#and discuss ghost lore instead?

[king-mera]

Sometimes I wish the Ghostbusters fandom had what the Disney fandom has (a subset of people obsessed with the villains)

[adventures-in-mangaland]

Yet Another Dead Boy Detective Fic Rec List

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

I've been having so much fun with these, so I've decided to make another! See above for links to my other fic rec lists. ♥️

Like We're Gonna Die Young (Again) by RoseGanymede95

The latest installment in the superb Codependency World Cup series has the boys attend a nefarious house party and grapple with old frenemies, 90s fashion and temporary amnesia. Also fleshes out their achingly sad backstories, but compensates with the triumphant return of Pierre the rabbit.

When I Picture You by Gruoch

Charles gets braceleted by the Cat King instead of Edwin and receives his heart's desire... being alive again. This author has a special gift for taking fun sounding premises and turning the angst up to 11. So excellent.

young blood (never get chained) by ghostinthelibrary

University AU in which half-demon Charles intervenes in Edwin's ritual sacrifice and inadvertently binds their souls together... I'm genuinely obsessed with this AU, it has so much potential for tons of delicious tropes. Human!Edwin getting a crash course in supernatural shenanigans! Soulmate vibes!Found Family! Demon lore! What's not to love??

Ghosts and Monsters by justafandomfollower

Charles is also sacrificed and the boys meet in Hell! Fantastic premise and executed really well. I loved Masterful Edwin taking charge and protecting Charles while inwardly despairing. Highly recommended.

back to back they faced each other by ShanaStoryteller

The Night Nurse has a theory about how Charles was able to rescue Edwin from Hell so quickly... I'm genuinely shocked I haven't recced this one already. Sorry guys, I forgor. Anyway, this has interesting "Guardian" (angel?) lore, great meta and we even get some temporary amnesia as a treat.

boyfriend jacket by skadii

5+1 times Edwin borrowed Charles' jacket. The characterisation is on point, and it has some great OCs (Kyle the snarky seeing-eye cat!) and really sweet payneland moments. Plus Charles' jacket doing its most to annoy the Cat King.

Looking Like the Sunrise by letters_of_stars

Edwin thinks he's cursed so he and Crystal must team up to solve the case of his Mysterious and Suddenly Appearing Rizz. Funny and sweet friendship fic with some quality Edwin-Crystal bonding and discussions of trauma.

The Case of the Anonymous Confession by Mayarenerose

College AU featuring Charles posting an 'anonymous' online confession about his complicated feelings for his bestie. The closet is glass, but Edwin is oblivious and Crystal is in pain. Cute and funny epistolary social media fic done really well.

the middle of something wonderful by KiaraSayre

Does what it says on the tin and gives us a trope salad of cosy vignettes, including a time loop, temporary amnesia, sudden corporality and Crystal and Edwin trying to get a good grade in Party. Wholesome.

My heart is like a haunted house (series) by halffulljampot

Charles (unknowingly) befriends the ghost of Edwin's mother and constantly gushes to her about his amazing best friend/boyfriend. Beatrice is a great OC and it's just nice (though extra tragic) to read a fic in which Edwin had loving parents. Read it for Family Feels and wholesome intergenerational friendship.

the first rule of fight club by e_va

The boys are captured by an evil underground fighting ring. The fic is from Charles' PoV, so the prospect of having to fight Edwin was especially stomach-churning. Still, we get Edwin being a badass and a brilliant surprise cameo I don't want to spoil.

The Case of The... by sophisticatedyet

Edwin borrows Niko's negligee and Charles' brain breaks. There's also a case and giant squids, but Charles' Distracted By The Sexy crisis is the main (hilarious) event.

in those heavy days when love became an act of defiance by aletterinthenameofsanity, JUBE514

Daemon AU and first meeting fic! Loved the worldbuilding, insightful character work and lovely use of Greek mythology. Honestly, this fandom needs more daemon AUs.

spinning around and around in an ocean of grief (your ladder came down to the sea) by Ingi

Prequel to DontOffendTheBees' excellent College AU, expanding on the boys being alive and in school together. Also has its own prequel about their first meeting from Edwin's point of view. This one, though, is a Charles' Bisexual Journey/Feelings Realization fic. So lovely.

head in the clouds but my gravity's centered by shadowquill17

Face Touching: The Fic. I just love non-sexual intimacy in fics and this one is so tender. I also love Accidental Kissing and Feelings Realization so my cup runneth over.

i don't want to rest in peace by handwrittenhello

Different First Meeting fic featuring Poltergeist Charles! Loved the concept, even though it made me sad.

the great snogging debacle of '95 by thatgayprince

Edwin disguises himself as a girl and Charles starts and then defers a sexuality crisis for 30 years. Funny, steamy and emotional.

a beautiful day to say goodbye by ofstitches

The agency take on the case of a depressed house. This is another bittersweet Edwin backstory fic with discussions of grief.

Smitten in the Stacks by cordelianoir

Adorable prequel to lolotr's equally adorable library AU. Meet cute featuring (platonically married) Dad!Charles crushing on the hot librarian who leads Children's Storytime.

Jenny Green: Butcher, Hot Mess, Reluctant Queer Elder by Money_Maker

Jenny-centric fic! The focus is on Jenny and her financial, mental and emotional struggles post-canon, but mentoring Edwin through his queer self-discovery becomes a big part of that. This turns into a really sweet friendship, plus Found Family Feels and some fun outsider PoV of the boys' dynamic.

I've always got more recs so watch this space! ❤️

[thefirstknife]

hey have you seen the lore tabs for the exotic ghost shell and ship in the super high levels of the season pass? if so what do you make of them. like, speaker is a new light, has a name starting with s, is dealing with vex, and speaks as if theyre part of humanity in the ship lore tab like that cant possibly be maya sundaresh right but im not sure what other candidates there could be since the episode is called echoes and is almost certainly going to involve the vex on nessus

I've seen them! There's also one on the sparrow of the same type. I genuinely have no idea. There's some clues in the tabs, but they're super hard to understand without context, but yes, I do believe this is Maya.

Spectrum Shell, Unbridled Iridescence sparrow, Polychroma ship. Putting them in this order, because of the number on the log. Each lore has a "personal log" with a number: 0002, 0025 and 0031.

It starts with a vague description that I don't think shows a new light or a Guardian at all:

It is strange to be awake, physically, after so long spent wandering.

This is very peculiar; it has the vibe of this person having existed in some other form before gaining physical form. Since we know we'll be dealing with the Vex and Maya, this immediately reminds me of Ishtar scientist simulations.

Following the number of the logs, there's "AS." The speaker explains what this means:

Keeping a log will help, at the very least to track the days. As will my silly little joke to make myself feel important, two days after the rebeginning of myself. Anno… me. I suppose.

This specifies that the "0002" is "two days" and the "AS" is a joke on the time designation: "anno" being "year" as when used for example in "anno domini" (year of our lord) or AD. Instead in this case it's the author's name which as you've noted begins with an S. This bit:

I ignored and abandoned the best person I knew. I feel foolish, empty. Daunted at the immensity and masochism of my own stupidity. It feels childish to admit I'd always assumed she would follow me.

... first made me consider it being Maya thinking of abandoning Chioma. Then "S" would be Sundaresh, and it would also fit with her being a simulation newly awake and finally physical, as would the rest of the information of the author being a scientist and knowing things from the Golden Age.

Also interesting from the first lore tab:

At least I am not alone here. My new ally more than makes up for the Vex's dreadful company. His disposition is calming, reassuring—a welcome voice when I need affirmation and guidance. And such a fascinating origin! Such astounding variance in biology and culture. I look forward to our continued partnership.

The author has some sort of an "ally" among all the Vex, someone with a "fascinating origin" and "astounding variance in biology and culture." I have no idea what this means. Possibly non-human? Or at least neo-human, so perhaps Awoken? If this is Maya, she would not know about the Awoken. I'm thinking Awoken because, if we're dealing with the Vex, there's a guy in there: Asher Mir. But I would NOT describe Asher as calming and reassuring. Another option is possibly Mithrax? If we're dealing with some Vex shenanigans, he might be involved.

The sparrow lore originally made me feel like it's Maya because of the topic of discussion; the science and philosophy of personhood and simulations. The author also mentions "pre-Veil contact philosophy" which implies the author has been there or is at least well-read on the topic, which suggests a connection to the Golden Age. Also:

Traversal through other states of being are possible, as proven by my own journey and ascension over my Vex...

"Proven by my own journey" also would imply Maya, but the addition of the ominous "my Vex" is strange. Is this a hint to the new plotline then? Maya ascending over the Vex and becoming capable of controlling them or just using them in some way? Wild. Curious addition in the next paragraph with "... Vex, even these older ones..." Older Vex? As in Precursors? Or something else? I am very intrigued.

The ship lore is somewhat concerning as the author talks about humanity's unwillingness to continue progressing:

My hypothesis is that it is a true technological leap that hinders us. Perhaps when humanity sees what can be accomplished using a force that can reshape the planet itself, they will feel secure enough to turn to science once again.

The author thinks we can use a "force that can reshape the planet itself" to continue the technological advancement of humanity. A what? Is this something to do with Nessus and the Vex abilities to terraform? Furthermore:

These are problems my Vex can alleviate. Why take risks with AI when a more straightforward force may be utilized to facilitate a civilization's rise? Related… research with my ally has proven the path forward. Radiolaria remains easiest; its individual minds are simply so small, although they are multitudinous their connections make it simple. Other larger, more complex minds prove difficult for the time being… But I am not unfamiliar with the rigor of practice. I will delight in trial and error.

Again with the "my Vex" and the implication that the Vex can be used for these advancements, specifically radiolaria. This also includes "research with my ally" which makes me want to discard Mithrax as an option because he would simply not be suggesting these things. But who knows about the radiolaria's effects on people and transformation? Well, Asher does. However, I don't think Asher would suggest this either? Like, he may have the research, but I don't think he would ever make any implication that this would be good.

This was my thought process reading these. There's a lot of context missing and I can't wait to get back to them after the Echoes starts. I'm definitely leaning on this being Maya and don't have any other theories for who it might be. If anything, then another Ishtar scientist, but I doubt it they would put anyone other than Maya or Chioma here and it doesn't sound like Chioma nor does she have the "S" as her name.

