#The lightning and environments in this show omg!

[annlar]

Omega & Hunter

[gingerthesnap]

Some things I really liked about TLOU2 - SPOILERS!

The balancing mechanic and the way it was used to show Abby’s fear of heights. Abby’s fear of heights was really well done, too, great example of the rule of three. 

The way Joel’s breath shook after he rescued Ellie from the bloater in the flashback. 

The entire museum scene.

The storm and how it was used to allow the player to have a sense of a timeline during Abby’s day three. As soon as I heard the thunder I felt this jolt because I knew what was about to go down - really well done.

The aquarium was a really interesting environment to explore, especially at night with the lightning flashes. 

The music. 

The little board in the stables in Jackson that had the names of all the patrollers on hooks and a little table w/ pastries + coffee. 

The WLF’s setup in the stadium. Their system seemed pretty cool, I mean, everyone has equal access to food, healthcare, housing, childcare, etc. Besides the war/torture/murdering outsiders, that’s better than what we have now, so...

The entirety of the Seraphite’s island, it was just utterly gorgeous. So much love went into those environments, you can tell. 

Joel’s house. All of Joel’s house.

The fact that Ellie journals about her feelings - the journal was such a good mechanic to show her inner thoughts. 

Ellie likes to draw and write poetry and play music! What an artistic lady, oh my gosh!

Ellie’s little shed house omg it was so cute. 

The boat mechanic was fun except I’m really bad at it so I’m just swerving around like a goofball and it was pretty funny tbh. 

Joel trying to punch a homophobic guy. 

Joel looking at Ellie before he died, and then Ellie’s drawings where his eyes are crossed out, or where she just draws eyes. And her entry about wondering if it was worse for him because she was there, or if it was better for him to have company, and just...reflecting on what he was thinking in that moment. Cause I’d been doing that too, and I hadn’t realized until I read the entry. Personally, I think Joel was thinking that he’d do it all again, even knowing it’d end like this. UPDATE - Troy Baker confirmed this was one of the things he was thinking EYYYYYY

The way religion is shown, through Dina and Lev. The way Dina explains to Ellie to benefits of faith and prayer, like, prayer as a way of paying respects and focusing? It was just really beautiful. And Lev and Yara, believing in their faith despite being exiled, and that the texts had just been corrupted...that was really interesting and done respectfully. 

Lev and Yara not understanding pop culture or swearing or technology is really fucking funny. “Cold.” “Cool.” “What?” “Nevermind.” and “We’re getting warmer.” “I hope not, I’m hot enough already.” OMG ALSO “It’s a quarter.” “A quarter of what?” 

Rat king rat king rat king rat king rat king rat king

The daycare in Jackson and the classrooms at the WLF made me happy cause now I know I can be a teacher even if the world ends, yay, I have a function in post-apocalypse society. 

Abby’s fishtail braid, and the fact that it was all frizzy.

Ellie only wearing converse sneakers. 

Dina yelling at Tommy after he guilts Ellie. “Don’t you ever bring that shit into my house again”, you tell him, Dina.

The way Ellie interacts with J.J. They’re just utterly precious, so tender and sweet. 

The fact that they named the baby Jesse Joel or Joel Jesse. 

Ellie calls J.J. “potato”...it’s adorable but also why and where. 

The way Joel hugs Ellie/checks her over when he shows up at the hospital. Also the second before he showed up while Ellie was listening to the tape, I had this thought “omg what if Joel came running up all panicked” AND THEN HE DID. 

Ellie’s absolute panic when Dina tries to share her mask with Ellie after Ellie’s breaks. 

“You’re handsome just...not my type.” “What, Asian?” “Yes, that’s what I meant.” 

Joel’s stilted manner as he interacts w/ Ellie after she finds out the truth, like, trying not to say anything wrong at all. You can feel they’re walking on eggshells. 

Snowball fight with Ellie and Dina v. children. 

Ellie’s horse, Shimmer. 

The dog mechanic was unique and cool, definitely added a challenge! 

The frozen zombies in the mountains w/ Abby, that was fascinating omg! 

The way Ellie slumps on the guitar in Seattle and you just know she’s missing Joel. 

[harrypotterandthefandomaccount]

Stumbling Over Your Own Two Feet

request: hey angel! since your writing for cedric diggory too, i was wondering if you could make a headcanon/drabble about cedric dating the reader who has muggle parents? and maybe some stuff about him visiting the readers home and seeing all the muggle stuff? also maybe a part where she shows him her phone LMFAO bc idk if the wizards have phones or not x just tons of fluff and cedric being confused by memes, tik tok or vine references xxx

warnings: none

note: gender neutral!reader,,,, i havent written for cedric in a long time so i hope yall enjoy this but omg this is so fricken bad i am so so sorry i-

-

You were smitten the first time you saw Cedric Diggory. He was not only unbelievably handsome but kind, funny, and just an overall wonderful human being. At first, the two of you rarely talked, only having a few classes together. But as years passed, you both became partners in most of your classes and began to realize how much you had in common.

Until you started to realize that not every wizard has been introduced to a muggle. Well, at least you thought you were muggle - you apparently had some sort of magic blood within you, letting you attend Hogwarts.

You were beyond shocked when you received a letter from Hogwarts stating that you were a wizard - weren’t those made up, like that one series of books into movies? What was it called, Harley Porter?

Anyways!

It was extremely difficult being a muggleborn in a school mostly filled with students who had at least one parent that knew of magic. However, one person that stayed consistent through those years with you was Cedric. He was quiet in his first few years, but slowly came out of his shell and showed you how to be a wizard to your full potential. He also proved to be an amazing friend, sticking up for you whenever other wizards would question your ability to even be a wizard with your muggle status. He seemed to know how to handle every situation thrown at him, and that was something you envied about him - but loved him nonetheless. 

So to see Cedric very confused over such minuscule items in your house was a wee bit surprising. You thought wizards would know everything about muggles, considering they were like little pet rats and most wizards loved analyzing them. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

Cedric had decided to come over to your house during Christmas break, saying he missed your mom’s homemade meals and your dad's jokes that made him laugh till he cried - but you knew he just wanted to spend time with you. He had met your parents once before, but that was outside of the muggle environment. So now, coming into your home for the first time, he didn’t know what certain things were and was taken aback by some items.

Entering your house, your tiny laundry room was the first room that the house enclosed, attached to the kitchen. Cedric pointed at your washer and dryer, stacked atop of each other, “what are those things, darling?”

You raised an eyebrow, “a washer and dryer. We use them to wash and dry our clothes.”

Cedric furrowed his eyebrows, “why not use the scouring charm?”

With a laugh, you took Cedric by the arm and led him through the kitchen, “it feels better to sort our clothes and have them go through the process of being cleaned. Although, I sometimes use the charm when I’m feeling lazy.”

Your boyfriend chuckled and nodded along, but stopped once he saw the toaster in your kitchen, “okay, darling, I understand the washer and dryer, but what in Merlin’s beard is that?”

Looking at where Cedric was pointing at, you squeezed his hand, “a toaster, love. We put bread within those little slots and by pushing the level down, the heaters inside toast the bread.”

He looked dumbfounded, “you muggles astound me. You don’t just make lightning bread?”

Now you looked confused, “lightning. . .bread?”

Cedric looked you in the eyes before snorting, “how about that tour?”

Rolling your eyes but silently adoring his little snort, you pulled your boyfriend through the dining room to the upstairs and into your room, before closing the door, setting one of his bags on the floor. Plopping on your bed, you pulled out your phone, deciding to go onto Snapchat and send pictures to a few of your friends.

Your boyfriend walked around your room, glancing at the little trinkets you had. One thing that caught his eye, though, was a picture with you and some of your friends from your hometown. Picking up the photo, he noticed you were mid laugh, along with your friends, but the picture wasn’t moving.

“Sweetheart,” Cedric started, watching as your face lit up from the flash on Snapchat, looking over at him, “how come this photo isn’t moving?”

You smiled, “those are my friends, my muggle friends. Obviously, they can’t be exposedto magic so I can’t take any moving pictures with them.”

You seemed a little hurt at the end, but understood that it’d be dangerous to even expose your muggle friends to a moving picture.

Giving you a tight smile, Cedric jogged over to your bed and laid next to you, resting his head on your chest as you played with the filters on Snapchat, laughing at Cedric’s facial expressions he made.

“That’s your phone, right?” your boyfriend asked, still looking surprised as to how so much light and information could fit onto one screen.

You kissed his head, “yes, love, and actually. . .I just downloaded this new app called ‘TikTok’ and I’ve been scrolling through it - the people on here are absolutely hilarious. I even learned a new dance!”

You pushed yourself up, looking around for your phone charger that seemingly disappeared.

Cedric leaned back, propping himself up on an elbow, “a new dance, you say? Show me those moves, beautiful.”

You blushed, “I didn’t say I was good, Ced.”

Pausing your search, you wrapped yourself up in one of Cedric’s Quidditch sweaters that you definitely took with his permission, tossing your shirt into your hamper, leaving you in shorts and his sweater. Then, you leaned over the edge of your bed once more, trying to see if your charger was caught between the wall.

Cedric smirked, leaning over to grab your ankle, jokingly trying to pull you towards him as you leaned over the bed, trying to reach the charger, “c’mon darling, show me some of those moves you learned on. . .TikTok.” He chuckled to himself, wondering how muggles came up with those names.

You yelped when his hand met your ankle, blushing profusely as his fingers played with your calf, “Cedric Diggory!” With a sigh, you tossed a glance to him as you hopped off the bed, “promise you won’t laugh?”

He looked you over as he supported his head against the many pillows and stuffed animals you had on your bed, ruffling his hair, “no promises. . .go ahead, sweetheart.”

From that night on, Cedric learned the multitude of TikTok dances that took over the world, ranging from the Renegade (he grew frustrated at how quickly Charli picked it up but he couldn’t) to the Chika dance.

All the two of you did was laugh, stumbling over your own two feet as you struggled to learn the dances. However, at the end of the night, Cedric kissed you, telling you that while being TikTok famous would be cool, just being with you was a hundred times better.

[dangermousie]

I seriously cannot get over how consistent this book is about the fact that YWH has a hell of a lot of psychological damage and it’s slow work to fix him and SQS gets it but it’s never some sort of a savior fetish for him, He is a doctor by nature and profession and he likes YWH as a person, so of course he is going to work hard.

The other thing I love about this novel is consent! I don’t mean sexually (the OTP is nowhere near there yet) but about boundaries. SQS is so very big on it, not just because he knows that YWH’s every single boundary has been trampled for over a decade, but because that’s part of his own moral view.

The thing that struck me was when after YWH collapsed from a panic attack after that fantasy Gu, and SQS wants to know what it showed YWH as it might be helpful in treating him, SQS’ friend is all “it records things so you can see what it is” and SQS goes - “I can’t do so without his consent, I will ask him if it’s OK when he wakes up” and when YWH wakes up and refuses, SQS just accepts it without a single demur. Or when the Pavilion dealer points out he doesn’t need to spend an insane fortune for a removal amulet and track down the slave dealer who groomed and sold YWH back way when (for password) so as to remove his control seal - he can just never use it and call it a day. And SQS responds “this is not the same.”

God, I love him so much. He’s so calm, so not particularly interested in things outside his medical field of study but so goddamn with his screwed on straight.

And it’s not that he’s particularly sensitive or empathetic - his EQ is fairly low. It’s just he knows what is right and what is wrong. And I love that it’s not instinctive, he has to work things through.

!!!! It’s just as well SQS is so functional and unflappable because YWH is a total mess - I mean he tried to gouge his face to remove his mole OMG!. And I note that it’s in keeping with SQT to then remove his mole properly and cleanly - he is basically completely nonjudgmental about anything that doesn’t harm deserving people. This is freaking rare in novels or rl.

But the mole magically comes back and between that and the fact that YWH seems to have sword skills he doesn’t remember acquiring plus this:

Makes me wonder wtf is going on. I mean it could be because in the original novel he was always supposed to have that mark and was always supposed to appear as a bit character who demonstrated to the actual lead what a horror life can be, but I wonder if it’s something else.

