about the way he behaves, even now :

Theres one more relevant story arc for him after this, and thats the "Doom arc" I rarely talk about. So shortened version : Shards of Chaos need a new host, they literally POSSESS Terios to do so (since he already has an established connection to them,) Doleon ends up being revived by the energy anyway, due to corruption, Tikal comes back, Espio becomes a sort of mentor for Terios post-possession so he can learn how to manage his newfound unstableness, aaaaand...yeah XD Like I said, this part is more in my head than written. The possessed form is still able to be accessed, very rarely, since Ter can't control it in the slightest.

And so now he's....the way he is! He is him :D He's shy, lacking in confidence, somewhat naïve due to wanting to see the good in everyone, and rather pacifistic, a surprising trait for that of Black Arms descent. He's very sweet, but can be angered on rare occasions. And when that rare occasion happens : start running.

I also gave him a speech disorder, specifically trauma-induced stuttering. He doesn't like it since it makes him sound nervous all the time, but otherwise, he doesn't mind, barely ever notices anymore. I did a lot of research just to be able to portray it accurately (I hope)

I know this was long, but I really just wanted to be able to explain everything clearly. I have other oc's that are FAR less complex, which is most of the others, so if you want, that'll probably have to be like a part two post 😅 Hope you found my oc rambling at least somewhat interesting! (I also hope it isn't too confusing 😭)

[blazeofnight]

PotO Italy (Trieste) review - Act 2

We did enter the intermission with high spirits: All I Ask of You did get us interested and on board, and despite some disappointing or confusing choices the first act was overall enjoyable. The solid vocal and acting performances surely didn't hurt, either.

No pictures this time since I'm at work and can't access Instagram, I'll add them later if I remember. You can find the review for Act 1 here.

The same disclaimer applies: I have not seen other replica productions in full, only pictures, but I have seen the West End production in March. I do consider using Broadway/West End/replica productions as the one and true standard to judge non-replicas unfair in general, but I think it's fair to use them as a comparison to try and understand how these changes affect character dynamics and stuff like that, and to help in trying to understand the reasoning behind the choices made.

My visual memory is VERY poor, so if you've seen the show too and notice I remember something wrong please tell me so I can correct it! Also this is a long post, so please consider how much you want to scroll before clicking the read more.

MASQUERADE/WHY SO SILENT

There are a couple of videos of Masquerade floating around, so I believe everyone interested in this specific scene already has seen them. I have to say that the videos and pictures do not capture just how a light, peaceful and joyous moment it is.

After ending Act 1 with ominous red lighting and a lot of sharp shadows, Act 2 opens with a soft diffused light, slightly yellow as to mimic sunlight. In the beginning they turned on the little constellation lights in the ceilings, and it was absolutely beautiful! Then as the song progressed the lighting got a bit stronger and they also used some of the seating are alights, to create this impression of the stage being bigger and almost overflowing towards the audience. For a split second, it did feel as if we too were part of what was going on on stage.

The scene opens as always with Firmin and André covered by cloaks and recognizing each other. André is wearing a regular fancy suit, and Firmin reveals a super poofy and VERY pink dress. I knew about this going in and tried to keep my opinion neutral, I'm happy to report it's not played for laughs beyond the initial reveal (you REALLY do not expect that after seeing André is dressed in a fancy but uncreative way), it really feels as if Firmin thought "Hmmm a fancy dress party, I don't see why I should not wear a nice, pink, huge dress!" and that's it.

The ensemble is dressed in what look like Venetian masks inspired costumes and they get on stage dancing with similarly attired mannequins. The effect is very nice and just the right amount of creepy, the mannequins move very smoothly so at times you really can't tell which figures are actors and which ones are mannequins.

At one point the sea of masks parts and the named characters appear. Madame Giry is dressed in her usual black dress, Meg is dressed like the music box's monkey, and Piangi, Carlotta, Raoul and Christine are dressed in "regular" elegant clothes. I can confirm Christine's dress is white, it looks pale yellow at times due to the lighting being warm for most of the scene. Christine's dress is actually pretty nice from what I could see, especially the lovely, decorated train. I have not checked but it could also be pretty historically accurate in general! Also, it moves beautifully when Christine is picked up by Raoul, I'm not sold on it being white but

There is a moment where Raoul and Christine are alone on the stage, golden confetti start pouring down from the ceiling and it looks extremely pretty, then you see that the ensemble didn't just leave the stage but spilt over into the galleries and near the orchestra pit! Between this and the lighting effects, it does look like the aim of this scene was easing the audience back into the "theatre world" after intermission, if so it does work quite well.

My one complaint is that the second half of Masquerade sounds very slow and I can't figure out why? For the title song getting sped up I do at least have other elements that help guess why, but here I'm completely stumped and it's driving me crazy!

The atmosphere in the scene is extremely relaxed and airy, so the sudden mood change at the Red Death's arrival is very jarring in a good way. I won't lie, I do miss the "traditional" costume, but considering how complex and time-consuming it must be to create and maintain, I do understand why they opted for a simpler solution.

So, the Red Death is just a red, formless cloak holding the huge Don Juan Triumphant manuscript. I actually liked it, it did remind me of the way Death or Destiny/Fate are often represented in illustrations, and it looks like the cloak is made in a velvet-like fabric that made the red even more intense and blood-like. The slow, ominous advance is still very effective and creepy, and when the ensemble falls over the figure only to reveal the cloak is empty it's a nice moment of old-fashioned stage magic.

But wait, Christine is not on stage, so what about the final verse? It turns out Christine was still in the audience, nearby the orchestra pit, made invisible by darkness and our attention being elsewhere. Then she gets suddenly illuminated and we see that the Phantom is actually standing beside her, he says the "your chains are still mine/You will sing for me!" lines, all very effective. I like this staging because it does make you feel that Christine's safety was all just an illusion, the Phantom can get near her whenever he likes and his illusions and tricks make him hard to stop. It makes it more believable that Christine is later willing to put herself at risk to make it all stop despite the huge emotional toll it takes on her, because we are shown just how Raoul could not help her here even if he wanted, despite his promise and willingness to protect her.

The second complaint I have about this scene is that at the very end you can clearly see and hear the Phantom just... running away from Christine and into the wings, which ruins the overall effect a bit. If they find a way to make him disappear more gracefully, then it'd be a perfect way to end the scene.

There's the interlude between Madame Giry and Raoul, and oh boy is Raoul PISSED. Other people have already commented that he doesn't play a super sweet, naive Raoul, but rather a more serious and mature one, and it's nice to see how Bradley portrays him as capable of great tenderness but also of having a spine. He's not politely requesting or pleading with Madame Giry, he's commanding it. This lady is withholding information that could be used to make Christine's life less scary and he won't allow it!

It's not my favourite portrayal of all time, but it fits well with the overall mood and themes and makes for a more tridimensional Raoul which is good in my opinion.

NOTES II/TWISTED EVERY WAY

This scene is set in the same way as Notes I, but since the mood is quite different I found that it being kinda showed in half of the stage wasn't as much of a problem. The stage set is once again angled to create a wall of the managers' office, but this time it gets used as Christine, more and more overwhelmed, leans against it in a dramatic fashion.

