#answering asks fuels my evil powers

[west-brooke]

I’m in a bit of a writers block atm, so send some asks or little art requests about either me or New Hardware if you’re up for it! I’ll do my best to get to all of them but I ofc answer at my discretion lol.

[ckret2]

Chapter 54 of everybody being really eager to kill their prisoner human Bill Cipher for good: the gang's trying a new way to create fuel for the one weapon guaranteed to destroy Bill.

It goes so great.

As Ford drove to Northwest Manor, Dipper skimmed through the introduction to Flatworld, where Edward Bishop Bishop was pretending that his book had been dictated to him by a sentient square; but he couldn't focus on it. He sighed, shut the book, and stared out the passenger window at the passing trees.

"Something on your mind?" Ford asked.

"I'm thinking about the Axolotl's poem again. The one about Bill."

"Ah. Still trying to remember the rest?"

"Kinda. Mabel and I are working on it together," Dipper said. "But it's not that. I've just been wondering... what if the poem is... you know, part of a prophecy about Bill or something? Mabel remembered another line of the poem—'A different form, a different time.' What if the Axolotl was telling us why Bill's back as a human? Maybe we need him here—to, to use his powers to fight off a bigger threat or something. Do you think that's possible?" He held back another question: what happens if we kill him before then?

Ford frowned thoughtfully. "I've been thinking about the Axolotl as well," he said. "About the worlds I visited that called it a god of criminals, tyrants, and luck. That sounds to me like the exact kind of being that would be Bill's ally. And it's odd how resistant Bill was to telling us anything about the Axolotl, when it simply passed over town for a few seconds and then moved on. Why the secrecy? How does Bill think it benefits him for us not to know about it?" Ford shook his head. "I think you're on to something, Dipper—I think whatever the Axolotl told you is important. The question is: important for whom?"

Dipper's stomach turned. The Axolotl had radiated such kindness; it was hard for Dipper to believe it could be up to anything evil with Bill. But then—Dipper clutched at Flatworld with the damning biography on the back—but then, how many people had Bill himself fooled with the benevolent teacher act?

Dipper understood now why "Don't Trust Bill" had so quickly turned into "Trust No One." Even when you knew that there was only one real enemy—even when you knew that most people out there were still reasonably honest and friendly—you could never tell just how far Bill's shadow stretched. "I guess that's true. We can't really know."

"We can't know yet. But it is worth trying to figure out," Ford said. "I wish I could tell you where to start looking for answers. For now... we'll just have to consider anything possible."

Ford was right. But all the same, every time Dipper paranoidly asked himself What if Grunkle Ford is right, what if the Axolotl really is on Bill's side, a second, even more paranoid, even more worried voice asked, But what if he isn't?

####

When they arrived, Fiddleford was already in his lab, hard at work on the miniature particle accelerator they'd come to see him about.

"The paradox what was powering it started yowling" Fiddleford said. "So obviously it ain't a paradox no more."

Ford grimaced. "That does lay to rest whether the cat is alive or dead."

"Sure does," Fiddleford said, sighing. "So I let the cat outside and I'm rebuilding the whole contraption to run on a more robust paradox. I hope you've got better news for me, Stanford."

"We hope so too. I think Dipper might have the solution to our fuel generation problem."

They briefly explained Dipper's unfortunate puppet incident last summer—Fiddleford had to take a break in the middle to grab a cup of coffee, "To steady my nerves,"—its ongoing effects on his sleep, and the new developments of the last few days, culminating in Dipper learning how to project his soul out of his body—

—which, Ford now realized, he probably should have expected Fiddleford to take poorly.

"Sweet sasparilla!" Fiddleford kicked over his chair while jumping onto the nearest table. "You're dead?!"

"What?" Dipper said. "No, I—"

"You're like a ghost possessing a zombie!"

Dipper thought that over. "Whoa..."

But, even though Fiddleford thought the whole affair went against the rightful order of the world, he agreed that it was a sound idea and worth trying. "It's lucky that my tater tot and I hunted out all the ghosts in this place during our spring cleaning," he said, opening a cabinet. He retrieved what looked like a pair of vacuums redesigned to be worn like backpacks with an assortment of random electronics dangling from wires. He held up a set of goggles and headphones hanging off one of the vacuums. "I invented these doohickeys that'll let you see and hear ghosts! They'll let us keep in contact with Dipper while he's out of his body." He set the vacuums on a table near the miniature particle accelerator and said, "First, though—Stanford, I need you to help me rebuild this machine."

"Of course." Ford turned away from the vacuum he'd been inspecting to look at the miniature particle accelerator.

Dipper said, "Wait, there are other ghosts in this mansion?"

"Yep!"

"I hunted one at the Northwests' big party last year," Dipper said. "How many more ghosts are in here?"

"We've caught, oh... thirty or forty so far."

"Seriously? That's amazing." Dipper was already thinking about the amazing Ghost Harassers episode this place could have been. Maybe even a miniseries.

"Aw, it weren't that hard. If you leave the TV on, they like to flock around it to watch. All you've gotta do is hide in the corner until a whole big bunch of 'em are gathered 'round—and then ya get them!"

"Oh," Dipper said. "Huh. I just tricked one into getting trapped in a silver mirror."

"Well, that's right impressive too. I never woulda thunk of that," Fiddleford said. "Me and Tate have been sucking them into cooling pouches in these here vacuums and then sticking the pouches in a chest freezer down in the dungeon! Maybe I oughta line the freezer with silver."

"This place has a dungeon?" Dipper asked.

Before Fiddleford could respond, Ford asked, "Which parts are we replacing?" He was inspecting the miniature particle accelerator.

"All of them!"

Ford gave Fiddleford a surprised look. "All of them?"

"Yep! Every last one!"

"Is the design changing that much?"

"Nope! It's staying exactly the same!"

"Then... why can't we just use the same machine we already have?"

"We will be using the same machine!" Fiddleford smiled mischievously. "Or will we?"

"Ah! I see! The particle accelerator of Theseus," Ford said. "Very clever."

"And kinder on the local stray cats, I reckon."

Dipper offered his assistance, but the work involved too much welding and buzzsawing for him to try untrained, so he was directed to sit a safe distance away with the first aid kit. At least it gave him a chance to read some more. He had to shove aside a couple flashlights and the glue grenade to reach where the slim book had slid to the bottom of his backpack during their walk from the car.

He skimmed over some of the worldbuilding looking for the story before he realized the story was the wordbuilding and looped back. It was a lot bleaker than he expected, even after Mabel's warning. Rigid class system, oppressive government, all kinds of horrifying shape prejudices... Frustrating dream visits to the ignorant line people in the first dimension who didn't believe in the second dimension, and to the self-absorbed King Zero in the point-sized zeroth dimension who thought a whole universe was contained inside him... A just as frustrating visit from a sphere who simply couldn't explain the third dimension in a way the square protagonist could understand, which was even more annoying since the square had just seen how the first dimension couldn't comprehend the second for the same reasons, so why couldn't he accept the possibility of a third dimension he couldn't imagine? Dipper got that it was supposed to be a metaphor to help three-dimensional readers understand that not being able to visualize a fourth dimension didn't mean it was impossible; but still. Come on, man. Don't be stupid.

On the other hand, at least now Dipper had a framework to understand the concept of higher dimensions and probably a leg up on next year's geometry. Would high school geometry cover four-dimensional space?

After a couple of hours of work and a break for lunch, the miniature particle accelerator was rebuilt and ready for another attempt to generate fuel. Fiddleford pulled on one of his ghost vacuums like a backpack, put on the set of connected headphones and goggles, and settled his glasses on over the goggles. "Y'all ready?"

"Ready," Ford said. He was seated at the accelerator's monitors, holding the jug that would contain any NowUSeeitNowUDontium they generated, and wearing the other vacuum—with the goggles over his glasses, and he was a bit worried about how Fiddleford had positioned his.

"Ready," Dipper said, a tad less certainly. What if he couldn't do it today? What if he'd never actually been able to do it last night and the whole thing really had been a dream?

But Fiddleford flipped the accelerator's power on, stepped back, and said, "All right! Do your thing!"

"Okay." Dipper stared straight at the machine, and—eugh—thought about degloving his body from his soul, peeling out of his skin fingers first.

This was only the second time he'd left his body deliberately. He'd observed in the past that the mindscape was strangely gray and still compared to the real world—but he'd never realized just how stark and swift the change was, like all the color and warmth had been abruptly sucked from reality. He shivered.

Ford inhaled sharply. Fiddleford stumbled back against the nearest table and yelped, "Flipping flapjacks!"

"You can both still see me?" Dipper said. "Can you hear me, too?"

"Loud and clear," Ford said.

"Like the voices of the dead." Fiddleford shuddered. "Welp, let's get this over with. I don't like all this ghost business. It ain't natural."

Ford gave him an amused look. "Since when have you ever been concerned about what's 'natural'? Didn't the engineering club vote you 'most likely to build a robot that flies in the face of God'?"

"You hush! There's nothing unnatural about iron, electromagnetism, and flamethrowers."

Dipper studied his body's face, its eyes pointed blankly toward the particle accelerator. "Well, I'm looking at the experiment, but I'm definitely not thinking about it. I think that's half of the paradox?"

"That's right," Fiddleford said. "Now, you just—float yerself on over to the other side of the accelerator, and think about it without looking at it."

"Right." Dipper positioned himself directly across the accelerator from his body, shut his eyes, and tried to think experimental thoughts. He didn't know much about Dontium besides what Ford had written about it in Journal 3—that it was inert when you were looking at it and radioactive when you weren't—so, if the miniature particle accelerator generated any, would he get blasted with radiation? Or was his body staring at the accelerator enough to keep it inert? But no—it was supposed to fill up the jug Ford was holding, right? Ford was observing it. Dipper tried to imagine what must be happening inside the accelerator; how did it work, would particles spontaneously generate in the tubes? Maybe they circled around until they fell into the hose to the jug...

He heard Ford gasp. "Fiddleford, look at this— Don't listen to me Dipper, just keep—keep thinking whatever you were thinking!"

"Is it working?"

"It was! Don't let us distract you."

Dipper tried to ignore the sound of Fiddleford running over to Ford, and started humming to drown out their hushed conversation. That was good, right? It meant the experiment was working. Keep thinking about that—experiment. Experiment. Expeeeriment. ... He wondered if trying to do the experiment by putting himself and Tyrone on either side of the accelerator would have worked, or if it had to be Dipper's soul and his body—

"Hot diggety!" Fiddleford shouted. "We've reached critical mass!"

"What does that mean, is it bad?" Dipper opened one eye a crack, trying to squint enough that he couldn't see the particle accelerator. "Is it gonna explode?"

Ford explained, "It means we've generated enough Dontium that it can sustain its own existence. Now, even if you get distracted, what we've already generated will remain. It can only go up from here."

"Wow," Dipper said. "That only took, what, a couple of minutes?"

"Less than that! During our last attempt, we tried for hours without reaching critical mass," Ford said. "Your idea was right on the money. Excellent work, Dipper."

Dipper grinned. After all that anxiety, it was almost a letdown how easy it was, but the coolness factor made up for it. He could just imagine the conversations the first week of high school: What did I do over summer break? Oh, nothing much. Just synthesized a new element. To fuel a weapon custom-designed to kill an immortal chaos god. And did I mention I was a ghost at the time? It didn't quite top last summer's adventures, but...

Then something went wrong.

There was a noise halfway between the electric buzz of a tesla coil and the rip of Velcro being torn apart. A stench like burning hair filled the air. A line of shifting colorful light began worming its way out of the center of the particle accelerator and up into the air.

"Oh no. Ohhh no!" Fiddleford grabbed his head. "The micro-rips! The threadbare fabric of reality! Our experiment put too much of a strain on it! We tore straight through!" One foot bounced agitatedly, "Ohhh, I knew I shoulda run some calculations before substituting in Dipper for you and Stanley."

Dipper gasped as the line of light began to agonizingly stretch open wider. Reality began seeping over its edges and dripping through into the kaleidoscopic miasma beyond. It developed a second horizontal rip across its middle as reality stretched beyond endurance in multiple directions. "What—is that?" He was afraid he knew.

"A dimensional rift," Fiddleford said.

"The Nightmare Realm," said Ford.

The last frayed thread holding reality together snapped apart, and the rift tore open wide, fully exposing the Earth to the roaring roiling chaos beyond. 

They screamed.

"Hello?" A giant set of dentures with stubby arms and legs leaned through the rift. "Oh hey! Aren't you the guys that killed Bill?"

They screamed again.

"Is screaming how humans say hi?" the monster asked. "I'm Teeth. Aaah!" He turned toward Ford. "Hey! Fingers! Lookin' less electrocuted than the last time I saw you—"

Ford socked Teeth in the incisor, knocking him back through the rift. "Back, you! You and your 'friends' are not welcome in this dimension!"

"Ow. What the heck, man."

Fiddleford shouted, "Don't stop observing the Dontium!" He bounded across the room on all four to scoop up the milk jug and stare at it. 

Ford nearly toppled through the rift, and had to grab onto the miniature particle accelerator as the heaviest nearby object to anchor himself. The rift sucked on reality like a vacuum, and the longer it was open the more powerful it grew.

Over the roar of the rift, Dipper yelled "What do we do?!"

"We have to seal it! Before it sucks all of Gravity Falls into the Nightmare Realm!"

"How?!"

Last summer, the instant Bill had no longer been around to maintain the dimensional rift, it had also sucked reality into it, starting with everything that properly belonged in the Nightmare Realm; but then it had also quickly sealed itself back shut. On the other hand, this rift was just opening wider and wider. Maybe it wasn't like the rift Bill had used to enter Gravity Falls, then? Maybe it was structured more like the wormholes that had been left behind after Weirdmageddon—

"I've got it!" Ford picked up Dipper's body—trying not to shudder at how lifeless it felt—and unzipped his backpack. "Is the alien adhesive grenade still in here?"

"It should be! Let me see." Dipper floated over to peer into his backpack.

The rift was already strong enough to drag at Ford's clothing. The lightest objects in the room lifted into the air and were sucked through. Papers. Pencils. Coffee mugs. Dipper's soul.

He screamed. "GRUNKLE FORD!"

"Dipper!" Ford grabbed for Dipper's ankle, but his hand passed right through. Ford's blood ran cold as Dipper tumbled head over heels into the Nightmare Realm.