I have no other theories for the "ally" either; my only other thought is Praedyth, whom Maya and the scientists met at one point and he helped them escape (?) the network. That was the whole deal in Aspect lore book + what seems to have been implied with the Starcrossed ending. Praedyth would also know a lot about the Vex to help with research, but he would equally not be someone thinking using Vex for a technological leap is good. Interestingly enough, a D1 quest somewhat implied Praedyth was part of the Future War Cult, which adds another layer of his connection to Maya.

The most of what I'm getting from this is that Echoes is going to be really damn cool.

[rotdistressxox]

DARLINGGGGG GUESS WHOS BACK FROM THE PYSCHE WARD!!

im currently brainrotting over agito as you can see..can you write how you think he would meet reader and how their relationship would develop into romance with him? like actually i sat at work for like 15 minutes trying to think how but i actually cannot cook anything up.

(Also I'm seeing the ghost stuff and I'm interested...gonna have to do research for dis one☝️)

sorry if i keep sending you silly asks😞

—🪡 anon

JOIN US WE HAVE SEXY POPES WHO DOUBLE AS FRONTMEN AND FREAKY GHOULS. Listen to them, I highly recommend listening to the meliora and prequelle album before delving any deeper. Watch some YouTube videos abt the lore. PLUS THEY HAVE LITTLE EPISODES <3

Time for some more Cakemaster 9000

Phew, this took a while

Kanoh Agito: How does he fall for you?

• Like what I mentioned in one of the headcanons, you work for Katahara. While Agito doesn't directly work for him apart from beint his representative fighter, he's technically his family AND The Fang.

• However, you two hardly see eachother when on the job. BUT-

• You two visit the same coffee shop. He loves his morning Latte, and you love (insert your favorite Cafe drink here)

• When you first started working, you were surprised to see the Kanoh Agito at a small coffee shop.

• He usually greets and addresses you formally, not interested in any small talk.

• "Sheesh, what a stick in the mud" It's not that he was trying to be rude, but he did come off a little condescending when he greeted you. (He has tone issues)

• One day you woke up late and didn't have time to stop and get your usual.

• He notices your absence. "They can't be sick, they showed no signs of it two days ago"

• Long story short, he picks up your order and goes looking for you. Once he finds you, he stiffly hands it to you. "You were late I presume. I picked this up for you"

• Everyone in the room was shocked. The cold hearted Fang buying someone a drink? You smiled warmly and looked into his eyes "Thank you, this was very kind of you"

• His breathing hitched, and he felt speechless. Was he....flustered? "Don't let it happen again, you work for the Chairman afterall"

• You obviously didn't let it happen again....buuuttt it was super sweet how he seemed to care about you enough to get you something.

• To return the favor, you arrived earlier and got him his Latte. Listen, he was speechless before, now he was in shock. He didn't show it though. In his lifetime no one had ever bought him anything or returned a favor. There was a first time for everything.

• You saw through his attempt to hide the baffled expression on his face. It was kinda- cute.

• "Why have you done this?" "Why not? I'm just repaying you" "I-" "Shush, just take the drink, it's burning my hand"

• He has to get there before you now to ensure that he sees you. He's a bit friendlier with the greetings, too. Don't expect a smile though, just a softer glance in your direction.

• When he was around you, he didn't feel like he needed to be The Fang of Metsudo. You didn't hold him to any higher standard when you chatted, you didn't bother holding back a few curses. He felt as if his soul was on Earth instead of hanging in the balance.

• On one of your off days, the two of you get coffee and sit down for once. Finally having a slower paced discussion. It lasted a few hours, you did most of the talking while he had a response to almost anything. There was a lot he didn't know about pop culture.

• Coffee dates became your thing, even though it wasn't technically a date. More like two friends hanging out. Discussions got into deeper topics like pasts and whatnot.

• Agito decided that he could trust you, so he opened up about the Human Gu Ritual. He didn't know what trauma was, so you explained to him that his feelings and memories about that time in his life would be very traumatic.

• "I'm glad you could tell me that, but are you okay? If I had something like that on my chest I'd cry" "I'm quite alright, I'm not fazed in the slightest but I had no idea the caliber of the topic. I hope I didn't ruin the conversation"

• You tapped your cheek and sighed. "Have you ever been hugged before?" Agito thought for a second. The embracing gesture? The only physical contact he's hand was a pat on the shoulder or when he's fighting.

• "No, I don't think I have" "Well today's your lucky day, bring it in"

• He froze as you wrapped your arms around his waist, pulling him into you. His heartbeat raced as he thought of what to do. "Just tell me if you don't like it" you squeezed him gently. He awkwardly put his hand behind your back and rested it there.

• You let go after a few seconds, but he didn't want you to. "How was it?" You smiled.

• "I'm not sure" He smoothed out his suit, trying to relax himself after what just happened.

• A few days passed and you haven't seen him anywhere. He wasn't at work or at the coffee shop. You start to worry. Did you drive him away? Was the hug too much? Oh god was he dead?

• All the while Agito was keeping an eye on you from afar. Not letting you see him, but he could see you. He felt very fragile after that day, he almost felt ashamed. He wasn't good at managing his emotions. And what happened moved him in a way that frightened him.

• He summons the courage to talk to Katahara Metsudo about how he felt. He was the only parental figure he had in a sense.

• "You are a grown man. Is this really a difficult concept to grasp?" Katahara looked out the window of his office. "I'm inexperienced, these feelings are foreign to me"

• 'He's not referring to himself as we and us anymore, this must be serious' Katahara turned around. "To put it simply" he laughed "Tell (Reader) everything you told me"

• "I have a strong regard for you" Agito came clean. You know how I said there was a first time for everything? Well he had a hint of red on his cheeks. This beast of a man, blushing? Utterly adorable

• "So you're saying you love me?" That's the word. Love. He nodded. "Well. Say it then. There's nothing holding you back"

• He pauses for a moment, he's not exactly fond of eye contact. But this was for (Reader)

• "I love you"

• You wrap your arms around his waist again. "That's all I needed to hear"

• His lips curled into a smile as he looked down at you. You parted from the hug and tilted your head to the side. "Wanna go out to a restaurant sometime?"

• "Are you asking me out on...what is it that they call it...a date?" "Yes" you stated bluntly. Beating around the bush or teasing wouldn't get far in this situation.

• "We can talk about plans later, I have important matters to attend to" he look your hand and grazed his lips on you knuckles. Planting a small kiss on it.

• "Now where did you learn that?" "It's a romantic gesture they do on television" you bite your lip from calling him a dork.

• "I'll meet with you later about this date. Until we see eachother again" He leaves, and you're alone again.

• Man, you're already falling for him. It's not like you'd hate dating him. But you didn't want to be head over heels just yet. You looked at your knuckles and sighed "Ah what the hell, being love isn't that bad"

[wizardsnorlax]

Ok so update on the Spiral Jon fic I'm writing: I'm getting it onto Ao3 bit by bit because it's super difficult to write on mobile, but I need to take a break and get ideas for the season three events out before they get lost, here's a link to the season 2 notes

Ok here we go

Melanie does not join the Archives, this is for the best

At one point in season 2 Jon gave Sasha Georgie's contact info for "in case of emergency" use so Sasha is gonna be (mostly) ok she just needs to pop an allergy pill every once in a while

Sasha might be good with the hardware of a computer but the software might as well be a completely different language so she's very little help with Georgie's show

Jon takes to reading Statements like I took to weed gummies

Sasha follows about the same trail of clues as Jon did in Canon but Daisy's grip on Sasha is a bit harder to hold so Sasha gets claw slashes on her arms instead of a knife at the throat

Things that have changed about Jon while Sasha was gone: his hair now has ringlet curls, the extra flexibility in his joints has progressed but not to the point anyone has noticed let alone would consider a problem and his eyes are twitchy from the stress of filling her position to the point he looks like he's constantly ODed on caffeine

Sasha gets back in the office and when everyone learns they can't quit or be fired Jon makes it his personal mission to be as much of a menace to Elias as possible

but he'd never do that to Sasha, she gets doodles of her hanging out with Cecil from Nightvale because she's a good boss:)

Martin scolds Tim for how he's been treating Jon and Sasha because of the changes caused by first and secondhand paranormal bullshit exposure

Jon gets to go out for drinks with people who actually like him

Everyone learns why Jon has a shirt that says "the difference between me and Superman is Superman has Super Vision, I need constant supervision

A discussion about who takes Jon home with them is had because at some point the poor goober lost his shoes and started trying to wrap around Martin like a belt

Sasha gets kidnapped on her way home

Michael helps her because some part remembers being an archival assistant and she's treated hers so much better than Gertrude did

Helen doesn't take Michael's place but the door still rejects him and the corridor collapses as both Sasha and Michael crash into Jon's new flat

Michael is freed but is in such bad shape he needs to be in the hospital for several weeks on recovery

Things attempt to be normal

Tim and Jon are menaces to Elias in very different ways

Jon doesn't want anyone traveling alone

Elias doesn't care but can't STAND the idea of Jon being there without a buffer so Sasha gets to have company on her trip, Tim goes to India and gets the ghost bullet, cue Mystery Mousketool meme

Martin, Basira and Daisy are handling the workload as best they can but since none of them are particularly suited to the task things go badly because Martin is terrible at direct leadership

When Sasha and Jon get kidnapped by Trevor and Julia, Sasha decides that the best way to clear some of the air is through lore dumping her backstory (still to be determined)

Jon is deemed suspicious by the false cop cause he does NOT look sober

Insert attempted police brutality interrupted by a shotgun

While the false cop is regenerating Jon gets the "how did you two meet" Statement from Julia

They get to the cabin and Jon freaks out a little at the idea of reading ANOTHER cursed book

Big relief when nobody gets eaten this time

Nobody ever believes him but Jon has kept every promise he's made (not that he's made many before but it's the principle of it)

Yoinks the page

Our duo finishes the assignment

Back home

Sasha learns about the storage unit

JON STOP REACHING FOR THE EXPLOSIVES YOU ABSOLUTE GREMLIN

Tim is EXTRA motivated to wreck shop at the Unknowing

Jon and Martin stay behind to be distractions

Big boom happens, Tim makes it out because the guy's literally too angry to die, Sasha is in the coma, Daisy is in the Coffin and Basira is just having a time of it

Jon gets mind fondled by Elias and it makes Martin want to rip the bastard's throat out but the best he can do is have the cops rough him up as much as possible

Jon is temporary head of the Archives and the pressure swallows him whole and he crashes like a meteorite because he desperately doesn't want to be the one giving orders

Martin's "assistance" has been leaving cobwebs in places nobody checks

And thus we enter season 4

[kunikame]

# PURPLE LILACS !

[05] - perhaps he's into you ! | prev. | m. list | next

ace trappola x fem!reader smau

! warning(s) : cussing, miss-spellings in the tweets & texts, slight lilia lore spoilers, common jamil and azul behavior ("kys" used 2 times) ! w/c : 1k

when lilia vanrouge says he's coming over, he usually appears approximately 20 seconds after he warned you of his upcoming arrival, dressed in his dorm uniform.

tonight, however, your favorite fae-stie barely gives you a second to prepare before he appears in your room in a puff of green mist and his pink silky pajama set (yes, the one much like shaggy wore in the loch ness monster scooby-doo movie, just in pink). 

