#anyway yes they would all be human in the au but hattie is an alien still

[feel-mobile]

Psychonauts 2 just has a way to grip your brainthing so hard to make you want to do crossovers. Elaborate away, friend, tell us what's on your mind.

HAHA im home and can finally answer this!!! yeah i could cross over any of my hyperfixations, past or present. even if they dont fit together.

anyway!! i got two asks regarding this so im gonna keep this one focused on a hat in time stuff! next one will be for hollow knight. underneath the cut is spoilers for a hat in time and also a lot of text so be warned

So Hat Kid was the first one I picked when I was planning a funny little drawing of characters from other games as Psychonauts interns. I had been playing hatty time and kept spamming the canon Raz sticker that you get if you own both games, so it was on my mind.

Hat Kid, aka Hattie, is a psychic whose skill is enhancing her hats with psitanium in order to heighten her levitation, pyrokinesis, cryokinesis, clairvoyance, and chronokinesis. she's especially good at chronokinesis. The same goes for Bow Kid. They're siblings.

The Conductor and DJ Grooves are both Motherlobe agents who are forced to share an office. The Conductor specializes in pyrokinesis, and DJ Grooves specializes in lumakineses and figment projection. I made lumakinesis up technically, but it's the manipulation of light. I think DJ Grooves and Milla get along. Combining him, Milla, and Helmut's mental worlds creates the ultimate party of music. As for the Conductor? If you go into his mental world something will probably explode! Most likely his Train of Thought. Haha, get it?

But going into more detail about these two, they're still rivals and have been rivals for years. They still make movies, they're just also secret agents. I think that if the kids had to go into their mental worlds it would be because of psilerium poisoning or too much psitanium. But that would only be for the dangerous parts, before that I think their mental worlds would be like training. Think like the first half of Psychonauts 1. Their mental worlds are nearly exactly as they are in A Hat in Time. I mean, what is there to change? They would work as lessons for young agents in training.

One day, the three kids (Hattie, Ghost, and Kirby) sneak into another agent's office, and find a brain in a jar locked and hidden away. Being kids who make bad decisions, they steal it. While Raz isn't involved in these kid's adventures, Hattie does know about how he went into a brain that was in a jar, so Hattie decides they should try it too! This proves to be a bad idea when they all get caught in a net and then their smelling salts stolen by Snatcher. He's the owner of the brain, and has forgotten who he used to be. Possibly on purpose. Unlike Helmut, he's been keeping his brain active, and that's how Subcon Forest came to be. And now the kids have to do this guys work in order to get their smelling salts back and leave! Moonjumper is an archetype I think. Because his sprite never made it past 2d. But he's trapped in the Horizon because Snatcher doesn't want to think about him. The Horizon is filled with enablers, and Subcon is filled with Bad Moods. There's also a lot of regrets, but they're hidden away.

It turns out what happened to this brain was that years ago, Vanessa thought that her fiance had been cheating on her. So she stole his brain and froze the body. She's been keeping this brain locked away for about 10-15 years now, but the kids were able to just stumble upon it and steal it. Getting Snatcher to remember who he used to be and be willing to go back to that won't be easy though.

I also haven't talked about the manor yet. Because that's totally in Subcon too. It's kept very much hidden away, but in order to save this brain, Hattie, Kirby, and Ghost need to find it. And a mental version of Vanessa is in there, just as terrifying as she was in A Hat in Time.

Moving onto Alpine Skylines! I don't actually know about this one yet. It sure is someone's mental world. But who?

As for the finale of Hattie's arc? That's about Mustache Girl, aka Mu. Two eleven year olds get in a really bad psychic battle. Mafia Town is entirely in the real world btw before going to the Motherlobe Hattie and Mu did kill a man for real and stuff him into a jar.

[zo2paintedlady]

LGBTQ+ Novels/Memoirs

Here is the book list from my LIS 618 class. The links will bring you to their Goodreads pages.