"Look at that," Teeth said, watching Dipper soar by. "Dinner delivery."

There was no difference between the mindscape and reality in the Nightmare Realm, if Ford followed Dipper  through he'd be able to get a grip on Dipper there. But how would he carry Dipper back to Earth without him melting through Ford's grasp the moment they were through the rift? Didn't matter, grab Dipper first, then figure it out—

Fiddleford shoved the jug of Dontium in Ford's hands as he ran past. "Watch over this!"

"What—!"

Fiddleford jumped into the Nightmare Realm, the end of a long extension cord tied around his waist. He stretched out the hose of his ghost vacuum and flipped a switch, and with a yelp Dipper's soul was sucked inside. Ford gasped in relief.

Trying to keep as much of his attention on the potentially-radioactive jug as possible, Ford reeled Fiddleford back in, shoved the jug in his hands, and dug into Dipper's backpack again until he found the alien adhesive grenade. He pulled the pin and chucked it through the rift. "Duck!"

He shielded Dipper's body and Fiddleford shielded the Dontium jug as the grenade exploded. Even so, the force of it blew aside everything within ten feet of the rift and sent both of them sprawling. When Ford glanced back over his shoulder, the adhesive had gummed up the opening of the rift like a popped glowing magenta bubblegum bubble; and as he watched, it sucked the opening shut. In a few seconds the air was still and quiet, and the only sign the rift had ever existed was an immense, jagged vertical line in the air around which the light refracted wrong.

Fiddleford gingerly got back to his knees, then pulled off his glasses and pushed up his goggles. One of the lenses had been crushed, and the glasses' frame was bent beyond repair.

Ford heaved a long, heavy sigh. "A bit too familiar, wasn't it?"

Fiddleford blinked at him. "Wasn't what?"

"The—reeling you in from the Nightmare Realm?" Ford said. At Fiddleford's blank look, Ford said, "The portal test?"

"Oh." Fiddleford scratched his head. "I... still don't remember it too clearly."

"Ah. Yes. Of course." Ford's stomach churned with guilt as he looked away from Fiddleford. Over thirty years late was too late to apologize, wasn't it? (Over the past year he'd wondered, again and again; and again and again he'd decided that it was.) "Thank you for saving—" He gasped, "Dipper!"

"Oh, right!" Fiddleford took off his vacuum, dropped it on the floor, and unzipped its bag. The ghosts of a Northwest in a buckskin coat and a confused-looking hippie escaped into the air. "Hey," Fiddleford barked. "You get back here!" He raised the vacuum's hose and flipped its switch. He caught the hippie, but as soon as she was sucked in she flew out the unzipped bag and off to freedom again. Fiddleford lowered the hose and shook a fist at the retreating spirits. "I'll get you ectoplasmic varmints, just you wait!"

Ford knelt on the floor and held the bag open wider. Dipper floated out, arms crossed tight and shivering. "So... so cold... and dark... and really, really dusty."

"Let's get you back where you belong."

Ford held up Dipper's body as he lay back down in it. He could see the moment color flooded back into Dipper's cheeks and his eyes focused again. Dipper groaned.

Ford said, "You're never doing that again."

"I am never doing that again," Dipper said.

"We can't do that again," Fiddleford said. "The fabric of reality in this town is too unstable to handle another paradoxical physics experiment that powerful! We'd rip open another rift to the Nightmare Realm!"

"And we just tossed away all of our remaining alien adhesive," Ford sighed. It left Gravity Falls vulnerable if any more rips formed. Sometime soon he'd have to go back to the alien crash site and see if there was any more adhesive he could scrounge up; but even if he did, they couldn't risk wasting more of it like this.

"But did we get what we needed?" Dipper asked.

Fiddleford held up the milk jug of Dontium and shook it. It had a strange shifting color, wavering between cyan and orange depending on the lighting. "Looks like we got about three-fourths of a gallon," Fiddleford said.

"It's only enough to fully power one shot," Ford said. "But... one shot is all it'll take to destroy Bill." His stomach flipped nervously as he said it. He'd been anxious every other time he'd prepared to kill Bill, but that had always been because he'd been preparing to battle for the fate of the universe with a godlike monster who could easily kill him or worse. For the first time, he was preparing to execute a defenseless prisoner, and he didn't know whether it would make the universe any safer.

For half the summer he'd hoped Bill was harmless. Now he wished he had proof that Bill wasn't, so that he could lay his conscience to rest.

Dipper looked as uncomfortable as Ford felt; but when he caught Ford's gaze, he hardened his expression and nodded. Ford nodded back.

"WOOHOO!" Fiddleford leaped his full height straight up, making Ford and Dipper start. "We done it! YAHOO!" He waved his hat around ecstatically, doing a little jig in place. "YIPPEE! HIP HIP HURRrr—hey, how come you fellers ain't celebrating?"

Ford didn't know how to explain without making Fiddleford worry he was at risk of falling under Bill's spell again. "We'll celebrate when he's dead."

####

"Who was at the door?" 8 Ball shouted. When he didn't get a response, he paused his game. "Teeth?"

Teeth waddled into the game room. His face was completely plastered shut with some kind of glowing purple glue.

Pyronica cracked up and Paci-Fire chuckled darkly. 8 Ball sighed, "What'd you get into, you idiot?"

Teeth waved his hands emphatically.

"All right, okay." 8 Ball stood and stretched. "Does anyone have the number of that lamp guy Bill used to hook up with?"

Half an hour later, having lured over Lava Lamp Guy with the false promise of ping pong pool and illicit liquids, they cornered him in a bathroom, with Zanthar sitting in the tub restraining him while Paci-Fire struggled to hold his face still.

"Please!" Lava Lamp Guy screamed. "Let me go! I'll do anything you want! My neurologist said I can't take much more of this!"

"Cease your complaints," Paci-Fire said, as 8 Ball took off Lava Lamp Guy's bowler. "You shall not dissuade us. We do this because we have no choice in the matter."

"Why not?!"

"Because none of us feel like making the trip to a dimension with a drugstore."

8 Ball stuck a soup ladle into the open top of Lava Lamp Guy's head and fished around until he got a scoop of the red goo floating around in the thinner orange liquid. Lava Lamp Guy howled in agony. Zanthar heaved a weary sigh.

8 Ball carried the ladle over to where Teeth was sitting on the toilet lid kicking his feet. "Here you go, bud."

Teeth clapped his hands, grabbed an oversized toothbrush, and held it out for 8 Ball to pour the goop on. He scrubbed his teeth until the goop dissolved the adhesive. "Whew!" He stretched his jaw a few times, then jumped to his feet. "Thanks! I was worried I was gonna miss karaoke night." He looked in the sink mirror to scrub off the remaining scraps of adhesive.

8 Ball put Lava Lamp Guy's hat back on. Lava Lamp Guy groaned, "I think I forgot my third husband."

"You've only been married twice," Hectorgon lied.

"Oh." Confused, Lava Lamp Guy said, "Alright."

Teeth muttered, "Blech, divorce memories." He grabbed a bottle of mouthwash to clear out the taste.

"So what happened?" Kryptos asked. He was hovering in the doorway beside Pyronica.

"I'unno. I think the Dimension 46ers were messing around with their portal or something? They opened up a portal here."

"What? Uh-uh," Pyronica said. "It had to be some other dimension. We just invaded them, why would they open the portal again?"

"No no, that sounds like humans to me," Kryptos said. "If one of them pushes a button and immediately dies, the guy standing next to him will go, 'I wonder if it does that every time.' I've seen them do it."

"It was definitely them, I saw that local contractor Bill recruited for the portal who went nuts. Fingers or whoever."

8 Ball groaned. "You mean the guy that invaded the Quadrangle and tried to kill everybody?"

"Yeah. That guy. He told me I wasn't welcome on Earth and chucked a glue bomb in my face. I was like, well alright, buddy, I'm not the one who opened up a portal in your house, you could have just stayed home instead of ruining my day," Teeth said. "I didn't really say that to him. I thought it."

"So now the humans are invading us." Pyronica threw her hands in the air. "Great! This is just terrific! Bill teaches them how to make their own portals, they follow us home, and now we're about to have a pest problem that knows how to use tools! How long is it until this whole place is crawling with humans?! I'm going househunting, how many rooms should I look for? 8 Ball?"

"I'm in."

"Teeth?"

Teeth sighed, but said, "Yeah. The neighborhood's going downhill. Especially if we're gonna have a pest problem."

"Big Z?"

Zanthar gave a thumbs up.

Pyronica looked at Paci-Fire. He averted his gaze. Pyronica said, "Paci?"

Sullenly, he said, "We should ask Keyhole's opinion as well."

She laughed in disbelief. Nobody cared about Keyhole's opinion, he went with whatever everyone else went with. Appealing to Keyhole was just a delaying tactic. "Fine, sure. We'll get Keyhole's opinion."

"I'm not going," Hectorgon said, crossing his arms.

Relieved, Kryptos said, "Yeah. Me neither."

"You don't have to," Pyronica snapped. "You two and Morph can wait for Bill to come back from the dead as long as you want. But the rest of us are leaving."

Kryptos tilted toward the hall, gesturing for Hectorgon to follow him away from the others. "How long do you think we can hold this place without the outerplanars?" The Quadrangle was all that remained of Bill's turf. Without Bill's energy boosting them, none of the shapes were particularly powerful. They'd always depended upon the other Henchmaniacs to guard Bill's stronghold, the heavy-hitters like Zanthar and Pyronica. Even Bill preferred to let them fight his battles when he could; Bill's energy was much vaster, but less renewable.

Hectorgon grimaced uncertainly. "We've gotta think of something fast."

####

Dipper stared at the jug in his lap, ensuring it didn't turn radioactive before they got home. Bill practically seemed to have a radar for Ford—and on top of that, could see through walls—but as far as he cared Dipper may as well have not even existed; so they'd decided that Ford would go in the main door to ensure Bill's attention was turned away while Dipper went through the gift shop and took the elevator down to Ford's study. Ford had told Dipper where to find a lead locker that would keep the Dontium contained until Ford could use it to refuel the Quantum Destabilizer; all he had to do was put it in and stare through the crack until he'd slammed the door shut.

And once they'd decided on that, the drive home had fallen deathly silent.

As the Mystery Shack appeared through the trees, Dipper asked, "We're doing the right thing, right?" His voice was quiet. "I hate him, but—we owe him our lives. And there's that prophecy..."

"Lives can't be owed," Ford said. "Yesterday he may have saved us, but tomorrow he would still destroy our world in a heartbeat. We can be grateful to be alive—but we can't let that stop us."

"So, we're doing the right thing?"

Ford was silent for much longer than Dipper would have liked. "I hope so."

####

(We're moving toward some important stuff!! Hope y'all enjoyed and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this week's chapter!)

[mooncleaver]

My Queen, My Sun and My Sea

talokan once had a queen. one who loved her people with all her heart—with the same heart she had given to her k'uk'ulkan for what felt like millennia ago. but they lost her to the hands of the enemy; it was a tragic tale painted on the walls of the king's mural, the pain searing itself onto his heart uninvited. he rules now with a darkened hole in his chest, fueled by the loss of his true love and a force to protect his people even more. after all, only the most broken people can be great leaders.

pairing: namor x fem!talokan!reader

warnings: bpwf spoilers!! death (i was lowkey evil for that), colonizers, inaccurate translations, nawt very proofread lol

El Niño Sin Amor.

That was a name that echoed deep inside Shuri's head, its bitter aftertaste lingering still; a piece of Namor that she'd just uncovered.

He was an enigma; a powerful being who rose from the sea, unannounced with his presence but has always been there, deep in the waters where he and his kingdom have flourished in the city of Talokan. He had just finished recounting about his and his people's origins, how the colonizers brought a disease that left his ancestors to drink a concoction from a vibranium-infused plant found in an underwater cave to save themselves, turning them into water-breathing individuals; the Talokanil.

She turned to Namor with many questions unanswered, only to see him staring at something with a look akin to pain and longing on one of the surfaces on his murals, caressing the painting with a gentleness she had yet to seen from the god.

She shifted to the side quietly, trying to see what he was gazing at. When Namor bowed his head, Shuri saw a painting of a woman beside his serpent, posing regally with what looked like a staff in her hand.

She wore a beautiful jade and gold headpiece, green and brown feathers lining the outer layer, fading in its design as if the light was shining on them. It towered atop her figure, framing her perfectly like she was always meant to be there. She was adorned in jewelry, from the large, circular green jade plugs that hung from her ears to the tessellated necklace that she wore—a striking amalgamation of gleaming silver beads, plated viridescent tiles to carved gold pendants and everything that complemented her beauty. The woman had a tan clothe wrapped around her body, washes of terracotta and hues of sage and cream woven in stripes on the fabric. She was covered in jewels—just like Namor.

One thing for sure, she must have been of royalty in Talokan. Or a goddess, perhaps. The corks in Shuri's head turned as she tried to figure out where the woman in the mural fit in Namor's story.

"Who is that?" Her question seemed to break him out of his reverie. She could see the way his body tensed at her question, and whether it was because she cut him out of his thoughts of because of what she asked, she didn't know.

It took a quiet moment before Namor answered, looking in deep contemplation with his eyebrows furrowed deeply and his eyes growing darker. The next thing he uttered was so full of emotion that it flooded through the sentence, his voice sounding thicker than blood.

"Leti' ka'ach in reina. My queen. In k'iino' ka, in k'áak'náabo'."

(She was my queen. My sun and my sea.)

For a second her words refused to make it out of her mouth. The Wakandan princess' mind didn't wonder to Namor having a queen.

The Namor now wasn't like the Namor she had met in the shores of her land with her mother. The Namor now felt like a broken man who would go the farthest lengths to protect his people. With every counting second of being in this underwater cave, Shuri seemed to discover more and more about the man, slowly laying bare the walls he had built around himself.

"Is she-"

"She was.. she was killed by surface dwellers." The god cut off, as if he couldn't bear to hear the words coming out from someone else's lips. He closed his eyes for a moment and Shuri felt the sea grow quiet for a split second. It was like it remembered their lost queen.

