#It's 11 pm lol

[canon-gabriel-quotes]

Only the most important bits of the dev stream (trust me) with subtitles!

[scocobeans]

i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida i love kunikida

[azes-silliness]

𝕲𝖔𝖑𝖉

Zhongli x reincarnated gn!reader Angst » comfort(?) An: Hi. Wow, my recent stories suck :3 Finals are tomorrow but I love procastination! Warnings: Reader death, graphic descriptions of blood and violence. Summary: Gold is a precious jewel that glimmers even in the darkness. It is able to withstand even the most powerful forces with mere dents that can be flawlessly fixed. It's only weakness is that when it's old and brittle, it shatters, if not thrown away first.

--

To Rex Lapis, you were an interesting soul. An Adepti with a profound curiousity in humans. Most of your kind hardly bothered with such things, deeming them trivial. Every week, without fail, you made it a point to drag the geo archon to Liyue, giggling at how he managed to seem surprised with your timing at every instance of this happening. "Aren't humans amazing?" You whisper in awe, glancing down from where you were sitting. This excursion had led you both to the quiet peak of a mountain overlooking Liyue. It was breathtaking, to say the least. "They have such short lifespans yet they manage to have so many industrious inventions!" You were pointing at the 'windmill' of the humans. A simple, yet valuable contraption, he supposed. Yet Rex Lapis's eyes were not focused on that human made object-no. His eyes slowly trailed to your gleaming features beside him, leaning close to the cliffs end. You were smiling... "You look beautiful when your excited." He hardly knew why he said that, it was a mere passing thought he should have kept to himself. Yet...the look on your face was well worth it. You gave him a teasing smirk, "Aww, but you can't switch the roles here! You'll be pretty, I'll be hot." He let out chuckle, his eyes twinkling with amusement, "You can be both." He mused affectionately, his hands settling beside him. His chest felt extremely warm, which was odd. He didn't recall any tea having this side effe- ...his cheeks were warm too now. His hand was about to cover his face in embarassment, already starting to turn away before your hands reached out to hold him. "Who knew you got flustered this easily?" You observed, pleased. It was undeniably cute, after all.

"Every journey has its final day. Don't rush." -- To Morax, you were a dearest companion. A trustworthy ally in battle, and a comforting presence over tea. He had witnessed great a many betrayals, both intentional and not. Yet you stayed steadfast by his side, his ever-loyal subordinate. Battles had already caught Liyue in fire within the span of a year. Friends, partners, even enemies met desolate ends at the hands of countless monsters emerging from the abyss. It was a horrific event, new wounds scorning the land so deep many wondered whether they would ever heal. Morax was not spared his fate either, forced to watch with a steady hand as his nation's people were slaughtered by the thousands infront of him. Blood painted almost sickeningly welcoming landscapes every battle, marking a grave for the deceased and scaring the survivors. As every battle closed, the remaining would slowly trudge away from the garish sights, making their way for 'home'. Morax was no different, dismissing his warriors before plodding to the home you shared, every step closer to you seeming lighter. Until he noticed the specks of blood on an open door. "Y/n?" His voice tensed as he quickly made his way to the front, hesitating to come inside. His mind started to conjure up the worst possibility, his thoughts still in the battlefied. No. That wasn't going to happen. He closed his eyes and braced himself, steeling his breaths. Taking out his spear, already in position to fight anything that may be threatening you, he burst open the door, breath heaving with almost petrifying fear. Morax was about to get into a offensive stance before- "...!" There was nothing to fight. The job was over, and he couldn't even attempt to stop it. "Y/n..!" Crimson pooled the area around you, painting the floor a gruesome work of art. Your face was pale, the usual welcoming smile brutally wiped clean. You...didn't seem to be breathing. "My dear...?" Morax whispered, his voice shaking as he knelt next to you, putting a hand on your pulse point.

He closed his eyes, desperately waiting, hoping for any sign you were alive. After all, you were the one who told him and promised him that eternity would be your bond. A few seconds passed like bricks, each one adding weight to his shoulders. Reality started to crash into his face. As if they the world needed one more person from him. No. No. If they did need another person from him then take them. Anyone. Please. Anyone but you. More time passed, the only sound in the area being the faint rustle of leaves and Morax's heavy breaths. "No...w-what? T-thats. No." Morax looked down, tears starting to fall from his eyes. The great geo archon started to cry, grabbing your shoulder, "No...no...Y-Y/n. I order you to stay a-alive. I'll reward you...I'll reward you greatly." He managed, burrying his face into your cold neck, his tears cleansing some of the blood littering your cheeks. His heart froze up in pure terror and denial. No, no. His wordless cries soon turned into a chant of your name being repeated like a mantra, over and over again. As if doing that would bring you back. Would stop this war. Idiotic of him. "My dear-my love, look at me. Please, please look at me. Live. Please." See? He was begging you. The proud god had never knelt so fervently to anyone before. So you'd definitely heed his request. You needed to. But no. You were a traitor too. You disobeyed him "Osmanthus wine tastes the same as I remember... But where are those who share the memory?"

