#Woodland Kids Event

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 7 part 5 thoughts!!

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 5 OF THE MAIN STORY!!***

If you’d like to watch a rough part-by-part summarized translation, please check out this archived stream!

Please note: this is NOT meant to be a summary or a translation; these are only my initial thoughts on the events that unfold. There may be details overlooked or misunderstood in this post, so PLEASE do not use this as a translation.

Starting off strong with some lore on magic! Teleportation magic involves breaking oneself down and reconstructing elsewhere. If the distance from point A to point B is too large and/or the caster is in poor health, the magic may fail or be difficult to perform.

Hmmm... Lilia is reacting very emotionally to the situation, but it is Baul that is (mostly) rational and reminding Lilia to keep calm. I'd anticipate it being the other way around, so that's quite interesting.

HUH... Even Sebek is staying calmer here than Lilia is; Sebek recalls training with Lilia and how they were taught that they have to stay calm to think and plan effectively in tough situations. Ironic that the old Lilia was the type to go against the advice he would later give and instill in his pupils. Again, it goes to show how much he has changed since then.

AH, BAUL'S BEING A TSUNDERE AGAIN 🤡 He's telling the kids to stay behind because the situation has changed... "Don't foolishly discard the life Lilia-sama protected", "humans shouldn't be fighting alongside fae anyway", etc. (And, of course, Silver's the one to step up and tell him fae or human, it doesn't matter and he still owes Lilia his life all the time.) NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO TALK, GUYS... MALLEMOM'S GONNA BE GAME ENDED

Weird sounds downstairs? SILBEK KICK DOWN THE DOOR and we find some chefs in hiding. adhbasvfvuvfqeilfe;o THEY MISTAKE SILVER FOR THE DAWN KNIGHT... More sussy behavior implying the Dawn Knight must be his ancestor.

They ask for brooms to transport the injured faster. Silver's negotiation skills come in clutch again, he convinces the chefs to direct them to the brooms even though it would be helping the fae, the humans' enemies.

Not Sebek's stomach growling now of all times... NOT SEBEK DENYING IT SO MUCH (it's okay, they get pity and some food from the chefs!)

Found a room full of birds; they seem to be for transporting messages. Silver feeds them some of the bread they got from the chefs. Wow, Sebek's actually being sneaky/clever (?). He tells Silver he's loved by animals, so time to use that now so they can use the birds.

AKHBBGSKUVYEQFBI NOT GRIM WANTING TO EAT THE BIRDS

Bleh, we have another time-gated, character-limited map segment. Silver and Sebek take up 2 of the 5 slots. Again, the cards' health does not regenerate unless you land on a special square. Luckily for us, there is only a single path forward rather than a larger, sprawling map.

NO KIDDING, THE BIRDS HELP THEM FIGHT THE SILVER OWLS... Literally they're swooping in and tugging on the knights' cape and stuff... the squirrels nibbled away at their catapults' rope too... chucking rocks at them... THE BIRDS POOPED ON THEIR ARMOR TOO???????? Imagine training your whole life to put your life on the line for your home country, only to be literally shat on and defeated by woodland creatures...

Lilia: I hate children. Also Lilia: *rushes into battle to protect the children and gives them head pats for a job well done and asks them to be safe*

Silver continues to be a Disney princess!! They find some horses tied up and he's like "let's free them". Sebek drops some club lore; Silver is one of the better students in Equestrian Club when it comes to soothing the horses. True Horse Girl at heart, huh??

Silver and Sebek are surprised that what they learned in school is actually helping the in a "real world" sense. Man, I wish that was true of irl high school education too...

The Silver Owls recruited mercenaries from other countries to help them seize Briar Country's resources??? The others pitch in because they live in fear of a dragon attacking them.

They're going to teleport into the castle, but they can't teleport out since they can't guarantee the safety of Tamago-sama... They're going to use the underground waterways to escape!

There's a mountain range that protects another castle of the royal family, Black Scale Castle. Malleus's mom is currently in an unprotected castle, Wild Rose.

Wow, what a peaceful vista straight out of Sleeping Beauty. I sure hope it doesn't become tainted by blood being spilt and bodies dropping or anything craaazy like that/j

DAWN KNIGHT INCOMING???? Silver's ring starts??? Going off??? When he sees the Dawn Knight...

Heinrich reveal too! He seems like just as much of a scumbag as all the rumors say he is (he wants a dragon to ride, tells the Dawn Knight he's only good for his swordsmenship, etc). BRO JUST STRAIGHT UP SAYS HE WANTS TO TAKE MALLEMOM'S EGG AND RAISE IT TO BE HIS STEED... 💀 WTF THAT'S SO DARK

This asshole reminds me of Jack Horner from Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish, who is another irredeemably evil man with a small face and a generally grotesque design.

Heinrich is after the castle and some very powerful magestone called "Princess's Glow"? Not sure, did not hear the second word well.

He's giving them 30 minutes to send the princess out for a one-on-one duel with the Dawn Knight. If she wins, they'll retreat (I DON'T BELIEVE THAT FOR ONE SECOND).

NOT THE CASUAL FAE RACISM... Heinrich calls Mallemom a "witch". If you'll remember!! In book 6, Lilia says that mages were once called witches, but implied that those terms are now outdated and considered derogatory.

The Dawn Knight is like Silver! He tries to tell Heinrich this isn't right, but Heinrich tells him that since his father took the Dawn Knight in as an orphan, the Dawn knight "owes" them. It's a twisted parallel to Silver and Lilia's relationship (because Silver says he feels like he "owes" Lilia and has to repay him).

Okay, so to review the family tree??? The king of the human faction is sick and they want the Princess's Glow to heal him. The king is the dad of Heinrich and Leah; the king would also later take in the Dawn Knight. Leah and the Dawn Knight are in love.

Malleus's mom's official name is "Meleanor" (a location name is written in English with this)i. The castle's halls really resemble those in Diasomnia dorm (I think it's a reused asset). (Now that I think about it??? Didn't they also reuse the VDC backstage background for the eastern fortress?)

SHE'S SINGING???????? A lullaby for her baby, it seems. Bruh... Malleus sang like a line from this lullaby before he game-ended everyone with his UM... HE REMEMBERED HER SONG FROM INSIDE THE EGG SHELL??????????

MALLEMOM REVEAL AW YEAH (she starts zapping Lilia with lightning lol; she's mad at Lilia for showing up late to defend her and her egg) SHE'S THE HOT GOTH GF

OMG EGG REVEAL TOO... UNBORN MALLEUS... (The egg looks like it has blot running down it too, which is insane)

ADBLIsfiablfa IT'S SO WEIRD SEEING HER SIMP ON MAIN, she says he knows her unborn child will grow up to be a beautiful man just like her husband... (Sebek is practically sobbing from happiness that he gets to witness Meleanor name Malleus.)

The ear shape is really coming back to bite them; Mallemom noticed them and now her anger is turning to our group. She forces us to kneel with magic... Jafar energy fr

"Princess Glow" is the green orb in Mallemom's staff!

Lilia tells some embarrassing stories of the princess's tomboyish youth; "And though you always scolded me, you never failed to join me in my mischief" -- Mallemom to Lilia

She agrees to duel the Dawn Knight while the others escape with her child... Now Mallemom and Lilia are fighting because Lilia refuses to follow through with her order.

NOOOOOOO SILVER JUMPED IN TO PROTECT LILIA FROM MALLEMOM'S LIGHTNING 😭 EVEN THOUGH HE KNOWS IT'S A DREAM, HE DOESN'T WANT TO SEE HIS DAD HURT

Lilia trauma time :)) "I can't lose both you (Meleanor) and Raverne (Malleus's dad)".

IT'S LIKE WE THEORIZED, LADS. Mallemom says that if anything happens to her, then it's up to Lilia to help Malleus hatch with the POWER OF TRUE LOVE... BUT LILIA THINKS HE CAN'T HATCH IT BECAUSE HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND A PARENT'S LOVE

OH MY GOOOOOOD THE PIPING HOT TEA, MELEANOR SAID LILIA PROPOSED TO HER WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG... OVER 200 YEARS AGO

sdhbfbiyoaifofi Mallemom says that Lilia "also loves Raverne" and that those two spent more time together than a "married couple". You could interpret this as Lilia being bisexual or just as them being really good friends, as Meleanor never specifies if Lilia “loves” Raverne romantically.

Suddenly, Lilia's special card name makes sense! Lilia is the "Right General", and Raverne is the "Left General".

The weather shifted according to Meleanor's anger. Like mother, like son... This woman also quotes Maleficent so much...

OOOOH we get to watch a battle between Mallemom (dragon form) vs the Dawn Knight. Mallemom uses all null/cosmic magic, just like Dorm Uniform Malleus. The Dawn Knight uses light type null/cosmic magic just like Silver does too!

Dawn Knight face reveal?! He's basically Silver copy-pasted but long blonde hair. Dude's really out here looking like a Sonic OC recolor/j

The Dawn Knight also has a crown-like ring on a chain. It's an item that was given to him by guardian fairies when he was young; there is no other like it.

YASASHII... The Dawn Knight notices our group has the egg and tells them to run. He doesn't want Heinrich to get his hands on it either... Crowley, takes notes 😭

UHHHHH SILVER'S CRYING AND SHOUTING... I think he realized that he's descended from the Dawn Knight, serving on the faction that's brought so much harm to his loved ones and home country. "Am I family to the enemy?!" His denseness is truly to his detriment here.

Uh-oh, Silver's being pulled into the "darkness" of the dream, thinking it would be better to just stay here than face reality... He's losing hope, DOING THE THING HE FORESHADOWED LAST UPDATE... IF HE EVER FALLS INTO THE DARKNESS, THEN PLEASE PULL HIM OUT... (Another map segment with Silver required; you have to find your way around in the dark.)

NOOOOO NOT SILVER SEEING HIMSELF AS THE DAWN KNIGHT THAT HIS DAD'S STRIKING DOWN IN VENGENCE OTL WHAT IS THIS, IT'S SO SICK AND TWISTED

400 years after conflict, the peace treaty was signed between fae and humans. Wild Rose Castle is now left in ruins; the rumors say it is haunted. The diurnal fae casted a spell on Wild Rose to keep humans away.

HUH???? LILIA FOUND BABY SILVER IN THE ABANDONED WILD ROSE CASTLE?????

Uhhh so apparently after the war we saw, another conflict broke out for territory and the Silver Owls got their asses handed to them.

LILIA UNIQUE MAGIC REVEAL... HE CAN READ THE MEMORIES OF THINGS HE TOUCHES????? (Reminds me of "Dimensional Scream" from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of TIme/Darkness/Sky!) "Far Cry Cradle" is the name! We also get the chant: "As if it were a day. Everywhere I go, it will be in a blink of an eye."

BABY SILVER?????

Silver was magically put to sleep for hundreds of years by some small (guardian) fairies?!?!?!?!?!?!? Because conflicts were still going on and his parents wished for him to live in a world free of war. When Silver meets someone who "loves" him, he will wake up from his magic-induced slumber. NOW THE BABY IS AWAKE AND CRYING

... Wait. Doesn't that mean. Silver is technically older than Malleus... since Malleus is only 178 years old and Silver's been sleeping for like 400 years????? OTL SILVER OLD MAN ERA??????

NOT (PAST) LILIA BEING TSUNDERE, he says he thinks the guardian fairies' magic is fading with time... he doesn't even consider that he'd ever love the baby...

"I'm not someone who deserves your love" - Silver, casually cuing all of our tears

Silver's hair was originally blonde; It became silver when he received a fairy's blessing (Lilia's). LILIA SAYS "May the Night bless you" and says that the day he found Silver is his new birthday. So the Dawn Knight has gold hair because it's blessed by a diurnal fae, but with silver hair like moonlight, Silver won't stand out in Briar Valley.