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater (2017) *based on a true story* "One teenager in a skirt. One teenager with a lighter. One moment that changes both of their lives forever. If it weren't for the 57 bus, Sasha and Richard never would have met. Both were high school students from Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in the country, but they inhabited different worlds. Sasha, a white teen, lived in the middle-class foothills and attended a small private school. Richard, a black teen, lived in the crime-plagued flatlands and attended a large public one. Each day, their paths overlapped for a mere eight minutes. But one afternoon on the bus ride home from school, a single reckless act left Sasha severely burned, and Richard charged with two hate crimes and facing life imprisonment. The case garnered international attention, thrusting both teenagers into the spotlight."

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz (2012) "Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship--the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be."

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson (2016) "Two boys. Two secrets. David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…"

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (2020) "Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after. When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle...."

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (2019) "In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em. Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia's intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity--what it means and how to think about it--for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere."

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver (2019) "When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents' rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school. But Ben's attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan's friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life."

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert (2017) "When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she isn't sure if she'll ever want to go back. L.A. is where her friends and family are (along with her crush, Emil). And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support. But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new...the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel's disorder spirals out of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself--or worse."

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg (2019) "IMax: Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn't want to think about, ever. Jordan: The opposite of chill. Poetry. His "wives" and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won't like him anyway. And a secret: A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he's the only one who can keep the family from falling apart. Throw in a rickety, 1980s-era food truck called Coq Au Vinny. Add in prickly pears, cloud eggs, and a murky idea of what's considered locally sourced and organic. Place it all in Mesa, Arizona, in June, where the temp regularly hits 114. And top it off with a touch of undeniable chemistry between utter opposites."

Odd One Out by Nic Stone (2018) "Courtney "Coop" Cooper Dumped. Again. And normally I wouldn't mind. But right now, my best friend and source of solace, Jupiter Sanchez, is ignoring me to text some girl.  Rae Evelyn Chin I assumed "new girl" would be synonymous with "pariah," but Jupiter and Courtney make me feel like I'm right where I belong. I also want to kiss him. And her. Which is . . . perplexing.  Jupiter Charity-Sanchez The only thing worse than losing the girl you love to a boy is losing her to your boy. That means losing him, too. I have to make a move. . . . One story. Three sides. No easy answers."

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy (2017) "'Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever. Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever."

Rethinking Normal by Katie Rain Hill (2014) "Have you ever worried that you'd never be able to live up to your parents' expectations? Have you ever imagined that life would be better if you were just invisible? Have you ever thought you would do anything--anything--to make the teasing stop? Katie Hill had and it nearly tore her apart. Katie never felt comfortable in her own skin. She realized very young that a serious mistake had been made; she was a girl who had been born in the body of a boy. Suffocating under her peers' bullying and the mounting pressure to be "normal," Katie tried to take her life at the age of eight years old. After several other failed attempts, she finally understood that "Katie"--the girl trapped within her--was determined to live."

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (2017) "On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day."

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan (2013) "New York Times bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other."

We are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson (2016) "Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button. Only he isn’t sure he wants to. After all, life hasn’t been great for Henry. His mom is a struggling waitress held together by a thin layer of cigarette smoke. His brother is a jobless dropout who just knocked someone up. His grandmother is slowly losing herself to Alzheimer’s. And Henry is still dealing with the grief of his boyfriend’s suicide last year. Wiping the slate clean sounds like a pretty good choice to him. But Henry is a scientist first, and facing the question thoroughly and logically, he begins to look for pros and cons: in the bully who is his perpetual one-night stand, in the best friend who betrayed him, in the brilliant and mysterious boy who walked into the wrong class. Weighing the pain and the joy that surrounds him, Henry is left with the ultimate choice: push the button and save the planet and everyone on it…or let the world—and his pain—be destroyed forever."

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (2020) "Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay -- Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor. But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington. The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?"

[bittybattybunny]

I am curious, how did the reunion between jelly belly murder au Ru and his parents go? Like, did they think their son was dead for tree years, only for Ru to suddenly contact them once he regained his memories?