-- To Zhongli you were distant memory filled with love. One he'd remenisce about every day. He would smile as he passed by the cities of Liyue, knowing how pleased you would be with the human's growth. You would definitely light up and recite what you knew about them from books. All the other adepti had joked that you talked more than the geo archon himself. "..." Wouldn't it be funny to admit his knowledge he was prided for mostly came from you? You would have giggled. Thats all that mattered. "I love you my dear..." Zhongli whispered to the wind, a stray tear falling down his cheek. He had never mourned you enough, and will never, hm? Though in the moment,he could almost hear the breeze whisper back the affirmation. He chuckled, "Ahh...Perhaps I am going senile." " Should the day ever come that we are not together, you will continue to shine like gold in my memories."

"My dear."

[lesbianpoetess]

lets go, lesbians!

[starlostfish]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!🎆

Once again, i drew this kinda quickly soooo sorry if it looks questionable! ㅠㅠ Sorry for disappearing for a bit! I was feeling pretty sick this past week lolol. I hope everyone had a good new years! Lets do our best this year!

also also I WILL expand on the medieval/status effect au thingy very soon! I just need to get a few things done ;^]

[dammarchy211]

My boyfriend’s favorite terrible voice impression bit is what I’m dubbing “Sasha Nein from Psychonauts threw out his back and is desperately begging Raz for Advil” and he does it whenever his back hurts

[ethersierra]

Nanofather Lore insanepost

Alright. We've seen my murderboard. It's incomprehensible. But for those who haven't, here it is:

It includes... a lot of everything. I couldn't begin to describe the journey I went on putting this together. Without further ado:

The Nanofather, also known as "The Weaver," "Creaky Man," and sometimes "Geltfrimpen" or briefly as "wily weaver," "dirty jeremy," "muck dweller," and "crusty man," is a recurring ominous character which appears most frequently in the opening segments of The Adventure Zone: Steeplechase. He says a lot of weird shit. And after 33 episodes, I believe I have a pretty good understanding of this shit. Take a walk with me, through this 8-part dive into what the Nanofather's deal is.

I will warn you, this is... insanely long. Turn back now.

1. The Foretelling [moments leading up to the weaver]

Back in episode 18 of Ethersea, Justin mentioned how he's the last of them who has yet to DM. Then, later in the episode, Griffin loses his train of thought and Justin prompts him with "Spin the... spin the yarn" and the riffing leads Clint to say, "weave," and Justin says, "step up to the loom... let the weaving begin at the loom."

In the next episode, as the intro song fades out, Justin interjects in a high falsetto song, singing "Weave another tapestry! McElroy Family and me," and the bit goes on for a minute or so. Later, in Ethersea 24, when trying to convince Griffin to reconsider what happened in the narrative, Justin asks him to "Check your loom, weaver!"

When Justin finally makes his Steeplechase debut, he initially struggles with starting the story. So, Griffin jumps in with,

Griffin: "Can I do what you usually do to me?" Justin: "Please." Griffin: "And be like [singing dramatically] 'The yarn-spinner takes the loom in his hands and weaves a magical tale. Take the wizard by his hands as he flies you around on his rug made of wings and a angel’s hair.'"

Every subsequent episode has the same opening. The recurrence of these instances have culminated in the persona of "The Weaver."

2. The Stew [in which the nanofather discusses various culinary topics]

The Nanofather routinely brings up the food of his world, in some way. This starts as early as episode 3, in which he says, "Perhaps a few more moments before the stew is prepared."

Other segments include advice about nano-nutmeg [12], clarifications about cilantro (called corriander in the UK)[29], and directing the addressee to search for pepperoni and green pepper in "the pyre" [19].

The other three instances of mentions of food directly address Shookles the cat. First, "Shoockles, your master calls. Where's the scum canteen? Fetch it from the shoof... my thirst is unslakable" [7]. Then, in the very next episode, says, "Please... the pollen broth. My throat became so dry... Fetch me the pollen broth, Shoockles" [8]. And most recently, he speaks rather dramatically, saying, "I believe I went… as far as I could… I don’t know if… it was far enough… I’m terrified to push it further… I believe this is the limit… Yes… no, that’s true… It’s true… The greater danger is hesitation, yes… I will add one more half-teaspoon of cumin, Shookles. Thank you, Shookles, I… should listen to your culinary acumen more" [22]. This is assumedly in reference to something he is cooking, perhaps the stew mentioned in episode 3. Perhaps all of these ingredients are being used in the stew.

Either way, these interactions tell us that the Nanofather has an interest in cooking, and that Shookles acts as an assistant to him.