A couple of things I noticed: André does a long-ish pause after the first "But why not?" as if he needs a second or two to realize that something's wrong with Christine's refusal, it's a nice touch. Christine starts having her breakdown when everyone is asking her questions, Raoul gets all protective, and when he sings "They can't make you" he's GLARING at the others and physically putting himself between them and Christine (you can hear the quiet menace in his voice perfectly in the audio I took, it's amazing how much emotions Bradley puts in that line). Carlotta has a dark orange dress, which I like less than her green one in Notes I but it would be pretty with a bit more texture, chile Christine is wearing a cute green dress (the colour is a bit of a mix between sage and mint green, similar to the cloak she wears in Wishing).

After the Phantom's letter has been read (Madame GIry keeps silently mouthing the words throughout), Christine says "I can't. I won't do it" in a frankly panicked but determined tone (I don't remember if it's something in the current West End version, but I don't have it on my Original London Cast CD). It's pretty clear during the scene that what happened to the end of Masquerade shook her to the core, and now everything that reminds her of the Phantom or, worse, having to face him directly is a big trigger for her. Amelia has some truly great anguished and conflicted expressions in this scene.

The next part has some nice details: one of the managers (I don't remember who, sorry) bangs his hand on the table during the "We make certain our men are there!" verse, Raoul flips through the Don Juan Triumphant manuscript trying to find something to be used against the Phantom, and there is another perfectly timed longer pause before Raoul, André and Firmin ask Madame Giry to help them during which the three men exchange a meaningful look. Just before Madame Giry's cry of "Madness" turns the attention on her, Carlotta can be seen approaching a very strained Christine and opening her mouth as if to speak to her in a more regular, non-diva way, but then she gets interrupted and nothing comes of it.

Thanks to the way AIAOY has been changed, Raoul's bits in Twisted Every Way sound very sincere and not manipulative as sometimes they risk doing. His change of heart clearly comes 100% from realizing that this is a dangerous plan but Christine clearly can't be happy or even just serene knowing the person she rightfully fears can get to her whenever he wants. Christine's "I know I can't refuse" is truly heartbreaking, there's a sharp, painful intonation that really makes you feel her desperation and how trapped she must feel in this moment.

SITZPROBE

This one plays pretty close to what you can expect, there's not much that can be changed. BUT! Do you remember that Reyer is never seen? In this scene the piano is turned so you don't see him, apart from an admonishing hand when Piangi keeps missing his note. So when the creepy music starts and the piano turns revealing there's no longer anyone behind it, and it's playing on its own... let me tell you, it felt pretty chilling even knowing that the moment was coming!

WISHING YOU WERE SOMEHOW HERE AGAIN

Ok, this and Wandering Child are the scenes in Act 2 that need some work to be more than a vehicle for some nice singing.

Christine is wearing a mint green cloak with sleeves, I don't hate it BUT the sleeves make it bulky and a bit goofy at times. I think a sleeveless cloak works better for this scene since it allows for some more dramatic swishing and looks more elegant, but the one used is serviceable. Oh, no red scarf, but Christine has a red rose she puts...where?

The big issue here is that this scene is painfully empty, there's a projection of silhouettes of tombstones in the background but otherwise, there is NOTHING. Now, listen, I'm not a fan of the giant sarcophagus used in the West End, but having some tasteful fake tombstones, some weeping angels, etc., would go a long way to add visual interest to the scene and make it clearer that Christine is paying homage to her dead father, instead of just leaving a rose on the ground seemingly at random. Have her father's tomb be decorated with, say, an angel playing a musical instrument, maybe a violin, and you're set! and this would also be useful in the next song, so it's a 2x1 deal! Also, it would be nice to see this specific production lean into this scene's gothic aesthetic.

Vocally, as I said elsewhere, Amelia Milo's voice could use a bit more strength but she's not bad at all, and she does put a lot of emotion into the song. She starts mournful, but quickly ramps up the energy and you can really feel that this Christine is so ready to stop clinging to the past and face the future, a new life, that will be different from the one she knew but can make her just as happy if not more.

WANDERING CHILD/BRAVO, MONSIEUR

Ok, we have to talk about the angel wings. I tried to avoid this as long as possible, but the moment has arrived.

Why why why WHY does the Phantom hover while sporting a pair of black angel wings.

I suspect this... thing happens because there are no pyrotechnics in the scene. The use of flames, sparks and the likes in performances is STRICTLY regulated in Italy, especially in indoor venues, so I think these were added to have the Phantom do something "cool" in the scene instead of using the skull cane spray sparks everywhere.

The issue is, they are so random and don't fit the aesthetic of the rest of the musical at all! I would LOVE if there was a suggestion of wings: the Phantom appearing in front of an angel statue, or the wings being a shadow, so you're left wondering if this is Christine's suggestion showing itself to us. As it is now, it is something that throws you out of the show's immersion and that's the second worst crime a musical can commit in my eyes (the first one is being boring).

And another thing is, it is a nice effect, and it works well, I can see it fitting in nicely if they went in a different direction when it comes to themes and overall aesthetic. It's not bad per se, it's just misplaced.

The start of the scene, before the wings appear, isn't bad. Apart from still being empty, the fact that Christine is in a confused emotional state due to the stuff that happened between the end of Masquerade and now and so she falls again under the Phantom's influence is made quite clear, she even falls on her knees similarly to how she did in The Mirror. But then the wings come out, the Phantom starts to hover, Raoul arrives and everything gets confused. I admit I really don't know if something happened and I missed it, or if I was just confused by the scene in general. you could even tell the audience's applause sounded a bit uncertain.

So yeah, that's two other scenes that will need a bit of work to be made good. Luckily Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again just needs a proper background, and that in turn can help a bit with Wandering Child.

DON JUAN TRIUMPHANT/THE POINT OF NO RETURN

There are some interesting changes in this one, so first let's get the small stuff out of the way.

There is only one "Secure!" being shouted, and while there is the usual Phantom's projected voice effect you can tell that it's achieved differently since there are no speakers scattered across the theatre. The second one is a technical limitation so it's understandable and it's still cool, just a bit less impressive, but having 2-3 "Secure!" coming from the main doors is a very cool effect that I absolutely loved in London, it helps so much with the immersion and I wish they'd kept it. Also, the sharpshooter is not in the orchestra pit, but rather in one of the other boxes of the prop stage, which makes sense given the staging.

Sooo, let's get to the Don Juan Triumphant bit and the infamous cloak. First of all, I want to make clear that I've never been 100% on board with the classic disguise. It always looked to me out of place in the play-within-a-play, it is definitely something that the Phantom would use in the "real" world, but clashes with the clothing of the other characters we see in DJT and doesn't really make sense if you assume that Aminta is expecting yes a secret meeting, but not to be deceived. One could argue that the Phantom insisted the costume be this way, but then this would be suspicious and I'd find it strange that no one suspected it would be needed for something. So, in short, I don't dislike the classic costume but I don't really love it either because it's clear it's a costume made for us, the real audience, instead of the fictional audience/play.

I don't love the hat+cloak combo, either, but it makes sense in the way the scene is set. The atmosphere is quite convivial, the ensemble is not only setting the table but some folks (Passarino included) are sitting at it, it looks like they all just finished conspiring and laying the plot. The costumes aren't super elaborate, but I think they worked well in conveying that in the scene there are folks of different social extraction and ways of life.