"what's up what's up what's uuup~!" he sing-songs, dropping down gracefully on the edge of your bed.

"hi, lils. cater?"

"on his way, do not fret. i brought some diasomnia snacks! and–"

"did you make them."

"no, he did not," said a monotone voice from somewhere. upon realizing it was not lilia who spoke, you turn toward the source, only to see malleus draconia (alias hornton) in the flesh, causing you to very nearly die of a heart attack.

okay, you might be over exaggerating. a little.

"--and malleus, i hope you don't mind. he wanted to join 'girls' night," the musician grins.

“nah, he’s welcome to join any time, i’m just not quite sure he’ll find it entertaining,” you say as you turn to look at the raven haired fae, “make yourself at home, hornton. i’ll go get the drinks and wait for cay.”

you spot grim playing with the resident ghosts in the living room area on your way to the (severely run down) kitchen. before you can even fully step into the room, you hear a few light knocks on the door and take a sharp turn towards the entrance instead. what greets you there is a heavily shaking individual known as cater diamond dressed in only his pajamas, carrying some baked goods (courtesy to trey) and his phone.

“w-what’s up what-’s up what’s u-u-uup?!”

a beat of silence passes and you momentarily consider just shutting the door in his face because how and why the fuck are riddle rosehearts and deuce spade also here. you can handle malleus, he’s much like a pet rock, but riddle in the same room with lilia and cater? you think your hair might start graying a bit early.

“riddle and deuce! what are you guys doing here?” you step aside to let them in with a strained smile only to glare daggers at your good friend behind their backs.

“cater insisted i come along and ‘hang out’ with ‘the girls’ for a bit. he said i need to mingle with people my age more to be able to keep up with the trends, or something along those lines, i believe. i don’t see a purpose behind me being here however, so i can take my leave if you’d rather keep it to a close circle discussion– i can’t leave trey to watch over the entire dorm either, i am housewarden, after all.”

“i got pulled along against my will.”

the drastic difference in their response, reasoning and length struck you like lightning for a mere second, “oh– uh, no, don’t worry, you’re all good, riddle. you can stay if you wish to! i won’t keep you against your will though. same goes for you, deuce. you just have to promise whatever you hear tonight stays between us.”

“not to worry, the queen of hearts rule number 14 states that secrets must stay between included parties. may the queen strike me down herself lest i break a rule.”

“anywayy~ after all this chitter chatter cay-cays’s gotten hungryyy and treys’ home-baked tarts are directly under my nose! it would be a crime to not eat them! shoo-shoo, up we go!"

a couple hours have passed since the guys arrival, and everything's been going well so far. it was quite a shock for the heartslabyul trio to find the malleus draconia here at first as well, but they’ve slowly warmed up to him and began to consider him as ‘one of the girls’. the conversation’s been flowing well and the night was filled with shared laughs and stories.

you were just finishing up recounting the recent happenings with ace to fill everyone in on the details when malleus spoke.

“i believe he might just be.. ‘into you’, was it?” he turned to lilia for confirmation, who nodded abruptly. “that’s what i’m saying! the little bat just won’t believe me,” he said, leaning onto cater (who nods along in agreement while patting his bandmate) dramatically, as if you not believing his nonsense caused him a fatal wound. so much for being a war general, this guy is a drama general at best.

“lils, he hates me.”

“enemies to lovers, i say! enemi–”

“on the contrary, i think he quite likes you, actually,” the redheaded housewarden speaks up from the corner he’s sat in, “you’re almost all he talks about recently.”

“oh, you’re right! i asked him about our alchemy homework last week and he found some way to bring you up, even in that conversation. ‘i wonder if [name]’s done it yet? should we ask? i hope she’s not struggling with her studies. perhaps we could help her out’ like, shut up,” said deuce, popping some candy in his mouth with a clearly annoyed look in his eyes. if you didn’t know him any better, you’d think he was jealous of his friend.

that forced you to stop and think for a moment. if it were anyone else (a picture of lilia and cater appears in your minds eye and you have to fight back a smile) saying it, you probably wouldn’t have paid it much mind, but if it’s the people closest to him, then perhaps there’s some truth behind the seemingly empty words?

“i have an idea, if i may,” all eyes turn to malleus (who.. you forgot was even here, with how quiet he was the entire time), eyebrows raised in question, “if you’re so unsure of his intentions and feelings, why not test them?”

the 2 light music club members eyes lit up at that and you felt an impending sense of doom.

and that’s how you found yourself dancing with deuce, then malleus, then riddle, then... all of them, for some reason? it was awkward initially, but the longer it went on the more fun it was, and perhaps you could say this was one of your best nights spent in twisted wonderland.

being erased from your own world be damned.

## ❝ after the events of the phantom bride wedding, ace started wondering whether he still had the ability to charm girls. he hasn’t thought about anyone romantically in years, hasn’t really flirted with anyone either, what if he’s gone out of it? perhaps it’s time to put his talents to the test; with the person who hates him most, no less. if he can charm her, he can charm anyone. ❞

#TAGLIST ! : @solxima @gabirii @lunavixia @y2unagiz @the-ghost-0f-t0m0 @borlining @verity-moon @myunghology @doughnuts-eater @lifeless-bug @babygurlenthusiast @shirishere @xopeach @stormyovent0aster @bontensbabygirl @ars-tral @wrathy-mcwrathface @sinofthesloth @skeet-2 @everettelz @sakuram1nt @shatiyuh @ambigrueity // ask/comment to be added/removed! (if you're in bold i can't tag you)

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

silly question time, those marks on the sides of Drifter's face, are they tatoos, scars, or just like, weird wrinkles? In-game the shading makes them look like scars, but they are perfectly symmetrical. Is it like a Dregen thing? Result of some blood ritual, maybe?

They're scars. We can see them especially clearly in Gambit openings that focus on his face.

As far as I know (and I have searched pretty extensively through the Ishtar Collective and the Destiny Lore Vault) there is no current in-game explanation for the Drifter's facial scars.

We do have some interesting tidbits, though. One is from Cayde in his post-death message to the Drifter.

He says "back when you were still handsome." Implying the Drifter is less-so now. I'm going to put aside the obvious inaccurate concept that scars make someone less beautiful but use this as an example that the Drifter may have been different, physically, in the past.

(There is a strong counter-argument here, that Cayde's definition of 'handsome' may not be entirely physical. It's highly congruent with the Drifter's character for him to alter his appearance and behavioural patterns to make himself less appealing when he wants to be left alone. And Cayde could also just be being a little shit. All of these are possible and potentially simultaneously true.)

The Drifter also has a pretty antagonistic relationship with his ghost and has refused its help in the past so it would not be out of character for him to not allow it to heal him and instead want to heal any wounds he's sustained 'naturally.'

So there's basically three main possiblities: Either he was risen with the scars, has somehow chosen to keep them between resurrections (I'm unsure if this is even possible in D2 lore, but it's a popular fan theory), or he hasn't died since he got them (and refuses to allow his ghost to heal them with Light).

While your theory of a Dredgen/blood ritual is possible, to me it seems far more likely the scars are so symmetrical because they're from an explosion near his face. Such as in the concept art below:

He's also got several voice lines in his Gambit preamble, and elsewhere discussing his many adventures in kit-bashing and engineering which have involved considerable personal danger to himself. The Drifter has never been one for OSHA compliance.

This is in addition to his brutal past detailed in A Man With No Name and elsewhere, which involved quite a lot of shrapnel, explosions, buildings collapsing, fire, and other unpleasantness.

It's also plausible that, rather than shrapnel, they're tooth or claw marks from the creatures he encountered in the Ancient Apocalypse armour lore where he, once again, murdered his entire crew to survive, as shown in this concept art:

One of the (many, many, many) things I love about the Drifter is that he is just so full of stories. The scars on his face are just yet more stories. The details of his physical portrayal all speak to so many different narrative tidbits. Everything about him is story-rich.

He's a fascinating creature, filled with contradictions and sorrow.

I went combing through D2 concept art for this post and it took me so long to answer specifically because I was trying to find an image that I remember seeing where the Drifter is pulling off some eye protection after an explosion and the scars on his face are where the eye-protection wasn't covering. It stuck in my memory because the Drifter actually using eye protection at all seemed very noteworthy to me at the time. However, I haven't been able to find this image anywhere and this makes me think perhaps it was fan art and not concept art. I asked a bunch of people about this, but no one I've talked with knows wtf I'm talking about. It is also possible I may have imagined it. At this point, I have, sadly, given up on ever locating it again (if it ever existed in the first place).

On the off-chance anyone does know what image I'm talking about, though, here is my desperate plea for a link to it.

That is all.

[c0la-queen]

Harrowing Night | Viktor x Reader

Okay, I know I promised a drabble, but I've spent hours elbow-deep in the muck of League of Legends lore trying to figure shit out that I completely lost the motivation to write something complicated. However, I still have Thoughts that I want to share with you all, so I will post them in the form of Cola's Ramblings.

So, the only Halloween equivalent event I could find was something called Harrowing, but I noticed halfway through my research that this event was actually part of the old lore and is no longer canon. However, I am Not A League Player so I'm simply choosing to Ignore This.

From what I could find, it seems like Harrowing was a Ionian event that was spread to Piltover and Zaun through the Ionian refugees. (Again, I don't know how accurate that is, don't get mad at me if you actually know the lore please)

In my opinion, even though this holiday started out as a day of fear and caution, Piltover - as Piltovans are wont to do - takes this concept and decides to polish it until it shines as golden as the city itself. Instead of hiding away in their homes in fear of the dark, they decided to keep the spirits away by having fun. So, every October 31st, the throw a festival in the city plaza. There's lanterns, food and hot drinks, games and activities, music, and, of course, costumes! And they call this new version of the holiday Harrowing Night.