3. Direct Interactions [in-character conversations]

There are several instances where the Nanofather speaks with our player characters, or appears within their world.

This first happens in episode 20, when the crew enters the lair of Geltfrimpen and hears a voice familiar to the players coming from the dragon. He says, "Excuse me for this, but I have to keep up appearances." He continues to speak with the boys throughout the scene as they fight the animatronic. He says, "I’m having trouble staying here," and within the scene, Justin describes that, "The sound seems to be coming from like... the entirety of Geltfrimpen. It’s emanating from him, not localized to any one point in the dragon’s body." Beef asks the Weaver if he could come out of the dragon, to which he responds, "Would that I could." When Montrose begins refering to him as Geltfrimpen, he says, "I am not Geltfrimpen. I am here. But I am not Geltfrimpen." Emerich asks for his name, which is met with "Would that I know," but because Beef had called him creaky man earlier, the voice says "Creaky Man will suffice for now, I suppose. A good amount of christening."

He goes on to explain his situation at their behest:

"I will do my best to tell you what I know. It takes quite a bit for me to be as here as I am. But I will try. Part of me is in Geltfrimpen. But I am many places throughout the world. Part of me is here. Part of me is imprisoned here, I think. And through this act, I am no longer... trapped here, this part of me. I’m able to be more concentrated, if that—if that is the correct word, else... elsewhere... I will not be here long, and then I will vacate Geltfrimpen for good. And I will be a little bit more myself, elsewhere."

The implications within this one paragraph are that he does not have much of a physical form, and is potentially some sort of spirit, but he can manifest part of himself at will in some places. Montrose asks if he has a home base, but he says, "I’m... scattered. More accurately, I think... shattered."

He follows with even more interesting information,

"I’ve seen you elsewhere, I was... in one of the vans, as you made the thrilling escape. I was there. I called out, but it was so loud. I have watched you from the porch of Ustaben. In the... the whittling I sat, a rocking chair... I couldn’t summon up enough voice to reach you, but I called out. I called out to anyone who would listen, honestly. But you three are the first who seem to... be looking hard enough to hear."

There have been two heists with van escapes. The first is in episode 3, when Gravel pulled up in a stolen truck/van (it is important to note that they use them interchangably). The four of them were the only ones in the vehicle. However, this escape was not very thrilling, so we are going to refer to the Gutter City heist.

Sticky Finger(s) Paul Pantry asks the three of them to steal a truck called the Clean, and notes that it is made of Hardlight. When the time comes, Emerich has attuned with the hardlight Short Doug and drives in one of the trucks with him [9].

The second thing the Nanofather mentions is an obvious reference to the Ustaben attraction, Whittle Around. In the setup episode, Whittle Around is established as having a porch where "grandpa" sits and whittles wood-- grandpa, of course, being a hardlight construct who was initially Eustace but has since been replaced [0].

The combiantion of these two implies that the Nanofather exists for moments within, or as, these constructs. His spirit seems to be able to travel between them-- to what extent this is under his control remains questionable. Perhaps he is living within the park itself, haunting it. This is given further support at the end of episode 27, when an arcade machine in the back of Poppy's Place crackles with static and we hear the Nanofather say, "act... quickly." Emerich however is unable to make further contact, and this is the last time he seems to interact with them. Montrose says that they "have a ghost in the machine"[28].

4. The World He Inhabits [what we know about the environment, the character, and allusions to mechanisms of communication]

In his first appearance, the Nanofather says to the audience (which may be moreso to the players/player characters? uncertain), "welcome travelers," establishing that we are not from the same place he is.

The world he lives in is fleshed out through each episode. Highlights include "quite a long day tending to the muck fields" [5], "I've missed the meeting with the rust council"[13], and the afformentioned scum canteen. He also says, in episode 6, "I have a new tale for you. Of a muck-dweller turned hero to his- to his people… I seem to have lost it in the last rust storm." This sets him in a sort of wasteland. He also says, or rather, sings, "I'm a neutron guy, you're my nega-girl, I'll sweep you through the ash waste as we make our way through the,"[10] before he cuts himself off.

It seems to be a world where things are rough-- he says, "to make it 37 years is quite a blessing"[13]. That implies his age is 37, or that he has survived 37 years in the conditions that he is in. Additionally, he says, "you will find it in the pyre"[19], a pyre being defined as "a combustible heap for burning a dead body as a funeral rite," implying that they either have to make their own fires or 'bury' their dead.

Notably, there seems to be a recurring theme surrounding weather and time.

"It's gotten so quiet, lately... in the nights... and in the mornings... and the cyber night, the time between the night and the mornings..."[14] "It seems the storms have come early this evening"[4] "The last rust storm"[6]

This implies that time is somewhat technologically controlled, and weather is on a cycle. The building of Steeplechase, or what we are to assume is, is like holographically augmented[31], and so are the inside skies of the park. It is plausible to say the environment wherever the Nanofather is could also be simulated.