I ACTUALLY DO HAVE THIS FULLY WRITTEN SOOO YOU GET FICLET :’3c

It is a little long but

it actually went really well.

They did think he was dead but they were also told ‘there was an accident so you can’t see him.’ they held a slight hope maybe it was a government conspiracy and their son would return

And Eclipse/Amaris was the one to contact them cuz he was too nervous!

“Ready?” She asked as she squeezed his hand tightly.

He took a deep breath and nodded. He began to fret, “W-what if they are mad?! What if they reject me?!” He panicked and flinched as his wife poked his nose.

“Arulius. Calm down.” She chuckled, “If they do so what. We’re trying to mend things.”

He groaned and ruffled his chestnut hair tipped in dark violet. “B-But Amaris! As far as they know I’m dead! Three years! Actually almost 4 years!” he chittered a bit and hung his head, “Now I’m some weird Alien mix. I didn’t even KNOW I was an alien mix!” he trilled sadly and leaned on her with a sigh, “I’m scared.”

“I’m right here.” she smiled as she nuzzled against him, “Weird alien or not you’re their son somewhat still. If anything I bet they’ll be happy to see you!”

“I don’t know. My stomachs are all flipping,” he mumbled as they headed towards the door.

Amaris stared, “Fancy.” she whistled. 

“Yeah, I um.. Come from a well off family.” he chuckled and nervously reached for the doorbell. He held his breath and gripped his wife tightly as his hearts beat erratically.

The door opened to an older woman in a wheelchair whose eyes grew wide as she looked up.

“Uh… Um... Hi… mom….” Arulius sheepishly spoke first. He couldn’t make eye contact but gasped as she moved closer and hugged him.

His eyes watered and he knelt down hugging her tightly. 

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry.” he mumbled as he held onto her and she silently brushed his hair.

Amaris gave a soft smile and frowned only a moment seeing a stern-looking man appear behind the door. She waved, “Hello.” she smiled sweetly.

“Arulius.”

“Y-Yes?!” he shot straight up, standing firmly. He looked at the man waiting, face pale. He gasped as the man pulled him into a hug.

“H-Hi dad…” he mumbled, hugging him back.

Amaris smiled happily, hands folded behind her back, “I told you it’d work out you silly goose.”

“You must be Amaris.” The woman finally spoke in a soft tone. “Thank you for your call.”

“Of course~!” She sang happily, “He was pacing for over a week once his memories came back. I had to physically drag him from the car.” She giggled.

“A-Ammy.” Arulius frowned as his father finally let go. He flinched as his arm was punched. He rubbed the sore spot, “Hey…”

“Why are you so nervous about seeing your parents?! We thought you were DEAD!” His father scolded, “Honestly that was the best news we’ve had!”

“Well just… I um… Ammy… did you… mention... Um… my ‘condition’ to them?” he made air quotes as he spoke, “Or just… I was alive.” he gulped trying to not chitter.

“I figured that was something for you to tell them.” She admitted as they were led inside, “I’m just your wife for moral support.”

“WIFE?!” His father choked a bit, “W-what happened to Vanessa?! I knew a friend had emailed us but?! WIFE?!”

“Oh had I not mentioned that dear?” Arulius’s mother chuckled, “I thought I had. They even have children. Which I’m dying to meet.”

“W-well hold that thought, mom..” Arulius sighed, “Andy um… Isn’t normal. They inherited my… condition.” He looked at them as he held his hands up, “P-Please don’t freak out. I-It’s easier to show than trying to explain.”

“Arulius what is with you I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this timid since you decided to head to space.” His father sighed, “Alena can I smack our son?”

“Regis calm down. Ru sweetie you know we love you.” Alena sighed, hand on her cheek.