Anyway, another thing I love?! SQS is nice and moral but it doesn’t mean he is weak or has a problem with doing what needs to be done. When he hunts down YWH’s disgusting slave trader, frees the children he keeps (and offers to send them back to the mortal realm or take them into his sect, their choice!!!!) and then does this:

I cheered!!!!! We never never get protagonist like this. Calm but ruthless when he needs to be. He then rifles through his mind to get the password to YWH’s seal and puts him in a soul box for YWH to torture at his leisure. I mean, it’s one of the three presents he gives to YWH for his birthday (the other one being seal removal and the colored stones in the box he used to have as a kid - he even went collecting some for him and bought some, because he found out from one of the other slaves that YWH used to like this. And he apologizes for not being able to kill the owner but just the trader.)

And the other thing I love is that there isn’t any of this “you need to let go, it’s healthy for you” stuff - SQS always always always always presents the facts but then leaves the choice to YWH and there is no judgment attached either. And I think it’s that unthinking, deeply ingrained belief in choice for any decision large or small, that is probably the most healing thing for YWH. (Also, the way he acted with the slave trader makes me think SQS would have had zero problems if he found out that YWH healed that one cultivator to torture him to death.)

The other thing I love is SQS doesn’t assume things - he learns things about YWH - like his habits in sense of likes or dislikes, what color he likes or any food, or the thing about the stones he had a thing for because he wants to make sure he has an environment that is congenial to him etc. I know this sounds like a weird thing to say, but to him YWH’s personhood is paramount. And it’s pretty damn awesome. 

SQS is just...kind. And he really has no interest in YWH “that way,” at least not in any conscious sense - he feels sorry for what he’s been through and he likes him as a person but that’s it. And that is what makes it so awesome to me.

And honestly, YWH has an epic crush (SQS was his ideal type in general and then you add the way SQS treats him especially when you contrast with his past) but the fact that SQS doesn’t see him that way at all is probably a good and healing thing. YWH’s attitude about sex is really messed up tbh - which no surprise, seeing he was sold as a teen and had a decade of total hell - I mean whenever he consciously thinks about sex, he both thinks he’s dirty to want SQS and keeps thinking of it in violent terms while horrified at himself (but tellingly when fantasy Gu gave him his ultimate fantasy, the relationship between him and SQS was loving and tender and not at all tinged with any brutality.) So there is zero chance he’s ready for any sort of a romantic relationship, let alone one with physical aspects. Having a very very safe crush is probably pretty damn good for him for now.

ETA: wtf the Heavens literally appear to have it out for YWH and try to do him in via the lightning tribulation - does it tie into his unremovable mole and the fact that he has a block on his mind and the whole pile of coincidences that locked him into his awful fate? What the HELL is going on?

[megfloresprotectionsquad]

ragnarok ep.1 “new boy” reaction/live blog

i hate the music selection of the establishing scene, especially since i know the song (midnight city) after the opening text that was mysterious and ancient with dark musical tones. it just badly morphs into this pop song. disgusting. not at all the mood i would have set. it continues to play as we see b roll of the beautiful norwegian countryside. i still hate it. 

the shots of magnus, the main character, sitting in the car looking out the window confused are the most annoying ever. they’re just not interesting, especially with the continuous cuts to the city that are flashing past. 

magnus gets out to help an elderly person. they’re trying to establish character traits. fine. still weird. 

oooh how unexpected the old wise man gives him cryptic warnings

old lady comes out and touches his hair and magnus’ eyes flash with thunderbolts (a bit fast and on the nose there show, huh?)

IT”S BEEN THREE MINUTES EXACTLY I HATE THIS

he gives the lady a really weird look (like it makes me uncomfortable) and walks back to the car

he broke the window handle with his new sudden super strength! can this show STOP

magnus proceeds to be cryptic as shit and become a walking weather stick, congrats

this entire sequence was jarring with bad music selection. let’s continue

title card flashes with lightning effects and sound. it seems they’re really trying to push a dark, gritty, mysterious vibe but so far failing miserably. 

the next sequence is super short it’s just them rolling up to their house and magnus seeing a flyer and picking it up and reading it. 

we flash to a classroom. pacing problems much?

laurits is magne’s brother. he’s cooler. (i will just call magne magnus lmao)

“they’re brothers but they’re not twins” obviously?? you really made that a line show? jesus fuck

they keep showing this blond girl but they don’t actually do anything with her if i remember correctly, at least in the first episode

ISOLDE 

the love of my life

she’s a lesbian btw 

they zoom in on her nature stickers on her laptop cause her and magnus will bond over caring about...nature

they say magnus has dyslexia but they treat him in show like he’s autistic so is he both?

wow we’re just in time for the old norse gods lesson? can you believe it?! i sure can’t

lmao do norwegian high schoolers actually learn about the norse gods? really?

magnus is entranced by thor in the handout. show please...stop it

the classroom scene cuts in a weird place and moves to lunch. the pacing of this show is horrendous. 

magnus sits with isolde

i want everyone to know she has short hair with blue ends and wears flannel she’s really cute with a nose ring

p-jo appears and makes fun of isolde for caring about the environment...show wtf

isolde gives a play by play of everyone in the school for some reason

we jump to after school where magnus sees isolde struggling w her bike

cause apparently people REALLY hate the environment and her care for it 

he uses his superstrength to fix her bike tire

it’s only been 10 minutes yall

some boring filler scenes. next.

isolde and magnus are not project partners! cue project working scene

why does this show act like only isolde is aware of how big industry hurts nature omg and all the other characters treat her like she’s insane

this show CANNOT build tension it’s almost pitiful

we establish the principal lady as evil

gas station scene?

a person his mom knows shows up and they chat

i hate the underlying music of this show it’s so bad

there’s a dog this entire scene except they edit in the growling lmao i hate it

the show tries way to hard to establish this guy too as evil with the most blatant sound effects and shots it’s ugly

this is the principal’s husband...my guess is there whole families are giants are something

GOD THEIR SCENE CUTS ARE HORRIBLE 

now we’re following that guy back to his house with the wife, new pov

magnus’ dad was odin who died, right, and the giants are realizing he had a son who is now older and probably coming into his powers (guess but basically i’m probably right)

p-jo guy i forget the name of reveals he isn’t actually young 

basically the show immediately reveals who some villains are...lame

we head back to magnus’ pov

“what’s up with the nazi symbol?” what’s up with your stupidity who the fuck would call a rune a nazi symbol

his brother is a fun character, obviously loki

THIS SORT OF STUFF SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT THE BEGINNINGGGG

the whole show of magne and laurits bonding and being brothers is better than the random jump to a classroom and gives us a quick understanding of their financial situation

annoying pop music is back.

p-jo guy is rude to isolde again at lunch about plastic 

laurits seems to have written magnus’ paper for him, at least i think that’s what just happened

love character establishing moments like this *chefs kiss* but the show lacks them 

love how in loki establishing style he writes about norway needing one true leader (king style lol) and that democracy sucks. very funny, one of the only things to make me laugh this entire episode.

we flash to magnus in his room watching isolde’s youtube channel

we’re told basically something is in the water and is poisoning fish and other wildlife

the show has some sappy inspirational music play as magnus narrates about big bad private industry hurting nature and other stuff...the show seems to really harp on this but i think it’s executed in such a boring and weird way by making everyone hate and harass isolde for her strong beliefs

filler scenes now we’re with magnus and isolde walking

she invites him over for dinner cause they’re friends! yay! it’s been like 3 days i think lol

“i’m not trying to date you” yes we know you’re a LESBIAN 

the old man from the opening scenes is back and says more cryptic shit. boring. next.

the old lady also gives cryptic advice. anyways something bad will happen on a mountain....does this show not know how to write tension...or write at all

isolde “i’m going up to the mountain on saturday” thanks for notifying me of your death girl

god why does this show HATE isolde so fucking much

LMAO WAIT THE SHOW ACTUALLY DID CONFIRM ISOLDE IS A LESBIAN AND THEY STILL KILL HER? THEY KILL HER FOR MAN PAIN? FUCK THIS

school and home scenes

laurits keeps mentioning hitler...do i have to be the first to say loki is not EVIL he is a trickster god...he is anything but evil...

magnus picks up a hammer....it is now a magical hammer

now people are making fun of magnus for sounding like isolde...show FUCK off with this

laurits knowing isolde is a lesbian? idk why i laughed

“my gaydar is never wrong.” uh laurits what? is he supposed to be gay lmao? hets dont have “gaydar”

what an unimportant scene omg why wasn’t that cut

hike time on the mountain. aka bad time.

they establish these nice scenes with magnus and isolde before her death...for what reason? why kill the lesbian? for magnus’ pain in the first episode and make her the catalyst for his story. fuck off. 

this show for the love of god cannot build tension it’s so shitty

ahhhh laurits doing casual bad things stirring the pot

we don’t even care about the mom as an audience member...this is such bad writing 

ew stop i cringed so hard wtf editors

anyways isolde found a strange cave in the mountain...okay then

this whole shit with the principal’s husband eating a deer heart naked on a mountain makes me wanna laugh it’s such bad editing

the principal man killed isolde and then made it look like a parasailing accident

they play more shitty pop music over the ending sequence of him in the rain...whoever picked the music...ew

he discovers his thor powers as he’s raging over isolde’s death...literally digusting

basically i hate this show so much already but i promised i would review it all so...fine

[loulougoingsolo]

Why so sour?

I got a little sidetracked after today's GMM, trying to find out what the internet says about Iliza Shlesinger, who joined Rhett and Link today for a game of eating sour things. I've heard of her before, but I haven't watched any of her comedy special on Netflix, so I wanted to know more about her before writing this post. After reading a few articles, I decided to ignore them for the duration of my commentary, and stick to her GMM visit, which was objectively speaking quite enjoyable. And later, I may watch her Netflix show, and figure out how I feel about her comedy all on my own.

(A side note: I finished the Tiger King today after Rhett recommended it on Ear Biscuits. I recommended it to my brother earlier this week, and he binge watched the whole thing last night. It took me several days, there was something about how absolutely odd everyone was in the series that exhausted me. What a bizarre group of characters. But I suggested my parents they should watch it, too.)

But now, let's try not to pucker, even if things get a little sour! Rhett, Link and Iliza take turns trying to guess which of the other two has eaten something sour, based on their expressions, so in order to win at this game, instead of a pucker face, you need to have a good poker face (pun definately intended).

I love sour things, especially when combined with sweet, in my daily life. I haven't gone as far as to eat a lemon straight up, but the thought of doing just that makes my mouth water, in a good way. Of course, you don't normally make something like sour cookie dough (yet there is sour dough bread...). Rhett had no difficulties guessing, who got ended up in the sour patch in the first round:

Watching this episode should not be making me hungry, but I really want eggrolls right now. Or very sour candy. Rhett doesn't show any signs of eating a sour eggroll - either, it wasn't sour enough, or he is a no-pucker genius. He definately didn't need to hear he has a beautiful mind or that he's like a hotter version of Rainman.

I couldn't tell anything about what Chase said, but does he own a lime scooter? Back in the day when I lived in a more urban environment, I used to want a scooter...and that has nothing to do with this episode.

The final round is a lightning round where all three eat five sour things, and whoever puckers the least gets the point. I'm not entirely sure if Link understood the game. Somehow he managed to mess up all five rounds, and lose the whole game in the process. He looked like he was going to cry, poor thing.

So, Rhett IS a no-pucker genius. This time, however, there was no prize for winning. Instead, Link gets this lovely sour face from Iliza:

In More, Rhett, Link and Iliza try out every Sour Patch Kid product available. Iliza knows quite a bit about her favourite candy!

In More things are always more relaxed than in the main episode, and today is no exception. The platonic conversation starter candies were very inspirational. I love how when Iliza started to come up with her own texts, and said: "Is that an eggplant", Link started laughing by himself and tried to hide behind his hand.

Speaking of hands, why do I feel eating icecream by hand from the same tub with two other people was something from Link's nightmares? While Rhett instantly followed Iliza, because he's the kind of guy who doesn't flinch, and who'd never let a girl win a game of dare, Link was probably weighing his options very thoroughly. If he uses a spoon, will he hear about it for the rest of his life? And yes, this way, they kept the spoons clean, but also, Link didn't get to do the dishes.

Who would have guessed there was a very picky and judgemental dog called Tofu under the desk all this time? She scared the living crap out of Link, but that's what you get for disturbing a sleeping pup. Tofu refusing the icecream looks a lot like my doggy sister when she is offered medicine in a piece of sausage: very suspicious and unenthusiastic. Why is my human trying to poison me?

Omg, "Good Sensual Morning". That's what she said.