5. Wall Breaks [speaking to the players]

These indicate communication from the nanofather directly to the players. They imply to us more about the world, but more importantly, the means of communication and lore surrounding it.

In episode 9, we open the episode hearing a different voice. They say, "Hello? …Hello, spirits?" and begin to knock. "Nanofather says the spirits can hear you through the wall. Spirits… are you there?" But they are interupted by a familiar voice-- "Kavecca!," the nanofather says. "Just another of his stories, I suppose," Kavecca amends. "Kavecca, away from that! You dabble with powers you do not understand!" This raises a lot of questions from the players, about who Kavecca is, why there is another person speaking to them, and what the fuck the 'nanofather' means. What interests me is the referral to their audience as "spirits"-- and what implications does that have? Are they between the world the players inhabit and Steeplechase? Are the players spirits? Also factoring in Blades in the Dark, which has ghosts in it, which have been altered into hardlight for Steeplechase-- maybe the hardlight kept some of that original intent. Maybe that's how the nanofather is able to inhabit hardlight.

In the following episode, we find the nanofather singing a song. What follows is pretty strange.

ohh… I’m a neutron guy… and you’re my nega-girl… I’ll sweep you through the ash waste as we make our way through the…. [click] …do you hear me, Travis? Travis: What? I’m sorry… I didn’t realize I’d left the horn on. Travis: Are you speaking, are you- talking to me? Fare thee well. [10]

First, in "I didn't realize I'd left the horn on," a horn is primarily UK slang for telephone. That could be interpretted here as a literal telephone or whatever line of communication they seem to share. Next-- he directly addresses Travis. This is the first conversation the players have with this character, and so far the only. But it isn't the only time he addresses them:

Clinton? Travis? Gribby? My three… my three favourite micro-nephews. Here to visit me. What a wonderful treat this is… Come. Let me see if I can’t find you a new tale… Griffin: Gribby! Gribby can only say his own name. Justin: Oh? Griffin: Yeah, that’s sort of his thing. Justin: Do you… how do you… I’m surprised you have insight into these three new characters… already. Travis: I’m trying harder and harder to just pretend like we are not on the call when he records that part. Griffin: It’s the only way to not be... ensorcelled by the tapestry he weaves. Clint: Not me. Not me. Did you say Clinton? Clinton… Travis: It sounded like Clinton. Clint: I wonder who that is. Justin: Clinton, Travis and Gribby are apparently, I’ve just found this out with you guys, is— did he say— Griffin: The micro nephews. [15]

This is interesting because Travis is the only one whose name is not altered, and he was specifically addressed before. What we also glean from this is that the nanofather views them as micronephews, so he has an alleged relation to them. Previously, he has called them children but it wasn't apparent until now that he was addressing them specifically.

In the intro with Kavecca, it is important to note that they are the first person to call the weaver "the nanofather." We know from his time as Geltfrimpen that the nanofather has no proper name. Nanofather is more likely to be a title, or rather, a signifier of Kavecca's relationship to him, such as being his child or grandchild. This would put Kavecca on the same family tree as Clinton, Travis, and Gribby, if they really are his "micronephews."

6. Descent Into Weirdness [tonally different moments and their implications]

Everything The Nanofather says is weird, but these are the moments that absolutely baffle me, or upon which he is commenting on the story somehow.

The first time he seems to comment on the events of Steeplechase is in Episode 16, in response to a plot twist at the end of the previous episode (in which the Barrister arrived to kick Emerich's ass but they got him stuck in a machine). He says, "Oh, that’s not right… [rustling paper] …Oh, but this doesn’t make any sense, it was… The story wasn’t like this …. Or… I-Is it changing?" He then follows this in the next episode by... just... breathe-whistling menacingly? Note that this episode takes place when they are travelling between layers, on the start of their Ephemera quest.

Episode 18 starts with, "Oh… Oh, they haven’t… even begun to fathom it… But you…. You swore, we both swore? You know they’re not ready!" I wonder who the "you"/"we" is in this. Is it us as the audience, the players, or perhaps Kavecca? Eighteen is the beginning of the time they spend in Ephemera, and at the beginning of the episode Krystal has an encounter with someone in the Gallspire. This adds on to the commentary in 16 and implies that there is something bigger at play...

Episode 20 presents us with a poem of sorts:

Ever faster, ever closer, ever never slowing down… Ever nearer, ever clearer, ever nipping at the gown... Ever spinning, ever grinning, ever hearing what they please. Ever growing, ever knowing, that they are the disease…

There is no direct indication of what this is talking about, but I think it's about Dentonic. They never slow down, they don't know when to stop dreaming! They will warp whatever they must to fit their narrative and they don't care what the casualties are.