I CAN'T WITH LILIA, SILVER SAYS HE WAS NAMED THAT BECAUSE OF HIS HAIR COLOR IN A BIRTHDAY VIGNETTE... Yet here we see Lilia actually named him Silver as in silver moonlight to guide people in the darkness...

"Even if I have to give up my own life, I want to protect my child", that's a sentiment that both Lilia's princess and the Dawn Knight expressed. I think this kind of thinking probably helped Lilia put everything into perspective and better understand that humans and fae are actually very similar.

SILVER/LILIA HOME REVEAL, we're seeing some point later in time but before present day when Lilia is still raising baby Silver.

Lilia is singing the same lullaby as what Meleanor sang for Malleus in the egg!! Malleus pays them a visit and still doesn't really seem to understand humans (HE SAYS SILVER LIKE A MONKEY????) but also helps watch baby Silver... He even hums his mom's lullaby for Silver, but cannot seem to remember where he heard the song before.

It's so weird thinking about how fae take 30 YEARS TO LEARN HOW TO WALK... What do you do for those 30 years, just lie on your back????? OTL

LILIA READS SILVER BEDTIME STORIES

Oh, Lilia's understanding humans and fae a little better (around the time Silver starts to eat pureed foods). Both human and fae babies cry and sleep, etc. BHFABIYFVQIQEFL hE'S FEEDING SILVER RAT MEAT???????? Malleus has to have the castle prepare baby food for them...

WAHHHHH THAT ACRON BRACELET LILIA TREASURES IS SOMETHING KID!SILVER MADE FOR HIM... Squirrels helped him gather the acorns and woodpeckers helped him string the acorns together. The acorn amulet is meant to bring Lilia a long, healthy, and happy life (something Silver was told by forest fae). Even as a kid... Silver was hoping for Lilia's health... and now that I think about it, the acorn amulet is like a representation of Lilia's own deteriorating health over time... OTL

"I feel like I can live a thousand years with this (amulet)..." LILIA EVEN KEPT IT ALL THIS TIME AND CALLS IT HIS MOST PRECIOUS BELONGING... shUT UP, SHUT UP IM CRYING

ASKHBLIDIBIFIA WE'RE SEEING THE RAINING SCENE LILIA TOLD US ABOUT IN ONE OF HIS BIRTHDAY VIGNETTES???!?!?!?!????!? It's the day Silver realized he and Lilia aren't related by blood...

God, there are so many of the map portions... This time, Sebek is the required character!

The rest of the gang are transported to the darkness where Silver is wallowing?? Sebek sees some of his own memories which intertwin with Silver's (since Baul sometimes took bare of Silver or visited Lilia). It's also confirmed that Lilia went to Sebek's dad to ask for advice on how to raise Silver.

Back then, Baul asked Lilia to train Sebek since he's part human (and therefore "weak" in Baul's eyes). However, Baul still values his grandson and wants him to have a good education 🥺 (Sebek's older brother also graduated from NRC??)

Lilia tore up his invitation to NRC???? But it was his friend Raverne who came to him with the invitation pieced back together and kept it safe for the future in case Lilia reconsidered. It seems like Raverne really is a diplomat; he stresses the importance of humans coming to understand fae + vice versa, and how it's things like learning a common language that can help bridge these gaps.

Lilia confirms that Raverne must have "become a star" by now BUT UNTIL I SEE A CORPSE I'M NOT BELIEVING IT

Sebek's trying to get through to Silver, who's slowly being swallowed by the darkness... HE UNVEILS HIS UM, "Living Bolt"!! "Thrust through the clouds, o' lightning!" It seems to summon a powerful strike of lightning, but I'm not entirely sure what it does because the visuals of the game are a little confusing??? (Like it shows a white silhouette of Sebek moving around, so it makes me think he can... control the lightning??? Or he... becomes lightning itself to move around??? DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT.) Sebek says he hasn't mastered it yet so maybe even he doesn't know what it can do.

With Sebek's UM, he's able to snap Silver out of it!

THE GIRLIES ARE FIGHTING... There's literally a battle between Silver and Sebek, which resolves with Sebek smacking some sense into Silver. Sebek calls him an idiot and tells him to stop saying he isn't loved, because it's rude of Silver to be this weak when Lilia raised him to be strong (ie "IT'S AN INSULT TO LILIA-SAMA", "IF HE SAW YOU BEING THIS PATHETIC HE'D BE SAD", etc). Way to go with your words of encouragement... 100/10 motivational speaker, Sebek.

Silver realizes that he has had Lilia's love and support all this time... "It's true love", Silver says. The true love that his guardian fairies said would wake him from his sleep... 😭I really appreciate how it was Silver who first snapped Sebek out of his dream-induced despair, and now Sebek is doing the same for Silver.

WAIT THAT'S IT?????? THAT'S THE UPDATE???? ?? ??? ? ????????? 🤡 TWST really said, "I'm coming for everyone's throat and I'm taking no prisoners" AND THEN DIPPED ON US AFTER DROPPING SO MANY BOMBSHELLS... This is just the fate of every book 7 main story update now, isn't it???!??????!?

asidoavyfqevofb I know a ton of really exciting and shocking reveals happened this time around, but while my mind is still racing to process everything... the one thing that sticks out to me is "Ace is the only one without a UM now". IT'S SO FUNNY HOW HE THOUGHT HE'D GET HIS UM BEFORE DEUCE BUT HE ACTUALLY ENDS UP BEING THE LAST OF THE ENTIRE MAIN CAST TO GET IT................. .. . . . .. ....... .. .. . .. ... . . . .. THERE IS SOME CRUEL, SICK IRONY HERE.

I pretty much said all my other thoughts as they cropped up along with the corresponding story beats!! But overall, I loved learning more about the characters and their shared history. Part 5 confirmed many theories, such as the Dawn Knight being related to Silver (and not his ancestor, but rather his actual dad), Silver being put under a sleeping curse that requires true love to break, how Lilia came to raise Silver, etc. It also recontexualizes lore we already knew, such as how Silver got his name, the Zigvolt family's involvement with Lilia, and how Lilia changed from his old self to his current self.

khbhasdsbkuavuofafabf I ALSO CAN'T BELIEVE LILIA X MALLEMOM IS A THING, THAT WAS ONE OF THE MOST SHOCKING REVEALS THIS ENTIRE UPDATE😭 All this time we were joking about Lilia x Mrs. Spade... turns out, Lilia was into someone else's mom... HE'S JUST INTO MOMS, I'M CALLING IT NOW/j

I'm surprised that we didn't get to catch up with the Shroud brothers whatsoever this time??? Not a single peep about Ortho (who has 'woken up and is actively working to help everyone) or even Idia (who is still stuck dreaming)... I really hope the next update addresses how Ignihyde is faring, cuz I miss them and want to know how they contribute to saving the day!!

As book 7 progresses, it progressively calls the image of a spinning wheel into my mind... This is the case especially for the flashback segments we see, which shows us how the various members of Diasomnia are related to each other, and, by extension, their other family members. Lilia is raising Silver, the baby of an old foe. Malleus is visiting Lilia, who is implied to have helped hatch him after his parents died and/or went missing. Lilia asks Sebek's dad for help raising Silver. Baul asks Lilia to help mentor his grandson, Sebek. It really harkens back to the "individually, we're threads on a spinning wheel, but we come together to make something far stronger" line that Lilia dropped at the end of book 6, proving that the spinning wheel and the threads of Fate within it are an important motif for book 7 🥺

I'm fine.

This is fine.

It's not fine

[pitviperofdoom]

So it's been a hot second since I took a break from my full series reread, but I found myself once again thinking about Outcast of Redwall and the raw deal that Veil Sixclaw got.

What kills me is that before the poisoning, the one thing Veil got in trouble for--the only thing, in fact--was stealing. This kid didn't even get into fights, he just stole food from the kitchens, which as Bryony points out is normal Abbey kid behavior. Another character shoots back that stealing is something most kids outgrow implying that the fact that Veil hasn't is suspicious, which is frankly a wild thing to say to the great grand-daughter of Gonff the Mousethief.

(In a kinder version of events, the adults in Veil's life might have shaken their heads with long-suffering fondness and remarked that he was following in his adopted ancestor's footsteps.)

The whole point of Redwall is that it's the woodland utopia where no one goes hungry and everyone has what they need, which is why kids stealing pies off the windowsill is no big deal... except when Veil does it, apparently. Veil's the one that gets physical punishment when he's suspected of stealing--not even proven! I can't recall off the top of my head any incidents in the rest of the series of corporal punishment in Redwall beyond idle threats that the kids know not to take seriously. But Veil gets scrutinized from the moment Redfarl and Skipperjo pick him up out of the mud and they and Bella look at this literal infant and say "oh yeah, he's gonna be evil for sure."

And then a thought occurred to me: it's generational trauma.

Most of the characters in Outcast are two generations removed from the characters in Mossflower. Bella of Brockhall is in both books. Verdauga and Tsarmina are still within living memory. Until the end of Outcast, as far as she knows, Bella lost her entire family to vermin warlords. Mossflower opens on a scene in which a ferret kicks in the door of a family of subsistence farmers, threatens their children with slavery, and takes all their food as taxes leaving them with none for the winter--and the Stickles were the last holdouts. The other farmers in the area had already run off to join the resistance at that point, so this kind of treatment was normal.

And we're left with a close-knit society of people who've grown up with this shared history, with a venerated authority figure who still carries the scars and memories of what they lost--and suddenly another warlord comes within a hairsbreadth of discovering the peaceful society they built in the aftermath, and leaves behind a starving neglected baby whose first impression is eating frogspawn in the mud and biting his rescuers while being the spitting image of the warlord they just narrowly avoided.

All of that gets thrown into this caustic mixture of fear and paranoia that gets projected onto a literal baby and results in their completely out of pocket response to a child taking food from the kitchens in the We Share Everything Abbey.

It also might explain why Bryony, who's young enough to be three generations removed and may have been born after most of the survivors of Kotir had already passed, is the only one who isn't scared and suspicious of Veil on sight.

[rose-tea-and-strawberries]

After All Is Said And Done

Masterlist After the events of the winter holidays and Jamil’s manipulation, you and your friends are left to pick up the pieces.

Warning: I write the reader as female. Also the reader celebrates Christmas.

Includes: Angst, Female Prefect!Reader, Book 4 Spoilers, references to PTSD and depression, Jamil x Reader if you squint, platonic Ace x Reader x Deuce but can be read as pre-romantic

Honestly, after writing this, I’m thinking about writing a version with Riddle, Azul, Vil and Malleus...

You know I'm still standing better than I ever did

Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid

I'm still standing after all this time

Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind

- Elton John, I’m Still Standing

“Hey Y/N, there’s another one,” Grim called out from the doorstep. You can feel your stomach sink, already knowing just what was left at your door.

“Ugh,” Ace groaned in disgust, “you’d think that he’d give up after all this time.”

You mentally agreed. Ever since the incident in Scarabia during the winter holidays, Kalim has been making an effort to invite you to his parties. Eagerly calling out your name whenever he spots you and enthusiastically telling you to come join him, listing all of the food and music he’d love to share with you. You have to admit, you did have a soft spot for the young heir, his genuine wholesomeness making it impossible for you to outright dislike him. It’s clear as day that his kindness is authentic, that he actually does want to spend time with you and wishes to bring you enjoyment. The kicked puppy look he gives you every time you politely turn him down with a new excuse each time does take a stab at your conscience but you can’t help it. Every time you think about the possibility of stepping into that dorm your mind reels with memories of darkened rooms, harsh reprimands, agonisingly scalding marches, banging on doors until your hands bruised and screaming for someone, anyone, to let you out until your throat ached.