Passarino's hat and cloak work well to signify that he's a dashing young man, yes, but he's also a working servant: these are believable attire for someone who has to travel or spend time outside, they do tell you something about this character that we see for a handful of seconds, but if we were watching the actual play it would be important to get a nuanced portray of the character!

So yeah, while I don't love this costume? It does look like something made for the play-within-the-play, not something made for PotO, if this makes sense. I do have some issues with the colour, it does work well with Aminta's red and white and it's an ochre yellow that does photograph horribly but isn't too bad in person. And yes, it's very wide and in a stiffer fabric than the classic cloak so it looks clumsier when the Phantom is standing still, but it looks fine when he's moving. Maybe making it in black and a lighter fabric could work, I'd personally love for it to be a dark red similar to Red Death's cloak but then it would be too similar in tone to Aminta's dress (where the red or pink paired with the white is Symbolyc and thus important).

So, yeah, it's not the best, it is a bit weird at first if you're used to the classic black cloak, but it makes so much sense if you consider this is a costume diegetic to the DJT play! Aminta's dress is also simple, a bit of a "generic young country girl", but it has a silhouette that's quite flattering on Amelia and it does its job of representing the young, innocent girl ready to embrace passion etc.

Ok, I think that's enough words spent talking about something that's not the actual music and singing of this piece! The Point of no Return starts sung by Paingi up until "You've decided, decided", then the Phantom takes over and Ramin does his "singing imitating Piangi's accent" thing for a while, before dropping it. I saw people complaining about this, it looks like during the first night the switch was a bit later, but as it is now it works. I think it could be improved by making the change a bit more gradual as it is for the various notes. I did see a lady that was clearly at her first viewing of the show making an "Oh!" surprised face when the voice change happened, so I think it works especially well for first-timers that don't know what will happen, but only that something is bound to happen.

Please don't ask me to tell you stuff about the blocking because I was distracted by everything going on to really take note of it beyond lots of touching, very sensual vibes overall, and a nice bit of leg from Christine at one point. A notable difference is that Christine does realize what's going on only at the end of the song. I do like the timing because it matches with the last "We passed the point of no return" and the music's shift. The song doesn't end abruptly because the Phantom has been unmasked, but quietly and sadly because now Christine knows and the Phantom has to choose what to do. And the Phantom chooses to reveal himself to her (not the unmasking, just taking off the hat).

Raoul jumps onstage, along with the police officer, and Christine moves in order to protect the Phantom. She's clearly terrified but still doesn't want to see him shot dead. What follows is, simply put, one of the saddest All I Ask of You reprises I've ever heard or watched.

I always kinda wondered, what exactly is the Phantom's aim here? Does he just want to share the stage with her? Does he plan to kidnap her again? Does he believe that if only Christine sees the (creepy) opera he's written for her and sings the (creepy) longing song he's written she'll just fall for him as if nothing ever happened? Does he have a plan at all?

I am happy to report that in this staging there is one, simple reply: this Phantom is utterly, completely broken. His music is no longer enough, he needs/wants his music AND Christine to perform him. He wants her to see him, to acknowledge him, yes she does recognize him first in the scene, but he still has the chance to just get out of there. Instead, he reveals himself because he so desperately hopes, against all odds, that singing again together with Cristine the music he composed for her will have changed her mind, made her see how much he cares, made her feel how he feels for her etc. It was honestly a heartbreaking moment to witness, but yeah reading "the Phantom reveals himself at the end of PonR" and seeing it in context is VERY different. 

The impression I got is that the Phantom spent six months spiralling into depression and THIS is the best he could come up with to try and make Christine speak to him again. He's desperate, and he knows it. You can feel it in his voice, you can see it in the way he's calm, almost resigned until the unmasking. For him, it all boils down to Christine's reply, to her accepting him or not. I don't think he's even stopped to consider what to do after she replies because that will be such a defining, world-changing moment. and I think that just for a moment the Phantom allows himself hope, the tiniest bit of it. Christine is clearly scared to death, but she's not running away. She's even protecting him, in a way. And then she unmasks him.

DOWN ONCE MORE/TRACK DOWN THIS MURDERER

The gondola does not disappear in the wings, so there's no quick change and Christine is in her AMinta dress. The Phantom does give her the veil, putting it on her head when he sees she's not doing it herself, and gives her what looks like a wedding dress but Christine is understandably thinking about her current predicament and when the Phantom sees she does not intend to wear it he just tosses it away and gives her the bouquet instead. I do like that there's no implication of Christine being forced to change, and it does keep intact the fact that the Phantom did have a wedding dress, veil and bouquet prepared for her.

When singing "A mask, my first unfeeling scrap of clothing" Ramin raised a hand to touch the disfigured side in a way that is just heartbreaking. I know I'm using this word a lot, but I feel it's true for this portrayal: a very physical Phantom with a lot of self-loathing, a lot of repressed emotions that get directed inwards with no way or no one to help express them, accompanied by the occasional outburst when they get simply too much to be repressed any longer. Isolated and emotionally stunted is the name of the game here, but in a way that makes you see just how deprived of regular socialization and company he was during his life.

Another interesting thing I noticed is that when Christine sang "It's in your soul that the true distortion lies", in the split second before noticing Raoul's arrival the Phantom raised a hand and was starting to reply to Christine, and I'd really, really like to know how he'd try to get himself out of that one! It was a blink-and-you-'ll-miss-it moment, but I found it interesting that this Phantom's reaction to Christine's accusation was not dismay or anger, but rather trying to talk it out.

Then our boy Raoul appears in all his damp, well-toned and bare-chested glory! Bradley Jaden is quite ripped, I think by now we've all seen the pictures, and let me tell you they do not do him justice. He's also barefoot, and he stumbles on the scene while very convincingly gasping after the swim in the underground lake.

The suspenders are still on because they are clearly used when he gets hanged by the Phantom, since in this scene he is literally hanging, his feet a good 50 cm or so from the ground. My guess is that the "Y" part of the suspenders on the back latches onto some kind of support built into the Phantom's bedframe to take pressure off the neck or something like that. It still looks extremely uncomfortable, and Bradley was clearly tensing a lot of muscles to maintain the position. So yeah, apart from the eye candy, it looks like a challenging thing to do while you're also singing and acting. I still have no explanation for why they did this instead of dampening his shirt, I guess they took a good look at Bradley Jaden's pecs and thought "Oh people will love that!" and asked him if he minded spending the last 10 minutes onstage half naked? I really don't know.

Raoul was convincingly rational (as much as possible) in this scene, he did get angry but it was also clear he was trying to keep his cool and reason if possible because his #1 priority was: to help Christine get out of there. And I think this creates a beautiful dynamic in this scene, where Christine starts angry and scared but then sees that Raoul is trying to keep his promise and jumped into a freezing lake to reach her and be at her side despite the danger. And this in turn gives her the strength to face her fear, which is now not just hypothetical but becoming very real, and find the will she needs to save Raoul in turn. They can save each other because they have built a reciprocal trust and do actively support each other during most of the second act.