When the Weaver makes his entrance into the world of Steeplechase, at the end of 20 and speaking through Geltfrimpen, these occurences get more frequent:

"Oh, I… I’m mostly… mostly… with them now… [chuckles] ah… ah… smaller than I… assumed…" [21] "Mostly… echoes… yet to be… I’m sorry, I know that doesn’t… answer your question…" [23] "Yes… yes, I was surprised too, Shookles. What? Oh… Oh, they didn’t hear…"[25]

25 ends with Gravel being arrested for Sticky Finger Paul Pantry's murder. 26 opens with, "…yes, but I’d assumed it was… consigned to legend! I never would’ve expected- i guess… my understanding is not… what I’d thought it was. Terrifying, in a way, but also… quite wonderful." I can't even begin to parse what he's talking about.

Then of course, there is 27: "No, no, not to the boat... Only one... one node per layer... I tried to maintain hopping... but it’s too taxing... too many...noises..." What fucking boat? And he tries to hop between layers- maybe the nodes are in the things he is inhabiting. Geltfrimpen, the arcade box, hard doug, eustace... The arcade machine and Geltfrimpen aren't made of hardlight, and these are the methods through which he has actually been able to speak (he could only see through hardlight)... maybe these are the "nodes?" I wonder what the noises refer to.

When things start looking down for the crew as they try to piece together what the fuck is happening, The Nanofather opens episode 28 with, "I’m not sure yet… I’m hopeful… Ah, Shookles… optimistic…or perhaps… perhaps optimism is just the last refuge of those… with nothing left to lose..." The Nanofather is referring to himself in this line, and the fact that he considers himself to have "nothing left to lose" implies that he has a strong connection to the events in Steeplechase, particularly to the crew-- which makes sense given their previous interactions. But what is at stake for him is unclear.

In episode 30 he says, "The thought had crossed my mind… But it can’t be long now…" I must say this is particularly ominous because I have no idea what the "thought" is or what he is waiting for. His salvation?

Finally, we have episode 31. His last appearance.

"It feels… like something… has frayed…"

In this episode, Kenchal Denton speaks to the crew a lot about cutting loose ends. And then he drops them out of a hovercraft into a desert that seems to be entirely disconnected from the electrical grid Steeplechase is on. And we don't hear from The Nanofather again.

7. Ties to Clint McElroy. [the ways in which this comes back to him.]

[post-discussion following the moment in episode 10 when the nanofather asks, "do you hear me Travis?"] Travis: Is that guy my real dad? Justin: You wish Griffin: Legally, you have to tell Travis, if the muckdweller is his real dad Justin: Not the muck dweller. The nanofather. Please- Travis: Oh, it's right there in the name! I should have seen it a mile away it's so obvious now!

Now, this may be a stretch. And it started out to me as a joke, but guys. The further I get the further I am convinced. The Nanofather is connected to, if not is, Clint McElroy the Planeswalking Janitor.

Evidence A: He calls them "children" when he goes to tell them stories. Counterpoint: Clint can't be his own son. Counter-counterpoint: Clint's full name, according to Griffin on an episode of Wonderful, is Clinton Emil McElroy Jr. Meaning, he has a father named Clint.

Evidence B: When the Nanofather refers to Travis, Clinton, and Gribby, Justin later describes them as "these new characters," in the same way he insists that Clint McElroy his father and Clint McElroy the Planeswalking Janitor are separate things [Spiritbreakers Live in San Jose].

Evidence C: The Nanofather hops between layers, in a similar way to how Clint hops between planes. And the Nanofather seems to be fractured, scattered, not his whole self. He is powerful but weak. He is able to speak to players, characters, and potentially the audience? It transcends the boundaries between the two worlds...

Evidence D: Justin is a big fan of the TAZiverse. He has shown this multiple times but the ones I remember most are of course, when he introduces "Taako from Television" in Ephemera (and other Balance things, implies it was a legend passed down, etc), and when Griffin introduced that he would be playing Indrid in Dust 2. Like of fuckin course he'd be excited to bring things together more in small ways.

Evidence E: There has been increased Clint McElroy the Planeswalking Janitor activity, the most since before Ethersea. In April, Justin played the character Clint McElroy the Planeswalking Janitor in a liveshow in San Jose (I was there hi!!!), which had initially been planned for November but was rescheduled. Both of these, though, fall under the time in which Steeplechase was active, so he was thinking about this character during that time. Additionally, the merch of the month for August is a sticker of Planeswalking Janitor Clint McElroy. And he was mentioned in Steeplechase Episode 26, when there was debate over whether something was said by Emerich or his player.