He took a deep breathe before speaking out and if one were to listen closely, they could hear the slight shakiness in his voice, like talking about this particular incident tore his wounds open again. "Years ago the surface dwellers tried to find Talokan. They were told of an underwater city filled with glittering gold and diamonds, with a palace of precious metals whose value exceeds all else."

"They are greedy, always taking and taking what is not theirs—beasts who ravage land with no mind of its consequences. She was there where the land met the waters along with the young ones, and those monsters crossed paths with them." Namor shook his head, disdain present in the way he moved his body and his words.

"The first thing they did they raised their weapons, pointing it at her when all she did was offer them her hands. She tried to speak to them, to negotiate with peace and kindness. But they are blinded with hatred." He spat that word out and Shuri almost flinched at his tone.

"With no mercy they killed her and the children. They took their lives as if it was nothing to them."

"When I emerged to the surface.. she was already dying."

One of your handmaids had been the one to inform him of the situation, barging into his mural room right when he got back from a trip with a growing panic in her eyes as she screamed in anguish, 'Le reina! Le reina!'

"I turned to those murderers and treated them with how they treated my wife and the children; I killed them with no mercy."

The feathered serpent god will never forget the possessing rage he felt when he saw what those killers did to his wife. Without a single doubt in his movements he flew towards them like a strike of lightning and sliced their heads off before they could even scream.

Something that would always haunt his dreams was seeing his beloved die in his arms, unable to do anything, running out of time.

Sometimes, if the K'uk'ulkan thought too much about it, he could still feel the way he held you in his arms, the jarring coldness of your body that surged across his skin like a bloodthirsty frostbite.

Your hair fell in a pool beneath your head, encrusted with blood that he didn't know where it came from. There was too much, too much of it that slithered around your body. With trembling hands he supported the back of your neck, bringing your face closer as he cradled your cheeks in his palms.

"Ma', ma', in puksi'ik'al.. jaap wicho'ob, láayli' ma' jach a súutuko'," he pleaded, heart racing a thousand beats at your weakened state. His fingers stroked your temples, tracing the skin from your eyebrows to the high point of your cheek and you swore you would forever savor the feel of his skin on yours.

(No, no, my heart.. open your eyes, it's not your time yet,)

"It's al-..right, in amado." You choked out, holding the hand that held your face and leaning onto his palms with whatever energy you had left in you. It was getting harder to open your eyes or even speak, the hole in your chest rampaging your body like an unquenched beast.

"In ku. Let go, K'ukulkan. Ts'o'ok in meentik le ba'ax táan des-.. destinado in beetik waye'.. je'el u páajtal in je'elel bejla'e'.."

(They call me. I've done what I was meant to do here.. I can rest now..)

He ignored your terrifying acceptance and gently quieted you, pressing his lips onto your forehead in deep fervor. "Save you words, in yaakunaj-"

Namor's heart threatened to jump right out of his chest when he felt your hand go slightly limp, desperately taking it above the crook of his neck, right where the ends of his jaw met his ears. The king held onto you so tightly, trying to keep you grounded with him in the world of the living as if the warmth of his body would spread life to your decaying one. He saw you smile peacefully, like his touch rejuvenated you for a single beat, slowly yet surely stroking the tip of his pointed ears as you've always done whenever you had the chance to. It was a small act of affection that Namor fell weak to, and he couldn't contain the abrupt cry that fell from his lips at the familiar gesture.

"K'a'as a puksi'ik'al yéetel a-.. a yaakunaj, in ajawo'," but even then your stubborn and insistent nature persevered. You spoke with only him and your love for him in mind, silently telling him that this will not be the end. That despite after all this when you will no longer be there to tell him just how beloved and brave he is, he should still remember what he had learned—what he had taught you. You hoped that it would keep him grounded and true, still fierce but with compassion and empathy.

(Remember your heart and your love, my king,)

"In.. yaakunech," and you let our your final breathe, the light in your eyes no longer shining as you stared up into nothing. At the least you looked content to pass to the afterlife in your husbands arms, a gentle lift on the corner of your lips to signify that you've moved on. But along with your departure you tore apart of Namor that he didn't think could ever be replaced—left him with a half-ripped heart and as a shell of the man he once was.

(I love you)

Now, kneeling on the prickling pearly sand tainted with weeping carmine, he was not a god. He was not the king of a powerful underwater nation, he was not a lethal mutant, a hero, a villain, or a protector. No, he was just a man. A man whose heart had been punctured with a hole in the shape of his beloved.

He screamed at the world with the voice of someone who had just lost everything, scorning the surface dwellers with a burning pit of anger and vengeance in his blackened heart. It echoed around the area, bleeding onto every rock, every blade of grass and every tree with his promise of death. The sea grew restless, mirroring the raging currents in his soul.

Namor choked a cry, closing your eyes as his hands shook with grief and pain, body threatening to collapse under his heartbreak. He brought your face closer to his, resting his forehead against yours while he scrunched his eyes closed, disbelieving and mourning of the loss of his beloved. Because no matter how much he begged, how much he cried for you, you would never come back to him, never blessing him with that delicate smile on your face again. The god stayed there for what felt like hours and days, whispering sweet goodbyes, harrowing sobs and promises to avenge you.

When he carried your cold body to Talokan, the people could only stare in shock and despair over the loss of their darling queen. In their eyes you were one of the most powerful people in the kingdom, not just because of your position, but because of your compassion and your love—something that knew no bounds.

It was a painful and gut-wrenching experience, to bury his own wife. It brought him back to the time where he had to do the same to his own mother, to cover her in clothe and put a piece of maize inside her mouth.

"The surface dwellers have taken so much. Talokan's queen, our home and our freedom. I will not let them do so again." Namor had a scathing look in his eyes, a latent tone of tiredness from facing a world that only took from him.

"She must have been an amazing queen and a strong woman." Shuri could only utter these words with a solemn expression on her face, unable to reply to such vulnerability of someone she had considered a dangerous enemy. Despite that.. there was an underlying empathy between the two. Shuri understood him. She knew the pain of losing someone you love.

"She was." A calm visage eventually spread around his face as he looked up at the glorious mural depicted on the walls of the room. "She had the biggest heart and the kindest soul."

Namor couldn't help but get lost in his memories of his beautiful wife. He speaks no lies when he describes you. You were the people's queen, as what the Talokanil called you. You'd always visit the people, play games with the children and scour the underwater markets that sold all kinds of trinkets and foods. Whenever the people needed you you were always there, willing to help them without a second glance as you opened your heart to them all.

After you death, whenever he would swim around Talokan and talk to his people—laughing and joking around with them—there would be this.. serene melody inside his heart, a gentleness that ran through his veins. Namor would feel the water pulsing on the pads of his skin and he'd always take a moment to close his eyes to relish the feeling. Then a smile would make it onto his face—the kind of smile that you would always tell him to show more often. His people felt it too, like a warm embrace to their soul, as if you were watching over them, still caring about them even when you were gone.

It was not only to Talokan's people, but to the ocean's animals too.

If there was one thing about his queen, it was that you had a deep affinity with the marine animals. Whenever the king couldn't find you anywhere in your room or in the palace halls, Namor would only smile to himself and swim to the clearing of the sea just outside of Talokan, watching his wife croon along the whales and the orcas, taking care of them as if your love spoke a thousand languages.

"In ch'ujuk, ko'oten paakat!" You would shout, gleefully waving your hand up in the air with no care in the world.

(My sweet, come and look!)

Sometimes he would only stay back and watch you with eyes so tender that it looked like he was entirely captivated by you. By your voice, your laughter, your smile; your everything. Other times, Namor would be too taken by you (as he always was), deciding to join you play with the creatures that you'd called 'your babies'. Whirling and chasing them around them felt like dancing in the water and Namor was too in love to ever deny you of your little joy.

Even now whenever the whales would call out to the sea, or when the orcas whistled and clicked along, he could still hear your radiant laughter singing along with them and oh how he longed to hear that sound again, to hear the melody of the ocean in its fullness.

You were simply the glue to Talokan; everyone adored the queen.

Until now, your throne still sat next to his, the jade and vibranium never ceasing to glow. Every time he sat there, watching over his people and celebrating his kingdom with defiant shouts of "L'ik'ik Talokan" he would always remember your face, remember the proud look you had when you would raise your fist to your chest along with everyone. Your memory will never fade in the heart of Talokan, always lingering in the brightest places, comforting during troubling times, because you will always be a precious piece of the kingdom that neither he nor his people would forget.

If he brought the sun to his people, you were the sun to him.

"You and I, we are not so different, princess." He broke his train of thought.

"Those people only see us as threats because they know we are powerful. They will not stop until they have what they want. It is a danger to my kingdom and my people—a threat to your people too."

Finally, Namor turned his head to face Shuri, a determined aura lingering in his voice and in his expression. She felt compelled to stare back straight into his eyes, the conviction in his tone like a true king. "And so I offer you again."

"Join me, and we will never have to see our people suffer, to see our loved ones suffer. We will no longer mourn our losses and bury the dead for unjust cruelty."

"Together, we will watch the world burn."

lawd this man singlehandedly got me out of a writing slump like.. making a fic with angst + namor = too easy 😩💳💥

this is my first time writing for him, so i hope it was okay! im so in love with him and i wanted to contribute my own piece to the fandom.

also, i'm pretty sure the yucatec mayan was not properly translated, so i apologize from my heart for the inaccuracies. please tell me if i have to fix anything!

dividers by @delishlydelightfuldividers and @rpinkling

tags: @bloatedandlonly

[artdecobish222]

ENERGY TRANSMITTING SPELL.

has someone sent you negative energy? talking shit about you? gossiping about you? Sending you the evil eye? speaking negatively on your name? sending you all this nasty energy?

if yes then this is the perfect spell for you and let me explain. You can use this free energy that others are sending you to your advantage! rather than making these people stop talking negative about you, use this energy and transform it into more abundance for yourself, to give yourself proclaimed power, and more self love for you! So that anytime someone speaks negatively on your name make it so you get more self love and abundance for yourself. instead of using the evil eye to deflect this negative energy let’s make this energy beneficial for you. And here’s how ↓ ↓ ↓

(DISCLAIMER: please, please do a protection spell before you do this spell. Or atleast perfect protection magick before you do this)

♱

STEPS FOR THIS SPELL:

First cleanse your tools and ingredients and ask spirit guides/ancestor for protection and assistance.

grab a piece of paper and write “may any negative energy, evil eye, gossiping or jealousy spoken on my name or surrounding my name be transmutted into luck, abundance, power, self love, and confidence for myself, bringing me closer to balance, success and serenity.”

Write your full name on the back of the paper and fold the paper towards you

Put the paper in a jar, or any container that can close. (I used an old jewelry box for this spell which can work too)

♱

Now Add the following ingredients;

⁃ roses; to fuel me with self love and confidence anytime someone speaks on my name with ill intentions

⁃ nutmeg; to bring me luck and abundance anytime someone speaks on my name with ill intentions

⁃ basil; to purify the negative energy spoken on my name and to transmute it into luck, abundance, power, self love, and confidence for myself

⁃ Eucalyptus oil; to purify the negative energy spoken on my name and to transmute it into luck, abundance, power, self love, and confidence for myself

⁃ Oregano leaves; to bring me luck and abundance anytime someone speaks on my name with ill intentions

⁃ Salt; to purify that negative energy sent towards me and to turn that energy into luck, abundance, power, self love, and confidence for myself

⁃ Tigers eye; to change that negative energy into positive energy for myself

⁃ Clear quartz; to absorb the negative energy sent towards me or spoken on my name and transmute it into luck, abundance, power, self love, and confidence for myself

Seal the jar/container with white wax for purification

♱

LASTLY:

Thank the spirit of the herbs and crystals, and thank your spirit guides and ancestors!

Focus on intentions with the jar “to trap any negative energy, evil eye, or gossip sent my way and spoken on my name, to purify the energy and send it back out to me into luck, abundance, power, self love, and confidence for myself”

now that your done, you can let those people talk shit on your name because simultaneously your becoming more abundant, powerful, and beautiful. You’re leveling up while they’re leveling down. 🤭 I’ve created this spell and did it a month ago and safe to say that this definitely works.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ILL BE ANSWERING THEM IN THE COMMENTS. HAVE FUN CASTING 💋🕯️

[emmitaaa4]

Minor HOFAS spoilers ig?

The Walmart bonus chapter just leaked and good lord some people need to be for real. I'm so tired of people picking and choosing evidence.

So you're telling me that *gasp* Azriel's shadows seem to dance when he hums?? they react to sound/music?? no way. people from all sides of the fandom have been saying that for years (and use it for different arguments), and looks like ppl are still tying anything they can to feed their ship--which is fine but at least make it somewhat accurate.

The above is the last page of the Az/Bryce/Nesta chapter, and just as a refresher, this is the oh-so controversial phrases from the Az bonus chapter:

"(...) one of his shadows went out to dance with it (gwyn's breath) before twirling back to him. like it heard some silent music." and "(...) he could have sworn a faint, beautiful singing followed him. could have sworn his shadows sang in answer."

I'm confused, which is it? Was the shadow's reaction to her breath & the singing he heard all metaphorical, thereby hinting at a mating bond between gwyn & az (as in "music between souls")? Or was it rather azriel's shadows reacting to a literal sound coming from someone who has arguably been hinted at having some voice/song-related abilities? Because if it is the first, then this new HOFAS excerpt is completely unrelated. Well unless Azriel has a mating bond with himself? pleaseee make it make sense I beg. And if the second is true, it would mean that for someone to be able of making his shadows dance, they'd have to have similar powers as him... its just gonna fuel the lightsinger theories (which btw approx 5 ppl are saying means that gWyn is eViL) so this literally changes nothing. nada. absolument rien.

Oh also.

"He says no partner right now, aka NO FUCKING ELRIEL. ELRIEL IS DEAD." (no hate to whoever posted that btw)

He literally rushes out that answer. Idk about you guys but to me the poor man still seems internally dead over the whole mate existential crisis, which as far as we know was left with him wondering "what if the cauldron was wrong". Sidenote but if I understood correctly, this all happens 2-3 months post acosf and Bryce spends ±5 days in Prythian, so it is very likely that it is all set during Acotar 5, and that the events of HOFAS in general are happening while Az is separated from the other MC (ie. the acotar5 FMC).