Reader absolutely loves Harrowing Night. She and Jayce, as childhood best friends, spent every Harrowing Night together. When they were young, they'd slip away from their parents' grasps and run off hand-in-hand to scope out what that year's festival had.

This excitement didn't fade away as they got older.

So, when October came around this year, your excitement steadily grew. You spent all month discussing costume ideas, trying to settle on the perfect one.

Then, the fated night arrived. As soon as you were done helping the boys out at the lab, you raced home to your apartment to get ready. As the sun sank below the city line and the sky turned from red-orange to inky indigo, you couldn't help but pace nervously. Jayce was 30 minutes late to pick you up. Where was he? Was he okay?

When you heard a knock on your door, that dwindling excitement built back up. You raced to the door as fast as you could, throwing it open and starting to berate Jayce for being so tardy -

...when you noticed that it wasn't Jayce. At all. It was Viktor, wearing comfy clothes and looking like he had just rushed over to your apartment last minute. (Had you ever seen Viktor in anything other than his Academy uniform?)

Viktor was having a hard time forming a coherent sentence. He had come over to your apartment in order to bounce some ideas for HexTech off you - something he'd started doing at your daily lunches together, something that he found helped him process his thoughts better. He would say this, but how could he say anything when you were standing there, looking even more beautiful than you already were? The costume you had chosen this year was an angel costume. You were wearing a knee length dress with your arms completely exposed - far too exposed for how cold it was outside at this hour - feathered wings with gold embellishments, and a matching halo headband. You'd done your makeup, something you didn't do often, and the glittery golden eye shadow really made your eyes pop. For the first time in Viktor's life, he was speechless. You were... ethereal.

He was broken out of his stupor when he heard that you were waiting on Jayce. Jayce? Ignoring the little pang of jealousy he felt (he hated it. You and Jayce had grown up together, and he was the newest addition to your lives. Of course you preferred Jayce over him.), Viktor was perplexed. You're waiting on Jayce? He asked. Jayce and Mel left for the festival an hour ago.

He hated how heartbroken you looked as that information set in. Viktor quickly realized what was happening. Jayce had ghosted you and taken Mel to the Harrowing Night festival without telling you. A hot flash of anger burned through Viktor.

In Zaun, Harrowing Night wasn't exactly celebrated. Plenty of Zaunites believed in it, but there was no grandeur to it. It was a quiet night where families placed jack-o-laterns and other wards in their windows and doorsteps in order to protect their homes from the spirits wandering about.

But Viktor knew that this night was important to you. You'd been rambling about it to him all week, telling him stories of the shenanigans you and Jayce would always get up to during the festivals throughout the years. You always had that sparkle in your eyes that he so adored.

The fact that Jayce, your best friend, did this to you? It infuriated Viktor. He thought that Jayce knew you best - a thought that had made Viktor bitter several times before - but he was quickly realizing that either Jayce didn't know anything about you or he just didn't care.

You didn't deserve that. You didn't deserve to be sitting in your apartment on your favorite night of the year, trying to hold back tears to keep yourself from messing up your makeup.

Viktor wanted to fix it. He was an inventor at heart. He took things that were broken or damaged and rewired them, restored them, and made sure they worked again. He was going to make sure he succeeded with you, too.

So, Viktor tells you that he'll take you to the festival instead. He may not be as passionate about Harrowing Night as you are, but he's passionate about you. Er... about your happiness. If that means biting his tongue and going to an overrated Piltie festival with you? Dammit, that's what he was going to do.

He even put on the stupid devil horn headband that you had bought for Jayce, that way you two were in matching costumes.

Viktor had to admit... the festival was pretty neat. While the music was a little too loud, he enjoyed the hot spiced cider that he had been sipping on while walking around the plaza. There were people in costumes everywhere. Little kids, parents, couples, and friends. The air smelled like cinnamon and apples.

But most of all, Viktor enjoyed your excitement. It was like he was getting a glimpse of your younger self, coming back out of hiding to partake in the nostalgia and joy. The warm lights of the lanterns made your skin practically glow and reflected in your eyes. You'd gotten several compliments on your costume, compliments you gave back with fervor to the other costumes you saw. It didn't bother Viktor as much as he expected it to - you'd worked hard on your costume, you deserved the recognition. Besides, how could he complain when you were hugging his arm as you two walked, your warm chest pressed to his forearm as you nibbled on the funnel cake fries you'd picked up.

Yes, you enjoyed yourself thoroughly. Until about an hour in, when you'd turned a corner and spotted a little crowd gathered around a particular booth. At the center of the crowd, soaking in the attention, were Jayce and Mel. They were wearing matching costumes - your matching costumes. Jayce had taken the concept you'd come up with for you and him and decided to use it with Mel. Even more heartbreaking, Mel's costume was much more breathtaking than yours. Her wings were bigger, her dress was more beautiful, and her golden makeup and jewelry shined brighter than yours. She looked like a goddess.

Viktor wanted nothing more than to beat Jayce over the head with his cane. He knew Jayce could be a bit thick sometimes, but this crossed the line into self-centered asshole territory. Unfortunately, he had to ignore that murderous rage in order to focus on you fully. With a "Let's go" whispered lowly in your ear, he nudged you away from the crowd and away from the festival. He had an inkling that you wouldn't be able to enjoy the festival anymore tonight, and his leg was starting to ache. It was time to go home.

Still... he couldn't stand how dejected you looked as you sat on your couch, unstrapping your wings. The night was still young and he had nothing else to do that weekend, so he - quite demandingly - ushered you off to your bedroom to get comfortable. In the meantime, he set up the living room with blankets and a few snacks and drinks from your kitchen. He even dimmed the lights and lit an autumn scented candle he found on your coffee table.

That's when you returned, dressed in warm, comfortable pajamas. Hair loose, makeup wiped off. The setup made you smile, looking at Viktor with a grateful expression. He could see the faint redness to your eyes. His job wasn't quite done.

You two spend the rest of the night tangled together on your couch, draped in blankets, watching different seasonal movies. You rested your head against Viktor's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, and you smiled. Maybe this Harrowing Night wasn't so bad.

As the credits of the third movie you watched rolled, Viktor noticed you'd fallen silent. He glanced down, blinking in surprise when he realized that you'd fallen asleep against him. As your chest rose and fell with your steady breathing, Viktor smiled. Maybe he could learn to love Harrowing Night.

[emerald-cloud23]

Genuinely hate what they did with the Serpentine Lore in s4 if I can be honest and ramble my frustrations here? (I go and talk about other Serpentine too)

The Anacondrai, both the dead tribe and the cultists, have very obviously a different shade of purple scales and a severe lack of black/yellow markings and crystals that Pythor has as well as the very different neck and head shape which are all very valid reasons to be disappointed in their designs, I am too. But it gets worse.

S1 shows us how Scales became the Hypnobrai general- he got different markings, got a tail and was the only one who held the staff. There was a second in command (which was Scales' previous rank in the tribe) and each member of the tribe that wasn't the general had legs. Plus, there's about four to five different designs per tribe (depends if you count the leader/general with their clearly shown special markings and tail). There is only one general per tribe.

The s4 Anacondrai lack all of that. All of them have a tail, even Garmadon and Skylor recieve snake tails despite clearly not being the Anacondrai general. This season mentions there's multiple generals in the Anacondrai tribe, yet we're only shown Anacondrai with the tail. Not a single one with legs or distinct designs. The lack of a resemblance to Pythor's markings, colors and head/neck shape is enraging enough but the absolute lack of diversity in their designs is so painful to watch as someone who literally has a degree in media design. They make it look like Pythor, even pre-bleach, like a completely different type of Serpentine while all the others are the same bland carbon copies of each other. They're literally my least favorite tribe because of this and I don't even have any Serpentine minifigures yet (except Crystalized Aspheera, but I'm getting to her later anyway) but even if I did, I wouldn't want to display them. I'd willingly display any Serpentine tribe except the Anacondrai. And that's saying something for someone who finds the designs of the Vermillion reminiscent of guts and thus dislikes them.

On the topic of the Vermillion, why not briefly discuss why there's not a single one of those with a Serpentine tail? Easy: they're the tiny baby snakes that just somehow through Ninjago logic can form human-sized Serpentine that can talk and do everything perfectly. They're basically just the little baby snakes though, and last I checked babies can't take over leadership positions.

Now, a brief look at Aspheera because people don't like that she has the ghost tail in sets instead of the Serpentine tail. And that's also really easy to answer: she's not a general, she's a sorceress. Not a general. Yes, she has a tail in the show but she has a completely different rank from the other Hypnobrai of her time that we know of (btw, I love that Char is in the flashbacks with her (except when she frees Wu and Garmadon), that's so cute imo). Speaking of Hypnobrai, did you pay attention to her in the flashbacks vs. her when she's released from the pyramid? When she's young she has Hypnobrai markings on her head but when she is free she doesn't. Why? I'd say it's like the earlier mention of markings, like how the general has their own distinct markings for whoever takes that spot & that exiled Serpentine (remember, she was to be magically entombed for her crime of overthrowing the king) just lose their markings altogether so you can easier identify those that are no longer a part of the tribe. There, problem solved. And for the question on how she could absorb fire and crystal powers? Simple: sorceress. She ccould've probably used Nya's water in crystalized too, if not for the New Ninja and police coming to lock the ninja up.

Also.. The pyro vipers? They're mummies. I assume they've been long dead even before Aspheera and the pyramids lava 'ignited'/revived them. I've no guess what tribe they could've been from but I definitely doubt that it would be a fire-related one. However, the Hypnobrai evolved physically and changed into the type that we've known since 2012 some time after Aspheera got locked in the pyramid. I also like that we got to see the Hypnobrai no longer being purely blue/grey with some yellow but that there's also some pink and purple ones now. That is, what I would say, a result of the four Serpentine tribes being locked under Ninjago city and uniting in more ways than just "we're all friends now".

[vryfmi]

IM SORRY FOR SPREADING MISINFORMATION BUT SKULL WASN'T TOM SMITH

my bad people, i only now have deciphered whole Bickerstaff lore block and for easier discussion ive transcribed it. once again, sorry for misleading.