“Just burn it, Grim, you know the drill,” Deuce told the feline, his face twisted into annoyance.

“Hell yeah,” Grim crows in triumph, about to summon one of his beloved fire blasts before Ace swiped the ornately detailed paper from his paws and unceremoniously threw it into your fireplace not even giving it a glance as the flames burned it to ash.

“Don’t even bother,” Ace said, “stuff like this isn’t worth anyone’s time and effort. At least it can be used to kindle the fire for s’mores now.”

You looked at Ace and Deuce and you thanked The Seven for having such amazing friends. Whilst the uncomfortable twisting in your stomach still remained, their obvious attempt at helping you definitely alleviated it. 

The previous winter holidays made it clear just how much they cared about you. The moment that they realised that something was wrong, they put aside their differences and used their own resources to personally check up on you. Granted, you would have appreciated it more if they arrived a few days earlier whilst you were still being kept prisoner but the warmth you felt inside at seeing such friendly faces after so long made up for everything.

When Ace and Deuce had entered Ramshackle with Grim one afternoon to prepare for another impromptu sleepover, with bags of groceries and overnight things in their arms, they were surprised to find it completely silent. Apart from the scuttling and twittering of woodland creatures, the moaning of old pipes and the nervous whispering of the apparitions that lived with you, it was disturbingly quiet.

They felt a collective chill go up their spines, though whether that was due to the lack of heat in this abandoned building, the growing fear that something is wrong with you or the presence of undead spirits huddled up in your living room was unknown.

The ghosts’ head shot up at the sounds of the door creaking closed behind them and the thuds of the boys dropping their bags onto the floor, frazzled worry lining their wispy white non-corporeal forms as they floated towards them. Their clear agitation did absolutely nothing to soothe the trio’s growing anxiety.

“You youngins’ are here for Y/N right?” one of them asked.

“Yeah, we are,” Ace replied, his voice coming out more harsh and aggressive to mask the growing dread.

“Is something wrong?” Deuce’s voice, on the other hand, clearly conveyed every inch of fear that he felt.

“We don’t know,” a taller ghost stated, “we haven’t seen Little Miss in ages.”

“All this time she’s been in her room, without a peep,” another butted in, “it’s been hours and she hasn’t even come down for dinner.”

“And you didn’t think to check on her?!” Ace said angrily, “she could be in trouble.”

“We can’t go in there!” the shortest of them explained defensively, “that’s a lady’s room.”

“And even if we could, what’s the point?” the first one elaborated, “it’s not like we have bodies that can help her.”

“Please go see her,” the second implored, “we’re worried.”

“You really care about her, huh?” Ace noted, seeing the panicked, begging looks that were being directed at them.

“Of course we do,” a ghost stated matter-of-factly, “Little Miss is family.”

“Maybe it’s nothing,” Deuce said after a beat of silence, trying to calm himself and everyone else, “maybe she’s just sleeping?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Grim was quick to jump to that conclusion, any conclusion that wasn’t the fact that his beloved henchman is in trouble, “Henchman’s just conked out. She’s fine.”

Despite his cheery words, he couldn’t help the pit forming in his stomach, a deep hole that not even tuna could satisfy. The three of them looked at each other before running up the creaking stairs, with Deuce throwing the ghosts a quick thank you. As they reached the top and made their way down the corridor and towards your bedroom, they could faintly hear the sound of rushing water getting louder and louder. In spite of the darkness enshrouding the passageway, your room appeared to be fully lit, if the hazy golden glow peeking out from under your door was any indication. 

With a firm twist, Ace banged open the door, completely ignoring the sound of it ricocheting off of its adjacent wall in his hurry to see you, only to find your room completely bare of any life. Noticing that the door to the attached bathroom was wide open, the trio rushed towards it only to stand frozen at the doorway. 

The sight they were met with was you, sitting hunched up in your bathtub, still fully clothed sans your socks and shoes. Your shower was still on, sending streams of water down towards your crouched figure, completely drenching you.

“Y/N!” the three of them yelled, racing towards you. Grim jumped into your arms, getting on his hind legs so that he could paw at your shoulder and face, doing whatever his tiny hands could do to get you to notice him. Deuce did the same, stepping into the bathtub whilst Ace turned off the spray of water so that he could grip your shoulders and shake you whilst whisper-shouting your name. Still, you did not react, the only result of their attempts to stir you were your eyes laxly opening at their sudden manhandling, causing them to cease their jostling.

You looked less like a human and more like a marionette who had been cut from its strings. Your eyes, that were usually glowing with personality, all bright, fierce and lively, were currently dull, glassy and doll-like, all dim and staring without seeing. The only confirmation they had that their best friend was not a corpse were the small, dainty, robotic blinks of them and the way your chest would softly rise and fall. 

“The hell, Deuce,” Ace looked more worried than he did before - and considering the amount of near death experiences he’s been through with you, that’s saying a lot, “what are we supposed to do?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” Grim exclaimed fiercely, not moving from where he was nestled against your cold, drenched chest, “Henchman needs you!”

“I know-I know,” Deuce was quick to appease him, “why don’t we start by getting her out of here and into something warm? Then we can figure out what to do.” 

And so he brought you up into a bridal carry. Usually being so close to you would’ve flustered him beyond belief, his shyness around girls amplified around you despite all that you’ve been through together, especially now that the shower water made your soaked clothes stick onto you like a second skin and making certain aspects of your femininity more obvious but his need to help you was far stronger than any bashfulness he had.

He was scared - they all were. To see someone strong enough to fight overblots, to stand by their side and boldly face down the monsters in the mines, to live in this world that they are both literally and figuratively at the bottom of the food chain, so broken was nothing but haunting, a horrific sight that they’ll never be able to unsee.

Ace opened up your closet, grabbing some towels and a pair of pyjamas that he tossed onto your bed, as Deuce carried you to your bedroom, your head resting against the curve of your shoulder before gently placing you down onto your duvet.

“Let’s get you dried up, okay,” Ace cooed at you, smiling softly and speaking with a gentleness that surprised even him. He began to swipe a towel over your sodden frame as Deuce got to work gently drying your hair from behind you and Grim nuzzled, whined and purred against your lap.

“The ghosts told us that you haven’t eaten dinner,” Deuce murmured, “you should change into some dry clothes whilst we go and get you something.”

He got up from your bed and made a move to leave but your hand shot out and grasped onto the hem of his shirt. You continued to look down, not meeting anyone’s eyes as your shaking voice whispered, “don’t go.”

“Y/N, you’re drenched,” Ace said, “and you haven’t had anything in a while. We’ll be just downstairs and we won’t be gone for long.”

“Stay. Please,” your voice was weak and your eyes downcast, “don’t wanna be alone.”

The card soldiers gave each other a look before nodding and climbing onto your bed so that they sat as close to you as possible. You immediately cuddled up to them, allowing yourself to get enveloped by their touch.

“What’s wrong with me?” you whisper.

“Nothing’s wrong with you, Y/N,” Deuce soothed you, gently stroking your head and back like you would a wounded animal.

“Yeah,” Ace agreed with his rival, “it’s everyone else here that’s messed up.”

“Then why,” you did nothing to stop the tears from falling, your words coming out choked from the way your throat was constricting, “then why does all of this keep on happening to me?”

“I don’t know,” the red head sighed in defeat, continuing his ministrations on you.

You said nothing, allowing them to embrace you as you buried your face into their bodies, letting their clothes and Grim’s fur soak up your tears and muffled sobs.

It didn’t go unnoticed how your companions became even more protective of you after that incident. Wherever you went, they would flank you like guard dogs, shielding you from the rest of NRC and directing a glare at anyone who so much as looked at you. After hearing about how uncomfortable you felt being around certain people, they were on the lookout, not-so-sublty steering your body away from anyone they deemed unworthy of being within your gaze (you could’ve sworn that you heard Grim hiss at some students a few times).

It wasn’t just them. Your family of ghosts also made an effort to check in on you. Even when you couldn’t see them, you could feel them hovering near you in another room, making sure that you looked after yourself, gently reminding you to eat, sleep and rest. They called you over more often to join them in games, sharing stories and jokes, making sure not to mention anything that they felt could upset you.

Your past self - the person you were before your entrance to NRC, a person that now seemed almost like a stranger to you - would’ve found it smothering, almost demeaning at how they’re affections seemed to infantilise you but now, all you can think of is how much their presence comforts you, how loved they make you feel. It made you feel seen and heard, that at least the small handful of allies in your tight inner circle care enough to consider your feelings instead of sweeping them under the rug like everyone else. Like how a few words here and there and a few taps on the wrist were enough to clean up the mess that was the last overblot.

When the dust settled and all was said and done, everyone else partied whilst you were left hurt and broken and once again left to pick up the pieces of your shattered self.

It’s like your body is in constant fight or flight mode, with someone’s fist persistently banging on the ‘flight’ switch. Despite the anxiety and fear buzzing in you whenever you take a step outside, you feel constantly tired, both physically and mentally, your head feels like it’s perpetually submerged underwater and every bite of food you take tastes like sandpaper. ‘Down’ is the only word you can think of to describe yourself. Just chronically down - buried deep, deep underground with no way of clawing back onto the surface. It didn’t matter where you were or who you’re with, all you can hear is your mind constantly screaming at you that you’re in danger. No matter how many times they tried, the combined efforts of your new found family still couldn’t drive away the intrusive thoughts that crept up on you, the dark cloud of foreboding that would hover over you, the cold stare of the Grim Reaper that would follow you. Waiting. 

You couldn’t fault Jamil for his overblot. Despite the pains of your heart, the logic of your mind knew that he wasn’t truly to blame for tossing you to the ends of Scarabia, for leaving you shivering in the freezing blizzard, your body numbing from its close brush with hypothermia, for sending projectile after projectile after you with the intent to maim, the intent to kill, for leaving the imprints of snake fangs in your body as companions to the myriad of other scars that were gifted to you from him and the overblots that came before. It didn’t take a genius to know that everything he did whilst covered in that disgustingly sticky black ink (the ink that will now and forever be a recurring character in your dreams) wasn’t under his complete control, no matter what your nightmares and the sinister voices that would whisper in your ear during the dead of night told you.

But you allowed yourself to blame him for everything that happened before his subsequent descent into madness; for kidnapping you, hypnotising you, locking you up in a dark room against your will, keeping you away from the only people (and ghosts) that actually cared about you and prevented you from contacting anyone. 

You didn’t blame him for wanting freedom, for holding bitterness because of the cards he was dealt with, you just wished that he didn’t sacrifice your wellbeing in his schemes.

Whilst you did hate him for hypnotising you - in this world you already lost so much control of your life, he had to go ahead and take away even more of it - you resent him even more for manipulating you, for feigning affection in a world that gave you anything but, for using you, exploiting your weaknesses and the fact that you had no one apart from Ace, Deuce and Grim to call a friend.

Whilst Christmas doesn’t exist in this world, you made sure to make plans with your family in Ramshackle - you actually had fun detailing all that you were going to do with the ghosts and Grim: coming up with a menu, making or buying hand puppets to create your own Punch and Judy style panto, asking Sam to stock up on this world’s version of Christmas crackers, and just doing what you can to forget the fact that your friends and family are in a whole other world with no way to even give them glad tidings - but instead you spent it marching in the hot desert, contracting heat exhaustion, fainting due to said heat exhaustion when Kalim (actually Jamil) deprives you of any treatment despite your pleads and complaints, slurring your words and vomiting as you tried to ignore the worst migraine of your life and then spending half an hour breaking down into sobbing fits as you were once again imprisoned in that horrid room.