“I hope you... Keep that…” he sighed and looked at his wife who gave him a thumbs up. He let his features slide into his typical half human half alien look with glowing eyes and purple skin, “I um.. Accidently got… merged with an alien parasite…” he rubbed his neck ashamed, “It’s why I forgot I WAS Arulius law and not just… some body snatcher….” he sighed and held his face in his hands, “I know. This is wrong. I’m sorry I’m so sorr---” he flinched as his parents both moved to hug him. Yellow tears bubbled and dripped down his cheeks as he hugged them tightly.

When they let go Alena smiled, “So! When do I get to meet my grandbabies!” She grinned.

“Tomorrow if you like!” Amaris laughed, “We live over in New Horizon City, on the outskirts, big farm house so Ru can.. Um…” she frowned, “Relax?” she scrunched her nose, “this is not his uh… actually at this point I have no idea what counts as the “real” and not.”

“They all are. I guess that’s my… Subcontanian form?” he scowled thinking about it, “I uh turn into a really large monster snake… worm?? Ammy what the heck am I anyway? We’ve never really had to explain this.”

“Snake I think with a grub.” She snickered, “it’s quite interesting but he does great work when we’re in space. We’ve even been able to figure out new systems to prevent more cases.”

“Mmhm…” he fretted. He gave a heavy sigh as he rubbed his neck, “So yeah… I’m not dead but.. I’m not the same person as when I left and...Vanessa… she’s dead. For real. I… Pushed her out an airlock??”

“Ru context.” Amaris giggled, “Vanessa had the same thing occur but she was trying to murder everyone on the ship while he was preventing it.”

“Well, she was weirdly clingy so good riddance.” Regis sighed, “You two hungry? I have burgers and dogs on the grill.”

Arulius perked up, “Oh yes please!” he grinned revealing his sharp teeth.

“Ugh. Son go see a dentist.” His father laughed.

He covered his mouth and started to laugh with him. He smiled at his parents and at his wife. He pulled her close and kissed her cheek, “Thank You Amaris.”

“Mmhm.” she grinned, “Any time my love.” she kissed him back.

“That isn’t weird?” Regis chuckled.

“I’ve only ever known him like this so.” she grinned, “Ru is Ru. Oh right, our youngest is similar, Andy is a hybrid, so they have some weird bits. Harriet is my daughter from a previous… encounter.”

“I don’t regret killing him.” Arulius huffed. “I love Hattie so much. I’d do it again,” he growled, a loud chittering in his throat.

His mother stared with wide eyes, “Is that normal?”

“Ah!” he stopped looking away, “yeah. Sorry I’m… really weird now.” he laughed and scratched his cheek returning to his human look, “I even ate a damn pumpkin like an apple!” he grimaced, “what’s worse is I liked it. Or the turkey. The coffee beans. Ammy honestly why have you never stopped me?!”

She giggled, “Well how was I supposed to know you had a human life. I just thought you were a weird alien who looked humanish.” she snickered.

He rolled his eyes, “yeah I’m not living the pumpkins down. Gods. I am dreading when we speak to Sena next… Plus.. we need to talk about Craft and Marcus…”

“Hrm.. Maybe not. For now.” she put her fingers to her lips, “let’s just have a nice lunch and worry about the body-snatching later.” she grinned.

He sighed and pulled her close, kissing her forehead, “Fine.”

“So what do you do? Clearly you met up in space--” Regis chuckled heading to the back door to the yard. 

“I’m a biomechanical engineer!” Amaris smiled, “I fix medical equipment. But I also have a doctorate in biology. I got it while I was raising Hattie, my brother’s a geologist so he was part of the Horizon Program before I joined and that’s how I met Ru on my second space mission!”

“Mmhm.” he chuckled, “I never even used my degree in space. But then again I forgot I had one.” he laughed loudly.

He looked at his parents who smiled and grinned, “Just wait until you meet the kids!” he held his hands out as he began to talk about them.

Amaris smiled and pulled her phone snapping a photo of them laughing and texted it to Harriet with a big grin, want to meet your grandparents tomorrow? Or tonight if you can get Unca Sena to drive you.

She giggled as her husband waved her over and moved to join, holding his hand tightly.