[tl;dr] in the first draft of TWS Tom Smith was an assistant to Bickerstaff who was buried with the bone mirror. Bickerstaff framed his own death by killing him. skull in the jar is Bickerstaff. it's no longer canon, books and tv series follow different narrative.

Bickerstaff revelations

4. Basic story. Dodgy professor. Dark doings. Associates - one eaten by [rats], another went mad. Professor himself - disappeared? Or - killed by assistant...

ll How much do we know(?) (about his fake) at this point? Strange circumstances

6. Coffin opened. We think it's Bickerstaff. Holding odd gizmo [bone glass].

9. Scholar may suggest to [George] but he helps hunt for truth. Flatters him. (may genuinely think G could help him dig to bottom of it).

12. G has done some work on Bickerstaff already. When did he LIVE? assistants... who were they? Who buried him? Mystery...

13b. GHOST-JAR: some revelations. About kind of work professor [Bickerstaff] did. Skull = Tom Smith =assistant. Not fully in knows, but can tell you some things. Worked at old sanitarium. Where one bloke worked - he died… eaten by rats. Professor required he'd hidden PAPERS then he (witnessed? withered?) (of? it?) skull claims professor died… buried him, as he wished with gizmo [bone glass]

16-17. At Bick house we get psychic ?????? of events... assistant = involved there (he's Bick, but we don't realise), L sees stuff. Also -> ghost of rats bloke

18. Get m/s: which will help scholar. Doesn't tell xxx Symbols. Drawing -> ???

20. LW finds proof in Fittes Archive, but doesn't read yet

23. Revelations - LW+Lucy read what they've got from archives

g-jar = Bickerstaff

ll [know] about what doing (+ what does to one who by) ---> george doing(?) it

Revelation: LW+Lucy return home. Waiting for George. He doesn't show. Instead they look ??????? from Archives. Proves that object of [Bickerstaff] = scary indeed, also (scarier) that the skull isn't the innocent as … truth, but Bickerstaff himself. They realise that [George] + scholar are in to a ??? ? Also realise scholar's crime??

source: tweet by Stroud

[astraea802]

Merlin "Rewatch" w/ Mom -- 5x10

("Rewatch" here meaning "Mostly first time watch, but with the knowledge of what happens.)

First of all: WHAT THE HECK WAS UP WITH THAT HORRIFIC FACE DISFIGUREMENT THING AT THE END?? I've never seen ANYONE discuss how messed up that is, and they SHOULD. I know this aired in the same time slot as Doctor Who, but Mom and I were NOT prepared.

Second of all: Uggghhhh

We're coming into the final three episodes.

Mom doesn't want to know what's coming, but knows it won't end well. She suspects Arthur's going to die (but we all know it's the execution that's the real kicker).

I will say, I was surprised Season 5 has actually had a lot of nice moments I never knew. It's a little moodier than I'd like, and Merlin as a character makes me sad, but there's still some nice comedy and character moments. Like Arthur saving that woman from being burned at the stake, that was so good! (Maybe it's easier for me to appreciate certain scenes knowing what's going to happen? I'm not as tense?)

(It also helps I sat out The Disir and The Dark Tower since I was walking the dog. I don't know I could have bore either without spoiling the finale out of pure frustration)

Mom's been just absorbing it all. She's had a lot of questions, like:

Mom: Why did Aithusa join Morgana? Me: We don't know. They never told us. 😒

Mom: (after The Dark Tower) How did Gwen turn evil? Me: Magic. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Mom: Oh, for gods sake! 🤦‍♀️

Mom: When do they find out about that bracelet Morgana gave Gwen to make her love Lancelot? Me: They don't. 😤 Mom: ...Are you kidding??

The deaths have been a little tougher this season, especially Elyan's. She liked the Dolma, but rolled her eyes a bit at Merlin trying to "act like a woman" instead of just getting on with curing Gwen. And she was NOT happy with Uther's ghost (who was??) or Gaius telling on Merlin and endangering Finna.

But god... watching Merlin's struggles, I just keep thinking, what was the point of it all?

There's so much back and forth the whole season, the whole series really, about destiny and duty and following your heart, and I just... what's the moral here? Follow destiny and get screwed? Follow your heart and still get screwed? It's good to know prophecies and Merlin just didn't know how to handle it? It's bad to know prophecies because you cause them to happen? If that was the case, why did Finna die to pass that last prophecy on? Also, you deserve to die, even when you haven't done anything wrong, because a prophecy says you will? You have choice? You never had one? Some will say the point is "the friends we made along the way", or there doesn't need to be a moral, but there's just no consistency, except whatever keeps the drama going.

It doesn't help that, except for the Camlann prophecy, we never actually hear any of the other prophecies everyone talks about. So we never know for sure if the problem was a misinterpretation of the prophecies in terms of what the Golden Age looked like, or if Merlin failed because of his choices, or if he was ALWAYS going to fail no matter what he did, or if he even failed at all! Because the dragon tells him he didn't in the end, but it doesn't make much sense.

Did the writers even know? They have admitted in interviews they were working nonstop on the show for five years, at grueling pace, so I forgive them for being fuzzy, but it seems like the show's moral code and prophecy lore really depended on who was writing the episode that week.

What I've always loved about Harry Potter is that while prophecies exist, the power of choice is emphasized. Prophecies can be, and often are, misinterpreted. Not every prophecy in the Department of Mysteries was ever fulfilled, so destiny is not the be-all end-all. It's made very clear that it's whether you act on prophecies or not that matters. The characters' beliefs and convictions still matter. It's consistent, it's clean, and it leaves the characters' agency.

In Merlin... you can interpret it a million different ways and still be wrong. And maybe part of the issue is that while Harry agrees to be the Chosen One since he already wanted Voldemort dead, Merlin's heart and destiny are so often divided. And that's what makes it so darn frustrating. And why I believe they gave Merlin too much of a burden for one person. No "almost" about it.

(We'll see if I revisit this after the finale)

[kafus]

okayyy so as for actual episode thoughts

grrr biting thrashing gnawing the bars so much is being set up and i really feel like this arc is going to get exciting. briar and sazare (perrin) both introduced in the same episode with clear and established roles in the plot… though i wonder what the hell carmine is going to be doing still?? her intro episode didn’t even seem to imply what on earth she’ll be doing but she has a whole sequence in the op so definitely… something…

i’ve seen some people take briar seeing a terapagos before and writing a book on it as proof that horizons is happening directly after the plot of the main games but i don’t personally agree, not that it isn’t possible but i just don’t think that’s enough proof. as far as i’m aware the anime has always loosely ripped on game plot threads without actually being in the game timeline and i don’t know why that would change now.

that being said knowing that there is, or at least was, another minimum of at least one other terapagos recently enough for briar to have personally seen one is a pretty big deal! terapagos’ whole thing in the games is that there is just one of them left, the one you catch is based pretty explicitly on Lonesome George (the last remaining member of the pinta island tortoise who went extinct in 2012) so like. cool to hear there’s at least a couple out there. could have lore implications

btw i try not to involve the games too much in my discussion of horizons in general just because i treat them as separate things more than other people i think, but it is worth acknowledging that the milotic that attacks you in SV is programmed to be tera ghost but never actually terastilizes, this was only found out through datamining... it makes sense with the whole Dead People thing but it's really odd that it never terastilizes. so i think it's interesting that it does in the anime and pretty much immediately too. idk how to elaborate on this i just thought that was Interesting. they referenced something from the games that doesn't even... happen lol

i thought for sure we were going to see the woman in the trailer for this arc/in the op at the shining pond this episode so i was surprised it didn’t happen. also, if they do end up only seeing her and not lucius, does that imply that lucius is somehow alive? or is it just coincidence? many questions of which i do not have the answers to… i'm so curious UGH and also the existence of hisui pokemon... dot acknowledges they SHOULD be impossible, so i'm really curious where they came from or how they survived... MAN

really loved dot in this episode, it’s fun to see her going out on her own and then interacting on her own, as per usual i feel like cheering seeing her do anything independently lmao. continues to be sweet how she’s so awkward but powers through on account of her interest in pokemon (which was brought up twice in this episode, first with briar where she talked about welcamo, and then indirectly with sazare. one of the most consistent things about her.) welcamo/kuwassu has always taken care of dot but it was cool to see her verbally acknowledge that kuwassu kind of Chose Her instead of the other way around. i really hope someday we get some sort of Dot Kuwassu Origins episode, i want to see how they met and bonded when dot wasn't interested in becoming a trainer herself

anyway liko asking dot if she's okay and sitting next to her at briar's tent send post

[thefirstknife]

Dungeon is really good! I'm enjoying it immensely! Everyone in the mood for some fantasy ACTUAL dungeon crawling DnD style will love it! Beautiful location, really fun encounters that feel WAY more fair and approachable than many other dungeons and some incredibly cool lore.

The way you collect lore is also interesting; you can't just get in and grab what you need to understand everything, it's tied to a quest that requires multiple runs. This may be annoying if you don't have your own fireteam, but it's a really nice way to experiment with lore delivery; with each clear you continue a quest and can search for hidden rooms and then inside you get a collectible and can listen to dialogue that is explaining the stuff about the dungeon. The only lore tabs are on the exotic weapon and the exotic Ghost shell; everything else is dialogues to listen to. I'll put the lore tabs below and also add some stuff that I've learned so far. I'm missing final three dialogues as it takes some time to collect everything for the quest. Spoilers under:

First of all, the speculation was wrong! Nobody was correct! The castle isn't Shaxx's and Shaxx wasn't involved and he's not on comms. Strange, but I personally don't mind it that much. The dungeon is led by Petra and Crow, mostly because it's focused on an Ahamkara. The setup is that Scorn were detected on Earth where they haven't been before and then it's discovered that they were drawn to an old Dark Age castle that used to be owned by a Warlord. This Warlord is a new character called Naeem and she lived there with an Ahamkara (Hefnd) with whom she struck a deal with.

The Ghost Shell (Zira's Shell, I assume Zira was the name of Naeem's Ghost) explains that another Warlord killed Hefnd and then told Naeem about the whereabouts of its bones and she went there and claimed the castle and the Ahamkara. She made a deal with the Ahamkara to feed on her, infinitely (because she can just keep dying over and over), instead of making other people suffer for the wishes they make. So like if someone makes a wish with Hefnd, the backfire should go to Naeem. Hefnd agreed. Super interesting insight into Ahamkara. While super grim, it shows that Ahamkara are capable of partnership with people instead of just messing with them for no reason.