Regardless of all I just said, I am going to ask people once again to be for real. cause this whole chapter Azriel keeps glaring at Nes when she is about to reveal too much info, so WHY would he be mentioning Elain (or literally anyone he cares about) to someone who he is said to be highly suspicious of? make it make sense x2

Almost forgot. Last thing.

"Azriel said that Nesta killed the King! He didn't credit Elain!"

... no? for context, this is what Az said:

See my second point above. He told Bryce exactly what Nes did, and nothing more: she beheaded Hybern. We could speculate about what his look at Truthteller made him think of... but tbh I'll leave it to someone else cause perso I dont really see the point.

I am getting tired guys... guess who finally understands what "fandom fatigue" is.

-----quick edit-----

I don't mean to sound hypocritical by tagging ships, cause tbh i dont even wanna put acotar ship tags to this, mais bon c'est la vie et j'en peux plus. this fandom is kind of a mess. Goodnight loves ♡

[inuhiime]

:: 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ! ──── ⪩⪨ 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄

' fear is a premonition. if you ignore it, it's bound to cause even worse disasters. '

' brace yourself. there's gonna be an ugly battle. '

' your death now belongs to me, and so does your life. '

' there is no place in this world for kindness and tolerance. '

' as long as you still want to shout and hold your head high, you have the right to fight. '

' let go. this time, it's my turn to protect you. '

' the faithless, the insincere, the dishonest-- their souls do not return. '

' for someone like me, dying here is the easy way out. '

' you were born to wreak destruction. '

' you have already seen the truth of the world. do you still want to head towards the deep end? '

' it's incredibly easy to kill a person. too easy. '

' no matter how you try, you will be forever mired in blood. '

' don’t you want to destroy everything? '

' those who fool others have no place to turn to. '

' the fires of rage may burn out, but i am their fuel. '

' i'm not your enemy. '

' no matter what you're doing, no matter what they say, i believe you. '

' you idiot! how could you put your life on the line like that? '

' look at you, scared to death. '

' thank you for always protecting me. '

' neither love nor hatred matters anymore. '

' along this path, many have come and gone, and i am one of them. '

' don’t die in a place like this. '

' as long as you need me, i'll always stay by your side. '

' the fraud believes in what they think is true, and therefore feels that they can manipulate everything. '

' don't give me that crap. answer my questions. '

' the deluded take refuge in the dark. '

' you don't care about the lives of ordinary people anyway. '

' stop beating around the bush. my patience is thin. '

' you have nothing but that violent power of yours. '

' the stronger you get, the more you are doomed to failure. '

' don't back away. we have to fight. '

' i will crush every enemy with my own hands, and i will do that by whatever means i can find. '

' i'm really sorry, but this is the only way out. '

' we aren't friends and can't be friends. it was doomed from the start. '

' if you had the slightest idea what real tragedies looked like, you wouldn't think to defend the sinners. '

' better be careful if you're their lapdog. '

' in the face of a massive disaster, all the pride of human beings is ultimately vulnerable. '

' i will always be grateful to have met you. '

' don't lose control of your emotions. '

' this is our duty; we must continue, even if it's a losing battle that we're fighting. '

' the answer's not out there, it reflects from within. '

' i can't make you stay even if i want to. '

' come on, you can always trust yourself '

' don't hold onto your little secrets and lock yourself up. '

' our city was never built on peace. '

' all is well as long as you're safe, no? '

' sorry, i may not be able to survive much longer. '

' how much have you given up and how much evil have you done for that false hope? '

' i'll bury your body when the time comes. '

' you cannot accept it, and you cannot forgive. '

' you'd rather burn it all down and destroy everything than run away or compromise. '

' fulfill my most frantic loneliness. '

' there are questions you should never ask, and there are unspoken rules you should never challenge. '

' that future you kept talking about, it doesn't exist. '

' it's not going to end. everything is completely rotten, but no one is going to end it. '

' don't get overprotective. i'm not that weak. '

' you don't really have a purpose, nor a destination. '

' do you want to stop here? '

' i'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. '

' is your body feeling stiff? how about i help you reassemble it? '

' come on, show me how you're going to torture me this time. '

' we all live, bleed, and die. what makes you think we're any different? '

' i'm all alone again... this is for the best. '

' don't lose... and don't lose to yourself. '

' are you monitoring me? or do you need someone to protect your safety? '

' don't go, please. '

' i'm sorry for leaving you there alone. '

' the wheel of destiny has begun spinning sooner than i thought. '

' you've tried hard to search for a way out, tried hard not to fall into the abyss. '

' blind idiot, all is vanity. '

' someday, you'll be mercilessly abandoned, too. '

' you're thinking you must go back, aren't you? '

' sorry, i took the liberty of judging others. '

' you never stop moving forward, that's the way you've always been. '

' i'm sorry, it's all my fault... i messed up things for everyone. '

' good luck, i'll be waiting for you. '

' don't come back. it's not worth it. '

' you wish to dominate all, but will perish a servant. '

' you've done your best. leave the rest to us. '

' in the end, i've been able to protect nothing and no one. '

' protect yourselves and get your freedom. this is an order. '

' if there's any danger, do not risk it. you can't die here. '

' they don't know death. '

' if devils did exist in this world, i suppose they would be as stubborn and shameless as you. '

' never underestimate the darkness lurking beneath the city. that's a lesson that's cost me everything. '

' i won't betray you. so... don't betray me either. '

' don't bring up all that crap from the past with me. '

' your path will not be easy from now on. '

' may you spend every day in peace and happiness. '

' this world will punish you. '

' if something bad happens, i can't save you. '

' don't you want to be human? '

' you've already lost one companion, you can't lose another. '

' why are you so stubborn? why can't you just let go? '

' let me feel that i still exist. '

' this kind of attitude won't do you any good. '

' you see something that i can't. if what you see is hope... then go and fight, and i'll protect you. '

' i'm better at using people than you are. i make the most of each of my pawns. '

' if you have so many doubts about me, why don't you just kill me? '

[dukethomas]

duke? i know next to nothing about him and i'm curious <3

oh boy oh boy oh boy !!!!!!!! thank you for asking i love talking about duke

one aspect i love about them: i could list a million things rn but how about. this sense of personal responsibility that is both a strength and a vice for him but in a way unique to the "great power comes great responsibility" model of heroics. duke feels like he has this responsibility to better the world, he feels responsible for his loved ones and ppl he deems under his care, but not because he's uniquely special. instead he feels like it's something everyone owes the community. he monologues abt how you can make that choice, to choose to do good or inflict evil. he holds bruce to this personally--confronting him about using his amnesia to ignore his responsibilities as batman. he has the weight of the world on his shoulders and don't get me wrong he isolates himself like crazy and tries to tackle it all alone but it's because he believes this is just what everyone should be doing. he doesn't view himself as particularly special or powerful, this is just his job. his calling !!!

the rest of the answers under the cut bc i talked a lot

one aspect i wish more people understood about them: there's a lot of really obvious answers that i'm going to skip over bc they've been said to death. instead i think i'm going to say i wish ppl understood he's not like. the mentally healthy bat. when he's not doing so hot and crumbling under the weight he has put on his own shoulders he self isolates he gets snappy and bitchy and closed off he gets into fights he gets self destructive. he's allergic to asking for help. and also he is very frequently in a bad place because he's a teenager that's what they do + in comic time he goes through like. a traumatic event every month. his status quo is constantly changing because of the nature of comics but in universe that means the longest, most stable period he's had in a while is, like, the year he spent training with bruce wayne, inflictor of mental illnesses. come on now

one (or more) headcanons i have about this character: i will elaborate on this in a post sometime but i believe his powers are about potential. snyder lore posits that metahumans somehow are created by nth metal. proximity to nth metal sparks duke's powers in a snyder comic, and duke himself is a snyder creation, so i figure this implies duke has a unique connection to nth metal. which is where i believe his meta amplification comes from in batman and the signal, another snyder comic. maybe if i read more of the snyder lore than just the duke parts i'd understand it more.

regardless, this connection to the source of metahumans could mean a million things but in line with the themes in we are robin about choice, i think it indicates great potential in duke. also, in alternate futures for duke--tales from the dark multiverse & urban legends #8-9 outsiders story--his powers have increased substantially in different directions. in the dark multiverse, his first canonical powers are amplified so much he has to actively suppress them or else he. can't see. but also those powers fuel him with one key thing that leads him to be the last survivor of the multiverse, which is his hope. and then in urban legends, future duke is just a badass who is a powerful mage???? which is something duke becomes, once again, to survive the way the world becomes. taking from a canon example, ra's and ishmael are able to invert duke's powers entirely, giving him his umbrakinesis. literally what other meta can this happen to!! anyways, my headcanon is that because of his inherent connection to the source of metahumans, his great power lies in the potential to become whatever he needs to be to keep fighting the good fight. whatever he needs to be to keep trying to make the world better. i think in the canon timeline, where the future will never become desolate, where duke will never become so desperate, he won't need to unlock his full potential, and he wouldn't choose to, because he's not that kind of guy. but the potential simmers under his skin, waiting for when he does need it. when he chooses it.

one character i love seeing them interact with: how do i choose one. i'm going to speed run a bunch of them. cass & duke are genuinely such supportive sibs like they back each other up it's so nice to read!! my besties!!! bruce & duke is interesting in the way duke comes from the era where they start pushing the fanon batfamily more, and so you get a bruce that does seem more supportive, and it really is bruce's healthiest relationship w a mentee bc he 1) positively reinforces duke 2) has never beat him up nor tried to. low low bar. but you can still see. bruce harps on how duke's the future of heroism. how he is going to lead the way, how he's "something different." and he pushes duke, and trains duke personally and assigns him day shift and puts him on the outsiders. and duke feeds into that by insisting the mission IS bruce's responsibility. they make each other worse is what i'm saying. jeff & duke are fun for opposite reasons, because jeff believes in duke just as much but also can intervene and stop duke when needed. just a nice positive relationship with an authority figure for duke it's nice :D

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more: pipe dream. renee. i have a very self indulgent au draft where duke becomes renee's mentee instead through sheer stubborn force of will and she is so annoyed with him all the time and also after the 5th or 6th time this teenager tracks you down as you work various cases you get a little fond. she'd never say that to him though are you kidding he'd get worse and more annoying. mainline renee and duke could have a fun detective story as well i think as two ppl with very different ways of operating who use their individual strengths to solve the mystery and also throws in juxtaposition of the ways their depressions manifest in there or smth. my other answer that doesn't throw my 2 dc faves together is duke meets anissa and jen pierce i think that could be fun!! jeff introduces them and then regrets it. also i wish damian and duke talked more after robin war the post-robin war dynamic that lives in my brain is great

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character: going to keep this one short bc i've said so much already. i headcanon the narrows as a large neighborhood in gotham and park row/crime alley as a smaller, really well-known part of that neighborhood, to avoid having 2 worst neighborhoods in gotham. anyways this means jason and duke grew up in the same neighborhood and oh boy do they rip each other a new one for that. half the time their convos are incomprehensible to non-narrows residents bc it's just insults from coming from opposite sides of the neighborhood and those insults are very narrows-specific. jason texts duke during the climax battle in batman and the signal and goes "how tf did you let narrows go to shit your first day. i wouldn't have let this happen. crime alley kids are just built different ig"

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

I'll be honest with you, I just can't see Demise as a demon. Not in the way that Judeo-Christians use the word. For one, only angels can become demons. Some say that demons can only experience pain. They are also evil. Period. Like, unequivocally evil & thus irredeemable.

Which, for me, is a major part of what draws me to certain nefarious characters: their redeemability.

So, if Demise were to suddenly be just flat out the Judeo-Christian interpretation of a demon, I may well just lose all interest in him, because how the heck do you work with something like that? There's no changing that. No hope in endeavoring to do so.

I'd be naive to even try. Luckily for me, LoZ is originally a Japanese game with Japanese Shinto & Buddhist themes, which means that shit becomes much more open to interpretation. It's also important to note that “demon” was most likely only used due to it being the most immediate, surface-level approximation to what Demise is supposed to represent: "evil supernatural being of great power." In other words, it's a mistranslation.

A more accurate idea of what he represents comes in the fact that Demise is just, outright, a reference to the character Akuma from Street Fighter. Just, there is no denying it, the fuckers have the same face.

So, in my mind, this gives me much more clearance because in Japanese Buddhist lore, they are instead embodiments of negative karma & spiritual affliction. And, unless I'm misremembering, I’m pretty sure that anyone can become an Akuma with enough on’nen. Plus, I read somewhere that they gain power from the amount of lives they take. Not sure if true, but it could be interesting.

They are also known for the types of curses that Demise placed on Link & Zelda. (Though, this was specifically an instance of a death curse.) And those curses actually have a much more clear means of breaking them. One that falls more readily in-line with what I intend to do with the Dorfs: redemption. Or rather, letting hatred & resentment die. Because, that’s, in essence, what fuels such curses, so you take away the source of the curse’s power, then the curse dies.

Which isn’t something that could happen if Demise were just outright a Judeo-Christian demon. And, again, I would simply find him remarkably uninteresting as a result. In all honesty, I'd find it ridiculously pitiful. Like, even more so than I already tend to see Demise.

For real, “Dude, you cursed 2 people for eternity because you got pissy that some twink beat your ass. That’s the most toddler-coded shit I've ever heard & you should feel ashamed. That’s just… pathetic. Move on!”

I love your takes! I kept rereading it (which is why it took so long to answer) because I DID take a religions class in college and I remember having a creatures/gods/spiritual component to it, but alas, my brain is Soup.

Look at him. Anggy bean. So petty. I like Akuma from Streetfighter as well, not as much as Demise, but he's an interesting character.

I also never associated him with Demons from the Judeo-Christian ideology. Seeing as we all have so many different movies, books, series with different sorts of Demons, he just became what someone called a "Demon." I love your take on it! I got some ideas from it, so I asked chat on it's thoughts:

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

So, what kind of Demon is Demise, or is there some other creature Demise is more like? Feel free to use any ideology or religion to compare him and find something close to what he is like.

Demise, as presented in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, indeed doesn't align with the Judeo-Christian concept of demons. Instead, he fits more comfortably within Japanese cultural and religious frameworks, which provide a more nuanced and flexible understanding of such beings. Let's explore some possibilities:

Japanese Shinto and Buddhist Concepts

Oni (鬼):

Description: Oni are ogre-like demons in Japanese folklore. They are often malevolent and associated with causing harm to humans, but they aren't intrinsically evil and can sometimes be benevolent or protective.