He made you believe that he was a friend, someone you could rely on. When you lost consciousness in the scorching desert, he gave you medicine and treated you to relieve the pain; when you felt confused and hurt by Kalim’s Jekyll-and Hyde-like behaviour and in anguish over not being able to leave, he provided a sympathetic ear and comforting smile as he gave you words of solace. But it was all a lie; you were suffering in the desert because of him, Kalim was hostile to you because of him, you were chased, treated horribly by the Scarabians and locked up against your will because of him. 

All the torment you felt was because of him. 

When you asked the Dorm Leader of Octavinelle and his underlings for help, you felt sick to your stomach, like scorching acid was leaving your mouth instead of words, at the very idea of having to ask the ones who conspired to make you homeless for help. But you had no choice, and the fact that he put you in a position where you had to go to people that you would rather die than ever associate with again makes you hate him even more.

Although, if you had to be honest, in a strange, warped sort of way, you almost respected Ashengrotto for what he did to you. At least he was honest when he stripped you of your home and the only family you had in this world, at least his malicious intentions weren’t hidden when he slyly slid you that dreaded contract - you didn’t even know why you were even surprised when he sent the eels out to harass you in his attempt at sabotage, he might not have invented sleaziness but he sure as hell perfected it. As dodgy as the mermen are, it would be better to have someone that you know you can never trust than one who takes your trust and then crumbles it to sand with his own hands right in front of you.

And Kalim - God, if your feelings for Kalim weren’t the epitome of mixed then you don’t know what is. On the one hand, the genuine warmth he exuded upon meeting you was unprecedented. Unlike the other students in this school, who openly treated you with hostility and malice before you could even say a word, he was the only one good-natured enough to show you the kindness you had missed from your world. Despite the obvious power imbalance, he treated you as an equal, sweeping you away on a magic carpet ride, treating you to the finest delicacies he had to offer, chatting, laughing and playing with you as if you were a person and not some magicless human that didn’t belong. But on the other hand he disregarded everything you went through under his so-called ‘best friend’s’ schemes. All the pain you suffered, all the scars you gained - both physical and emotional - were swept under the rug as Kalim answered Jamil’s public (“and insincere,” your mind adds) apology with an “I forgive you.”

“I forgive you.”

‘I forgive you’ Kalim says brightly and merrily goes out of his way to include Jamil during dorm activities like the Vice Housewarden didn’t do the magical equivalent of drugging and kidnapping you. Like he didn’t play you like a fool, dangling the possibility of friendship, of the companionship that you craved in this strange and lonely new world, before ripping it away from you and stabbing you in the back. Like he didn’t use you as a pawn in his sick, twisted game, literally controlling you and isolating you from any kindness you could get. It didn’t matter that after this you’ll never be the same again. No, of course not. 

Because in this world, you didn’t matter.

It all comes to a head when the Viper himself is the one that approaches you. 

You’re eating lunch in the dining hall when you feel an arm wrap around your shoulders and you get pulled into Ace’s chest. On your other side you can see Deuce’s hackles raise, his jaw clenching and glaring at an unknown individual with barely concealed anger, looking very much like the ex-delinquent he used to be.

“Whaddya want?” Grim drawls boorishly at the source of your friends’ ire, “we’re eatin’ here.”

“I’m aware of that,” the smooth, velvety voice of the Vice Dorm Leader of Scarabia makes you tense, an action Ace must have felt because you feel his hand squeeze yours shortly after. You writhe in place, loosening his hold and giving you enough wiggle room to get out of his grip. With your hand still in his, you turn to look at the interloper, to see what he says next, “Kalim’s hosting a banquet this evening and he’s asked me to personally invite Y/N.”

“Well she’s not coming,” Grim snapped at him.

“She’s busy,” Deuce said.

“And she has nothing to say to you,” Ace interjected, “so you can go ahead and bog off.”

Viper sighs, “I see. If that’s all.”

He turns around to leave but you stop him, “w-wait.”

At this not only he turns to look at you with bewilderment but Ace, Deuce and Grim as well. You continue, “can I please speak with you outside, there’s something I have to say.”

“Wha-Y/N are you sure?” Deuce said, looking at you with worry.

“Yeah, you don’t have to do this,” Ace agreed.

“He doesn’t deserve it,” Grim said imploringly. 

You smiled at him and pet the fur on his head before giving Ace and Deuce reassuring glances, “I’ll be fine. We’ll be just in the corridor outside so you’ll be nearby.”

“Alright then if you say so. But if he tries anything…” Deuce gives the Scarabian a glare, letting his threat linger.

With that you get up and wordlessly walk out of the dining hall and into the empty hallway adjacent to it, knowing that the other was following you without having to turn around and look. You stop at a corner and after taking a deep sigh to brace yourself you turn around and tell him with varying steadiness, “I just want to say that as much as I appreciate Kalim’s generosity and hospitality, I’m afraid that I have to decline.”

“Quite the journey just for one sentence,” he raises an eyebrow, the only expression his inscrutable face allows, “you couldn’t have said this back there?”

“It’s best if I told you this one-on-one just to get it out of the way. Make it clear that I’m the one who told you that I can’t attend and my friends have nothing to do with it. Now if you’ll excuse me-”

“But that’s not all you want to say, is it?” his question pierces you like a blade to your chest, releasing all of the air that was in your lungs.

“Whatever it is you want to say to me,” he intones, his voice as calm and collected and fake as it always is, “I can take it.”

Jamil Viper was many things but an idiot is not one of them. After Kalim’s first five consecutive rejections, he was well-aware that the so-called emergencies, errands and other assorted tasks were just excuses you made to prevent you from outright telling the Dorm Leader that you just didn’t want to attend. He can’t say he blamed you. He understood that you had a less than stellar time during your last visit to the dorm - after all, he was responsible for it. He tried explaining to Kalim that perhaps it would be best to leave you alone but his bleeding heart refused to understand that you were just being polite. He did consider you a friend after all, and truly wanted to pay you back for everything that you did to help him and his dorm during the holidays and to hear your refusals disheartened him, sending him whining about how he wished he could make you happy to thank you for all that you’ve done and make up for what happened. Jamil’s statements that maybe you just wanted to be left alone fell on deaf ears as the young heir decided to send another invite through him. Jamil bit back the remark that he would be the last person you wanted to see and begrudgingly left to do his duty.

“What if what I want to say to you is that the very sight of you makes me sick?”

You’ve got to hand it to yourself, despite having over a decade to fine tune his poker face and hide his inner thoughts, his eyes visibly widened, shock flashing over his features before immediately regaining their usual unreadable appearance.

You would’ve relished at his slip up, that for less than a second you were able to gain an upper hand over the man who toyed with your vulnerability and orchestrated your suffering, if you didn’t have a voice in your head warning you that it could all just be another ploy, another way for him to trap you in his coils and squeeze until you choke.

That’s what snakes do after all. They patiently lie in wait, completely unassuming and unthreatening, before they strike so fast and so viciously that its prey is completely helpless to the onslaught of venom that’s injected into its neck. 

He continues to stare at you, speechless so you continue, clenching your hands in a desperate attempt to stop them from shaking and willing your voice to stop wobbling despite every nerve in your body yelling at you to hightail out of there, to get away from the threat, the danger, that you’re not safe, just run, just flee to the refuge of Ramshackle before you inevitably get hurt again.

“I can’t look at you without wanting to throw up. Every time I see your face all I can remember is  what you did to me, how you used me, how my feelings were nothing but toys for you to play with to make you feel better. You hurt me. In one of the most unforgivable ways possible and I don’t think that I can go back to the person I was before the holidays.”

“You know what?” you laugh bitterly, shaking your head at yourself, “honestly, I can’t say that you’re completely to blame. It was my mistake for actually being stupid enough to fall for your act. If my time in this world taught me anything it’s that I should never let my guard down. I should’ve known that you never wanted to be my friend, that you, just like everyone else here, only care about yourself, without giving a damn about who you have to hurt to get it. It’s my fault for not learning from my experiences, for deluding myself into thinking that someone can actually like me in this damned place. God, I’m an idiot. At least now I know better than to believe your deception.”

“Y/N-”

“Was it fun, at least? Did you enjoy it? Taking a helpless, magicless girl and using her to satisfy your own twisted schemes? Taking my powerlessness and using that as a stepping stool to make you feel better? Manipulating me like your little lamb for slaughter? At least, I can say that the whole experience taught me something and it’s that no one here cares about me, that apart from Ace, Deuce and Grim, I have no one. So I think it would be best to tell your Dorm Leader that unfortunately, I will not be attending. Or not. You could just hypnotise him. Either way is the same to him.”

You turned around and was about to go back to the comfort of your friends, before tossing a few parting words over your shoulder: 

“Congratulations, Vice Dorm Leader Viper, you’ve achieved what you wanted. You said that you did all of that so you can finally have your actions acknowledged - well, here you have it. Now I can’t go a minute without acknowledging what you’ve done.”

And with that you walked away, meeting up with Ace, Deuce and Grim as they wrapped their arms around your shaking body and walked you back to the sanctuary of Ramshackle.

[keepingeahalive]

Apple White Headcanons

Her full name is Princess Apple Atalanta Eve White. 

She used to be a chubby kid. Her mother would constantly point this out, even after Apple eventually grew out of her baby fat. 

Snow White would dye Apple’s hair black when she was little, but it never lasted. She eventually stopped before Apple’s hair had to be cut off, because it had become so damaged.

Raven was her first real crush. But she didn’t realize it until after a year, and Raven had already gotten together with Dexter at that point. 

Apple hates going to the beach. She’ll go with her friends as long as she’s 10 meters away from the water and in complete shade.

She was taught to sing opera. She purposefully sang worse in front of Raven in order to annoy her into poisoning her. 

She is trained in classical piano.

For a split second, Apple had thought Raven had woken her in Dragon Games. 

Apple keeps herself on a strict diet to maintain her figure. She has a constant fear of gaining weight and steps on the scale every morning to make sure she hasn’t. 

She met most of her friends at family galas. She was encouraged to make friends with as many fairytales as possible, but this was merely a method Snow intended to build political alliances. Apple was unaware of this and just wanted to make friends. 

Snow White owns a successful enchanted fashion line. She also has a line of plant-based cosmetics and beauty products. Her husband, King White, is responsible for creating the formulas and recipes for these products. Apple is often used to market and promote these products.

Snow White keeps her husband working constantly so she can raise Apple herself. King White lets this happen because he trusts Snow to raise their daughter right, but Apple misses having her dad in her life. The only time he’s allowed off-work is during a publicity event where he is “encouraged” to show off to the press.

Apple gets her genuine softness and love of chemistry from her dad. Her competitiveness and steadfast nature comes from her mom.

She didn’t find out who woke her until after the summer. 

Apple was definitely one of those people who didn’t think Dexter would be a good match for Raven. She made all kinds of excuses like “he’s not evil enough for her” or “He’s not charming enough for her”. In reality, she was super jealous and too much of a comphet to realize it.

She loves boy bands. Her favorite band is One Reflection, but she also loves The Hunted, Bookstreet Boys, and the Thronas Brothers.

She has a hidden adventurous spirit and penchant for helping people. Unlike Darling, she channels it passively and invests her time in philanthropy and community service.

As a child, she was sent to a woodland camp during the summer. There she had no servants to take care of her, so she had to learn to cook and clean for herself and her dwarf caretakers. 

Apple’s fear of water is so great that she is afraid to step into a bathtub. She takes showers. But if there is a chance of submersion, she won’t step foot in it.