Unfortunately, there is the choking. For those who don't know what I'm referring to, when Raoul comes in Christine tries to run to him and the Phantom stops her, and ends up choking her a bit before realizing what he's doing and letting her go. I really didn't like it in this instance. I think there are some actors that can make it work if they play a very aggressive, wounded Phantom that lashes out at the world, but I am having trouble fitting it in this portrayal where his negative emotions are clearly almost all directed inwards and where the Phantom tends to be quite gentle with Christine. Also, not only is he a murderer (twice), kidnapper, damaged property, and maybe kinda drugged Christine, but he's also physically abusive. Cool cool cool. I'd rather like it if they removed it.

When the Phantom realizes what he's doing he immediately lets Christine go (at least) and Christine tries to run to Raoul's side but he gets hanged by the Phantom. Christine gets PISSED in this version, while the Phantom is a bit more on the cooler, controlled side, and Raoul seems to sincerely regret his actions since they only made the situation worse. I have to say that even despite the distracting shirtlessness of Raoul, having him actually hanging instead of just… being mildly inconvenienced by a noose clearly big enough for his head to pass through does make it all a bit more believable. I do buy that this guy is really in a situation where he can't free himself.

I also really liked the "Angel of music, you deceived me /I gave my mind blindly" delivery: it's not angry but rather deeply mournful and regretful, since now it's Christine's turn to realize that her trust in the Angel of Music because of her clinging desperately to any scrap of her father's presence/memory is what led to all of this. In a way, this version underscores Christine's growth as she tries to become her own person without the influences of her father or of the Phantom guiding but also limiting her, it's one of the main themes and I liked how her realization is delivered here connects it clearly to All I Ask of You and Wandering Child conceptually.

So the big moment, the choice, arrives. In the preceding moments Raoul struggled even more frantically and now is losing consciousness, so when the Phantom delivers his ultimatum (a very weary, exhausted ultimatum) Christine just looks at Raoul one last time (she thinks) and this gives her the strength to decide and act.

After the kiss, the way the Phantom stands still for a while before sloooowly walking to Raoul and cutting the lasso is… I don't really know how to explain it. You take all the defeat, resignation and brokenness of when he revealed himself to Christine at the end of PonR and double or triple them, then add in all the self-loathing he displayed during the rest of the musical. He does now realize with crystal clear certainty that he'll never, ever have what he wants in the way he wants it, and this time he can't blame the world but only himself and his actions. He's beyond broke, beyond everything really. Weary and with nothing left to look forward to.

Raoul collapses to the ground, and Christine runs to him and physically helps him up and to the boat. No elegant, composed sitting: here Raoul and Christine are physically and psychologically exhausted, so there's no time for all of that as they almost stumble into the boat and it's the Phantom that shoves it away, sending them towards their freedom and out of the stage.

The Phantom sounds so distressed in the bit just before this, and the fact that the last "go now and leave me" is sung when he's alone on stage, having physically pushed away the one person that, despite everything and despite making the choice under extreme duress, was capable of staying beside him… ooof. You really feel that he has nothing left now, and maybe for the first time ever he truly wants to be alone, to disappear completely. Which of course makes the brief Masquerade reprise even more devastating than usual.

Now, the other big controversial change: the ring return. The Phantom is facing the other way when Christine comes in. It looks like she's debating whether to approach him or not, and then when he sings "Christine, I love you" she just leaves the ring and silently leaves. The Phantom hears something, turns, sees the ring and picks it up, and in that moment from off stage the All I Ask of You final reprise is heard, accompanied by a soft, golden light coming from above showing that Raoul and Christine are making their way to the surface and to the (metaphorical) light.

Why no interaction during the ring return? In this production, they are leaning a lot on the Phantom as being a toxic influence/relationship for Christine, not without its allure and charms, but also very dangerous and controlling. And when Christine sees him kill because he didn't get his way… well, she gets it quite quickly and actively tries to avoid him, but realizes that she's still pretty vulnerable to him and his influence. And I think not interacting with him at the very end represents her cutting off a toxic person, at this point any interaction would be dangerous to her, and an unkindness to him.

She knows she's still vulnerable to him, that despite everything he did she can still care about him because she's just that kind of person. At the same time, the Phantom did the morally right thing by pushing her away from him and it's clear it took him every ounce of willpower he had and he might not be able to do so again. So, when Christine hears him declaring his love to an empty room, she doesn't risk wasting all the effort they BOTH put in (plus Raoul, who literally risked his life for her) to say one last goodbye.

It's a big change, it does change the ending and their dynamic a lot, so I get it if you don't like it. But it makes sense, it has its place in the narrative of this specific production, and since it makes such a difference I think if you're used to the "regular" ring return you need to experience it after getting through all the previous emotional beats in order to be in the right mind space to accept it.

When the Phantom realizes that Christine is truly gone, he slowly makes his way to the bed and covers himself with the sheets as the ensemble (led by Madame Giry) bursts in. Meg approaches the covers and pulls them away, revealing an empty bed save from the Phantom's mask, which she brings to her mother who looks at it somberly, and they both raise it for the classic final "shot".

I am ambivalent about this choice. On one hand, I think it looks a bit silly and could probably be implemented better, on the other hand I think it's meant to be a reference to the Phantom letting himself die in the book, and I did like it as a metaphor for his death, and having the ensemble kinda witnessing it and him not being so alone in his final moments.

I've decided to make a different post for my opinion about the singing performances and my overall opinion about what works, what doesn't, and so on, which can also be a TL;DR of sorts since I realize not everyone is interested in a song-by-song comparison.

For now, I'll just say that if you go in expecting West End or Broadway levels of opulence you will be disappointed by the stage sets, costumes, etc., which are rarely memorable, at times flops, more often are ok and serviceable (meaning they are not distracting and don't get in the way of the performance, even if they're not anything special).

If you want to see the story and characterization you already know, then you can watch one of the tens of bootlegs available and enjoy the subtle changes each actor brings to the characters (I know I do!), but if you'd like a different take on the main characters and key scenes then this will get your brain going.

If you go in with a preset idea of what you want to get out of the experience, chances are there'll be areas where it underdelivers and interesting stuff you might not notice while if you go in without trying to force your expectations on the show, then you'll probably come away with some stuff you liked, some stuff that you're not so sure about but is interesting or might work with a change or two, and yes, some stuff you didn't like at all, or left you confused, or is just plain weird.

Overall it was a fun and interesting experience, the vocal performances were great, the acting choices captivating and I went home with some new interpretations of the main characters while thinking about if I can make a trip to Milan in October to see it again. Despite some major flaws, it is doing something interesting and engaging in its own way and I'd love to see it again knowing what to expect.

[fantasticalleigh]

LEIGH'S RIDICULOUSLY BIG TBR/TBW LISTS

like i mentioned before i am too busy/hesitant to actually consume a lot of new media (or at least be able to focus on it) so i'm critically behind on so much stuff. don't judge me pls :S lmao

anything in bold is something that i've begun but not finished :P tagging @snow-in-the-desert bc you expressed interest in seeing the lists!