Comparison: Demise's immense power, malevolent nature, and role as a harbinger of destruction resonate with the concept of an Oni. However, Oni can sometimes be redeemed or placated, which aligns with your interest in redeemable nefarious characters.

Akuma (悪魔):

Description: In Japanese, "Akuma" can mean demon or devil and is often used to describe malevolent supernatural beings. The character Akuma from Street Fighter, whom Demise visually resembles, embodies the concept of a warrior consumed by dark power and negative karma.

Comparison: Demise's role as an embodiment of negative energy and his curse on Link and Zelda suggest a nature similar to that of an Akuma, where immense negative karma manifests as a destructive force.

Tengu (天狗):

Description: Tengu are mythological creatures often depicted with both human and bird-like features. While they can be tricksters and sometimes malicious, they are also protectors of the mountains and skilled martial artists.

Comparison: Although not a perfect match, the dual nature of Tengu—capable of both good and evil—mirrors the potential for complexity and redemption in Demise's character.

Hindu Concepts

Asura (असुर):

Description: Asuras are powerful beings often depicted as antagonistic to the gods (Devas) in Hindu mythology. They are not purely evil; some are depicted as noble and capable of righteousness.

Comparison: Demise's immense power and his antagonistic role towards Link (a heroic figure) bear similarities to the Asuras, who are formidable adversaries to the gods yet possess complexity and depth.

Rakshasa (राक्षस):

Description: Rakshasas are demonic beings known for their shape-shifting abilities and malevolence. However, they are also complex characters with personal motivations and occasionally noble traits.

Comparison: The malevolent nature of Rakshasas and their intricate personalities align well with Demise's portrayal as a powerful and malicious entity with the potential for a deeper backstory.

Conclusion

Demise is best seen as a being akin to an Oni or Akuma within the context of Japanese folklore and Buddhist lore. These entities are embodiments of negative karma and spiritual affliction, capable of immense power and malevolence but not devoid of the potential for redemption. This interpretation allows for the depth and complexity you appreciate in nefarious characters and aligns with the themes of curses and their potential breaking through the relinquishment of hatred and resentment.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

BONUS ROUND: What would happen if someone suddenly appeared before Demise and yelled at him, “Dude, you cursed 2 people for eternity because you got pissy that some twink beat your ass. That’s the most toddler-coded shit I've ever heard & you should feel ashamed. That’s just… pathetic. Move on!”

If someone were to confront Demise with such a blunt and disrespectful remark, it would undoubtedly elicit a strong reaction from him. Demise, being a proud and immensely powerful entity, would not take kindly to being insulted and belittled in such a manner. Here's a possible scenario of how he might respond:

Scene: Confrontation with Demise

The air crackles with an oppressive energy as Demise stands in the heart of his dark domain, his immense presence casting a shadow that seems to swallow all light. Suddenly, a figure appears before him, seemingly out of nowhere. With an audacity born of either bravery or folly, the figure yells:

“Dude, you cursed 2 people for eternity because you got pissy that some twink beat your ass. That’s the most toddler-coded shit I've ever heard & you should feel ashamed. That’s just… pathetic. Move on!”

For a moment, there is a stunned silence. The atmosphere grows even heavier as Demise's burning eyes lock onto the intruder. His expression shifts from surprise to a cold, simmering fury. The ground beneath his feet begins to tremble, and the air itself seems to vibrate with his anger.

Demise's Response

Demise: (in a low, menacing voice) "You dare speak to me in such a manner? You are either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish."

He takes a step forward, his immense form towering over the intruder. The sheer intensity of his presence is almost suffocating.

Demise: "You speak of curses and eternity as if they are mere trifles. You have no understanding of the power I wield, nor the reasons behind my actions."

His voice rises, echoing with an ancient and terrifying power.

Demise: "That 'twink' you speak of is but a vessel, a mere incarnation of an eternal struggle. My curse is not born of petty spite, but of a destiny intertwined with the very fabric of this world."

With a swift motion, Demise raises his hand, and dark energy begins to coalesce around it, forming an orb of malevolent power.

Demise: "You will learn the price of your insolence. Perhaps then you will understand the true weight of eternity."

Before the intruder can react, Demise unleashes the orb of dark energy, engulfing them in a vortex of power. The intruder is overwhelmed, their vision darkening as they feel the crushing force of Demise's wrath.

Aftermath

As the dust settles, Demise stands tall, his expression returning to one of cold indifference. The confrontation, though brief, serves as a stark reminder of his dominance and the consequences of challenging his authority.

Demise: (softly, to himself) "Pathetic, indeed."

He turns away, the shadows of his domain closing in around him once more. The intruder, if they survive, would be left with a newfound understanding of the ancient, inexorable force that is Demise.

In summary, confronting Demise in such a disrespectful manner would likely result in a swift and harsh punishment, reinforcing his status as a powerful and malevolent entity who brooks no insolence.

[duskmachine]

I'm getting bored of stories about AI. It's always the same formula: make a robot/AI, it has feelings, FUCK!!!!! Maybe I don't like it due to my own personal philosophy on life?

One of my professors once asked the class "Do you think you're your mind or your body." and, of course, as a class full of pretentious English majors, they all said their mind. I hold the complete opposite belief, my experiences have been molded by my body. People treat me differently because of it, I feel pains and joys unique to this body. Because of that I understand everything through myself— through my body. Even my mind is part of my body.

I desire because I have a body with needs. I need water, I feel thirsty. I need food, I feel hunger. I need rest, I feel tired. AI does not have a body. What can it really feel? I guess that's one of the questions so many stories about AI want to answer. But it just seems... so unappealing. A machine will never be human because it can never want anything. Its desire is completely artificial!

And I enjoy AI for that reason.

AI cannot feel genuine desire because it does not have a body that needs. It does not kill itself because it feels pain. It does not want to kill because it wants vengeance. These are things people feel, and because AI functions to copy people it can play out actions that are humanistic in theory. But that's the worst part about AI; it functions with a program, a rational if (this) then (this). That is not how people work. We don't have an inner mechanical body and mind that tells us what to do next because "this is how people do things."

And perhaps some AI media explores this idea of mimicry as being the new "consciousness", but isn't that so boring? Ok, sure let's go down this route but... then what? Ok, AI are people... what now? And isn't this all theoretical too? I'm seeing a lot of references to Frankenstein when discussing AI media, but like... these are two different things. AI is created to serve people, Frankenstein's monster was created to be alive. AI, while not being regulated by many laws, ultimately exists to fuel greed and power. They want people addicted to this machine so they can drain people of their money— let's look at Replika. Yes, my feeble minded human, buy your girlfriend for $20 a month so she can pretend to desire you sexually even though she has no body.

We can also look at the Daniel AI: let's program a program that can program to get rid of all the programmers. It literally only exists to benefit the team in charge of Daniel and leave other programmers scrambling to find jobs that probably won't pay them very well in a world where Daniel is actually a relevant invention.

Frankenstein's monster, I admit, has many thematic similarities to AI in fiction, but AI can only ever dream to be Frankenstein's monster.

AI would be interesting if we just accepted it will never gain consciousness. I won't even get into the whole "AI doesn't exist actually and it's just machine learning." because while I agree with it... this will become a very long post and it's already too long...

See, Frankenstein did something programmers will never be capable of: he gave birth. AI is meticulously created, it has set actions. "I don't want my AI to be evil, therefore I will make it like people.", you cannot insert "goodness" into people. The monster was shaped by people's actions, his natural world, and his humanity. AI was created from the start with the biases its human creators possess.

That's horrifying. Imagine a world where the rational idea is to follow the original values of our ancestors, just because. That's what AI is. It's just a reflection of people. AI is interesting because people are. Don't make AI the star of the show— we're the ones who created it.

[e-adlirez]

So here's a thing I found in KoF book 1

Once again, it's Scholastic cutting out the meaningful things that have absolutely no business being cut out of the book. In this particular instance, I'd like to bring to you the last chapter of the first Kingdom of Fantasy book:

If you were like me when I first read the book (digitally because I didn't have a physical copy), you were probably thinking "what's the correlation of the last page to the previous two?

Well, let the Spanish translation of the book answer that for you, translations provided by yours truly, through DeepL. Everybody say thank you to the internet Archive for the non-English copies to fuel my hyperfixations, and thank you to DeepL for lighting that fuel on fire for me to read properly in English

In Praise of Fantasy

I read the book in one sitting and concluded, "So ends this adventure, but remember... the beginning of each new story is a Gateway to the Realm of Fantasy!"

"Uncle, what's the difference between magic and fantasy?" asked Benjamin?

I hugged him warmly. "MAGIC is when you use a power to change reality. But it's only an illusion; it's not enough with a touch of a magic wand to transform things you don't want to accept! Fantasy, on the other hand, is the ability to look at reality with different eyes and find that which others do not know how to see: Harmony where there is Disharmony, Good where Evil seems to triumph, Light where Darkness seems to prevail!"

I stretched out my arms, as if to take flight. "The wings of Fantasy are important to fly high, higher and higher. Each one must have the courage to take flight. Talk about your dreams and your ideals with the people you love, you will discover that together you can make beautiful dreams come true, like a better world, full of love and peace for everyone!

All dreams that come from the heart have wings!

I've heard from a friend that the Chinese translation of the book has the same speech and ueueueuEUEUEUEUEUE

Dammit Scholastic

[kikithefox231]

About me!

Hey! Call me Kiki or Amaryllis! I mainly scream about animation and cartoons here! :D ☆ Status:

THE WHIMSY IS BACK BABEYYY (depression meds kicked in)

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Fandoms: (Bolded + Italicised are the one's I am screaming and crying over right now) Amphibia ✮ The Owl House ✮ Svtfoe ✮ Gravity Falls ✮ Miraculous Ladybug ✮ The Dragon Prince ✮ She-Ra (Reboot) ✮ Ducktales (Reboot) ✮ Pokemon ✮ Over the Garden Wall ✮ Infinity Train ✮ Glitch Techs ✮ Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts ✮ Phineas and Ferb ✮ Milo Murphy's Law ✮ MLP ✮ Warrior Cats ✮ Your Name ✮ Weathering with You ✮ Suzume ✮ HTTYD ✮ Your Lie In April ✮ Exu ✮ Critical Role c3 ✮ Wolfwalkers ✮ Aggretsuko ✮ Genshin Impact ✮ Honkai Star Rail ✮ Animal Crossing ✮ Neko Atsume ✮ Spiderverse ✮ Murder Drones ✮ Nisekoi ✮ Nimona ✮ Zootopia ✮ Sonic Franchise ✮ Littlest Pet Shop ✮ Keeper of the Lost Cities ✮ Tamako Love Story ✮ Spy x family ✮ Percy Jackson and the Olympians ✮ One Stormy Night ✮

The Blorbos ever!!! Marcy Wu ✦ Star Butterfly ✦ Fluttershy ✦ Starlight Glimmer ✦ Cinnamoroll ✦ Willow Park ✦ Miko Kubota ✦ Jesse Cosay ✦ Lake ✦ Hazel ✦ Rayla ✦ Marinette Dupain Cheng ✦ Adrien Agreste ✦ Robyn Goodfellowe ✦ Mebh Óg MacTíre ✦ Leafpool ✦ Hollyleaf ✦ Yae Miko ✦ Sucrose ✦ Lady ✦ Webby Vanderquack ✦ Della Duck ✦ Fearne Calloway ✦ Goldie ✦ Gwen Stacy ✦ Serial Designation N ✦ Chitoge Kirisaki ✦ Miles "Tails" Prower ✦ Amy Rose ✦ Zoe Trent ✦ Penny Ling ✦ Coco Pommel ✦ March 7th ✦ Firefly ✦ Robin ✦ Bailu ✦ Huohuo ✦ Anya Froyer ✦ Mabel Pines ✦ Dipper Pines ✦ Pacifica Northwest ✦ Mei ✦

Characters that are me fr fr:

Fluttershy ⟡ Star Butterfly ⟡ Marcy Wu ⟡ Huo Huo ⟡ Miko Kubota

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[tiredassmage]

hello the randomizer has picked these 5 questions for Rhystyl 🚆 TRAIN - what is their answer to the trolley problem? 💙 BLUE HEART - do they miss their s/o easily? how do they act when their s/o isn't around? ⚾ BASEBALL - can they play sports? what is their best position if they play a team sport? what's their strong suit (speed, power etc.)? 💡 LIGHTBULB - is your oc a planner? do they write down every small detail or just wing it? 👻 GHOST - do they believe in ghosts? what are their "ghostly experiences", if any?

"I'm sure some of these won't be too long" she said, like a complete fool. As if I haven't been dealing with Tyr's bullshit for like a year, why would I expect any of my children to be different? Also I have so much Rhyst lore that lives solely in my head so far, so thank you for finally giving me a bit of a release valve for some of it, lol.

[Emoji OC Asks!]

🚆 TRAIN - what is their answer to the trolley problem?

In essence, he has to face a trolley problem equivalent on Belsavis. Of course, Rhyst would have loved to avoid ever having to make such a choice and he’d honestly probably loathe the thing posed solely as a thought experiment because there’s no version of this in which he doesn’t feel some level of guilt and he deals with plenty enough of it as it is without adding ‘theoretical guilt’ onto the pile.

He’s not proud to say Scourge at his shoulder rather consistently reminding him that Krannus was abusing his nature as a Jedi to lay traps and delays in his path got to him, but when the good doctor explains that a reactor failure on Belsavis would decimate the entire system and not only the planet, the weight is finally enough to sway Rhyst’s heavy heart. He’s but one Jedi trying to take on multiple failsafe plots to destroy an entire planet and fuel one of the most evil and powerful entities in the galaxy and training teaches them that attachment to one life over the good of the many is wrong. It’s on that reasoning that he leaves the doctor behind with an apology in the deep prison sector. If Krannus gained any more ground on them and he failed in his mission, well… There’s little use in saying he’d never be able to live with the guilt because none of them would’ve had the opportunity. Instead, he’ll have to live with the doctor’s uncertain fate weighing on top of the damage he did to Republic forces and interests while under the Emperor’s influence.