I admit, after Tofu came on screen, I mostly had eyes for her. I don't really think she was quite as judgemental as she first seemed, but I think she just doesn't like alcohol breath (who does, really?). Is that drink something you can buy in a store, or is it something you mix yourself? We have a horrible drink here in Finland, which has salty liquorice in it (salmiakki), and it can also be made by dissolving salty liquorice in vodka. I've tasted the store bought version once in my life, and it almost ruined salty liquorice (which I love) for me. Almost, but not quite. But somehow I feel, doing the same with sour fruit candy would be a better idea.

I feel Link really needed that shot after the traumatic icecream moment. Now, who else wants to see Rhett and Link do shots? It could be a game, or a vlog, or whatever they want, responsibly of course.

[annislife]

He asked me to write here! 😂

I know! He said I have not written anything long time here and I should do it because we are good now 😂. OMG he is just full of suprises and I can just laugh my ass off all the time!!

I said to him too that what is the reason I want to talk with him so much - he is so funny and smart! And he has his strong (!) opinions about allmost everything. And. I love it so much!!

Ok there is one topic he is totally careless- trees. One night we were both up and waiting for the sleep to come. And I asked what kind of trees he likes the most. Ok. His name is actually a tree! But! We are so different but - suprise! He said his favorite is my favorite! Rowan!

I just know that if you have rowan in your garden, the lightning never hits your house. And when my grandma was young, their house burnt down because the lightning let the house on fire during the night. And I always asked my grandma to talk about this again and again and I asked, how it felt. My grandma said, they were in the house, there was wery strong explosion noise and suddenly they felt very warm. So I lived in the country and always was very afraid. And we had small rawn tree outside. So I concentrated to that slight mini tree who had to protect our house from the fire.. But.. It worked..

Ok what about him. I met his mom... And she didnt ask anything... We said I came to lend the piano sheets... I think she was just laughing that yeah right what a lie... It was very embarrassing... If she finds out how old I am.. That I have kids.. I am married.. what work I do...!!! But... actually... I think I know what I will do... I will take the speach part to myself. I will explain everything. I will explain that all this was not meant like that. It happened very strangely. We both decided it will never work out. And we are finishing it.. Now.. for a year already. And we have promised: if we find the right person, we will finish it from the very first moment! And this is correct! We have not hurt anybody. I am single already several years, just.. in relationship. He is single. It has been a secret. People know that we have somebody. But nobody knows who. Our friends know that we meet somethimes. Somethimes for 10 minutes only. To see each other. And then we leave each other again. I have feelings, he doesnt. That is fine for both of us. We are best friends. I will not break my family. My kids are growing with their real parents in family environment. I spend most my time with them. If he says he wants me, I will consider it. Until he does not, I will not push. He have said I am not the obstacle for him to find his right wife to grow old with. I hope he is honest. As soon as he says I am disturbing him to find or communicte with the right one, I will leave. If he still wants to talk, I will talk. I am honestly, not using him, he is not using me. What I have from that all. My heart is healthy when she can love. He have said I can love him if I need. I am healthy and happy with my kids and even with my husband if my heart feels love. So everybody will benefit from this. Yes, if this comes out, I should explain the same to my husband. And then he gets hurt. But I was in hurt because of him 5-7 years before I met my love. I will tell her all that.

Maybe she does not like it. Under the Pible I am constantly committing sins. Maybe she needs time. And later forgives me. I hope she understands because.. She is also woman.. I think if you are woman you cannot control these feelings and.. Your heart just loves somebody and she is so rebel and does not listen the brain.. And if I tell her that please stop this love. My heart starts crying instantly so.. I cannot tell her that. I am getting too sorry for her.

Some qute things have happened too! It is hard to belive he little bit cares about me. I belive strongly that people think bad things about me and I am boring and weird. And if he have said, that he does not want to tell me some things, then I think - aha because you have secrets and I am not allowed to know them because I am odd and he does not like me. But now I had new idea, even aftaid to say that out. That maybe he is keeping some things quiet from me because these can hurt me. And he said I am correct! That he cares about me and he wants me not to get hurt! And I said it is hard for me to belive these sentences, that every time I belive only 1% more.. And then he said that 100 times in a row or even more 😂😂😂 Only he can do something like that!!!! Ok I belive him he cares 🥰

Also last time he was upset a bit that I smoked in party. Maybe this also shows he cares?

And.. We are getting closer and closer when doing one thing.. Even we try new things were you should trust. And.. He tasted me.. And he said I should try to relax... It was hard.. I was afraid.. But with him.. I feel I am in the safest place on Earth. It is not the first time I think that. Once I had some reak problem and confusion in my head and I just knew one thing: he knows how to solve it. He knows the right answer. This thought calmed me down. And he did! He knew! He always knows the answers!

So.. You are my favorite person and you make me so happy 👫

NB! These are his flowers for me!! 💗

[thatonehiddenbladeingibraltar]

Omg I loved those video game hcs with the overwatch heroes! You know the ones where they were watching their S/O play their favorite game? Can I request the same thing except with Dva, Tracer, present day Genji, and Lúcio?

Much like every other set with the same topic, please feel free to go ahead and guess which games I’m referring to :)

Images are not mine.

Headcanons referred to can be found here and here

Present day Genji:

One of the few things Genji had retained over the years was his love of video games

And watching his S/O play video games. That too.

It didn’t take much begging from you for him to join you on the couch as you booted up the game

However, once the intro was over you and Genji were probably ready to jump into each other’s arms from a massive overload of fear

Although there were moments where the two of you managed to laugh, for the most part your eyes were transfixed on the screen and from the occasional glances you made, Genji was going through the exact same thing

Even when nothing was happening, the two of you were constantly scared that something was going to surprise you because of the game’s dark and somber atmosphere

The sharply defined graphics didn’t help either

Although it did make the game look extremely polished

When the protagonist got stabbed twice and had their hand chopped off by a chainsaw, you were surprised that neither of you screamed

Well on the outside at least

However, Genji’s arms were around you the moment an enemy shows up in the game, shocked from the grotesque and molded form of said enemy

He actually has to make sure that the two of you didn’t reach the brink of insanity with constant check-ins and taking the time to meditate before and after every gaming session

Even though you do keep good track of how much ammo and health packs you have left, Genji watches them like a hawk

Especially during a boss battle

God those bosses chewed up resources like it was nothing

He warns you whenever you’re starting to run low on bullets or fuel and suggests which weapon to use next

You swear you can feel Genji wince at some of the boss forms when you’re battling them

Especially the spider lady. You could feel the disgust roll off of him in waves

When they’re over, the two of you do sit in silence for a good period of time until Genji broke it

“That is…unnatural.”

The two of you do hand the controller off to each other, but for the most part he lets you take control of the situation

He always made sure to save the game even when he wasn’t playing the game

And the two of you made a mutual agreement that the elderly woman in the wheelchair that always showed up randomly was the weirdest part about the game

During the final boss battle, Genji did scoff a bit at how easy it was but you knew better

Needless to say, you were glad Genji was by your side throughout the entire ordeal, even though the two of you promised each other to never play that game again

Well that was until you got through all of the extra content and then you would officially stop

Because goddamn the lore was too well woven to be left alone

Lena Oxton/Tracer:

One thing Lena absolutely hated about your favorite game was how dark everything was

From the music, to the environment, to the tone itself, everything was dark

Not being able to see ahead was one thing that Tracer couldn’t exactly admit to liking

She actually has to force you off the couch to take a break and your smile only seemed to make her more exasperated even when you willingly go with her

Whenever you gave her control of the game, she immediately activated night vision and never turned it off

You swear that finding new batteries would be your main goal aside from story progression

Lena constantly twitched as you wandered around the area in search of a safe place and more resources

Absolutely screams when a jumpscare happens

Except at the cheap ones. She didn’t react to those at all

She did look startled whenever a random giggle but her agitated expression faded quickly

Every time some grotesque figure appeared on-screen, she always groaned and looked away

Tracer did hold onto your arm tightly when a giant wave that was sent from the heavens knocked the protagonist off of the flimsy wooden raft they were on and into a river filled to the brim with mutilated corpses

However the most disturbing thing that she did find about the game was the cult

God she hated the cult so much

And the amount of psychological horror that was featured throughout every step of the game

You actually caught her gaping at the screen with a terrified expression when a shadow appeared on the ground and appeared to be moving closer and closer until you turned around and there was nothing there

The only times Lena screamed was when you were close to dying or if tensions were running extremely high and she couldn’t take it anymore

It didn’t happen as frequently as you thought it would though

She did coo at the baby in the protagonist’s arms near the end of the game, but looked horrified when white noise began playing and light engulfed the screen before cutting back to the weird dream-like Catholic school

Lena’s shocked expression made you chuckle as the credits rolled and you couldn’t help but burst into laughter when she bombarded with you a thousand questions per second

Not that you minded all that much. She did seem more interested with the game more than ever now, which was all you could ask of her

D.Va/Hana Song:

When you told Hana about your favorite game, she immediately wanted to play it

Or at the very least, see why you liked it so much

Even though you barely got to touch the controller, you were alright with it, if only to carefully watch D.Va’s expressions as the game slowly progressed

But when you did get the chance to play, Hana was watching very attentively to every aspect of the environment

She did fall backwards slightly when a deathly pale woman with dark matted hair and an evil grin popped up in front of a window as rain and lightning continued to reverberate in the background

The two of you do jump at times, especially when a random noise echoed through your headphones

However the one moment in the game that made the two of you cringe was when a partially developed fetus lying in a white bathroom sink in amniotic fluid and blood

Its wails did not help in one bit.

When you do hear the radio telling you to turn around, Hana immediately snatches the controller away and keeps the protagonist moving forward and away from the malicious voice that blared over the radio

You didn’t say a single thing as she was staring at the screen intently, almost as if she was daring the game to tell her to do the opposite of what she was doing

Although neither of you screamed during the entire ordeal, you were certainly close to doing so at various intervals

Especially during the part with the bleeding fridge hanging in the main entrance

And the really disturbing bathroom scene describing several domestic murders that all included ‘some strange chanting’

D.Va does get extremely into it when she sees one of the hallway paintings disassembled all over the floor and the disappearing letters on the walls

However when she manages to solve all of the puzzles (with your help of course), the voiceover and subsequent cutscene left you in chills and a bit of curiosity

Hana does furrow her eyebrows when the unnamed protagonist turns around

“Isn’t that the actor from that popular zombie show a few decades ago?”

Regardless she is excited to see what the final game was when you told her it was only a game demo

That was until you told her that the full game had been canceled a few months after the demo was released

Expect her to be protesting to the game company for them to develop the full game for the next couple of weeks

Lúcio Correia dos Santos:

When he heard the in-game audio the first time, he fell in love almost immediately

Insists on you using his headphones to fully experience the binaural resonance while he plugged in a second pair of earbuds into another audio jack

Even though he prefers to let you play the game, you do catch him jump slightly whenever a voice shifted from one place to another

Lúcio does make a few observations of his own as you move the story along though

You swear he’s actually going to be buying any and all books on Norse mythology

Some of the visuals do make you turn away in disgust or make you take a break from the game, but trust Lúcio to take over if need be

If you also need calming music, he’ll put on a playlist and let you detox while he continued on

The two of you did have to admit that the game mechanics were quite smooth for its genre

However when the two of you begin to reach the climax of the game’s plot, you swear Lúcio’s also feeling the same amount of disgust and discomfort as you were

Especially when the protagonist’s backstory was fully revealed

At the end of the game, the two of you actually breathe a sigh of relief as the protagonist comes to terms with their past and the hallucinogenic visions and voices had begun to recede as the credits began rolling

Although the two of you did agree that it was a well-written game describing PTSD and psychosis, you and Lúcio also made a mutual agreement to never pick the game up again

But he did suggest the idea of performing at a few live concerts that were known to support reputable organizations that helped people with similar or identical situations to the protagonist

Which you were completely on-board with one hundred percent

@elise-the-assassin @videogamesanddragons @sylvennia @freedomaboveallelse

[khrsecretvalentine]

this is for basketmaniac and i made it a horror story because…its halloween so there is some descriptin of gore but hopefully not…enough to make it uncomfortable :0

i hope u like it omg its…long sorry about that heaknfagf

—-

This shouldn’t have happened. This was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

It was supposed to be simple he was going to join with the other Arcobaleno at a maze. They were going to map out the maze for the family and plant traps and do whatever they could to make it hazardous. None of them should have been gone for more than a few minutes.

Reborn was the last to go down of course. It was rumoured that he was the strongest of the seven. It was almost unspoken that he could clear the maze himself. But….soon Skull wasn’t heard from anymore. He had stopped answering Mammon’s calls and Colonnello soon found out why.