TO READ:

The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood

The Hurricane Wars - Thea Guanzon

Winter's Promise - Christelle Dabos

The Stand - Stephen King

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Work - Louisa May Alcott

Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes

Dr. Sleep - Stephen King

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

The Last Duel - Erik Jager

Portrait of a Lady - Henry James

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton

The Great Mortality - John Kelly

Dead by Sunset - Ann Rule

Dracula - Bram Stoker

It's Lonely at the Center of the Earth - Zoe Thorogood

The Great Influenza - John M. Barry

The Monster of Florence - Douglas Preston

The Lottery and other stories - Shirley Jackson

Helter Skelter - Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry

White Noise - Don DeLilo

Icebreaker - Hannah Grace

She Is a Haunting - Trang Thanh Tran

This Thing Between Us: A Novel - Gus Moreno

Parable of the Sower - Octavia E. Butler

^^ This is an incomplete list--I know there are others but these are the books I've bought over the past couple years and have not yet finished/ready. They are stacked on my desk and around my room, silently accusing me of neglect. I wither in shame. The rest of the list escapes me currently. This also doesn't include the tbrs currently on my e-reader since I can't remember where it is to see what's on there.

MOVIES/MEDIA TO WATCH:

Any Adam Driver movie that isn't on Netflix (House of Gucci, Annette, Paterson etc.) I have seen the Last Duel, Blackkklansman, This is where I leave you, Marriage Story, White Noise, Frances Ha and a few others). I know Ferarri is in theaters right now but I've kind of developed a phobia of theaters since 2020 :S

a ridiculous number of documentaries/video essays on youtube that I do not have the energy to go look for right now

Fall of the House of Usher (I love Mike Flanagan's work but I'm still hooked on Midnight Mass and Daddy Father Prewitt)

The Haunting of Bly Manor (I know everyone was obsessed with this and I meant to watch it but I was reading the Turn of the Screw when it came out and didn't want to get spoiled for it so I avoided it like the plague and finished the book but never got to watching the show)

Blue Eye Samurai

The Beguiled

Ugly Betty (I'm actually on season 2 and it's charming and funny but holy shit the amount of body shaming/slut shaming/ homophobia in this show. definitely a product of its time.)

Anne with an E

Fleabag (never finished it but thought it was amazing)

What we do in the shadows (have seen all but the most current season)

Reservation dogs

The Batman (2023)

Black Swan

The Crown

Band of Brothers

Demon Slayer

Whiplash

Wolf of Wall Street

Birds of Prey

Downton Abbey

Peaky Blinders

Nimona

Drag me to Hell

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Queen Charlotte (halfway through but haven't finished. i hate things that make me cry when i watch them so i have to be in a very specific mood to watch emotional heavy things)

Lady Bird

The Banshees of Inisherin

BARBIE (*ducks thrown rocks* I'll get to it, i SWEAR) (but i'm amazing at avoiding spoilers at this point i still know very little about the movie)

Men

Pearl

The Invisible Man

The Turning

Succession

Suspiria

Promising Young Woman

Shiva Baby

Luca

The Green Knight

Licorice Pizza

Bullet Train

The Menu

Women Talking

Knives Out + Glass Onion (*ducks more thrown rocks*)

Paddington 2!!!!

SHadow and Bone (honestly I lost almost all interest in reading/watching this once I heard the hot villain dies. BOOOO)

Carol

That one newish show with Adam Scott that looks super liminal and sci fi i can't remember the name

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Oppenheimer

Killers of the Flower Moon

Guardians of the Galaxy 3

M3gan

Turning Red

Everything Everywhere All At once

Nope

Barbarian

Just like the book list, I'm sure there's many other titles I'm forgetting to put here. I actually have branched out and watched a fair amount of new movies this year so i'm going to keep it going! and here's one more list just because this is fun

Stuff I watched or read in 2023 that I loved/recommend (with the caveat that not all of this came out in 2023): (and i'm not including obvious stuff like Spider man across the spiderverse)

White Noise

Don't Look Up

Living in the Time of Dying (documentary on Youtube. It is HEAVY on existentialism and the science/data on the current state of climate change. This WILL ruin your day so I'm warning you now. Definitely don't watch it today. This really affected me and I cried for a long time after watching this but it is incredibly important to keep in mind.)

Blackkklansman (i had to watch this with the volume on the lowest setting bc of all the n words being dropped so frequently lmao but goddamn this was so good and funnier than i expected.)

DIMENSION 20: Burrow's End!!!!! As well as The Unsleeping City season 1. Neverafter and A Crown of Candy are probably at the lower end of the list but I still love them. (thank you to @rogueimperator for cluing me onto how amazing D20 and Dropout are. <3 this is a whole new world lol)

Midnight Sun :)

7. Christine and the Queens - Redcar les adorables étoiles Full show on Youtube. I was supposed to see him live in October but he got injured and had to cancel the rest of his tour :( but this album and the video are incredible! Slight warning for semi nudity.

8. Game Changer on Dropout. he's been here the whole time!

9. The 1975 live at Madison Square Garden. I was lucky enough to see them twice this tour with my twin sister and we had an absolutely amazing time. They always put on amazing shows and this particular tour/their latest album meant so much to us. Even our younger brother has come with us for some of these shows so it's something we all share. (Last time they came to Chicago in 2022 the venue was too small so they didn't have the House set with them so we didn't get to see it in action until this year) Sex and The Sound will always be the perfect closers for their shows and I get so emotional every time I hear them. Core memories for sure.

10. Puss in Boots: the last wish. this seems like another obvious answer that i probably could have left off but this gets an honorary mention because our family cat was diagnosed with advanced bone cancer in August, and we had to put him down very soon after that diagnosis. We spent an agonizing week tending to him and cherishing every last second we could get with him. I've been fortunate enough to never experience the death of a pet until this year, and i almost wish we didn't have any pets at all because I've never felt such excruciating grief. He was a fat, grumpy orange boy with beautiful yellow stripes and a little yellow mustache. I was trying to distract myself and found this movie on Netflix and watched it, then recommended it to my sister (who is actually Thomas's owner but we all shared him) though I warned her the movie did deal with themes on mortality. We all watched it together the night before his final vet visit and Tommy was there with us on a comfy pillow. I hope he approved of the movie, because now any time I think of Puss in Boots i think of him. <3

I could add more to this but my eyes are tired and I'm wired up from coffee. I know this is long as hell so sorry but I had fun making it! I'll probably keep coming back to this post in the future to cross out what I've watched.

[wellhalesbells]

TAG SOMEONE YOU WANT TO KNOW AND/OR SOME OF YOUR BESTIES

Tagged by @kikiroo - thank you, my darling!!! *friendly shark bites at you*

Last song: Probably either The Man or Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift. I just spent a week with my sister on vacation and she had just watched the Eras Tour movie so she was getting both of those stuck in my head all the time, and then we'd have to listen to them ofc.

Last movie: It was Host by Rob Savage (or at least it was when I started this, lol). I watched it 'cause I saw something on Insta about the Top 10 Scariest Movies according to what the average resting heart rate is for it. I didn't find it very scary (got me at the end though, woo boy) but I did love it - but then I love things that use the pandemic well and this definitely did imo. Plus it's all structured around (and shot through) a Zoom interface so it's only, like, fifty-seven minutes long because that's all you get when you don't pay for Zoom, haha.