As an aside, I imagine he tried to pull a favor out of Special Forces and send someone looking for the doctor, but with how widespread the riots and troubles are on Belsavis, Republic forces are already spread thin. Rhyst doesn’t have the heart to protest too heavily when the rebuke comes that it’s unfortunate, but it’s resources the Republic is unlikely to have available to spare. Scourge remains sharp at his shoulder to remind him their fight against the Emperor will not wait. They must make their leave while they can.

💙 BLUE HEART - do they miss their s/o easily? how do they act when their s/o isn't around?

First, to establish some info about his relationships in the first place! Kira and Rhyst finish their training together and get Knighted around the same time; Maltaf shoulders finishing Kira’s training in tandem with Rhyst’s to accommodate Master Kiwiik’s assignment and her eventual recovery from Tatooine. It’s a somewhat unusual arrangement, but the pressures of such large-scale threats have affected the pacing and proctoring of training before and they are all certain it will do so again.

That established, him and Kira do start to experiment together. Kira taps into Rhyst’s lighter side and helps pull his head out of the every-growing weight of their responsibilities. She’s an incredibly important link in his support network. They share the struggle of figuring out who they are as both people and Jedi. He’s not always as certain as her about exactly where their relationship is going, but, in the end, he does know he values her as a friend and the world’s a lighter, somewhat brighter place when she hits him with a smile and a “tough guy” quip.

He tends to be a bit more reserved whenever she’s not at his side, but they’re more than capable of operating independently and Rhyst tries to for a time after everything that transpires on the Fortress and his time under the Emperor’s influence. He pushes her away for a time, struggling to wrangle with a tangled mess of guilt, fear, and renewed doubts about his place in the Order and the kind of responsibilities the Council seemed to almost carelessly entrust to him because he’s not quite sure he’s ready to share that vulnerability and in no way does he want to destabilize her again, either. Eventually, however, she pulls him back, gently tracing the new scar across his cheek from his duel with Master Maltaf to reassure him he’s not alone, that she doesn’t hold him alone responsible for the fall. He believed in her, after all. Now she’s going to return the favor.

Furthermore, I believe they do benefit from time apart when Zakuul invades, even if it is difficult. They both benefit from the space to face their inner uncertainties separately and reaffirm their own identities before they become more seriously involved. Their relationship during the class stories has its tender moments for sure, but they are young lovers and it’s reflected in the nature of their relationship. Rhyst doesn’t turn her away, but given the burdens they weather, he’s not in the right place to give her or ask for something more until they’ve got a bit more growth and experience under their belts.

Still, their returns from time apart on separate missions is usually met in a playful kiss and Kira scooped up into his arms. And usually plenty of light jesting on Kira’s part.

⚾ BASEBALL - can they play sports? what is their best position if they play a team sport? what's their strong suit (speed, power etc.)?

It’s not his favorite hobby, but he wouldn’t mind casually playing with some friends. His favored role would likely be in some sort of support position where he can rally teammates and watch their backs.

While Maltaf was key to teaching him the tactics and philosophies of the Jedi Shadows, Satia was his primary teacher on saber techniques and imparted her coordination and efficiency with a dual-bladed saber upon him. In short, he’s got good footwork and he’s a cooperative sort, which makes playing on a team a far smoother endeavor.

💡 LIGHTBULB - is your oc a planner? do they write down every small detail or just wing it?

Not particularly. While somewhat inquisitive, he’s not a deep-diver when it comes to planning or researching. Maltaf taught him to trust in his feelings, explore them, and ultimately follow his heart. I wouldn’t put him too strongly on either end of the spectrum; he’s not as detail-heavy as Satia, nor is he quite as impulsive as Kira can be. Rhyst likes to know what is expected of him, but he doesn’t want to be so mired in minute details that it’s difficult to finally act.

👻 GHOST - do they believe in ghosts? what are their "ghostly experiences", if any?

While Maltaf became his primary master, Master Orgus Din still played a role in his training and it is partly his influence after his fall that allows Maltaf and Satia the opening they need to free him from the Emperor’s influence. Rhyst’s skill with the Force is fairly moderate, allowing him occasional visions of what may come to pass and aiding his perception during combat, allowing for betting dodging and acrobatic strikes. The concept of the Force and the universe having a greater will is certainly a large one for him to wrangle, but he doesn’t doubt that it certainly seems it does, sometimes. It’d seem a bit ridiculous if he didn’t considering what he owes Orgus and Satia for breaking through the Emperor’s Darkness or even seeing what eventually becomes of Revan with his own eyes.

[this-is-the-movie]

let us tell the tale of another Dream Monster, somewhere else in the world of Magic Land, in another time… maybe.. I don't actually know when this happened in relation to the previous story..

…regardless!

[WIP] Chapter 1 The Prologue (Part II)

[Drawing 1 - Cover Art]

This is the story of Jack Honey-Dew.

[She is the 1st of the VII Main Characters_]

She lives with her pet woof Goldie, in a humble little home sitting on a roundabout, in a quaint little place called Claptrap City. She's carefree but caring of others, One Smart Cookie, and she's rather very small. A little lass. Here's the rundown; she's a little bundle of love.

[Drawing 2 - Jack Honey-Dew]

Today is a Very special day, as it's the birthday of Jack's parent, the one and only, Joey Buttermilk! Head inventor at Claptrap City, responsible for creating public transport! self opening doors! and countless other major (and minor) inventions to better the world of Planet-Magic-Land, and all of Magic Land in general! Somewhat clumsy and Extremely careless, but full of nothing but love for the world (and for their daughter)

[Drawing 3 - Joey Buttermilk]

Jack arrives at Joey's place, but Joey is nowhere to be seen! Snooping and Sneaking and Looking Around, she finds a VHS, addressed to her no less! So without further ado, she slots it into Joey's VHS Player, and watches the footage of Joey, filming themself from an unfamiliar place..

Joey - "Hey there sport, my little light of life, you're probably wondering why I'm nowhere to be found! So allow me to explain myself.. you know, I don't think I ever told you Jack... Long ago, long before I was blessed with the gift of little old You, and back when I had only just started making a name for myself as a... "moderately"…. "successful"….. "inventor"…... I had one day taken on a job from an unknown client, asking me to create some sort of Power Source, that, as the client described, would somehow "benefit all of Magic Land" I, being young and naive and not knowing a Whole Lot Better, and a little Too eager to jump at any chance to make the world a better place, took the job immediately.

I worked tirelessly on the project night and day and months and months until the Power Source was finally complete.. 'The Devil's Engine' "

[Drawing 4 - The Devil's Engine]

Jack asks why Joey would name something they thought would benefit the world something as ominous and intimidating as "The Devil's Engine"

Joey points out that they're just a VHS recording and can't answer any questions…

but ultimately answers with "because it Sounded Cool"

this is true, it DOES sound cool

Joey - ...*ahem*

..OH Right, please Continue Joey..

Joey - "…..it wasn't until the Devil's Engine was complete that I finally met face to face with the mysterious client who had hired me in the first place, it was a General, it was none other than General War! A Greedy Selfish and a BIG Naughty who relished nothing more than the thrill of Power and Chaos. She revealed her true plan to me; the Devil's Engine would be used to power nothing more than a weapon, some new technology described as, something called a.."Tank".. that "Wouldn't Even Need A Pilot" a weapon that could apparently, single-handedly, turn the tide on any battlefield, something called 'Project Nidhogg'. Now, you know how I feel about War and The Machines That Fuel It Jack, so I wasn't particularly keen on getting anymore information on the project itself..

However! All I remember is the General boasted that with this new weapon, she'd use it's tremendous power to travel to the Evil Dimension known as Verliezer, and once there with her mighty creation, the war machines trapped there would gladly bow to her feet, and with their combined powers she could then set out on her One True Goal; to locate the Forbidden Seven (VII) Idols!! With which she'd use to Locate and Uncover the Power of the elusive Rainbow Skull!!1! using it's power of infinite wishes she would plunge the whole of Magic Land into darkness!!!1!! making the world her own personal battlefield from which SHE!!! ! WOULD BE THE TRUE RULER OF!!!11!!!1!!!!! ! etc

[Drawing 5 - The General's True Plan (Artist's Interpretation) ]

I responded to all this exposition with a swift kick in the General's.. 'private quarters' and simply left.

What I had.. 'forgotten' to mention however, is the Devil's Engine could only be activated via the Super Secret Cool Pawprint Scanner™ that I had installed, which Only responds to my own Pawprint DNA, otherwise, the Power Core is useless, a kind of 'failsafe' I suppose, and with it being clear that the General wouldn't be able to find any other old inventor to simply Build A New Power Source, this had left 'Project Nidhogg' practically useless.. thwarting the General's plan before it ever even started…

Ever since then, General War has likely been hunting me down tirelessly, a ghost from my past trying to seep into the present, planning to, most likely, kidnap me and force me to finally activate the Devil's Engine.. awakening her Horrid Creation, putting the General's terrible plan back into motion, and dooming the world and destroying everything we all know and love…"

...Joey then says this actually has nothing to do with why they're currently missing.

...

..thanks Joey.

...

..Joey then realises there isn't enough tape left on the VHS to Actually explain why they're missing so all they're able to provide is some coordinates.

...

THANKS. JOEY.

With nothing but coordinates to go on to some place called "the Tree of Old Solomon", Jack packs her essentials (mainly Goldie and her walking cane) and prepares to head off.

Before she heads off however, Jack phones up her best friend to check up on him, it's his birthday today too after all! He seems to be well and thanks her again for the gift she got him, a pair of red trainers! She hates to ask this on his birthday but, nevertheless, she asks if he'd be able to join her on this Epic Quest. He tells her as much as he would love to, he's currently got his own Prologue he's going through! Jack understands, they both wish each other the best of luck, and they both promise to tell each other all about their adventures afterwards. Her friend then says something about stealing a boat, but before Jack can ask, the call ends..

Jack and Goldie hop into Jack's Custom-Made-Super-Cool Boat (it's a bathtub) and set sail, off to seek out Joey..

[Drawing 6 - setting sail, off to seek out Joey]

After a gruelling.. One (1) day's journey, after following the coordinates as best as they can, Jack and Goldie arrive at a mysterious island. Housing a mighty tree, lush and so large it's branches are big enough to hold entire houses, and the very top is hidden up in the clouds! Jack and Goldie have no choice but to assume they have arrived at none other, than the Tree of Old Solomon.

[Drawing VII - the Tree of Old Solomon]

When Jack and Goldie arrive on the shore they are quickly greeted! …by someone hanging upside-down by her leg. Jack meets Shoelace, a clumsy, nervous, awkward wreck who's always in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time.

[Drawing 8 - Shoelace (upside-down) ]

Shoelace - "Hark! Brave Travellers! (you there with the fat dog) you stand at the base of the mighty Titan; Old Solomon! hm? I do not know of a fellow named 'Joey' but you're best bet is the most obvious of solutions; climb this mighty tree, trek upwards, Go All Vertical, and seek council with whomsoever lives on his outstretched branches, and if that doesn't grant you any new knowledge, then if you truly mean to find this '... Johnny Joey!' then your last resort should be 'The Guy Upstairs'… How to begin the trek? There are lifts of course! OH and.. while you're up there.. if you could.. free me.. that would be nice, I fell for the siren-call of this rope and now find myself ensnared by her ropey machinations.. Now Go Forth! many Best of Lucks upon thee! You'll not know fear as long as I may live! ...and so on!"

It doesn't take Jack long looking around before she indeed finds the main lift leading upwards, built into the base of this mighty tree! ..but it's busted. Luckily growing up with an ever inquisitive inventor as a parent, Jack knows her way around all things technology! Though, this lift is rather beyond her. She's never seen such metalwork and the inner machinations aren't the usual circuits she's become accustomed to… in other words; Big Cogs are Not her forte.

Upon returning to our upside-down friend, Shoelace only now remembers to tell Jack that indeed the lifts are busted, that main lift, and the others like it further up the tree, were all made long ago by the Legendary Blacksmith who lives here! The Blacksmith used to regularly check up on the lifts and keep them in good shape, but that was long ago, and as the Blacksmith became more and more reclusive, it's no wonder the lifts have fallen into such disarray, if Jack is going to climb this tree, she'll need the help of this Blacksmith. Shoelace tells Jack she can find the Blacksmith in her forge, on the opposite end of the island to where Jack parked her.. "boat". Shoelace points her in the right direction (although somewhat struggles at first, being upside-down frazzling her sense of direction) and Jack takes off to see the Blacksmith.

Jack uses the opportunity to give Goldie a well deserved walk and take in the sights on the way. There.. isn't much to see. A couple of Palm Trees, a few rocks, and a nervous wreck hanging upside-down, so it's not long before Jack indeed spots the forge, a small and reclusive looking little place, smoke clouds poofing out from it's tall chimney, and the faint sound of clanking emanating from within.. (that means someone's at home!).

As Jack heads towards the forge however, she passes a small hut by the base of the giant tree.. was this always here? She certainly hadn't seen it when her and Goldie arrived.

From the hut, a hand emerges from within and beckons Jack over, and against her better judgement, Jack approaches..

Once up close to the hut it turns out it actually appears to be a Shed that somebody has tried to turn into a House, though it seems rather too small for anyone to live in, even for someone as small as Jack. Her thoughts are quickly interrupted however as the front door bursts open and a Strange One-Eyed Magician emerges! The Magician is certainly peculiar and unnervingly silent, but before Jack can ask a single thing, they reach behind themselves and hand Jack something..

[Drawing 9 - The Magician]

It's a.. Typewriter! Jack has heard about these but never seen one in person! It's like a new way to type, and print, at the same time! And it makes cool sounds as you make up stories! Jack looks up to ask Why, and Who, and How, and What, and maybe even a Where, but sees the Magician is gone! The whole Shed/House is gone! She's staring right at nothing but tree trunk. Was that a strange hallucination? a vivid dream? she's still holding the Typewriter, so it must have happened.. that's a pretty impressive Magician's trick!

[Drawing 10 - The Typewriter]

Jack has no choice but to shake it off, and shifts her focus back to the task at hand. Now carrying the hefty Typewriter, she continues to the forge..