The Scorn are interesting because the first boss is called Rathil, First Broken Knight of Fikrul. In one of the lore dialogues, Petra and Crow also discuss Fikrul and it's finally explained that he simply vanished from the Reef and nobody knows where he went. So this is some really interesting setup going on right now, which makes sense given that the second episode is going to be about him (barring any changes in schedule and plans ofc). Furthermore, Fikrul is featured on the lore for the exotic weapon from the dungeon and it's the first and most comprehensive answer to the question of where he is and what he is doing. And it's kinda sad ngl! Rathil was a Scorn guy he called "son" and tasked with bringing back Scorn from Earth because he didn't want Darkness to "claim them." I assume that refers to taking. It's interesting because it would mean that Fikrul is not very fond of the Witness and isn't working with/for it. Speculation for now, but that's how it read. The first dungeon boss and some of the enemies needed to activate damage phases are all Fikrul's guys from the lore tab.

The final boss is a chimaera manifested by Hefnd and we defeat it, but the bones remain and they're being siphoned by Taken energy. The Taken appear half-way through the dungeon and it's unclear what they're doing and why they want the Ahamkara. Perhaps to prevent us from messing with Ahamkara to get through the portal? I assume the Witness would know that Ahamkara could help us follow it, so some sort of contingency plan. Super excited to continue playing tomorrow and get the last three dialogues. Really loving the Fikrul update. It feels so good to know that they're laying the groundwork for the hinted episode that will feature him.

Zira's Shell lore tab:

Buried Bloodline lore tab (exotic sidearm):

[illarian-rambling]

Rel's Haunting was mentioned in my last ask and I'm intrigued can you share something about that?

Of course I can! I can also share Why I Hate Timaz pt.2

Rel's Haunting centers around a guy named Rel being haunted by a ghost, except Rel is an angel who just fell to Illaros, and the ghost haunting them is the remnants of their god.

The story opens with Rel's creation. An angel is a living tool of the gods, made to fulfill a specific function. Rel's function was to protect his god from being murdered by Timaz in the midst of a massacre of the Skysheerian gods.

See, during the War of Conquest, there were some bold moves made by various divine factions. Usually, the gods avoid interfering with mortals as a sort of mutually assured destruction pact. No one gives their worshippers too many special powers because then your competitors will give their guys special powers, and pretty soon, the world ends up nuked. However, during the War of Conquest, when the human army that would eventually become the Republic was steamrolling the south of the Iarlan continent, the elven gods of Skysheer decided to bend this truce just about as far as they could.

Instead of magic powers, they influenced the tides of luck. As the human and Skysheerian armies began to clash, if any good turn was going to be dealt, it would go to the Skysheerians. The weather was always on their side, their bowstrings never snapped, and their supply deliveries would always arrive a few days early. This wasn't strictly the granting of miracles, but it was enough to prompt a response from the Illarian.

It was decided that an example had to be set. The Illarian went to the home of the Aderenon with weapons bared. They demanded a halt to such actions, but things got out of hand, and when the Aderenon refused, the discussion turned to a battle. The Aderenon were swiftly dispatched by the more powerful human gods. However, another, smaller conflict took place at the same time.

Timaz had always had a rivalry with the god of wonder. Greed and wonder don't mix, and also the god of wonder was kind of a petty bitch. Timaz decided that he could get away with killing and stealing the power of the god of wonder in the chaos of the battle, and later blame it on one of the Aderenon. Rel was created as a desperate last act of defense by the god of wonder. They weren't able to stop Timaz from killing their god, destroying his name, and casting Rel down to the dirt.

So all that lore just leads up to where we start. Rel is a few minutes old. They're heavily injured by their fall. They know talking is a thing, but not that they're allowed to do it too. In addition, the last remnants of the god of wonder live within them, as Rel is the last remnant of his power that wasn't consumed by Timaz. The god of wonder narrates the story as he watches his beloved angel fumble their way through their first few weeks on the planet.

If you'd like to give it a read, I have it linked in my pinned post! Sorry I got a little deep into the lore, but I promise most of the story is just about Rel rambling about. Thanks for the ask!

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

I am truly overjoyed! It seems that more films are returning back to the magic of practical locations, effects and using CGI when it is absolutely necessary. When I see a master storyteller that started out that way, come back to their roots and show us why we loved them in the first place, my heart flutters as we are witnessing something truly special. That is what happened here and it was gorgeous return to the darkly comedic and macabre world created from the mind of Tim Burton. Burton returns to his most beloved film by fans and it didn't disappoint. Not only does it continue the same level reverence for the odd, but it also adds more to the lore by exploring more of the spirit realm and I loved every second of it. I loved that all of his tricks and styles were on display, especially during a discussion about the fate of a certain character. The way its done was a visual feast. This film was a bit overwhelming with the amount of characters, but I could never say I was bored. The amount of busy work each character gets could've been separated into their own vignettes, but it's all weaved together and wrapped up in a fun way. I do wish the threat for the titular character was more central and the driving force of the film though.

Winona Ryder returns as Lydia Deetz and I loved that she continued to embrace her supernatural gift. She is more tormented this time around and heartbroken as she had a loss that damaged her relationship with her daughter. Jenna Ortega was bratty, snarky and sometimes mean as Lydia's estranged daughter, Astrid. Their relationship was interesting to watch become patched in the most difficult way. She had the same attitude as Lydia when she was younger, but less morose and more angst. It worked all the way through and I loved when she finally starts to connect with her Mother on something they share. Catherine O'Hara was just as crazy, unpredictable and fun as Lydia's mom and Astrid's grandmother, Delia Deetz. Every moment with her was comedic gold and how darkly artistic it gets was great. Justin Theroux was good and slimy as Lydia's boyfriend, Rory. He was good for the purpose of where Lydia was in her life, but I almost felt he was the weakest part of the ensemble. Not in performance, but just as a supporting character that sometimes detracted from the pacing. Willem Dafoe was truly having fun as the dead action star, Wolf Jackson. I loved the throw back style of the 1950's detective he was portraying while hamming up the most hilarious and cheesy dialogue an old school detective would say. Arthur Conti was good as Astrid's first crush, Jeremy Frazier. It was a fun sliver of a possible teen romance in this weird world. Monica Bellucci still takes my breath away when she graces the screen and as the villainess, Delores LaVerge, she was truly spectacular. I loved the lore behind her relationship with Beetlejuice and I liked her creepy presence. I just wish we focused on her more as the driving force of the film instead of being lightly sprinkled around. Speaking of Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton returns as the ghost with the most and he hasn't skipped a beat. He continues to be that disgusting and loveable trickster we all love. He was hilarious, smart and very creative in his quest to get away from his ex-wife, Delores. I love that we finally get a confirmed backstory for the character and the amount of fun he has telling it was right on brand. The chemistry between him and Lydia never died and it was magical to see them together again.

Composer and Tim Burton's muse, Danny Elfman returns and brings back the iconic score and themes. I loved that he kept the gothic and whimsical tone of the film alive with his insanely playful score. The mixed soundtrack of jams that work in the playful nature of the spirit world was excellent and there is a prolonged musical sequence that was a bit bloated. Like I said before, everyone has something to do and that made the film more busy than it needed to be. For me, I would've gotten rid of Rory and left Lydia's heartbroken story as is anchor point for her and Astrid to reconnect. Even with all of its flaws, it still was a welcomed return to form for Tim Burton and fun excursion back into the world of Beetlejuice. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[starwriterulia]

Tomb of the Goshenite Stargazer Dragon - Chapter 1

THIS FANFICTION CONTAINS HEAVY SUBJECT MATERIAL THAT MAY TRIGGER READERS WITH ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND PTSD. CHAPTERS 1-4 INCLUDE DISCUSSION OF:

PHYSICAL DISABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH ROBINOW SYNDROME,

REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISORDER AND ITS CONNECTIONS TO THE AUTISM SPECTRUM,

CHILD ABUSE WITHIN FOSTER CARE,

PARENTAL NEGLECT POST-ADOPTION,

LOSS OF INNOCENCE DUE TO INTERNET EXPLORATION,

AND THE LOSS OF AN ADOPTIVE PARENT.

FURTHERMORE, SOME CHAPTERS CONTAIN 18+ CONTENT.

Bat divider by @violetbudd

Creator support banner by @cafekitsune

Latest revision: August 18, 2024. Added "Support your creators by reblogging" banner. Revised story Description following recent developments in the story, and moved it to Masterlist. Added Chapter summary. Added ⏭️ emoji below end of chapter banner with text explaining its function as a navigational button.

Chapter summary: Ra's brings Faith Lawson to Wayne Manor, and gives Bruce sufficient information about herself and Thalassic Space, then Faith sends Bruce home via a door that appeared in the Holding Room Ra's was in, in Platonia.

Fandoms: DC Comics, Batfamily, no Batcest, Thalassic Space (OC; takes inspiration The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, and other sci-fi, fantasy and horror titles, as well as original concepts, such as the science and lore of the galaxy.)

[In order of appearance] Characters: Bruce Wayne (Batman), Faith Lawson (TBA; self-insert) J'onn J'onzz (Martian Manhunter), Carter Hall (Hawkman), Shiera Sanders (Hawkgirl), Diana Prince (Wonder Woman), Urania (OC), Ra's al Ghul, Damian Wayne (Robin), Tim Drake (Red Robin), Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Stephanie Brown (Spoiler).

Word Count: 9700+ / 11, 682 (post-revision on July 24. Seriously.) 4092 (July 30 revision. MUCH better.)

Content warnings: Mild depiction of blood; Urania talks about the murder of Ulia and her lover, a trans boy, both who were mutilated, and Ulia's corpse was raped; Faith talks about her adoptive father's death; Faith talks about the high school knee injury that sowed anxiety and depression in her life; Faith talks about her harrowing foster care experience, in which she was given Benadryl instead of proper discipline and attention.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

Saturday, February 10, 2024. 1:12 AM.

Batman meditated at the bottom of the left stairs in the great hall of Wayne Manor, the soft lights kept on during the night alight creating spots of amber in the dark. A woman with a light soprano voice groaned in pain and coughed violently behind him, from the study door, and continued to cough as she entered the great hall. She heaved and gasped for air while approaching him. ‘She has the seasonal flu.’ Batman noted. He turned his head to observe.