Travis: I think that was Dad. Justin: Oh. Well, I mean... yeah, I guess dad could be in it too, Trav. Is that what you’re saying? Travis: No, I’m just saying, I think Dad was making the observation— Clint: Oh my God! Is this an appearance by Clint McElroy, the planes-walking janitor? Griffin: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Clint: Okay— Travis: No, no, not yet. Justin: No, we can’t, we can’t. Travis: Don’t force it, don’t force it.

Evidence F: I didn't expect to find this one. Honestly I think it shows that I have gone too far as a person. But... guys this one drives me crazy. So. We meet Shoockles in Episode 4, when The Nanofather introduces him as "Cat bart... he's my cat. Bart Shoockles." And guys I was like haha that's funny there is no way this is related... But then I was on Clint's Instagram trying to figure out if maybe he had a cat, since I know Justin has one. And I came across a photo he took of a white dog, which I wasn't sure was his until I got confirmation from an old post on one of the boys' Instagrams. But... in the caption of the post with his dog, he calls him Homer. Clint McElroy has a dog named Homer. Let me just, direct you to the Simpsons family tree:

Finally, Evidence G: Justin would go really far for a bit. He likes to have fun and get silly with his family and he knows Clint would get a huge laugh out of this. And he would also do anything to get a good age joke on his dad.

8. Conclusion [how it all comes together]

The moment you've been waiting for. What does it all mean?

The Nanofather seems to play no real importance to the main plot in Steeplechase at this point, but he has huge potential to. More importantly, looking at the Nanofather gives us some insight into the state of the park and where the player characters find themselves. He works as both a narrative framing device and as a part of the story. He talks to the players, the characters, and the audience, truly bringing a special flavor to Steeplechase.

With everything we've seen and heard, there is sufficient evidence to say that the Nanofather lives within the walls of the park, travelling using its energy grid. He has only been able to manifest to the characters through the electronics and hardlight creations. When they arrived in Kidadelphia in episode 32, it was apparent they were not connected to the same electrical grid, and there was no hardlight. The fact that he was completely silent in both 32 and 33 supports this theory, because there would be no way for him to communicate with them. Either that or they were too late and he died.

He has found himself in a wasteland, with weather and times that are controlled electronically. He is scattered, does not have a name-- a shell of who he once was. If the Carmine Denton Nanofather theory were correct, this would be a beautiful picture: the guy who created a way for others to escape is trapped in the destruction that his creation wrought... Regardless, I am concerned for his wellbeing since it seemed like he was in a hurry.

The interactions between the Nanofather and the heist crew imply that there could be a larger plot with him, but I don't know how close that is to happening. The Nanofather is one complicated guy, and if they want to save him I... guess they'll have to never know when to stop dreaming.

Thank you for coming along with me on this long and gruesome ride. I started this way back after episode 30 aired, I think. It's been simmering for a month, my own personal stew of sorts... For those of you who have helped contribute to my madness, thank you, and to those who have watched in horror, I'm sorry. It's been a real one.

And now, to send you off, I present to you this excerpt from Episode 10:

Justin: Our friend and employee Jupiter is kind enough to help pull together recaps of this dumb stuff, but Jupiter, showing a lot of wisdom here, does not track the story of the nanofather […] Travis: I think they realize it's been so clear cut at this point that any child could keep track of all the nanofather/muckdweller lore.

[galaxy-lilies]

FINISHED THE HOTGUY ZINE AND AAAAAAAAH /POS

okay im going to put my thoughts under the cut cause OUGH this is going to be a long post LMAO

FIRST OFF can i just say how amazing and incredible the folk who organized the whole event are, they deserve absolute kudos

AND ANOTHER FIRST OFF: SHOUTOUT TO ALL THE LOVELY WRITERS, ARTISTS, EDITORS, ETC. WHO CONTRIBUTED YALL ARE INCREDIBLE

okay okay finally into the recap that was an amazing 3 and a half hours of my life

Pages 1-103:

When I first saw the heads up about how the zine was interconnected and skipping any part would potentially lead to some plot i was immediately intrigued then i was immediately hit with the other realization of "410 PAGES???? HELLO????"

the first comic was so fucking cute OMG LIZZIE'S DESIGN WAS SO CUTE AND THE SILLY SLIDESHOW HUMOR BETWEEN JOEL, SCAR, AND LIZZIE

"hold on let me make some edits-" "no let ME make some edits-"

the artstyle changing based on who was editing what, Joel just trying to support his wife, Scar purposely mishearing "cats" as "cash" absolute hilarity how i heart them all so

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AND THEN WE GET HIT WITH THE DOODY ART OOOOH MY DAYS CUTEGUY AND HOTGUY MEETING FOR THE FIRST TIME AAAAAAH

Grian rocking the cloak, Scar just absolutely confuzzled: THEYRE SOOOO *shakes them*