Currently watching: Goosebumps, Last Week Tonight, The Fall of the House of Usher, Two Sentence Horror Stories, Our Flag Means Death and Ghost Files and I am half-assing all of it. I've either only started the first episode or only watched the first episode on all of those. I have no staying power these days. Though I am only one ep behind on Last Week Tonight \o/

Other stuff I watched this year: Unfortunately for you guys, I write fucking everything down and it is now the tenth month of the year. I GOT RECS. Well, Meg 2: The Trench, which is a cinematic masterpiece and I will take no questions on that (unless they're Joming related). (Cognizant of the month) Here are spooky things I watched this year and liked a lot: X, The Black Phone, The Menu, Terrifier and Terrifier 2 (this is definitely only for gore fans though), Bodies Bodies Bodies, Cocaine Bear (also a cinematic masterpiece, also not taking questions), Interview with the Vampire, Wednesday, Severance, Evil, The Last of Us, Over the Garden Wall, Magpie Murders, What We Do in the Shadows, and Shining Vale (haven't started the second season yet!). Also really liked: Paddington, Nimona, Barbie, Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse, Vivo, Derry Girls, The Bear, The Boys, Mythic Quest, Only Murders in the Building (I haven't watched the new season yet though but I expect great things), Reboot, Tuca & Bertie, Los Espookys, Barry, Extraordinary, Crashing (I literally watched it three times in a row - watching Sam and Fred fall in love 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 plus I fucking love Jonathan Bailey - I consistently find him ridiculously charming), Hacks, Avenue 5 (so sad this got canceled when I feel like it just hit its stride), Staged (I've watched it probably six times now), Abbott Elementary, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Ted Lasso, I Think You Should Leave Now (just for that one sketch, you know the one and, if you don't, I am HAPPY to tell you about it!), Unstable (petition for Fred Armisen to be in everything though, right?), Black Mirror, Central Park, Elite (I haven't watched the new season yet!), Reservation Dogs (ditto), The White Lotus, Good Omens, Letterkenny, Minx (what's ditto but for the third time?), Heartstopper, Sasaki and Miyano, and The Other Two.

Shows I dropped/didn’t finish: I'm behind on everything all the time so I'm only going to answer for shows I dropped and I don't think I've dropped any this year?

Currently reading: The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey (about halfway through), House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (I'll be reading this until I die, I think), Cunk on Everything by Philomena Cunk, The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab (nearly finished!), The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon and The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (decided to do a reread of the IwtV series this year since I never actually finished it and only got to book ten and I read it way too long ago to remember anything that's happening if I just picked it up now).

Currently listening to: My calendar alarm telling me to go to my dog's vet appointment.

Currently working on: getting at least a third of the way through My Darling Girl

Also absolutely no pressure tagging @andavs, @callunavulgari, @piratefalls, @clotpolesonly, and anyone else who wants to do this!

[theresnohopelivinghere]

The Journal of Emme Walker, May 2019

If you walk the streets at night in Hope, there will be no hope for you.

My grandparents used to tell me that all the time when I was a little girl.  Even from a young age, I never took it seriously.  I was a prideful child.  I thought I was invincible and that nothing could take me down.  That’s probably why my mom, bless her heart, had such a hard time coming to terms with my rampant curiosity and my thirst for adventure.  But my grandparents would not be deterred from scaring some sense into me.

The thing about rural towns is that people love to make up stories about them to make them seem more interesting or just to pass the time.  Hope is no different.  It was once an out-of-the-way town out by the sea, in the middle of nowhere.  I’m talking about dusty roads, ample farming, spotty local transportation, stores that looked like they came straight out of a black-and-white film, and older residents living the last of their lives in the one place they’ve always called “home”.  

It used to be that I’d just spend my summers there with my grandparents, helping out with their garden while partaking of the harvest.  But after my dad died, my mom moved back there and I went to school there from grades 4 to 6.  We moved before the development push.  She was offered a cushy job in a city she'd always wanted to live in that would allow the two of us to live comfortably into the foreseeable future.  A get-out-of-rural-jail card, if you will.

Seriously. According to her, it was our one escape out of a town that had proven itself to be anything but idyllic. If she hadn't taken it...well, things would be very different.

She's not a fan of me going back there to interview people for my dissertation. Which is funny because growing up, she'd tell off my grandparents whenever they'd tell me all the stories about all the terrible monsters that lurked within the town of Hope. All the old folks in town had their own stories about what happened to children if they stayed out too late at night or didn't trust their intuition.  Mom didn't believe in using scary stories to ensure that kids behaved themselves.  She told me that if she wanted me to behave myself and be a good girl, she’d just say so.  But my grandparents wouldn’t listen.  They insisted on me telling me these tales so that I could protect myself. Because there were too many instances of children who disappeared because they weren't warned properly.

I'm glad they did. Mom won't admit it, but she's glad, too. And yet here I am, on my way back to that town, ready to hear the stories of the children who didn't escape from the elders that still remain. Hope may be different now - young families moved in to take their place and brought with them the promise for gentrification. Shopping, entertainment, the town holds its own.  The local elementary school is top notch and so is the high school. There’s train service that links up to the other parts of town as well as the bigger cities, and paved roads that get you to the highway system.  You can go everywhere now.

And yet...

I know studying modern folklore and urban legends in the town of her birth won't get me a cushy job in a corporate office but this is something I want to do. Have to do, even. The tale of a seaside town plagued with paranormal activity, rumored to be once started by and controlled by a mysterious cult who swore allegiance to malicious entity who has been around since time immemorial until one they just disappeared - it's all very juicy stuff.

I’m not sure what I'm doing with all this. Why I'm going back. Everyone says if you brush against the shadows of Hope and survive, you should never come back. But that's why I have to. Come back. If there’s one thing that living in Hope has taught me, it’s that old habits die hard and old legends never die. I can feel the shadows stirring again, unhappy that they've been forgotten. They want the people to remember...to fear their power. I can feel the chill in my bones, and the terror squeezes my heart like a vice. I don't know what I'm trying accomplish, but I know I have to do something. For my mother and my grandparents. And for the children who couldn't escape the shadows.

Including the boy I loved.

[beautifulwillfulldead]

[ID: A five page fan comic of Harry Potter. On the first page, Harry Potter is doing his detention with Professor Umbridge, in her office. Harry is a brown teenage boy with messy black hair, round glasses, and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. He is wearing his Hogwarts uniform. Umbridge is a white woman with short brown hair and is wearing a bright pink cardigan with a pink fur collar. Her office has pink wallpaper and little plates hanging on the walls with cats on them.

Harry is writing lines, which is accompanied by little skritch skritch sound effects. Umbridge says: "Ah...Good." There is a close-up on his paper, where he has written with his left hand: 'I must not tell lies.' These same words have been carved onto the back of his right hand, which is bleeding slightly. Umbridge continues: "That ought to serve as a reminder to you, oughtn't it? You may leave for tonight." Harry, frowning, asks her: "Do I have to come tomorrow?" Umbridge answers him, smiling widely: "Oh, yes. Yes, I think we can etch the message a little deeper with another evening's work." Harry leaves while frowning angrily.

On the second page, Harry is walking up the stairs when he notices Ron Weasley skulking in the shadows. Ron is a tall white teenage boy with red hair. He is wearing his Hogwarts uniform, and is carrying a broom. Harry asks: "Ron?" In response, Ron starts sweating and looks very nervous. Harry continues: "What are you doing?" Ron answers: "Er- nothing. What are you doing?" Harry tells him: "Come on, you can tell me! What are you hiding here for?" Ron says: "I'm- I'm hiding from Fred and George, if you must know- They just went past with a bunch of first years, I bet they're testing stuff on them again, I mean, they can't do it in the common room now, can they, not with Hermione there." Harry, grinning, asks: "But what do you have your broom for? You haven't been flying, have you?" Ron nervously answers: "I- Well- Well, ok, I'll tell you, but don't laugh, alright?"