He was chained, lying in a pool of vomit, blood, and saliva. His eyes moving rapidly underneath his eyelids assuring he was alive but his breathing was shallow. He was taking shallow  and fast breaths but then stop only to start again. His arms and legs shook and jerk as he laid there and soon his head fell back, leaving the various gashes obvious to everyone. He was bleeding out slowly but surely and there was nothing Colonnello could do.

It was almost a relief to be able to say that Skull was dying. He wasn’t mafia. He was a stunt man. He knew the ropes of how to do shows and jump enormous gaps but not how to be stealthy or to be a good henchman. It was hard to watch the man stumble around this new world he wasn’t meant to be exposed to. It was a reason Reborn hated him so much. He was something to take care of and make sure he didn’t die so they could get paid and move on until the next job. Reborn is the number one hitman. He wouldn’t wait around for anyone  to do their job.

He was the first one to celebrate with a sharp, “Fucking finally. It shouldn’t take us long now, we’re almost done.”

Colonnello made a sound but didn’t retaliate. It wasn’t the time for a fight like that.

So he moved on. He walked away and down the hall to the next part. The maze was set up in different sections. The first one was where Skull was found. The second section was harder to get to but Colonello would help Lal finish what she was doing. She was military and brought the weapons to prove it. He had been sent to check on Skull.

“Make sure he’s not slacking off”, as she put it. He was happy to comply with his commanding officer and raced off.

But as he climbed through the grate opening, he was hit with an intense stench of…unpleasantries . He wasn’t sure what. But the smell made him start to gag the closer he came and soon he was dizzy, swaying to the side and fighting to find where he was going. He had studied the path on a map with Lal so he wouldn’t get lost. But soon he was sprawled on the ground, the room going in and out of focus, his insides squirming. Faintly, he heard something crawling towards him and felt a hand on his chest.

It must’ve been Lal. Relief flowed through him because she was better at chemical warfare, she had been in it before, but when he moved his head to focus on her, he realized that this was not Lal. This was not who he had come to love.

It was grotesque with hoarse, clicking breaths.  Its breathing made him dizzier and he could feel his head swim even more. It was the same smell he had encountered entering the chamber but intensified.

He felt the thing crawl onto him, weighing onto his hips and pushing his head back as he tried to struggle. His head bounced off the floor as he tried to strain against the body. Something slithered up his shirt. He felt nails digging into his flesh, dragging down his chest but stopping and restarting in the same path. His chest heaved in an effort to throw the thing off and soon he focused his eyes onto a lump of bloodstained clothes that looked like Lal’s. They were torn with…..with bones sticking out and there was blood….there was so much blood.

He tried not to think about it. He couldn’t think about it now. All he had to do was get out of this thing’s grasp so he could escape to get help and warn people. This maze was something else. There was more to it then just the group setting traps.

But the thing pulled away, sitting up and pinning his legs in a vise grip. It stabbed its hand into his chest repeatedly, different spots each time. It was hitting his abdomen, his chest, his ribs. He coughed, spitting at the thing, but it didn’t care.

Someone was calling out to him but he couldn’t hear who. He couldn’t see. He wouldn’t hurt anymore if he just….closed his eyes for a second.

Something tore into his chest and his eyes flew wide open in fear because god that one hurt so much more.

Colonnello was the second one down. He had struggled much more than the others. The gas in the air was his downfall though. There was no struggling against airborne belladonna. It was lovely to watch them all slowly, but surely, succumb to their environment.

The Arcobaleno were a plague, they thought. Yes….it’d be better to have them down and out now. Before they caused too much havoc in the world.

Who would be the next to go was the question. Reborn was more than powerful enough to escape if he was left with someone like Fon to fight with. Fon knew how to work  the entire group compatibly enough to accomplish anything. He was the calm before the storm. Yet…He wouldn’t be the most fun to watch, Reborn would. He’d be the finale.

Next would be Viper….They were a special case. They were greedy but with enough self preservation to leave the minute it was too risky. Greed was the only thing keeping them there as they were the one being paid the most. In secret of course. The rest of the team would object heavily to seeing Viper paid so much more. They wouldn’t work with each other until they’d gotten the same amount. It was an irritating cycle so it was an unspoken agreement that Viper be paid more but they never bragged about it.

Viper was in the next spot now in the maze. They  were  in perfect position to be attacked. But…there was a time for everything. Viper wasn’t done setting up their traps. They were making their illusions with grandiose and a sense of style. Multiple spots where you would see bodies, dead and rotting, trying to claw at you. Blood thick in the air and all over the four walls. In other spots there was big emphasis on your own personal fears. If you were disgusted in the least by insects of all kinds, you’d see them coming out of the walls, straight at you, crawling up your leg. Soon you’d be buried under the immense weight of insects with no reprieve. Or maybe you were scared of water. It would break down the wall, flooding the cavern until you were barely able to breathe, clawing and gasping at the walls to stay above as more water pours in through a hole you can’t see. There was something for everybody that would be going through this maze.

Viper was on the list. Disguised under another name so they’d implant their own fears into the room without knowing it.

“This isn’t happening, this isn’t right.” Viper screamed at nothing.

There was blood….so much blood. They couldn’t breathe the air was so thick and soon they were on their knees, gagging onto the ground.

Behind them, there was the clicking sound. A click-click-click with every breath it took in and rattling as it breathed out. It watched the pain Viper went through. They hated blood. It smelled terrible and disgusting. Yet they had made such an intense, mind-breaking illusion.

Viper scraped towards the exit, their body straining and their fingernails breaking. But the door knob wouldn’t turn. No matter how much they yanked and slammed their shoulder into the door, it was no use. They slid down against the door, barely able to breathe anymore.

That was when it struck. There’d be no struggling now. Viper was half dead and had nothing left in them. It pounced and ripped into their leg first. There was a scream and soon it was flying across the room, Viper formed illusions to fend it off. But there was nothing it feared .

It was an unfeeling thing that didn’t feel pain. Viper sucked in a breath and it hitched. Even after they had used a powerful illusion….one that was powerful enough to knock Reborn up a little…it didn’t even flinch. It lurched back from Viper kicking at it but started crawling forwards again. It scuttled, its mouth clicking harder than ever.

It was excited.

They were suffocating. It was whatever was in the air. It filled their lungs and made their head swim as they tried to regroup, just think of something they could do.

It was on top of Viper now. It scuttled onto their chest, breathing into their neck as if it was surveying how close they were to dying. In almost no time, it had lashed out and bit into Viper’s neck, sucking and gurgling like a toddler.

‘Hmm…Viper lasted longer…’, they thought. They stared at the monitor idly, scratching at their face. Verde should be next then. Keep up with the V names.

He wasn’t in the maze though. Verde was providing support from outside. He was in his own little bubble, reading off the screen like lightning. He was trying to reconnect to Skull, Colonnello, Lal, and now Viper. All of them wouldn’t answer. There was only static. The only thing to be heard was the growling, clicking sound of the thing breathing that attacked them all.

He was tapping away on his laptop, eyes glued to the code darting around on the screen. He was attempting to find any frequency that the devices were connected to, even the faintest radio transmission.

Verde didn’t see it coming. He was too focused and he wasn’t a strong fighter in the least. Soon, he was caught by the torso, pinned by another person.

“Who the-”, he tried to say . He kicked and squirmed but before long he was dead too. That silencer did the job as the person stood up.

They would have to get their hands dirty if the plan were to work, it seemed. Verde was now the last shred of contact for Reborn and Fon.

It was a pity because those two were going to be the most fun. They had met up though. After the others had failed to answer, they knew something was wrong and abandoned their jobs. There really should be a penalty for doing that…they’ll make sure there is for next time.

“The exit changed with Viper’s fucking illusions.” Reborn growled.

The two were crouched in a small alcove within the maze. Their backs together with the two watching either ends.

“Verde is gone as well. We have no more support from outside.” Fon added.

“The basic layout is the same. I left casings the path I took from the entrance but if we head back the same way….who knows what’ll be in store for us.” Reborn rubbed at his neck, staring straight ahead at the path. “If you can make it to the top of the walls, there might be a chance we can make our way through.”

“It’s better if that were a last resort. There could be a number of things waiting for whoever climbs to the top.”

Reborn grunted in agreement before he hauled himself to his feet. They were both exhausted from sprinting around the maze, trying to find out if there was an exit. The entire thing was rough clay. The only light coming from incandescent lights hanging from a chain. It only added to the atmosphere . It was dead silent in the maze now. Before, there had been distant talk between Lal and ColonelloColonnello. You could hear them bickering miles away. When that disappeared, it was idle chatter with Verde about where to advance in the maze. Out of the blue, they had been assigned new parts of the maze to do and needed to be told how to get to them.

It was dead silent now. You could hear their breaths echo around the room.

They stomped towards another part of the maze. As far as they could tell, nobody had been there yet so it might be safe to use as a spot to regroup. Both of them had phones they could use to call in favours from other families.

Reborn pulled his phone out, feeling his chest constricting more and more as he breathed. There wasn’t any service, as he thought. There was no way he could call authorities. He was wanted on three different ‘most wanted’ lists.

There were numerous families he could call on but he wasn’t sure how close they were. They weren’t allowed to see where they were going. It wasn’t that odd as most mafia families make it a bit hard to find most of their bases. The easiest to call would be Vongola first. This was one of their allied families and if the family found out one of their military officers was down there enduring torture, it would prompt them to arrive quickly

“How much you want to bet there’s wi-fi here.” Reborn joked.

“Any money I bet, I will win.”

“Jokes on you, it’s free and open. Verde made my phone virus proof too so suck it.”

He called Vongola the Ninth. There was no beating around the bush with Iemitsu. He needed his phone traced before they could keep going. Fon was on his phone, speaking in rapid fire mandarin to his boss, from the sound of it.

The phone was answered within three rings and he was greeted by a cheery, “Hello there, Reborn!”

“Trace my phone.” He said snappishly, skipping pleasantries. “A job went bad. Find me and help me.”

“We’ll get right on that. Are all the arcobaleno there?”

“Fon and I are all that’s left.”

There was a stunned moment of silence on the other end before Nono shifted in his chair. “I see”, he said. “Very well then, this is extremely serious. Please keep us updated on anything major.”

“I will, thank you.”

There was a clicking in the shadows that caught Fon’s attention. They had both been watching the entrance but Reborn didn’t seem bothered by it. He continued checking his phone. Fon squinted his eyes, trying to make out what it could be.

It crawled along the floor, hissing and spitting with that same ticking sound. Every time it breathed in, it clicked like a card inside a bike wheel. Fon had no clue what it was. The light was too dim to make anything out.

“What are you looking at”, Reborn demanded.

“Do you not see it?”

“The thing on the floor? It’s an illusion. Viper was making all kinds to go throughout the maze, not just their room.”

“It doesn’t….look like an illusion, Reborn. There’s something….about it. It’s alive.”

“I’ll believe it if it manages to hurt you.”

It was almost as if Reborn’s words were taken as a challenge. . It launched itself towards Fon, aiming for his throat. Fon dodged, sliding his foot back to steady his stance. When it lunged again, Fon went for pressure points, locking the joints in place. It wasn’t affected as it attempted to snap at Fon’s hands that were closest to its mouth.

“A little help would be appreciated!” Fon said through clenched teeth.

Reborn sighed before pulling out a handgun. Barely even glancing , he shot the thing right between its eyes. It fell back, growling and twitching before it rolled back onto its feet, the bullet wound had disappeared . Reborn narrowed his eyes, aiming again at the joints. It was barely fazed as it returned to its feet in no time.

“How should we,” Reborn exclaimed, “approach this!”

“It’s like Skull’s regeneration. How did you get around it fighting him?”

“It was slower than this.”

“Could somebody have been able to recreate it?”

Reborn didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure. But if they could, they would have to experiment on humans.  It was an unwritten rule most mafia families not to do inhumane experimentation. This one definitely met the criteria.

The two fended the thing off for what felt like hours. Every time said thing was hit, it would get right back up as if nothing had happened thirty seconds earlier .

Fon was down and out. He had been for a while, was barely going by the time Reborn fell. The thing was inhuman. No matter what they did to lure it into a trap, it got right back up. They were close to the room Reborn set up. He had a duffle bag full of weapons and ammunition he had set up as traps with wires as well as motion sensors.

One of the traps misfired and hit Fon as he was trying to get out of the way so there was a clear shot but ended up hitting his leg. He had a high pain tolerance but as he staggered and fell. It became a perfect shot for the thing to attack Fon. It was clawing his torso before Reborn could shoot it.