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and the shenanigans between Ren, Scar, and BDubs oh my god AND THE ON GOING BIT ABOUT HOW "if anyone says hotguy it immediately turns into the logo" it never fails to make me laugh

the early days of the mutation, the proposal of the union, PEARL'S LITTLE >:3c as she pressed publish OUGH

and the trail of petals grian left behind as he considered hotguy's proposal just *splat* i literally ate up all the art and the fics and the silly silly edits in this zine THEY WORLD BUILDING IS AMAZING

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speaking of world building: MUMBLR??? HELLOOOOOOO

THE ANON'S HAVING SILLY MUSTACHES BY DEFAULT

THE RANTING IN THE TAGS

THE MEMES

now i need to know, what does old mumblr *checks notes* teal? green? look like

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(at this point it was around 8 PM but after a long day i was already reaching the point of eepyness and i thought "surely i can finish reading the hOTGuY zine in one sitting!" spoiler alert: i did not)

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immediately when i saw the G Team comic i was reminded of the council of Grians LMAO Grian being the absolute chaotic one man band as he tries to collect all this evidence, the readers seeing Scar's means of transportation for the first time, and then *vine boom* SCULK

also ARIANA GRIANDE THE BELOVED HOW I HEART HER SOOOOOOOO i love all of the grians featured here, and the fact that permit office grian managed to make a silly appearance AND his permit shenanigans working in his favor- hE EVEN HAS THE "please hold." MUSIC- iconic i tell you, iconic

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I absolutely exploded into a million pieces seeing tibby's art then exploded again because "i can't see the end of the horizon...CUBFAN135- IS THAT YOU??!!?"

seeing the sculk snail follow behind scar idly, the fact that grian's only lead is cub ordering pizza like of all leads. but to be fair it does fit both of them LMAO

i am eating the sculk texturing btw it's very very tasty uwu

it's the fact that both of them turned to each other to yell "ARSON" like of course theyre at the ready to light things on fire

BUT THEN THIS PANEL

cub just over scar's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, the match already out of grian's hand, the sculk snail also there to witness the chaos that is about to ensue *chefs kiss* poetic cinema

also i would buy this shirt

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oh my gods the emails, the emails were so fucking funny i- KJSDFHDSJK

BDubs immediately trying to screen Cub out and Cub just continuing his shenanigans unperturbed, grian at his wits end trying to contact scar but of course scar is busy and cub just assumes it's some impersonation account until further notice, TGC trying to contact them but once again Mr. Fan135 Does Not Give A Fuck and he lives to cause mild annoyances and chaos, what a guy LMAO

their littol email icons are so cute, when i saw pearl's i was like "WAH PUPPERRRR"

i havent seen many email-format type beat story telling before so this was an absolute joy to explore the story through pearl's detailed emails, grian's panicked typing (how was mans typing and sending so quickly with 365+ lazer eyed chickens chasing him like a mad man + a green gob- i mean goatman), and both bdubs' and cub's concern and nonchalance. not to mention bdubs just nodding along and going "well cub you have proven yourself...and uh- added a totally not a virus to scar's phone- BUT you have proven yourself...." absolute sillies, absolutely iconic

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THE TWITTER BEEF HAD ME CACKLING OH MY GOD THE QUOTE RETWEETS i would pay good money to see that in real time oh my god

mumblr user hermitopia-explained you will always be famous

okay i'll admit it i was distracted by the scitties- BUT the social media handles and names being remade into hermit puns and the fact he's chilling on mending beach I CAN'T

AND OUR ETERNAL QUEEN JELLIE i literally let out a small squeal looking at her she is sO *gently holds her*

birthday gorl getting absolutely spoiled, as she deserves

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scar finding a cloak just to do the sailor moon meme: iconic, showstopping, one of a kind, amazing, talented- i love these two idiots

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and as a heads up i'm going to try and separate these into about 100 pages each! so expect the next reblog soon

[umbraticstickerz]

Haven't done full lineless art in a verrry long time, was fun though! Heavy shading is one of my favorite things to do. Was streaming myself drawing it to a buddy on discord, wouldn't stop 'tormenting' me lmfao.

[firefly-factory]

Astorvember Day 12 - FACADE

Yeahhhh so maybe he forgot that ordinary people don't like being reminded of their incredibly fragile mortality. Give the guy a break. He's been travelling on his own for a while now, and socializing is hard.

Of course, the villagers were never in any real danger. Astor was always going to alert them, they were always going to survive. But if he hadn't been there - if Fate hadn't been on their side - they might not have. He thinks about it sometimes, on the long, lonely road between settlements. He thinks about the sick and the injured and the soon-to-be-hurt that he's walked past without a second thought, because he knows there is nothing he can do to help.

It messes with his head, a little bit. Makes it that much harder when people want to thank him, afterwards, because in his mind he hasn't done anything remarkable. It was simply what had to be done.

[sainteclectic]

What is Whole, Exactly?