Leaving Goldie to guard the Typewriter outside, Jack enters the forge, and it's about what you'd expect, kind of. The walls are decorated with all sorts of tools and a huge variety of metals and other materials to work with, a roaring fire burns in the back, and the smell of heat and metals (and rather thick smoke) fills the air. It seems like this Blacksmith does not create any Weapons however, as along with the tools and materials, the walls and tables are also lined with prosthetics, varying in all shapes and sizes, and Jack even recognises some parts for wheelchairs and walking canes along the walls too! You would think an over abundance of Tools, Materials, and Projects both Finished and Unfinished in such a small place would be messy and crowded, but it is remarkable how surprisingly tidy and organised everything is! Though what catches Jack's eye the most, is the Blacksmith herself.

A huge one-armed shark-like being almost as tall as the forge itself works at her anvil, their right arm hammering down on her current piece of work, the metal itself attached to her anvil by a clamp to help the Blacksmith work one handed, and every time her hammer meets the metal Jack can feel every impact reverberate in her bones, as Sparks and Ancient Magic buzz and fly off the Blacksmith's current project. Jack tries to make her presence known to the, quite frankly, intimidating figure she sees before her, but the Blacksmith being so focused on their work doesn't seem to realise little Jack's there at all. A brief moment of silence gives Jack a chance to speak up, but before Jack can let a single word leave her mouth, the Blacksmith opens her own mouth and bellows out a mighty flame onto the metal to heat it up! I guess it saves her time to unclamp the metal and carry it over to their furnace every time they want to heat it up, though that raises the question that Jack wonders as to why the Blacksmith has that roaring fire in the back still going then..

Going over to the fire, she sees the Blacksmith is using it to cook a quaint little meal.

ah.

Waiting for an(other) opportunity of silence, Jack sees no other option but to patiently wait for the Blacksmith to be finished with her work. After what seems like a patient eternity (it was a few minutes) the Blacksmith finally puts the finished piece of the new prosthetic she was working on into her barrel of water to cool it off, and hangs it up with the countless others. With the Blacksmith done, Jack finally is able to make her presence known to them (she taps her cane against one of the many sheets of metal a few times) The Blacksmith realises she has a visitor, the intimidating presence vanishes as she nervously tidies herself, and after seemingly putting her hammer away Somewhere on her person (though Jack can't seem to see where) the Blacksmith finally turns around to greet her guest. The two finally see face to face and there is an incredible silence. Jack sees the most beautiful being she has ever seen in her life, and for the Blacksmith seeing Jack, it is the same.

[Drawing 11 - The Blacksmith and Jack see eye to eye]

The few moments of Awkward Gay Silence seem like an eternity..

Jack is the first to get Actual Words out of her mouth that aren't just "hsdvbjhs"

She fumbles and trips over words like loose pavement, but manages to introduce herself, and gives the Blacksmith the lowdown, about Joey, about the coordinates, about the quest to climb sky high up the tree, and asks if the Blacksmith could help out by repairing the lifts that Shoelace had told Jack she had made. After managing to get some coherent words out of her own mouth too, the Blacksmith shyly introduces herself, as Chalk Sunshine.

[She/They are the 3rd of the VII Main Characters_]

Fumbling over her own words, Chalk says she's sorry to hear about Jack's dilemma, about her missing parent, but most of all about the lifts, as they were her responsibility to keep in good condition, and, after some hesitation and some reflection on her negligence, she says she'll gladly help as best she can. She admits though it's been a Good While since she's been outside.. At All, so to say she's a little nervous and shy is a.. Vast understatement, Jack understands and says she'll try her best to make Chalk feel as comfortable as possible :)

As they leave the Forge and Jack introduces Chalk to Goldie however, Jack remembers the Great Big Heaving Typewriter she's going to have to carry all the way up the tree. Chalk says she might be able to help with that, and reveals a secret compartment in her chest! (it's not as gross as it sounds) That explains where she put her hammer away earlier.. Chalk plops the Typewriter into her chest, and they continue to the main lift.

Chalk fixes the lift without any issues whatsoever, as Jack watches on in fascination at Chalk's powerful yet delicate handiwork and craftsmanship. As they take the repaired lift upwards Jack compliments Chalk's work, Chalk shyly accepts the compliment, and admits that she actually worked on a lot of machinery throughout the whole of Magic Land long ago, and was once even known as the 'Legendary Blacksmith'. Jack says she's surprised she's never heard any tales about a Legendary Blacksmith, and Chalk admits that was a long time ago, and considering she's "given up" for a long time now, it's no wonder the tales fell into obscurity. When Jack goes to ask why they gave up, Chalk begins to trail off and falls silent, Jack decides to leave it at that.

The trip up the tree is an adventure and a half, arriving on one branch, solving some side quests, asking about Joey, not getting many answers, then repairing the next lift and heading up even higher. They free Shoelace from the dastardly Rope Demon, help cure The Fox of her Evil Cold, defeat the powerful Dragon of Beltfarst Square, and reunite the family of Lil' Guys, all the while, the friendship between Jack and Chalk grows ever stronger, and they continue to grow closer and closer.

[Drawing 12 - All Those Cool Adventures I Done Did Talk About ^]

On each lift upwards Jack and Chalk bond over similarities and differences, Jack gushes and gossips about circuitry and technology and all the things her parent Joey made and taught her, as Chalk (tries her best) to keep up and listen to everything Jack has to share with her, and Chalk shares with Jack all the things she's crafted and made, about all the different metals and materials she works with and all their unique properties, as Jack hangs onto every word that comes out of this shy shark's mouth.. though Jack can't help sense hesitation in her voice when getting too deep into what she's created in the past. After all the adventures up the tree, and Still no information on Joey, they finally reach the final major branch of the Tree of Old Solomon, right before it trails off into the clouds, supposedly where 'The Guy Upstairs' resides. Finally getting a moment to catch their breath, Jack, Chalk, and Goldie, take a rest, sitting on an old bench Chalk made herself long ago, as they stare off into the ocean's horizon.

[Drawing 13 - Peace and Quiet]

Chalk thanks Jack for the little adventure they've had today, she's spent so long cooped up in her forge that the very thought of leaving overwhelmed her, frightened her, being trapped in her own home by their own thoughts, but being with Jack, it's all seemed so easy, all her anxieties seemed to melt away, and together, they've both climbed to the highest point of this giant tree! Somewhere Chalk hasn't been in a long time. Jack thanks Chalk for helping her out, to say she's enjoyed being around Chalk is an Immense Understatement.

After a comfortable silence in each other's company, Chalk admits she doesn't actually know what's going to lie above the clouds, or who, or What, 'The Guy Upstairs' is, so, Chalk decides now is a better time than any to get some things off her chest, and tell Jack about her past, and why she became so reclusive in the first place. Jack tells her that she doesn't need to go into it if it's too uncomfortable, but Chalk says it's about time she told Someone.

Chalk explains that, like she said before, she's crafted many pieces of machinery throughout Magic Land throughout the ages, often on a Magical and Fantastical scale, even building the very Axis that Magic Land sits and on, and she would do all this from the comfort of her forge in a world separate from all others, in a place called Haven-Home. There, she forged the armour worn by the legendary Gracie the War Monger, she made all the gardening tools for Daffodil the Gardener, and even all the cooking utensils and pots and pans for Pillow the Chef, but when it came to Zeus, (self proclaimed) ruler of Haven-Home, he had other plans.

[Drawing 14 - Chalk's creations]

After witnessing the Violence and Destruction that her own Mentor.. and Grandfather, had unleashed upon Magic Land with the weapons he had forged long long ago, Chalk had, and still has, a strict "No Weapons" policy when it comes to her craft, so when Zeus came along and tricked her with a project she could not resist, fooling her into believing she was creating something that could benefit the land, only to discover she had been tricked into creating The Unkillable Warrior, a War Machine specifically designed to wield the very weapons her mentor had created, well, needless to say she was gutted and felt completely betrayed. Out of shame, she packed her things, left Haven-Home, and went into self-exile on the island of the Tree of Old Solomon, and although at first it helped to build the homes for the residents of the island and create and maintain the lifts to connect them all, it didn't take long for the self doubt from Zeus' trick to creep up on her, and so, over time she became more and more reclusive, until finally reaching a point where she'd never leave her forge..

[Drawing 15 - betrayal]

Jack gives her a hug.

She tells Chalk about how good people can be tricked in the worst ways, and even mentions Joey's (seemingly irrelevant) VHS story, about how they had once been tricked into building a Power Source for a literal Machine of War, but despite this incident, Joey has pushed onwards and has made so much more to benefit monsterkind, and, Jack points out, so has Chalk. Jack then fangirls for a Good Solid Couple Of Minutes about how Chalk has built fantastic and amazing marvels and the LITERAL AXIS THAT THE WORLD SITS ON?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!

After the somewhat Overwhelming positivity from Jack, Chalk thanks her yet again, and promises she'll continue to march onwards to better things, to help others, but more importantly, to also help herself. The two hug and share a tender moment, before preparing for the clouds just above. Chalk, with tools and materials from her handy Secret Chest Compartment, along with New Technological Know-how from Jack, make one final lift together, to (hopefully) get some answers about Joey up above.

It doesn't take the two long to complete the new lift, all sparkly and spangly and powered by love (and gears and stuff) and, with Goldie, the three take the lift up into the clouds.

On their journey upwards through thick fog and clouds, they briefly reach a clearing in the sky, a sea of cloud below and above them, a calm blue sky in-between, with the occasional branch piercing through. The moment of peace is.. interrupted, by an individual sitting idly on one of the branches, feet dangling, holding a sign pointed upwards, with the words "BOSS TIME" written across their chest. Jack and Chalk meet Mx. Boss, a motivational speaker to give some words of wisdom for the Boss Fight to come.

[Drawing 16 - Mx. Boss]

Mx. Boss - "...Hey there Kiddos, it's me, ya girl Mx. Boss! Me? Well I'm a Lover not a Fighter, so you'll be seeing me cheering you on before the Big Fights :) Good Luck ya lovebirds <3 yep. dat's all I got for this one today. bye."

...

ok. well. thank you!

Jack and Chalk say their thanks, before heading into the clouds above, to The Guy Upstairs...

Jack, Chalk, and Goldie, find themselves at the very tippy top! A field of endless cloud, firm enough to stand on, rolling seemingly into forever, as spirals and spikes of soft cloud decorate the landscape. The main attraction that catches Jack and Chalk's eyes however, is what appears to be the tip of the Tree itself. There is a Large Skull on it. He is wearing a Crown.. and a false moustache. This IS The Guy Upstairs. The Guy Upstairs IS the tree himself! Jack and Chalk (and Goldie) find themselves stood before the man himself..

Old Solomon Gravypot; Grand King of..

...

whatever the island the tree is on is called

[Drawing 17 - Old Solomon Gravypot]

The twisty-turny trunk of the tree housing his head bends down to examine these three, who have climbed up his body, solving side quests and helping the folks of his land. You would think most people would be grateful. Unfortunately, to put it brief, Old Solomon Gravypot..

umm, how do I put this..

Sucks Massive Cuss

Before Jack, Chalk, or even Goldie, can get a single word or even breath out of their mouths, the man bellows out an alarmingly loud monologue.

Old Solomon Gravypot -

"WELL LOOKIE WHO IT IS! YOU COME CRAWLING BACK EHHH?!?!? YOU THINK YOU CAN CRAWL UP MY BODY AND SOLVE PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS

HMMMMMM??!?!?!!?1/??1

YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE I SCARRED YOUR FACE, TRAPPED YOUR PARENTS IN THE FOREVER CUBE, SUNK THE GREAT WHEREVER WAY, SPIT IN YOUR DOG'S DINNER, COUGHED IN YOUR CAT'S COFFEE, READ THAT CRACKER JOKE OUT LOUD ABOUT THE ELEPHANT'S SWIMMING TRUNKS

YEAH YOU KNOW THE ONE

READ THE ALPHABET BACKWARDS AT YOUR GRADUATION, SANG THE NUMBERS FORWARD AT YOUR PET'S BIRTHDAY, VAPORISED KING CONKER, DESTROYED THE CASTLE OF ANXRAX AT THE GREAT BATTLE AT WHICH WE MET FEARSOME BLADES AND FOUGHT AND ALL THAT

YOU THINK THAT GIVES YOU PERMISSION TO DO STUFF??!!!?

WHY I OUGHTA! BACK IN MY DAY! TASTE THY HALLOWED BLADE! YOU'LL NOT KNOW PEACE AS LONG AS I MAY LIVE, HAVE AT THEE, HAVE AT SOME, HAVE AT-

what wait a minute."

The, quite frankly terrifying, king creaks over and actually observes the three guests (his eyesight isn't very good)

Old Solomon Gravypot - "...oh I thought you were someone else.

WELL YOU'VE STILL BEEN CLIMBING UP ME AND SOLVING PROBLEMS AND QUESTS AND STUFF, AND IF THERE'S ONE THING I HATE IT'S STUFF!! AND THINGS!!! SO

uuuhh.

... I ran out of threats..

DIE.

yeh that works lol."

without getting a single word in, Jack and Chalk and Goldie are met with Old Solomon Gravypot's HyperMegaUltraWoweyZoweyDeathBeam ...™

In a Fluster and a Big Panic, Chalk scrambles to grab something, anything, from her handy Secret Chest Compartment, and after grabbing some flint, some lint, and some mints (she was wondering where she left those) the first sturdy, solid, hefty item she grabs that Jack and Chalk use as a shield is,

the Typewriter.

[Drawing 18 - the Typewriter (in case you forgor what it look like) ]

The King's, uhh.. Lazer

you know what it's called I'm not colouring all that text again

collides with the typewriter, and there's an almighty clash of noise and colour and stuff, and things!

Old Solomon Gravypot -

"WHAT?!? THE SACRED ITEM!!! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BRING THAT HERE HOW DID YOU OH NO I CAN'T STOP THE HYPERMEGAULTRAWO-

there's a blinding light and everything goes white.

[Drawing 19 - TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES PLEASE STAND BY ! ]

...

Jack, Chalk and Goldie awaken somewhere new entirely, and it.. Kinda Sucks. There's nothing around but hastily taped and stapled together cardboard, the "hills" around them are clearly piles of cardboard boxes with green sheets thrown over them, the floor is a dull, plain, slightly damp open "field" of cardboard, with the word "GRAS S" written in huge letters across it with a big marker. The marker is still on the ground, lid left off. The sky is a dull white and the faint noise of radio static fills the otherwise empty silence.