He let his guard down. He was trying to get that thing off of Fon, to give him some chance at survival . He shot it towards a motion sensor trap but his shot missed. The failed one in a million shot allowed the thing to come crashing into him, knocking him to the ground.

He was being scratched at and bit, tossed around in his daze. When he was able to regain his breath, he slammed his forearm into the things mouth, forcing it off him. He used the leverage from his arm to bash the thing against the wall. Head wounds took the longest to regenerate. If it was destroyed he’d have some time to at least escape . He’d have to leave Fon to his own devices. He just hoped the thing wouldn’t pounce on him if he moved. The situation was do or die at this point.

Faintly , he heard multiple sets of feet sprinting near the far west end of the maze. Somebody was there to help or harm. He didn’t know which one it was going to be.

He stumbled away from the mess he made. Hoping the thing wouldn’t regenerate at all. For good measure, he stomped along its limbs and chest, buying whatever time he could get. He was going to bleed out at this rate. The maze was large but there were also the trap rooms that the seven had set up.

He was trying his hardest to remain standing. He needed to put distance between that thing and himself so he could even have a chance at surviving. If his phone could be traced to where he was in the maze that was  even better. He wasn’t counting on any branch family to think like that though. So he needed to find a safer spot to stay hidden and hope they could find him.

It wasn’t much use planning. Reborn fell in a crumpled heap, coughing and gagging, minutes later. He couldn’t breathe. His limbs felt like lead. His head swam as the light above him flickered in and out. The thing could very well have poison in its nails. All he could do was position his arm above his heart to prevent it from bleeding out.

He was fading fast. God, there was too much happening. What was that thing. It wasn’t an illusion. It felt different and he could tell when they were illusions. It had to be experimentation. There wasn’t any way around it. Those things …they weren’t natural.

Dimly, he heard yelling and felt hands on his chest, legs, arms. He tried to say not to touch him but instead released a garbled, wet cough.

There was something warm on his chest now. Though he could barely feel it. Everything else was far too cold. Nothing would make a difference.

from @transreborn to @basketmaniac

[jackintheponeyofdiamonds]

✧ Apprentice asks ✧

 So I’ve found this a m a z i n g Arcana Apprentice Ask Meme created by @gooddoctorjules and ofc i had to fill it because i like to talk about my OCs and omg this questions were so GOOD!  Answers under cut cause some of them were pretty long

 1. What is their full name? What does it mean? Do they go by any nicknames/aliases?

His name is Morpheus Rhiannon. “Morpheus” is the Greek God of Dreams and “Rhiannon” is one of the Celtic Goddesses of the Moon (I have a thing for naming characters after mythological figures). When he was younger people used to call him “stormy” due to his spitfire personality and impulsive behavior. He didn’t change his ways, but he lost touch with the people who nicknamed him that. During some years he ran his exoteric shop under a pseudonym, “Felis” (named after the cat constellation). But nowadays everyone just call him Morpheus.

2. Do they have a familiar? What is it?

Morpheus has a small Egyptian Fruit Bat called Boo. She is tiny and scared of everything and everyone. Boo likes to hide in Morpheus scarf sometimes. Also, not a familiar but Morpheus has a lot of cactuses. All named George. All. Of. Them. Don’t question it.

3. What type/s of magic do they specialize in?

I’m not really sure how magic works in The Arcana. Besides from fortune-telling (he used to read runes before Asra taught him his tarot skills) and a very strong sixth sense, I believe Morpheus would be an Oneiromancer (a mage who interprets dreams) and have a few lightning-related attack spells.

4. Which of the major arcana best represents them?

I guess all the apprentices are meant to be The Fool card, at least in the beginning of the story, since it means, among other things, “Set forth on a new journey, one that is completely unknown and will take you to uncharted territories”, pretty fitting. But I think Morpheus can also be represented by a Reversed Moon card: It means he’s living in a moment of unhappiness and discomfort but he doesn’t know what he can do about it. Past experiences made him doubt himself, doubt if he is able to move forward. The Reversed Moon also means he is in a more intuitive phase than a reasoned one, though his intuition feels confusing which leads to possible misinterpretation.

Also, if I had to pick a future card for Morpheus, it’d be The Judgement: “With its theme of awakening to new life, the Judgement card suggests that you have reviewed and evaluated your past experiences and have learned from them. All the pieces of the puzzle of your life are finally coming together to form one, integrated picture of your life story. This integration has healed any deep wounds and you are now in a position to put the past behind you.”  

And since I’m super into runes, I’d like to add that Morpheus runes are Perthro (Secrets, mystery, occult abilities. Determining your path in the future.) and Algiz (Awakening, connection with higher powers. Follow your intuition. A desire to protect yourself or others.)  

 5. What animal best represents them?

Either a raccoon or a peacock. Raccoon because he is small (kinda, he is 5’7/171cm), has dark circles under his eyes, looks cute but will fight you and peacock because he’s super flamboyant. As for his spirit animal, I think the one that fits him best is the bat (maybe that’s why he has a pet bat). The bat represents people that are aware and sensitive of their surroundings, that can have high psychic levels, have high chances of have prophetic dreams and are not easily fooled by illusions.

6. Describe their grimoire profile.

The spitfire apprentice who’s trying to find meaning to his life. ♐

✧Favorite food: Plum Pie ✧Favorite drink: Iced Tea

✧Favorite flower: Night-blooming jasmine

 7. What is their Myers-Briggs type?

INTP – (Introversion, Intuition, Thinking, Perceiving)

8. What is their natural alignment (lawful/neutral/chaotic good/neutral/evil)?

Chaotic Neutral leaning towards Chaotic Good.

9. Which Hogwarts house would they be in?

Probably Slytherin. Morpheus personality is loosely based on mine, and I’m a slytherin, so…

10. Of the nine intelligences (logical-mathematical, existential, interpersonal, intrapersonal, kinesthetic, spatial, naturalist, musical, linguistic), which is their greatest strength? Their greatest weakness?

In order of the greatest strength to the weakness: Linguistic, Spatial, Existential, Musical, Naturalist, Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Logical-Mathematical, Intrapersonal.

Basically he is great at writing, loves books and sucks at understanding his own feelings.

11. What did they think of Asra leaving? Of his gift? 

Morpheus relationship with Asra is… complicated, as the baker said. Morpheus likes Asra, he really enjoys his company. But every time he feels they are getting closer, Asra leaves. In the beginning, he didn’t mind the secrecy around Asra’s travels but as the time passed, it started to bother Morpheus. A lot. He doesn’t understand why his master doesn’t trust him after all this time. So when Asra said he was leaving again, Morpheus got really pissed. About the gift, well… It’s not like Morpheus wasn’t marveled by the tarot deck but his sixth sense tells him that cards are trouble. He didn’t really want to accept the deck, he doesn’t need it, he can very well use his runes for guidance. Plus, the fact that it’s the first time Asra leaves that bloody cards behind is suspicious.

12. What do they think of Nadia’s request that they go to the palace?

First of all, Morpheus doesn’t like Countess Nadia at all. He thinks she is tyrant who doesn’t care about her people. So when she shows up in the middle of the night demanding that he goes to the palace his first thoughts are “Who does she think she is? I mean she is the Countess and all but still??”. He was planning in ignoring her request, but after the card telling him she has a plan in motion he got curious about it and decided to give it a chance. When he actually went to the palace and heard what Nadia had in mind he was like “Nope. I don’t want to be a part of it. Nonononono NO”. However, even though Morpheus made it very clear he wouldn’t cooperate with the Countess, she didn’t really care, so… yeah. Let’s just say “curiosity killed the cat” is a very fitting proverb.  

13. What do they think of the various animals they encounter at the palace?

MUST. PET. THEM. ALL. Yes, even the vampire eels. Seriously now, Morpheus really like animals, but knows how to respect them. He has plenty conscience that some creatures are only to be admired from a distance, which seems to be the case with most of the animals he encountered in the palace, unfortunately.

14. What is their day-to-day outfit? What do they wear when the dress up (such as for the masquerade)?

In his day-to-day Morpheus likes to wear comfortable clothes, usually tapered harem pants and a tunic or a gypsy shirt, with flats on his shoes. His clothes are mostly in shades of purple and black, with some sea-green accessory. In a fancier meeting, he’ll go more flamboyant. The pants would be less baggy, the shirt would be more open with the classic Arcana Tiddy Window™ and he’d probably wear a shawl around his waist. He would wear lace-up boots with a short heel. The color palette would be the same but more sparkly. In his head he’ll use a silver circlet, and some bracelets with fake coins.   As for the masquerade, I picture him with a very open dark red shirt, which pretty much just covers his shoulders and arms, matching colors with an asymmetrical sarong skirt, over the shirt and skirt he wears a purple corset with some jades decorating it. Bellow the shirt he wears a light brownish flare pants. As for shoes, he wears bright red ankle strap high heels. And last, but not least, he wears a bright red choker on his neck, to match the shoes.

15. What is their favorite type of weather/environment?

Morpheus likes cold and rainy weather. He hates when it gets too hot, it makes him grumpy and even lazier than he usually is. Also the earthy smell after the rain reminds him of home.

16. Do they have any prized possessions?

Even though Morpheus is not the type to get attached to things, he has two very prized possessions. One is a small and rusty green dream-catcher with a single agate stone stuck in the middle. When Morpheus was younger he had terrible nightmares every night, he’d wake up screaming and crying and had a really hard time going back to sleep. So his mother made that dream-catcher to help him out. He never find out if it was actually enchanted at that time or it just helped ease Morpheus mind. The second thing is his set of runes. His older brother made it to him out of red wood once they started noticing Morpheus had a gift for fortune telling. Morpheus used those runes to read the fortune to some people in his home-town, earning a few extra coins for his family. Nowadays he uses another set, made of tourmaline stones, but every time he needs guidance to himself, he runs back to his old redwood runes. 17. Do they collect anything?

Yes, he collects cactuses, heartbreaks, and untrustworthy friendships.

18. What sort of first impression do they make?

Looks wise most people mistake him for a woman. Not that he minds, he’s fine with it. Morpheus has a very androgynous face, wears quite feminine clothes and a lot of make-up, so it’s easy to get confused. Now, about his personality, people often think he is cocky, they think Morpheus thinks he is better than anyone else. This is totally not the case. Morpheus is quite shy, so sometimes his answers may sound a bit cocky due to being short. I mean, he can be sassy sometimes and talk without thinking but he usually tries to be nice with strangers and costumers.

19. How do they deal with conflict?

He throws bottles at them. Morpheus is extremely impulsive, he acts before he thinks, and it applies to conflict as well. When it’s a physical conflict, he’ll attack even if the odds of him winning the fight are very unlikely. I mean, he did throw a bottle at Julian even though the doctor is like 17cm/3inches taller than him. In verbal conflict, he says everything that comes to his mind without paying much attention to what he’s actually saying, which may ended up being more harmful than he intended or, sometimes, he may accidentally let information slip. 20. What are their principal goals?

Morpheus believes that everyone comes to the world for a reason; everyone has one meaning in life. He just doesn’t know what his reason and meaning are. He wants to figure out what is his role in the world.  

[opaljade]

Sherlock S4 Trance Theory and how it explains “everything” (including the blue lights, the repeated plot/dialogue, the odd sound glitches, and the flickering lights)

First, before I elaborate on my reasoning for Trance Theory, I just need to write a brief(ish) A/N: 

I believe that all my Tumblr friends (mostly Johnlockers) are a group of passionate, kind, intelligent fans who have been moved deeply by the love between John Watson and Sherlock Holmes (and consequently feel strongly about this show.)

I realize that a lot of you were disappointed with S4--especially TFP.  Likewise, I realize that some of you liked S4, were satisfied with how the show ended, and believe it must be taken at face value. 

I find myself in neither group and would like to present a theory that hopefully convinces my friends that the S4 is actually a clever, beautiful, unfinished, multi-layered puzzle. :D 

TRANCE THEORY (Part 1)

Sherlock Holmes is known for his keen sense of observation and for his amazing deductive skills. But another one of his “superpower” is his ability to go deep within himself in order to solve a case. 

In every ACD canon story, after a new case has been presented, or when the clues get all tangled, Holmes does nothing more than recline in his chair, put his hands together, and disappear in a trance-like state using a specific meditative technique he learned in Tibet,

I propose that this is exactly what is happening in S4 of Sherlock.