She’s very sporty, but she participates in what she views as “princess games” such as croquet and Dragon Games. 

She hates pears.

Even though she hates them and thinks they hinder her from being the perfect princess, she wishes she could wear her glasses. She gets constant headaches and her eyes hurt from always squinting. She keeps telling herself to wait until she’s 50, when it’s “socially acceptable”. 

It took her a long time to get over Raven. Darling helped her through the process (partially because she knew what it was like) and the two became closer. This was before Apple found out Darling had woken her. 

After the Dragon Games, Apple put in a considerable effort to better herself. She knew that she was acting out of selfishness and cowardice, and she realized that her destiny was different than what she had been told. She decided to take hiatus from being Royal Student Council President and work on rebuilding trust with her friends. 

[kotir-propaganda]

Mossflower has so much going for it, like I’m not even being biased because my blorbo is in it. I will die on the hill of it being Best Redwall Book for several reasons.

-It’s as early Redwall as you can get without actually being Book 1. As such, it avoids a lot of subjects and patterns that would later become repetitive tropes... but it also avoids the Book 1 jankiness of horses and human structures and the implied existence of Portugal. The world as we will come to know it feels more or less fully realized here. The abbey’s not here yet, but its foundation literally is- and we also get our first look at Salamandastron and the extent of Mossflower Wood as a whole.

-It has some of the most solid protagonists around. The legendary hero Martin is here, but he’s at a low point for most of the story and has to work his way up to that legacy! And this is where he does it, this is what future Redwallers remember him for, not the events of Martin the Warrior. Also, Gonff is here? Hello? Maybe the single most charismatic character in the series? Not to mention Dinny, how often does a humble mole actually get to go on a quest in these books?

-This isn’t even getting into how badass all the rest of the woodlanders are, too, but... they absolutely are. This is a small band of rebels that’s been driven from their little houses, they don’t have the luxury of those huge sandstone walls to protect them, but they’re still fighting like hell and outsmarting their enemies to boot. Some of them are seasoned fighters, but some of them are just ordinary families, all banding together to take back their homeland. And they keep it up the whole time! They’re not just waiting around for a guy with a sword to tell them what to do!

-The villains are probably the most nuanced in the whole series. Seriously. There are four whole wildcats here (don’t forget Sandingomm!) and only ONE of them is unquestionably evil. It’s absolutely implied that Verdauga was a fearsome warlord in his day, but if nothing else, he raised ONE kid who turned out to be about as Lawful Good as you can get, and he actually scolds Tsarmina for being mean to her brother!! I wish we could have spent a little more time with Verdauga, honestly, I have so many questions for this man.

-There are a decent handful of morally grey characters here, actually. Chibb spies for the woodlanders, but he’s not the most dependable and is motivated by payment more than sympathy to their cause. Snakefish allies with our questing heroes, but he minces no words in warning them that he’ll just as soon eat them if it comes down to it. Even Argulor is really just out here looking for a bite to eat and can you really blame him, because ashleg is a snack

-Tsarmina herself is irredeemably cruel, but even still there are multiple facets to her. On one hand, she’s scary- big and powerful and ready to rip into anything/anyone with her bare claws. At the same time she can be a clever strategist when she wants to be- poisoning her father and framing her brother, and later manipulating two of her obstacles, Argulor and Bane, into taking each other out. And still yet it can be kind of funny to watch her in action, as she gets humiliated by the resistance on multiple occasions. And maybe there is even a little pathos there, as we see her mind start to slip, and get some glimpse into the deep fear and paranoia that completely overtake her at the end.

-There are just great supporting characters on both sides. Mask is amazing, Fortunata is fantastic. And yeah, Blorbo Supreme Ashleg is here, and I don’t NEED to write a whole essay about him to promote Mossflower as a whole but... having him here is nice! It helps!! May we all follow his example and pursue happier lives for ourselves!!!

-Mossflower laid the foundation for so many events and characters of later books. I mean yeah, it’s a prequel. It’s there to support the first book and by extension, everything that comes after. But so many other great titles in the series have a direct line to Mossflower, from Outcast to Long Patrol to Lord Brocktree and more. Did you enjoy those books? You’re welcome. The threads were already there, just waiting to be expanded upon.

-at one point a wooden leg gets used as a projectile weapon and if you don’t think that’s the best thing ever, I don’t know what else to tell you buddy

[newdejavuu]

hey! if you are going to the dallas or woodlands, tx show - listen up!

I don’t fault fall out boy (or their managers) for this but I can’t help but emphasize how stupid it is to book an outdoor show in texas for the end of june!! people outside of texas truly don’t understand how fucking hot it gets this time of year — and unless you experience it for yourself, you won’t get it.

temperatures right now are above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and "feel" much hotter than that due to humidity and UV index.

if you are going to the woodland or dallas show this week, please, please be careful!!!

as a lifelong texan who has endured this hellish heat for my whole life, here are some very important tips for surviving the summer weather (& not passing out):

be sure to hydrate days before the event (starting tonight!) drink mostly water, & if you have them, add those little hydration iv packets as well!

I would highly, highly recommend that you don’t drink alcohol at the event. alcohol is a diuretic and will dehydrate you!!! I would really recommend only drinking water (no diet coke, soda, or other beverages with caffeine, this is a diuretic too!)

check if your venue allows you to bring food & drink (I have heard the dos equis pavilion is allowing snacks! & outside water) & if they do — BRING THEM

eat before the show!! a full meal, not just nibbles of food. eat something rich in all major food groups: carbs, proteins and fats! (most people I have encountered pass out from a mixture of not eating & dehydration)

be conscious of your clothing — wear light colored, breathable fabric like cotton or linen (it’s going to be too fucking hot to make a fashion statement. TRUST ME!)

get to the venue later than you normally would. people in GA, I really really would advise against spending all afternoon in the sun, camping out. if you want to wait in the parking lot, do so in the comfort of your air conditioned car!! (i promise you, getting barricade at a fall out boy show is not worth passing out)

wear a hat!! & bring sunnies (sunglasses) if you are going to be outside before the sun sets

this part of texas DOES NOT cool down at night, so be prepared!!

dicks sporting goods & five below sell those cooling towels for under five bucks, please get one!!

most importantly, listen to your body!!! if you are feeling woozy, ill, lightheaded, nauseous or otherwise NOT RIGHT -- sit down, get help from staff, and get out of the heat!!!!

I’m not kidding when I say that it’s dangerous this time of year to be somewhere outdoors without air conditioning. we, texans, don’t go outside in the summer for a reason!!

[alienssstufff]

LAST LIFE APOCALYPSE AU MASTERLIST

A very intensely written Life Series au by ME!

All general updates questions and lore can be found in the #last life apocalypse au tag! This post in particular will act as a masterlist regarding the timeline, worldbuilding and lore of the au. I wish to (hopefully) keep updating this post as more characters and arcs are revealed. 

IMPORTANT YOU VISIT THIS LINK FIRST BEFORE ENTERING (It’s pretty): > Last Life Apocalypse AU Intro (Talks about the mechanics)

Now without further ado - lets begin:

TIMELINE (Summarised)

The timeline of the AU is defined by two major arcs:

The past PROLOGUE 3RD LIFE that is the childhood of majority of the cast (location: their childhood town)

LAST LIFE PRESENT day that takes place in the woods (the main event - when the Apocalypse starts)

These are arcs that involve most if not all of the cast members from their respective seasons.

[BETWEEN ARCS] Between these arcs occur smaller events - big to some but not on a scale to affect everyone. This is the transition period after the cast graduate from Middle School and go their separate ways before reuniting (by fate) in the Last Life Woods. Events that happen in the between arcs take inspiration from the CC’s other respective series beyond the Life Series.

Some current inspirations: Evo SMP, Hermitcraft (various seasons), Scar’s TCD series, Bdubs’ SOTF. More about their involvement as updates progress.

[SCU SPIN-OFF] Consider this as an epilogue describing the state of the planet decades after the main cast has died. Not considered a ‘major arc’ as it is not focused on the main cast but exists solely for worldbuilding purposes (because I like it :] ).

WORLDBUILDING

Setting of Last Life takes place in the woods, think of American national parks or camping grounds on a road trip, or the Walking Dead (the telltale game not the show)

CLIMATE: Generic American woodlands climate but with a less generic winter weather. As the situations for the player’s get more dire, so does the environment around with forecasts for an oncoming snow blizzard from Magic Mountain as the world fades to white.

It is also during this time of year and climate where a creature known as the Wither is rumoured to roam the lands. It is a cryptid that unlike most woodland creatures, the Wither wakes from hibernation only during the Winter when it is cold enough and feasts on a very specific carnivorous diet. In reality this is known as the Patient 0 of the Bogeydisease, born and mutated within the labs of the Research Facility, leading to the downfall desolation of what is now known as the Abandoned Observatory.

MAIN LOCATIONS:

SOUTHLANDS (Camp Southlands) - Were once a popular camping hotspot before the apocalypse. The people who survived there were once camp counselors (Grian, Impulse, Mambo, Martyn, Jimmy). The grounds acted as both a family resort and a summer camp for kids  where they are divided into one of the five factions supervised by each counselor: -MARTYN Counsellor of Athletics and house of the GREEN CATS -IMPULSE Counsellor of Cooking and house of the YELLOW SUN BEARS -JIMMY Counsellor of Safety and house of the BLUE DOGS (formerly blue canaries) -MUMBO Counsellor of Crafts (shop) and house of the BLACK MOTHS -GRIAN Counsellor of (shenanigans) Arts and house of the RED BIRDS

FAIRY FORT (Fairy Fort Reserve FFR) - A geographically enclosed area dedicated to protecting the land and the endangered animals that are shelter there. Ownership of the Fairy Fort was passed along the generations of Lizzie’s family tree. The people who survived there are park rangers with Lizzie as their lead. They have current beef with the Southlanders as there are many things they disagree with and compete against.

ICE FORT (Shade-E-E’s Gas) - As it’s located near the center of the map, the ethubs ‘Ice Fort’ is one of the only ounces of urban infrastructure out in the woods. Upon arrival of the Apocalypse, it is a fortified Shade-E-E’s gas station barricaded by the only employees Bdubs and Etho (the manager). It once acted as a pitstop to drivers and travelers alike and is the only place in the woods that has a working cellphone tower and final connection to the outside world dubbed as “Etho’s Tree”.

TEAM BEST HIDEOUT / ROCKTAPUS (Abandoned Observatory/Research Centre) - An abandoned observatory squatted on by Skizz that doubled as a bunker that was originally built in preparation for a nuclear fallout. Upstairs the observatory contains secret government documents regarding information about the Bogeydisease and the Wither cryptid - Indecipherable to all except for Tango who understands them. Downstairs the bunker’s monitors are linked to several surveillance cameras in the woods.

GASLIGHT GIRLBOSS GATEKEEP (Scottage Club) - A retreat saved for the rich and elite. While the Scottage Club has its HQ here, holiday properties of its patrons are scattered all across the map (the secret green lives hideouts).

MAGIC MOUNTAIN - Kept off limits just for how dangerous the place is, no one ever goes there. Rumor has it the mountain has magic capabilities that can drive a man insane. The last human sightings near Magic Mountain were two lone hikers who by arrogance wished to conquer and come back surviving the woodland’s most treacherous point. And while they were never seen again, they say if you look very closely with a spyglass, you can catch glimpses of a small, broken up hut at the top.

THE NETHER (NETHERLANDS not-the-country): The NETHER is the closest town over from the Last Life woodlands and is home to facilities such as a Fortress Dept Store and a camping & fishing shop known as The Bastion. While hypothetically the cast could escape the woodlands to live in the Nether, it is because of the high value resources that can be found in these stores that attract both surviving scavengers and zombies alike - making the town very dangerous to defend.