On the third page, Ron, sweating and nervously touching the back of his neck, continues: "I- I thought I'd try out for Gryffindor Keeper. Now that I've got a decent broom. There. Go on. Laugh." Harry tells him, smiling: "I'm not laughing. It's a brilliant idea! It'd be really cool if you got on the team. I've never seen you play, are you good?" Ron smiles as well and answers: "I'm not bad. Charlie, Fred, and George always made me Keep for them when they were training during holidays."'Harry says: "So you've been practicing tonight?" Ron answers: "Every evening since Tuesday just on my own. I've been trying to bewitch Quaffles to fly at me, but I don't know how much use it'll be. Fred and George are going to laugh themselves stupid when I turn up for the tryouts."

They start walking up the stairs together, and Harry shakes his arm in frustration as he says: "I wish I was going to be there." Harry scratches his nose with his right hand as Ron says: "Yeah, so do- Harry, what's that on the back of your hand?" Harry's sleeve has fallen down and has exposed his scarred hand.

On the fourth page, nervously sweating, Harry quickly hides his hand and says: "It's just a cut! It's nothing! It's -" But he's interrupted by Ron grabbing his hand and looking closely at it, as Harry ashamedly looks down. Harry yanks his hand away as Ron asks: "I thought you said she was giving you lines?" Harry looks away, and then at Ron.

On the fifth page, as the boys walk up the stairs, we see only blurred lines coming from Harry's speech bubble as he tells Ron everything. Ron says angrily: "The old hag! She's so sick! Go to McGonagall, say something!" Harry says: "No. I'm not giving her the satisfaction of knowing she's got to me." Ron says: "Got to you? You can't let her get away with this!" Harry answers: "I don't know how much power McGonagall's got over her." Ron retorts: "Dumbledore then! Tell Dumbledore!" Harry says: "No." Ron asks: "Why not?" Harry says: "He's got enough on his mind." Ron says: "Well, I reckon you should-"

He's interrupted by the Fat Lady, as they have reached Gryffindor tower. She asks: "Are you going to give me the password or will I have to stay awake all night waiting for you to finish your conversation?" End ID]

Harry hesitated, but after all, Ron had been honest with him, so he told Ron the truth…

one of my absolute favorite bits from the hp books that never made it into the movies. though admittedly, the ootp movie had to rly condense a lot. i think the relationship between harry and ron is super underrated/overlooked - there’s so much love, trust, and support between them in this scene.

[azure-galaxies-gallery]

OC-based Honkai Star Rail roleplay blog!

Hello and welcome, I'm the mod behind the madness, you can call me Azure, I use pretty much any pronouns that aren't she/her, but if you want more in depth information, I've got it linked on my main account over at @anxiousazure, which is what I follow from.

Rules! Honestly just be niceys I guess I haven't done a formal RP blog before. I'm deeply anxious about this. I don't know how to write NSFW so I probably won't feature that here, plus I myself am asexual and that tends to leak into my OCs somewhat. That said, mod is 18+, so be aware of that. I do tend to write a lot about darker topics, usually violence and death and grief and trauma, but it's usually more so focused on recovery. These things happen in the background, it's not the focus of my writing. Some of my OCs are still in development and they are all subject to change. Sometimes the muses speak and say "Actually I've rewritten my entire lore." and it's annoying that sometimes they are better than what I originally had written. Shipping is fine with me, though I may be more selective about it with certain OCs. I'm super down to interact with other OCs and canon characters!! Tell me about your lore and stuff I'm super hyped!! ... please interact with me i have anxiety and don't know how to reach out and start things. i am timid and anxious and imagine me as a very pathetic wet cat if that helps. i am almost certainly more scared of you than you are of me type stuff.

Muses below the cut because uh,,, long post make me nervous,,, (more information to come, eventually everyone will have linked posts for more in-depth lore, i'm working on it - i have a lot of OCs and some are more fleshed out than others)

Muse: Yuelong!

Yuelong is a Vidyadhara aboard the Xianzhou Luofu, though a handful of reincarnations ago he was the High Elder of the Xianzhou Cangcheng. Once the designated healer for the High Cloud Quintet, his name was quick to fade into obscurity - and though most of the other Quintet members may have forgotten the healer, Yuelong has held tight to those precious memories. Though it certainly is odd to see a Vidyadhara who's beginning to grey and age - how long can such a creature hold off the natural cycle of reincarnation, and what consequences might that bring? Tag: plum blossoms falling (yuelong tag)

Muse: Longfei!

Longfei was once the High Elder of the Xianzhou Cangcheng, though he's now a Knight of Beauty. It's quite tragic to be one of only a handful of people in the universe that recalls the smell of Cangcheng Plum Blossoms... How does he remember that? Oh, don't worry about such things. Just consider it a quirk of this wandering Knight, hm? Tag: black roses falling (longfei tag)

Muse: Jian!

Jian is one of the youngest fully-fledged blacksmiths among the Luofu's Artisanship Commission, but you certainly can't discount his talents because of his age. Equally known for highly-skilled work and craftsmanship as he is for his blunt and somewhat rude nature, the so-called White-Haired Hammer of the Artisanship Commission is definitely something. Most people don't work well with him, though supposedly he's a little softer around people his age. Some say he's childhood friends with the Cloud Knight Lieutenant - perhaps it makes sense, given that both of them are clearly prodigies with big dreams. Tag: little forgemaster (jian tag)

Muse: Bairu!

Bairu is the soft-spoken albino secretary of General Feixiao, a Shadow Guard member, and the best person to ask about any type of paperwork concerns. A runaway from a large Yaoqing family, he seems pretty pleased to live life as a simple secretary and notetaker, though of course - when dealing with assassins, it's for the best to know how to defend yourself. Supposedly, he once trained under the Yaoqing's Crow-Feather Weirdo... Though who knows if that's true or not. Either way, Bairu is still rather important - Feixiao's not fond of paperwork, so really, Bairu's sort of running the show from behind the curtains. Tag: yaoqing notetaker (bairu tag)

Muse: Zhen!

Zhen is an ever-present feature on the Astral Express, though truth be told he only arrived aboard the Express before March 7th was found. Something akin to a Xianzhou Native, the wandering hunter has a deep-set hatred of anything related to Tazzyronth's Swarm, and may be the sole survivor of his original planet. All that said and done, however - he's a stalwart guardian for the Astral Express, and an excellent chef. Just... don't let him wander alone, he's liable to try something that will poison him. Tag: wandering hunter (zhen tag)

Muse: Holly!

Holly is a half-Borisin, though perhaps more, perhaps less. With no real papers to speak of or a confirmed parentage, it is just one of many things Holly doesn't know about himself. A Galaxy Ranger who's also known to affiliate with the Stellaron Hunters on occasion, he's certainly a strange one - not to mention his fondness for Jarilo-VI. Tag: half-breed borisin (holly tag)

Muse: Wolfhook!