The young woman was ivory white, 4'6" tall, and had uncombed, mid-chest length black hair, three inches of ash blonde grown out at the top. She had a round face, a bulbous nose, hazel green eyes, dark circles, and dark, thick brows. She wore a black T-shirt and black pyjama pants with white ghosts, and light grey socks. She walked with a slight limp and carried a navy-blue duffle bag with golden letters spelling NVSS.

'I don't recognise that school. Her arms come to her upper thigh. Her biceps and forearms are about five centimetres long. She has dwarfism.' Her feet were wide, the arch of her right foot high. 'That can’t be her only injury that required operation. Her limp tells me she’s overexerted herself tonight and that she might have had a knee injury, which might have been caused by her dwarfism.'

Her chest was a C cup, she had thick thighs and 'A nice ass, I won't deny that.' There was an open cut on her right forearm. 'The item or weapon the villain used to cut the young woman activated her magic, displayed as the thin layer of white-blue light around her right hand. She stopped the attack and sent the villain away, likely to some kind of pocket dimension, giving her time to pack some belongings. But because of her disability and the villain possessing the item, she had to come along.'

'Also, this villain knows Batman's identity. They brought her here to get on my nerves. Narrows down the list by a lot. My guess is Ra's al Ghul.' Batman interacted with his gauntlet to begin an audio recording that he broadcast to the Watchtower. Martian Manhunter, Hawkman and Hawkwoman were on location, the latter two approaching the monitor.

The woman said, "Hi."

"Hello." Batman replied. He stood and climbed the steps to stand in front of the woman. "What’s your name?"

"Faith Lawson. I'm from Earth-33, and I'm twenty-four years old. September 4th, 1999, is my birthday."

Batman said, "Nice to meet you, Faith. Welcome to Earth Prime. Are you from British Columbia, Canada, by chance?"

"I am! Um, would you please help me?" From the study, a man screamed, his voice travelling with numerous wild screeches.

Batman noticed the light around the woman’s hand brighten. 'It must be managing her nausea while she needs to talk.'

The young woman said, "Oh, Platonia just acted on the last request I had, in case he cut himself with it, thinking it would give him control of Platonia. He's been brought to a Holding Room. No windows or doors, just a timeout. Time passes at half-speed in Platonia, and he's durable, so we don't need to worry about him dying."

'Not sure I believe that.' Thought Batman.

The computer of the Watchtower announced, "Welcome, Wonder Woman and Urania." Urania was a ivory white skinned woman with black, curly hair and dark brown eyes, wearing a toga and Greek sandals.

"Is she safe?" Said Urania

"She seems to be. Sounds like she has the flu, though." Hawkwoman said, walking back to Hawkman and Martian Manhunter with Wonder Woman and Urania.

"Welcome to the Watchtower, Urania of Pierian Spring. Please, tell us about your daughter." Said Martian Manhunter, as Wonder Woman, Hawkwoman and Urania stopped nearby Martian Manhunter and Hawkman.

"Sorry, one minute, Faith." Batman said the young woman, pointing to his ear.

"Oh, you're probably listening to the Watchtower, where Urania just arrived, right?"

"Yes, I am. Sorry, Watchtower. Urania, you may continue."

Urania said, "Thank you. In her previous life, 687 years ago, Faith was born as Ønske, sired by Víðarr and birthed by Skuld, and named by the Allfather, Odin. Skuld and Víðarr were too duty-bound to raise her, so Freyja and Freyr fostered her. The summer she was fourteen, Ønske saved a dragon pup from poachers on Vanaheim during a new moon, and returned the pup to its mother. The pup, Skinne, had a body of goshenite, a pink right eye, a yellow left eye, and pink and yellow stargazer lilies on her wings. Her mother, Frodig, was fluffy with pink fur and yellow eyes, and her father, Skjør, was made of white diamonds and had eyes of pink quartz."

"Frodig merged Skinne with Ønske to bestow Ønske with her Dragon Persona, the Goshenite Stargazer Dragon. That autumn, Ønske met Danu, the Fairy Queen of the Celts, after saving a coven of human fairies from Catholic witch hunters using seiðr and draconic illusions. From Danu, Ønske was given a Fairy Persona named Solas, whose firery sunrise wings turned black with dazzling white stars if Solas stood under a new moon. At fifteen, Ønske hunted with Freyja in Jotunheim for the troll-wolf beast called Blokkere, whose eyes and horns burned blue fire like the Naglfar. He was a pet of the pirate warlock Ebony Giant Elf named Bartholomew, who made himself captain of the Naglfar with his dark magic, eldest of the three sons of the Fallen Angel Nerobzal, once the Court Fool of Yahweh named Erophael. Oh, shall I tell you his story, as well? It is relevant."

"I don't see why not." Said Martian Manhunter.

"When Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide, Erophael laughed. Because it was not for joy but out of mockery for Nero's pathetic life, all life on Earth began to destroy itself. Yahweh banished Nerobzal to the Ninth Circle of Inferno, where Lucifer told Nerobzal about the white door behind Lucifer that no angel, demon or sinner had ever been able to open. Lucifer said that Nerobzal could claim whatever was beyond it, if he suceeded. There was a rather alarming situation involving the abomination living in the Perimeter of the Ninth Circle and Lilith that required the full attention of the angels, demons and Demon Hunters, who all ended up fighting each other. Nerobzal was freed by a kiss-ass demon who loved Lucifer, and Nerobzal skid on the ice towards the door. When he touched it, he knew what to do. Ulia, would you mind telling us the ritual?"

"Sure! So, the Domain of Platonia is a fortress entity inspired by the Navidson hallway from House of Leaves surrounded by the Skybox from the Team Fortress 2 ARG Project Skybox, defined as Julian Barbour’s platonia, a hypothetical entity containing every possible momentary configuration of the universe, primarily accessed via a door opening ritual inspired by the Doom II mod MyHouse.wad. Domains can also be created as a sailing ship or spaceship. I've had the idea of Platonia for about a year."

Urania said, "When you were a demigoddess, you knew about it for three years, until your death."

"MyHouse.wad reintroduced me to House of Leaves, and Platonia inspired the other two types of Magical Occupancies in Thalassic Space. Realms are moon planets created by gods, demons, demigods and demi-demons for magic people, which are Astral, Snow, Ebony and Fir Elves, Oak Dwarves, Spruce Humans, and anthropomorphic people, which include Felidae, Canidae, Lacertilia, Chiroptera and, ha ha, lemme, lemme say this a little slower so I don't get it wrong: Cyprinodontiformes,"

"That was pretty good!" Said Hawkman.

Faith laughed as she finished the sentence. "To live on with the creator. Plains are magic islands that can have shores on multiple planets at once, and are inhabited by magical creatures and humanoids, such as fairies, unicorns and Dragon Kin, namely Dragon Form people, along with dragons who do not have a humanoid form, and monsters and beasts who may have a humanoid form."

Batman hummed. "I'm with Project Skybox and MyHouse.wad. Tim went on a long rant about both of them, when they were trending."

"Oh, good, that saves me som time. In Thalassic Space, Platonia will also appear if someone does that ritual, or places their left hand on the door, knocks five times, and then opens the door. The ritual can be undone by doing the same with your right hand on the door after closing the door." Batman hummed.

"The Departed are ghouls original to Thalassic Space who serve the Four Princes of Hell. If enter Platonia without the ritual, the Departed and Umbrella Man will find you. When Platonia realised my aductor is a demon, it stopped being aggressive after he found the Nordic iron doors to my dragon tomb. Well, the Departed are surely trying to eat him, but Ra's is durable."

"Ra's al Ghul. I thought so. Not many of my villains know my identity, or would go so far as to bring a would-be victim into my home."

"Yeah, we had a wet dream where I was in his bed. He said I was perfect: a girl who looked like I do, had a creative mind, and, he assumed, powers that he could manipulate. I closed my eyes with a tired, amused hum, ya know, 'cause it was a lucid dream, and weird things happen all the time. I tried to let the episode end and take me somewhere else. But my Role was transferred to my Nero Persona, a jumpscare girl with a kuchisake-onna smile named Odeya. She had other ideas about how to end the dream. She poked her head from under the bed, told Ra's how to open a Door to Platonia, and then he woke up in front of his closet door and did the ritual."

"He could manipulate your mind, too."

"Oh, I know. If he wasn't evil, I'd be into him. I'm asexual panromantic. I don't need to explain my undying love for gender expression, but I will say that one thing I've learned from playing The Lord of the Rings Online and meeting Preston is that sometimes older men and women are pretty awesome. They can be patient, romantic and wise. Those are like, my favourite parts of a person that aren't physical. I love looking at facial features, followed by shoulders, back and hips, hoo mama!" Faith tilted her head back as she said this, and laughed. Urania and Wonder Woman giggled. "You obviously know asexuality is a spectrum, so I don't need to explain that." Batman nodded, humming. "I also have a personality disorder called Reactive Attachment Disorder."

"I’m familiar."

"My foster parents did the damage. My adoptive parents tried, but they couldn't gentle parent me for long, so my dream world version of my mom is cruel."

"What about your dad?"

"He passed in November 2021 from an aortic dissection. He was a good man. We all miss him."

"I’m sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. Anyway, we can just go in the room, I'll open the door, tell the Departed to leave with a gift of my hair and blood, and then the old man can take the door home. We'll see him again when we see him again. If he finds me in my next dream, I'll try just send him home? W-We'll see. Have Zatanna on speed-dial."

"I'll do that, Faith. Thank you." Faith nodded.

"You were saying, Urania?" Said Hawkman.

"Yes, thank you. After eight long hours, Blokkere was slain, but Ønske's left leg and lower back were brutally wounded. As Freyja held Ønske, she had a vision that urged her to leave with Ønske for Pierian Spring, in the forest on the back side of Mount Olympus. They arrived under a full moon, and Freyja begged for Ønske to live and walk again in exchange for the muse who would accept to become Ønske's mentor. My sisters and I had foreseen their arrival and Ønske's future as Faith, and agreed that I was best suited. When I healed her, I bestowed upon her the name Ulia Χαμένος (Chaménos), meaning 'lost', as tribute to the people of Thalassic Space whom she would go on to protect. I prefer to call her Ulia, as you have surely noticed."