The ‘nether portals’ in this au are the vehicles each team has on them to travel between locations. The Nether may be the closest town there is, but even walking there on foot is extremely dangerous - especially considering the apocalypse and the harsh elements.

BOGEYDISEASE

For legal reasons, I dropped biology in highschool as soon as I could - I do not know shit about diseases and how people develop medicine. This is a fictional disease. TLDR; I am talking out of my ass.

[Origins of the Bogeydisease and the L.I.F.E antidotes pending (secret!)]

Transfer of the disease in its early stages of evolution could only be transferred if bacteria had direct contact with the host’s bloodstream. At best (?) in small amounts the host would experience a fever and shivering. At worst the host would feel extreme fatigue, most likely dying of starvation/dehydration due to it being unaware of their hunger (and fatigue - the disease manipulates the brain into thinking the host is not fatigued). 

Nature of the disease (well.. virus) as it continues is designed to adapt with the changing environment. While most samples were not able to survive its effects, some victims of the Wither’s bite would survive and exhibit a second stage of the disease’s effects. If the host were to survive the initial stages of the disease, once the disease has fully adapted to the body of its host it would evolve in order to prolong its survival. This is evident by physical alterations of the host’s appearance.

Not just physical changes but behavioural as well. The host would act more akin to serving its natural instincts, more inclined to the hunt and the tendency to keep itself alive. 

People who are in the second stages and beyond of contracting the Bogeydisease are considered Red Lives. It is possible to cure Red Lives out of the Bogeydisease as long as the disease has not evolved to its later stages. WHEN a person is cured using a L.I.F.E antidote they may experience side-effects [explained in the INTRO]. In some instances, ex-hosts may retain some of the traits afflicted when they were Bogey.

Later stages of disease evolution. The disease and its hosts show strong similarities to how rabies can be passed between hosts. And based on how a host reacts to the disease, hosts of the disease are classified into two types:

Host is overwhelmed by the effects of the disease and dies early. If the body and surrounding scene are left untreated, the disease will continue to live on in the decomposing body and grow a special fungus that feeds off the remains. The fungus and its disease reproduces by its spores which allow the disease to not only infect the environment around but also proves the possibility in contracting an airborne variant of the disease.

Host grows accustomed to the effects of the disease exhibiting the aforementioned loss of higher brain functions above (incapable of reason and rational thought). Movements grow erratic, constantly moving as a means of maintaining fixed body temperature. For colder climates the diet of hosts relies on feasting on warm bodies. Failure to do so will induce drowsiness in the host, placing them in a slumber in order to regain energy and try again. Hosts also show signs of excessive salivation and occasional bleeding. Direct exposure to any of the host’s bodily fluids is another method in contracting the disease.

[ REMINDER THIS IS AN ONGOING AU , MORE TO BE UPDATED ]

[scarecrow-collective]

Yaelokre "headcanons" (that are actually just pseudo memories coming from a Perrine fictive cause I miss my source) enjoy!! Please lemme know if anyone wants more!

DISCLAIMER:none of this is canon and this is coming from a fictive who has source memories of these events!!!

Clementine and Cole tried so hard to hide their relationship in the beginning, they'd sneak around and pass glances every chance they'd get. Until eventually Perrine(me) and Kingsley walked in on them cuddled up and asleep together, Kingsley teased Cole for a week.

Perrine(me) hated being seen as the mother figure, they'd always get upset if someone even insinuated it. The others understood this and made it a point to not cross an unspoken boundary with them, Kingsley will lightly tease sometimes.

Cole likes to have flowers braided into their hair, Kingsley jokes about it until Clemmie braids some into his hair and then eventually into Perrine's(me) hair. Cole ends up sneezing all the flowers out because of allergies, poor thing.

Kingsley has sprained their ankles quite a few times and will cry about it until the pain subsides, they're very dramatic but they know when enough is enough. Same goes for sickness, the winter time is a bad time for all and Kingsley absolutely hates getting sick.

Perrine(me) befriended a few woodland creatures by feeding them left overs or spoiled things from dinner, such as apples and berries and occasionally the rotten meat for the fox that lives near them.

The kids all hate thunderstorms, so whenever one rolls around they all huddle up in someone's bed (Usually Perrine's) And they'll cuddle it out, Cole will sing sometimes to distract everyone from what's going on.

Kingsley once befriended a stray dog from town, it now lives with the kids. His name is Otis, the kids absolutely adore him and he keeps them safe and happy.

Perrine(me) had a weird relationship with the Croon, they had enough respect and fear of them. The Croon would gift them meats and bones for stew and food, Perrine always made an effort to return the favor with gifts in return.

[riordanverserpdatabase]

THE EVENT HAS CONCLUDED, USERS!!!!! HERE IS THE FINAL LIST OF DATABASE HEAD COUNSELORS!!! CONGRATULATIONS, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!!!!

Already Announced:

Cabin 1, Zeus - Finley Zavala @love-lightning-forethought

Cabin 3, Poseidon - Sk @daonedaonlyskh

Cabin 4, Demeter - Cocona Tsuki Amaya @daughteroftheagriculturegoddess

Cabin 5, Ares - Everett Hunt @everett-child-of-ares

Cabin 7, Apollo - Kat Carter @cabinseventheaterchick

Cabin 9, Hephaestus - Leo Valdez @fire-boy-official

Cabin 10, Aphrodite - Brooklyn Hayward @love-lightning-forethought

Cabin 11, Hermes - Dean Marks @itsprobablydean

Cabin 12, Dionysus - Marjorie Flowers @cabin-12-resident-daddy-issues

New Announcements:

Cabin 6, Athena - Rowan Hammer @existence-is-pain-ahhhhhh

Cabin 13, Hades - Koiyan Anastasia Ryoko Xing @koiyan-hades-kid-with-a-system

Cabin 16, Nemesis - Ace @acezinspce

Cabin 17, Nike - Sylvester Silva @winning-woodlands-and-work

Cabin 20, Hecate - Vivi (Albor Vivian Salcedo) @vivi-the-magic-user

Cabin 23, Morpheus - Icarus Dell'aquilla @cause-im-italiaaaanoooo

Cabin 29, Thanatos - Damien Harvennson @iceweavercatlover

Cabin 42, Eris - Calix @if-chaos-was-a-boy

Our envoy for Camp Jupiter - Emerson Newman, Son of Neptune @that-stupid-child-of-neptune

Our Envoy for Olympus - Macedon, God of Bloodlust and Heartbreak @glee-of-ares-wrath-of-aphrodite

Our Envoy for Valhalla - Tove, Goddess of Revelry and Growth @minorgoddess-majorfun

We will be working on putting everyone in their spots today!!! Congratulations everyone!!!!

[skullytotheark]

Random Creepyhornets Heacanons

[i made that thumbnail btw]

Additional: in this canon, marble hornets takes place when youtube was extremely fresh & ends in 2006/2007. But in saying that the current time within this canon is 2008

The Mansion.

The Mansion is built on top of a massive cave

Context: Deeeep within the cave is a large pit of sorts which houses one of the Slenderman's 'towers' [which is a hivemind source. Think of it as a 'spawn point' for slender incase he 'dies']. Most of the food the proxies collect for slender is tossed into a basement corner which has a massive hole, The hivemind uses smaller roots to grab ahold of the food before dragging it into the depths

The Mansion is actually an asylum that was made into a "mansion"

You can still find some left over files fron when the asylum was up and running. A bunch of patient records, Weird experiements [which is probably why slender picked this place in the first place] and a bunch of cells

This also confirms that the 'basement' is a boiler room

The mansion moves around???

Well actually, The Forest moves around the mansion. But for this reasoning proxies need to be marked so they can find the mansion with ease, It has a strange 'six sense' thing going on where the proxies kinda know where the mansion is even when the forest shifts

Only proxies are allowed in the mansion

This just means that 'followers' or unofficial proxies aren't allowed in the mansion

Timothy Wright "Masky"

[drawn by my bestie @peachy-cloudds]

Background within this canon:

A year after marble hornets, Was shortly forced into becoming a proxy. The Operator's 'hauntings' becoming so bad to the point it was physically attacking Tim until he finally submitted. A choice he regrets to this day

Tim is a 'commander' or a 'leader' of sorts

Tim is a 'high ranking proxy' [which was a rank he was instantly given, alot of proxies hate him for how fast he ranked up], Meaning he can give orders and tasks to his follow proxies.

Tim's 'normal life'

Tim worked extremely hard to regain what was left of his life after marble hornets, Which meant him trying to be stable enough to hold a job as a Computer wiz, Of course having some experience with computers from marble hornets. He kinda dreads work but it's alot better then being a proxy and killing people

Tim constantly feels guilty for the things he's done as a proxy

As a proxy, It's your job to follow every order, Even if it means killing innocents.. But when being a proxy it's pretty much you or them.

Tim doesn't remember Entry 83

..... "I don't know what it is but.. something is off about brian.."

Tim's hobbies

One of tim's hobbies include photography, A thing he remembers enjoying in his childhood.. before he was sent away of course. He remembers having a shit camera he wondered around with and taking photos of whatever he saw as a kid

"I'm not like these freaks.."

Besides the events of marble hornets and his childhood, Tim is literally just a everyday guy. He's not a ruthless serial killer like everyone else in the manor nor is he some asshole some ppl make him out to be. He's just wrangled into this because of the Operator..

Tobias Erin Rodgers. "The Woodland Maniac"

[His surname is Rodgers in this canon, Just cuz no real big reason]

"You're wreckless Tobias.. That'll be your downfall" - The Operator

A Lot of the time Toby is pretty short tempered and doesn't like to be mocked, He prefers to be taken seriously like the other proxies around him. So he kinda does whatever to prove that he deserves respect like the others

"Everytime I look in the mirror.. He's there."

Toby fucking HATES looking in the mirror or at any of his reflections. Toby pretty much looks like a younger version of his father which pisses him off alot, Even beyond his dreams he seems to not be able to escape him

Toby dropped out of school at 17

Toby isn’t very good at Math or writing since he was pulled out of school when he was 15. Of course Connie tried to homeschool him but the rogers household wasn’t the best place for learning. But just because Toby isn’t extremely educated doesn’t mean he’s stupid, Toby can be pretty smart with certain scenarios thanks to his years as a proxy

spare time in Childhood

When Toby was younger Toby never really got to grow up with any computer/console games since and isn’t really familiar with the big brands. When he was little he heard of games like “mario” or “sonic” and was alil jealous of the other kids and their stable lives, However Toby always found himself being an outside kid which Connie considered to be a lot better than sitting in the house all day playing video games since, Toby spent most of his days doing that already

Fucking lies. All of them

Upon awakening Toby found himself in the edge of the woods, Feeling strangely sick from blacking out. His body aching while he coughed violently, Often coughing out bits of blood. Toby would begin to make his way to the edge of the forest before he finally broke through the treeline to find a group of police. While Toby was informed he was missing for about a month, Word had gotten out about Lyra’s sudden death along with Toby’s sudden disappearance and he was a prime suspect for her death thanks to his aunt Evelyn [Frank’s sister] spreading rumors about Toby possibly killing Lyra.

Skully "The Vessel"

"Whispering voices"

Skully tends to pause in between sentences due to some of the soul’s memories flashing before their eyes, It often distracts them and leaves them stunned for a second or two.

"Brian Isn't Here Right Now."