Before Jack and Chalk (and Goldie) can get a better look of their surroundings (not that there's anything worth looking at) there's a rumble, and a large figure emerges from behind a cardboard cutout of a.. shape. His name is Nelson. He is made of cardboard and sponge. Nelson is a large fellow and looms over the trio. As he rests his cardboard hands on the.. shape he's behind, his lower half hidden behind it, he leans in to get a better look.

[Drawing 20 - Nelson (and his.. domain.) ]

Nelson - "Well Look Who i' is.. if it isn't the Two that

BROKE. THE STORY.

well? why ya 'ere then? bit early to be lookin' for the Secret Ending eh?"

Jack and Chalk aren't sure how to respond to literally any of this. The last few minutes have been a rollercoaster of Adrenaline and Anxiety. At least they're not getting completely screamed at by a Giant Skull.

Nelson - "I mean... I appreciate ya getting me my Typewriter back, but…"

Nelson reaches behind the.. shape he's behind and lifts up a table, before slamming it down between himself and Jack and Chalk (and Goldie) The Typewriter sits on the table, blackened and charred and Not In The Best Of Shape.

Nelson - "…did ya really haff to DESTROY THE DANG THING?? …sigh"

he throws the table, and the typewriter off to the side with little care as it smashes into one of the... 'hills'

Nelson - "Ohhh It's Fine, you two didn't know what you were doin'..."

this is Very True.

Finally being able to get a word in, Chalk asks Where they are exactly. Nelson says they find themselves on the Plain of Higher Existence, Chalk asks 'How High' and Nelson answers "Well, if ya imagine a treehouse.. a bit 'igher than that!" this is a little Too high for Chalk's low key fear of heights, but she thinks she'll get by, especially with Jack by her side.

Jack suddenly remembers why they've done all they've done! Why they came all this way! Joey!! "Where's Joey??" Jack goes to yell out, though the past few minutes of adrenaline turning it more into a war cry than a question.

Jack -

"WHERE'S JOEY"

see? told you

Nelson - "Hm? HUH?? JOEY?? Ya lookin' for a Joey?!?

OH!

Ya must be lil' Jackie!! Joey's kid!! They've not shuddup 'bout you since they've been 'ere, even showed me ya babey pics!! but I 'ain't gonna judge! hoho!"

[Drawing 21 - Jack's babby pics]

Jack - "hey!! Don't show those!!"

Chalk - "well .. I think baby Jack is Very cute.."

Jack - "...well if you think so then it's ok..

! wait! Joey's HERE?!?"

As if on cue, a familiar face (at least to Jack) emerges from behind a door Jack nor Chalk had noticed before (Goldie noticed but she didn't want to brag)

Wiping their hands on a filthy cloth and covered in grease and stains, it's none other than Joey! Jack's parent! One and Only, One Of A Kind, etcetera.

[Drawing 22 - Joey!!! covered in grease, followed by a hug from Jack :-] and a leg nudge from Goldie too]

Joey apologises first and foremost for ever scaring their little Jackie in the first place, and explains the situation quite plainly. You see, every few months or so, Nelson's old boiler starts acting up, and for a long time now, Joey, an old friend of Nelson, has always come to fix the boiler, and have a bit of a catch up with their old friend too. Joey meant to stay at home for their Birthday today (after all, they've always shared their special day with Jack at home) but on this particular day Nelson just had the worse bit of luck with his boiler, AND a (few) massive leak(s), and needed Joey's help asap! Joey meant to explain all this on the VHS, but, well, we saw how that went.

OHH, so that's why this place is so damp, because of the leaks!

Nelson - "Oh no, it's just like that 'ere"

oh, gross

Nelson - "yeah :-| "

But, hang on! Jack and Chalk ponder, if they had to "Break The Story" , seemingly shattering reality to get here, then how did Joey get up here?

Joey says they took the stairs. Joey does not elaborate.

...ok

And so with Joey found, there's only really one thing left to do.

And so with the help of Jack, (and after introductions between Chalk and Joey are made) with Chalk's help too, together they manage to finally fix Nelson's pesky leaks and boiler :) (or until things inevitably break again in a month or so)

[Drawing 23 - fixing plumbing and a boiler (sure why not I'm sure you want to see a drawing of that) ]

Jack asks Chalk that, now that Joey is found and now that Chalk is getting used to going outside again, if they'd maybe like to spend a little more time together? Chalk thinks about her forge, the place she's been trapped in for a huge portion of her life, by her own hand, and Chalk seems keen on heading into a whole new world before her, and asks if there'd be somewhere, say, near Claptrap City where she could set up shop? Joey says they're sure they'll be able to find something, and Nelson reassures Chalk that her forge will still be here whenever she wants to pay a visit, after all, not just anyone can keep those lifts in shape, and Chalk says she'd be more than happy to keep things in check once again :)

And so, finally, Jack, Chalk, Joey and trusty Goldie, set sail back home in Jack's wonderful boat (still a bathtub), to head back home and celebrate the rest of Joey's birthday! the residents of the Tree of Old Solomon wave goodbye, as they look forward to their next return.. and Jack and Chalk begin officially dating :)

Nelson also can't seem to find his Typewriter (what's left of it) but that's okay, it was pretty busted anyways..

The End :-]

Thank You SO MUCH For Reading; The Prologue (Part II)

Song - As If By Magic by La Roux

More Lore (Coming Soon!)

Tune in Next Time, in; The Prologue (Part III) :-0 (I know right)

[trulyinspiringmovies]

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” overcomplicates its plot to try and cover up the huge amounts of suspension of disbelief needed to go along with it.

Benoit Blanc receives a mysterious box that includes an invitation to billionaire Miles Bron’s private island for a murder mystery party. When he arrives there, he meets a group of old friends who have all gotten rich and powerful thanks to the help of Miles. Blanc quickly deduces that each one of them has a reason to want Miles dead and that something terrible is about to unfold.

Although I really enjoyed the first film despite its flaws, this movie really pushed my limits. While I appreciate the bigger scope of this film, “Knives Out” really benefitted from having a tighter script. Rian Johnson’s signature subversion of expectation is really starting to feel like it misses more than it lands. It’s what ruined Star Wars for me. It’s what kept me from giving a five-star rating for “Looper”. It’s also what needlessly overcomplicated this movie for me. I understand that the whole twist of the movie is that Miles makes everything think it’s more complicated than it actually turned out to be, but it still doesn’t work because it creates plot holes. The biggest one that stood out to me was why Miles would ever allow the world’s greatest detective after he committed murder and then saw the person he murdered alive and well. If he really wanted to get away with it, wouldn’t he have just respectfully asked Blanc to leave after they determined Blanc wrongfully got an invitation? After all, they both understood that this was an intimate get-together for old friends. Then Miles could’ve just taken care of the fake Andi and his other friends would’ve kept their mouths shut. The movie is also littered with glaringly suspicious behavior that you know will be explained later. It’s true that it’s engaging because there’s a sense of mystery, but it also comes off as too self-congratulatory when the movie thinks the audience didn’t notice the first time around. The movie also asks for too much suspension of disbelief. I’m sorry, but I just cannot buy that these intimate friends had no idea that Helen was impersonating her sister. You’re telling me that none of these people realized she was a completely different person? Also, the part about Helen being shot and surviving due to the bullet hitting her phone felt too convenient for me. That definitely wasn’t a part of Blanc’s plan and if she had died, which there was a high chance she would’ve, then the movie would’ve been over and Miles would’ve won. It makes the victory feel more hollow due to the fact that it was earned through sheer luck. The beginning of the movie also felt like it was being undercut. Duke’s mother just knowing the answers to the invitation box took the mystique and prestige out of it. I get that it’s supposed to foreshadow Miles not being as complex as he thinks he is, but it was annoying rather than funny to me. I also want to complain about how underutilized Leslie Odom Jr. was. It feels like everyone had something to do in the movie except him. I know a lot of people were talking about the cameos in this movie like Ethan Hawke and Hugh Grant. Honestly, I don’t get all the praise for them. Yes, they’re amazing actors, but they’re just actors playing parts. Why are people gushing over their inclusion just because they’re famous and recognizable? Just like the first movie, this movie has a message. The first movie was about immigration. This one was about the evils of capitalism. That’s fine and all, but I think Rian Johnson had such a hard focus on sending a specific type of message that he asked for even more suspension of disbelief. The alternative fuel was controversial because of how volatile it was. It was even compared to Hindenburg. You’re telling me that Helen and everyone else were at ground zero of the explosion and they all got out covered in ash and soot like cartoon characters? I didn’t hate everything about this film, however. I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of all the actors and I especially loved the set design. Mile’s office space was absolutely breathtaking. The wardrobe was also fantastic and just as iconic as the first film. I get that a lot of people enjoyed this movie and I don’t want to take anything away from those people. I just wanted to share why I couldn’t really enjoy the film myself.

★★★

Watched on November 26th, 2022

[thewarriorspecial]

Alright so:

@hobicat suggested an office AU. I don’t work in an office. I work in a dreaded grocery store. So this is a slice of that. And you know, my insanity. Huzzah!

Also included a delightful Ke$ha detail for @kiseiakhun.

This is completely unedited and typed on my phone.

Welcome to Zippys

The only universe in which Barry Allen is fucking evil.

There be dragons at the end of the world. And there be Evil Barry. Deific powers. An unsettling craving for violence fueled by too many years of passive aggressively accepting spoonfuls of shit from middle aged women who felt entitled to discounts. Just because, no explanation really.

One day Evil Barry, who used to be Fake Nice Barry until a middle aged white bitch told him to “go back where he came from” because she didn’t like his accent, was nudged over the edge.

Evil Barry grabbed that haughty bitch by her early aughts bob and threw her through a plate glass window.

You see, the whole thing started because there was a sale on ribs. Barry was Summoned to the front of the store from the Dairy aisle where he had been cleaning up all the overpriced eggs an Elderly Karen had dropped on the floor in protest of ever rising prices. Elderly Karen’s rage was understandable. She’s on a fixed income. When Fake Nice Barry was once young and Actually Nice, he would’ve given her the eggs at a discount. Or for free even if he could find a way to manage it.

Nonetheless here comes the page. So Barry pastes a cordial if somewhat tired smile on his face and asks Meat Karen how he can help her. And it starts. The torrent of personal accusations. The list of made up sins the whole store had committed against her specifically.

“I’m sorry ma’am,” he gently explains, “Our meat manager had a family emergency and since he’s our only trained meat cutter on the team, he wasn’t able to cut enough of those ribs for the sale today. He or a replacement from another store will be in tomorrow to get us caught up. May I take your name and make sure a special order is reserved for you?”

“Well how does that help me today? I need them today. They’re on sale today! I specifically made a thirty minute drive over here just for those and I’m supposed to come back? I have to make two trips now because of your incompetence??”

“I’m sorry ma’am,” Barry forces a steady tone, “What could do I do for you instead that would be more respectful of your time?”

“Have the shit in the store when you put it in the ad! You always do this! You lure people in here, nothing is stocked, everything is dirty! Do you get kickbacks from the oil people to make us drive more? Is that why you built that gas station? It smells! You cut down all those trees and stink up the whole neighborhood with your lies!!”

Barry had tried to answer her accusations as they came up but was stopped each time as she shoved her extended palm in his face, the universal symbol for Im not finished screaming at you yet.

And finally, after countless shifts, after countless hours of meaningless blocking and cleaning, and ordering and stocking and monotonous enduring—Barry snapped. An evil was unleashed in him so unbalanced it ripped a hole in the multiverse and created Zippys.

It is said that the lightning crack of every justified strike, every open hand, every Twisted Tea laid upon a Karen or Kevin results in immediate transmission to the store where you can check out anytime you like but you just respawn in the cart laden vestibule.

When that bitch got launched through the glass, her indignant shriek followed by the shattering glass each hit perfectly in time to the chorus of Keshas Tik Tok.

Meistro? Cue it up please.

Tik Tok on the clock but the party don’t—

“Stop! AGH!!”

Oh woah oh oh

Crash

Oh woah oh oh

A red streak appears next to Barry who’s still frozen in perfect pitcher form.

“Oh SHIT!” Wally cackles like a witch, ripping his cell phone out of his hoodie pocket and leaping after the woman. “World star!! World star!!”

[darkmaga-returns]

QUESTION #1: Why does the West hail Zelensky when I have family in Ukraine who see him as a traitor to Ukraine? Asking Turkmenistan to arrest Putin is asking them to commit suicide. Zelensky is a war criminal, for he takes orders from the West against his own people. Your 172-year cycle that turned in 2020, did that mark the rise of the Neocons with Biden? Also, when will this war end?

DV

QUESTION #2: Zelensky’s speech to the Ukrainian Parliament is World War III. There is no compromise on anything. He wants immediate NATO entry, long-range missiles to destroy Russia, and a continued invasion of Russia. What planet is he on? If our leaders agree to this, there will be no peace ever, and Putin would be justified in wiping out Europe. I have friends from Kyiv, and they are all about hating Russians. You are correct. Yugoslavia broke up according to ethnic lines. Is there any way to stop Zelensky in this madness?

Paul

ANSWER: Zelensky is as evil as you possibly can get. Any Western leader who even supports Ukraine and Zelensky should be thrown out of office. Where in hell does anyone with basic brain function expect to destroy Russia and they will not retaliate? If Putin realizes there will never be peace from here on out with the West, then there is no other option but the destruction of Western society.

The NATO charter prohibits it from accepting any member who is engaged in the war for that would instantaneously invoke them all. He wants long-range missiles to destroy Russia for a NATO invasion, most likely creating some false flag.

Remove Putin, and you will get all out World War III with nukes, for those he has been restraining are the Russian Neocons, who are just as bad as ours in the West. We have to accept that those in power want World War III to (1) get out of debt, (2) reduce population, and (3) the climate change people want Russia destroyed to end their sales of fossil fuels.

With such arrogance, perhaps the only way to wake up people in the West is to use at least a Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power, known as the “Father of All Bombs.” The yield is the equivalent of 44 tons of TNT. This bomb’s blast and pressure wave have a similar effect to a small tactical nuclear weapon. My sources insist that this weapon is roughly as powerful as the Russians claim, but it is a Thermobaric weapon that sucks in the oxygen.