My basic premise is that Sherlock has been in a deep Tibetan Trance since to end of HLV in order to solve the apparent return of Moriarty.

In this meta I will provide evidence that Trance Theory is the silver thread that connects and explains all the plot inconsistencies, repeated dialogue, the multiple sound glitches, the odd flickering lights, the blue colouring, the glowing skull, why Sherlock talks to John when John’s not there and how it’s also entirely based on ACD canon.

A trance is a deliberate act of self-hypnosis (It is different than using a mind palace or being in a coma.) The purpose of Sherlock’s deep trance is to enter a half conscious state in order to let anything relevant he has unconsciously noticed rise to the surface of his consciousness in order to make links and solve the case. 

I realize that for some of my Tumblr friends this seems unbelievable because it’s hard to believe that Sherlock is in a trance for that long (ie 3 episodes worth! :D ) But Mrs Hudson in TAB explicitly told us that Sherlock has the ability to sustain a  trance for 2 days! (more on that later). Anyway, for me, taking S4 at face value is acknowledging that what we are seeing is the art of deduction at its very best. Season 4 is Sherlock’s incredible brain at work.    

Heck, knowing Sherlock is in a trance is like obtaining the key to a cipher. All you need is your copy of ACD canon and a few of the other Sherlock Holmes adaptation and you can basically figure out everything. Ie;  Sherlock’s entire backstory, why Moriarty is the virus in the data, IOU, and the deep secret. You can also find the answer other loose threads on the show. For example: The significance of the phone number Eurus gives John, the connection between the “Black Pearl” and A.G.R.A, why Culverton Smith made reference to the Queen, why Magnussen has chronically moist hands, who Alicia Smallwood is, why Mycroft does not like clowns, what the funny graves are, why mummy Holmes wrote about the thyroid gland in her thermodynamics book, why Mary never regained John’s trust, who is really hiding in plain sight, the Thatcher connection, who the sharks are, who is Charlie and his power ranger, the meaning of  “6 by 16 and under we go” (OMG that drove me crazy), glowing skulls, glowing rabbits, etc, etc. etc,,, 

And last but not least, Trance theory shows how we were right all along; this is a Johnlock story of epic proportion. 

Okay, before I get to the fun part of explaining all these things, I first need to provide concrete evidence that Sherlock is in a trance.

EVIDENCE #1- Blue lights/ flickering lights and sounds  are used to induce a deep trance and cleverly show that the entirety of S4 is taking place in Sherlock’s subconscious.

To induce a deep meditative trance, you need to reach a different state of consciousness by altering your brainwave activity. Different depths of meditation corresponds to different wavelength frequency.

Light and sound both travel as wave frequency and can help the brain alter its wavelength frequency. This is due to the fact that the brain naturally synchronizes to its environment. ( I’m sure you’ve heard of strobe lights causing seizure in certain people?)

Hypnotists (or people doing self-hypnosis) use coloured lights, flickering lights and sound machines with glitches to help synchronize the brain faster.

And, yes, you’ve guessed it, the wavelength of the colour blue has the same wavelength as the “theta” state of consciousness (ie, deep trance).  

That’s why blue lights have come to represent a trance (and that’s why some people claim to stay away from blue lights to avoid mind control because it induces a trance).

Sherlock can enter a trance without needing lamps and binomial sound machines, but since we are seeing everything from the prism of his mind, the blue is highlighted because they have the same frequency. I think it’s a very clever way of showing the viewers his internal state of mind.

In fact, the photo below shows the light frequency of a brain in a trance.

Interestingly enough in the commentaries/special features for Sherlock S4, they show Sherlock in a trance surrounded by blue light for each of the 3 episodes (after a brief intro). See the similarity between the two images?

EVIDENCE #2:   Prior to S4, the writers have shown us 2 major phenomenons that are only possible if Sherlock knows how to go into a deep Tibetan trance. 

There are different levels of trance mastery. In ACD canon we are told that Holmes learned his meditative techniques while visiting Tibet. There, he met the Daiai Lama who has the ability to teach the highest levels of meditative trance. In BBC Sherlock, we know Sherlock also visited Tibet during his hiatus. (In fact, there is evidence he was in Tibet before his hiatus--I’ll get back to this later.)

A) One of the highest levels of tibetan trance is the ability to create the impression of time travel with your mind. This explains how Sherlock was seemingly able to go back to the Victorian era in TAB. He was not in his mind palace. Like Mycroft said, a mind palace is a memory technique used to store information efficiently.

(You can retrieve data from your mind palace while in a trance, but you cannot create the illusion of time travel with a mind palace. I think the way it was phrased in TAB was a nice decoy. )

You can read more about mind palaces (called Memory Palaces) here

B) Another high level of Tibetan trance mastery is the ability to create a TULPA: 

Tulpa is a concept in Tibetan Buddhism whereby a person or object is created through spiritual or mental powers. The term Tulpa comes from Tibetan "emanation" or "manifestation".

I believe that Sherlock created a Tulpa of John when John was “away a lot”. The first manifestation of Tulpa!John that I noticed is in Scandal in Belgravia. Remember how John goes to solve the case without Sherlock because it’s only a “6″ and then he’s also shown sitting on the sofa in 221B? (That explains why Mrs Hudson yells “Boys, you have another one!” My guess is she heard Sherlock talking to Tulpa!John and assumed they were together in Sherlock’s bedroom. No wonder she thinks they are a couple!)

We also see Tulpa!John in TSoT a few times. I gather he manifests often and that’s why John warns Irene that Sherlock talks to him when he’s not there. (And why Sherlock notes it in T6T with the red balloon.) The fact that “imaginary” John is actually part of a meditation technique is quite reassuring to me (or else you have to wonder what IS going on with Sherlock?)  

You can read more about Tulpas here and why they manifest often.

EVIDENCE #2- Sherlock is seen in 2 well-known Tibetan Trance positions. 

1) In TAB we see Holmes deep in a trance sitting in the famous Tibetan Lotus position. Mrs Hudson tells us that he has been like this for two days.

2) The other position for a deep trance is called the “reverence” position where you connect the fingers of both hands as if in in prayer. This seems to be ACD/ BBC Sherlock’s favourite trance inductive position. 

4) Other Clues that Sherlock is in a trance: 

1) Pre-Season 4, we were shown the title of the show “Sherlock” glitching over TV colour bar test pattern. (Can’t find the image anymore, do you folks know what I mean? Does someone still have a picture?) One of the uses of the colour bar test pattern is to indicate that the regular programming is not available at the moment (Clever!)  

2) Another clue that Sherlock is in a trance is the element of “mind control”. During his trance, Sherlock has picked up that Mycroft has modified his memories, deleted Eurus, and has incorporated certain trigger words to check on him. All these things fall under the umbrella of a trance and also use sounds and glitches to interfere with memories. (There’s a lot more to say about mind control in part 2)

4) Water is another symbol for a trance because water’s natural vibrational frequency also falls in the theta state of deep meditation. 

Conclusion:

Part 1 of Trance Theory linked ACD canon to Series 4 and offered a logical explanation as to what is going on with some of the lightning, colouring and sounds.  

I believe that taking S4 at face value means accepting that it’s actually all happening through the lens of Sherlock’s trance state.

Part 2 of Trance Theory will address the reasons for the repeated dialogue, why there are seemingly different POV’s, and why it sometimes looks like the ‘fourth wall’ is broken. 

At this point, I’d like to acknowledge the lovely @monikakrasnorada and her extensive work on EMP theory. If it weren’t for her, I might not have stumbled upon this. I know we are essentially talking about the same thing: ie. S4 takes places in Sherlock’s subconscious. The reason I’m calling it a trance is because (and correct me if I’m wrong) EMP starts when Sherlock is shot by Mary in HLV and goes into a coma. 

I don’t think Sherlock is in a coma. I think he purposely put himself in a trance on the plane in order to solve Moriarty’s return. (I was lucky enough to chat with the wonderful Mark Gatiss after the pre-screening of TFP at the BFI and I told him I knew Sherlock was still on the plane!) 

Also, I think I’ve discovered why Magnussen has a mind palace too and how it’s connected to Sherlock and Mycroft. It’s a different mental task than a trance so I want to keep the terminology separate.

Interestingly enough, before TAB aired, I had hypothesized that the only way to do time travel without resorting to supernatural means was by hypnosis. But I wasn’t thinking of self-hypnosis at the time, I was thinking Sherlock had been hypnotized by someone else to go into a deeper state of consciousness. Looking back at my old meta, I realize that the showrunners had given us several clues back then too. :D 

Thanks for reading if you made it this far. I’ll link Part 2 of Trance Theory soon. xo

Tagging: @gosherlocked, @monikakrasnorada, @avawatson @inevitably-johnlocked, @devoursjohnlock,  @materialofonebeing, @isitandwonder, 

[yukilumino]

It took forever to finish, but Kafu’s backstory is finally here! omg, you don’t know how many times I had to correct this. If you want to understand it better I recommend you to read this first you’ll understand this even if you don’t read it, but I’d be happy if you do (??) DISCLAIMER: MENTIONS OF DEAD, PROSTITUTION, SUICIDE AND SOME TRIGGERING THINGS. I tried not to be specific, but I don’t know your sensitivity, so better be careful.

Kafu was raised alone by her mother as far as she can remember. She didn’t know anything about her biological father, how she was conceived or her mother’s past, but she didn’t care, the love she received was more than enough for her. However, Kafu and her mother were never truly alone: Kafu’s mother was really beautiful and men surrounded her like flies. They were mere toys for her, though she didn’t show it in front of her daughter. That was until she met the one who would be her new husband, a very wealthy and good-looking man who treated them really well. For Kafu, though, happiness never lasts for long. Her mother died of disease when Kafu was ten, only two years after her wedding. She hadn’t time to know him well, yet she had no option but to live with an almost complete stranger who she would desire to have never known.

Secrets always came to light and the ones her stepfather had were no different. After two years living with him she knew that house like the palm of her hand, except for one room. Its door was always closed, she didn’t know where it led and her new parent didn’t allow her to enter, so her interest was instantly picked. One night she sneaked in and could see what she thought was a pub, or what at least that’s what her stepfather claimed. At first, nothing seemed out of normal, maybe the little scenario was eye-catching, but that wasn’t what grabbed Kafu’s attention. Women were dressed very gaudy and their behaviors weren’t what you are supposed to see on a bar. You could see all kind of people there and all of them were men very well accompanied. It was then when Kafu started to realize where all her father’s fortune came from. Kafu’s stepfather discovered her intrusion and from then on he became very overprotective: He banned her from doing things more and more every time and he wouldn’t leave her alone a single second. His eyes were scary and she felt like a replacement for his wife instead of his daughter, to the point Kafu feared even looking him in the eye. She avoided him at all costs and spent all the time she could with the prostitutes. If they weren’t busy and didn’t go near any client her stepfather didn’t mind them to be together. This resulted in Kafu feeling as if they were her sisters. They were really kind; they sang and played together all the time, usually in the main room of the brothel, where her parent could still see her.

A year of hearing her singing with the prostitutes was enough for Kafu to pick the interest of some of the customers, which loved her voice. Seeing the benefits of this, her stepfather “suggested” to her to give singing on the scenario a try. In no time she became the jewel of the brothel, the little star with blond hair and angelical voice. But underground people are greedy and always want more and more. When Kafu became 15, clients started to send her multiple presents and offer his tutor big amounts to “be the first one”. Money blinded him, making him go to convince Kafu to fulfill her “fans” request no matter what. In consequence, a heated argument broke out between them: shouts, insults, threats and some thrown objects ended up in tears and the discovery of her ability in the worst way possible. The way there couldn’t be a “first time” anymore. It was inherited; the day her mother died was the day her ability transferred to Kafu. All the men that Kafu’s mother attracted with no effort, all the times they loved her so much they obeyed all of her demands and the lust that made them completely insane. This was her mother’s power fault, power that became her daughter’s one.

That incident was only the beginning of a living hell. She was loved by all, but was also owned by all; she was surrounded by people, but she felt terribly alone. Three years passed this way and she couldn’t take it anymore. She tried to escape innumerable times, yet his stepfather contacts were innumerable too. They returned the bird to its cage; with the consequent punishment. If escape was impossible, suicide was almost as difficult, she was constantly monitored by her stepfather's colleagues and all her attempts were frustrated. It was a dead end.