Skully often disguises themself as Brian / Hoody to scout around the mansion, Due to being a similar entity to the Operator it is unable to detect them. However there was only one tiny problem, Tim is a proxy too.. So one night Skully erased the memory of Brian dying before proceeding to weasel their way into the Manor. Using Brian as a meat suit

"Subspecies"

Skully is a lesser being of the Operator, Which means that they have similar abilities. Skully mostly uses teleportation though since they don’t wish to bring any form of harm to others.

"NULL."

Skully doesn’t really express any emotion, They often rarely talk or show any form of emotion. Their voice often montoned while Their body language often still similar to the Operator

"You can be fixed."

Skully is often a guardian angel for those who have been infected via drowning or the Operator, Often observing them in the distance and protecting them when they need too.

"How Much Do You Hate?"

Skully is often rarely aggressive however if provoked they tend to enter a more intimidating form that is similar to the Operator, Skully’s arms being outstretched while their mask expresses anger of sorts. 

The Operator.

[drew this the first time i used procreate on my sister's ipad]

Living nest

Spiders tend to make small nests in the small holes that are on slender’s body, These spiders due to long exposure can give you the drowning if they bite you

"that horrible face.."

The Spiral in the center of Slender’s face can hypnotize it’s victims. In my canon it’s how Slender gains most of it’s proxies

[example image]

• "The Hivemind."

The Operator has more than one variant that all act as a single hive mind sharing the same exact thoughts. The following examples are The Tower, The Drones and Hallucination

The Tower: The Tower is the main source of the hivemind, These variants are basically the "Queen Bees" that pop out smaller versions of themselves to scout for food and return it to the Nest. Towers often borrow themselves deep underground where they cannot be touched, often growing extremely giant, For example they can grow to the size of the statue of liberty before stopping. Their tentacles can connect to the roots of trees which allows them to shift the forest at their command, It's also worth noting that the hivemind all share the same thoughts

Drones: The drones are basically mini clones of the hivemind that are produced so the tower doesn't have to expose itself to the outside world and get injured or killed, Their goal is to collect food until the Tower is ready to bloom. But a lot of the time these drones will hypnotize people into doing their biddings for them which is considered to be the norm nowadays. It's also less stressful for the drones in case they do not wish to be discovered by the outside world. Drones can also become towers if they live long enough

Hallucinations: These are as you expect, They're the dones way of messing with your head by haunting you and breaking you mentality. They often appear in hallucinations and aren't the actual drones themselves, The main way to tell the difference between a drone and a hallucination is by the color of their tie. Red means that they are physically there attacking you while black means it's not real

The Great Blooming / The Arrival

This event is pretty straight forward. So the main reason these towers need to collect so much food and souls is so that they can bloom, Their heads unraveling to reveal a black rose that shoots out a giant cloud of spores that will infect those whoever breathes the spores in. These spores have the regular side effects such as the drowning, However those who are infected with the Tower's Spores are a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. If one is infected long enough their heads will implode into a flower and spread more spores around them

Connie Melody Rodgers.

Young mother.

Connie had Lyra when she was pretty young, Connie was 21 when she had Lyra who was born in 1984 while she was 25 when Toby who was born in 1988.

public shame

Connie often avoids crowded areas and neighborhood events due to the amount of people pinning blame on her son for the casualties when Toby burnt down the neighborhood. At times they would pin the blame on her even though the outside world never really got an insight in the Rodgers Family Household

Small distractions..

Connie tries to distract herself as much as she can, Constantly bottling up all of these emotions she has inside of her the best she can trying not to break. These distractions are often work, Household chores, Cooking and Painting

Family drama

Connie often avoids Frank’s side of the family who were just as horrible as frank was. But they often come knocking at her door trying to rile her up and often threatening to take her to court. But alot of the time when Connie hears them knocking she just pretends she’s not there.

"Burnt It All To Cinders Burnt To Ash.."

Connie recently went back to the burnt remains of her house, When she found the old metal box that surprisingly protected the things she had put in it she nearly bursted into tears when she found all of the old familt photos she has.. Although She could’ve swore she put Lyra’s jacket in it

[heyclickadee]

I think there’s a little bit of a bambi effect with Pabu (the episode, not the place). I mean—you know how when people talk about Bambi it’s always, “Oh yeah, that movie where the little baby fawn frolics with his woodland friends and then his mom dies and oh isn’t it sad.”

And yes, it is sad, and there are adorable baby animals and all that, but in all the times I’ve ever heard anyone my age bring up that movie, I’ve never heard anyone comment on anything that happens in the entire second half after the mom dies and after Bambi grows up, including the entire climax of the film where there’s a huge forest fire and Bambi almost gets killed by hunting dogs. A lot happens! It’s actually kind of intense! But—and I’m not sure why this is, though I suspect it’s a combination of well-meaning parents turning the movie off before the scene where Bambi’s mom dies/some kids having such a hard time with that sequence that they don’t remember anything past it/kid’s losing interest during the second half—people don’t remember that section most of the time.

But, anyway, that’s what I mean by bambi effect—the first and overall calmer half of an episode or movie completely overshadowing the more intense and more eventful second half in fan discussions. And with Pabu, we tend to talk about the first half. It’s always, “The batch goes to Space Greece for a vacation and eats sushi,” and not, “THERE’S A TSUNAMI AND EVERYONE ALMOST DIES.” Because that also happens. It’s funny.

[sleepyheadincoulds]

“𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥... 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫.” ☆彡

Twisted Wonderland fan event: Glimmering Soirée event by @starry-night-rose !! ☜︎

꧁Read below for fanfic ☟︎

Notes: Not much dialogue and platonic

꧁Words: 316 (not a lot for this one)

Emmanuel was sketching out her next project, a dress. For a specific event of course that she’s held responsible for Deuce, Kalim, Azul, and Malleus. It’s no surprise when Crowley has a fourteen-year-old do this work, but she wanted to present herself the best way possible. 

Hours and hours of work before her deadline, she even pulled an all-nighter by using those energy drinks Idia offered her. Maybe never give a kid who’s in their early teens energy drinks. 

Perhaps never ever.

But finally. Even with the help of her woodland critters that she befriended, such as birds, mice, raccoons, or even ferrets, it was done. Ball time. 

And there she was, in the very dress that she made. She was making sure all decorations were perfect, music was perfect, and the guest feeling happy. She really was enjoying her time and Grim was hanging around with her. 

The dress color palette was white, blue, and some hints of gold. The dress had a blue vest along with a blue skirt with white lace layering over it, white lace puffing as the king sleeves which you could see her skin, and gold ribbons that laced over as a corset-like suit. She did also have her signature blue ribbon as a bow tie on the collar of her dress.

She was just making sure everything was going well in the ballroom, even for her friends that got picked to be the four princes. 

She was just watching the crowd, some people were dancing or talking, or some were introverted and stay hidden in the corners. She was watching the other rival school, Royal Sword Academy. She noticed how both schools didn’t really interact with each other, but that’s not really a problem.

“Just make sure that this ball goes well… That’s what Crowley asked for.” She mumbled to herself before taking a slip of some fruit punch.

[pinkanonwrites]

awww this event is so cute :))) can i request jade leech + children? Thank you so much!! :) <3

CHILDREN: Does he want kids? How many? How long do you wait to have them? What kind of parent is he?

I easily see Jade having two children, a boy and a girl. Maybe those twin genes come through but in my heart of hearts I see him as a father with an older girl and a younger boy. He's a surprisingly fun, eccentric father, a real Gomez Addams type who adores his spouse and supports whatever strange and morbid hobbies his kids are likely to become heavily interested in. He also works to instill his love of the great outdoors into his kids, taking them on all kinds of hiking trips and woodland adventures,

[m-jelly]

Yaaay punkins!

Dad Levi x Fem!Reader

Modern AU, fluff, romance, small town fic, sheriff Levi, cute, Levi being a good dad, woodland walk, pumpkin picking, two children, married life.

You go for a nice woodland walk as a family and talk about lots of mythical creatures with your children. At the end of your walk you go to a pumpkin patch to pick your pumpkins and get the kids some hot chocolate.

For @postwarlevi event!

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn @bts-spnlvr12 @notgoodforlife @demonic-bird

"Daddy."

Levi was kneeling before his five-year-old daughter as he grabbed a coat for her. "Yes, my little flower?"

She sighed. "Witches don't wear coats."

He smiled at her. "Well, your mummy is a witch and she wears them."

She blushed a little. "Mummy's pretty."

"She is and so are you." He hummed a laugh and grabbed a wholly cape coat with a witch hood. "How about this?"

"Yay!"

He chuckled and put it on her. "There we go. My perfect little witch." He winked at her. "Now, do you want your pretty boots or wellies?"

She threw her arms out. "Wellies!"

"You got it."

You walked over with Evan, your two-year-old, in your arms. "Hello, both. How are you?"

Levi smiled up at you. "Hello, beautiful. I was just dressing up your little witch."

You plopped Evan on his little feet and grinned. "Like me! We're matching, my little flower."

Lilly ran over to you and jumped up and down. "A witch like mummy!"

You picked her up and hugged her tightly. "That's right. You excited about going pumpkin picking after our walk?"

She threw her hands up. "Yaaay punkins!"

You kissed the side of her head. "Let's get your little bag."

"It has my wand in."

You went over to the bags hanging up and found Lilly's which was a pink big milk carton. You put her down and handed her the bag. "Here you go."

Levi fixed Evan's coat on for him. "All good little lad?"

Evan nodded. "Yes, daddy."

He stood up and sighed. "All right, let's get going on our walk. What are we hunting this time?"

Evan reached up and took Levi's hand. "Fairies!"

"Perfect."

Lilly hurried over. "Gonks too!"

You took her hand. "You making a deal with them?"

She gazed up at you. "I want to give them a present!"

You smiled softly. "Well, it's a good job I made you a little offering bag. I've put it in my bag."

Levi opened the front door. "Shoes on and let's head out."

Everyone finished getting ready before gathering outside the house. A woodland walk was the first on your list of things to do because your children loved being outside and exploring. Lilly was really into witch things, so any chance she could get out into the woods she took it. Evan just loved seeing animals and flowers.

You watched Lilly hurry ahead on the woodland path. "Don't run too far sweetheart."

Lilly slowed down. "Sorry mummy!"

Levi reached over and rubbed your back. "She'll be okay."

You hummed. "She might slip."

Levi flinched. "You're right." He let Evan go and ran over to Lilly as she got too close to the river. "Lilly!"

Evan stared at Levi before squealing with laughter. "Daddy's funny."

You took his hand and giggled. "He is, isn't he?"

Levi slowed down next to Lilly. "Careful of the water, okay? See this bit here? The moss? It's slippery here so you have to be careful."

She smiled at Levi. "Sorry daddy, I'll be careful."

"It's okay. Good girl. Hold my hand, okay?"

"Yes, Daddy!" She held his hand tightly and walked along with him. She tapped her wellies in the water and giggled. "Daddy?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think the Gonks will like me?"

He smiled at his daughter. "Of course. You are sweet and adorable. They will think you are the best."

A cute blush spread over her cheeks. "Wooow."

He squatted behind his daughter and hugged her close. "Can you see the fish?"

Lilly watched the water and gasped in delight when she saw the tiny fish moving around. "Cute!"

"They're coming to say hello. They're kissing your lovely wellies."

She giggled. "They're the best!"

Evan stomped his little feet as he walked along. He came to a stop and turned to you. "Mummy?"

You followed him. "Yes, little man?"

Evan pointed at a ring of mushrooms around a tree. "Fairies."

You gently moved him back from the ring. "Be careful. Remember what I told you about fairies."

He nodded. "Bad. They are naughty."

You played with his raven hair and admired him, he was just like Levi in looks. "That's right. We can look but not go near."