Part 1 - Calamity

Disclaimer: This series of posts are meant to be my own personal interpretation of the album! I'm just one person, and the beauty of this album is that there's so many interpretations. I don't want to come off like I'm stating facts about the story here- it's all my personal thoughts, you're free to have your own!

that said, let's get into it!

Time Machine Reprise

(Soul)

Oh, live the dream in a time machine I've been waiting forever But I can't seem to find my footing back on one What's the time? Where's it gone? When's beat one?

This is the very first mention of Whole, or at least the concept of Whole. Here, “one” refers both to Whole and the first beat of the song. This sets up the idea that Whole is the end goal of this loop (whether it be a literal or metaphorical loop), and that the splitting of Whole is what causes this loop to continue. Soul has been waiting forever for the harmony to last, but he can't find his footing (i.e. ending the cycle). This segues into the next song nicely.

Dream

(Soul)

There’s still another sunset to be found inside this tangent, so I will try again. And perhaps when we become whole, it’ll hold.

Soul’s determination here defines this song. The first half of this song is chaotic and frantic, the middle half bitter and mournful. Here though, he finds his resolve. He knows that being Whole isn’t permanent, implying Soul knows something about the loop. This is further supported by the fact he says he “can’t go another round of cacophony.” It puts a lot more weight into his words: He knows that this is pointless. He knows that it won’t hold. Whole is an unattainable goal that Soul knows won’t last. But he still tries. This devotion in the face of futility is what defines his character.

Perhaps we’ll meet at Tycho, or somewhere more solar, yet colder. This world’s hard to shoulder. But when Harmonia shines, Atlas beholds her, so bathed in serenity; beauty, in synchronicity; blissfully entwined. Divine. So I will try one more time...

This is the reference most people think of when they think of Whole. Obviously, Atlas refers to Soul in this metaphor. People think of Atlas as holding up the earth, but he actually holds up the sky. He keeps the sky from crushing the world below. Now, what characters are represented as the sun and moon, the two main things you see when you look at the sky? This metaphor is even evoked in this very segment: Tycho is a crater on the moon, and the “solar, yet colder” is a clear reference to Mind, who’s directly referred to as cold despite being the sun. Soul holds up Heart and Mind, keeping them from crushing Whole—his world, the thing that he’s shouldering this burden for despite knowing it’s fruitless.

Now, Harmonia. Harmonia is the goddess of concord and harmony. In fact, she's also called Concordia—which could be the inspiration for Concord as a name. It's unclear here whether Harmonia represents Whole in this line, or she's the abstract concept of being Whole. Either way, Atlas seeing Harmonia is Soul clinging to the image of Whole as a beautiful, serene, divine thing. The perfection of Harmonia is what keeps him going. Becoming Whole is also referred to as “harmonizing” several times in the album, furthering the connection that being Whole is seen as a harmonious and beautiful thing.

{I had an entire paragraph interpreting the mythos around Harmonia before realizing it's probably not that deep, but I digress.}

My point is, our first descriptions of Whole come entirely through Soul and his determination to make it through Cacophony again. It's not until Cacophony that we hear Heart and Mind's thoughts on what Whole means. Next time... we hear those! I was originally going to make this all one big post, but I'm already at 2k words and I haven't even finished my analysis of Cacophony yet. So... no, we aren't doing that.

...I have no idea how to end this post. Ok bye

[ardentpoop]

nothing funnier than ppl insisting that jensen “good ol boy” ackles was waging war at the cw network’s corporate headquarters to put dstiel crumbs on your tv screen for the approval of unimaginative white gays the world over

[mellotronmkll]

happy enough again with my daily (although it's been more like weekly if that lately tbh) recording exercise from yesterday to post it, actually I'm a little proud of myself because this is the first time I felt confident enough to record myself playing accordion, plus there's programmed drums on this one! I've been kind of obsessed with this song lately ever since I got this EP on cd a couple weeks ago and it was so fun to play. very short but fun!

[wanderingcas]

so i've been having a hard time with my ✨depression✨ the last few days and i want to share something that may help someone? it helps me? and that's: go to bed earlier. don't stay up past 10 - 9:30 if you can help it. im so serious. it's the literal depression witching hour past 10 if you stay up too late and!! there's a scientific reason for it. (something about cortisol levels idk my therapist explained it to me once but point remains: you get sadder at night) drink some chamomile tea if that's your jam, take a bath, take some melatonin drops, ANYTHING you can do to try and sleep earlier. if you can't sleep that early (like me), simply lie in bed with a cozy blanket and read a book. or watch a familiar, uncomplicated sitcom. turn off the phone (read: social media). don't engage in anything that's upsetting. and i promise you the world will feel better.

[saltedcaramelchaos]

tristesse

[amethyst-halo]

bunnypaw and her momma that i slapped down rq!