Fighting was exhausting, still she found a little light: Yukiko. She was one of her partners and had been working there for two years. They started talking when Kafu was nineteen and Yukiko saw instantly through her. Together they could talk about everything and their conversations were Kafu’s only happy moment of the day. Kafu thought she was admirable because, despite the insane environment, she kept strong and sought something more. She wanted to be a teacher and studied in her free time, bringing new books nearly every time they talked and telling Kafu about them. But giving hope to the most prized commodity there had its consequences.

One night, after work, both girls spent the time talking while drinking as usual. Yukiko fell asleep, but Kafu didn’t pay attention to it, believing she was tired. Although she didn’t want to wake her up at first, two hours passed and she began to worry. With a light touch the body of Yukiko fell to the ground. Enlarged pupils, red lips and no breath signs: she had been poisoned. Her cry echoed through the entire building and tears ran non-stop through her cheeks. “Why not me?” was the only thought she had.

She kept all of Yukiko’s books and read them again and again, trying to soothe the pain. It was crystal clear that it was her stepfather’s fault, yet she knew vengeance would be useless. Death wouldn’t bring her back. The only thing she could do was survive, look further and get the freedom her dearest friend wanted. As long as she was alive she had an opportunity to change. The year after her death was the hardest, yet she strengthened bonds with Kimie, an old friend of Yukiko whose tough temperament had often clashed with Kafu’s, although that didn’t stop her to be at Kafu’s side when she needed it the most.

Life was monotonous and boring and singing was her route of escaping reality. Time passed, she was 21 and she felt a hole inside her that nobody could see, so she tried to fill it with her songs. Music that everyone could hear, words from a broken soul that set her free. Life was monotonous and boring, until that day.

The mafia had been there a couple of times. Kafu didn’t know exactly the reason, although she could have sworn it was money-related. The conversations she usually would eavesdrop were worse per day. Constant threats toward her stepfather finally resulted in the apparition of a group of black-suited men led by a beautiful and impressive woman wearing a kimono. Violent sounds could be heard from the meeting room and commotion didn’t take too long to start. The brothel was being attacked and she only had one thing on mind, getting all the girls out of there. Being a prostitute was a really tough and harmful job, but god knows what could happen to you if you got caught by the mafia.

Years of working and living there gave her knowledge and access to every corner of the mansion. Besides, she had on her side all of her escape attempts. She tried to gather as much people as possible taking advantage of the chaotic situation. With the help of Kimie, Kafu managed to get everyone to a really hidden room that nobody knew except her. The plan was simple; the attackers probably expected them to escape from the backyard or the basement, the few places with a door connected to the outside. Instead, they were going to escape from the building next door. The room they were in could only be accessed from the main door, that required a key, or from the window close to the other building; this would be their exit. It was a bit risky, but the distance wasn’t too much and the ignorance of their enemy was their advantage.

When all was prepared, said and understood Kafu continued with her plan and closed the door from outside. They need all the time they could get, and she was going to get it for them. As she threw the key out the window and went down through the corridor, she could hear the desperate calls coming from the room fade away. Then it was silent, the sound of her heels and her humming were the only exception. Music always accompanied her and so she used it to calm herself. Each step brought her closer and closer to her destination, it was a dead end, but she was determined.

Her voice was suddenly cut by a magnificent presence. She was a beautiful reaper indeed. Gazes filled the lack of words and the reaper’s weapon was as fast as lightning. The edge of the katana hurt Kafu’s cheek, blood, but she stayed still. No matter what, she had to buy time.

“You have the money and your objective…still, you won’t have the people, they are gone. It’s a shame, but you’ll have to take me instead” the end of her sentence was signed by her defiant smile and her strong eyes that didn’t care to die.

A heavy silence filled the scene. Kafu kept waiting for the slash that would end her life, but it never came. Instead, the pressure of the cold metal stopped and she felt a hand being held out in front of her.

“Show me you are worthy of my decision”

Such breathtaking words. She never knew if it was the influence of her ability, the fact that she was able to fool the attacking mafiosos or if the attacker saw something on her, but she was given an opportunity to live and she would take it willingly.

[wingsporkhalo]

Legend of the Barren Lands, an original (bad and unfinished) story

Another classic from the depths of @mysticdelphox97’s old documents! This one is about 12 pages long including comments, so it’s even shorter than Through Burning Ashes! This one features many Pokémon references, unfortunate blonde stereotypes, and ruby-colored glowing winged hive-minded vampire wolves!! Short excerpt above the cut; the rest is below it!

Also, “I’m doing very well today, although my stomach is empty and I am in need of a good soul.” (I honestly love this spork please read it)

Mystic: omg i found another old fic that you can totally spork as well

Wing: YAAAAAAAAAAY send it over

Mystic: it's NOT EVEN FINISHED OMG Mystic: DID I JUST STOP WRITING IT BECAUSE OF HOW BAD IT WAS

Wing: Oooooh OPENING IT

Legend of the Barren Lands

~*~*~*~*~

Wing: Oh god the tilde-asterisk linebreak is my FAV LINEBREAK EVEN THOUGH I RECOGNIZE HOW BADFIC-Y IT IS

The Barren Lands are worthless, some say. Nothing more than a large stretch of dull stone, with no trace of green in sight. Life? There is said to be none. A wasteland. The Barren Lands had not, have not, and will not be useful. A dissipate of precious space.

Wing: "dissipate" That word, I do not think it means what you think it means

Although removing these grounds is highly prohibited,

Wing: And how would you..."remove the grounds"? You just gonna pick up a huge chunk of earth with a crane or something

Mystic: This is technically a 2011 fic so it's like, really hella old and untouched Mystic: so there's gonna be golden spork content to work with I guanrantee it Mystic: honestly just go savage with this fic Mystic: it's gonna go into like, Deviantart oc angsty content really soon

since it dates back to the ancient days where it played a very important part in the evolution of our people.

Wing: Oh, so I guess you lied when you said they have not been useful Wing: Well I guess what you said was "have not be useful" but I'm paraphrasing

Mystic: True true

Our current culture, however, fails to acknowledge that, and everything that was once pure about this terrain is no more.

Even though, sadly, this is true, the Lands are also very intriguing.

Wing: So basically: "yo these lands are totally useless, I agree, BUT HMM SO INTERESTING???"

Mystic: PFFF Mystic: Basically ye

It contains something that scientists still cannot comprehend—the “freaky weather” that only occurs within the Barren’s perimeters.

Wing: Ah yes, the scientific term “freaky weather.” And “within the Barren’s perimeters”... that sounds insulting to women unable to bear children

Mystic: PFFFFFFFFF

The sun’s rays have never touched its sorrowful grounds for centuries.

Wing: Those poor virgin grounds. They need some sweet, sweet solar action. Need to have some life put into 'em. Awwwwww ye.

Mystic: sunshine shenanigans ensue

Dark grey, almost black clouds cover most of the sky. Continuous bolts of lightning would strike the outskirts of the area. Vibrant colors of white, aqua, scarlet, viridian, and others could be seen over the horizon.

Wing: “Scarlet”? “Viridian”? Calm down; what are you, Kanto?

It was unexplainable. There wasn’t a single answer as to why this is so.

Wing: UM HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF RAINBOWS OR AURORAS

Mystic: I'm reeling holy shit

There is another odd factor to be considered, as well. Lately, there have been reports from travelers and merchants who have witnessed strange silhouettes in the crevices of stone, or hearings of a distant growl

Wing: The Distant Growl did not show up at its court date, though, so really it was pointless to give it a hearing.

Mystic: poor Distant Growl

or other noise in the smoky breeze.

Wing: Smoky breeze...sounds like a men’s fragrance

Now, you’re probably thinking: “But wasn’t it mentioned that there was no life in the Barren Lands?”

Wing: Actually, no. I'm thinking “Why are you guessing what I'm thinking, Narrator?”

Technically, there is no record of any living thing inside the Barren Lands. So, who knows, maybe there is something—or maybe more—thriving on the Lands’ ‘useless’ territory.

And who knows what it is that is living there…

Wing: I'm guessing you do, Narrator.

~*~*~*~

Rain slowly began to sprinkle onto the lifeless grounds of the Barren Lands. It was a harmonious gift from God;

Wing: Harmonious? Was it making music?

water was scarce within the Lands, and hardly a speck of any type of liquid entered its territory. Even so, the downfall was light; not enough to quench the Lands’ thirst.

Wing: They so thirsty [waggles eyebrows]

Before the dreaded curse was place upon it,

Wing: So The Curse was actually a place before it was...a curse?... Wing: Or no wait, it's a place now.

Mystic: I think it's supposed to be placed

rain came down in giant pours, and the Barren Lands flourished greatly when it was in its prime. But now, it was only lucky to receive even a drop of water.

A flash of vibrant red dashed across the stone area.

Wing: IT'S BLEEDINGGGGGGGG

It was accompanied by other neon colors. At a closer glance, the distinct outline of many animals could be distinguished.

As the creatures raced across the dull horizon, their intellect focused on two life forms… two fresh… young… tasty life forms.

Wing: ….uh

The ruby-hued animal looked back at its companions, and made several clicking noises. Then it doubled its speed. The others followed suit.

Wing: Look I actually really like this paragraph. I have no issue with any word in this 3-sentence paragraph. Good job Young!Mystic

Mystic: eyyyyy that makes me happy T^T

After travelling a good distance, the pack settled down near a small section of land surrounded by jagged boulders. They spread out, making themselves scarce amongst the towering rocks. They were ambushing two teenage girls within the center of the circle. One was a blonde with a stick-figure body, wearing a low-cut shirt, jeans that hugged her skinny legs, and flip-flops. Not exactly the best traveling attire.

The other, however, was more suited for such an environment. She had cherry-red hair, and rather pale skin compared to the blonde’s tan stature.

Wing: Tan is a stature now???

Mystic: apparently Mystic: in 2011 it was I guess XD

Wing:: "So like, how was he built, Rachel??" "Ohmygod, so hot." "But like, how would you describe his height?" "Tan"

Mystic: PFFFFFFFFFFFF

She wore a grey sweater (a lighter tone that the blah color of the stony ground),

Wing: I read this five times before realizing that the reason this wasn't making sense was because the "that" was supposed to be "than" Wing: I was like WHAT??? WHAT DID THE BLAH COLOR OF THE STONY GROUND DO TO THE LIGHTER TONE???

Mystic: I think i was trying to find a synonym for "dull" and thought that "blah" was passable for some reason

camouflage-colored cargos,

Wing: ...Sure. If tan is a stature, camo can be a color I guess

Mystic: Oh Mystic: i totally missed that

and brown hiking boots. She was in conversation with her partner,

Wing: [waggles eyebrows]

probably to consult their current location.

Wing: OH MIGHTY LAND BENEATH OUR FEET. WE CONSULT THEE FOR THY DIVINE GUIDANCE.

Of course, the illuminated spirits could understand perfectly well of what they were saying.

Wing: What whoa I totally missed when they introduced any glowing spirits

“Ugh, Jasmine! It’s, like, no use! We’re gonna be, like, totally stuck in this wasteland!” the revealingly dressed blonde complained, disgust etched on her narrow face.

Wing: Whoa. Okay, the narration just said she had a low-cut shirt, but was otherwise wearing jeans. So, not revealing. THE NARRATION HATES SKINNY GIRLS AND/OR BLONDES

Mystic: ..... that was definitely me in middle school Mystic: probably because the girls that bullied me were thin and had blondish hair Mystic: obviously i don't stereotype like that anymore thank god

Wing: I was bullied by thin blonde girls too. But also thin brunettes. Thin girls of any hair color, really. Probably some stocky girls too. And guys. Don't forget all the guys. Wing: But as a blonde, I never really gelled with the universe's grudge against blondes. They're either pigeonholed as airheaded cheerleaders or stuck-up popular queen bees ugh Wing: Unless you're in an anime, in which case it's "WOW SUCH BLONDE SO FOREIGNER WOW"

Mystic: pff yeahhh

The redhead, or otherwise known as ‘Jasmine,’ rolled her eyes. “I don’t think so, Claire. See, if you read this map,” she gestured to the unrolled scroll she held in her hands, “we’re right in the heart of the Barren Lands. If we keep heading north…” her finger traveled up the map, “we’ll hit the Carada Ocean, where Tierra Village rests.”

Wing: “Oh, Carada, our home and native land...”

“Yeah, yeah, but honestly, my feet hurt. Why did you drag me out here anyway?” Claire asked.

Jasmine turned to face her ‘friend’ and placed one hand on her hip.