"For four years, Ulia travelled with Freyja and Freyr or with me and my sisters around the Nine Realms and Ancient Greece. She was even invited to Paradiso, the summer of the first year, and the archangel Uriel greeted her as patron angel and bestowed Ulia her mortal name and story, which she would be reborn as. The Yule of her nineteenth year was spent on Mount Olympus, and among its guests was a elf-eared, silver dragon-skinned transgender prince with white hair and blue eyes named Argophael. He was sired by Menoetius from Opus and birthed by Danu, Fairy Queen of the Celts, but stolen as a babe by Bartholomew, which my sisters and I did not know of, nor had heard about from the Norns. Zeus revealed it was secret because Bartholomew had taken planet Bafsina of Thalassic Space hostage, but it could be freed now that Argophael can fufilled his quest to arrive at Yule. Zeus told that Argophael was Ulia's Animus and one true love, but it was an ill-fated love, as Bartholomew would now not only hunt Argophael, but Ulia."

"Argophael gifted Ulia a snowglobe depicting a galaxy containing a white-blue O-type star to the north, an asteroid belt of goshenite to the east of the star, a black hole that I knew to be Sagittarius A* to the south, and an asteroid belt of obsidian to the west of the black hole. Ulia kissed Argophael, and a yellow G-type star and a red M-type star appeared in the galaxy, colliding with the O-type star and sending a massive wave of energy into space, creating a solar system like Earth's before the G- and M-type stars merged and became the "vampire" companion of the O-type star that it had been missing. Ulia and Argophael slept together that night, and the next morning drew the first chalk-portal to Thalassic Space on a wall of Mount Olympus. They travelled for three years, sending letters frequently, and settled in the Puzzle Tower at the Carnival of Seasons of White Sun Harbour on the moon planet Realm of Tree Peoples. This is where the Ebony Elves, Oak Dwarves and Spruce Humans of Thalassic Space came from. Astral Elves came from the Lightless Realm, ruled wisely by the second son of Nerobzal, Krampus, before he was tainted by the Fool's Poem, written by Nerobzal after he escaped into Platonia."

"The Fool's Promise was the self-mutilation that those who read the poem aloud with hatred in their heart would undergo to submit themselves to him, and join Nerobzal's army of undead, dark sorcerers, and evil vampires and werewolves. Snow Elves came from the Lightful realm, ruled by the youngest son of Nerobzal, Santa Claus, until they and Santa fled with the Astral Elves for the three original planets of Thalassic Space, Yotutrnaeyl, Bafsina and Grace, after Krampus was lost to the Fool's Poem. Last of the Tree Peoples, Fir Elves came from the Realm of Album, and in the northern sea of which was the island called the Sanctuary of Gla'si where the first unicorns and pegasi of Thalassic Space were born from the womb of Epona, sired by Helios."

"Bartholomew murdered Argophael and Ulia as they were enjoying the night life of the Carnival from the balcony of my tower. It was an air assassination committed with Bartholomew’s black ebony sword aflame with the blue fire of the Naglfar. The cat anthropomorphs who maintained the Puzzle Tower and filled with the sounds of their own children and challenge tours for carnival guests found the lovers the next morning. Argophael's body had been mutilated, his face and the skin of his hands and feet removed as he died. Bartholomew raped Ulia's as she bled out, and seared her arms, legs and stomach with the fire of his sword."

"Gods, that's horrible." Said Wonder Woman.

"The cats restored their bodies and laid them in the sarcophagus in the final room of the dragon tomb Freyja and Freyr prepared, at the command of the Norns, after Ulia had recieved her Dragon Persona. The tomb was filed with draugr and traps."

Faith said, "My dragon tomb is actually a dungeon. It's Saarthal from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."

"Hm." Said Wonder Woman, with a smile. "It sounds like you had fun creating all of this, Faith."

"Oh. It's obvous, isn't it?"

"Oh, it is, but that's not a bad thing."

Batman asked, "How long have you been working on Thalassic Space?"

"Since my dad died."

"You’re unpublished?"

"Yes. The Double Eight of Thalassic Space will be my first. It's been taking a while because of depression and other things related to being an adult on income assistance who's only been employed for a year now."

"I think it'll be a hit." Said Wonder Woman.

"Aw, thank you!"

Urania said, "The last room takes a deviation from Saarthal, however. A massive, beautiful stone bridge where friends and family left letters and gifts connects the doors to an island surrounded by water from Pierian Spring. The island hosts the sarcophagus of Ulia and Argophael, as well as the sarcophagi of ten Dragon Priests."

Faith said, "For context, usually one is enough to pose a challenge."

"To exit without retracing your steps, you have to solve one of four puzzles. That will return you to the surface of the Plain of Ulia and Argophael, in the southern waters of the Realm of Tree Peoples. And that, ladies and gentles,"

"And non-binary peoples!" Faith chimed in.

Urania laughed. "Yes, them too, is a comprehensive retelling of how Ønske Ulia Chaménos lived and died."

"Thank you for sharing the story with us, Urania. And you, Faith, for your assistance." Said Martian Manhunter.

"What can I say? Storytelling is my passion! Oh. Ha ha. Mother. Guess what I still have to tell them, after I send Ra's home?"

"What do you feel is necessary, daughter?"

"The Dream World on Paper, and how, through it, I'm the Great Little Starwriter and Playwright of the Rondo Theatre." She said at half volume, making eye contact with Batman, "I prepared too much, in four years."

"You might have. It's all solid, though."

"Thank you!"

Urania said, "Yes, Ulia. You should tell them that, too."

"OK!" Faith said, cheerfully. "Into the study we go." Faith and Batman went into the study. There was a new white door on the far wall.

Batman said, "The window is gone."

"It will come back, once we end the ritual." Faith led Batman to the door. She pressed her left palm to the door and knocked on it five times with her other hand, left hand glowing neon orange as she knocked. Two seconds passed. Five knocks sounded from the inside. Faith opened the door. Before Batman and Faith was a long stone hallway with a bend to the right.

"Platonia, do you understand me?" An upwards grumble from the walls. "Please show us where you're Holding Ra's al Ghul. Thank you." Four seconds passed. The walls moved towards the exit, then rightwards for several seconds before opening to a small room with a four-foot-tall ceiling. Ra's was crouched and slashed his sword towards eight naked humanoids with pale grey dry skin devoid of genitals, hair and eyelids. The goshenite dragon tooth, the size of a pomegranate, laid on the ground near Ra's’ feet.

"Hello, Departed." Faith said. The creatures snapped their heads towards her. They had monochrome irises and neon red pupils. "That is enough. Leave my dragon tooth at my feet and return to the Underside. You may take a little bit of my hair and blood as payment. Thank you."

Instantly, the Departed scattered, phasing through the concrete walls. Three tried to bite Ra's arms and legs while Ra’s roared and fought them off. One Departed used this commotion to take the dragon tooth, and hurried to the entrance, stopping inches in front of Faith and placing the item down. Faith's cheeks rose in a smile. She crouched on her left knee, picked up the tooth in her left hand, and cut off a bit of her hair, offering it in her left hand while gently dragging the tooth along the wound on her arm to draw blood.

Batman kept an eye on Ra's. The demon sat, bewildered and out of breath, watching Faith and the Departed. Faith said, "You may drink for three seconds and share it with your kin."

"Thzaznank yabozuz." The warped voice of the Departed said. It took Faith's hair into its right hand. It made eye contact with Faith, pausing. Batman saw a spark of ill-fated attraction in her eyes. The Departed held Faith's wrist with its left hand and bit into her wound and began to drink.

Martian Manhunter said, "I don't recognise that language."

Hawkman said, "Probably because it's from Faith's fictional galaxy."

"Once fictional, now realised." Hawkwoman said.

"Precisely so." Said Urania.

Batman muttered into his gauntlet, “It’s a letter substitution language. It said, "Thank you."."

As Batman whispered to the League, Faith said, "Ow." And hissed. Seconds passed. "You are out of time."

The Departed separated its mouth from Faith's arm and licked its thin lips. "Yabozuz tazsrte delabiciouzs."

"You taste delicious." Batman quietly translated.

"I'm glad you enjoyed. Take care, now."”" Faith bowed her head.

The Departed mirrored the gesture. "Goz'dbzyabe." It turned and scampered away and to the right, phasing through the wall.

"That was “Goodbye.", obviously." Batman said.

"That door behind you will take you home, Ra's." Said Faith. "You've been given mercy by the Domain of Platonia, and the Nero Spirits who serve the Princes of Hell. Nightmares will burden you for two weeks, then one of the ghouls who just harassed you will visit you a quarter after one o'clock in the morning and offer to take your memories and knowledge of Thalassic Space in return for peace. Pursue my power again and you'll meet more of the evil and good forces of the galaxy, and me, with practice of my powers."

"You're fucking mad, girl." Ra’s smirked. "You could make this easier for both of us if you had just laid there and let me use you."

"I don't like men who don’t know boundaries. You're hundreds of years old, so there’s no point in trying to teach you. I'll just keep sending you home with blue balls." Ra's growled, got on his feet and opened the door. "Have a good night." Faith said, in a friendly tone.

"Goodnight." Ra's said, grumpily. He entered the door and closed it behind him. Faith sighed, closed the Door to Platonia, and repeated the ritual with her right palm, emitting white-blue light, on the door and her left hand on the doorknob. Batman noted that her hand stopped glowing, idly. The window returned.

"How was that?"

"That was good. Thank you." Faith nodded. "You can take any of the guest rooms on the right side of the next floor. I'll have Damian bring some tea up for you, and I'll bring you soup and medicine in the morning."

"Thank you." Faith walked out with Batman. She grumbled in pain as she began to climb the stairs.

Martian Manhunter asked Urania, "Will you be visiting your daughter tonight, Urania?"

"No. I will visit once she has had sufficient rest," Urania made claws with her fingers, pointed together and posed as if holding a rock melon sized ball. A golden celestial globe appeared in the space her hands had made. Urania grabbed it, and offered it to Martian Manhunter, who readily accepted it. "Or if she needs me when you are unable to reach Zatanna for magic control."

"That sounds all well and good, Urania. Thank you again." Martian Manhunter offered to shake Urania's hand.

Urania accepted the gesture. "You are welcome. Goodnight, all." She said, leaving the room with Wonder Woman. "And goodnight, Ulia!"

"Goodnight, Mother!"

"Robin?" Said Batman, stopping in the hallway as Faith entered the first guest room and turned on its light.

"Yes, Father?" Robin appeared from the shadows of the upstairs floor, close to where Batman stood.

"Would you please make Faith ginger tea with honey?"

"Yeah, OK."

"Thank you." Batman followed Faith into the bedroom.

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