He waved. "Hi, fairies. Be good!"

You hummed a laugh. "You told them! Come on, let's go see your sister."

Evan gasped and started running to his older sister. "Lillyyyyy!"

You couldn't help but giggle when he ran over in his big puffy coat over to Lilly. "Cute."

Levi caught his son and stopped him from falling over. "Hold hands with your sister, okay?"

Lilly grabbed Evan's hand. "I'll look after you!"

Levi got up and walked over to you. "And I'll look after you."

You squeaked in delight as Levi pulled you close and nibbled your neck. "Levi."

He smirked when the kids giggled. He pulled back a bit and kissed you. "Come on, we have to give an offering to the gonks." He held you close. "Lead the way kids, but be careful, okay? No running."

You leaned against Levi as you walked with him. Both of you watched your children closely as they walked along the path. Your kids would walk a bit before waiting if they hurried too far ahead. It wasn't too cold yet, but Levi had wrapped them both up a lot to protect them from any cold.

Lilly came to a stop. "Mummy? Gonks!"

You opened your purse and pulled out a bag with little offerings. "Got the offerings." You crouched next to her and saw the stone slab with little offerings on it, candles, letters and a cute stone home. "All right, come here my little flower."

Lilly cuddled up to you and took out a few things in the bag. "Enjoy the food and drink we give you, lovely Gonks! Look after us."

You put some things down. "Look after us." You stood up and smiled. "I think we should go pick our pumpkins out now. Right Levi?"

Levi nodded. "Ready." He heard Evan make a noise. "What's wrong little man?"

Evan gazed at Levi and looked tired, before pulling a sad face, then a silent crying face and finally he started crying a little. "Tired."

Levi picked up Evan. "Oh dear. I've got you. You rest your little legs, okay?" He rubbed Evan's back. "You rest, let me carry you."

Lilly held your hand. "I'll hold onto you, mummy."

You smiled at how sweet your daughter was. "Thank you."

Levi led the way on the path until he reached the farm with all the pumpkins in. Levi smiled and waved at people as they greeted him. Being the sheriff of the town meant he was rather popular, especially with the ladies and elderly. He was strong, kind, dedicated and now he was a dad he had that extra softness to him.

Lilly bounced up and down. "Yaaay! Punkins!"

You released her hand and let her run a bit. "Stay close!" This town was incredibly safe for children and people, but your babies were precious to you and you worried. "Bless her."

Lilly picked up a funky-looking pumpkin and held it above her head. "Mummy! Look at this one!"

Levi handed you Evan. "I'll go stop her before she drops it on her head."

You adjusted your son. "You tired?"

Evan nodded and snuggled against you. "Tired."

"Bless you. We'll get you some yummy hot chocolate and a doughnut."

He nodded. "Thank you, mummy."

You joined Levi and Lilly to see he was holding a few pumpkins. "Levi? We don't need that many."

Levi whined. "But Lilly."

You kissed Levi's cheek. "I know, I know, you want to spoil our kids."

"I do." He sighed. "Lilly? My little flower witch? No more pumpkins, okay? Otherwise we'll have a lot of smelly pumpkins when the season is over."

Lilly grinned. "Okay, daddy."

Levi relaxed a moment and felt happy his kids were accepting of nos and reasoning. "Let's pay for these and then we'll get you some hot chocolate and a doughnut."

"Yummy!"

You kissed Levi's shoulder. "Good boy."

Levi perked up and hurried over to the counter to pay. He chatted with the farmer and thanked them for a great event. He put everything in a box to carry and smiled fondly at Lilly as she chatted with the farmer about her cute witch ways.

You waved to the farmer. "Thank you again. All right little ones, time for that hot chocolate and doughnut."

Levi led them to a little cosy part of the farm and sat Lilly on his lap. He ordered drinks for everyone and a nice freshly made doughnut coated in granulated sugar. "Mm, this is the best."

You tore up Evan's doughnut and fed it to him. "It's perfect."

Evan hummed in happiness. "Yummy."

Lilly grinned in delight. "Thank you, mummy and daddy."

Levi kissed her cheek. "You're welcome."

[clxckwork-sun-n-moon]

hey hi i've had this old forest gods thought and i need to bounce it off you bc. so the gods are Big and they roam the woods and especially moon is, given his habitat, likely to leave tracks - muddy earth and all that. so i cant help but imagine our dear photographer going out, perhaps looking for some scenic shots of the landscape, and finding giant ass tracks that do not belong to any creature they can identify. and they just stare. and behind them their friendly company in doll form just starts sweating. sun or moon or both together just having a squabble under their breaths about not revealing things too soon and definitely not scaring their best shot at winning their bet like this, meanwhile y/n is just trying to process whats in front of them and "huh, maybe those old legends about forest gods had some base in reality, but how much" and when they turn around to ask they get suspiciously innocent dolls doing his/their best to not let on they left those tracks you've drawn candid shots y/n took of their true forms but im just so curious about the transitional phase between "why are wooden dolls alive in this forest" and "ah yes my besties, sun and moon the forest gods, aka gremlin 1 and 2" and what hints y/n encountered hfdjsk

yeeeeaaaaa like. Sun has the upper hand (or foot) here because he can just will the forest to remove any trace of him left behind. people aren't finding the giant hoof-prints of his wanderings any time soon, unless he so wills it, and tbh he hasn't been in contact with humanity since the 1500s so it's very unlikely that he's willing it anytime soon (unless way way on in their relationship Y/N gives him big puppy eyes and says it'd make for a really cool photo). Eclipse also has an upper hand in that he can't leave tracks on the mountainside, and he only ventures close to town in doll form, so he's safe

Moon is permanently fucked, because even if he does put the effort into clearing his tracks, it's pretty clear something BIG just smeared a riverbank smooth (his tail). so it's probably not going to be uncommon for Y/N to be seeing a nice bank to take a photo of, only to see a reptilian hand print that's easily the size of their face in the mud. cue the "what the actual fuck is that" reaction

ironically, Sun is more likely than Moon to be frustrated/sweating over Y/N discovering the pair's nature too early. Moon is over on the edge of the forest with the smuggest aura behind his carved wooden grin as his brother is desperately trying to convince Y/N that it was probably a prank left behind by local kids to spook the newcomer in town.

the local townsfolk have long since gotten used to 'didn't see it' reactions to uncommon events, and will sometimes hide signs of the gods' presence themselves. stories take a long, long time to die off, and stories of the three gods still maintain enough respect to be acted on (and no-one wants too many out-of-towners coming in and making a fuss so if you saw something big in the river no the fuck you did not).

there are absolutely hidden-under-nonexistent breath squabbles that occur between Sun and Moon over Y/N finding out about their presence too fast - Sun doesn't want to scare them off too quickly, Moon thinks if they find out sooner rather than later then good for them, but more importantly Sun knows Moon doesn't care for hiding his trails so it's far more likely Y/N will connect the dots over Moon, at which point he's going to gain a lead in the 'game'. but Sun also thinks it's not good sport to reveal himself early just so he gets in before Moon, while Moon thinks it's stupid of Sun to go to so much effort in hiding himself when Y/N is clearly piecing things together about their 0 effort flower garden and perfect woodland walks whenever they go out with Sun.

at the end of the day, Y/N ends up discovering Sun first. the transition from 'weird funky dolls in the woods' to 'large gremlin besties' is a bit hazy, mostly because Y/N starts putting dots together with more research into the stories about the three gods without revealing the extent of their understanding to Sun and Moon (because those two get a bit strangely flustered whenever the three gods are mentioned). during all this research, they find a little ritual called 'Forgiveness of the Sun', and when they accidentally crush a flowering plant in their garden, they decide to go through with it. it's pretty much just bringing the dead plant into the woods and asking for the forest to forgive them for the accident, that it wasn't meant with bad intentions. and poor Sun gets so overwhelmed and excited that someone is doing one of his rituals for the first time in centuries, he comes rushing over and startles Y/N out of their shoes.

Moon cannot allow himself to be outshone so of course he takes the next available opportunity to reveal himself in the most dramatic and awe-inspiring way possible in his eyes (leaping over a bridge from the river to snap down on a thief and drag him back into the river).

Y/N is over here going through so many levels of "that was extremely intimidating to witness but I still feel safe in your company because I know you're my friend and wouldn't hurt me" leaving Sun and Moon both relieved that this didn't scare them away, but confused because surely it has to have done something to bring them closer. but they aren't feeling the romance blossoming.

they're gods, they're not smart.

[widowed-mistress]

Okay! As per my last post, things I think people should add to their Steven Universe and Gravity Falls stories.

Grown Up Steven during Events of Gravity Falls

Steven does not need to be in every adventure

Yes, I want him to cultivate a relationship with the twins, BUT I want him to have his own life

I don't just want him to be their protector because they need to learn lessons on their own too

Give. Him friends!!! Wendy and hee group could potentially be friends with him since they're similar to the Cool Kids, BUT u like the Cool Kids, Wendy and her friends doesn't really *think* ahead about other people

For an example of a stark contrast, the Cool Kids take seat belt safety seriously AND grilled the gems for being too hard on Steven. "He's just a kid!" One of the few times an adult stood up for him.

Meanwhile Wendy, who I love very much so, took advantage of Mabel to get an afternoon off from work with full pay after trashing the Mystery Shack with her friends. The Cool Kids have responsibilities and passions they take seriously and realize the sacrifices of them. That doesn't mean they don't act like teenagers and hurt people while being selfish, but they take more accountable. I imagen Steven trying to befriend them only to realize this and back away, making friends with Soos and Stan since their accountability standards are higher.

Stan knowing Steven is "weird" and entrusting him with keeping the kids safe

For a few monsters, Steven's powers are useless, but to make him defenseless against Bill? C'mon now. He SUBCONSCIOUS uses these powers and we see that when he does do things on purpose, he is GOOD at it. His gem is a gem whose main powers revolve around creations and destruction of things dead of alive. I'm not saying make him OP, since that is not fun, but I feel like he gets nerfed too much in these stories. Which is why I emphasize, don't let him go on every adventure

It would be nice for him and Connie to be used as a good example of a healthy relationship for Mabel. She tends to just throw herself to relationship, so her learning indirectly what makes a good relationship could be sweet.

Him and McGucket as friends. Please. Hand and knees, need this.

Even though Mabel and Dipper don't appose each other like Ford and Stan do, their differences are highlighted once Ford arrives, Steven would be a good meadeator between them

Steven could be the PERFECT obstacle during Weirdmaggedon, I'm talking Bill purposefully curropting him obstacle.

I'm talking building up a relationship between the adults in the show and having THEM take care of it. While I loved Future's ending (cried a lot). I also feel like nobody really acknowledged that many of Steven's problems arrived from adults putting their problems on him. It was mostly people saying they WOULD support him now

Grown Up Steven after Events of Gravity Falls

At least ONE person not fully trusting him

The family thinks he's trying to hide that he's "weird," he is not. He is VERY happy that he gets treated like a human while not hiding that he is a gem, actually

Make him friends with the woodland creatures

Can Fall in Either Category

Good adult figures in his life

Normally these stories focus on him being human in Gravity Falls. No! Well not completely. He probably arrives wanting it to start out that way but as he realizes how normalized weirdness is here, he begins to finally embrace both halves of himself. Existing as both gem and human without separating the other. Using his gem abilities but not for life saving events. Let him have his own fountain/garden in Gravity Falls

Stan slowly learning how Steven lived before (van life, eating bits for free at the Fry shop, cooking eggs using a waffle pan, nobody forgot that the only reason baby Steven and Greg didn't freeze when he was a baby was because Vedalia was out of town right?) And they bond over i