Wing: Sure, quotation marks. Because god forbid anyone be unironically friends with a blonde, amirite

“Claire, you wanted to come. I asked you if you could come with me because, in order to travel through the Lands, you need to have at least one other person with you, and I needed a person. Before I even told you the risks, you said you were delighted to come, because there were ‘cute boys’ at Tierra Village.”

Wing: [CRINGES MEGA-HARD]

Mystic: I CRINGED TOO

Claire put her hand on her chest and mock-gaped. “I so did not! You practically begged me to go with you!” she retorted.

Jasmine rolled her eyes a second time. She muttered a “Yeah, sure, whatever,” under her breath before turning her attention back to the map.

The fiery colored animal, revealed to be a wolf,

Wing: Revealed by whom? The narration? Did the girls suddenly put on some glasses?

glared intently at the two girls. The blonde’s soul was useless—

Wing: .......................................................................................welp

I feel unwanted

Mystic: SENPAI NOOO ;A; Mystic: YOU ARE VERY MUCH WANTED

Wing: S'alright, not the first time I've encountered such sentiments [crouches in a Corner of Woe and draws circles on the ground] TnT

Mystic: NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU ;A; SENPAAAIIIII

under its watchful analysis, it concluded that the only result of devouring her soul would be to satisfy their hunger. But the red haired one… the one called Jasmine… her soul wavelength produced a high-leveled aura, and it’s those energetic kinds of souls that were of more use to the neon spirits. They increased their vitality, meaning that their own corrupted, unpurified souls wouldn’t fade away. Their existence relied on her soul. With hers, their kind would continue to maintain their immortality.

Wing: Ah yes, the legendary wolfpire

Suddenly, a shadow befell over it.

Wing: I'm just...why bother to say "befell" if you're also going to say "over"...it's like Turnabout Matrimony but somehow still not as bad

Mystic: oh my god

The blood-red creature looked back, and came face-to-face with its master. A lean, black wolf with crimson stripes stood before it.

Wing: ORIGINAL CHARACTER DONUT STEAL

Mystic: IT'S LITERALLY A DEVIANTART WOLF OC

He folded his recently used wings and scanned his viridian eyes over the spirit.

Wing: I CAN'T EVEN Wing: IT HAS WINGS AND "VIRIDIAN" EYES

Its head was shaped like a wolf, but it had no legs. Its body ended in a smoky tail.

Wing: IT'S A FUCKING RED-TIGERSTRIPED GENIEWOLF WITH WINGS??? Wing: I SAY GENIEWOLF BECAUSE IT HAS NO LEGS, NOT BECAUSE IT GRANTS WISHES. IF IT GRANTED WISHES IT WOULD HAVE GRANTED MINE TO NOT BE READING THIS ANYMORE

Mystic: i think the winged wolf has legs, it's the weird colored spirit ones that don't have limbs

Wing: Ohhhhhhhhh okay I get it now

The neon wolf bowed to the battle-scarred canine. “Greetings, Lord Gherous.

Wing: [ominous battle theme chanting] GHEEEEEEEROUS. GHEEEEEEEEEEEROUS. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~

Mystic: IT'S FUCKING GHETSIS

Wing: YUP

Mystic: I literally thought that as soon as i read the name

Wing: GHEROUS WILL NOW BE KNOWN AS DENNIS IN MY SPORK.

Mystic: did i literally just rewrite Ghetsis as Gherous xP Mystic: i think that's what that originated from

Wing: omfg DID YOU??? I WOULD ALMOST BE DISAPPOINTED

Mystic: I'M FAIRLY CERTTAIN Mystic: because if that fic's from 2011, that means that Black and White had been released Mystic: sooo, yeah, I'm pretty sure that's where that came from xD

May I ask of your status for the day?”

Gherous’s intensive pupils honed in on it.

Wing: These pupils aren't for the faint of heart. They are...more rigorous. More demanding. More INTENSIVE

“Thank you for asking, DNAnimal Experiment number 47,”

Wing: .........[Curls into a ball and pulls the covers over my head]

Mystic: oooof....

he responded. “I’m doing very well today… although my stomach is empty and in need of a good soul.

Wing: “I’m doing very well today although my stomach is empty and I'm in need of a good soul.”

Me every day

Mystic: PFFFFFF OMG

Tell me, have you selected the right enhancements?”

Wing: Your Yahoo! mail inbox in 2003 be like

Mystic: PFFFDJSADFH'JAODGHIASDG

Number Forty-Seven grinned, its own green eyes glowing. “Indeed, Master. As you can see,” it gestured with its tail-end to the duo of the female humans, “we have two choices. The blonde’s isn’t of much use, only to satisfy our hunger.

Wing: ;-;

The redhead, however…”

“Can be used for an enhancement,” Gherous concluded.

“Correct, Master. But, as you know, our kind can only absorb one soul a day. So, we have a choice—hunger satisfaction, or a level up.

Wing: The Cafés in Festival Plaza

Mystic: bruh Mystic: BRUH

Your choice, Master.”

Gherous closed his eyes. He concentrated harder when he did this.

Wing: Just this time, or always?

It’s one or the other, he thought. He took in the smell of the brisk wind that gently flowed by him.

Wing: "UGH, GOD, FORTY-SEVEN. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO NOT EAT SOULS THAT TASTE LIKE BROCCOLI."

"Sorry, Master."

"GAWD. IT'S LIKE SOMETHING DIED INSIDE YOU. GO STAND DOWNWIND"

Mystic: PFDDF OH MY GODN

The incense was that of burning cedar wood, drifting from the other side of the Barren Lands. A joyous smile formed on the charcoal wolf’s lips, in awe of the amazing aroma.

Wing: He be like "Hehe... u pooted" Wing: i'm crying with laughter

Mystic: i juST SHAT MYSELF OMG

Wing: ROFLLLLLLLLLLLLL I SINCERELY HOPE THAT'S HYPERBOLE

He finally opened his eyes.

“Take the blonde. We’ll reserve the other girl for later.”

Wing: Big Bang Theory be like Wing: (the show, not the scientific theory. LOL)

Mystic: [SNORTS] yeah i got that xD

Number Forty-Seven smiled evilly. It floated up to the tip of the boulder from where it was hiding, and then it released internal wavelengths which humans can detect, injecting the sense of fear into their minds.

Wing: Presumably with some kind of mind-syringe

Claire started to feel nauseous. Her breathing grew more and more shallow. She whipped her body around, frightened, every sense inside of her becoming sensitive,

Wing: What about the ones outside of her?

searching for the signs of danger.

Wing: You mean like this?

“Claire? Are you okay?” Jasmine asked. She, too, was starting to experience similar symptoms as her friend, except not as severely.

Claire faced Jasmine, her face extremely pale and precipitation streaked across her forehead.

Wing: It was...raining across her forehead?... How could you see it? Was it muddy??

Jasmine had never seen her so worked up before. “Jasmine… are you, like, sure that there’s nothing out here?” she asked, her voice shaky and barely a whisper.

Jasmine examined the surrounding area. “I… I was told there was no life out here… but I don’t know,” she responded.

“I… I don’t like this… I have a really bad feeling about this place…” Claire suddenly grabbed Jasmine by the shoulders, trembling, eyes widened. “We have to get out of here!”

Before they could react, the band of DNAnimals appeared from their hiding places and charged at the girls. They stood back-to-back as the weird brightly colored creatures circled them, howling and screeching and intimidating them.

Wing: DNANIMAL's Intimidate cuts Claire's and Jasmine's Attack! The opposing DNANIMAL used HOWL! DNANIMAL's Attack rose! The opposing DNANIMAL used SCREECH! Claire's Defense harshly fell! Jasmine's Defense harshly fell!

Finally, they halted and formed a barrier around them, preventing any escape. An opening was made, and Gherous walked through it, revealing himself to them.

Jasmine stared in disbelief. The sheer size of the winged canine was larger and more built than any wolf she had ever seen before.

Wing: "Yo...that wolf be swole"

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE ADMIRING HOW BUILT HE IS, JASMINE"

"He's like, so tall he's almost tan"

Mystic: SWOLE LIKE BUZZWOLE Mystic: why did i just say that Mystic: why

Wing: YUP U GOT IT

It superseded her height, over 5’6”, and it emitted an intimidating aura. Jasmine’s instincts told her to run, to get out of this place, but her body did not respond.

Wing: “Jasmine's instincts told her to run, to get out of this place, but her body did not respond” again, me every day

was frozen in place by her fear, and she knew better than to try and escape—these weird creatures were dangerous, and she did not doubt that they would kill her if she tried.

The monstrous wolf-being began to round them up, displaying his sharp white fangs. He could feel their emotions flooding off them in great waves. ‘Nothing is more delicious than a soul pulsing with life…’ Gherous thought hungrily.

Wing: Almost as creepy as his namesake.

He was taken by surprise when the ginger-haired girl spoke up. “Who—who are you?” she stuttered.

Gherous snapped back into reality. He noticed something odd

Wing: HE NOTICED SOMETHING ODD

Wing: the end forever.

Mystic: THE END FOREVER INDEED

Mystic: AND THAT IT SHALL STAY Wing: Well, yup, it sure will stay something odd forever.

If you liked this, let me know! I’d love to hear feedback on doing snark for original fiction!

[alwaysalreadyangry]

so i finally (a week later!) watched episode 3 of riverdale, and i have some thoughts.

in general there was not enough quippy dialogue in this episode and too much well-meaning exposition, but veronica and her mum were BRINGING IT omg

“not me, girl. i don’t know these people.” “no longer lactose intolerant, i see.”

what the FUCK is going on with betty’s mother??? why does the town newspaper’s owner/editor just have some kind of weird vendetta against everyone in town

and how is this newspaper still in business

???

archie’s dad talking about how hot miss grundy is, ew. ew ew ew.

the “STOP SLUT-SHAMING GIRLS” plot was hiiiigh on well-meaning exposition and low on pretty much anything else, but i was into betty getting way too into it and channeling her sister or... whatever it was she was doing.

veronica is sooooo into betty my god the way she looked at her. get it, girl. also make sure betty gets enough sleep??? 

betty’s abusive home environment is BAD and i feel like nobody? has really? noticed? like she’ll be like “lol my mother hates literally everyone and wants me to never see or speak to my entire support network again” and the response from archie is like, slow-blink. i mean it makes more sense when you remember they are, hilariously all supposed to be aged 15 (ok ok i’m just dubbing this age Bizarro-15) and that 15 year olds are often not great at spotting this (and not to go into detail but when 15 year olds TRY to do something about their friends’ abusive home environments they uh, often can’t) but. like. please. 

it really uh. ramped up in this episode with the weird controlling-betty’s-lipstick thing.

do you think the lipstick smear when they were talking about veronica was meant to visually remind us of when betty and veronica kissed and betty just stood there afterwards, proudly wearing veronica’s lipstick smear all over her face and not even trying to wipe it away?

reader, it reminded me of that scene very much

i both appreciate this moment and also it drives me crazy because I WANT THE SMEARY LIPSTICK TO BE CLEANED UP i can’t help it i’m obsessive

what else is in that school newspaper? or is the whole thing just betty writing about the football team and maybe one of jughead’s articles (”it’s not READY YET” jughead says whenever betty asks him for his article i expect, there’s no way he had an article in that special edition.)

veronica should invite betty over for a sleepover then mAKE HER SLEEP

are archie’s dad and veronica’s mother the only halfway functional adults in riverdale and when are they going to kiss

jughead just stealing the scout’s sundae was v good although it’s STILL NOT A BURGER

WHY IS THIS SHOW’S BOY SCOUTS REPLACEMENT SO CREEPY. seriously. they are the most lynchian part of this whole shebang.

the way jughead looks at archie and the way archie looks at jughead is not quite as A LIGHTNING BOLT OF LOVE HAS STRUCK ME FROM THE HEAVENS as the way veronica looks at betty but you know, it’s a respectable second

this show knows archie’s on the football team, right? he just. did not. come up. in the football team slut-shaming plot. at. all? like i know he’s a Good Kid and they don’t want to tarnish him but like. you should... acknowledge it? did he know about the... (burn? what was it called?) book???

josie is sooo good and that song is fun but i’m lolling a bit at archie being like I HELPED WRITE THAT SONG. like, boy, as far as this show showed us you changed like one word and told them to switch two verses around?

it is cute how much he likes/is awed by them though.

the way jughead is narrating this all from the FUTURE is good and scary like! what is the fallout from this week going to beeee??

[locitapurplepink]

This drawing is really amazing 😍😘

Omega & Hunter