A Halovian bartender raised in the Oak family, though he certainly doesn't seem to have many ties with them anymore. After an incident resulting in the loss of one arm and the crippling of one of his wings, Wolfhook seems to have retired to a quiet life of bartending on Penacony outside of the dreamscape - having learned his tricks of the trade from a handful of Bloodhound family members. Nowadays, you might find him more in contact with Galaxy Rangers, running a morally grey bar and a backroom healing service to those who may not be so black or white. Tag: bartender's special (wolfhook tag)

Muse: Red!

A mysterious... Halovian? No one knows quite where they came from, nor why other Halovians seems so nervous about them, but they do seem to be in Rappa's company quite often. They speak when spoken to, and don't express much emotion; but in spite of all of this, they keep up with the ninja quite well - though of course, a background in parkour might help with that. They seem to be allied with the Galaxy Rangers, at least - they certainly have scathing remarks to make about Dr. Primitive and his followers, at least. Tag: red feathers fly (red tag)

[elfmoon3]

A Shadowy Mist Chapter 48 (Transformers Animated story)

Pairings: Prowl x Oc, Bumblebee x Oc, Optimus Prime x Black Arachnia, Oc x Oc

Summary: Meagan's team gets a new member who has a history with the goth girl agent in the past.

Location: The Mansion of Unknown

Director Mavis waited for Meagan at the mansion with the other agents who had their stuff already moved in. They see Shadow Mist and Meagan come up to the driveway as Meagan got off her partner. "Sorry we're late, Mr. Richards wanted to say his goodbyes." She said as she removed her helmet. "That's quite alright, Agent Walker. Your stuff is already in the house. But there was one person in here who kept the place clean for all of you." She said as she opened the door to see a young man with long brown hair and a beard sitting on the couch. "Anthony?" Meagan asked in surprise. "Sup, Meagan, been awhile." Anthony said in an Irish accent. He was dressed as a skater as he got up and skateboarded to the team. "You know him?" Mary asked. "He's my ex-boyfriend and fellow agent." She said as she placed her hand on her face. "They weren't technically dating, though. They just mostly hang out." Patrick said as he and Anthony gave each other a secret handshake that only they knew how to do. "So how'd you two broke up?" Ash asked. "We made a decision to go our separate ways." Meagan answered, explaining that they weren't in love but dated so that they weren't alone. "So you two never kissed?" Razor asked, "Nope!" Anthony answered. "We never even go on dates either." He added. "So you two were a loveless couple?" Grim asked. "Well, it's not like we didn't like each other. We would rather be friends instead." Meagan answered as she did the same handshake with Anthony. "I'm glad you said that cause I'm joining ye." He said, Meagan looked at him with shock, "You are?" She questioned nervously. "Aye, apparently bein' with a bunch of banshees was gettin' annoyin' so when Director Mavis asked me to come to Detroit from Ireland, I couldn't say no. Though the banshees were nice enough to wail me a friendly goodbye." He said as he showed a picture of him and a group of women who were all in white clothes and had white hair. "Those are banshees? They don't look that scary." Skull said in confusion. "Only when they're not screamin'." Anthony said.

Later that night

After picking their rooms and decorating them with whatever decor and furniture they have, the agents decided to call the Autobots and introduce them to Anthony. They waited as seven vehicles came up the driveway. They transformed into their robot forms, which surprised Anthony. Another vehicle came up and transformed into BrakeDown. "Why doesn't he have a symbol?" Anthony asked in confusion. "That's because he's not an Autobot. He's a bounty hunter." Meagan answered. "In training. Don't forget that." BreakDown said as Sari came flying in with her jetpack. Her helm revealed her face. "And I'm part Cybertronian. The name is Sari." She said. "I know who all of ye are, so no introductions are needed." Anthony said, "Director Mavis told me about the Cybertronians both good and bad. And that these decepticons are planning to resurrect the first decepticon in existence." He added. "So who are you going to pick as your partner?" Meagan asked him. "I'm pickin' mister bounty hunter in trainin'." He said in a snarky way. "Hey, the names BreakDown!"BreakDown yelled in anger. "And I don't think it's a good idea to pick me, cause I'm not an Autobot." He said, "But you're also not a Decepticon, so you're fine." Anthony said, "Besides, I like your car form. It's really cool." He complimented. BreakDown sighed, "I guess it's ok, but my mentor won't let me hear the end of it." He said. Then everyone got a sudden report from Captain Fanzone, who said that Starscream was seen flying out of control. "That's unusual con behavior." Meagan said. BreakDown giggled, "I love to see this." He said, chuckling as he transformed into his vehicle mode along with the Autobots. The agents joined their respective Cybertronian partners, and they drove off to see what's wrong with Starscream.

Later, at central Detroit.

Starscream was flying out of control, screaming about something. "GET THIS PEST OFF ME!!" He screamed as he switched to his robot mode and crashed land on the ground. The team made it and saw the whole thing. BreakDown is trying not to laugh but couldn't control it. "Oh my primus!!" He laughed. "Ratchet, can you check on him?" Optimus asked as the docbot went to check the con only to see weird scratches on Starscream. "That's bizarre." He said in confusion. "Starscream, can you hear us?" Optimus asked, Starscream groaned as he got up to look at the Autobots, as Blitzwing and Lugnut came down without attacking. "This better not be a trick." Shadow Mist said as she reached for her sword. "This is not a trick, Miss Shadow Mist. We were on a supply run until Starscream started acting off. Saying that a small creature was in his cockpit." He said as he went to his colleague's aid. "Is it ok if I analyze him in case he lost his processor?" Ratchet asked, "Of course, but just this once." Blitzwing said before switching to his aggressive personality. "And only once, Autobot!!" He yelled as Ratchet scanned Starscream and saw that the con was mentally ok. "Starscream, is what Blitzwing said true?" Meagan asked as she analyzed the scratches. She feels like she recognized them. "Yeah, but why would you Autobots and humans care?" He asked rudely. "I care cause I know what cause these scratches!" Meagan yelled as she showed everyone a file on her tablet. It has a photo of a small creature with big pointed ears, green skin, and bat wings. "What in Primus' name is that?" Bumblebee asked. "It's a gremlin, and as I fear, it's gremlin season." She said as she then saw a gremlin get off Starscream's back and into the sky laughing at him. "Why you little..NO ONE LAUGHS AT THE MIGHTY STARSCREAM!!" He said as he pointed his arm, but it fell down as he hissed in pain. "I think we should head back and be careful of these creatures." Blitzwing said as he grabbed Starscream and flew off with Lugnut after staring at Grim. "Why'd Blitzwing look at you like that?" Anthony asked, "Cause he's my cold rival." Grim answered.

Later at the decepticons' lair

Starscream was getting treated by his female clone Slipstream, "Ouch, watch the scratches!" He yelled at her, "Oh, don't be such a protoform. You're lucky that those Autobots gave you mercy after seeing your condition." She nagged. "It wasn't them that did this to me, femme!!" He yelled as Megatron came to check on his second in command. "And what pray tell did this to you, Starscream?" He asked darkly. Starscream explained to his leader about what Meagan said, and since Megatron knows when Starscream is lying, he sighs. "Then I suggest we get supplies from ground level until these gremlins pass." He said. "And hopefully these creatures won't mess with our resurrection plan." He added as he left. Starscream and Slipstream looked at each other since they're able to fly. They'd be easier targets for these gremlins. "So, how'd you become a nurse bot?" He flirted before getting slapped in the helm.

To be continued...